Time flies. Re-reading last year’s post, so many of the “really need to get to…” items remain as such. At least my kitchen is done.
The ’64 Falcon just plods along, but with a growing number of minor nags. The Wagoneer pisses me off on a regular basis, but makes for good videos. The kitchen remodel’s done, so wanting for another huge drain of money and time I bought an utter POS ’62 Ranchero to race in LeMons.
Onward for details…

1964 Ford Falcon Daily Driver

Honestly, the only real work it’s seen since last July was completing that junkyard alternator swap. Click through and you’ll see it didn’t go perfectly smoothly, but such is old car ownership. Getting the right belt was a guess-and-check affair, and I was in the middle of installing a probably-too-tight one for that first Valvoline Under the Hood video.
It’s sinking in that the five and a half years I’ve owned this car exceeds the first ownership–and maybe even lifetime of a ’64 Falcon. It’s so, so tempting to sign up for The Big Job: down-to-the-metal paint, wiring, suspension goodies, new steering, etc. It wouldn’t be cheap, but comparing to the price and depreciation of a more predictable daily driver, it kinda starts to make sense. Also, if I can use it to donate a few parts to…

1962 Ford Falcon Ranchero

It arrived. I got it started. Since then…I’ve ordered a stack of wiring parts and begun scheming to swap in five-lug hardware front and rear. Both the oil pan and exhaust manifold leak badly, and by the time you price out either of those individually, a whole replacement motor starts to make more sense. Oddly enough, some guy right down the street from my parents was selling a partially disassembled 200ci straight six equipped with a Duraspark distributor. Though at the rate I’m going my first real work day won’t be until early July. I’m seriously tempted to go pick up some high-end goodies for my Falcon, then hand-me-down the current stuff to the Ranchero. Such is the joy of the undying Falcon platform.

1969 Kaiser-Jeep Wagoneer

<
Perhaps you’ve noticed Valvoline likes my Wagoneer? (arguably more than I do). In the last few months, I’d decided to dive headlong into all the medium-sized jobs on the Wagoneer: fixing that leaky intake manifold, installing a lift to properly clear the tires and cutting out the rust. Just this afternoon I was still working on cutting and welding in patch panels on those floors.

Looking forward, I still need to finish installing weatherstripping and a few other minor bits that’ve been sitting on the shelf for years. Additionally, it seems neither the alternator nor power steering pump want to do their jobs properly below 1500 rpm. The PS pulses and whines while the alternator only delivers 11.5 volts.
Oh, and the kitchen’s done, but alas, this is the best picture I seem to have of it: