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Looking for some assistance from those with familiarity with the Falcon XH Ute/Panel Van. In short, I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but am from Australia. Two weeks ago, my father died in some combination of a workplace accident and/or possible heart attack. He was a kitchen/cabinet fitter and stubborn old goat, and probably worked himself to death at 64 as he either refused (or couldn't afford) to retire. He and Mum were divorced when I was far too young to even acknowledge what was going on, and while he wasn't around a lot for my youth we started talking more frequently over the phone once I'd left for the states. Whenever my brother and I did see him, it was always in a panel van, chock full of dust, woodworking tools and assorted offcuts that he swore he'd find use for, with a tinny towed behind for a spot of fishing. As my brother and I are working out what to do with all of his possessions (we haven't been able to find a will yet) there's a part of me that valued the limited time we did spend together, and the memories of riding around in a lovely old panel van. I've wanted to bring a ute stateside ever since I got here (though I wanted it to be a Maloo) - and while this isn't exactly a ute, it's definitely strange by the standards of American vehicles, it'd be free, and it was Dad's. The panel van in question is a 1998 Ford Falcon XH Longreach GLi, pretty much exactly the same as the Wikipedia image:  I don't know much about its condition right now (the funeral was a long way away from Dad's home) but I'm sure it could charitably be described as "rough", and the number of KMs as "very high". I do know that it's got a 4.0L I6 and a 4AT transmission. I'd need to leave it in Australia for a few years before it's old enough to ship here, during which time I would try to get it more sorted out mechanically. I'm back in Milwaukee - could only stay in Australia for a bit over a week, but my brother will be heading to Dad's place at the end of this week to go work through his stuff, to take photos of his possessions and to try to work out what to do with them. I've asked him to take a ton of photos of the Falcon. Ultimately, what I am hoping I can get some help with is: 1). Is there anything specific I should get my (absolutely not mechanically minded) brother to look for during a visual inspection? I was thinking I'd ask him to check that the coolant isn't milky, that there aren't a ton of oil leaks, and that a visual inspection for rust should be understandable concepts for him to grasp. 2). Are there any "deal breaker" conditions/faults for this vehicle that can't be easily rectified by a compitent mechanic who is in another goddamned continent? 3). Is it plausible to get the transmission changed from 4AT to the 5MT, or would it be cost prohibitive? 4). Am I just bloody insane for wanting to bring this thing stateside? TL;DR: bad life choices may be genetic
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Mar 5, 2019 15:35
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| # ? May 5, 2024 19:06 |
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0) Sorry about your dad. 0) (0) What sort of insane mess got you to move to Milwaukee from Australia? Are you nuts? 1) Look for maintenance records if your fam didn't do it themselves. Check for fluids coating the underside and/or the ground. Have them take pics of the oil on the dipstick as well as the coolant in the reservoir. 2) I wouldnt imagine so. Parts might suck. Replacement parts vampiring from American 4.0 I6 engines from like an Exploder is... debatable? but worst case you'd have to overnight parts from 3) Possible? Totally. Worth it? Depends on you. Bunches of poo poo to think about on this one apart from the transmission: -Gotta swap the pedal assemblies (pain in the rear end usually) -New driveshaft, since they're probably different length transmissions -It's a 1998 so I figure there's probably not too much fuckery with TCU swapping, but there's probably some poo poo to do there. Could be a simple direct swap, could be an "Oh my god what in the gently caress was I thinking why does my interior look like multicolored spaghetti" swap. 4) I'd go for it but I also currently have an MR2 engine apart on my dining room table, so I'm an insane person. So my answer to this question is yes to either/both? Adiabatic fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Mar 5, 2019 |
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Mar 5, 2019 18:24
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I'm not too worried about parts once I get the thing sorted mechanically because these things were the backbone of the taxi/police industry for ages, and are known for being reliable and bloody simple (like Australians in general). But I am pretty sure Dad didn't keep the thing perfectly maintained - I'm sure it's got a long list of maladies that I guess I'll find out about by this weekend. At the very least I'm sure it'll need all its fluids changed and from what I hear, the body is at least slightly beat up. I figure - provided there's no rust, and provided there's no frame damage, pretty much everything else should be fine - but I get enough of rustbuckets here in Wisconsin without bringing another one nine thousand miles.
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Mar 5, 2019 21:15
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Actually should be resonably easy to convert to a manual IF you were in Australia and had access to junkyards. It's a weekend job interspiced with a few trips to Pick and Payless Fords of that age shouldnt be too much of a rust bucket, the engines are tough but the transmission will likely be dodgy and the diff / suspension shot to bits. Nothing not fixable of course..... and TBH they are pretty simple things to fix. Now normally I'd say trying to keep a car running a long way from it's parts source is dumb but there is a growing community of Americans who are importing Aust built cars and developing supply lines so it's certainly doable. Costly but doable.
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Mar 5, 2019 21:33
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The U.S. is kind of persnickety about importing vehicles if they aren't made for the American market, and they have to be 25 years old from the month of its manufacture before they can be anything other than rolling contraband, dont they?
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Mar 5, 2019 21:37
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Eat This Glob posted:The U.S. is kind of persnickety about importing vehicles if they aren't made for the American market, and they have to be 25 years old from the month of its manufacture before they can be anything other than rolling contraband, dont they? Yep. So it'd sit in a mate's shed in Cowra until it's of age, during which time I'm sure I can get any big things sorted. Alternatively I could just fix up the suspension & steering and replace the I6 with a Coyote (or hell, even something electric at Milwaukee's excellent Makerspace).
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Mar 5, 2019 22:22
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sarcastx posted:and replace the I6 with a Coyote Or you know... Barra
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Mar 5, 2019 23:03
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CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:Or you know... Barra Don't think I haven't thought about it. Pretty sure they're far too new though.
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Mar 5, 2019 23:27
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sarcastx posted:Don't think I haven't thought about it. Pretty sure they're far too new though. The first Barra is 2002. I don't think anyone's gonna care trying to care whats in the van once it goes beyond 25 years
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Mar 6, 2019 00:16
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sarcastx posted:1). Is there anything specific I should get my (absolutely not mechanically minded) brother to look for during a visual inspection? I was thinking I'd ask him to check that the coolant isn't milky, that there aren't a ton of oil leaks, and that a visual inspection for rust should be understandable concepts for him to grasp. 2) Really most mechanical stuff on a Falcon are long lasting and hard wearing. By the time the XH arrived Ford had figured out their head gasket issues that the OHC straight six had, and the autos are pretty robust (as seen by most taxi drivers in Australia). Otherwise it is a basic vehicle, independent front end, live rear axle with leaf springs 3) It is possible, as Cat said, but you'll need to get the parts shipped from Australia. I do not know if the manuals ran a different length of tail shaft compared to autos, so that's something to factor in. 4) The XH panel van is a good car, getting rare on Australian roads these days, since most tradies moved to Hiace vans when it was being sold.
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Mar 6, 2019 00:45
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You Am I posted:good poo poo Cheers You Am I - yeah, that's the impression I got, that they're tough as nails but that the sort of things that break are things like door handles that are more of an inconvenience than like, the drivetrain. I don't know much about like, the trim or whatever; but if it's a 1-tonner I've definitely got some things for it to tow. That, plus a mate in Sydney who owns a C3 Corvette so we'll probably organize some sort of mail order parts exchange. Do you have a suggestion for a good resource for service manuals/diagrams and the like?
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Mar 6, 2019 02:27
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I think http://www.fordforums.com.au/ will be the best place to start for info on that. The Post Classic sub forum for Falcons will cover your model.
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Mar 6, 2019 04:08
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That's all well and good but you never answered why the gently caress are you in Milwaukee
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Mar 6, 2019 04:58
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Here's a good link with info about the XH: http://www.boostedfalcon.net/falconfacts/falcon/xhfalcon.html Rare Spares has a good range of parts, especially rubber bits, for the XH: https://www.rarespares.net.au/pricelist/ford/4h/xh-falcon
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Mar 6, 2019 05:26
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The XH is probably the easiest thing to get parts for out of everything, apart from front end panels since Ford had to modify the E series parts to fit on the X series ute body so they're unique to the XH. XHs don't seem to rust as badly as earlier models but I think a big one is around the fuel tank. If it's a panel van you don't have that issue. I know one of the common issues is the vacuum controls for the A/C crack and cause issues with the A/C cutting out when you accelerate, and some of those motors do like to eat head gaskets which they sorted out by the later E series models, being 98 that one will probably be fine. The transmissions can be a weak spot (which I'm experiencing now with my BF ute) if the 2-3 shift flares a bit cold it either is low on fluid or it's on it's way out, if it does it hot or with other shifts you probably need a new transmission. One thing I'd definitely get done when taking ownership of one of these cars is doing the lower control arms/lower ball joints. If they're worn your steering will feel like poo poo and if they fail you'll have a really bad day. Swapping from the 4 speed BTR to the 5 speed T5? would require a few parts. Pretty sure the diff ratio is different between the two and it definitely has a different length tailshaft. Crossmember is different between the two boxes as well. The ECU might freak out since the BTR is controlled by the ECU but iirc you can get chips for those ECUs which aren't too expensive. All those parts can be had for pretty cheap. Pretty bulletproof ute if you keep up with the basic maintenance. Oh and a Barra swap on one of these is like a weekend job with a premade loom, extremely simple since the car is pretty much set up for it as is.
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Mar 6, 2019 09:16
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Adiabatic posted:That's all well and good but you never answered why the gently caress are you in Milwaukee Predominantly that the Mrs is a Milwaukee native, but I felt like a change of scenery/career. Only regret it right around late February/early March when the winter won't just gently caress off.
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Mar 6, 2019 12:39
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Ansith, CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:Barra stuff I do genuinely want to do this, but from what I'd read at a cursory glance it looks like the car has to be 25+ to not require certification, and the engine has to be original or original spec (at least if the car is to be driven on the road). What's stupid about this is that the OG engine is certainly going to pollute worse - which you'd think is why they're trying to stop people just importing engines willy nilly (other than protectionism). I must read some more on this to see if there are workarounds because if it's feasible - I'd absolutely prefer to barra the thing rather than fix up the old engine that's already in it. Will have to go through the forums to see if there's any posts here from folks importing stuff under the 25+ year rule that I can DM. edit: ok so the car turns 25 at the same year the first Barra engines turn 21, and it just so happens that engines only need to be 21 years old to be imported. Not sure whether that means I should have the engine swap done prior to importing the vehicle or once it's stateside, but either way 
sarcastx fucked around with this message at 14:40 on Mar 6, 2019 |
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Mar 6, 2019 12:45
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Well, my brother finally sent me some details: Of note - it's not a panelvan. It's an XH ute with a canopy on the back. Last time we were in Queensland we'd rented a car so it makes sense i didn't get close enough to notice that difference. Manufactured in 05/98, so I've still got four-ish years where i gotta stow it somewhere. The good: -No oil stains on the garage floor or driveway where it's parked -No visible rust The bad: -402,046KM on the clock, bits of interior missing or very dirty The ugly: -Brother says it absolutely reeks of cigarette smoke, to the point where he struggled to breathe inside. Ugh. Wondering whether much can be done about the cigarette smell, if memory serves that's an absolute bitch and a half to clean away...
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Mar 10, 2019 04:15
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What are the chances you could get new seats and just clean the gently caress out of the upholstery with the seats out? If not, I think dealerships use ozone cleaners.
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Mar 10, 2019 15:25
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Once the car is 25 it doesn't matter how old the engine is unless you live in California. Also, what bolt pattern does the Barra use? Is it shared with mod motors? Wrar fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Mar 10, 2019 |
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Mar 10, 2019 17:18
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sarcastx posted:Well, my brother finally sent me some details: If it's anywhere near Brisbane and you need someone a bit more familiar with them to look at it, I'd be happy to. I am going away for a month though but from what I gather it's going to be sitting for a while. 400k on the clock is pretty standard for a well used one, the motors are good but it's probably pretty tired now. If the transmission still works it's likey been replaced/rebuilt already. The cigarette smell isn't too bad considering it's a ute and not a panel van. I'd replace the seats, carpet, roof lining, and the easy to replace plastics. All of those bits are really cheap, and since it's at 400k they probably need replacing anyway. The smell will still be in the vents and under the dash but it isn't a hard car to pull apart and clean. Clean up the interior and throw a Barra in, all problems solved.
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Mar 11, 2019 00:05
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Ansith posted:If it's anywhere near Brisbane and you need someone a bit more familiar with them to look at it, I'd be happy to. I am going away for a month though but from what I gather it's going to be sitting for a while. Thanks Ansith. I may take you up on that; the ute's in Wellington Point, if that helps. Wrar; don't know about the bolt pattern off the top of my head, but a cursory google has people mentioning adapter plates to get it to fit the Windsor, if that helps.
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Mar 12, 2019 14:30
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sarcastx posted:Thanks Ansith. I may take you up on that; the ute's in Wellington Point, if that helps. Yeah that isn't too far away from me. Shoot me a pm and we can work something out when I'm back from the UK.
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Mar 12, 2019 23:54
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On the topic of old Falcons there's a XA Falcon 500 wagon for sale in Victoria at the moment, it's pretty original in brown, but $4000 is a bit much for a non-special Falcon of that era: https://www.jollysupullit.com.au/Home/ProductDetails2?AcqId=537417 The Sigma wagon has my interest if I had the space. Chuck in a 4G63 and scare people with the granny looking wagon
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Mar 13, 2019 22:56
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| # ? May 5, 2024 19:06 |
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In the current market 4k is pretty good for that, the market is hosed and they're not worth that much but when people try and sell rusted doors for 300ea, original complete cars just go for that much. Glad I got in when I did and got my XC for 3.5k.
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Mar 13, 2019 23:37
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