Words: Tommy Parry
Like so many of us, Brad loves the classics and the idea of reviving the old with new parts and technology. Restomods like Ring Brother’s “Unkl” got him pondering what sort of build would give him both a unique vehicle and modern-day, Corvette-rivaling performance. His answer: a ‘69 Ford Falcon.
The Falcon was an elusive model which had always piqued his curiosity and when the listing for this particular car came up, it was kismet. The former owner was willing to trade this aging Falcon for classical guitars - and as luck would have it, Brad is a luthier.
After handing over a nylon-stringed beauty, Brad loaded his new Falcon onto his trailer and loaded up a queue of racing videos back home. The Australian Touring Car Masters, a category which showcases some highly modified Falcons, served as his inspiration.
The first steps in turning this tarnished Falcon into a road course car was plucking the inline-six from the Falcon’s bay, then scouring the car for any signs of rust. As this car had spent its whole life in Michigan, it was inevitable it’d suffered some corrosion. He still considered himself lucky; given the car's background, the rust issues weren’t too bad.
While the Falcon was up on the rotisserie, Brad decided to go the full distance and tubeframe the car. With aspirations as grand as his, it would only make sense to give his project all the rigidity a sports car could need, and he aims to do that with a 2x4” steel tube chassis and a 1-3/4” 12-point roll cage which will extend into the engine bay and trunk area.
Along with fabricating the frame, he’s started drawing out his own control arms and suspension connection points to maximize the geometry and use the full capability of the 285-section tires. Working in conjunction with a 9” Granada rear, he shouldn’t have too many issues with finding traction at the corner exit.
That said, he’s still going to have to find the right tire to put down 432+ horsepower. To keep everything within the family, he opted for the new 5.0-liter Coyote. EFI, a wide aftermarket and real bang-for-the-buck value had him sold.
There’s a great deal in store for this track toy. To keep tabs on Brad’s rapid progression, follow his build thread, his YouTube page and his Instagram page.
