#18 - 1970 vs. 1970½ Ford Falcon
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- Hello, and welcome back to the “Yours in old FoMoCo iron” TH-cam channel! My name is Adrian Clements, and today in video #18 we’re going to learn about the 1970 vs. the 1970½ Ford Falcon. We’ll touch briefly on 1960-1970 Falcon production, we’ll cover the timing of the change from the ’70 to the ‘70½ Falcon, we’ll see what Ford offered in both lineups, including body styles, engines, paint colours, interior trims, where they were built, how many were built, and more! We’ll also see some actual 1970 and 1970½ Falcons to close out the video. Let’s get started!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:45 1960-1970 Ford Falcon History
2:30 1970 Ford Falcon
5:12 “Out” with the Old and “In” with the New!
7:42 1970½ Ford Falcon
13:48 1970 vs. 1970½ Falcon Color Codes Comparison
18:35 1970 vs. 1970½ Falcon General Specifications Comparison
19:23 Cars
21:42 Close-Out
I passed in 1997 when living in Corvallis Oregon on a original owner 19701/2 Ford Falcon station wagon with a 302 under hood, 150k miles in mint condition for the whopping price of three hundred dollars, it needed new brakes on all four wheels and I didn’t feel like doing the work so I passed and then the next day changed my mind and went back and the car was sold . After watching this video and the state of buying a classic car today I really regret that decision of course back then it was just an old car that needed a brake job ..
@paulypooper2, I'm sorry that you missed out on owning that 1970½ Ford Falcon 4-door station wagon, but I understand your decision. Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Pauly!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
I live in Australia we had these Falcons all the way to 2016 after 1972 Australia designed and built their own Falcons which featured sedan, wagon,ute,panel van,hardtop 2 door and had a range of engines from 200 straight six to 351 Windsor and Cleveland including GT race cars that won numerous touring car championships here.
Thanks for your info, that's why I requested that he consider a Vlog about the Falcon in Australia. You guys down under had some really special cars, that we never had here in the USA.
Always liked the 70 1/2 because they're little known.
@loumontcalm3500, they certainly are little known - a lot of people have commented on this video that they never new about the 1970½ Ford Falcon.
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
My mom’s first new car was a 1968 Falcon Futura Sports Coupe. It was built in Canada and purchased in St. Paul, Minnesota. Wimbledon White with red interior, 200 six, automatic, radio and heater. No power anything. She drove it until 1977. Great little car!
@wmalden, what a great testimonial - thank you for sharing it! Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Being a Fairlane fanatic I was aware of these, but not aware of the engine options. The availability if the 429s- especially the hot ones- had my jaw dropping. The in-depth details and factory data you provide will help people discern between altered cars and original ones so they don't get ripped off, as well as providing a most excellent guide for those restoring what they have back to factory spec. Being the Falcon/ Fairlane/ Torino look similar at a glance I can't say whether I've seen one or not. I have seen a few Fairlanes, but most in this body style are Torinos which was hugely popular then being the 'new kid on the block'.I've seen several 70 Falcons and truth be known I'd rather have one of them as they're over 400lbs lighter and more unique in body style.
Any true Blue Oval lover had better be subbed to this channel or you ain't cool.
@P_RO_, thank you very much for your kind words - I'm so glad that you enjoyed video #18! I strongly recommend that you spend some time with videos #30 through 33 that cover the ENTIRE 26-engine lineup in the twelve 1970 FoMoCo passenger car vehicle lines. There's lots more information there about all 10 of the engines available in the 1970 Ford Torino vehicle line, including the 1970-1/2 Ford Falcon series. Thanks for watching!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
69' Falcon was a nice little car.
My father brought one home from the dealership, everybody loved that little bucket seat two-door, 302, 3 sd. trans FaaalCooon.
@Johnnycdrums, I agree - the 1969 Ford Falcon was a nice little car!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
I misspoke, it was a floor mounted 3 sp. auto. with bucket seats.
Nice to hear these details. I remember these being a version of Torino because the Maverick was out early in 1969 as 1970 models. I never knew there were 1969 or 1970 real Falcons. I remember the Torino rebadged Falcon. I never knew the point as Torinos were a replacement for Fairlane. The original Mavericks were extremely bare. I remember no glove box, many with manual trans., etc.
I'm glad the Falcon continued here in Australia... I love my 1998 Falcon XR6.
dang...other than sharing a name, the 2 featured Falcons at the end of the vid may as well have been from different planets...the absolute base power train vs one of the most exclusive of the muscle car era. that last non-Torino Falcon was so dang frumpy...suitable only for Aunt Tilly. one thing that is interesting to me is that the 70 1/2 Falcon and the 70 Cobra Jet shared the same grill and headlight doors...the Torino had inset headlights or even hidden headlights.
@steves9905, agreed! Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Steve!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Wow! What a very impressive, and comprehensive guide/documentary about the Falcon, quite impressive!. I never knew of the 70 1/2, I presumed they switched to the intermediate (Torino based) body style, in the fall of 1969, like the Fairlane did for 1970, and was discontinued for 1971. Question: "when is a Falcon (a bird), not a Falcon", answer: "when it's a Cobra Jet (a flying snake). I never knew that the Falcon was available in the Cobra jet iteration, learn something new, everyday. Excellent job, with your narration, and pictorially, I thoroughly enjoyed this! Would you consider doing a Vlog about the Australian based Ford Falcon? I hereby salute the "Yoda of FoMoCo iron".
No when it's a Fairmont... that's when a Falcon isn't a Falcon
@carlc5748, thank you very much for your kind words - I'm so glad that you enjoyed and learned from video #18! Unfortunately, my knowledge and reference library is restricted to US and Canadian FoMoCo products, so I would have nothing of value to add to the Australian Falcon story.
Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Carl!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
I want a Falcon1970 1/2 429 V-8... dream car...
@max4448, you have good taste! Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Max!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Perhaps the ultimate 'sleeper' for the streets unless you had the CJ intake poking through the hood. Being a economy model I'd bet few were made with any of the 429's.
Definitely prefer both in my opinion
A great comparison video about a car we don't hear much about. Thank you, Adrian.
@DSP1968, I'm so glad that you liked video #18!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Great video!!! So much information in here that I never knew!
Absolutely love the entire Torino line. I had a 1972 base model with a 302 back in the late '80's which solidified my love for these intermediates. In 1994 I bought a Black '76 Cougar XR7 with the 351W (floor mounted C4, console) from the original owner and "restored" it over 14 years, finally selling it in advance of a divorce.
Having thought I'd learned all I could about "Torino's" and related mid sized period offerings from Ford, the 1970 1/2 Falcon escaped me completely until about 2009 when I saw the first and only example I've ever seen in person: a medium light ivy green two door. How THAT had me scratching my head, thinking I was looking at just another Torino base model. For the production #'s you've given here, it seems a sad truth that owners didn't seem to appreciate them much, allowing them to go to the crusher as opposed to preserving them. OR....maybe there's a giant barn somewhere filled with them. Geez, I hope we, SOMEBODY finds that barn soon!!!
Best Ford video I've seen in a good long time! Thanks so much for sharing!
@joelabbe6185, thank you very much for your very kind words about video #18 - I'm so glad that you enjoyed the video and learned from it! Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Joe!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
It's good to see a channel with accurate history. There are so many channels with bad information. I remember these cars well. I was 16 in 1970 and my father was looking at new cars. He usually bought the less expensive trim packages. I tried to get him interested in the 1970-1/2 Falcon. He went to the Ford dealer to look at it but bought a Custom 500, the cheap version of the big LTD, not a bad car at all.
@buffdelcampo, thank you for your very kind words! I strive to only disseminate true and factual information on FoMoCo-related topics, so I greatly appreciate your recognition of my efforts.
Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Very interesting. A job well done.
@theprinceofsnj, thank you kindly - I'm so glad that you enjoyed video #18! Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
I'm working on a spreadsheet for you. Not to overwhelm you I'm going to send it in groups. The first will be Ford 1951-59. Rich@@adrianclements8916
I loved the old Falcon
In the mid 1970's my friend's father owned a garage and we'd get to see and drive cars that came through for service. One notable ride was a 70.5 Falcon in Medium Blue with a 351 Cleveland & 4 speed. That car was fast. I wanted it in the worst way but couldn't swing the deal.
This was so interesting, thanks Mate. I’ve got a Nov 70, Aus built XY Fairmont wagon and it’s great to be able to compare it to both the 70 and 70 1/2. Even the similarities with some of our Falcon sales brochures, fonts, photos, etc.
It’s just great
I distinctly remember a rarely used option of a 390 available in them. Also came badged as such and with muscle car looks
@mikepotter6426, no - there was absolutely NOT a 390 engine available in the 1970 Ford Falcon, the 1970½ Ford Falcon, or even the 1970 Ford intermediate lineups. Please feel free to provide documentation to support your claim. Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Mike!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
70&½ falcon looks nice.
Thank you, I found this interesting. I always like Falcons but especially the 1970-1/2 version. As I recall, these were a rare car back in the day, whereas Mavericks were to be seen everywhere. I guess most people forewent the Falcon and spent the extra money for a Torino.
I'm assuming that the 1970 Ranchero was included with the Torino data.
@discerningmind, I'm glad that you enjoyed video #18! The 1970 Ford Ranchero, Ranchero 500, Ranchero GT, and Ranchero Squire were indeed included with the 1970 Ford intermediate data. Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Several years ago I bought a 1969 Falcon 4-door as a daily driver. It was dark green, with a white metal top. It even had the optional passenger outside mirror. But the special thing about it was it had a 302cid under the hood. It would definitely screech the tires on takeoff.
@jimellison6157, I bet that little '69 Falcon would move out pretty well with a 302 V-8! Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Jim!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
I remember occasionally seeing the 1970-1/2 Falcons driving around my neighborhood. They were not that common. A contractor working in the neighborhood had a white 4 door 70-1/2 Falcon with a black vinyl top.
One thing that I think happened midyear (perhaps at the same time the 1970-1/2 Falcon was introduced) is that Ford started putting Torino script emblems on the hoods of Fairlane 500 2 door hardtops in place of the FORD block lettering previously used. These cars had dual racing mirrors and other special equipment which was advertised in their 1970 White Sale commercials. I do not believe that 1970 Fairlane 500 Sedans and wagons had the Torino script on the hood, but I could be wrong. I remember one of my grade school teachers had a red Fairlane 500/Torino 2 door hardtop exactly like the one in the commercials.
1970 was perhaps the peak year of different model and trim levels, not just for Ford but for the other US automakers as well. I wonder if the 1970-1/2 Falcon was originally planned as a 1970 Fairlane.
I have to disagree with your very first premise. You stated that the Ford Falcon was developed to fight the increasing sales of small foreign cars. This isn't the case, Ford had a full range of British and German cars it could offer to USA customers who wanted something European. Those products were very successful in terms of the market share of the European imported cars. (nothing at this time of any significance was coming from Japan). Nash, Hudson, Kaiser and Willys all offered compact cars to the Post WWII market. The Rambler ever increasing annual sales simply showed the Big Three that there was a viable market in the USA for a compact car. Chrysler, GM and Ford all introduced a compact car to compete with the AMC Rambler American as well as the Studebaker Lark. These cars were quickly grabbing market share. VW and Renault to a certain degree figured into this, but their numbers by the mid to late 50's were still not very big or important.
I have to disagree with you! Ford developed it to be an American made compact to fight the increasing sales of foreign cars (mostly VW but others as well). Importing British or German cars would not accomplish this. You are correct about competing with Rambler American and Studebaker Lark. Hudson, Kaiser (Henry J), and the Willys Aero were long gone by then.
I have copies of the car magazines from this era and Ford did say that the Falcon was developed to help stem the tide of imports being sold in this country. Robert MacNamara of Ford Motor Company wanted a small, no-nonsense car and this was it. From what I read in the coffers of the company it was more of a single than a home run. MacNamara left Ford in 1961 and we all know what happened to the Falcon.
@OsbornTramain, thank you for your comment. Disagreement is good, and can spark good discussion. I stand by my statement, and based on their comments below, @buffdelcampo and @dave1956 are right there with me. Thank you for watching, and Happy Holidays, Osborn!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
I had a 6 cylinder w/at least 145k miles. A beat in 83. Sold it at a profit. It was a 70.5 Torino
I find it interesting that we never got the Torino or Maverick here in Australia because the Falcon platform had such a big following and so it was kept, but in America it was phased out via the Torino because sales were in the toilet. A similar thing happened with the Chrysler/Plymouth Valiant.
@feefyefoefum, correct - the 1970½ Ford Falcon was the last Falcon available in the US. Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Geoff!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Things were kinda crazy at Ford in 1969 and 1970. I think it was said that the Maverick was the Falcon's replacement car, yet the Falcon continued to be built after the Maverick was introduced in April 1969. The Maverick was designated a 1970 model. The Falcon went into the 1970 model year unchanged but disconnected at the end of December 1969. Then Ford put the Falcon nameplate on an economy version of the Fairlane/Torino for the remainder of the 1970 year model and built over 60,000 cars with the Falcon nameplate. I only saw one 1970 1/2 Falcon in a Ford dealer show room in early 1970. Perhaps Ford Motor Co. was only experimenting. Perhaps the 1971 model year for Ford wasn't as crazy.
My dad had one of each as company cars.
In 1980 I met a guy with a 70 Falcon that had a Cleveland in it. He said one of the spark plugs was broken off and stuck in the head and he'd been driving it for years on 7 cylinder.
He sold me the car for a hundred bucks..
I owned a green 70 Falcon four door sedan.
My Uncle had one 351 c 4 spd 390 posi I wis at 16 yrs old I had bought it .
Had a neighbor lady that owned a 70 1/2 Falcon.light blue. When I first saw it I had to do a double take seeing the Falcon badge on a Torino body, but found out it was an interim model until the Maverick . Got a book on the Fairlane-Torino history the author covered the 70 1/2 including the preformance Versions Btw I am still crazy about the Laser stripe treatment on the Torinos since I seen the first one at the dealer when I was a teen.
The Maverick had been out for almost a year when this was launched.
@bparksiii6171, as @roger628 stated below, the 1970 Ford Maverick was introduced long before the 1970½ Ford Falcon came on the scene. Putting some dates to it, the 1970 Maverick was introduced on April 17, 1969 (five years to the days after the 1965 Ford Mustang was introduced), while the 1970½ Falcon debuted sometime in January 1970, about nine months later.
Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Adrian, are you sure about no half year models in other years, particularly 1963? I know I have several Ford print advertisements from 1963 that for sure advertise Galaxie and Falcon as 63 1/2, and I want to think there is a 63 1/2 Fairlane advertisement also.
I know this is not from Ford, but I've been fooling with Falcons since the early 70s and have had half a dozen or so over the years that were titled by the state of Missouri as 63 1/2.
Who knows...... If there's one thing most of us have learned by fooling with Fords from the 60s is to never say never say never as to what ford did or made available.
@stlfomoco, in the fall of 2022 I did a deep-dive on the mid-year 1963 models, and identified them as follows:
1. Mercury Comet Sportster
2. Ford Fairlane 500 Sports Coupe with vinyl roof
3. Ford Falcon Hardtop
4. Ford Falcon Futura Sports Coupe
5. Ford Falcon Sprint Hardtop
6. Ford Falcon Sprint Convertible
7. Ford Galaxie 500 Sports Hardtop
8. Ford Galaxie 500XL Sports Hardtop
9. Mercury Marauder
Of these nine (9) new models, I was only able to find one (1) official FoMoCo newspaper advertisement from the end of March 1963 showing the new Falcon, Fairlane, and Ford and referring to them as being "1963½" models. FoMoCo did not issue sales catalogs for them titled as being 1963½ models, or new update sections titled "1963½" for the "1963 Ford Car Facts" book or "1963 Mercury Product Data Book". I will be making videos in the future about all nine (9) of these mid-year models.
The Lincoln Continental Mark III introduced in the Spring of 1968 was officially a 1969 model, and the Ford Maverick introduced in the Spring of 1969 was officially a 1970 model - no ½ model years used.
Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Mark!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
I had to convince my Ford guy friend that a light ivy yellow wagon residing in his neighborhood was actually a Falcon and not a Torino.
@markchandler90, well done - he'd probably never heard of a 1970½ Ford Falcon! Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Mark!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
How about a video 1966 Galaxie 500 7 Litre vs the 1967 Ford XL and 7 Litre sports package. The differences between the two.
@ericheld4382, excellent suggestion - the 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 7-Litre and 1967 Ford XL with the 7-Litre Sports Package are on the future video ideas list!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Thanks for the Falcon history lesson. Family friends had a 70 or 71 Torino sedan which I remember but I had no idea the 1970 1/2 , Torino-style Falcon even existed. Was there any way to get a 4 speed manual with the 70.5 Falcon wagon?
@rightlanehog3151, you're most welcome - I'm glad that you enjoyed video #18! The 4-speed manual transmission was not a Regular Production Option (RPO) in the 1970½ Falcon 4-door station wagon, but maybe could have been ordered as a Special Order item. From 09/2001 through 10/2016 I owned a 1967 Ford Country Squire DFRS (Dual Facing Rear Seats) 4-door station wagon with a Q-code 428-4V 345 hp V-8 engine, Toploader 4-speed manual transmission, XL-type bucket seats, and XL-type console - all factory installed. You can learn more about it in video "#12 - 1967 Ford Wagon with 428, 4-Speed & Buckets?! - The Story of 7U74Q143183" here:
th-cam.com/video/6klJCZT2GPs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=A6kxyHDCwZLqzJWA
Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
Sounds to me like Ford only produced the 1970 Falcon to use up the remaining 1969 body parts left on hand at the factory. Always thought the “Fal-rinos” were just a dumb idea. When the ‘70 Falcon production ended, they should have just dropped the Falcon name and let it die. The four door Maverick was only a year away and Ford could have just offered special prices and rebates on 4 door and wagon Fairlane models to fill the void, without cheapening the bigger body style by offering a strip down version nor offering a 2 door in house competition to the Maverick.
@brianandrews7099, I agree with all the points you make. Thanks for watching, and Happy Holidays, Brian!
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
"Brand new 64 Falcon introduced on Wednesday September 2nd 1959" ??????
@steveferguson6809, listen again, please - what I say is actually "The brand new 1960 Ford Falcon..." and NOT "The brand new 1964 Falcon..." that you typed.
Yours in old FoMoCo iron,
Adrian
My sincere apologies I am becoming hard of hearing I guess
@@adrianclements8916
70 1/2 was a cheapy version of the Ford Torino.