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Words: Tommy Parry
Mark was no stranger to road racing. Having spent the first thirteen years of his life on military bases in Germany, he knew and loved the look of wide-fendered cars blitzing around the Nurburgring, and this pushed him to spend time racing in the SCCA later in life. There, he grew fond of American V8-powered machinery, and competed in a Mustang with some success.
He then aimed to combine two of his automotive interests: the wide-hipped look of German touring cars and the rumble of a domestic V8. Though he initially considered another Mustang, he scrapped the idea since, well, it had been done. Wanting to be different, he picked up a less popular machine: a Ford Falcon.
After he stumbled across a wild sketch of a Falcon with broad shoulders and a Pro-Touring aesthetic, he knew it was the car to have. Spurred on by his finding, he picked up a rusted Falcon in the Georgia foothills and hauled it to his property in the Appalachians. Though he picked up the car in 2014, he put it on the back burner as he built his house. The build began in earnest in 2016.
As he planned to build his own suspension, Mark wasn’t terribly concerned about backspacing and sought out wheels that would fit the car and its appearance. Wrapped in BF Goodrich Rival S tires in 275/35- and 315/30-sections, front and rear, he’d have the needed grip to make this 2,800-pound Falcon corner with the agility of something much lighter.
Equally influential in improving this Falcon’s surefootedness is the 2015 Mustang independent rear suspension. For the price of a decent laptop, Mark grabbed a hub-to-hub suspension with brakes and a 3.55:1 limited-slip differential. And, best of all, the parts were completely new - zero miles. For a needed improvement in body control, he went with a set of RideTech rear shocks and their swaybar relocation kit.
To complement the choice rear end, he decided on a Mustang II front. Mark only found one supplier that offered a MII in a 64" hub-to-hub width with power steering: Fatman's Fabrication in Charlotte. He had them fixture-weld the crossmember and add the frame rails so he knew it would be square. After having the rear rails bent for him, he cut the crossmember to fit within the rocker panels.
Mark then purchased a NASCAR-style 3-piece sway bar from Speedway Engineering, who helped him through the process of getting it to fit his application. When it arrived, the dimensions were perfect; however, his original mounting location revealed that the arms of the bar would be very close to the tie-rods and steering arms. His solution was to mount it above the frame rail rather than below.
Though he coveted a 3.5-liter Ecoboost, the fabrication needed to install and adapt a manual gearbox might’ve given him a heart attack. So, with pragmatism guiding his decisions, he went for a tried-and-true Coyote. That way, at least he wouldn’t have to fabricate custom intake tubes, down pipes and an intercooler, and would have a largely turn-key powerplant. After decade of wrenching on temperamental race cars, reliability is king.
To provide ample space in the engine bay, he cut out the stock shock towers and inner fenders and fabricated a few new ones. After lowering the motor onto the frame, he realized that as a result, the engine sat way too high in the chassis; the valve covers would have been through the hood. To make the necessary adjustments, he installed 2" dropped spindles, replaced the crossmember with a section of another M2 crossmember, welded in another and boxed the ends. Finally, he’d achieved his goal of being able to close the hood over the engine.
After grinding away what was left of the floor pan, trunk and most of the firewall, Mark cut the fender openings to accommodate the 315-section tires that protrude 4.5" past the body. After that, he realized he had done enough to lower the body onto the frame. With the two pieces adjoined, he took on what became a surprisingly arduous task: welding on the Vip’d Out flares.
Inside the car, he moved on to fabricate a rollcage, complete with a dash bar and front end support. When lowering the body back onto the frame once more, Mark had to trim a lot of the original inner fenders away to lower the body to back down on the chassis. Afterwards it became so weak and flimsy that he simply snipped off the front of the inner fenders and the radiator core support.
The only original piece left in this crazy concoction of parts is the outer body. With an SCCA-style cage braced front to rear, the Falcon is safe and secure, able to handle whatever the road course throws at it. What’s more, it’s been made accessible; the door bars are set lower to help Mark, now pushing 53, enter and exit gracefully.
It fires up easily, is capable of cruising on a Saturday night and doesn’t require much in the way of wrenching. This versatile, reliable Falcon is also quick - and though his Falcon is a year away from being completed, Mark already has a few boxes to check once it runs. One of these involves a drive south to Sebring, where he’ll try to better his old Mustang’s time. Though that was a dedicated race car, with the know-how attained after a few impressive builds, there’s a chance this Pro Tourer might be the fastest machine ever in his stable.
