Ford Falcon XB Hardtop restoration - Leaf spring issues

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]Howdy, guys. Welcome back. Today's mission is this Falcon XP hardtop.

[00:00:05]Anyone that's been um following me now would know that I had a bad episode trying to get a well alignment on this car. So, when I took it in to get a wheel alignment, uh it turned to [ __ ] I'll just go through some of the data.

[00:00:20]So, I come out with on the left hand side a positive caster is 2 42 degrees.

[00:00:27]Um, and the right hand side was 4° in the negative. So, I got a positive on the left, negative on the right. Um, I think he got the toe and the camber.

[00:00:41]Okay.

[00:00:42]Yeah, he got them. Oh, actually, no.

[00:00:44]Left hand side's up to [ __ ] I don't know. He probably just hit the two hard basket and he's just stopped. But, um, yeah. So, looking at the sheet, it's [ __ ] Um, so yeah, he originally told me that there's something wrong with the car. Whoever restored this car for me needs an uppercut. I tell him I've done it myself. Um, yeah. So, it's turned to [ __ ] We've got the plumb bob and we've actually I got the car put up on ramps and measured from critical points under the car according to the Ford Workshop manual. And it's 5 mil out on one side, which isn't a drama. It's well within spec. Um, so I was hoping I bought a lot of hardware off the internet. I was hoping to do a world alignment at home cuz hiring a car trailer, taking this car in, hiring it again, and bring it home.

[00:01:43]It's cost me $630.

[00:01:45]I can do it cheaper next time. One of mates has said he can lend me his trailer. Uh, but I'm like, you know what? I'm just going to do this at home.

[00:01:52]I just it's it's a big chunk of my time to take this car in, get some look at it, and then it's in their hands. I'm just not doing it. Can't bug it.

[00:02:02]Um, yeah. So, I'll show you what I what I have bought and what has turned up.

[00:02:06]But unfortunately, I'm still waiting on stuff to turn up in the mail. So, first off, you got this Vivo brand wheel alignment tool. So, this goes inside the front tires. Got measurements.

[00:02:21]Um, I suspect that he's already done the world alignment, but I will check again.

[00:02:25]And then I got these turntable.

[00:02:30]You're loving it, aren't you, dog? Yes.

[00:02:32]So, yeah. So, this is where you can measure your do your caster. There are there are there are other methods. You don't have to buy these, but they're quite expensive, actually. They were hard to get cheap. Um, and I've got this.

[00:02:48]This goes in the middle of the wheels. They put them in the middle here.

[00:02:56]Right dead center. Bang. And they can measure camber caster really good.

[00:03:02]Um trouble is I um I've ordered the fixture. There's a special fixture that fixes onto the rim and then you can put that alignment tool or the caster camber tool right in the middle and then you can measure measure do your measurements. It's all sweet but that fixture is what's h don't know what's happened but yeah it's caught up in freight somewhere and it's about 9 days overdue turning up so there's nothing I can do about that sucks but yeah it's the way it is. So, what I what I what I will do today, I won't do the front end. I'll just leave that. I suspect I suspect that the upper wishbones uh they sort of go like that. You know what I mean? They got these swivel pins that go through. Can't see them this side. Right in there's a grease nipple in here, but they go across. I think I didn't center them properly. I'll just show you the workshop manual. So, here's this manual. Really good condition, original.

[00:04:05]Um, you see here when you put these I replaced these, right? And I wasn't I didn't know at the time, but you have to make sure they're on center. So, I suspect that I haven't put this in properly. And it's it's knocked everything out of whack.

[00:04:20]But, I'm not going to go pulling the front end apart just yet until I've got all the hardware to do an alignment. So, that's likely to be the next video. But, what I'll do today, I'll do something different.

[00:04:33]Um, we'll get on to this rear end. So, if you go, anyone who remembers one of your previous videos talking to people about this and there's always theories about got the wrong leaf springs in the back or the the the diffs not sitting on the leaf properly. Um, something's majorly gone wrong cuz this car I've replaced the whole chassis rail and the right hand side is cuz it was severely rusted. Um, so there's, yeah, all these things that I could have gone wrong. So, what I'll do, I'll get the car up in the air and we'll start doing some measurements and, um, see what we can find. Got the car in the air. So, what I'll do, I'm going to measure.

[00:05:18]Oh, probably I got these like used for sewing. They're really handy. I'm going to measure from here right up up in here somewhere, I think.

[00:05:32]just had one of those moments where I thought, you know, I've got this for weeks on end. I thought, yep, I know what's going on with this car in the back. And then this happens. I measured, it's really hard to measure 100%, but I measured right in the center where this front eye is mounts up to the chassis goes along here and measured up to here.

[00:05:54]And I'm like, "Yeah, yeah, I got that measurement and that was probably I know six weeks ago or something. I don't know." And then um I needed parts for this car and yeah, I've been just, you know, can't not myself, get going on Facebook Marketplace and I'm always looking around to see what's out there.

[00:06:11]I think lot lot of lot of people do. And I found a part for this car and I went, "Yeah, right. I'll have that." And while I'm at it, this guy, he had a collection of Ford Performance vehicles.

[00:06:24]This phone at property Oh, an hour away from me. But yeah, really good, good dude. Good old chat. But yeah, I went there and he had some leaf springs. So what I done, um, anyone that follows me, me brother's channel, he's got a 1972 XA Fairmont hardtop, red pepper restoring. And so this leaf spring here is out of his car.

[00:06:48]And I've just measured I've just measured from this point here right through to up here. And it's exactly the same as what's in the car.

[00:06:57]I'm like, I thought I had this. So, we got these leaf springs. And when we went out there, we compared this spring to these two and yeah, they're the same.

[00:07:10]But what the difference is for this Marx has got four leaves.

[00:07:18]This one's got five.

[00:07:21]I think the one of the coups only got It's got three, I think.

[00:07:29]That's it. Oh, no. It's It's got four.

[00:07:33]Yeah, exactly. Same.

[00:07:35]There's nothing wrong with these leaf springs.

[00:07:38]Damn. I mean, it's more than likely to be all the front end's issue, but why does that wheel Why is that wheel I know it's up in the air now, but why is that wheel sit so far forward? I just don't know. It's even on both sides.

[00:07:54]God knows. But I mean, look at this ute.

[00:07:56]It's not the best example. It's pretty rusty, but sits even.

[00:08:03]But, uh, obviously the smaller wheels, so they look like they are.

[00:08:08]back to the drawing board.

[00:08:11]What to do?

[00:08:14]What I will do, I'll I might as well take one of the leaves out cuz this car's sitting a bit high in the ass.

[00:08:23]What I found with this old Falcons when you get the ass sort of squatting a little bit, they look really cool. So, the car is pretty sitting even how it is. Thought if I get if I'll get this leaf springs.

[00:08:35]Um really you meant you me might take them in and reset. But what I might do I might take one of these leaves out.

[00:08:43]We'll um measure it accurately with the um the XA hard top leaf spring.

[00:08:51]And while I'm at it, I'll get this bottom leaf here and I'll flip that over and see if we can get the car to sit down like a couple of centimeters lower.

[00:09:00]Maybe that'll be really cool.

[00:09:03]Right, time to get to it.

[00:09:08]Getting unfit, buddy. Put a leaf spring out. I've got it directly the side. The Fman Fairmont XA hard top leaf spring.

[00:09:19]So, they're married up right next to each other.

[00:09:24]Um, XA unknown. I think these are an XC, I was told.

[00:09:33]Uh, so yeah. Can you tell the difference?

[00:09:37]I can't.

[00:09:46]I suspect where that's had something sitting on it like here. I don't know.

[00:09:50]Whatever. So, they're exactly the same.

[00:09:53]Can't tell difference.

[00:09:56]The one out of my car is sitting a fraction higher.

[00:10:02]Doesn't really mean anything. It's Get away, dog. Not the time. So, yeah. I don't know. Weird. Must be just how the car is. So, what I'll do? Yeah. Right.

[00:10:16]Yep.

[00:10:17]Let's play.

[00:10:20]I'll get G clamps. Clamp that. Clamp that. Remove that. Then I'll have to go for a drive.

[00:10:29]Probably go to Bunnings. It's Sunday.

[00:10:33]There you go. Good.

[00:10:36]Um, so yeah, I'll have to remove that and see if I can flip flip flip this bottom one over.

[00:10:47]See if it makes any difference. I can't flip these ones over cuz obviously not meant to. Um, that doesn't work. I'm just going to have to get them reset.

[00:10:56]I could put these in, but as you can see there, they're setting a fair bit higher already.

[00:11:04]Yeah. Oh, would have been really good to um yeah, would have been great just to realize that something was out and put it back in and oh la happy days. It's sitting perfect. But uh it looks like this these ones here, they got extra leaf in here. So once you take that out, they're going to be the same.

[00:11:26]Well, go for drive.

[00:11:30]Didn't I didn't need to over complicate it. There's the bolt that holds the leaves together.

[00:11:36]Um, so I've just got this this bolt here.

[00:11:42]Use the G clamps first. Now I've got access to this bottom leaf. Give it a bit of a clean up for it to put it back on. But um, yeah. Flip it over. Yeah.

[00:11:50]All right. Look at that.

[00:11:54]I'm not really confident now. It's going to look in the car. But hey, that's what they say you do. So yeah, wait and see.

[00:11:59]I'll put in the car. Let the car sit on the ground.

[00:12:03]and see how it looks.

[00:12:05]Failed.

[00:12:08]I didn't think it'd really um I wasn't really confident in it working too good to be honest.

[00:12:14]So, I haven't properly tighten everything up, but you can see, look at that. That looks stupid. So, that bottom leaf helps to support the overall um leaf spring pack.

[00:12:30]um but it help it to not [ __ ] or when there's a heavy load in the back of the car, it's that extra bit of um support there. So, flipping that over really um didn't make much difference. The main area strength is all the leaves above it. So, I think I'm looking at the ride height and it's not properly tightened up probably. Um, yeah. If anything, I haven't really made any difference.

[00:13:01]You can see a slight difference there, but the leaves aren't. And I haven't properly tightened up those U-bolts. So, once they're tightened up, the cars can sit up a little bit. It doesn't sit too bad now really. But, um, I reckon if I put, um, Lauren blocks in it, just like 15 mil or something. I reckon that would help a lot. But I'd um also like just take the leaves out and take it into there's this place near me in Newcastle called Spencers. I think that that's what they're called. And I've have for numerous people that just take the leaf springs to them or they can just mate you some. They're really good. They do a lot of trucks obviously cuz that's where trucks have leaf springs. So yeah, they're really good for carrying supporting a lot of weight. The old leaf spring. So, um, today's mother day, mother's day. The parents come over here shortly.

[00:13:58]Um, so I spent a bit of time with mom.

[00:14:01]She just lost one of her sisters, so she's, um, little bit upset. So, yeah, spend some time with family.

[00:14:07]But, um, what I'll do, I'll take that leaf spring back out, reverse what I've done, and put it back in. And then I'll contemplate what I'm going to do about the rear end. But at the moment, I think the core a big problems are in the front. But I don't want to go tearing the front apart just yet. I mean, I could I don't know. I could probably probably pull those I could probably pull those front wheels off and it's going to be challenging. As you know, um the coil springs in these are really [ __ ] to get to. It's going to make a tool to get it from the top.

[00:14:54]You remove the shock absorber, make a tool, goes through and compresses that spring.

[00:15:01]Um, that way you could just Yeah, I knocked out those upper control arms.

[00:15:07]And um, yeah, fine tune, make sure they're sweet.

[00:15:12]But yeah, before I do anything, I have to get that sort that leaf spring out.

[00:15:17]Then this D day is flying by.

[00:15:20]Um yeah, get back into it now. Me brother Mark with the Fairmont XA hardtop, he's coming over shortly. He wants um he's having issues missing parts. I've got because I got so much room in the shed.

[00:15:36]I managed to store some of his his goodies. So I've got his doors.

[00:15:41]Um so he's missing hinges, but I've also got his rear panel. I bought that ages ago. Found it and he said, "Yeah, grab it for me." So, it's his. So, yeah.

[00:15:52]Goodies. Um, right. So, I've just got got the leaf springs, leaf packs sitting out here. So, you can see this one here is out of my car. That one's out of Mark's Fairmont. Um, you can see his sits a bit lower than mine. So, I'll use his instead. He can have to get this one's reset. No, he can keep that. Um, but I'm measuring this is exactly the same height as that leaf there cuz this one's got extra leaf in it for strength. I won't bother touching them. I'll just leave them.

[00:16:32]But, um, I think I'll put this put this leaf spring back in. Leaf pack putting it back in there. And then um Lee Sen just sitting it's us sitting on the ground properly. And um yeah, I won't start on this front just yet. It's coming towards the end of the day now. I got a block of shifts to sort out and hopefully that fixture turns up for that front wheel soon. Mark's um hinges and his fan motor are up to [ __ ] So we're a massac.

[00:17:01]>> Didn't you say one of them stretched or something?

[00:17:03]>> Yeah. Now, I've got I've got passenger side and driver side door hinge, right?

[00:17:09]And they're stretch like this thing is a >> and where someone's pulled apart to recondition it. But what's the point of reconditioning when you can just >> you see this shirt he's got on the big bad man. He's known thing about that.

[00:17:23]This guy's in Melbourne. He's got a skyline. He's getting a dyno tune on like a weekend afternoon and this um the highway patrol are out there waiting for him. So when he leaves they pull him up and there to give him hell. There's a good story talk. Really good video. If he's ever see it forget to name his channel, but oh so funny.

[00:17:41]>> Doc.

[00:17:43]>> So I'm hoping he's taken these hinges.

[00:17:46]>> I'm going to get a regulator.

[00:17:48]>> So I've got I think this this white door up here paddle band. So, I can use I can use the hinges you got up here for the you I've done a video on how to recondition >> those hinges. And um so far the ones on the hard top are good.

[00:18:07]Yeah.

[00:18:09]Right.

[00:18:11]Just got this um leaf spring. I've got it back in. Just tightening everything up. And yeah, that's the end of that.

[00:18:19]But um yeah.

[00:18:25]So, got leaf springs back in.

[00:18:28]What a mission.

[00:18:31]Much easier to put it back in on the ground. When you put them back in the car, you got to get under it and move it around and stuff. But yeah, back in. So, what have we learned from today? Well, I've learned that all the all the leaf springs I have on this property are all the same. I don't know about the you, but don't know about that. But yeah. Um, right. So, what I'll do now, I need this pinion. I notice this pinion seal is damn well leaking.

[00:19:00]I've got to replace that seal. I've got one up there somewhere. That's got to be replaced. It's leaking.

[00:19:06]That's got to be done.

[00:19:09]I think it's pretty good. I think the car's not too bad. It's just a matter of getting that well alignment stuff sorted and then I can um once I get this well l sorted I can getting pretty close. I can't think of anything else. I have to look at the list I've got to-do list but yeah once I get the well lama sorted it's blue slip and registration. So this I have to sort this [ __ ] out.

[00:19:38]Something that's going on up there.

[00:19:39]We'll get on to that next video. Next.

[00:19:41]next. So, um, I want to crack on with this thing. It's really hard not to touch it. I want to get it to a point where I can actually start it and run it and move it around under its own steam.

[00:19:54]But that's another video. I'm going to do a full detail video on this vehicle top to bottom. Talk about what has to be done. But before I start this, this one's got to be done. So, um, might just put it back on the ground.

[00:20:11]and um give it a kick in the guts.

[00:20:14]That short clip I showed you just before, me brother's going to take the hinges off this and then he realized I got three other coupe panel van ute doors and so he end up taking um got a XA panel van doors. So there was one sitting up there. It already had the hinges on it. So, I managed to keep the hinges that come with this car, which is a good idea cuz this car, I [ __ ] you not from the this point forward is almost almost rust free almost. But yeah, it's really I don't really want to touch this car with parts. I'm going to leave it before I'll start this car up or wrap the video up. For those ones interested in the boat, this thing's pretty much finished almost.

[00:20:59]See here, got this party pad on the back retrimmed. I made a panel that goes around the motor. She's pretty much almost done. So, I just got to put these limit switches on here. I either side, replace them, and run wiring back for the transom. Put in the battery box. Um, set up the lights. Set up the horn. Just little things now. But yeah, it's I'm on a home run. But I'm going to pull up with this thing at having time out. But um yeah, the Escort, it's going like an absolute gem. Such a good thing. I was driving it yesterday, flogging around, chased me mate on his Harley and his back roads and thing's going like a dream.

[00:21:47]At the moment, I'm just running gate pressure, not running high boost, but the thing just sings. It just it's so good. But I need to um I need to get it tuned, but it's on the back burner. Just usually got a cover over it when me son decided to take it off the other week and yeah, she getting dusty soon. But um the G6E turbo with this thing, I can't wait to drive it again one day.

[00:22:14]It's going to happen. Just sits here, starts and runs. I got new suspension.

[00:22:18]Got I got all new suspension. I've been bought ages ago in the boot. So, I got all new brakes, rotors, bearings, all steering arms. I spent good coin the front end cuz it's got a few KS on it and got a new wind screen.

[00:22:34]Put it in a while ago, but yeah, it's um everything else is pretty much good.

[00:22:40]Just tidying up few things here and there, but yeah. Yeah. Um, right. We'll go give this um actually before I go this I was actually thinking about going back removing the turbocharger on this and going back to having twin carburetors like I had in the past. But yeah, it's it's these things absolutely sound mental when they got twins on them. Like here's a quick video um of the Hernigan Escort. It's [ __ ] amazing.

[00:23:33]Right.

[00:23:34]Cold start.

[00:23:38]I'm never going to know how good this ASUS is till I get this car on the road.

[00:23:41]But I'll start driving it and tinkering around with it. I'd like to get a tune, but yeah, money.

[00:23:48]Usually get one prime, second prime.

[00:24:06]Hear that eye control valve pissing away.

[00:24:36]Well, this side's working the outside.

[00:25:10]You get people people in the comment section, they say, "Oh, how's the coupe going? How soon can he get on the road? What's going on? I haven't heard from him in a while."

[00:25:20]You can't work on these cars all the time cuz honestly, you work on it and something doesn't go right, it does your head in. You got to walk away. Like it's that's this car full stop. Like I don't know if you noticed, but not a lot of people actually start building cars and actually follow through and actually finish them. A lot of people just don't finish them. Like they start them, they go for a while or they'll pass on the summit or sit in a workshop for ages.

[00:25:44]But it's very challenging. But I think the biggest take on it is once you start on a project, keep working on that project. Don't start on others. So, cuz when I when you chop and change between projects, time goes by, things drag on.

[00:26:00]Um, you lose track of where you left off. But this car's it's been getting on close to 6 years I've been restoring this. But I reckon if I didn't have all the mid projects, or little ones in between, yeah, it would have been done long time ago.

[00:26:14]Um, but yeah, I'm on a home run now.

[00:26:16]It's basically I get this wheel well alignment stuff sorted.

[00:26:20]Um a few things to tidy up, you know, like this overflow tank that I put in here. I got to hook that up. Um just tidy up few little loose ends here and there. But um I think it's at a point where well alignment I'm happy of that.

[00:26:34]I'll get in put some rejo on it. Get a strike rejo start driving it and yeah buddy sort out the tuning issues. Buddy, I can't wait. I went to a car mate last night or yesterday afternoon called the Huntley Park near the vineyards Brangston and um yeah it's really good escort went well drove there and back no problems and yeah it's good but um right guys thanks for watching my next upload's going to be the world alignment so yes so so yeah hopefully hopefully that goes smoothly Nice.