Thanks Ian, what a lovely test. Yes it did have a fairly hard life strapped to a horse float throughout the 80's and early 90's, so I later changed a few things... Dad ordered a Fairmont 4.9 with larger radiator, four wheel disc brakes and a limited slip rear axel in Ghost Gum (beige) when this model was first released. He paid a deposit on a car that was meant to be delivered 4-6 weeks later, but it didn't arrive. Despite the paid deposit, they hiked the price and he told them no deal. They had this Nutmeg demo car available with 4,000km on the clock for $7,700 and he took it. It had the 4.9 engine, T-bar auto and anti-sun (tinted glass) from factory. Dad bought the clock as a new spare part and he and my brother fitted it. The car also had what looked like Datsun 200B hubcaps which mum kerb rashed to the point where they fell off. Around mid 1985 (just before Dad passed away) I found some S-pack wheels in the Trading Post and fitted them - I always thought the original steelies looked kinda bad...The car started looking really bad in the early-mid 2000's and I decided to freshen it up after a cop who was booking someone was staring at the car as I drove by. I found a Fairmont Ghia being wrecked and bought the following items; seats, door trims, interior courtesy lights, rear venetian, boot mat, remote boot release and light for $200... I removed and washed all of the seat covers and fitted them to the original frames - they still had great padding but the vinyl had all cracked on account of it's time out in the full sun... I did use the rear squab from the Ghia for the centre arm rest. I sold the Ghia door trims, but fitted the rest of the kit to the car. I found a V8 dash and used the original speedo head... the oil pressure gauge is knackered and not connected - that obscure light bulb near the ashtray is an oil pressure light. So from new, it's had a carburettor overhaul, a master cylinder, two water pumps, two starter motors and loads of original tailpipes which always corroded... which is why we fitted a 2.5" system which has lasted for years.. I overhauled the transmission in 1992 as well. Engine has never been removed and heads never been off. I painted the car 12 years ago and it always looked great after that until I left it under a cover all Winter unaware that it was waterlogged and so it crazed and needs to be re-done... so thanks again!
Thanks for the info Peter, an interesting read. Strange how things turn out the way they do in life, interesting how your dad was destined to end up with this XD rather than the one he had originally ordered.
@@peterfinucane8122 I remember going to the Local Ford dealer - Etheridges in Ringwood to check them out. There was one poor old bright yellow XC in the showroom and it just looked old, old, old. Funnily enough, these days the perceived wisdom is that the XC is a nicer car to drive.
My girlfriends Dad had a Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia X, which I thought was an absolute joy and the pinnacle of luxury in the late 80s. I still love the big 3box shaped cars of the 70/80s
In the early 90's I used to get a lift to work in my boss's one, it seemed like a Rolls compared to my Mk1 Astra. Apart from the luxury I always remember my boss flooring it down a slip road and achieving 7mpg!
In the later 80s, my boss had 4 children. 3 of them had the Ghias, 2 of which were estates, the same colour, and the 'boy' had an Escort RS Turbo - the latter 3 vehicles having consecutive number plates ! The boss himself was run around in a Cortina by his 'P.A./plaything' as his eyesight was deteriorating - but that didn't stop him pranging his Rolls in his driveway ! As a mechanic, got to play with all of them.
Same. My Grandad had a big black Ghia X with all the chrome - absolutely gorgeous car. They're practically extinct now due to Ford rust issues and their popularity with the banger crowd. (Many RWD Volvos suffered a similar fate). I miss proper big saloon cars too, it will be a cold day in hell that ever finds me swapping my 1982 Volvo 244 for a crossover SUV.
Yeh same here I loved the box shape Granada as my dad also had the 2.8 injection Ghia spec and it was beautiful. I remember it had electric all round windows, mirrors etc but can’t remember if it had air con? My dads was the metallic blue two tone. You don’t see many about today real collectors item!
How many people know that here in Australia we built the Ford Cleveland series V8’s far longer than the USA as they apparently had lots of trouble trying to make it compliant to there restrictive emission laws & dropped it in favour of the easier to meet emission’s with their Windsor’s ( which we also had) so Australia with softer emission laws of the time got all of the tooling & we modified it to suit our laws, also the 302 ci version was only built here in Australia & our 351 ci cylinder heads are/were in demand in the US as they were superior to theirs, the last comment that l will make is not too many people realise that the De-tomaso Panteras were nearly all built with Australian Cleveland engines!
They built a higher version of the Cleveland block so they could increase the stroke to 4.00 inches and create the 400 cubic inch V8 about a year after the Cleveland was launched, about a year after that they made Crank Shaft and Con-rods for 3.50 Stroke and so and 351 and 400 Cubic inch Displacement in one Block. Cuts down tooling costs like the 302 and 351 Cleveland here, You can't put 351 Cleveland in the 400 block, the main Journals are a different size, like the 351 Windsor Crank and rods won't go into a 302 Windsor Block, again different main Journal sizes.
A great perspective on a car we very much take for granted here. The release of the XD, which was roughly three months after the nascent Commodore, was Ford Australia's adaption of the "Euro look", but basically draped over the USA style underpinnings of the previous XC. The VB Commodore of the the time was based on the Opel Rekord and arguably had the better underpinnings (coil rear suspension, rack and pinion steering vs leaf springs and recirculating ball steering on the XD). The XD however, did lead the charge on many innovations of the time, including plastic fuel tank, plastic bumpers and electronic instrumentation (construction, not display). I was lucky enough to work on the Ford production line in late 1980 and early 1981 during my engineering course when the "XD 1/2" was being built. The main difference is that the alloy head six cylinder engines were introduced on this model. A trivial point of interest is that when the bare, painted body was loaded onto the assembly line, the very first item that was fitted was the windscreen wiper assembly. This was one of the many tasks I performed at the time but I don't remember ever fitting the "triangle of doom" as well!! :-) One of the memories that I took away from my time there was the absolutely terrible quality control, with things like rust proofing on the seams inside the door being deliberately skipped and underfelt being installed over the top of pooled water on the floorpan when car bodies had been sitting outside in the rain beforehand. As it turns out, it wasn't just Ford -- I saw similar attitudes to quality control at Holden a couple of years later when the VH Commodore and JB Camira were being built..... Thanks for another great video!
My family mostly emigrated from UK to Aus and NZ in the early 80's. My dad sold his last of the Cortina special edition 2 tone estates before we left in 1986. My 2 uncles both exported their MK2 Granada's to NZ. One was an older V6, the other a 1 year old 4 Cyl. The V6 disappeared years ago in Masterton, The 4 cyl was sold in the last couple of years, 100% original and rust free in Blenheim. (I'm 44 now)
Must be a case of convergent evolution - what a glorious mixture of Euro styling cues, old-fashioned American mechanicals and the Aussie ruggedness. The interior seems to give off that vibe too; a Euro style dashboard, but written function descriptions more typically seen in US cars. And those blinds for the Australian sunshine. I do wonder how much it really looks like a Granada in the metal since it looks *very* wide.
Back in the day I drove the XD along the then appalling roads west of Alice Springs, Central Oz. Not a Ford man but I sure was impressed how the XD performed on those roads. The suspension soaked up the corrugations and bumps. Very impressive model. 👍
I found out about your channel through my interest in Peters' channel from my following his XC restoration. I have really enjoyed your series of videos from Australia. I was 10 years old when the XD was released. It was the first of the modern looking Falcons. Plastic bumper covers, plastic fuel tank. I really loved the big chunky switches and large instruments and the climate control label on the heater switches was out of this world! The seats in Peter's car are from a Fairmont and the instrument cluster is from a Fairmont Ghia or S pack. Most GLs had vinyl seats although we had one with GXL style cord cloth, ex government car three on the tree manual! Interior lights in feature car are also Fairmont (C pillar) and Ghia ( with the map lights). I got my licence in a yellow XD mum's taxi. Which really was a taxi owned by my mum. It was a country taxi that was column shift manual with no AC and no power steering. She managed to drive it operate the 2 way radio and smoke at the same time. She raised two kids by doing so. When the XD was released I was being driven to school in nothing less than a Wolesley 6/90. And later a 24/80. Which got replaced by a 1750 Marina coupe that became my first car in 1986. My dad worked at Leyland Australia until it closed in 1975 . He sourced a band new Morris nomad for my grandfather in 1970. I have been forwarding him your Aussie oddball videos and we have enjoyed them tremendously. I remain a life long Ford fan. Thank you for coming down under.
The only common part with our Falcon and your Granada were the Bosch front headlights! And a fan fact, the XD Falcon rib taillights were ripped off for your series 2 Granada!
140k km on the clock? That's practically new! My parents-in-law put 550,000 km on a 2010 Commodore Omega before the transmission packed it in. 140,000 km is six months worth of down to the shops and back!
These really were everywhere when I was a kid! Solid, reliable and comfortable. Interesting contrast to the VB Commodore released a year earlier (Or even the P76 6 years earlier) in that it lacked rack and pinion steering, coil spring rear suspension, MacPherson struts etc. Much more archaic underpinnings, but rugged and worked surprisingly well.
The alloy cross flow cylinder heads introduced @ the end of the XD model run in 3.3 & 4.1 litre six cylinder form were cast in Japan by Honda & machined in Geelong @ Ford Australia’s engine plant.
About mid range, and still an [nice] orphan. Alloy head 2 as used in XE and leaded XF was a far better head and engine. Like most cars unleaded engines were dogs. Though for a race engine the 4.1 efi has a the best head. But those engines were dogs!!
This is such a cool car and so like a Granada. There was a company in Johannesburg who converted Granadas with the 5.0 Mustang V8s and it was a factory approved conversion too. Great video Ian
Nothing like a granada , these cars are huge and raced at Bathurst as V8 supercars www.supercars.com/news/championship/new-johnson-xd-debuts-at-lakeside/
Never thought about that till now. My neighbour had one and a longer stalk would have been annoying. His was a 3.3 (200) GL. Full poverty pack, Vinyl seats, no air & no power steering. The 3 on the tree was easy to use though.
@@UncleJoeMedia The neighbours was a 3speed. I should have bought it. He sold it for $750 and it had 86,000 on it only. It had one dent but needed full suspension rebuild. As you say not very collectable, but at that price. It just wasn't the right time for me.
I like how you notice that the buttons on the T bar auto shift lever are symmetrical but only one side presses in for shifting. Only you would notice detail like this but its these details that attract me to your wonderful videos.
It is very fascinating how the look from a Granada transforms into indeed a totally non Granada look when you stepped right up to the front of the car and back to the Granada look. Very cool! Nice video!
They do actually share some parts with the Granada: the headlights, some interior bits like the vent outlets, and of course the troublesome door handles. The panels on the car might sound feel tinny because with the XD, Ford Australia had gone to a thinner-gauge, high-tensile steel throughout the body in an effort to save weight. Along with the use of plastics on some components, they were able to shave around 150kg from the kerb weight compared to equivalent previous models.
The early XD had 3.3 or 4.1 Iron Head Crossflow straight 6 carried over from the XC. There was a 5 speed manual available but only on the 3,3 engine as it was not a strong gearbox. About 1/2 way through the model run they got the Alloy heads with single throat stromberg carb. The 302/4.9 Cleveland was an 3.00 inch stroke Australian development based on the 3.50 inch stroke 351/5.8 Cleveland which was also available. The first facelift was the XE which came with the Alloy head II which had a twin throat Weber downdraft Carb on the 3,3, & 4.1, There was also a EFI version of the 4.1. The XE had Rear Coil Suspension with Watts Linkage. The V8 engines were dropped about 1/2 way through the XE model run. The next facelift was the XF, then the XF unleaded fuel update got repeater indicators on the front bumpers, then there was the XF series 2 with colour coded bumper bars, ventilated 4 wheel disc brakes as standard & the availability of the T5 gearbox. It seems the wiper blades on this test vehicle are too short as I can't remember them being this bad. I think you will find that the headlights were the only parts lifted from the Granada.
I was going to add that the XD, XE, and XF can be easily spotted by their tail lights and the bonnet/headlight combo, unless an owner has "updated" it.
@@Your.Uncle.AngMoh many moons ago, i did a fix of a bonnet hinge on an XD Fairmont Ghia that the owner made look like an XE Fairmont Ghia by changing over all the front end panels, lights, grille, bumper & cutting out the rearend for the wider XE tail lights.
All the V8 engines were locally produced as the Cleveland by that stage was an old engine that had stopped being made in the USA in 1974 but as you said the 302 was for the local market only.
The XF did not have 4-wheel discs as standard across the range. Rears remanied drums as standard on base models, including utes and vans, until the EA.
Good to watch mate as usual, very nicely done. The XD might have looked like a Granada but that was quite deliberate. Any similarity with the Granada ends there though. The XD was built on the same 111" wheelbase platform as the XR Falcon of 1966, complete with rear leaf springs. It's biggest claim to fame was weight reduction which resulted in better fuel economy and more power from the two sixes and V8's on offer. That combined with the normal reliability of Aussie Fords made it a hit. In 1982 the sedans got rear coil springs with the XE Falcon, and those cars along with the utes, wagons, Fairlane and LTD saw off the Holden Commodore and GMH for market leadership. Here is a fun fact, I have a magazine article showing an FC Ford LTD (heavily based on the XD Falcon) with Big Ben in the background. Wheels magazine thought it was highly laughable. The LTD was loaded up with electric everything along with the 5.8 liter V8, but by the time it got to Ford dealers in the UK the price was the same as a Jaguar XJ6.
Regarding the rear louvre, this would have been around the last of the internal metal models before the external plastic ones became the 'thing' in the '80s. My wife's '82 KB Laser had one, complete with a massive space for the rear wiper to operate.
WOW.......Thanks! I lived in Australia for 25 years or so, and had a Falcon XF 4.1 (brand new in 1984) for 10 years. This last video of yours was really worth waiting for.....by the way, when I bought the Falcon, I traded a 1978 4.1 Cortina Ghia. Happy days!
very nice car,credit to the Anderson family for keeping this car for us to see today,i imagine that if you have ever driven a range rover ,this is similar in sound and smoothness and again loads of torque,when you've been in a car like this all day and then get in a 1.3 , its terrible....farewell 😀😀
Brilliant video Ian I once see a mk3 Capri at tattom hall in the 90s and that had a 4.9 v8 in somone had spent a fortune on it you always drive cool cars brilliant
Excellent! I worked for Ford in Campbellfield in 1979, when the XD Falcon was a bit of a revolution. Back in the mid to late 80's did a few trips from Perth to Adelaide in an XD for the Aus round of the F1 gran prix, non stop (except for fuel and food stops), four of us swapping driving duties. Great roomy vehicle for such trips.
The change point from coke bottle shapes to boxy shapes, in my youth these seemed light years ahead of previous models, known for its increased use of plastics. Holes in the headrests was radical!
How did I miss this yesterday?! This is beautiful and has a decent sized engine that sounds puurfect! I always fancied an early 80's Granada 2.8 Ghia Automatic because a friend's Dad drove us around in his Gold , W reg example as teenagers and I thought it was a real luxurious car at the time.
I have fond memories of basically all the 70s and 80s Australian Ford sedans. As a child in the early 90s, my uncle used to buy them cheap and visit me in them. He had several, and I remember a big Fairlane LTD I liked the most. Such a great looking car. I was particularly fond of that one because they were very much like the big American cars you saw in films at the time.
I always wondered about this model since the styling was so close to the Ford Granada (UK), but it is only fair that the Granada and the Capri got V8's because they were designed for it! Ford SA had both models available with a V8, via specialist dealers like Basil Green, Perana badge. Besides the 5L Windsor V8, Ford SA also had an option of a 6,6 L V8 in the Granada 1 Coupe, in 1973. Presumably any buyer could request the 6,6 L V8 in any Granada, as an extra unofficial option. The Aussies used to tow their caravan, boat and trailer in one go to their holidays, so the V8 power was needed. I had a later Falcon, with the I6 4L, 157kw, 211bhp, GLi with 4 speed automatic gearbox; no grill, to my disappointment. I still like the Granada Mk1 styling best, it has more character, the Mk2 ( Audi inspired? ) has a much more boxy 'simpler' design.
These Falcons in the 6 cylinder version were solid old sluggers and made their way into service as Police cars, taxis, and Fire Service vehicles in NZ. This vehicle, in 6 or 8, is a class ahead of any Ford Granada and after 41 years is still going strong! It proves that Australians could make good durable, fit for purpose cars.
I backpacked in Australia in 1993. and hired a 4.1 version of this car to go to the blue mountains. Lovelly to drive and as I remember lots of torque but extremely thirsty! Happy days!
Cool, I like the Aussie cars. Shame they're no more :( The Falcon looks like a Granada as you said, but has hints of Cortina and the rear pillar looks almost Nissan Bluebird.
Nothing like a cortina , nissan or granada !! Have you seen this cars in real life ? These cars are massive big Australian tanks they raced these at Bathurst as V8 supercars www.supercars.com/news/championship/new-johnson-xd-debuts-at-lakeside/
@@AUmarcus Not really, given it was really just a re-skin of the XC Falcon, admittedly with around 350kg of weight reduction too. In terms of size it is still huge.
Crazy to see that from the UK you're reviewing a Ford and driving it through my old neighborhood. Hope you get to come back to Australia or New Zealand and get to drive a VL Commo.
Great video - I recognised the area you were in immediately (I grew up nearby) and even more than that, Peter was one of my high school teachers. Small world, and a lovely car!
Peter Anderson likewise! I was talking to her about you just the other day, must’ve been after you saw each other. Yes I am - it’ll be 5 years this month!
Fantastic test Ian! I’ve been on the edge of my seat waiting for this. I really love this XD, Peter has very clearly loved it for all these years, very understandable considering the sentimental attachment.
Hi, Nice review, shame it is your last day, i have 4 cars you could have looked at / driven. The XD you drove has some extras not found on the GL. GL is the base, then Fairmont , then Fairmont Ghia In escort and cortina for a while the ran them as L-GL-XLE That car shows a fairmont seating, C-pillar lights , I believe centre interior light is Ghia, the dash is a full instrument cluster, probably added later on - why the oil guage shows full all the time ( unless sender unit is shorted - but this happens when you plumb the idoit light sender to a variable guage, factory full guage has a T section on oil gallery and 2 sender units on-off and variable ) While the cleveland was USA design, it only came in 5.8 / 351 CI, Australa developed the 4.9 / 302 CI with a simple destroked crankshaft All XD onward V8's were 4 barrel, i had a 1973 XB 302 V8 it, actually had the 2barrel carby, but it screamed, standing start with the stock 2.92 or 3.0 diff would push you into the seat and chip the 1-2 shift at about 45 mph, Typically driven hard the engine and gearbox mounts would soften and the Left ( or right had i forget ) would snap completely , full throttle standing start and you actauly saw the T-bat auto lever move from drive to 2nd due to all the play in the linkage and rubber mounts ( the engine tilts to one side and back effectively pushing the engine closer to the diff for a few seconds ) The climate control logo is a joke, all front fascia of the center unit of heater controls in stock and aircon dash units are the same, there is just one simple round switch to actually engage the air con. The blinker stalk is longer because you only use " extended finger control" to change lanes, most of you grip is still around the steering wheel. Wiper you only turn then on of of rarely - especially if you have intermittent which is why is is a shorter stalk - you dont use it often. Floor plan is the same as the 1967 XR falcon, i big issue in magazine write ups at the time as they claim it as a all new car but many mechanical s were carried over. They used to be everywhere and the 6 seater bench seat the taxi and fleet special, hardly see them anymore. Actually the XD sort of made air con very popular, at a guess about 75/80% of the cars had them fitted, i believe VL commodre was the first local with almost mandatory aircon or it was a delete option Regards George
@@PeterAndersons Hi Peter, no not me, i am in Sydney. the surname has 2 versions of Australian spelling, say pre 1980's depending on the arriving persons accent or local speech / word variation creates the 2 versions of the surname - with or without the letter N. In pure translation the surname means carpenter in Greek BTW a nice XD you have, in @ 1985 i bought a Trew Blue XD GL with the smaller 3.3 and no aircon, silly mistake as i though it had aircon and there was no engine badge size on the guards Car drove great, non-power steer but even with 205/14 or 215/14 it had light steering, brakes and handling were great and no rear wheel lock up. I never drove it hard but never managed better and @ 15mpg or 280-330k's per tank in sydney traffic , the XB 302 gave the same mileage Unfortunately over the next 10 years it bubbles up in rust on all the edges. My wife at the same time bought a XD fairmont with the 4.1 and velour trim, it had aircon but had a leak or dead compressor, got a rego check after 3 or 4 years and up on the hoist the joint of floor to sill panel on drivers side and along the seat rails was totally rusted out, repair quotes were about $1500, so we traded it in for $400 on a 5 year old sigma. Car drove fine, no power steer but my wife never had a problem driving or parking it, she sued to laugh at the engine fan noise - she compared it to a plane at take off At the same time, 1988-1989 my dad bought his first ever new EA S-pak falcon, so advanced compared to the XD , front struts, rack and pinion steering, 4 wheel discs, air con, EFI, it just never seemed to have any character though. When he retired from driving he gave it to my son and it stayed in the family to 2015/2016, my son traded it in for $300-, i was furious i would have been happy to leave it in the carport and even do a respray, the car was rust and dent free , dash slightly faded and just the paint had gone of on the bonnet Regards George
@@georgemaragos2378 Ah, yes the badging. Numerical with the iron head, then shifted to the 'Alloy Head' badge with no mention of displacement. The Commodore was similar, I think the the displacement on the bootlid for the VB, but gone for the VC. Damn fuel crises!
Yes a very strange blend of Falcon, Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia trim. Especially the black and chrome door trim around the window frames, and the chrome rings on the wheels - which looks like it left the factory as a Fairmont (Falcon had body coloured window frames). Otherwise the seats and headrest cushions are from a Fairmont Ghia - which could be swapped out later. You could order the comprehensive dash as a factory option on all models (I think on the Falcon with the sports pack). But it is missing the Fairmont chrome trim across the front grill and boot edge. Most perplexing.
Smashing video Mr Seabrook and a lovely car. If you shipped it to the uk and swapped the falcon badge for a granada one, I wonder how many people would notice. And thanks to peter, he's a gent.
My dad managed an aftermarket turbo business from the late 70s to mid 80s, and one of their "company" cars was a XD Fairmont Ghia ESP 4.1lt that could be boosted to 18psi and give a nice 400bhp. I remember sitting in it one day and dad was giving me a demonstration of adjustable boost they did on it, and it is something I did not forget as that Falcon took off!
Sadly cars now are much too complicated with type approval etc making only minor or cosmetic mods possible at home but yes a 5 litre V8 with 18psi boost would have packed a punch in those days.
One of them hit a rock on the track at Bathurst while leading the race, the driver privateer Dick Johnson then got so many donations from fans that he was able to come back the following year and win and it kicked off a long successful period as one of the top teams and is still going now.
I had an XE 1984 model, that is exactly the same, except the front grille is metal instead of slats! It had a 3.3 straight six carburettor, but I shoehorned a 5.8 Cleveland 351 cubic inch in. The compression collapsed after 1 year and then I had a 4.9 Windsor V8 302 cubic inch put in, with a 4 barrel holley carburettor. It was a beauty, apart from not changing the differential to 9 inch and not changing the wheels and brakes/discs etc. 188bhp makes sense of the 4.9 5.8 was maybe 210bhp. That was the year 2000-2001 that I did the v8 conversions at IFIXEM garage in Waterloo suburb of south sydney!
This brought back memories of the XD Fairmont Ghia we had as the family car in the mid 1980's, I remember how comfy and big it was on the inside and used the backseat as a proper bed for long journeys while traveling on holiday around NZ. When we traded it in on a Ford Sierra Station Wagon, I was a little sad as I knew we had in someway downgraded, which proved correct. We didn't keep the Sierra for very long. Thanks for the video, enjoyed it 👍
Thanks for the Falcon introduction, the first time I had been that close for years. Only rode in them as taxi's downunder in the colonies of New Zealand. We had all three variants 3.3 / 4.1 and 4.9. Incidentally, the 3.3 & 4.1 were fitted to an Australian Cortina variant Mk4 ( TE ) and Mk5 ( TF ). That same 4.1 even made an appearance in NZ in Ford Transit ( cbu ) from Australia. The Pinto from UK 🇬🇧 was always more plentiful. The inline 6 Transit in Australia was used by the Outback Postal service. The one I knew in NZ was in camper livery. Thanks for drive in Melbourne. Thanks for the brochure reveal, I'm sure that would make "Quarter Light" green with envy 😂❤
Driving through my city of Ringwood. My G G Grandfather bought land here in 1887, where you drove past, and family members still live here. He was born in Cheltenham U.K. in 1829 and came to Australia in 1857. My dad had a Slough built Big 6 Citroen for many years. I realy enjoyed your NZ and Australia series.
The window rattling when you closed the door brings back memories. My late father had an XD ute. He had the standard 4.1L, 6 cylinder and I remember he absolutely loved it. He thought it was good fuel economy for the engine size, compared to having for many years Chrysler 6 cylinder utes.
I loved my facelift '82 Mk2 Granada 2.8 Ghia auto (yup, carb not FI) and I still regret selling it. A previous owner had fitted the full genuine X-Pack suspension upgrades, bootlid spoiler and chin spoiler. Plush velour everywhere. One of the most balanced, predictable chassis I've ever driven; an absolute joy to pilot through twisty stuff and almost ridiculously easy to opposite-lock and drift. I can't buy a replacement because the apes who like to drive around mud tracks while crashing into each other have killed them all (most of the Sierras, Granada/Scorpios, Carltons and Senators met the same fate). I think I need a Falcon XD in my life, cart springs or not - I'll be happy to trade a bit of rear-end tramp/squirm for a Cleveland V8 soundtrack. Thanks for sharing!
They actually expected a lot, but what they expected was very different than folk in Europe did of their cars. Mass market Euro badges are still pretty much out of sync with the Australian market.
I had a Farlane LTD version of that with an injected 4.1l cross flow head 6 cylinder, climate and a digital dash... Even by todays standard it was an extremely comfortable cruiser and on LPG was also economical to run.... Cheers Ian...
Thanks for that Hubnut! I’ve known a few folk in my past, growing up as a kid, that have owned XD, XE and XF Falcons and Fairmonts. I had a neighbour that lived around the corner from me that had a yellow XD with a 4.1 six and 4spd manual. Dad used to do maintenance on it for my neighbour from time to time. I remember riding in it with Dad whenever he took it for a test drive after working on it. I admired that car A LOT!! It was such a nice car to ride in and whenever Dave (the owner) brought it around for Dad to work on it, I would fist pump and say “YESSS!!!” because that meant another ride in it! It was super cool (for a 6 year old) as it had wide mag wheels and 6-into-1 exhaust headers/extractors and sounded cool!! Was a bit sad the day when the car was no longer Dave’s...
This, takes not only the biscuit, but the entire pack. I want this, badly. A mk2 granny 2.8 is a childhood crush for me, this, is sick!! What a noise! The enlarged granny looks, the vast interior, that particular colour is lovely, what a top barge she is, hot and flustered this end over the XD. Fantastic finale!
I had a Ford granada 2.8i ghia X in black, (actually owned 3 in black) my Uncle john lived in Australia since the 50s he came to visit one year when i was working on my granada and told me he has similar in Australia, showed me a picture and up until then i never knew that they had this version of my granada, very impressed, nice motors
I've enjoyed your reviews of Australian cars where I've learned a lot and also discovered the Kimberly! And here I am re-looking at it 3 years later...
I have owned an 87 XF Sedan and a 94 XG Ute in the past (both with 6 cyls as that was all they built them with in those 2 models, the XF with the 4.1l Crossflow and the XG with the 4.0l EFI), I still miss them a bit. My XG was the "60th Anniversary of the Ute" Edition. I came close to buying an XE (maybe, can't remember exactly) hearse once too lol but it was in poor condition and was very poverty pack level (not even a factory radio and may have been a 3.3l). I enjoyed the video and seeing you driving around my neck of the woods.
To my mind, the XD Falcon and Mk2 Granada hark back (styling wise) to the Fiat 130 coupe of 1971. Also, the 302 Cleveland (4.9l) WAS an Australian engine. When they started producing Cleveland V8s in Geelong, Australian engineers destroked the 351 (5.8l) Cleveland to come up with the 302C.
Here in Brazil during the 80s we had something very similar called Ford Del Rey, an evolution of the Corcel II. They came in with engines 1.6L 8V CHT (73,3hp Ethanol)/ 1.8L 8V AP (92hpv Petro / 98hp Ethanol).
I know V8s are on their way to becoming the dinosaurs of the motoring world but you gotta love that sound. I had a 1975 Holden HJ Kingswood with the 4.2L V8 and loved it. It used to wallow around corners but was quick enough in a straight line!
They were built so lightly that the 1st recall was cracked windscreens because the car hit a bump. had one as a replacement company car, replaced a CM Chrysler Valiant. The Valiant was tough, the Ford fragile in the front end but not a bad thing.
My father had a XD 1979 wagon new and I had an XD wagon in the early 1990's which I later replaced with a XF. The Test car looks like it has an optional instrument cluster that was standard in the S pack trim level. The towbar is also the heavy duty 2100kg as the standard 1600kg didn't have all the bracing under the fuel tank. The update models after the XD were the XE and XF. When Ford replaced the XF with the AU the engine was updated to OHC from pushrod. Ford stock piled pushrod engines to continue XF ute and panel van production until 1993. The ute and panel van was then updated and became the XG and later XH models at this point the engine was also updated to the then current Falcon sedan/wagon OHC engine.
@@callumandrews4342 I never drove my fathers XD as I was a secondary school kid at the time. However it was a step up as far as NVH to the XC Ford wagon he had previously. As it was an early XD it had the cast iron head motor the same as the XC so power wise was much the same. My XD was about 10 years old when I got it and it was duel fuel. It drove OK for a 10 year old car however it cost next to nothing in fuel. LPG in those days was always under 20 cents a litre compared to petrol in the 90 cent range. It burnt about 30% more fuel on LPG than petrol but at the price of LPG it was nothing. The XF wagon I had was a Fairmont so had more sound insulation than the Falcon so was a quieter car. It was also on duel fuel however because of the updated motor it had noticeably more power than the XD.
My uncle bought an 81 Falcon estate, 4.1 V6 during an aborted emigration to Western Australia. It looked huge to me as a kid, especially in our very small island with 40mph max speed limit (Jersey). It had a big scaffold pole roo bar fitted as well. The size, colour (bright yellow) and big bars on the front made it very noticeable. Thank you for the memory jog.
@@johnd8892 If left for a while he had to clean 3 of the plugs he could reach to get it to start. The others would clear once warm enough and a few revs.
@@johnd8892 I was only about 11/12 and only saw him do that a few times so I can't remember exactly myself. I think it was a V with 2 banks, but it could be a straight and the remaining cylinders too far back to easily reach. I do remember the 4.1 badges.
Great stuff! Always fun to see and hear cars that we never got here in NA. Somewhat confusing, because here we got Falcons, Granadas, and Fairmonts, but they were all completely different cars and not necessarily produced concurrently! All the best from here; please do stop in if you are in the area... Cheers!
The Aussie Falcons were based on the US design for the first two generations (first and third US generations; we skipped the second) with increasing local input.
I had a Fairmont XD variant, and I loved the vehicle. I also drove many other models, from the two-tone station wagon version through to the XE panel van. Each of them had the straight six engine, developed from the original American supplied, early 60s Falcon. We kept the name and the engine, which needed constant updating to keep it ahead of the pack, which it did very successfully. For many years they were of a 4.1 Litre capacity, and from the early days of the XB & XC were very happy performers through to the XD range, then to the XE. The straight six was further developed through every subsequent series, till reaching its ultimate in the Barra engine at 4.00 Litre. The other major advantage that Ford had in the local market, was that the 5.8 Litre V8 was retained as an option, and was taken up vigorously by the public. GMH had dropped their entire range of V8 engines, which was to cost them dearly. I remember driving up the East coast of Australia, from Melbourne to Sydney as the first leg, and in the Fairmont at least, I can attest to the supreme comfort of Fords velour seating, with excellent thigh support, which allowed both driver and passengers to arrive at their destination feeling refreshed and rested. Grand touring was something even the straight six was brilliant at performing.
Beautiful car. The talk today is of 'Infotainment and In Car Entertainment'. Who needs all that with that wonderful sounding lump under the bonnet. Lurverly. Thanks HubNut.
Really nice test to end trip and I completely agree ? Anything Ribbed always gives me great pleasure too 😳, been fantastic collection of videos along the way.
So used to seeing our Granada's which were one of Ford's best European designs I think, I always liked the look of these but I didn't realise they were much larger. Lovely car, what a splendid noise they make too, much thanks to Peter and your good self Mr H.
Nice one, Hubnut. I am biased as I also own a V8 Falcon sedan: BA series. Brochures were a nice bonus. Many thousands printed, but hard to find items now, after 41 years. The 6 gauge dash cluster is nice - better than idiot lights. Has more gauges than my BA. You will miss that second bank of cylinders. The V8 seduces you into her embrace.
Granada headlights only. The Falcon had Ford "family" styling, but it was an Australian design. It wasn't a "cut and shut" job, unlike the GM's Holden Commodore derivation from the Opel Rekord/Senator.
Some confusion in the comments below about downsleeving of 5.8 litre 351 Cleveland engines cast in Australia for this car. No downsleeving involved. A four inch bore is shared by all the Ford 289, 302, 351 and even 400 cubic inch motors. No sleeving for smaller sizes. The capacity differences are all by differences in crankshaft throw giving differences in stroke. 3 inch stroke for 302 , 3.5 inch for 351 and 4 inch for 400. Confirmed by Wikipedia on the Cleveland engines with special reference to the Australia only 302 Cleveland. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_335_engine
Lovely looking Ford, it does remind me of the Granada and Cortina but in a much bigger package. Looking at the brouchures it looks like the Sierra steering wheel made it's debut on a Ghia version of the falcon/fairmount
This example has many modifications and upgrades, few of which were factory options. These seats are transplanted from the top of the range Fairmont Ghia. GL was the base spec Falcon, and came standard with vinyl bench seats and no upholstery added to the hard black plastic headrests. Buckets, and low spec fabric were both optional. From new, these rear benches were poorly shaped, and redesigned for the next model - XE. This rear bench is quite sagged. Small wipers? Yeah, these ones aren't factory. Instruments? Stock GL and Fairmont had just speedo, fuel and water temp. Fairmont Ghia and Falcon with S-Pack option, scored the full set. Transmission? Standard was a 3-sp manual with column shift. Column shift was also the standard form of the Borg-Warner 3-sp auto. Very few buyers opted for the coarse but reliable 4sp manual. Most XD were optioned with the 4.1L pushrod carb 6cyl, over the standard 3.3L. The 4.9L carb lump was a less common option, and relatively few buyers opted for the 5.8.
What a great way to conclude your Aussie reviews. You were driving around my local area where you would have seen a 1979 Ford LTD with a longer wheelbase plus some added luxury refinements over the base model Falcon. Next time you visit down under you are welcome to visit. I enjoy your videos very much indeed.
We had a Falcon XD wagon 4.9. The handbrake came off in mum's hand and I remember a lot of dangly wires under the glovebox. We changed it for an XF wagon 4.1 in sky blue
Omg I remember the handbrake in my XC wagon coming off in my hand. Along with various external door handles and the tailgate winder. I can't believe in only 12 years from new it was sent to the wreckers.
@@robertbarker5981 no the xd was the first wagon with the lift back, the xc was the last of the wagons that had a window you had to wind down before you could flip it down to open it
Metallic brown paintwork and beige velour- fantastic! Lovely car and a very good review. Good way to round off your Australian drives. I bet this seems a long time ago now!
Driving around my old neighbourhood! I had an XD Fairmont This - which is that car plus 25% - including fuel consumption. The later versions were the XE and XF and had coil sprung rear ends and a bigger boot and were much nicer to drive. The V8s were actually made in Australia and are quite sought after in the U.S.
The engine is an Australian made version of the Ford Cleveland. Ford US stopped making them in 1974. But the 302 cubic inch Cleveland is uniquely Australian. Cool video. Thanks
Had a cortina mk4 back in the eighties with a beige cloth interior and a t bar auto ghia 2.0 ltr !!wish i had a 4.9 great content .... STAY SAFE🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🚘🚘🚘🚘
This Falcon is quite reminiscent of the Ford Fairmonts offered in N. America, ( Although I think we got shortchanged) theses seem more up-market. I would feel right at home in this one.. I purchased a 1979 Ford Fairmont Futura for my sister, (long after the day for $1,200.00,) and she absolutely loved it. Faded paint, worn upholstery, and using a litre of oil every 2000 kilometres. Happy times for her. Cheers
Fun facts for you; the 5.8 "Cleveland" motor was American but we adopted it after Ford fans Australia wide fell in love with it, the 4.9ltr was Australian made (same block, different Aussie designed & made crank), the parking brakes on the XD's were the 2nd most notorious thing on them because as you discovered the parking brake was more or less only for decoration! the most notorious part on the XD's were the door handles! PS: for the Cleveland engines if you free up the intake and exhaust and delete the chocking poluttion gear you can basically dial in what ever power figure you want, up untill Ford made the Coyote engine, the "Clevo" was the fastest V8 engine Ford made!
The parking brake works fine if the rear drum shoes are adjusted correctly. But, for the love of all that's sacred, do not play with the handbrake cable adjustment unless you really REALLY do know EXACTLY what you're doing.
Back in the early/mid eighties I spent a couple of years working in Melbourne as an expat. One of my colleagues had one of these as a hire car. She was used to driving a Ford Fiesta back in the UK and was endlessly surprised that this didn't corner in quite the same way.
My fathers XD had a 4.1 6 cylinder, alloy head (which was worthy of a badge on the side of the car I remember) and a 4 speed manual gearbox. Station wagon. I remember one day after a trip to Manly Vale, the handbrake lever came off when my father applied it at a traffic light (as he often did on an incline and decline), with a huge bank of angry people behind us as he put on the hazard lights, got the tools out and went to work to free it up.
My family ran the XE Falcon GL in the 80's. 6 seater and column shift auto. I was always up front between the olds. Dad ran LPG most of the time, but the treat was when we were on the good stuff and Dad punching the gas on a overtaking lane and watching the factory economy gauge buried into the zero zone! Good times.
Another vid that brings back memories. I had a 1980 Ford Fairlane ZJ for a couple of years (basically an XD Falcon but a couple of feet longer). Originally that had the 4.1 litre 6 cylinder engine but at some stage had been fitted with the Cleveland 4.9 litre V8. I found the car was a good cruise car but not particularly quick in terms of acceleration. The ZF gearbox probably didn’t help on that front but someone told me the Windsor engines tended to be quicker as the blocks are considerably lighter. I was interested to see that you pretty well formed the same conclusion with how this Falcon went; heaps of torque for effortless cruising, hills and towing but not in a particular hurry getting to speed. Also the Fairlane was surprisingly basic for what was essentially a limousine, and had the exact same climate control system as this Falcon (and yes it was pretty ineffective!). Great conclusion to the Aussie trip and great memories for me, thanks for sharing - and a shout out to the car’s owner 😀
Great as always! Another example of why modern cars with eleventy million gears in an auto box just can't offer that lovely wafty smoothness of cars like this. That's one of the reasons I like the E-CVT in our Lexus RX. It does that "go down the entire road in one gear" thing.
Thanks Ian, what a lovely test. Yes it did have a fairly hard life strapped to a horse float throughout the 80's and early 90's, so I later changed a few things... Dad ordered a Fairmont 4.9 with larger radiator, four wheel disc brakes and a limited slip rear axel in Ghost Gum (beige) when this model was first released. He paid a deposit on a car that was meant to be delivered 4-6 weeks later, but it didn't arrive. Despite the paid deposit, they hiked the price and he told them no deal. They had this Nutmeg demo car available with 4,000km on the clock for $7,700 and he took it. It had the 4.9 engine, T-bar auto and anti-sun (tinted glass) from factory. Dad bought the clock as a new spare part and he and my brother fitted it. The car also had what looked like Datsun 200B hubcaps which mum kerb rashed to the point where they fell off. Around mid 1985 (just before Dad passed away) I found some S-pack wheels in the Trading Post and fitted them - I always thought the original steelies looked kinda bad...The car started looking really bad in the early-mid 2000's and I decided to freshen it up after a cop who was booking someone was staring at the car as I drove by. I found a Fairmont Ghia being wrecked and bought the following items; seats, door trims, interior courtesy lights, rear venetian, boot mat, remote boot release and light for $200... I removed and washed all of the seat covers and fitted them to the original frames - they still had great padding but the vinyl had all cracked on account of it's time out in the full sun... I did use the rear squab from the Ghia for the centre arm rest. I sold the Ghia door trims, but fitted the rest of the kit to the car. I found a V8 dash and used the original speedo head... the oil pressure gauge is knackered and not connected - that obscure light bulb near the ashtray is an oil pressure light. So from new, it's had a carburettor overhaul, a master cylinder, two water pumps, two starter motors and loads of original tailpipes which always corroded... which is why we fitted a 2.5" system which has lasted for years.. I overhauled the transmission in 1992 as well. Engine has never been removed and heads never been off. I painted the car 12 years ago and it always looked great after that until I left it under a cover all Winter unaware that it was waterlogged and so it crazed and needs to be re-done... so thanks again!
Lovely. So nice to drive a car with such history. Thank thanks for the experience. And the tea.
Thanks for the info Peter, an interesting read. Strange how things turn out the way they do in life, interesting how your dad was destined to end up with this XD rather than the one he had originally ordered.
I remember these looked so modern after the XC model. And I did notice the Grenada likeness from UK magazines.
@@peterfinucane8122 I remember going to the Local Ford dealer - Etheridges in Ringwood to check them out. There was one poor old bright yellow XC in the showroom and it just looked old, old, old. Funnily enough, these days the perceived wisdom is that the XC is a nicer car to drive.
Fantastic car with a lot of family history , love it 👌👍
My girlfriends Dad had a Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia X, which I thought was an absolute joy and the pinnacle of luxury in the late 80s. I still love the big 3box shaped cars of the 70/80s
In the early 90's I used to get a lift to work in my boss's one, it seemed like a Rolls compared to my Mk1 Astra. Apart from the luxury I always remember my boss flooring it down a slip road and achieving 7mpg!
In the later 80s, my boss had 4 children. 3 of them had the Ghias, 2 of which were estates, the same colour, and the 'boy' had an Escort RS Turbo - the latter 3 vehicles having consecutive number plates !
The boss himself was run around in a Cortina by his 'P.A./plaything' as his eyesight was deteriorating - but that didn't stop him pranging his Rolls in his driveway !
As a mechanic, got to play with all of them.
Same. My Grandad had a big black Ghia X with all the chrome - absolutely gorgeous car. They're practically extinct now due to Ford rust issues and their popularity with the banger crowd. (Many RWD Volvos suffered a similar fate). I miss proper big saloon cars too, it will be a cold day in hell that ever finds me swapping my 1982 Volvo 244 for a crossover SUV.
My scout master had the dark metallic green 2.8i X, such a stunning looking car, I don't ever remember it looking anything other than immaculate.
Yeh same here I loved the box shape Granada as my dad also had the 2.8 injection Ghia spec and it was beautiful. I remember it had electric all round windows, mirrors etc but can’t remember if it had air con? My dads was the metallic blue two tone. You don’t see many about today real collectors item!
How many people know that here in Australia we built the Ford Cleveland series V8’s far longer than the USA as they apparently had lots of trouble trying to make it compliant to there restrictive emission laws & dropped it in favour of the easier to meet emission’s with their Windsor’s ( which we also had) so Australia with softer emission laws of the time got all of the tooling & we modified it to suit our laws, also the 302 ci version was only built here in Australia & our 351 ci cylinder heads are/were in demand in the US as they were superior to theirs, the last comment that l will make is not too many people realise that the De-tomaso Panteras were nearly all built with Australian Cleveland engines!
James Govett how did Aussie rear main seals hold up? The Detroit ones are made of cheese😦
@@jonnycando Never really had a problem with them... the four-part pan gaskets leaked over time though.
they might be putting 4v heads on them?
iv got 3 xy's all 351c dont get picked on but usa laws might not be the same as here.
They built a higher version of the Cleveland block so they could increase the stroke to 4.00 inches and create the 400 cubic inch V8 about a year after the Cleveland was launched, about a year after that they made Crank Shaft and Con-rods for 3.50 Stroke and so and 351 and 400 Cubic inch Displacement in one Block. Cuts down tooling costs like the 302 and 351 Cleveland here, You can't put 351 Cleveland in the 400 block, the main Journals are a different size, like the 351 Windsor Crank and rods won't go into a 302 Windsor Block, again different main Journal sizes.
A great perspective on a car we very much take for granted here. The release of the XD, which was roughly three months after the nascent Commodore, was Ford Australia's adaption of the "Euro look", but basically draped over the USA style underpinnings of the previous XC. The VB Commodore of the the time was based on the Opel Rekord and arguably had the better underpinnings (coil rear suspension, rack and pinion steering vs leaf springs and recirculating ball steering on the XD).
The XD however, did lead the charge on many innovations of the time, including plastic fuel tank, plastic bumpers and electronic instrumentation (construction, not display).
I was lucky enough to work on the Ford production line in late 1980 and early 1981 during my engineering course when the "XD 1/2" was being built. The main difference is that the alloy head six cylinder engines were introduced on this model.
A trivial point of interest is that when the bare, painted body was loaded onto the assembly line, the very first item that was fitted was the windscreen wiper assembly. This was one of the many tasks I performed at the time but I don't remember ever fitting the "triangle of doom" as well!! :-)
One of the memories that I took away from my time there was the absolutely terrible quality control, with things like rust proofing on the seams inside the door being deliberately skipped and underfelt being installed over the top of pooled water on the floorpan when car bodies had been sitting outside in the rain beforehand. As it turns out, it wasn't just Ford -- I saw similar attitudes to quality control at Holden a couple of years later when the VH Commodore and JB Camira were being built.....
Thanks for another great video!
My family mostly emigrated from UK to Aus and NZ in the early 80's. My dad sold his last of the Cortina special edition 2 tone estates before we left in 1986. My 2 uncles both exported their MK2 Granada's to NZ. One was an older V6, the other a 1 year old 4 Cyl. The V6 disappeared years ago in Masterton, The 4 cyl was sold in the last couple of years, 100% original and rust free in Blenheim. (I'm 44 now)
Must be a case of convergent evolution - what a glorious mixture of Euro styling cues, old-fashioned American mechanicals and the Aussie ruggedness. The interior seems to give off that vibe too; a Euro style dashboard, but written function descriptions more typically seen in US cars. And those blinds for the Australian sunshine.
I do wonder how much it really looks like a Granada in the metal since it looks *very* wide.
Back in the day I drove the XD along the then appalling roads west of Alice Springs, Central Oz. Not a Ford man but I sure was impressed how the XD performed on those roads. The suspension soaked up the corrugations and bumps. Very impressive model. 👍
I found out about your channel through my interest in Peters' channel from my following his XC restoration.
I have really enjoyed your series of videos from Australia. I was 10 years old when the XD was released. It was the first of the modern looking Falcons. Plastic bumper covers, plastic fuel tank. I really loved the big chunky switches and large instruments and the climate control label on the heater switches was out of this world! The seats in Peter's car are from a Fairmont and the instrument cluster is from a Fairmont Ghia or S pack. Most GLs had vinyl seats although we had one with GXL style cord cloth, ex government car three on the tree manual! Interior lights in feature car are also Fairmont (C pillar) and Ghia ( with the map lights).
I got my licence in a yellow XD mum's taxi. Which really was a taxi owned by my mum. It was a country taxi that was column shift manual with no AC and no power steering. She managed to drive it operate the 2 way radio and smoke at the same time. She raised two kids by doing so.
When the XD was released I was being driven to school in nothing less than a Wolesley 6/90. And later a 24/80. Which got replaced by a 1750 Marina coupe that became my first car in 1986.
My dad worked at Leyland Australia until it closed in 1975 . He sourced a band new Morris nomad for my grandfather in 1970. I have been forwarding him your Aussie oddball videos and we have enjoyed them tremendously. I remain a life long Ford fan.
Thank you for coming down under.
I rode in so many XD taxis in my youth, I associate the XD with the faint sell of vomit and disinfectant.
And the diff whine.
My father drove two in the 80s. One in 1984 and the other part time in 1989 along with an XE Fairmont the other days.
Don't forget the whine of the aging BW35 trans as it slips into second...
erkkk lol
It's not an XD, but an XE, Paul Kelly, Before Too Long: th-cam.com/video/LerRV-CGeFU/w-d-xo.html
The only common part with our Falcon and your Granada were the Bosch front headlights!
And a fan fact, the XD Falcon rib taillights were ripped off for your series 2 Granada!
It hilarious how they think their Garanadas were 'big'.. yeah ok.. a bloated Cortina..
140k km on the clock? That's practically new! My parents-in-law put 550,000 km on a 2010 Commodore Omega before the transmission packed it in. 140,000 km is six months worth of down to the shops and back!
Glad you got to drive an Aussie icon. Loving the content from your Australian/New Zealand trip. I still drive my XD purchased by my father in 1979.
Ribbed lights for extra pleasure lmao 😆
I came looking for this comment!!!
@@jonathanharvey2156 Me as well!
@@dlittlester No sex please were british
These really were everywhere when I was a kid! Solid, reliable and comfortable. Interesting contrast to the VB Commodore released a year earlier (Or even the P76 6 years earlier) in that it lacked rack and pinion steering, coil spring rear suspension, MacPherson struts etc. Much more archaic underpinnings, but rugged and worked surprisingly well.
The alloy cross flow cylinder heads introduced @ the end of the XD model run in 3.3 & 4.1 litre six cylinder form were cast in Japan by Honda & machined in Geelong @ Ford Australia’s engine plant.
About mid range, and still an [nice] orphan. Alloy head 2 as used in XE and leaded XF was a far better head and engine.
Like most cars unleaded engines were dogs. Though for a race engine the 4.1 efi has a the best head. But those engines were dogs!!
I thought those heads were too well made to be Aussie.
Initially, they did come from Honda. After a year or so, manufacture began in Straya.
This is such a cool car and so like a Granada. There was a company in Johannesburg who converted Granadas with the 5.0 Mustang V8s and it was a factory approved conversion too. Great video Ian
Nothing like a granada , these cars are huge and raced at Bathurst as V8 supercars www.supercars.com/news/championship/new-johnson-xd-debuts-at-lakeside/
The column shift probably explains the short column stalk of the left.
Never thought about that till now. My neighbour had one and a longer stalk would have been annoying. His was a 3.3 (200) GL. Full poverty pack, Vinyl seats, no air & no power steering. The 3 on the tree was easy to use though.
@@UncleJoeMedia The neighbours was a 3speed. I should have bought it. He sold it for $750 and it had 86,000 on it only. It had one dent but needed full suspension rebuild. As you say not very collectable, but at that price. It just wasn't the right time for me.
I like how you notice that the buttons on the T bar auto shift lever are symmetrical but only one side presses in for shifting. Only you would notice detail like this but its these details that attract me to your wonderful videos.
It is very fascinating how the look from a Granada transforms into indeed a totally non Granada look when you stepped right up to the front of the car and back to the Granada look. Very cool!
Nice video!
That just sounds glorious....
They do actually share some parts with the Granada: the headlights, some interior bits like the vent outlets, and of course the troublesome door handles.
The panels on the car might sound feel tinny because with the XD, Ford Australia had gone to a thinner-gauge, high-tensile steel throughout the body in an effort to save weight. Along with the use of plastics on some components, they were able to shave around 150kg from the kerb weight compared to equivalent previous models.
The early XD had 3.3 or 4.1 Iron Head Crossflow straight 6 carried over from the XC. There was a 5 speed manual available but only on the 3,3 engine as it was not a strong gearbox. About 1/2 way through the model run they got the Alloy heads with single throat stromberg carb. The 302/4.9 Cleveland was an 3.00 inch stroke Australian development based on the 3.50 inch stroke 351/5.8 Cleveland which was also available. The first facelift was the XE which came with the Alloy head II which had a twin throat Weber downdraft Carb on the 3,3, & 4.1, There was also a EFI version of the 4.1. The XE had Rear Coil Suspension with Watts Linkage. The V8 engines were dropped about 1/2 way through the XE model run. The next facelift was the XF, then the XF unleaded fuel update got repeater indicators on the front bumpers, then there was the XF series 2 with colour coded bumper bars, ventilated 4 wheel disc brakes as standard & the availability of the T5 gearbox. It seems the wiper blades on this test vehicle are too short as I can't remember them being this bad. I think you will find that the headlights were the only parts lifted from the Granada.
I was going to add that the XD, XE, and XF can be easily spotted by their tail lights and the bonnet/headlight combo, unless an owner has "updated" it.
@@Your.Uncle.AngMoh many moons ago, i did a fix of a bonnet hinge on an XD Fairmont Ghia that the owner made look like an XE Fairmont Ghia by changing over all the front end panels, lights, grille, bumper & cutting out the rearend for the wider XE tail lights.
The five speed manual gearbox was introduced with the XE in 1982, it was never offered on the XD.
All the V8 engines were locally produced as the Cleveland by that stage was an old engine that had stopped being made in the USA in 1974 but as you said the 302 was for the local market only.
The XF did not have 4-wheel discs as standard across the range. Rears remanied drums as standard on base models, including utes and vans, until the EA.
Good to watch mate as usual, very nicely done. The XD might have looked like a Granada but that was quite deliberate. Any similarity with the Granada ends there though. The XD was built on the same 111" wheelbase platform as the XR Falcon of 1966, complete with rear leaf springs. It's biggest claim to fame was weight reduction which resulted in better fuel economy and more power from the two sixes and V8's on offer. That combined with the normal reliability of Aussie Fords made it a hit. In 1982 the sedans got rear coil springs with the XE Falcon, and those cars along with the utes, wagons, Fairlane and LTD saw off the Holden Commodore and GMH for market leadership. Here is a fun fact, I have a magazine article showing an FC Ford LTD (heavily based on the XD Falcon) with Big Ben in the background. Wheels magazine thought it was highly laughable. The LTD was loaded up with electric everything along with the 5.8 liter V8, but by the time it got to Ford dealers in the UK the price was the same as a Jaguar XJ6.
Regarding the rear louvre, this would have been around the last of the internal metal models before the external plastic ones became the 'thing' in the '80s. My wife's '82 KB Laser had one, complete with a massive space for the rear wiper to operate.
WOW.......Thanks! I lived in Australia for 25 years or so, and had a Falcon XF 4.1 (brand new in 1984) for 10 years. This last video of yours was really worth waiting for.....by the way, when I bought the Falcon, I traded a 1978 4.1 Cortina Ghia. Happy days!
very nice car,credit to the Anderson family for keeping this car for us to see today,i imagine that if you have ever driven a range rover ,this is similar in sound and smoothness and again loads of torque,when you've been in a car like this all day and then get in a 1.3 , its terrible....farewell 😀😀
Brilliant video Ian I once see a mk3 Capri at tattom hall in the 90s and that had a 4.9 v8 in somone had spent a fortune on it you always drive cool cars brilliant
Excellent! I worked for Ford in Campbellfield in 1979, when the XD Falcon was a bit of a revolution. Back in the mid to late 80's did a few trips from Perth to Adelaide in an XD for the Aus round of the F1 gran prix, non stop (except for fuel and food stops), four of us swapping driving duties. Great roomy vehicle for such trips.
The change point from coke bottle shapes to boxy shapes, in my youth these seemed light years ahead of previous models, known for its increased use of plastics. Holes in the headrests was radical!
How did I miss this yesterday?! This is beautiful and has a decent sized engine that sounds puurfect! I always fancied an early 80's Granada 2.8 Ghia Automatic because a friend's Dad drove us around in his Gold , W reg example as teenagers and I thought it was a real luxurious car at the time.
I have fond memories of basically all the 70s and 80s Australian Ford sedans. As a child in the early 90s, my uncle used to buy them cheap and visit me in them. He had several, and I remember a big Fairlane LTD I liked the most. Such a great looking car. I was particularly fond of that one because they were very much like the big American cars you saw in films at the time.
I always wondered about this model since the styling was so close to the Ford Granada (UK), but it is only fair that the Granada and the Capri got V8's because they were designed for it!
Ford SA had both models available with a V8, via specialist dealers like Basil Green, Perana badge. Besides the 5L Windsor V8, Ford SA also had an option of a 6,6 L V8 in the Granada 1 Coupe, in 1973. Presumably any buyer could request the 6,6 L V8 in any Granada, as an extra unofficial option. The Aussies used to tow their caravan, boat and trailer in one go to their holidays, so the V8 power was needed. I had a later Falcon, with the I6 4L, 157kw, 211bhp, GLi with 4 speed automatic gearbox; no grill, to my disappointment. I still like the Granada Mk1 styling best, it has more character, the Mk2 ( Audi inspired? ) has a much more boxy 'simpler' design.
These Falcons in the 6 cylinder version were solid old sluggers and made their way into service as Police cars, taxis, and Fire Service vehicles in NZ. This vehicle, in 6 or 8, is a class ahead of any Ford Granada and after 41 years is still going strong! It proves that Australians could make good durable, fit for purpose cars.
Class ahead? Not sure about that to be honest. Granadas offered a fair bit more sophistication albeit without the formidable grunt.
I backpacked in Australia in 1993. and hired a 4.1 version of this car to go to the blue mountains.
Lovelly to drive and as I remember lots of torque but extremely thirsty!
Happy days!
Cool, I like the Aussie cars. Shame they're no more :( The Falcon looks like a Granada as you said, but has hints of Cortina and the rear pillar looks almost Nissan Bluebird.
Also looks like a Ford Fairmont we had in the US, I owned a 1979 model.
Nothing like a cortina , nissan or granada !! Have you seen this cars in real life ? These cars are massive big Australian tanks they raced these at Bathurst as V8 supercars www.supercars.com/news/championship/new-johnson-xd-debuts-at-lakeside/
@@iamasmurf1122
They were actually a bit more compact than the Falcons they replaced.
@@iamasmurf1122 That looks like a Mk4 UK Cortina to me, with a wide bodykit and a big engine.
@@AUmarcus Not really, given it was really just a re-skin of the XC Falcon, admittedly with around 350kg of weight reduction too. In terms of size it is still huge.
Crazy to see that from the UK you're reviewing a Ford and driving it through my old neighborhood. Hope you get to come back to Australia or New Zealand and get to drive a VL Commo.
Great video - I recognised the area you were in immediately (I grew up nearby) and even more than that, Peter was one of my high school teachers. Small world, and a lovely car!
Mr Folan?
Peter Anderson the very same ;)
@@Wolf1ekun Ha! So nice to hear from you... I saw your mum recently in Coles and we had a good old chat. Still working for Tesla?
Yes, I was waiting for him to get snapped by the speed camera at the bottom of the hill.
Have you got the fine yet Peter?
Peter Anderson likewise! I was talking to her about you just the other day, must’ve been after you saw each other. Yes I am - it’ll be 5 years this month!
We bought our wagon in November 1979
6 cylinder 4 speed
Colour was marigold
Fantastic test Ian! I’ve been on the edge of my seat waiting for this. I really love this XD, Peter has very clearly loved it for all these years, very understandable considering the sentimental attachment.
Hi, Nice review, shame it is your last day, i have 4 cars you could have looked at / driven.
The XD you drove has some extras not found on the GL.
GL is the base, then Fairmont , then Fairmont Ghia
In escort and cortina for a while the ran them as L-GL-XLE
That car shows a fairmont seating, C-pillar lights , I believe centre interior light is Ghia, the dash is a full instrument cluster, probably added later on - why the oil guage shows full all the time ( unless sender unit is shorted - but this happens when you plumb the idoit light sender to a variable guage, factory full guage has a T section on oil gallery and 2 sender units on-off and variable )
While the cleveland was USA design, it only came in 5.8 / 351 CI, Australa developed the 4.9 / 302 CI with a simple destroked crankshaft
All XD onward V8's were 4 barrel, i had a 1973 XB 302 V8 it, actually had the 2barrel carby, but it screamed, standing start with the stock 2.92 or 3.0 diff would push you into the seat and chip the 1-2 shift at about 45 mph, Typically driven hard the engine and gearbox mounts would soften and the Left ( or right had i forget ) would snap completely , full throttle standing start and you actauly saw the T-bat auto lever move from drive to 2nd due to all the play in the linkage and rubber mounts ( the engine tilts to one side and back effectively pushing the engine closer to the diff for a few seconds )
The climate control logo is a joke, all front fascia of the center unit of heater controls in stock and aircon dash units are the same, there is just one simple round switch to actually engage the air con.
The blinker stalk is longer because you only use " extended finger control" to change lanes, most of you grip is still around the steering wheel. Wiper you only turn then on of of rarely - especially if you have intermittent which is why is is a shorter stalk - you dont use it often.
Floor plan is the same as the 1967 XR falcon, i big issue in magazine write ups at the time as they claim it as a all new car but many mechanical s were carried over.
They used to be everywhere and the 6 seater bench seat the taxi and fleet special, hardly see them anymore.
Actually the XD sort of made air con very popular, at a guess about 75/80% of the cars had them fitted, i believe VL commodre was the first local with almost mandatory aircon or it was a delete option
Regards
George
Hey George... are you George Marangos from Blackburn Nissan?
@@PeterAndersons Hi Peter, no not me, i am in Sydney. the surname has 2 versions of Australian spelling, say pre 1980's depending on the arriving persons accent or local speech / word variation creates the 2 versions of the surname - with or without the letter N.
In pure translation the surname means carpenter in Greek
BTW a nice XD you have, in @ 1985 i bought a Trew Blue XD GL with the smaller 3.3 and no aircon, silly mistake as i though it had aircon and there was no engine badge size on the guards
Car drove great, non-power steer but even with 205/14 or 215/14 it had light steering, brakes and handling were great and no rear wheel lock up.
I never drove it hard but never managed better and @ 15mpg or 280-330k's per tank in sydney traffic , the XB 302 gave the same mileage
Unfortunately over the next 10 years it bubbles up in rust on all the edges.
My wife at the same time bought a XD fairmont with the 4.1 and velour trim, it had aircon but had a leak or dead compressor, got a rego check after 3 or 4 years and up on the hoist the joint of floor to sill panel on drivers side and along the seat rails was totally rusted out, repair quotes were about $1500, so we traded it in for $400 on a 5 year old sigma. Car drove fine, no power steer but my wife never had a problem driving or parking it, she sued to laugh at the engine fan noise - she compared it to a plane at take off
At the same time, 1988-1989 my dad bought his first ever new EA S-pak falcon, so advanced compared to the XD , front struts, rack and pinion steering, 4 wheel discs, air con, EFI, it just never seemed to have any character though. When he retired from driving he gave it to my son and it stayed in the family to 2015/2016, my son traded it in for $300-, i was furious i would have been happy to leave it in the carport and even do a respray, the car was rust and dent free , dash slightly faded and just the paint had gone of on the bonnet
Regards
George
@@georgemaragos2378 Ah, yes the badging. Numerical with the iron head, then shifted to the 'Alloy Head' badge with no mention of displacement. The Commodore was similar, I think the the displacement on the bootlid for the VB, but gone for the VC. Damn fuel crises!
Yes a very strange blend of Falcon, Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia trim. Especially the black and chrome door trim around the window frames, and the chrome rings on the wheels - which looks like it left the factory as a Fairmont (Falcon had body coloured window frames). Otherwise the seats and headrest cushions are from a Fairmont Ghia - which could be swapped out later. You could order the comprehensive dash as a factory option on all models (I think on the Falcon with the sports pack). But it is missing the Fairmont chrome trim across the front grill and boot edge. Most perplexing.
The dash cluster is from an XE which is why the oil gauge isn't working correctly. The XD has a different ohms resistant to the XE sender unit.
Smashing video Mr Seabrook and a lovely car. If you shipped it to the uk and swapped the falcon badge for a granada one, I wonder how many people would notice. And thanks to peter, he's a gent.
My dad managed an aftermarket turbo business from the late 70s to mid 80s, and one of their "company" cars was a XD Fairmont Ghia ESP 4.1lt that could be boosted to 18psi and give a nice 400bhp. I remember sitting in it one day and dad was giving me a demonstration of adjustable boost they did on it, and it is something I did not forget as that Falcon took off!
Sadly cars now are much too complicated with type approval etc making only minor or cosmetic mods possible at home but yes a 5 litre V8 with 18psi boost would have packed a punch in those days.
One of them hit a rock on the track at Bathurst while leading the race, the driver privateer Dick Johnson then got so many donations from fans that he was able to come back the following year and win and it kicked off a long successful period as one of the top teams and is still going now.
I went from driving an xf panelvan to a 16v bx and I can’t help but feel like a certain TH-camr may have influenced that
I once saw a factory built turbo XF panel van in NZ ,it was a mighty machine
I had an XE 1984 model, that is exactly the same, except the front grille is metal instead of slats!
It had a 3.3 straight six carburettor, but I shoehorned a 5.8 Cleveland 351 cubic inch in. The compression collapsed after 1 year and then I had a 4.9 Windsor V8 302 cubic inch put in, with a 4 barrel holley carburettor.
It was a beauty, apart from not changing the differential to 9 inch and not changing the wheels and brakes/discs etc.
188bhp makes sense of the 4.9
5.8 was maybe 210bhp.
That was the year 2000-2001 that I did the v8 conversions at IFIXEM garage in Waterloo suburb of south sydney!
This brought back memories of the XD Fairmont Ghia we had as the family car in the mid 1980's, I remember how comfy and big it was on the inside and used the backseat as a proper bed for long journeys while traveling on holiday around NZ. When we traded it in on a Ford Sierra Station Wagon, I was a little sad as I knew we had in someway downgraded, which proved correct. We didn't keep the Sierra for very long. Thanks for the video, enjoyed it 👍
Sierra? In Australia?
@@steved3702 New Zealand.
@@Andyc351 Ah!
Thanks for the Falcon introduction, the first time I had been that close for years.
Only rode in them as taxi's downunder in the colonies of New Zealand.
We had all three variants 3.3 / 4.1 and 4.9.
Incidentally, the 3.3 & 4.1 were fitted to an Australian Cortina variant Mk4 ( TE ) and Mk5 ( TF ).
That same 4.1 even made an appearance in NZ in Ford Transit ( cbu ) from Australia.
The Pinto from UK 🇬🇧 was always more plentiful.
The inline 6 Transit in Australia was used by the Outback Postal service.
The one I knew in NZ was in camper livery.
Thanks for drive in Melbourne.
Thanks for the brochure reveal, I'm sure that would make "Quarter Light" green with envy 😂❤
Lovely Granada on steroids, curse the UK fuel costs because we seem to have missed out on so many glorious cars over the years. Thanks as always Ian.
Driving through my city of Ringwood. My G G Grandfather bought land here in 1887, where you drove past, and family members still live here. He was born in Cheltenham U.K. in 1829 and came to Australia in 1857. My dad had a Slough built Big 6 Citroen for many years. I realy enjoyed your NZ and Australia series.
at 188Bhp plenty power for towing .. shame about the wipers ! Ive enjoyed all of your NZ + Aus trip. Thanks and all the best back home !!
The window rattling when you closed the door brings back memories. My late father had an XD ute. He had the standard 4.1L, 6 cylinder and I remember he absolutely loved it. He thought it was good fuel economy for the engine size, compared to having for many years Chrysler 6 cylinder utes.
I loved my facelift '82 Mk2 Granada 2.8 Ghia auto (yup, carb not FI) and I still regret selling it. A previous owner had fitted the full genuine X-Pack suspension upgrades, bootlid spoiler and chin spoiler. Plush velour everywhere. One of the most balanced, predictable chassis I've ever driven; an absolute joy to pilot through twisty stuff and almost ridiculously easy to opposite-lock and drift. I can't buy a replacement because the apes who like to drive around mud tracks while crashing into each other have killed them all (most of the Sierras, Granada/Scorpios, Carltons and Senators met the same fate). I think I need a Falcon XD in my life, cart springs or not - I'll be happy to trade a bit of rear-end tramp/squirm for a Cleveland V8 soundtrack. Thanks for sharing!
Love the sound of the V8, grew up with the sounds of the big cars here in the states.
Lovely car on your last day. I had a Granada 2.8 GL, which would have amusing with a 4.9 V8.
A 3.3 6 would run rings around the V6.
@@ldnwholesale8552 a 3.3 couldn't run rings around anything.
Australians didn't expect much from their cars till about 2005, and Ford and Holden were happy to oblige.
A bit earlier than 2005 but your point is well made.
However with hindsight I believe it becomes a chicken and egg discussion.
They actually expected a lot, but what they expected was very different than folk in Europe did of their cars. Mass market Euro badges are still pretty much out of sync with the Australian market.
I had a Farlane LTD version of that with an injected 4.1l cross flow head 6 cylinder, climate and a digital dash... Even by todays standard it was an extremely comfortable cruiser and on LPG was also economical to run.... Cheers Ian...
They dropped the V8s on the basis that the injected version of the 6 was a true replacement. Not quite...
Thanks for that Hubnut! I’ve known a few folk in my past, growing up as a kid, that have owned XD, XE and XF Falcons and Fairmonts. I had a neighbour that lived around the corner from me that had a yellow XD with a 4.1 six and 4spd manual. Dad used to do maintenance on it for my neighbour from time to time. I remember riding in it with Dad whenever he took it for a test drive after working on it. I admired that car A LOT!! It was such a nice car to ride in and whenever Dave (the owner) brought it around for Dad to work on it, I would fist pump and say “YESSS!!!” because that meant another ride in it! It was super cool (for a 6 year old) as it had wide mag wheels and 6-into-1 exhaust headers/extractors and sounded cool!! Was a bit sad the day when the car was no longer Dave’s...
This, takes not only the biscuit, but the entire pack. I want this, badly. A mk2 granny 2.8 is a childhood crush for me, this, is sick!!
What a noise! The enlarged granny looks, the vast interior, that particular colour is lovely, what a top barge she is, hot and flustered this end over the XD. Fantastic finale!
I had a Ford granada 2.8i ghia X in black, (actually owned 3 in black) my Uncle john lived in Australia since the 50s he came to visit one year when i was working on my granada and told me he has similar in Australia, showed me a picture and up until then i never knew that they had this version of my granada, very impressed, nice motors
I've enjoyed your reviews of Australian cars where I've learned a lot and also discovered the Kimberly!
And here I am re-looking at it 3 years later...
I have owned an 87 XF Sedan and a 94 XG Ute in the past (both with 6 cyls as that was all they built them with in those 2 models, the XF with the 4.1l Crossflow and the XG with the 4.0l EFI), I still miss them a bit. My XG was the "60th Anniversary of the Ute" Edition. I came close to buying an XE (maybe, can't remember exactly) hearse once too lol but it was in poor condition and was very poverty pack level (not even a factory radio and may have been a 3.3l).
I enjoyed the video and seeing you driving around my neck of the woods.
To my mind, the XD Falcon and Mk2 Granada hark back (styling wise) to the Fiat 130 coupe of 1971. Also, the 302 Cleveland (4.9l) WAS an Australian engine. When they started producing Cleveland V8s in Geelong, Australian engineers destroked the 351 (5.8l) Cleveland to come up with the 302C.
Here in Brazil during the 80s we had something very similar called Ford Del Rey, an evolution of the Corcel II. They came in with engines 1.6L 8V CHT (73,3hp Ethanol)/ 1.8L 8V AP (92hpv Petro / 98hp Ethanol).
I know V8s are on their way to becoming the dinosaurs of the motoring world but you gotta love that sound. I had a 1975 Holden HJ Kingswood with the 4.2L V8 and loved it. It used to wallow around corners but was quick enough in a straight line!
They were built so lightly that the 1st recall was cracked windscreens because the car hit a bump. had one as a replacement company car, replaced a CM Chrysler Valiant. The Valiant was tough, the Ford fragile in the front end but not a bad thing.
My father had a XD 1979 wagon new and I had an XD wagon in the early 1990's which I later replaced with a XF. The Test car looks like it has an optional instrument cluster that was standard in the S pack trim level. The towbar is also the heavy duty 2100kg as the standard 1600kg didn't have all the bracing under the fuel tank. The update models after the XD were the XE and XF.
When Ford replaced the XF with the AU the engine was updated to OHC from pushrod. Ford stock piled pushrod engines to continue XF ute and panel van production until 1993. The ute and panel van was then updated and became the XG and later XH models at this point the engine was also updated to the then current Falcon sedan/wagon OHC engine.
What did you think of the XD's you and your father owned and your XF?
@@callumandrews4342 I never drove my fathers XD as I was a secondary school kid at the time. However it was a step up as far as NVH to the XC Ford wagon he had previously. As it was an early XD it had the cast iron head motor the same as the XC so power wise was much the same. My XD was about 10 years old when I got it and it was duel fuel. It drove OK for a 10 year old car however it cost next to nothing in fuel. LPG in those days was always under 20 cents a litre compared to petrol in the 90 cent range. It burnt about 30% more fuel on LPG than petrol but at the price of LPG it was nothing. The XF wagon I had was a Fairmont so had more sound insulation than the Falcon so was a quieter car. It was also on duel fuel however because of the updated motor it had noticeably more power than the XD.
My uncle bought an 81 Falcon estate, 4.1 V6 during an aborted emigration to Western Australia. It looked huge to me as a kid, especially in our very small island with 40mph max speed limit (Jersey). It had a big scaffold pole roo bar fitted as well. The size, colour (bright yellow) and big bars on the front made it very noticeable.
Thank you for the memory jog.
Very rare to import one to UK. Although the 4.1 was a straight six as was all Ford production of six cylinders in Australia,
@@johnd8892 If left for a while he had to clean 3 of the plugs he could reach to get it to start. The others would clear once warm enough and a few revs.
@@leonjourneaux5268 Sounds like a V6. So a very unusual or engine swapped Falcon. Never V6 Falcons here in Australia.
@@johnd8892 I was only about 11/12 and only saw him do that a few times so I can't remember exactly myself. I think it was a V with 2 banks, but it could be a straight and the remaining cylinders too far back to easily reach. I do remember the 4.1 badges.
Great stuff! Always fun to see and hear cars that we never got here in NA. Somewhat confusing, because here we got Falcons, Granadas, and Fairmonts, but they were all completely different cars and not necessarily produced concurrently! All the best from here; please do stop in if you are in the area... Cheers!
The Aussie Falcons were based on the US design for the first two generations (first and third US generations; we skipped the second) with increasing local input.
I had a Fairmont XD variant, and I loved the vehicle. I also drove many other models, from the two-tone station wagon version through to the XE panel van. Each of them had the straight six engine, developed from the original American supplied, early 60s Falcon. We kept the name and the engine, which needed constant updating to keep it ahead of the pack, which it did very successfully. For many years they were of a 4.1 Litre capacity, and from the early days of the XB & XC were very happy performers through to the XD range, then to the XE. The straight six was further developed through every subsequent series, till reaching its ultimate in the Barra engine at 4.00 Litre.
The other major advantage that Ford had in the local market, was that the 5.8 Litre V8 was retained as an option, and was taken up vigorously by the public. GMH had dropped their entire range of V8 engines, which was to cost them dearly. I remember driving up the East coast of Australia, from Melbourne to Sydney as the first leg, and in the Fairmont at least, I can attest to the supreme comfort of Fords velour seating, with excellent thigh support, which allowed both driver and passengers to arrive at their destination feeling refreshed and rested. Grand touring was something even the straight six was brilliant at performing.
Beautiful car. The talk today is of 'Infotainment and In Car Entertainment'. Who needs all that with that wonderful sounding lump under the bonnet. Lurverly. Thanks HubNut.
Really nice test to end trip and I completely agree ? Anything Ribbed always gives me great pleasure too 😳, been fantastic collection of videos along the way.
So used to seeing our Granada's which were one of Ford's best European designs I think, I always liked the look of these but I didn't realise they were much larger. Lovely car, what a splendid noise they make too, much thanks to Peter and your good self Mr H.
Nice one, Hubnut. I am biased as I also own a V8 Falcon sedan: BA series. Brochures were a nice bonus. Many thousands printed, but hard to find items now, after 41 years. The 6 gauge dash cluster is nice - better than idiot lights. Has more gauges than my BA. You will miss that second bank of cylinders. The V8 seduces you into her embrace.
Granada headlights only. The Falcon had Ford "family" styling, but it was an Australian design. It wasn't a "cut and shut" job, unlike the GM's Holden Commodore derivation from the Opel Rekord/Senator.
These were popular in Trinidad and used as taxis due to their size and bench seat. Been in them quite a few times and one of my favourite cars.
Great video...that's a nice car. Sounds lovely. Those wipers though. Probably get better wipeage sticking your arm out and doing it yourself!
My Dad had a 2.3 Granada of the same year, later we upgraded to the Mk3 2.8 Ghia. I was so proud, I loved them :p
188bhp/ 254 lbs/ft .. 122mph,0-60 in 8.9secs. sounded lovely :-)
Some confusion in the comments below about downsleeving of 5.8 litre 351 Cleveland engines cast in Australia for this car. No downsleeving involved.
A four inch bore is shared by all the Ford 289, 302, 351 and even 400 cubic inch motors. No sleeving for smaller sizes. The capacity differences are all by differences in crankshaft throw giving differences in stroke.
3 inch stroke for 302 , 3.5 inch for 351 and 4 inch for 400.
Confirmed by Wikipedia on the Cleveland engines with special reference to the Australia only 302 Cleveland.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_335_engine
Lovely looking Ford, it does remind me of the Granada and Cortina but in a much bigger package.
Looking at the brouchures it looks like the Sierra steering wheel made it's debut on a Ghia version of the falcon/fairmount
This example has many modifications and upgrades, few of which were factory options.
These seats are transplanted from the top of the range Fairmont Ghia. GL was the base spec Falcon, and came standard with vinyl bench seats and no upholstery added to the hard black plastic headrests. Buckets, and low spec fabric were both optional. From new, these rear benches were poorly shaped, and redesigned for the next model - XE. This rear bench is quite sagged.
Small wipers? Yeah, these ones aren't factory.
Instruments? Stock GL and Fairmont had just speedo, fuel and water temp. Fairmont Ghia and Falcon with S-Pack option, scored the full set.
Transmission? Standard was a 3-sp manual with column shift. Column shift was also the standard form of the Borg-Warner 3-sp auto. Very few buyers opted for the coarse but reliable 4sp manual.
Most XD were optioned with the 4.1L pushrod carb 6cyl, over the standard 3.3L. The 4.9L carb lump was a less common option, and relatively few buyers opted for the 5.8.
What a great way to conclude your Aussie reviews. You were driving around my local area where you would have seen a 1979 Ford LTD with a longer wheelbase plus some added luxury refinements over the base model Falcon. Next time you visit down under you are welcome to visit. I enjoy your videos very much indeed.
Thank you. I actually have more tests to come! I filmed this thinking it would be the last, but decided to post it after meeting the owner.
We had a Falcon XD wagon 4.9. The handbrake came off in mum's hand and I remember a lot of dangly wires under the glovebox. We changed it for an XF wagon 4.1 in sky blue
Omg I remember the handbrake in my XC wagon coming off in my hand. Along with various external door handles and the tailgate winder. I can't believe in only 12 years from new it was sent to the wreckers.
Yikes to both comments!
@@MrDemonchild71 A tailgate winder? I don't think either of ours had that
@@robertbarker5981 no the xd was the first wagon with the lift back, the xc was the last of the wagons that had a window you had to wind down before you could flip it down to open it
@@MrDemonchild71 Wasn't an electric winder optional? With a keyhole instead of a handle.
Metallic brown paintwork and beige velour- fantastic! Lovely car and a very good review. Good way to round off your Australian drives. I bet this seems a long time ago now!
I think the water bottle is an ingenious counter weight for stopping the bootlid doing a full on ejector seat style opening :D
Correct!
Driving around my old neighbourhood! I had an XD Fairmont This - which is that car plus 25% - including fuel consumption. The later versions were the XE and XF and had coil sprung rear ends and a bigger boot and were much nicer to drive. The V8s were actually made in Australia and are quite sought after in the U.S.
I thought the same, Chris :) It was all rather surreal seeing our "back yard" in videos !!
Love this beast! Excited to see your take on the Magna Elite!
The engine is an Australian made version of the Ford Cleveland. Ford US stopped making them in 1974. But the 302 cubic inch Cleveland is uniquely Australian. Cool video. Thanks
Had a cortina mk4 back in the eighties with a beige cloth interior and a t bar auto ghia 2.0 ltr !!wish i had a 4.9 great content .... STAY SAFE🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🚘🚘🚘🚘
This Falcon is quite reminiscent of the Ford Fairmonts offered in N. America, ( Although I think we got shortchanged) theses seem more up-market. I would feel right at home in this one.. I purchased a 1979 Ford Fairmont Futura for my sister, (long after the day for $1,200.00,) and she absolutely loved it. Faded paint, worn upholstery, and using a litre of oil every 2000 kilometres. Happy times for her. Cheers
Love your reviews. A car to look at next time your in Aus is the ZH Fairlane 500.
I’ve been waiting to see a falcon XD. I’d love to a cortina, granada and falcon from this era all together side by side.
Fun facts for you; the 5.8 "Cleveland" motor was American but we adopted it after Ford fans Australia wide fell in love with it, the 4.9ltr was Australian made (same block, different Aussie designed & made crank), the parking brakes on the XD's were the 2nd most notorious thing on them because as you discovered the parking brake was more or less only for decoration! the most notorious part on the XD's were the door handles! PS: for the Cleveland engines if you free up the intake and exhaust and delete the chocking poluttion gear you can basically dial in what ever power figure you want, up untill Ford made the Coyote engine, the "Clevo" was the fastest V8 engine Ford made!
The parking brake works fine if the rear drum shoes are adjusted correctly. But, for the love of all that's sacred, do not play with the handbrake cable adjustment unless you really REALLY do know EXACTLY what you're doing.
Back in the early/mid eighties I spent a couple of years working in Melbourne as an expat. One of my colleagues had one of these as a hire car. She was used to driving a Ford Fiesta back in the UK and was endlessly surprised that this didn't corner in quite the same way.
My fathers XD had a 4.1 6 cylinder, alloy head (which was worthy of a badge on the side of the car I remember) and a 4 speed manual gearbox. Station wagon. I remember one day after a trip to Manly Vale, the handbrake lever came off when my father applied it at a traffic light (as he often did on an incline and decline), with a huge bank of angry people behind us as he put on the hazard lights, got the tools out and went to work to free it up.
My family ran the XE Falcon GL in the 80's. 6 seater and column shift auto. I was always up front between the olds. Dad ran LPG most of the time, but the treat was when we were on the good stuff and Dad punching the gas on a overtaking lane and watching the factory economy gauge buried into the zero zone! Good times.
Another vid that brings back memories. I had a 1980 Ford Fairlane ZJ for a couple of years (basically an XD Falcon but a couple of feet longer). Originally that had the 4.1 litre 6 cylinder engine but at some stage had been fitted with the Cleveland 4.9 litre V8. I found the car was a good cruise car but not particularly quick in terms of acceleration. The ZF gearbox probably didn’t help on that front but someone told me the Windsor engines tended to be quicker as the blocks are considerably lighter. I was interested to see that you pretty well formed the same conclusion with how this Falcon went; heaps of torque for effortless cruising, hills and towing but not in a particular hurry getting to speed. Also the Fairlane was surprisingly basic for what was essentially a limousine, and had the exact same climate control system as this Falcon (and yes it was pretty ineffective!). Great conclusion to the Aussie trip and great memories for me, thanks for sharing - and a shout out to the car’s owner 😀
This has certainly been a joy to follow you around Aus Ian.
Nice! I do like a square car. Looks really well in that colour.
Great as always! Another example of why modern cars with eleventy million gears in an auto box just can't offer that lovely wafty smoothness of cars like this. That's one of the reasons I like the E-CVT in our Lexus RX. It does that "go down the entire road in one gear" thing.