FASTBACK340 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Ever wonder what it's like to deal with the practicality of owning a pro-street car? I'm not talking about fuel mileage and creature comforts, I'm talking about… getting a flat tire. Or having to perform emergency repairs in a strange environment? We have several pro-street cars in the shop this week. This is the owners `61 Falcon. As outrageous as it looks, it's actually a mild small block and automatic. He plans on driving it a lot. But if you want to change a rear tire you MUST raise the car high enough to allow the rear axle to drop down low enough the clear the axle studs and get past the wheel well lip. But you can't just drop the rear on the side of the road with a bumper jack. I installed a quick-disconnect fitting for the rear disc brake hydraulic line and then you unbolt the rear shocks…..and driveshaft….. what a job. And it requires a 4-arm lift, NOT a drive-on as pictured. And if all you had was a drive-on, you better not be easily freaked when you walk under it….. Yes…. half the tires are hanging off the center of the lift! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Yes, and it's not just pro-street cars that can be a problem. The '48 Cad I'm re-building was impossible to change rear tires on the side of the road as it came in. Only 6" wide rims. Even with the fender skirts removed, the shocks had to be disconnected to get enough axle travel to get a wheel off...and the rocket scientists who built the car had the fuel tank and Panhard bar installed so it was impossible to remove the shocks without either dropping the tank or the bar. We've also got a '49 Merc, lowered in the rear with blocks, and it too is impossible to change a rear tire on without taking one end of both shocks loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FASTBACK340 Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 ...and the rocket scientists who built the car Some weeks we do more repairs from other shops than build our own stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpletcher55 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 i had a 65 falcon pro street and you are correct in order to change the rear tires i had to drop the rear and at the same time have the car high enough to clear the fenders what a pain ,but she looked sweet ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FASTBACK340 Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 Very cool Falcon Blair! What power train combo was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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