When shopping for an auto project online, sometimes it’s the areas of a vehicle you can’t see that raise the most concerns, and that might be the case with this 1963 Ford Falcon Futura Convertible here on Facebook Marketplace. Delaware is one small and beautiful state, but snowy winter weather is no stranger to this area, so if the 189,000 miles have been accumulated around this part of the country, there’s probably going to be plenty of corrosion to deal with. Fortunately, the seller is straightforward about this, so if you’re looking for a cool droptop to restore, this one might be worth a look. Head over to Wilmington, and bring $5,800 in cash if you’re considering trailering the project home. Austin, thanks a lot for your tip here!
Upon first glance, the body doesn’t look all that bad, and some good news is the car appears pretty much complete all the way around. The metal seems reasonably straight, and there’s not much evidence that the panels have been tampered with, although no confirmation is made on whether the outside has ever gotten a respray. However, the seller mentions rust issues on the rockers, and there’s some other visible corrosion in the quarters plus up front near the headlight on each fender. The tin worm has also been gnawing on the torque boxes, those plates down under that take whatever forces are dealt to the chassis during driving, so I’m guessing the platform might be considerably less than solid.
Among the engine choices for the Falcon Futura in ’63 were a pair of inline sixes, with this one featuring the larger of the two, a 170 cubic-inch offering rated right at 100 horsepower. The car’s mileage is a bit confusing, as the owner lists the odometer reading at 71,505, but he then mentions the title showing 189,000. In any event, the top side of the engine has gotten rebuilt at some point, with not much driving since this was completed. We don’t know how long, but the car has been sitting, and now the motor won’t start. The problem isn’t that it won’t turn over, and the carb is receiving gas, but there’s just no spark present.
It’s not perfect, but the interior seems like one of the car’s stronger areas. If the high mileage on the title is accurate, I almost have to believe there’s been some new upholstery in the past, especially being a convertible. On the other hand, maybe it’s just been well-cared-for, and this one might be near satisfactory inside if it’s only a driver-status ragtop you’re going for. However, with the seller explicitly stating that rust is a problem underneath, I’d want to know going into it how much of an issue it is on the bottom side before getting too excited about taking this one on as a project. What are your thoughts on this 1963 Ford Falcon Futura Convertible?
Sold!
“Delaware is one small and beautiful state” –
NOT the part that our Son & I drove through in his
TR6 on the way back from a British car meet in PA
on the way back to Annapolis.Nothing but flat non-
descript farmland.
Its in the eyes of the beholder, flat nondescript farmland sounds great to me.
Better than downtown in the city. This looks like a nice project to undertake with room to go in different directions. Engine choice being the first.
good deal.
I liked the later Futures with the more angular styling, but this one would make a cruiser with a period correct small V8 swap. Wonder how hard it is to get one of those? Oh hell drop in a 5.0.
Argh. Futura’s not Futures
Funny because I prefer these early, rounded Falcons. This would be great as a Sprint version, and even as the 6 cylinder, but with the 3 speed on the column. To each, his own as they say!
Drop in a 5.0- and transmission, and radiator, and rear end, and hubs/brakes/wheels/springs…
Easy-Peasy
I really like these. I had a ‘63 Comet convertible. This one reminds me of the saying: The joy of a low price is soon forgotten when dealing with the shortcomings of the purchase. Non running/too much rust.
Good one, Bunky. Just like “quality endures long after cost is forgotten”. Er, something like that.
I own a 63 Futura convertible. Have owned it since 1991. It has been remarkably reliable and is always well received at cruise ins and car shows. Hard to tell with this one but I does look good to me. One typical location of rust is the area near the top of the shock towers and the front fenders. Convertibles had a reinforcement here that could collect derbies thrown up by the front tires. The picture of this area doesn’t show any rust here which is a good sign. The car is likely not a rust bucket – or at least is reasonably worth repairing / restoring.
Fix the quarter panels around the wheel wells and drop in a small block and it would be a driver.
I have the same color Rangoon Red Sprt. Futura Convrt, with bucket seats, and the 170 Six, with a manual choke, ( last year for manual chokes I believe.) Bought mine in Mar 1970 at the Blue Book value of $450.00. Very reliable Ford like the Model A . I called mine the Model F !
Never saw a Falcon that I didn’t like. If it wasn’t so far away.