Ford Falcon with a Coyote V8

Usually before a project starts the owner has an idea of what the final outcome should be. This builder envisioned something that took inspiration from 60’s short track stock cars. This meant the project would be powerful, very low, a lot of tire on each corner and fenders cut around the wheels.

The owner found a great candidate in a 1963 Falcon gasser. It was perfect because it came without an engine and transmission. It also had a 1962 wagon front clip with some rust and body damage near the brake light.

He began by removing the shock towers and installing a Mustang II front suspension and rear leaf lowering springs. This lowered the Falcon three inches. But after cutting the fenders he realized it would need to be lowered six inches. To achieve this height a custom tube frame would need to be built. Once the floorboards were cut out the owner began building the custom chassis using the Mustang II crossmember as a starting point.

With the custom frame complete and installed the body was able to sit a lot lower and matched the look he was going for.

The owner chose a Ford 5.0 L Coyote crate motor because it provided plenty of power and saved time. The engine did require the firewall be moved back one and half inches. The engine also had to be offset one inch to allow the alternator to clear the frame. Behind the engine sits a TKO 600 five-speed transmission and a rear end with the same one inch offset as the engine.

One modification the owner was not willing to compromise on was the single side exhaust. To fit his vision it needed to exit behind the passenger’s door in the quarter-panel. It required a lot of creative plumbing to fit the system in such a tight space and still have a muffler.

Looking at the final product I think the owner did a great job realizing his vision. To see all the modifications and photos on this great project please view the build thread.

Source: Jalopy Journal (build thread)