What began as a two-door 1965 Ford Falcon station wagon purchase for his daughter became a root beer hued righteous street rod for himself. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. His daughter probably gets to drive the Falcon around from time to time, or at least ride shot gun. Or maybe her name's still on the pink slip. If so, Mr. Pinegar wins the Father of the Year Award for as long as this Falcon wagon's running the sweet streets of Surf City USA.
Surf City resident, aka Huntington Beach local, Ron Pinegar purchased the surface rust imbued but solid straight-six cylinder engine powered 1965 Ford Falcon two-door wagon for the reasonable sum of $1,500. Ron's original intent was to spruce up the Falcon for his daughter and make it a retro cool daily driver.
As you can plainly see from viewing these before and after photos, the project took on a life of its own.
Though the bulletproof and original straight-six engine in the wagon probably still ran strong, who wants original power in a Falcon two-door wagon? Not Mr. Ron Pinegar, which pleases most hot rod enthusiasts. Ron swapped in a 347-cubic inch V8 Ford stroker mill, built from a Ford 302 small block V8. The new engine is backed by a Ford AOD automatic transmission. Ron's root beer ride now rolls strong on some American Racing Salt Flats rolling stock that are 205 65/R16-inchers in the front and staggered with 225 65/R17's in the back, all wrapped in BFGoodrich Radial Advantage rubber.
The Falcon's door panels and seat upholstery are no longer covered in Ford factory vinyl. It's as if the vinyl was all eaten by a crocodile who then died from the musty old vinyl toxicity and remained covering the seats and the doors. In reality, those hides are a brown hue of leather that are faux crocodile, which looks pretty spectacular.
As far as the Falcon's vital signs, they're all now monitored by a Dakota Digital gauge cluster. A Vintage Air HVAC system keeps the wagon's occupants most comfortable in all weather conditions. An ididit steering column handles both the steering responsibilities as well as the automatic shifting actions for the Ford AOD transmission.
Above: The Falcon's headliner is now a luxurious brown suede leather covering. Superb.
Above: The rain gutters were cutoff the sides of the roof panel and re-rolled for a smooth rain-gutterless appearance. The center of the roof is still original to the wagon, about four inches worth in the center.
Above: American English slang for the area behind the back seat in a station wagon is the wayback area. Covered in a nice carpet and 'croc' leather on the sides, this Falcon wagon has much nicer interior appointments than any factory fresh Ford Falcon wagon wayback area from the 1960's.
Above: Pro painter Dave Prukops lavished the Falcon with several coats of House of Kolors Candy Root Beer, several clear coats, wet sanding, buffing, and bringing every bit of that Root Beer brilliance to the surface for years and years of trusty service into the future.
Above and two below: The owner shortened the rear wheel wells by five inches to enable the tire to fill up the well. A CalTracs rear suspension system was used to locate the 3.83:1 geared Positraction rear axle/wheels/tires. Wilwood disc brakes are now on all four corners.
Above: Ron prefers the 1964 Ford Falcon chrome grille, so that's what he installed.
Ron and his team of talented craftsmen created a 1965 Ford Falcon that's an "any day driver," as Ron aptly puts it. And why not? The Falcon has the looks of a factory fresh Ford with all the modern amenities and improvements like four-wheel disc brakes, better suspension system, much more V8 power, instantly available heat and air conditioning, power windows all the way around, and with all his Candy Root Beer creation rolling strong on BFGoodrich Radial Advantage performance tires. Suddenly, a tall glass of some ice cold root beer sounds most refreshing. Cheers to Mr. Ron Pinegar for his Ford Falcon two-door wagon Candy Root Beer ride!
Classic Industries is certainly known for being the leading provider of GM and Mopar components for many years. But did you know that Classic Industries is also a leader in supplying Ford and Mercury parts? Well, now you do know that. If you have a Ford Falcon project at your home, shopping online is a snap. Other Ford marques are also a click away. If you should have other American muscle car projects underway, CI also offers extensive parts and accessories catalogs for several models. Simply click the button below and select the correct catalog(s) for your build(s).