144 way to check bottom end condition without dropping oil pan and electrical question

falcon_master

Well-known member
Hey everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. Progress on the falcon is continuing great. I still need to get a new TO bearing and stuff but I've done more electrical work. One problem the ignition switch completely came apart (DOH!) on me like I mean the black half separated from the lock cylinder and I see all the contact points how the heck do I fix that lol. My second thing is I'm hoping to bring it down 600-700 miles to AZ in the spring and I wanna check the condition of my 144 to see if it's up to the task. It's compression is great with the lowest cylinder doing above 135 PSI and the highest about 150. I'm not hearing any rod knocks or bad noises and it'll scream like a banshee on wide open throttle without hesitation and hold it there (I know it's not good for the engine but I'm a dumb teen what else you expect :):) ). I just know the 4 main bearing is not as reliable as 7 and I wanna make sure I'm not going to throw a rod or have a bearing failure halfway to AZ on the side of the road. So any thoughts or tips are appreciated. And of anyone knows where to get a 200 cheap I would love it no junkyards near me have a Ford before 1980 in stock. But I'm falling in love with this humble 144 it's got 56 years of story to tell and it's still writing more I don't have it in my heart to rip that poor old guy out after he's done so much especially handling like 6 seconds of 5,000 plus rpm (again I know it good for the engine I feel stupid). Thanks everyone
 
Great wrk dude!
Never thought U had it in ya, but ur perserverance was great 2 watch, proud of ya!

it sounds 2 me like it;s still faltering (carb?timing?ignit?). That's a minor point in some ways.
Glad U still have 7 mo B4 the loooong rd trip (under its own power).
U ask 4 suggestion - don't do the trip over 55, 60 mph (that's only 1).
Register it now, do some rd trips, not just around da farm! 4 me 2 hr minimum = any trip (inc 1,000 mi to TX or where ever U need to go).
That stresses all components (& don't forget - an auto is a system, U wanna test all prts, not just 1).

Y not buy a new ign switch? They gotem.
No way I can think of to observe ur concerns but thru removed oil pan. But
When the 'faltering' is gone...listening can assist.
 
Do you have an oil pressure reading? If you aren't hearing any knocks and you have good oil pressure you can be pretty sure your bottom end is in good shape- at least until you succeed in blowing it up with the high rpm bursts lol.
 
everything suggested so far is exactly the route i would take as well. a "test" run is a good idea to try and flush out all your issues before the big trip maybe to a well populated area roughly and hour away and back will give you all the info you need to know on how it will run, i also suggest keeping it 60 or slower unless you have a 2.83 rear gear then you could proabably push it to 65 maybe 70. i would also suggest a full fluid change front to rear and a tire change, dont know what size you have but walmart can get tires for less than 70 dollars in most cases and will install and balance them for an additional 20 dollars. ive had an old tire blow on me before and i was lucky to have a decent spare and was very close to home. it might be worth while to take it to an oreillys and have them run their charging system tester on it to see if its up to snuff. you could also pick up a mechanical oil pressure, water temp and volt gauge set for cheap would be everything you need to know for the trip. just my 2 cents
 
Well thanks everyone. I have brand new tires bigger than stock to lower rpms. Also reading my VIN and looking at the rear I'm pretty sure I have a 3:10:1 final drive ratio and doing the math that means I'll turn 2800-2900 for 70mph and 2600-2700 for 65 mph. How's that seem rpm wise. Maybe do like 70 for half an hour then 60 for an hour let it rest than back to 70 and so forth. It's just only doing 60 the way there will turn this into a 13 hour drive. I know I'm impatient
 
"...VIN and looking at the rear..."
only real way is to know. Swap outs (axel, chunk only, etc) happen in 50, 60 yrs.
Make a line on the pinion yoke and onto the rear end with chalk or a grease pencil. Do the same to the tire on the car, so you can see when the tire has rotated exactly one turn. Now count the number of turns of the driveshaft that it takes (use your chalk marks) to make the rear tire turn one complete rotation. Figure in pieces of that to estimate .25, .10, etc

I like 1500 to 2500 RPM when goin interstate.
(hr after hr, day after day). So I can run year after year w/o a blown engine.
U got few to no hills goin that way I think.
Wind will B cross ways not tail or head).
Ck alternator, as suggested, free @ the big box auto prts store.
Good tires, spare hoses'n belts, lubed rear end'n tranny, good wheel bearings (greased 2), a flushed coolant system (several Xs, heater core too, block, radiator). It's a 144 not a 250 or 300. A kick up in speed will not change the trip that much (do the math between 55 and 70 MPH). A blown engine will change the trip quite a bit. U really want that 200ci, eh? Don't blow the lill guy B4 U get up there'n find/save up 4/buy/have time to install it. No need for mountains, lots of speed or heavy haulin (trailor w/a boat or pianio)
 
falcon_master":1p7yo8qd said:
Well thanks everyone. I have brand new tires bigger than stock to lower rpms. Also reading my VIN and looking at the rear I'm pretty sure I have a 3:10:1 final drive ratio and doing the math that means I'll turn 2800-2900 for 70mph and 2600-2700 for 65 mph. How's that seem rpm wise. Maybe do like 70 for half an hour then 60 for an hour let it rest than back to 70 and so forth. It's just only doing 60 the way there will turn this into a 13 hour drive. I know I'm impatient

just sit back and enjoy the trip - its a new car -to you -of unknown quantity -as chad says -wont take much a of a mechanical mishap to really put a dampner in your trip .

cant remember if you have renewed the balljoints suspension bushes and shocks - but that probably be a limiting factor if all are worn - 60mph be fine on worn suspension and drum brakes ….

its a 60 year old falcon on its first trip for awhile . turn up the tunes and cruise to ensure you get there .

oh and check engine oil levels and radiator levels every fill up until you have confidence you aint running them out - wont take much oil consumption to put a dent in oil level.

may have been said before but make sure you check gearbox and diff oil levels before you start-don't assume they are fine
 
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