Gav

I've heard they are different....but have never had the two side by side to verify whether it's true. The IMPCO catalogue doesn't specify a different body for CA or FB models. According to the parts catalogue the differences lie in the material the metering valve diaphragm is made of and the metering valve itself. CA and FB valves have a visibly different profiles. I've installed a CA diaphragm into a FB body and it works great. Good power and good economy with a 4L OHC engine - around 450k per 68 litre tank with mixed driving - with a home "seat-o-the-pants' tune. One day I'll get a wideband set-up and do a proper tune.

Hi Y'all Firstly...don't you hate how one project leads to another? I'm about to start restoring my XA Falcon.Here she is: One thing your seventies model Falcon are good at..apart from stunning good looks and the creation of vast clouds of greenhouse gas..is the creation of rust. How to remove it? Well obviously you can cut it out and weld in new bits. I anticipate a bit of that. Then there's surface corrosion or cleaning up the bits you wanna weld. There's a number of methods. I happen to like abrasive blasting. I used to work for a long departed airline and used to regularly avail myself of their abrasive blasting facilities. I liked how this method cleans up metal and keys the substrate nicely for whatever you want to do later. it's my method of choice for removing a lotta different things. I coulda outsourced the work, but ain't DIY a bitch? I can't bring myself to pay a guy to do it. There's paying the guy...and then there's the quality control issues. Am I going to like the job he does? Often enough I'm happy with the stuff people do when I outsource (anything) but there's also the flipside...when you feel as though you've been screwed by the guy you've paid. So in anticipation of my project I bought this : 170 odd bucks off Ebay...along with a bag of garnet to spray around with it. I ran it off my 12 cfm McMillan compressor...which upon calculation was putting out about 8.2cfm of free air. Did a passable job, but I could see it being good for only small jobs. Abrasive blasting is an intensive consumer of air. I'd have a bit of a squirt and the blasting tank would be exhausted of air pressure...I'd wait a number of minutes for the tank to recharge and have another squirt. It'd take ages to to do a panel for example...let alone a floor pan which is my ultimate goal. I thought I'd hitch a number of compressors to the blasting pot. You can get one big motherfucker Chinese compressor pumping (apparently) 30 cfm FAD for arounf $1400 on Ebay. But then, it's Chinese and while their stuff is usually passable...you really don't know what you're buying. Or...you can string a bunch of smaller compressors together to achieve a similar outcome. This is what I'm doing. I''ve got the 8.2 cfm FAD compressor running off the 10 amp household circuit....I bought a bigger 17cfm (calculated 11.2 cfm FAD) compressor for the 15amp circuit I have off Ebay...and the results are fucking great. I'll post a video if possible. Tonight, I'm picking up a petrol driven compressor (again, off Ebay) that pumps a claimed 10.2 cfm FAD. All bases covered..I'll have that bitch (XA) naked in no time! The beauty of the set-up is I can off load compressors when they're no longer required. Quality Australian made ones..not Chinese-made landfill. I wont be stuck with a 42cfm beast with little guarantee of serviceability or reliability. So...this has become a project within a project. And I will probably spend more than what it costs for someone else to do it. At least I can do it when I want...at a quality level I'm happy with...I'll update on my findings as time goes on...

I've been busy with my "project-within-a-project" - actually that's plural - projects. For those that aren't aware - probably all of you - I'm looking to restore my XA Falcon. I'm aiming to do it all myself so I've had to involve myself in a few side projects. I've been piecing together the equipment for a DIY abrasive blasting rig. I've also had to house a the shit that comes with a full resto - so : I've extended the carport to house the compressors that drive my abrasive blaster. This will also be enclosed - and used to store the parts that come off the XA. I'm a pathological builder...this is the forth shed I've built on my property. Fifth...if you include the carport. Not payin' cunts to build stuff for me! Should be part of the DIY thread...my entire back yard! Structure up : Roof and floor in : Still have to enclose it to make it weather proof. I've built an enclosure that contains the abrasive shot. A wooden frame with builders film attached to it. The whole affair sits on a tarp..making sweeping the garnet media up that much easier. The builder's film is enough to contain the mess - unless you direct a stream of blast media directly at it. It's 2 metres square so it'll fit all panels, chassis and drive train components I chosse to blast : The frame is fold-able so it stores away flat. Take around 5 minutes to deploy. Since my setup can create around 30 cfm free air (theoretically) I've decide to upgrade my blast nozzle to a 3mm tungsten carbide jobbie : Cost $150 - but it'll probably never wear out. Beats the feck out of the ceramic numbers which have a smaller aperture and last round five minutes. Update photo's will be posted when I've fully organized everything to my liking. Video of my rig in action will be posted at a later date. - prolly when the shitty Melbourne weather has passed.

Buy this : http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ford-6-cyl-single-rail-top-Loader-Bell-housing-/321185500719?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ac825ce2f It's a top loader one...not single rail as the ad. suggests...needs a hydraulic clutch though....pre-crossflow fits cross flow. Either way...there's gonna some kind of fiddling around.

Seen a wet blasting technique video on YouTube where a guy strips some Yankee iron (whole car) in around an hour...looked good from the point of view that the airborne mess was reduced..lots of wet sand to clean up afterwards. I suppose at least with dry blasting you can re-use the media as quickly as you can sweep it up. Can you dry and re-use the blast media with this technique? I guess there are pros and cons with each method. Start-up costs would be higher for dry blasting and containment is an issue. You don't get wet...but you get filthy! Can you use different blast media to give different results..is there any point? What kind of finish did it leave on the machined surfaces of the wheel?

Are you talking about fitting a pressed sump motor - EF/EL or cast sump AU? I can show you pictures of an EF/EL motor in an XF using XF baseplate/mounts....it's in my driveway! No engine/chassis clearance issues with my car. I think I used them because I had to drill new holes (or elongate existing ones) if I was to use the XG base plates - and couldn't be bothered so I tried the XF ones and everything seemed fine. At the time I thought I needed XG mounts so I had some on hand...when the XF stuff worked I remember scratching my head - wondering why it was suggested I use XG stuff. We are talking about the baseplates aren't we? Perhaps the log manifold was the issue on XG Falcons. BBMs fit okay with XF mounts anyway Better still dizzy616 I'm in Bayswater...come and see for yourself!

Just thought I'd add my two cents. I measured up some cams a while back. Proves the EA cam....87 DA is "bigger" than the EB/ED 91DA cam. When I change out the head on my XR6 I'll measure up the 94DT cam for a comparison :

Why do you need these? I swear I used XF ones without any dramas.....

Updates regarding my sandblast experiment or the XA?..well I have both. The sandblasting is one of those spin-off projects - I've built stuff and experimented with my set-up and am happy for the moment - I've been meaning to post pictures and video for a while. Once I've got the abrasive blasting sorted I might begin a thread on my XA resto. Have to extend my shed first in order to gain space for parts storage. Strip a car down...the bits gotta go somewhere! So the project has spun off...you guessed it....another project...stay tuned.

Been watching this for a while. Why hasn't anybody mentioned the Davies-Craig variable thermatic switch yet? Cheap, apparently reliable, easy to implement and a clean install if you use the additionally available pipe adaptor. I've used one in my EB with serpentine belt conversion and it works well. Mr Ford supplies the wiring.....EL Falcon electrical circuit can be used to good effect as well. It's arranged differently because the ECU isn't used to switch the fans - but it's largely intact and arranged correctly. Someone mentioned the use of E-series radiators in X-series cars. I've done it on my 4L XF conversion without using XG radiator support panels. I think "Revhead" has used the XG support panel method in his thread. It's more refined than mine and in my opinion a nice execution - but beyond a lot of folk who don't have the equipment/skill set.

Mmmmm...my expectations must be low....I get 450km to the same type of tank with a 225CA/B2 set-up on mixed city/country driving and thought that was great! Simple, reliable and starts okay first thing. Performance acceptable as well. I chose the set-up because it didn't appear to offer as much restriction as a ring type/complex convertor arrangement and thus better performance. Admittedly I came from a complex convertor/hood-type system on a carbed 4.1 that got 350km to the tank on a good day with performance that sucked - a lowish benchmark. So it depends on your points of reference I s'pose...

Thanks man! I'm hoping it'll look a whole lot nicer after I'm done with it. She's not a bad barge - but the photos do make her look better than reality.

Very good question...the shit does get everywhere...but I have given it some thought. You have to recycle...the blast media costs around $30 a bag. Two approaches : Firstly, for bits I can remove from the car (say about as big as a bonnet) I thought I might create a box-frame-thing that I can line with plastic and walk into. Theoretically you'd just sweep up the media as it would be contained within the plasticated frame. Ya just run it through a kitchen sieve into a bucket and that removes the chunks of crap from the media - ready for re-use. Secondly - for the chassis I'd simply drop sheet plastic around the car to prevent its escape - like a shower curtain but weighted at the bottom. Start with a clean floor and then sweep the stuff up after blasting and filter with the sieve. Funny story...I'm always finding innovative new functions for kitchen objects outside the kitchen...in my lab. The missus loves finding her stuff gooped up with some form of car muck. Why...just today she found a sieve of hers buried in a mix of garnet abrasive, dirt and crusted off body deadener. I knew it was wrong to use it...but I couldn't help myself

I used "Best Mufflers" [ http://www.bestmufflers.com/ ] to source bits for my 4litre conversion induction pipe and XF exhaust system. They're in Sydney...I'm in Melbourne. As mentioned before the postage was surprisingly cheap and fast - Around 2-3 days from ordering. I used clamps like this : http://www.bestmufflers.com/bshop/product_info.php?cPath=313_320&products_id=1076&osCsid=d48535aab96443d69fdb31f7ae353365 To get perfect pipe alignment for my butt welds. Just drill 3 or 4 10mm holes equidistant through the centre of the clamps - enough to tack weld the bends together. Remove and finish the welds at each join - then grind for a smooth finish.

What about a kit like this : http://www.bestmufflers.com/bshop/product_info.php?cPath=759_781&products_id=4219&osCsid=63e0eaf11ac38185c45950cdb46c6345 You can also get mandrel bends and straight pipe from the same place. Service is quite good too - quick delivery

Noobus...the crankcase of EF XR6 engines is the same as that of the lesser models. It's all in the head (and the red rocker cover) as far as EF XR6 engines are concerned.

I've found Ebay doesn't care about gas tickets either

I'vw found Smithy's at 52 Barry Street Bayswater to be pretty good

Yes it does. The cruise will disengage when vehicle speed overshoots or undershoots by more than 15% of the initial setting - according to the literature that came with the unit. For example...labouring up a hill with resultant reduction in speed will cause it to "unhitch" as will overtaking manoeuvres taking you to speeds 15% above the initial cruise setting. It's a safety mechanism. Any speed variations that occur within that band are corrected for by the unit. It maintains speed during normal conditions very well. Because your common or garden variety Falcon is generally a torquey beast only the steepest hill at low speed (say 60kph) will cause a speed reduction enough to cause the unit to disengage.

Hi all, I bought one of these from a chap in Hallam : http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SANDBLASTER-10-GALLON-SANDBLAST-REGULATOR-SANDBLASTING-BRAND-NEW-/400487308623?pt=AU_Hardware&hash=item5d3ee75d4f Thought I'd share my impressions after a bit of a fiddle with it. I've always liked the idea of abrasive blasting. It deals with surface rust decisively and leaves the metal surface nicely keyed for etching/priming. I'm also a bit of a fiend for doing things for myself rather than outsourcing. I find that at least with DIY you have sole control over the job..whatever the nature. If it fucks up...it's cos you were poorly researched/equipped. The quality of a job is therefore solely up to how much effort you put into it. I'm starting an XA sedan project and although the beast is in reasonable nick - there are some rust issues. I'm expecting to have to weld some and figured abrasive blasting would form a part of my prep before welding. So..I bought the so called 10 gallon unit. It's TWM branded. This mob brand a range of home workshop equipment such as engine cranes, stands and a lot of other stuff. It all comes from the same Chinese factory as a bunch of other brands. Look on Ebay....you see the same designs over and again...simply branded and coloured differently. It comes from the box largely ready to operate. Tighten up a few things, connect to your compressor and off you go...or sort of anyway. Most of the attachment hardware...gauges, water separator, valves and hoses look to be standard issue items - so if the Chinese stuff fucks up...most of your replacement items could come from a place like Pirtek. The abrasive discharge gun uses ceramic tips to direct the stream of media. These wear out quite quickly and are easy to replace. Abrasive blasting requires a lot of air. My 12CFM McMillan compressor battled to keep up with demand and was pretty much operating at its limits. When you had pressure the unit performed quite well. Surface corrosion was whisked away with ease. Pitting corrosion needs a little more attention. Even with a small discharge orifice, pressure bleeds off quickly and after a minute or two I had to wait for the compressor to recharge the abrasive pressure pot. So..as it stands...these units with an average compressor would be suitable for small jobs. Would I blast a door or guard using this? Not at this stage. Too time consuming. You can sieve and re-use the blast media - which gets everywhere. I'd use plastic sheeting so you can more easily gather up blast media for re-use. As things go, I have two options. Firstly, to either get some type of manifold that allows two (or more?) compressors to feed into the unit Second hand 12-15CFM compressors are cheap as chips. Secondly, hire a single big fuck-off petrol driven compressor to see how she goes. Improving the air supply will enable better use of the equipment that comes in the box. I'm hoping 20-40CFM will allow the use of a discharge gun with a bigger orifice - so blasting panels/floorpans etc may then become a possibility.

This kind of thing should suit fine : http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cruise-Control-AP60-DIY-manual-clutch-switch-inc-/150764716339?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item231a470133 One of the best little mods you can do to a car I reckon....

Some time ago I fitted an aftermarket cruise control to a Webber carbed XF - so the fundamentals may be the same for you. It was a universal fit jobbie from Command Auto Group ( http://www.tcag.com.au/ ). They're based in Sydney but as with a lot of things these days their manufacturing is done in China. It does a pretty good job. Over the fifteen years that I've had the unit I've needed the cabin mounted control to be replaced as the switches failed. I was able to source spares from Sydney and support from the company which made it has been good. The cruise control uses manifold vacuum to power an engine bay mounted servomotor which actuates the throttle. Speed sensing was via tail shaft mounted magnets. The install was fairly straight forward. The kit came with a bunch of components that are supposed to assist you in installing the cruise control (brackets etc). Because it's a 'universal application' device...most of the stuff wasn't that useful so I fabricated up some brackets to adapt the servomotor control cable to the Webber carb. Pretty simple really - and I was happy with the performance of the cruise control. It maintains speed well. I'd get some photos of the install for you but the car currently lives in Ballarat some distance from my place. If you semi-handy with the tools, installing one would be a cinch IMHO.....

Hey all, I've almost completed my XF OHC project. Just a few loose ends to tie up before I attempt a roadworthy certificate for her. One of the last issues was an intermittent problem with starting the beast. Sometimes she'd start with no dramas and at other times she would turn over on the starter but there'd be no ignition spark. Ignition components tested okay. Substituting in a an earlier non-Smartlock 0DAC ECU (EB1 Falcon) would see the vehicle start every time but with the 6DAA or 6DAB (EL Falcon) ECUs I have it would exhibit the sometimes start-sometimes-not scenario - so I figured the problem to be related to the Smartlock feature. A google search resulted in approximately a baziliion search items related to where the module exists in XG Falcons. I've used an XG Falcon harness in my project. The factory XG workshop manual supplement I have doesn't actually have a Smartlock section in it. Thanks Ford for the remarkable efforts regarding documentation! So...as a public service I thought I'd document my efforts at finding its location. The module is not in the location one may find find it in ED/EF passenger vehicles that were produced at the same time as the XG. It has been relocated in the XH as well. Turns out it's a little red fucker that can be found behind the passenger side dash mounted speaker. It's snugly fitted in there and not easily accessible. It's not the same module as exists in ED/EF/XHs as well. Its rivetted to a bracket which is located by screws to the dash assy. Sometimes the screws (two of them) are accessible from the glovebox and sometimes they are forward facing and not accessible at all with the dash in situ. Depends on the vehicle...and when it was manufactured. Secreted away...Ford obviously figured they'd developed a top-notch immobilizing system that never needed attention. WRONG. You don't have to fully remove the dash assembly to get at it but all dash retaining screws/bolts, the handbrake location hardware and centre console screws need to be removed in order to located the dash far enough back to get your hands/tools in behind the dash Here's the dash pulled forward enough to see it : it's that red box. Here it is free of its dash mounting: Here's my mod that allows access to the little bugger should it give issues in the future: It has enough harness to be relocated in the glove box to give easy access. A relief has been cut into the rear of the glove box door to allow operation of the door. Next stop...a bypass module if it gives me further grief!

Around 17.5L/100k mixed city driving (freeways/local roads) stock engine, 5-speed, 3.23 diff complex convertor, venturi mixer over Webber carburettor...revs to 2500rpm before running outta steam with around 50kW at the wheels LOL! Apples and oranges comparison. Your auto and diff ratio wont be helping your economy much! Speaking of apples and oranges, my daily EB Falcon hack gets around 13.5L/100km for a similar driving mix...4L 5-sp manual 3.27 diff with thermofan conversion (no viscous clutch fan drag) L-type IMPCO with 225-mixer - so cheap to run which is why I keep it! Reckon I could get 550-600km from a 68-litre tank in the sticks (once drove Melbourne-Bairnsdale-Melbourne without a refill). The best my XF could do was Melbourne-Bairnsdale-Droiun on the return leg).

I've replaced the original module with another one. The Smartlock system must be taught that a new module has been installed. To do this, I left the ignition lock in the "run" position. That is, the alternator light is on. The EB falcon manual says the system needs around half an hour to 'relearn'. When I shoved the new module in...the vehicle was immobilized and the warning jewel on the instrument panel flashed rapidly - more so than it normally would. When it had relearned...the flashing had ceased...took slightly less than half an hour...