A 1965 Ford Falcon Two-Door Wagon That's a Surf City USA Favorite

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.

Straight Six Powered Falcon Gets a Ford V8 Stroker Mill

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. 

1967 Ford Mustang fastback front bucket seats and seat tracks contributed to the wagon's renewal, while the back Falcon bench seat was recovered in the 'croc' leather. 

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.

On your left: TSI Mustang II IFS control arms form the basis for the improved front suspension/steering system.

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.

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!

Parts Unlimited Interiors & the Venerable Ford Falcon

Though you're not likely to find faux crocodile leather seat upholstery or door panels for the Ford Falcon vehicles on the Parts Unlimited Interiors website available for purchase, you're bound to find a plethora of Ford Falcon items nonetheless. Just do a bit of searching, and you're sure to find the items you'll need to bring back your Falcon's interior. Happy hunting Falcon fans!