@@markbehr88 pity this love is so belated. There are barely penny numbers left in NSW at least! It's survival rate rivals the Morris Marina experience in the UK years ago. The Aussie Leyland Marina survival in absolute terms is probably neck and neck with the EA. I think the EB - ED avoided the stigma of the EA quality reputation in the beginning, being (largely rightfully) known as much better made cars, therefor more people willing to keep them on the road. They are a rare enough sight already.
Here is my latest episode in the Falcon history series. This was the first model in the fifth generation of Falcon - the EA. I hope you enjoy it and please hit the 👍Like👍 button and Subscribe as it really helps the channel and allows me to bring you more of this kind of content. 👍
You bet. The minute I love what I see, & it's interesting, I subscribe & hit the 🔔bell, then give an encouraging grateful comment on the subject/video.
@markbehr88 it'd been sitting in his mates yard parked under a tree for years, safe to say she was very rotten inside and out. Was still a heap of fun running her around on the farm though
Dad bought new in Aug 88 and EA S-pack wagon, w/multipoint injection, in Jarrah colour, (burgandy) from Jefferson Ford, rego DMB-663. Remember bringing in the brochure to school to show my classmates at show and tell…. Was so excited that we were getting this car! 🥳 Loads of Sunday drives and other adventures…. Did the Melbourne to Gold Coast trip with ease.
Great series ! The Ea was very pure in its execution especially the EA - S My parents at this period in 1989 bought a brand new atlas grey VN commodore SS. Although always a ford kid at heart the Vn was cool, but I always thought the EA sat much nicer on its wheels.
Yes, they filmed that at Homebush in NSW, using plastic sheets for flooring and running the water over it with a big painted back drop - so it looked like they were “dancing” on water. Trying to out do the XD ice block ad (which I loved). 👍
I still have a copy of that Wheels magazine with the EA26 on the cover. Way better looking vehicle than the VN for me, especially after owning a VL Calais.
My dad had the 1st EA Fairmont Ghia delivered in NSW from Brad Garlic Ford in Ryde. It was in that dark navy blue in the brochure.. It was a bucket of S__t. We had fords our hole lives....and dad stopped after that. He DIDN'T go back until the BA. The Falcon was either amazing or a nugget. I srill have 3 Falcons but they did some strange things there for a while.
@@markbehr88 I had a v8 EB Ghia in later years, it was an early EB it was better.. even just having the v8.. it still had a EA feel to the interior so that was a nice flash back for me.
G'day Mark, Lots of memories of EA's whilst working at my dad's radiator repair workshop over the years. Worked on lots & lots of taxi's, & everyone had them. One of our customer in Kensington Westbourne Mechanic's off Dynon Rd ran there taxis night & day 7 days a week clocking up 800,000 kilometres in 4 years on gas. I would buy them drive them to Adelaide & sell them 3 times what I paid for, for people in Adelaide it was a 4 year old car on gas. On one trip I was pulled over by VicRoads near Ballarat closer to Gordon. On permit no number plates, the 2 officers were pissing them selves laughing that people would buy a Ex taxi with 800,000 kilometres in Adelaide & paying close to $5,000. If I had 10 of them I would sell them managed to sell 5 of them. All pre sold with half pulled of Silver Top stickers on them & silicon on the roof where the wires wents. Never let me down all 5 got me to Adelaide without missing a beat. The good old days early nineties. The All Day Chrysler Show yesterday in Adelaide absolutely awesome. Cheers Louis Kats 👍
@@markbehr88 I looked out for him but I didn't see him in Adelaide. My all time super rare Mopar of all time was on display. A genuine M Code 1969 Dodge Dart GTS factory fitted with a 440. Only 640 made handful left in the world. Something you wouldn't expect to see in Australia let alone in Adelaide plus 6 x 426 Hemi Mopar Muscle Cars. All class Something about the Mopars in Adelaide all class & high quality
Great video on the EA Falcon.I had an 1990 S-Pack that i purchased as an in between car in 2003 while awaiting for the insurance to come through from a previous car that was written off.When i received the insurance money i decided to hang onto it and keep the EA as it was so dam good.Unfortunately some young male on his P`plates turned in front of me in 2004 and wrote it off.I then purchased an 2001 AU Series 2 Ford Futura wagon with the money from the two previous written off cars.Dam good car that was too.Great long distance cars so comfortable and spacious.If i had the money i would buy a good example of the EA now as i still love those cars.Thanks for the video and i always enjoy watching these.Take care.
Thanks very much. Glad you enjoyed it. Sad when you have a car you really lime a d some dip stick does the wrong thing and it ends up wrecked through no fault of your own. 😢👍
I remember when the EA and VN came out, and coupled with EXPO88 it really felt like we were living in the future, finally. The EA and onward especially, still look modern to my eye, where as other contemporary vehicles from just the year before look positively dated. The VN et al never took my fancy, mainly due to the busy windows and quality. I had a 6 cylinder VL and the best bit of it by far was the engine, strangely enough. I worked with a guy who was Toyota through and through, worked for them previously and loved their products with a passion, so he bought a Lexcen. 😂
Yes, definitely some truth there although the designers will tell you the first model is generally the best from a styling perspective. Maybe a late first model? 👍
@@markbehr88 Yeah it depends on models. The XD upstages the XE. But does the EJ Holden look better than the EH? The VC Valiant sedan definitely looks better than the AP5. I reckon don't be the canary in the coalmine. Let's others endure the early builds. Dad had a '90 EA S Pack sedan.......no dramas. He then got a 2007 Ford Territory TX....... again, no dramas. Both were the first of the new style, but built at least two years in.
@@markbehr88 XF II appeared to rust more than earlier ones with the black bumper uppers. VH and VJ Valiants were much less rust prone than CL and CM. Not sure about VK.
Thoroughly agree with the designers there. EA-ED shape being the original platform design are definitely more attractive inside and out over the EF/EL that followed.
I have thoroughly enjoyed your Falcon series so far Mark. It's amazing the number of Falcons that ended their days unregistered on farms to be driven by 10 year olds as a way of transporting brothers and sisters to the bus stop when it's too far to walk. They drive them on dirt roads and park them near to the bus stop and leave the keys in the car. Ford Australia people have said years later that the EA series II was everything they want the series I to be. When the series II was released the stock market crashed and spoiled the party. At the time of the EA series I release Ford AU was also doing the Telstar. The wagon with it's leaf springs was great for towing heavy caravans in the days before SUV's and expensive luxury 4x4's.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. One day I will do an episode on the Capricorn project. A luckily ill fated plan to make Falcon front wheel drive and four cylinders. 🫣👍
@@markbehr88were you still at FPV when they were exploring the D35 for the FG update, to meet Euro5? I’m so glad the smart Aussie engineers worked out a way to get the only iron-block inline 6 in a passenger car, in the world, to meet euro5. Had they used an alloy block, the warm up cycle would have been far easier to pass. But hey, why take the easy way out? They didn’t have the budget, nor the business case for an alloy block, so they had to solve the problem the hard way. And they did.
@@commodorenut I don’t recall that per se but I remember Graham Wadsworth showing me the FG LWB renderings for the Crown Vic and Grand Marquis and they looked bloody fantastic. What a shame. We could have had a new Fairlane and LTD if that program wasn’t cancelled by Bill Ford. 😢
@@markbehr88After years of driving a German car (Golf) my dad bought a EAII wagon to tow a caravan round Australia. They had it fitted with a Haymen Reece tow bar as it placed the weight of the caravan onto all four wheels of the Falcon not just the rear two. I remember there were two huge bars that ran from the rear to the front of the Falcon and must have been weight distribution bars. It must have been about 1990 and I insisted that mum had to learn how to drive for they were going into the outback and if something happened to dad then they'd be stuck. Don't forget there were no mobile or satellite phones in those days. They got a flat tyre on the Falcon in the Northern Territory and some bloke pulled up and said he'd take it to the next town just up the road to a tyre repair place and dad could collect it from there. After the bloke drove off dad looked at mum and said "I've given our one and only spare tyre to a complete stranger, I'm an idiot". Still they drove up the road to the next town 150km away and the tyre had been repaired as was ready to be collected. Dad said when you live in the cities you forget about the kindness and honesty of country people. In South Australia mum asked a police officer if she could drive on her P plates towing a caravan as that was illegal in NSW. The police officer replied "Yes ma'am of course you can for South Australian unlike NSW is a civilised state. The caravan was custom built by Evernew Caravans in Victoria for it had a shower and toilet. They were also told by caravan friends not to get a round sink to wash the dishes for if you get a dinner plate stuck in the sink then the only way to get it out is to break it with a hammer.
Thank you Mark I have been waiting for this vid with bated breath and you didn't disappoint. I have a series 2 EA Fairmont that I've owned for 22 years, yes we all know about the problems with the early EA's which was mostly a result of Ford wanting to beat Holden with their new car for 1988 and rushed the EA onto the market before ironing out the bugs. That was fixed with the series 2 which is probably why I have kept mine for so long, no they're not perfect but there are a lot of things about the car as a package which Ford got right that suits me fine, and the styling still looks good today. Besides there are very few new vehicles available now that are appealing to me even if I wished to upgrade, SUV's or Dual Cab glorified wheelbarrows are the norm now, not for me!
Thanks So glad you liked the episode! 👍. Sounds like you have had a great run with the Fairmont. Why change I say! No need. Agree re the boring choices available. Many vehicles are devoid of character. 👍
Remember when I first saw one in the street (red) when I was a kid. I was blown away by how good it looked. I ended up owning a few of them but oh the head gaskets!
I own and ED Fairmont and an NA2 Fairlane. Head gasket and any reliability issues remedied easily with BF & FG engines in them lol so easy to fit! These cars being better made than the cars the barras came out in. Match made in heaven imo!
@@elfairmont40 I think you’re right. The build quality of the barra generation vehicles does seem terrible. Ford blamed everything else but this must have been the biggest factor.
i looked at the EA wagon and the VN wagon in 1990 ...the VN had more drivers leg room and that V6 so thats what i bought 😁........good to see blokes keeping these old henrys on the road. I now own a 5ltr vn wagon fully restoed, yeah for the leg room 😂😂
God what a nostalgia trip. this was my first co car and I as allowed the Falcon S model and chose the classic dark blue. i was so proud of it, I polished it every weekend. sad but true. The lowered ride height and the alloy wheels made it look cook in my young eyes. My boss had the Ghia and I thoughr thar was a looker and mthecVp had the Fairmont Executive was the bees knees
We had a XW, 2 XBs, XE, EF2, EL and BF1. I have a soft sport for my EL Fairmont. The boot was not the greatest but I always enjoyed driving it. I remember some magazines called the EL the Spanish Falcon. Do to the “el” 🤪
Great video. I was surprised that you didn’t mention the ‘Sprint’. You did have an image of one as a wagon (which I had no idea existed). My Sprint, was a white sedan, 1989 series two. It was basically a 5spd manual ‘S’ with the 3.9 multi point engine, mild body kit and ‘Sprint’ decals on the rear doors. Clearly a predecessor to the XR6.
Old man had 3.2L 5spd manual EA wagon as a work car. Slow and rare. Probably none left. Replaced with 3.9L MPEFI 4 spd Auto Series 2 EA which went like a rocket.
This was grand to see Mark. That was interesting to know they brought Ford Taurus and Ford Scorpio to Australia to see if they were viable replacements. I must admit I was shocked to hear the Ford Taurus was considered too narrow. That was shocking considering its size.. I would expect that of the European Scorpio which came to the United States and sold as a Merkur Scorpio and Lincoln Mercury dealerships. The reason why it failed was it looked similar to the Mercury Sable in the same showroom and cost more. Thank you for sharing the styling similarities and you can see the influence. It does look better than the European cars. This generation was nice looking. Thank you for the commercials at the end. Thank you Mark. I still cannot remember or learn the generation model names.
Thanks Olds98. We are very familiar with EA, XD etc. It is an Australian thing (and Kiwi) and we refer to the model based on their official factory series. Even workshop manuals etc do the same - so we are used to it. Makes a lot of sense to me. 👍. Glad you enjoyed the episode. 👍👍
I have an EA race car that still runs the original 3.9 cfi with a t5 5 speed. Love driving this thing, not the quickest car but a real hoot to drive...👍
Wouldn’t call the EA stunning, but hey they were built to do a job, and it did its job just fine. I grew up with one in the family. The 4 speed gearbox wore out pretty quick, general falcon oil leaks, the power steering pump drained itself over the driveway. Very loud Tappy lifters when it was cold
I was a first year apprentice back in 1989 Where I worked we used to work on a lot of taxis. One of the many things I remember how taxi owners were squealing how the brakes would wear out so fast on an EA Falcon. XF Falcons would get 40 thousand kms out of the front pads and 200 thousand from rear brake drums. EA Falcons were lucky to get 25 thousand kms from the brake pads. Another issue the EA Falcons had were the batteries boiling dry, EB Falcons weren’t much better. Oil leaks were an issue, They would pore oil from the timing covers and the passenger side of the cylinder head. Early 4 speed automatic transmissions had issues. I remember one taxi owner had to buy a new one from Ford that cost him 5 thousand (1991)dollars. Another issue the EA EB ED EF EL would have is the power steering idle up oil pressure switch would blow out. What I used to do was I would fit blanking bolt. EA and EB had tyre wear issues. The left front tyre would always wear the outside edge out because there wasn’t enough negative camber. K Mac bought out a kit that would bolt to the top control arm to make it lean inwards more.
I was fresh out of the police academy when the EA's came online. The ones we used were definitely early builds as we always had problems with them. Blown head gaskets, overheating radiator, major oil leaks, badly aligned panels, window winders breaking, transmissions breaking easily, more rattles & squeaks than a honeymooners bed & even steering wheels come off whilst driving. The last one happened to me & that sedan ended up hugging a tree. We would always try & get the Holden VN's when the cars were being replaced. I agree design wise it was a good looking car but had they released it a little later & fixed all the problems it would have been a good car. Great video Mark.
@@1969Risky Thanks very much. Geeez. A steering wheel coming off! I think I would have demanded the Ford people came in personally to beg forgiveness. 🫣
@@markbehr88 It was one of the oddest reports I ever put in at the time. Even the hardest of Ford guys weren't fond of the early EA's. Our bosses at the time when replacing cars were pushing for Holdens but we ended up with Fords.
@@markbehr88 I was turning into a street so the speed was pretty low. Basically, I turned into the street & the steering wheel just decided that it didn't want to be part of the steering column. Again, it was a very early EA build & it did scare the crap out of me at the time. The EA was towed back to the station, it was there for a week & then it disappeared forever. Nobody knew what happened to it.
Awesome content of Ford's history. As an ex-Ford employee, it's a shame, they've shut! My mum had an EBII GLi 6cyl MPI that she had for over 30 years. I've recently been driving it, and in Power mode, she still flies!
Thanks very much. Glad you like it. I worked on the Ford account at JWT and later was Product Planning and Brand Marketing Manager for FPV. So we are fellow ex colleagues! 👍😀
These cars looked like spaceships when we first saw them in '88. Underneath though, they were still tough, tried and true Foul-cans for better and worse!
Aussie cars were pretty simple and tough, with a lot of proven engineering in them (which I like). Owning some cars is like being a beta tester for the car company I reckon!
Thanks Mark. Got to agree the EA was probably the best looking car of the era, the FG the 2nd. That the Europeans like the EA over the German marques says how good us Australian’s are at designing vehicles. Shame the John Button policy set the wheels in motion to kill the Australian automotive industry.
When I get to the FG I will tell you all about a story when I saw the first clay in the Design studio and said “that’s not a Falcon”. Then they fixed it. 👍
My brother in law bought one of the first EA 5 speed's in Cairns April 88. He had to lay down plastic sheeting in his garage to catch all the oil leaks that it had from new. It overheated and cooked several times resulting a new engine installed under warranty. Dodged a bullet with that one. I waited and bought an EB2, so much better to delay my purchase so the bugs could be ironed out.
EA's reminded me of the black police car in RoboCop.around 20yrs ago.we were thinking of getting a EA and turning it into a two-door coupe then making it look like the interceptor from Mad Max but. The EA version
When the EA came out it was supposed to have the four speed auto from the start, but the supplier had delays. This cost many sales in favour of the VN.
Wow. Truly informative video. Never knew of any other model after the XD cars, my favorite lol, then years later while searching🔍 I discovered the XE, XF, EA, & fall in love with every Iteration, I was biased towards Ford, Australia, no way a Holden could ever be my first choice, lol, over my Falcons, then I discovered the twin turbo sixes, wow OMG. Sorry production stopped in, ( I think) 2019/2020 shame. Australian Ford's are the most beautiful.
in 1988 my dad had a EA taxi my God the problem we had oil leak 😅😅😅 2 years later got the VN 1990 v6 automatic but I have to admit my mother car EA S PACK 3.9 EFI WAS pretty good 👍 👌 😊
Hi Mark , A good looking car better looking than the Ford Granada/Scorpio in my opinion. Great review on the Falcon and Fairmont EA , Great video Take care
Aunt and uncle had an ED Falcon Futura Classic wagon in the metallic dark green. Never had any issues with it in the many years they owned it. I miss that car.
Other common issues with the EA were excessive crank end float, leaking timing covers, fuel sender failures and rear upper and lower control arm bushes. The EB rectified all of these issues and had the 4.0L engines. EBmk2 the resumption of the V8. I rebuilt a lot of the 4 speed auto's. I used a different sprag bearing (not Borgwarner), this was slightly thicker and stopped the issue with harmonic vibrations.
I only ever saw 3.2 L Falcons in NZ, I also spied a couple of Opel Omega imports that had me confused when I though they were VT Commodores that didn’t quit look right.
I drove a 3.2 Falcon when they first came out. It went ok. When I worked for Holden NZ we sometimes sold cars destined for Singapore and that included a smaller engined Calais. 👍
Ive had 2 Multipoint S Pac manuals in my time, both were in mint condition. Id love to have 1 now, my favourite cars ive ever owned and ive owned plenty!
Wow ive owned a few of these gems , they hold a place in my heart , i remember when the multi point came out, it was a game changer. The supercharged one looked insane! Never seen it
Yep, the EA hit the styling nail for me, it looked fresh vs the Commodore imo. But I recall initial quality was not great & as you say, the 3.2L couldn't get out of it's own way. I liked EA's styling, but att I was driving a nice KB Laser Ghia & perfectly happy lol. Cheers.
@markbehr88 That's why when looking at the VN from the front or rear you can see the sheet metal curve from the top to the bottom so it could gain the interior width because of the narrow track that was used from the VL.
After driving taxis from EAs to FGs my personal favourites were EDs, ELs and AUs. They took a lot of abuse lol. Commodores just couldn't seem to take the beatings that were dished out.
My father had a 1990 May build Series II EA Fairmont wagon 3.9L MPEFI with S-Pack suspension in Mist Green (Metallic Light Green - which could be ordered that way from the factory) I remember the 4-speed auto had E and P (Economy / Power) modes and of course it was always in POWER mode (which was displayed in the dashboard), he did after market power windows, power antenna and power mirrors (which were only then on Ghia models) and had the 1990 version Bathurst Globe alloys which were 14x7??? which had Pirelli P5 215/65 tyres and of course a Yellow Light car alarm and immobiliser and dark tints like 20's (which were allowed back in those days) Never had any issues with it for the 4 years he had it, solid, reliable durable, my dad and I both did many long drip road trips with it. way better than the XF Fairmont wagon he had the previous 4 years (that was a bad bad bad car) Ah yes it also had a Mitshibishi AMPS car phone, the good ol Analogue mobile network from Telecom Australia.
It was a great reliable car, steel was a bit thin though and towing heavy loads could warp it and you didn't want the 3.2 litre engine the earliest ones came with.
It surprises me that it was bigger than the first gen Ford Taurus. Zoe a very handsome car I think it looks like a Tempo or something else that size. Actually looking at the C pillar It really does look like a big tempo.
Still a stunning looking car in ghia and s pack today, a shame the marketing dept got their way and released the ea 6 months before the engineers wanted. A very hard car to find now as the quality issues meant no one cared about preserving them and of course no v8 option.
Awesome video as always. Cant wait for the rest of the E series. Bought a super clean bench seat Ed Gli sedan for $700 the other day! Lots of money spent on it not long ago either including duel fuel. Cant wait to take it out.
Great video. Still love the falcons one of the best looking four door cars ever. I remember doing my time at the local Ford dealership when the ea/eb were still quite new,used to do a heap of headgaskets on them.
Great vid Mark!!! I remember hiring one from Hertz when first released, to drive from Coolangatta to Sydney and back. Very smooth and comfortable. So much so, I went to buy a Futura in 1994, but could not get the deal I wanted. I ended up with a VR (Series II) Commodore, but lamented the Futura, as it was a far better driver's car. The Commodore I did keep for 13yrs, so no real complaints.
Thanks Mark. Much appreciated. The VR was a good car too. I was at Holden when we had those (I was there VN to VX). Maybe you should rekindle that Futura thought as I am sure you could still find a good one for not too much money? 🤔👍
@@markbehr88 VR engine seemed to rev smoother than the first Ecotec in the VS which was a crude thing at higher revs. The Ecotec was much nicer by the VX version.
Another great episode, Mark. I remember the release of the EA well. My immediate response at the time was that, thankfully, the XF had finally gone. The second was that how similar the new Falcon and Commodore looked, at least to the untrained eye. Of course we look back now and think that's ridiculous but after the XF and VL, the EA and VN were headed down a similar, new design path.
I had a 1988 EA Fairmont ghia that was factory optioned with the 5 speed manual. Was apparently one of about 30ish I was told and most of those went to NZ. Anyway, I loved it and wish I still had it. Thanks for the trip down memory lane Mark.
Hi Mark. Great vid again. Manager at a place worked had an S1 EA Wagon. Had the engine changed under warranty, gearbox failed a couple of times. Whole place was littered with flogged-to-death EA-EL wagons. Head gaskets the biggie but great cars. VN Commie was the ugliest ever built, great engine though.
Thank you! Those EA wagons were huge and could take real punishment. They really could. Plus, they were very comfortable to ride and drive in. Especially if you were a rep doing big rural miles. 👍
Factoid: Taxi companies would later take the 3-speed automatics out of EAs and retrofit them into later E-series models to replace the 4-speeds. The 3-speeds were superior in the durability department, and the 4th overdrive gear was not really necessary for taxi work. The gear ratios for gears 1 to 3 for both gear boxes were the same, however the 3-speed was completely mechanical, no electronics.
Brilliant video! Enjoy anything about EA26 which is my Fav era of ford Australia ! Well put together ! Have 3 cars and 2 of them are EA26 :D ED Fairmont and NA2 Fairlane which is my daily drive.
There was also a dealer order turbo version for the mpfi , something ford dealers hadn't offered since the second half of the xe series (there was a dealer option for turbo efi xe esp after the v8 was axed which was actually quicker than the v8 versions)
Those turbos would be non factory sanctioned aftermarket that a few “performance minded” dealers offered, like the Johnson XE for example. Not like the GH Sigma Turbo for example that was a factory model. 👍
@markbehr88 ait in memory , it was adr approved and covered under ford warranty iirc , both the xe and ea made 190kw . There were ~15 xe esp made and unknown with the ea 👍
The new EA FALCON was mentioned in a news paper article for being the 2nd Australian 6 cylinder car able to cover the 1/4 mile ( 400 meters ) in the 15 second zone. The 1st being the E38 CHARGER. To achieve this required a EA multi-point 3.9 , 5 speed manual with a optional 3.23:1 diff ratio.
A new EA FAIRMONT GHIA 5 SPEED MULTI POINT was lined up against a VH SL/E COMMODORE 5 LITRE AUTO. The EA pulled away from the VH slowly but surely right from the start. Of coarse the VH was carburettor & non BROCK.
Parents bought a brand new 1989 GL 3.9 5speed. Was a complete lemon. Starter motor and alternator died within 2 weeks, plastic shavings in fuel tank screwed the fuel pump, chewed front tyres, and generally refused to start quite often. I remember having to crawl into the boot to manually reease the latch. Got towed behind dad's VN and then VP work cars to the Ford dealership a few times. It was traded in for a VR Commodore in 93 and so avoided the head gasket issues. EB was a far better car but damage was done and mum couldn't trust having another Falcon. All 3 Commodore models we had never had an issue although the VN was stolen and recovered twice.
That’s a shame. I don’t doubt the Commodores were great cars. Outside of EA many people had great service from their Falcons. I get it though. Once bitten….🤔👍
@@markbehr88 It seemed to be hit or miss. There was an EA taxi running around our town 20 odd years ago that showed 200,000kms on the odometer. We made the comment thats low for a taxi its age, turns out odometer was on its second trip around the clock. I have an FGmk2 turbo now and its been faultless in 4 years ownership. Our EA must have been a Friday arvo build
I recall reading that the EA began production in late 1987, meaning there are (or were) some 1987 plated EAs out there. Probably something to do with the massive change in tooling between the XF and EA
Not sure they would be plated 1987. Maybe pilot build cars etc. That would be more likely. Close the line over Christmas a d ramp up production pre launch from Jan to March etc. In my experience Dealers would not accept 87 plate cars for a 1988 new model launch.👍👍
Reminds me of the 85 plated VL that was on the market a few years ago. A handful exist(ed). Was told a few LX Toranas were built in the tail end of 1975. Pre mid 76 emission free LXs are extremely sought after.
@@southerndiy1 I found the post linking to the ad. It was advertised on Carsales in 2015. The poster who provided the link (no longer valid) prefaced as follows. "A 1985 built VL Commodore, one of the very first ones built in December 1985, possibly used internally by Holden during the VL release period almost 30 years ago."
At the time of release I was working for ford and I saw a pre-production car with Telstar taillights almost exactly the same size would crack the top inside corner but not break it right through.
The New Falcon had a problem with BACK FIRES when starting. It would POP if someone touched the accelerator pedal when cranking the engine on start up. Owners were told it's a NO TOUCH start , don't touch/press the accelerator pedal when starting the engine.
in 1990 I traded my XF-S for a new EA-S and three months after the 12 month warranty expired the three speed auto trans failed, Ford replaced the trans at no charge. The replacement failed within a month and was also replaced for free. Had no other issues with the car and in 1998 upgraded to an AU. Fun fact, the company I own made the noise suppressor circuit for the mirror motors in the EB Falcon.
@@peteroneill404 123DNR? That was the BTR 4 speed unit and it was a 1990 build. The four speed was introduced in 89. The three speed has 12DNR. I suspect that first replacement was a rebuilt unit from another car and they then put in a new one after such a quick failure. Or it might be a luck of the draw finally getting one that lasts! I was told the factory that made them was using worn out tooling hence quality issues.
Mine must have been the three speed, as it was 12DNR. The original trans progressively lost gears over my 50km drive home from work. The replacement had a total lockup of the trans output to the tail shaft couldn't even put it in Neutral! My G6E is 17 years old now and still a great car, I wish we still made cars in this country.
Thanks Mark, I am really enjoying your Falcon reviews. Just on the EA versus VN thing, the EA was much more refined. The VN Commodore looked awkward with it's VL front track and grey plastic dog dish wheel trims. It's V6 was noisy and rough and it's HR Holden sized steering wheel was just ugly. The EA didn't have the power of the Commodore but it was sure nicer to drive and look at.
Thanks. Glad you are liking the series. Interesting re perceptions. The Commodores had so e harshness but we t well. I had them as company cars. Sedans, wagons, sixes and V8s of all trim levels from Exec to Calais. I liked them. The Falcons (where my friend worked at Ford at the same time) were smoother, had a wider track. Both were good for their time and big improvements over a few years earlier imo. 👍
I'm pretty sure I used to own, for a short time, the Crystal Mint Fairmont wagon seen in this vid. If it was my car it is one very rare Fairmont being factory optioned with a bench seat and column change auto thus making it a 6 seater. I do regret selling it.
It was. I bought it from a young bloke who bought it from the wreckers. I drove it back from Melbourne to Holbrook along the M31 and all I could think was, who on earth would actually want an new car as they don't get much better than this (not referring to technology of course). I sold it back to him a month later when he contacted me saying he regretted selling it and wanted it back. I had to many cars so I sold it back to him. I sent you an email. @@markbehr88
I think the give away from the clinic pictures that it indeed was the next generation Falcon was the door mirrors, with the outside shape looking very similar (if not identical) to the ones on the XF Falcon.
One of my favourite taxis my dad drove was a white EA 30th anniversary model he drove in the early 1990s. I don't know why, but it had a sportier sounding exhaust and to this day, the best sounding Ford Falcon to me ever! The first one I rode in was a taxi in 1988 and even then before the negative press on the EA build quality, I noticed right away the squeeks and rattles of the interior compared to an XF cab! What a shame. It really was an impressively modern looking design. For a long time I saw the EA Falcon as the benchmark for next level modern futuristic feeling cars with its steeply raked space ship like windscreen.
@@je2338 absolutely yes. I like a nice six cylinder and I don't mean those idiots who go all out on a sports system. I like subdued engine noise that sounds like it had breeding behind it like a Jaguar six.
How about that. I dont think the EA was around long enough for us Ford guys to appreciate her. I have a March '88 build EA police car. It has XF steelies, sunvisor, bench seat ,column auto, light brown paint and is an S pack. Unusual.
Great review Mark. The EA was an extremely handsome car. Family sized...but didn't have the big car look - apart from the wagon. I had an early 4 speed auto model back in the day...and yes the transmission went! $2500 it cost to fix 🥺 The bloke said it was the solenoids...? I never knew Brocky offered a V8 option on his specials. Thanks Mark.
Was actually a B8, all Brock EA falcons were 6 cylinder. Brocky wouldn't have had the coin to do a low volume manufacturers ADR thingy to put a V8 into an EA.
Glad you liked it. Re the Brock cars. They were called B8 but think they were all sixes as there was no V8 available. I think the name was confusing. 👍
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My first car was an 1986 Camira wagon, and I was so stoked when I was able to get a 1988 EA Falcon. I've only driven Falcons ever since.
@@LeftIsBest001 I can understand that. 👍
@@markbehr88 Ouch, the Camera "super car" as a first car. The EA must've felt like a big step up!
The EA /EB Falcon & Fairmont has aged beautifully .. It was a good lookinhg car on its release & still looks modern today !!!
I agree 👍
I won’t exactly call it modern-looking till today. There’s no hiding this is a car in its mid-30s. And best of luck finding one that still runs
Modern looking? Lol. You read some weird stuff on the internet
The vn smoked it in design and especially the wagons. How did Ford make such a bad looking wagon ?
I agree
EA great looking Falcon
Agree. 👍👎Good to see the EA getting the love ❤️.
@@markbehr88 pity this love is so belated. There are barely penny numbers left in NSW at least!
It's survival rate rivals the Morris Marina experience in the UK years ago.
The Aussie Leyland Marina survival in absolute terms is probably neck and neck with the EA.
I think the EB - ED avoided the stigma of the EA quality reputation in the beginning, being (largely rightfully) known as much better made cars, therefor more people willing to keep them on the road.
They are a rare enough sight already.
@@jamesfrench7299 Yes, I think you are right 👍
Here is my latest episode in the Falcon history series. This was the first model in the fifth generation of Falcon - the EA. I hope you enjoy it and please hit the 👍Like👍 button and Subscribe as it really helps the channel and allows me to bring you more of this kind of content. 👍
You bet. The minute I love what I see, & it's interesting, I subscribe & hit the 🔔bell, then give an encouraging grateful comment on the subject/video.
@@commandertopgun I really appreciate it. Hopefully everyone will follow your lead. 😀👍
Dad bought me an EA S-pack when I was about 13 for $50, damn it was a fun thing to play around with! And taught me a lot of what I know and use today.
Bargain! 😀👍
@markbehr88 it'd been sitting in his mates yard parked under a tree for years, safe to say she was very rotten inside and out. Was still a heap of fun running her around on the farm though
@@Michka1001 I did the same thing with a column shift Falcon XL wagon. Learned a bit on those paddocks. 😀👍
Dad bought new in Aug 88 and EA S-pack wagon, w/multipoint injection, in Jarrah colour, (burgandy) from Jefferson Ford, rego DMB-663.
Remember bringing in the brochure to school to show my classmates at show and tell…. Was so excited that we were getting this car! 🥳
Loads of Sunday drives and other adventures…. Did the Melbourne to Gold Coast trip with ease.
How cool is that. When a new car was an exciting event. 👍
Great series ! The Ea was very pure in its execution especially the EA - S My parents at this period in 1989 bought a brand new atlas grey VN commodore SS. Although always a ford kid at heart the Vn was cool, but I always thought the EA sat much nicer on its wheels.
Thanks. Yes, I was at Holden when we had the VN SS. Atlas Grey and (I think) Phoenician Red. Later we also offered White. Cool cars. 👍
I can still remember seeing that commercial for the first time I couldn’t believe it was a Falcon it was so round and modern.
Yes, they filmed that at Homebush in NSW, using plastic sheets for flooring and running the water over it with a big painted back drop - so it looked like they were “dancing” on water. Trying to out do the XD ice block ad (which I loved). 👍
Your videos on Ford Australian models are phenomenal, you do a magnificent job, I enjoy every video you produce, thank you so much my friend.
That’s very nice of you. Thanks. 👍
Anytime, you make it easy, your videos are insanely informative & you love cars.
@@commandertopgun Thanks. I definitely do 👍(love my cars).
I still have a copy of that Wheels magazine with the EA26 on the cover. Way better looking vehicle than the VN for me, especially after owning a VL Calais.
@@davodrums Yes, it was regarded at the time of being one of the best looking Fords worldwide. 👍
I had 2 EA”s ,a S pack and a Ghia. I still think they rank one of the best looking falcons.
Both great models in the range plus a Ghia wagon too 👍
I so wish I still had my ED falcon. It was just a straight 6 but I still want it back
You should find a replacement as your next mission and just enjoy it. 👍👍
My dad had the 1st EA Fairmont Ghia delivered in NSW from Brad Garlic Ford in Ryde.
It was in that dark navy blue in the brochure..
It was a bucket of S__t.
We had fords our hole lives....and dad stopped after that.
He DIDN'T go back until the BA.
The Falcon was either amazing or a nugget. I srill have 3 Falcons but they did some strange things there for a while.
Shame he didn’t give the EB a good. It was much better. 👍
@@markbehr88 I had a v8 EB Ghia in later years, it was an early EB it was better.. even just having the v8.. it still had a EA feel to the interior so that was a nice flash back for me.
@@lukestocks4370 Thanks. I love mine. 👍
G'day Mark,
Lots of memories of EA's whilst working at my dad's radiator repair workshop over the years.
Worked on lots & lots of taxi's, & everyone had them.
One of our customer in Kensington
Westbourne Mechanic's off
Dynon Rd ran there taxis night & day
7 days a week clocking up
800,000 kilometres in 4 years on gas.
I would buy them drive them to Adelaide & sell them 3 times what I paid for, for people in Adelaide it was a 4 year old car on gas.
On one trip I was pulled over by
VicRoads near Ballarat closer to Gordon.
On permit no number plates, the 2 officers were pissing them selves laughing that people would buy a
Ex taxi with 800,000 kilometres in Adelaide & paying close to $5,000.
If I had 10 of them I would sell them managed to sell 5 of them.
All pre sold with half pulled of Silver Top stickers on them & silicon on the roof where the wires wents.
Never let me down all 5 got me to Adelaide without missing a beat.
The good old days early nineties.
The All Day Chrysler Show yesterday in Adelaide absolutely awesome.
Cheers
Louis Kats 👍
Thanks Louis. Sounds like you have a good little side hustle going on there? Did you see Brian at the Chrysler show? He was there. 👍
@@markbehr88
I looked out for him but I didn't see him in Adelaide.
My all time super rare Mopar of all time was on display.
A genuine M Code 1969 Dodge Dart GTS factory fitted with a 440.
Only 640 made handful left in the world.
Something you wouldn't expect to see in Australia let alone in Adelaide plus 6 x 426 Hemi Mopar Muscle Cars.
All class Something about the Mopars in Adelaide all class & high quality
@@louiskats5116 Ah,, nice car. Brian was at Chrysler on the Murray. 👍
@@markbehr88 👍👍
Im really enjoying these falcon model series videos mark, and i love the ads at the end.❤
Thanks. Glad you like hem. The ads give them the historical and cultural context. Plus, we fondly remember many of them. 👍
@@markbehr88 please keep the series going, looking forward to the EB, ED, and EF models. ❤️
@@Dylan_Mulvaney_OFFICIAL Thanks. Will do 👍
@@markbehr88 cheers 🥂
Great video on the EA Falcon.I had an 1990 S-Pack that i purchased as an in between car in 2003 while awaiting for the insurance to come through from a previous car that was written off.When i received the insurance money i decided to hang onto it and keep the EA as it was so dam good.Unfortunately some young male on his P`plates turned in front of me in 2004 and wrote it off.I then purchased an 2001 AU Series 2 Ford Futura wagon with the money from the two previous written off cars.Dam good car that was too.Great long distance cars so comfortable and spacious.If i had the money i would buy a good example of the EA now as i still love those cars.Thanks for the video and i always enjoy watching these.Take care.
Thanks very much. Glad you enjoyed it. Sad when you have a car you really lime a d some dip stick does the wrong thing and it ends up wrecked through no fault of your own. 😢👍
I remember when the EA and VN came out, and coupled with EXPO88 it really felt like we were living in the future, finally. The EA and onward especially, still look modern to my eye, where as other contemporary vehicles from just the year before look positively dated.
The VN et al never took my fancy, mainly due to the busy windows and quality. I had a 6 cylinder VL and the best bit of it by far was the engine, strangely enough.
I worked with a guy who was Toyota through and through, worked for them previously and loved their products with a passion, so he bought a Lexcen. 😂
I guess he bought the Lexcen as he wanted to “be a little bit different” as the jingle used to say! 😀👍
@@markbehr88 Well he was quite different 😂
Old man bought a EA S pac in 1988 . Was a very reliable car . Looked great .
Yes, plenty of people had a good run with them it seems. 👍
My old man did too. Jarrah coloured wagon with the 3.9L Multi-point. Fond memories, lots of weekend drives.
@@abghw Great stuff hey. 👍
Dad had a silver EA Ghia when I was younger, it was a big step up from his XE Ghia. The digital speedo was definitely a highlight for a kid!
Pretty cool memories hey? 👍
The EA taught the public the importance of never buying the first of all new models. Wait until late build, or even the first facelift.
Yes, definitely some truth there although the designers will tell you the first model is generally the best from a styling perspective. Maybe a late first model? 👍
@@markbehr88
Yeah it depends on models.
The XD upstages the XE. But does the EJ Holden look better than the EH? The VC Valiant sedan definitely looks better than the AP5.
I reckon don't be the canary in the coalmine. Let's others endure the early builds.
Dad had a '90 EA S Pack sedan.......no dramas. He then got a 2007 Ford Territory TX....... again, no dramas. Both were the first of the new style, but built at least two years in.
@@noelgibson5956 Yes it is hit and miss. My Dad had an XK. No dramas so he bought an XL. 👍
@@markbehr88 XF II appeared to rust more than earlier ones with the black bumper uppers.
VH and VJ Valiants were much less rust prone than CL and CM. Not sure about VK.
Thoroughly agree with the designers there. EA-ED shape being the original platform design are definitely more attractive inside and out over the EF/EL that followed.
I remember the first time I saw the EA Falcon at the 1988 Masters in Huntingdale. It looked like the future.
Yes, it was a big step change, like the XD. 👍
I have thoroughly enjoyed your Falcon series so far Mark. It's amazing the number of Falcons that ended their days unregistered on farms to be driven by 10 year olds as a way of transporting brothers and sisters to the bus stop when it's too far to walk. They drive them on dirt roads and park them near to the bus stop and leave the keys in the car.
Ford Australia people have said years later that the EA series II was everything they want the series I to be. When the series II was released the stock market crashed and spoiled the party. At the time of the EA series I release Ford AU was also doing the Telstar. The wagon with it's leaf springs was great for towing heavy caravans in the days before SUV's and expensive luxury 4x4's.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. One day I will do an episode on the Capricorn project. A luckily ill fated plan to make Falcon front wheel drive and four cylinders. 🫣👍
@@markbehr88were you still at FPV when they were exploring the D35 for the FG update, to meet Euro5? I’m so glad the smart Aussie engineers worked out a way to get the only iron-block inline 6 in a passenger car, in the world, to meet euro5. Had they used an alloy block, the warm up cycle would have been far easier to pass. But hey, why take the easy way out? They didn’t have the budget, nor the business case for an alloy block, so they had to solve the problem the hard way. And they did.
@@commodorenut I don’t recall that per se but I remember Graham Wadsworth showing me the FG LWB renderings for the Crown Vic and Grand Marquis and they looked bloody fantastic. What a shame. We could have had a new Fairlane and LTD if that program wasn’t cancelled by Bill Ford. 😢
@@markbehr88After years of driving a German car (Golf) my dad bought a EAII wagon to tow a caravan round Australia. They had it fitted with a Haymen Reece tow bar as it placed the weight of the caravan onto all four wheels of the Falcon not just the rear two. I remember there were two huge bars that ran from the rear to the front of the Falcon and must have been weight distribution bars. It must have been about 1990 and I insisted that mum had to learn how to drive for they were going into the outback and if something happened to dad then they'd be stuck. Don't forget there were no mobile or satellite phones in those days. They got a flat tyre on the Falcon in the Northern Territory and some bloke pulled up and said he'd take it to the next town just up the road to a tyre repair place and dad could collect it from there. After the bloke drove off dad looked at mum and said "I've given our one and only spare tyre to a complete stranger, I'm an idiot". Still they drove up the road to the next town 150km away and the tyre had been repaired as was ready to be collected. Dad said when you live in the cities you forget about the kindness and honesty of country people.
In South Australia mum asked a police officer if she could drive on her P plates towing a caravan as that was illegal in NSW. The police officer replied "Yes ma'am of course you can for South Australian unlike NSW is a civilised state. The caravan was custom built by Evernew Caravans in Victoria for it had a shower and toilet. They were also told by caravan friends not to get a round sink to wash the dishes for if you get a dinner plate stuck in the sink then the only way to get it out is to break it with a hammer.
@@AussiePom Love the story. Thanks very much. Great memories. 👍👍
Thank you Mark I have been waiting for this vid with bated breath and you didn't disappoint. I have a series 2 EA Fairmont that I've owned for 22 years, yes we all know about the problems with the early EA's which was mostly a result of Ford wanting to beat Holden with their new car for 1988 and rushed the EA onto the market before ironing out the bugs.
That was fixed with the series 2 which is probably why I have kept mine for so long, no they're not perfect but there are a lot of things about the car as a package which Ford got right that suits me fine, and the styling still looks good today.
Besides there are very few new vehicles available now that are appealing to me even if I wished to upgrade, SUV's or Dual Cab glorified wheelbarrows are the norm now, not for me!
Thanks So glad you liked the episode! 👍. Sounds like you have had a great run with the Fairmont. Why change I say! No need. Agree re the boring choices available. Many vehicles are devoid of character. 👍
Remember when I first saw one in the street (red) when I was a kid. I was blown away by how good it looked. I ended up owning a few of them but oh the head gaskets!
Yes, they looked terrific. I am sure there is a way to better manage the head gasket issue these days in terms of material technology advances etc. 👍
I own and ED Fairmont and an NA2 Fairlane. Head gasket and any reliability issues remedied easily with BF & FG engines in them lol so easy to fit! These cars being better made than the cars the barras came out in. Match made in heaven imo!
@@elfairmont40 Thanks. Interesting. 👍
@@elfairmont40 I think you’re right. The build quality of the barra generation vehicles does seem terrible. Ford blamed everything else but this must have been the biggest factor.
i looked at the EA wagon and the VN wagon in 1990 ...the VN had more drivers leg room and that V6 so thats what i bought 😁........good to see blokes keeping these old henrys on the road. I now own a 5ltr vn wagon fully restoed, yeah for the leg room 😂😂
Thanks 5 litre VN wagon = Good 👍👍
God what a nostalgia trip. this was my first co car and I as allowed the Falcon S model and chose the classic dark blue. i was so proud of it, I polished it every weekend. sad but true. The lowered ride height and the alloy wheels made it look cook in my young eyes. My boss had the Ghia and I thoughr thar was a looker and mthecVp had the Fairmont Executive was the bees knees
@@paulredding5864 Glad it brought back some good memories. Check out the other Falcon episodes. 👍
We had a XW, 2 XBs, XE, EF2, EL and BF1.
I have a soft sport for my EL Fairmont.
The boot was not the greatest but I always enjoyed driving it.
I remember some magazines called the EL the Spanish Falcon. Do to the “el” 🤪
You’ve had a few Fords! Ha. Hadn’t heard the Spanish joke. I have an EF V8 Fairmont. 87,000 kms. Love it. 👍👍
Great video. I was surprised that you didn’t mention the ‘Sprint’. You did have an image of one as a wagon (which I had no idea existed). My Sprint, was a white sedan, 1989 series two. It was basically a 5spd manual ‘S’ with the 3.9 multi point engine, mild body kit and ‘Sprint’ decals on the rear doors. Clearly a predecessor to the XR6.
Thanks. I think the Sprint was a P&A package that was offered as opposed to a model as such. 👍
Looked so modern... with Soviet tractor technology underneath (same as VN).
@@lundsweden Overhead cam, multipoint injection. Nice tractor. 👍
@markbehr88 Ancient iron engine, solid rear axle with non independent rear suspension, carryover ox cart suspension etc.
@ But it worked!
@@markbehr88 Actually I love these old beasts, the simplicity made them easy to fix!
@ Yes. Agreed. 👍
Old man had 3.2L 5spd manual EA wagon as a work car. Slow and rare. Probably none left. Replaced with 3.9L MPEFI 4 spd Auto Series 2 EA which went like a rocket.
That was a very rare spec. I wonder if it still exists. The 3.9 multi points went liked scalded cats. 👍
This was grand to see Mark. That was interesting to know they brought Ford Taurus and Ford Scorpio to Australia to see if they were viable replacements. I must admit I was shocked to hear the Ford Taurus was considered too narrow. That was shocking considering its size.. I would expect that of the European Scorpio which came to the United States and sold as a Merkur Scorpio and Lincoln Mercury dealerships. The reason why it failed was it looked similar to the Mercury Sable in the same showroom and cost more. Thank you for sharing the styling similarities and you can see the influence. It does look better than the European cars. This generation was nice looking. Thank you for the commercials at the end. Thank you Mark. I still cannot remember or learn the generation model names.
Thanks Olds98. We are very familiar with EA, XD etc. It is an Australian thing (and Kiwi) and we refer to the model based on their official factory series. Even workshop manuals etc do the same - so we are used to it. Makes a lot of sense to me. 👍. Glad you enjoyed the episode. 👍👍
I have an EA race car that still runs the original 3.9 cfi with a t5 5 speed. Love driving this thing, not the quickest car but a real hoot to drive...👍
Great you still have it 👍👍
Wouldn’t call the EA stunning, but hey they were built to do a job, and it did its job just fine. I grew up with one in the family. The 4 speed gearbox wore out pretty quick, general falcon oil leaks, the power steering pump drained itself over the driveway. Very loud Tappy lifters when it was cold
They certainly had their share of issues but when they were running well, were a good car. 👍
I was a first year apprentice back in 1989
Where I worked we used to work on a lot of taxis.
One of the many things I remember how taxi owners were squealing how the brakes would wear out so fast on an EA Falcon.
XF Falcons would get 40 thousand kms out of the front pads and 200 thousand from rear brake drums.
EA Falcons were lucky to get 25 thousand kms from the brake pads.
Another issue the EA Falcons had were the batteries boiling dry, EB Falcons weren’t much better.
Oil leaks were an issue,
They would pore oil from the timing covers and the passenger side of the cylinder head.
Early 4 speed automatic transmissions had issues.
I remember one taxi owner had to buy a new one from Ford that cost him 5 thousand (1991)dollars.
Another issue the EA EB ED EF EL would have is the power steering idle up oil pressure switch would blow out.
What I used to do was I would fit blanking bolt.
EA and EB had tyre wear issues.
The left front tyre would always wear the outside edge out because there wasn’t enough negative camber.
K Mac bought out a kit that would bolt to the top control arm to make it lean inwards more.
Interesting. And the good points? 👍😀
There was a bad batch of Crankshafts put into a whole lot of Early EB 4.0L Motors as well. They would just break with no warning....
@@JoeShabidu
First time hearing about this problem. It must've been a very small portion
I was fresh out of the police academy when the EA's came online. The ones we used were definitely early builds as we always had problems with them. Blown head gaskets, overheating radiator, major oil leaks, badly aligned panels, window winders breaking, transmissions breaking easily, more rattles & squeaks than a honeymooners bed & even steering wheels come off whilst driving. The last one happened to me & that sedan ended up hugging a tree. We would always try & get the Holden VN's when the cars were being replaced. I agree design wise it was a good looking car but had they released it a little later & fixed all the problems it would have been a good car.
Great video Mark.
@@1969Risky Thanks very much. Geeez. A steering wheel coming off! I think I would have demanded the Ford people came in personally to beg forgiveness. 🫣
@@markbehr88 It was one of the oddest reports I ever put in at the time. Even the hardest of Ford guys weren't fond of the early EA's. Our bosses at the time when replacing cars were pushing for Holdens but we ended up with Fords.
@@1969Risky It would have been scary. 🫣
@@markbehr88 I was turning into a street so the speed was pretty low. Basically, I turned into the street & the steering wheel just decided that it didn't want to be part of the steering column. Again, it was a very early EA build & it did scare the crap out of me at the time. The EA was towed back to the station, it was there for a week & then it disappeared forever. Nobody knew what happened to it.
@@1969Risky Scary. 🫣
I’ve had my EA S Pack since 2003 it’s been probably one of the best cars I’ve ever owned
Wow. Good on you. Can’t argue with 21 years of faithful service. 👍👍
It certainly was quite a good looking car in its day
Yes, I reckon so and still looks good today. 👍
Awesome content of Ford's history. As an ex-Ford employee, it's a shame, they've shut! My mum had an EBII GLi 6cyl MPI that she had for over 30 years. I've recently been driving it, and in Power mode, she still flies!
Thanks very much. Glad you like it. I worked on the Ford account at JWT and later was Product Planning and Brand Marketing Manager for FPV. So we are fellow ex colleagues! 👍😀
These cars looked like spaceships when we first saw them in '88. Underneath though, they were still tough, tried and true Foul-cans for better and worse!
I’ll say for better 😀👍
Aussie cars were pretty simple and tough, with a lot of proven engineering in them (which I like). Owning some cars is like being a beta tester for the car company I reckon!
@@Andronicus2007 That is true on both counts. 👍
FANTASTIC VIDEO, INCREDIBLY INFORMATIVE & ENTERTAINING.. THANK YOU FOR POSTING.
Thanks very much. 👍
Thanks Mark. Got to agree the EA was probably the best looking car of the era, the FG the 2nd. That the Europeans like the EA over the German marques says how good us Australian’s are at designing vehicles. Shame the John Button policy set the wheels in motion to kill the Australian automotive industry.
When I get to the FG I will tell you all about a story when I saw the first clay in the Design studio and said “that’s not a Falcon”. Then they fixed it. 👍
@@markbehr88 Thanks. Looking forward to it!
My brother in law bought one of the first EA 5 speed's in Cairns April 88. He had to lay down plastic sheeting in his garage to catch all the oil leaks that it had from new. It overheated and cooked several times resulting a new engine installed under warranty. Dodged a bullet with that one. I waited and bought an EB2, so much better to delay my purchase so the bugs could be ironed out.
Yes. They did iron out the bugs later. I drove a press launch EA 5 speed. Amazing performance for a six back then. 👍
Yes lots of issues
@@darrylfletcher2760 But we still remember them fondly in the main. 👍
EA's reminded me of the black police car in RoboCop.around 20yrs ago.we were thinking of getting a EA and turning it into a two-door coupe then making it look like the interceptor from Mad Max but. The EA version
Yes, they were Ford Taurus cop cars in Robo Cop. 👍
Another great video Mark!!! My dad had the EA as a company car in 1988! I loved it! So smooth and spacious inside!
Thanks very much 👍
Another great video informative and entertaining thanks mark
Thanks Gerard. Glad you liked it. 👍
I'm old enough to remember that car was famous for using the paying customer as it's research and development department.
That’s one way of looking at it. 👍
Has a wagon as a rep car. Was excellent, actually. Wonderful cruiser- a bit floaty tho. EB much tighter
They were fantastic load luggers. 👍
When the EA came out it was supposed to have the four speed auto from the start, but the supplier had delays. This cost many sales in favour of the VN.
Yes. I am sure you are correct 👍
Wow. Truly informative video. Never knew of any other model after the XD cars, my favorite lol, then years later while searching🔍 I discovered the XE, XF, EA, & fall in love with every Iteration, I was biased towards Ford, Australia, no way a Holden could ever be my first choice, lol, over my Falcons, then I discovered the twin turbo sixes, wow OMG. Sorry production stopped in, ( I think) 2019/2020 shame. Australian Ford's are the most beautiful.
Thanks very much. 👍👍
I had a 25 year anniversary EA. Loved it.
That would be a 30th Anniversary as 25th was the very nice XF version. But I get it. It would have had many of the EB features on it. 👍
I had an EA Fairmont 3.9TBI 3-speed auto up to its top speed of 190km/h and it felt solid and stable.
Yes, that doesn’t surprise me. 👍
in 1988 my dad had a EA taxi my God the problem we had oil leak 😅😅😅 2 years later got the VN 1990 v6 automatic but I have to admit my mother car EA S PACK 3.9 EFI WAS pretty good 👍 👌 😊
At least you experienced real world ownership of both Ford and Holden 👍
Hi Mark , A good looking car better looking than the Ford Granada/Scorpio in my opinion.
Great review on the Falcon and Fairmont EA , Great video Take care
Thanks Shaun. I agree. I like the front of the Scorpio but not the rear. Looks a bit mismatched to me. Glad you’re enjoying the series. 👍
Aunt and uncle had an ED Falcon Futura Classic wagon in the metallic dark green. Never had any issues with it in the many years they owned it. I miss that car.
Sounds like a nice car. 👍
Other common issues with the EA were excessive crank end float, leaking timing covers, fuel sender failures and rear upper and lower control arm bushes. The EB rectified all of these issues and had the 4.0L engines. EBmk2 the resumption of the V8. I rebuilt a lot of the 4 speed auto's. I used a different sprag bearing (not Borgwarner), this was slightly thicker and stopped the issue with harmonic vibrations.
Great info. 👍👍
EB carried over the 3.9 sixes and reintroduced the V8 option. EB2 brought in the 4.0.
I only ever saw 3.2 L Falcons in NZ, I also spied a couple of Opel Omega imports that had me confused when I though they were VT Commodores that didn’t quit look right.
I drove a 3.2 Falcon when they first came out. It went ok. When I worked for Holden NZ we sometimes sold cars destined for Singapore and that included a smaller engined Calais. 👍
@@markbehr88 I’d forgotten about the 2.0 L VN, I saw a couple of those in NZ at the time as well. 85 kW just seems a little, ahem, underpowered.
@@thelandofnod123 Probably ok for driving around Singapore? 🤔👍
Ive had 2 Multipoint S Pac manuals in my time, both were in mint condition. Id love to have 1 now, my favourite cars ive ever owned and ive owned plenty!
That’s a good endorsement for sure. 👍
Wow ive owned a few of these gems , they hold a place in my heart , i remember when the multi point came out, it was a game changer. The supercharged one looked insane! Never seen it
Yes, the 3.9 multi hauled ass! I too never saw the TSS until I did the research for this episode. Learned something new myself. Always a good thing. 👍
Yep, the EA hit the styling nail for me, it looked fresh vs the Commodore imo.
But I recall initial quality was not great & as you say, the 3.2L couldn't get out of it's own way.
I liked EA's styling, but att I was driving a nice KB Laser Ghia & perfectly happy lol. Cheers.
Agree re the styling although I do like the VN too. Little Laser Ghia is cool. I wouldn’t mind a KA 3 door S in that orange colour. 👍
@@markbehr88 Falcon looked more thoroughly finished in appearance. I read the VN was rushed into production too and it shows.
@@jamesfrench7299 Sounds like there may have been some rushing in both camps. The biggest issue with VN style wise was the narrow track. 👍
@markbehr88 That's why when looking at the VN from the front or rear you can see the sheet metal curve from the top to the bottom so it could gain the interior width because of the narrow track that was used from the VL.
After driving taxis from EAs to FGs my personal favourites were EDs, ELs and AUs. They took a lot of abuse lol. Commodores just couldn't seem to take the beatings that were dished out.
@@BobbieSmith46 Thanks. I think that is probably an accurate summary 👍
My father had a 1990 May build Series II EA Fairmont wagon 3.9L MPEFI with S-Pack suspension in Mist Green (Metallic Light Green - which could be ordered that way from the factory) I remember the 4-speed auto had E and P (Economy / Power) modes and of course it was always in POWER mode (which was displayed in the dashboard), he did after market power windows, power antenna and power mirrors (which were only then on Ghia models) and had the 1990 version Bathurst Globe alloys which were 14x7??? which had Pirelli P5 215/65 tyres and of course a Yellow Light car alarm and immobiliser and dark tints like 20's (which were allowed back in those days)
Never had any issues with it for the 4 years he had it, solid, reliable durable, my dad and I both did many long drip road trips with it. way better than the XF Fairmont wagon he had the previous 4 years (that was a bad bad bad car)
Ah yes it also had a Mitshibishi AMPS car phone, the good ol Analogue mobile network from Telecom Australia.
Sounds like a very nice car. It would have looked sharp. 👍
It was a great reliable car, steel was a bit thin though and towing heavy loads could warp it and you didn't want the 3.2 litre engine the earliest ones came with.
Yes, the 3.2 wasn’t great. 👍
Sure was nicer to look at than the VN Dunnydore!
I thought it looked better but a VN SS or Calais still looked good and the V8 was a big plus. 👍
It surprises me that it was bigger than the first gen Ford Taurus. Zoe a very handsome car I think it looks like a Tempo or something else that size. Actually looking at the C pillar It really does look like a big tempo.
Yes, bigger and dynamically far superior. 👍
Still a stunning looking car in ghia and s pack today, a shame the marketing dept got their way and released the ea 6 months before the engineers wanted. A very hard car to find now as the quality issues meant no one cared about preserving them and of course no v8 option.
That’s very true re survivors. I saw a mint S pack for sale a little while back. They wanted quite a bit for it (can’t recall) but they are rare.👍
Awesome video as always. Cant wait for the rest of the E series. Bought a super clean bench seat Ed Gli sedan for $700 the other day! Lots of money spent on it not long ago either including duel fuel. Cant wait to take it out.
Thanks very much. That ED sounds like a find for sure. 👍
Very informative video top shelf mate I have subscribed :)
Thanks very much 👍👍👍
Great video. Still love the falcons one of the best looking four door cars ever. I remember doing my time at the local Ford dealership when the ea/eb were still quite new,used to do a heap of headgaskets on them.
Thanks very much. Glad you liked it. 👍
Great vid Mark!!! I remember hiring one from Hertz when first released, to drive from Coolangatta to Sydney and back. Very smooth and comfortable. So much so, I went to buy a Futura in 1994, but could not get the deal I wanted. I ended up with a VR (Series II) Commodore, but lamented the Futura, as it was a far better driver's car. The Commodore I did keep for 13yrs, so no real complaints.
Thanks Mark. Much appreciated. The VR was a good car too. I was at Holden when we had those (I was there VN to VX). Maybe you should rekindle that Futura thought as I am sure you could still find a good one for not too much money? 🤔👍
@@markbehr88 VR engine seemed to rev smoother than the first Ecotec in the VS which was a crude thing at higher revs. The Ecotec was much nicer by the VX version.
@@jamesfrench7299 Agree. 👍
Another great episode, Mark. I remember the release of the EA well. My immediate response at the time was that, thankfully, the XF had finally gone. The second was that how similar the new Falcon and Commodore looked, at least to the untrained eye. Of course we look back now and think that's ridiculous but after the XF and VL, the EA and VN were headed down a similar, new design path.
Thank you. I reckon that’s right re Falcon and Commodore back then. Going a bit aero and both influenced by the Audi 100 incl the Taurus. 👍
I had a 1988 EA Fairmont ghia that was factory optioned with the 5 speed manual. Was apparently one of about 30ish I was told and most of those went to NZ. Anyway, I loved it and wish I still had it. Thanks for the trip down memory lane Mark.
That would have been a great car. Like a VN 5 litre manual Calais I drove when I worked at Holden. A lot of fun. 👍
That's crazy those cars with manual existed.
Hi Mark. Great vid again. Manager at a place worked had an S1 EA Wagon. Had the engine changed under warranty, gearbox failed a couple of times. Whole place was littered with flogged-to-death EA-EL wagons. Head gaskets the biggie but great cars. VN Commie was the ugliest ever built, great engine though.
Thank you! Those EA wagons were huge and could take real punishment. They really could. Plus, they were very comfortable to ride and drive in. Especially if you were a rep doing big rural miles. 👍
My brother's first car was an EA Falcon s pac. Mint, stock older ladies car that he unfortunately sold to get a ute for his apprenticeship.
The one that got away! 👍
Another top shelf video with great and may I add CORRECT facts throughout. The design of the EA was beautiful.
Thanks Andrew 👍👍
the 3.2 gl was going to have rear drums and no power steer too, but the vn commy made them have to keep up
Interesting. They would have sold even less. Hard to go back after the last XFs all had four wheel discs. 👍
Factoid: Taxi companies would later take the 3-speed automatics out of EAs and retrofit them into later E-series models to replace the 4-speeds. The 3-speeds were superior in the durability department, and the 4th overdrive gear was not really necessary for taxi work.
The gear ratios for gears 1 to 3 for both gear boxes were the same, however the 3-speed was completely mechanical, no electronics.
Yes, I do recall that 👍
That trick was not possible with the AU as the four speed was designed to form part of the engine block structure IIRC.
@@jamesfrench7299 Interesting. 👍
Brilliant video! Enjoy anything about EA26 which is my Fav era of ford Australia ! Well put together !
Have 3 cars and 2 of them are EA26 :D ED Fairmont and NA2 Fairlane which is my daily drive.
Thanks. Glad you liked it. 👍👍
There was also a dealer order turbo version for the mpfi , something ford dealers hadn't offered since the second half of the xe series (there was a dealer option for turbo efi xe esp after the v8 was axed which was actually quicker than the v8 versions)
Those turbos would be non factory sanctioned aftermarket that a few “performance minded” dealers offered, like the Johnson XE for example. Not like the GH Sigma Turbo for example that was a factory model. 👍
@markbehr88 ait in memory , it was adr approved and covered under ford warranty iirc , both the xe and ea made 190kw . There were ~15 xe esp made and unknown with the ea 👍
@@andrewntoth1 Interesting. I assume AIT wore the warranty as I can’t see what would be in it for Ford to cover it? 👍
@markbehr88 no idea , never asked the question for honesty , my old man owned one for a bit (xe) 👍
@@andrewntoth1 It would have been a cool car back then. 👍
I bought a new EA Fairmont Gaia @$33,500 in 1988. It would keep up with a Ferrari 328 GTS on the Great Ocean Road.
That’s a big claim. They should have made an ad like that!👍
The EEC-V EFi system was an evolution from the earlier fuel injection systems that Ford had released to the Aussie market
Yes, there were many iterations that were also reflected in the North American product. 👍
The new EA FALCON was mentioned in a news paper article for being the 2nd Australian 6 cylinder car able to cover the 1/4 mile ( 400 meters ) in the 15 second zone. The 1st being the E38 CHARGER. To achieve this required a EA multi-point 3.9 , 5 speed manual with a optional 3.23:1 diff ratio.
Very interesting. They did go very well. 👍
A new EA FAIRMONT GHIA 5 SPEED MULTI POINT was lined up against a VH SL/E COMMODORE 5 LITRE AUTO. The EA pulled away from the VH slowly but surely right from the start. Of coarse the VH was carburettor & non BROCK.
@@herbnalis3723 Still, a great effort from the Ford six. 👍
Parents bought a brand new 1989 GL 3.9 5speed. Was a complete lemon. Starter motor and alternator died within 2 weeks, plastic shavings in fuel tank screwed the fuel pump, chewed front tyres, and generally refused to start quite often. I remember having to crawl into the boot to manually reease the latch. Got towed behind dad's VN and then VP work cars to the Ford dealership a few times. It was traded in for a VR Commodore in 93 and so avoided the head gasket issues. EB was a far better car but damage was done and mum couldn't trust having another Falcon. All 3 Commodore models we had never had an issue although the VN was stolen and recovered twice.
That’s a shame. I don’t doubt the Commodores were great cars. Outside of EA many people had great service from their Falcons. I get it though. Once bitten….🤔👍
@@markbehr88 It seemed to be hit or miss. There was an EA taxi running around our town 20 odd years ago that showed 200,000kms on the odometer. We made the comment thats low for a taxi its age, turns out odometer was on its second trip around the clock.
I have an FGmk2 turbo now and its been faultless in 4 years ownership. Our EA must have been a Friday arvo build
@@bunky8077 Yes. A shame it put your Mum off. 👍
I recall reading that the EA began production in late 1987, meaning there are (or were) some 1987 plated EAs out there. Probably something to do with the massive change in tooling between the XF and EA
Not sure they would be plated 1987. Maybe pilot build cars etc. That would be more likely. Close the line over Christmas a d ramp up production pre launch from Jan to March etc. In my experience Dealers would not accept 87 plate cars for a 1988 new model launch.👍👍
Reminds me of the 85 plated VL that was on the market a few years ago.
A handful exist(ed).
Was told a few LX Toranas were built in the tail end of 1975. Pre mid 76 emission free LXs are extremely sought after.
@@jamesfrench7299 I’ve not heard of the 85 plated VL, do you have more info on it?
@@southerndiy1 I found the post linking to the ad. It was advertised on Carsales in 2015. The poster who provided the link (no longer valid) prefaced as follows.
"A 1985 built VL Commodore, one of the very first ones built in December 1985, possibly used internally by Holden during the VL release period almost 30 years ago."
@@jamesfrench7299I love these weird unicorns. Possibly an engineering unit that escaped the crusher?
At the time of release I was working for ford and I saw a pre-production car with Telstar taillights almost exactly the same size would crack the top inside corner but not break it right through.
Interesting 👍
The New Falcon had a problem with BACK FIRES when starting. It would POP if someone touched the accelerator pedal when cranking the engine on start up. Owners were told it's a NO TOUCH start , don't touch/press the accelerator pedal when starting the engine.
Interesting. Never heard that before. 👍
The 3.9litre had an oil supply issue where the front of the block could be starved of oil. This was fixed on the EA 11 model.
Good to know. Thanks. 👍
Cheers & thanks Mark for sharing your content 👍
Thanks Bill 👍👍
in 1990 I traded my XF-S for a new EA-S and three months after the 12 month warranty expired the three speed auto trans failed, Ford replaced the trans at no charge. The replacement failed within a month and was also replaced for free. Had no other issues with the car and in 1998 upgraded to an AU. Fun fact, the company I own made the noise suppressor circuit for the mirror motors in the EB Falcon.
Cool. I am glad they looked after you. It paid off. 👍👍
Surprised it was the three speed and not the four.
Its been 25 years since I owned the car, and it may have been a four speed. I do remember that there was manual selection for three forward gears.
@@peteroneill404 123DNR? That was the BTR 4 speed unit and it was a 1990 build. The four speed was introduced in 89.
The three speed has 12DNR.
I suspect that first replacement was a rebuilt unit from another car and they then put in a new one after such a quick failure. Or it might be a luck of the draw finally getting one that lasts!
I was told the factory that made them was using worn out tooling hence quality issues.
Mine must have been the three speed, as it was 12DNR. The original trans progressively lost gears over my 50km drive home from work. The replacement had a total lockup of the trans output to the tail shaft couldn't even put it in Neutral! My G6E is 17 years old now and still a great car, I wish we still made cars in this country.
Thanks Mark, I am really enjoying your Falcon reviews. Just on the EA versus VN thing, the EA was much more refined. The VN Commodore looked awkward with it's VL front track and grey plastic dog dish wheel trims. It's V6 was noisy and rough and it's HR Holden sized steering wheel was just ugly. The EA didn't have the power of the Commodore but it was sure nicer to drive and look at.
Thanks. Glad you are liking the series. Interesting re perceptions. The Commodores had so e harshness but we t well. I had them as company cars. Sedans, wagons, sixes and V8s of all trim levels from Exec to Calais. I liked them. The Falcons (where my friend worked at Ford at the same time) were smoother, had a wider track. Both were good for their time and big improvements over a few years earlier imo. 👍
I'm pretty sure I used to own, for a short time, the Crystal Mint Fairmont wagon seen in this vid. If it was my car it is one very rare Fairmont being factory optioned with a bench seat and column change auto thus making it a 6 seater. I do regret selling it.
That photo was from when it was for sale at a wrecking yard. It looked like a nice car. Was it yours? 👍
It was. I bought it from a young bloke who bought it from the wreckers. I drove it back from Melbourne to Holbrook along the M31 and all I could think was, who on earth would actually want an new car as they don't get much better than this (not referring to technology of course). I sold it back to him a month later when he contacted me saying he regretted selling it and wanted it back. I had to many cars so I sold it back to him. I sent you an email. @@markbehr88
Really awesome reviews
Thank you very much 👍👍
Very enjoyable mark. Great to see some authentic falcon enthusiasts still around. I always liked the XB XD and later AU.
Cheers mate 👍
Thanks very much. I will do Chryslers and Holdens too plus Fairlanes, LTDs etc. 👍
I think the give away from the clinic pictures that it indeed was the next generation Falcon was the door mirrors, with the outside shape looking very similar (if not identical) to the ones on the XF Falcon.
Good pick up. 👍
1980s areodynamics for fuel efficency dictated that falcon commodore were similar in appearance slippery through the air
Yes. That is true. 👍
new head liner
They came like that from the factory 🙂
Yes, see the AU XR6 videos for an update on that car. 👍
@@twentyrothmans7308They did actually as they were coming down the line before the headlining section of the trim dept. 👍
One of my favourite taxis my dad drove was a white EA 30th anniversary model he drove in the early 1990s. I don't know why, but it had a sportier sounding exhaust and to this day, the best sounding Ford Falcon to me ever!
The first one I rode in was a taxi in 1988 and even then before the negative press on the EA build quality, I noticed right away the squeeks and rattles of the interior compared to an XF cab!
What a shame. It really was an impressively modern looking design.
For a long time I saw the EA Falcon as the benchmark for next level modern futuristic feeling cars with its steeply raked space ship like windscreen.
Have you heard a Barra 6l on full boost?
@@je2338 give me that 3.9 every time.
@@jamesfrench7299 over a V8?
@@je2338 absolutely yes. I like a nice six cylinder and I don't mean those idiots who go all out on a sports system. I like subdued engine noise that sounds like it had breeding behind it like a Jaguar six.
@@jamesfrench7299 I guess I know what you mean. I had an 84 E30 323i and it did sound pretty sweet
How about that. I dont think the EA was around long enough for us Ford guys to appreciate her. I have a March '88 build EA police car. It has XF steelies, sunvisor, bench seat ,column auto, light brown paint and is an S pack. Unusual.
That is probably right? Your EA sounds really cool. 👍
Great video! I've never even heard of that T.S.S thing wow!
Me either! 😀👍
You didn't mention the turbo AIT models.
No, I didn’t Anything to add about those? 🤔👍
Great review Mark. The EA was an extremely handsome car. Family sized...but didn't have the big car look - apart from the wagon.
I had an early 4 speed auto model back in the day...and yes the transmission went! $2500 it cost to fix 🥺 The bloke said it was the solenoids...?
I never knew Brocky offered a V8 option on his specials.
Thanks Mark.
Was actually a B8, all Brock EA falcons were 6 cylinder. Brocky wouldn't have had the coin to do a low volume manufacturers ADR thingy to put a V8 into an EA.
Glad you liked it. Re the Brock cars. They were called B8 but think they were all sixes as there was no V8 available. I think the name was confusing. 👍
@@onedayiwillmakesomecontent yes. Exactly.
@@markbehr88ok sure B8. No worries...thought I was hearing "V".