Surprised, Ecklers did my homework for me. Brazil Fords, I wouldn't mind having one from 1983. ( https://www.ecklers.com/pit-stop-blog/ford-galaxie-boys-brazil/ )
I wonder if it'd be worth importing a few non-running ones for resto parts and upgrades of mid-60s sedans?
Hi Andy , I haven’t seen any literature on the Aussie Falcons but I am sure there is something out there . You could try looking on Trade me au or gumtree , that might bring something up . Denis.
Thank you, Sir, I will give that a try. I always kind of liked Ford's smaller inline sixes (seven main bearings and adjustable rail-mounted rockers), but hated that Ford would only do old-time induction (single-barrel carb). Now I'm finding out about the Australian 'Barra' engines, with OHC and EFI to start with; turbocharged ones are making upward of 700+ HP. And I'd love to import a few complete engines, put one in a '79 Mustang, for Hillbilly's "dare to be different" desire.
Sorta' agree Andy. Have to wonder why we didn't get the nice things Ford sold in other countries. We did get some of the whopper engines like the Boss 9's and SOHC 427's and a few turbo 4's but the mid range power houses were severely lacking in our country. Arcaine insurance rules ?
Does seem unusual , those Barra engines sure are good . Completely designed and built in Aussie as far as I know. The first falcons they built there were a bit sketchy but as we had been raised on English vehicles they looked pretty good to us . American vehicles of any type were rare. Denis.
OEM's like to build cheap POS cars in 3rd world countries that don't care about safety and quality, hence the Latin Beetle, Nissan Tsuru, et al. They are all yours.
I have to agree with the cheap POS part in general. What we call our domestics engaged in cost cutting and weight saving measures anywhere they could and what better place to experiment than on cars built not having to meet our safety standards ? On Fords you now see plastic reservoirs on the brake master cylinders and steering pumps along with crummy plastic window regulators. When they proved to last past the warranty, Ford transfered the idea from the Brazilan cars to our cars built in the US. And we still get the cheap sh#% to this day and think it's fine. Ford didn't know how to cheat as good as those brands you mentioned Sean. Not interested in those turds, only the ones that have a smidgen of quality in them.
Yeah, seeing those plastic parts that are subjected to heat and pressure, such as the coolant reservoirs and radiator tanks, etc., cause many a pocketbook nightmare when they fail. Even VW's use of a plastic impeller on the 2.0L fours and 2.8L VR6s turned into a near-disasted for VW before Dieselgate happened.
What I've observed is that plastic parts subjected to coolant and heat cycles become crumbly. Those exposed to oil and heated metal may or may not deform, but they don't crumble after a while.
It's not like they don't know how to make tough plastics. Look at the old telephones. The problem is the bean counters quest to make the parts cheaper and lighter. It be pretty sorry when the manufacturers use the consumers as their testing department.
I stopped buying OEM window regulators for GM vehicles when the plastic bag they came in started having "Made in China" written on them. Switched to Dorman brand regulators from NAPA, OReilly, etc. for regulator repairs, still made in China but most of the time they are less than half price than OEM and have not had any problems with them.
Aurora Plastics, in making their 1/87th scale slot cars, used Western Electric's thermosetting plastic for the car bodies, because the doorbell ringer motors generated a lot of heat. So if a '60s company can use a thermosetting plastic for that, a modern car company can use the same kind of plastic for underhood stuff.
