'63 Falcon Sprint - Falcon Redefined

Al and Trudi Dufek of Largo Vista, Texas, have had a long and colorful history with this '63 Falcon Sprint. As a matter of fact, the car was in Trudi's driveway when Al stopped by to pick her up for their first date. When he asked about the Falcon, she replied that it was an original '631/2 Sprint with a 260ci, factory four-speed, and Rotunda tach. The car was a little rough on the inside and needed a fair amount of bodywork, but it was all original and complete. Al told his new girl the car could be fixed up nicely for not much money.

Fast-forward and we find that Al and Trudi got married, and that's when she gave her blessing to go forward on the Falcon project. To begin with, Al wanted more power than the original 260 could offer. After finding a suitable block, he had Joe Jill at Superior Automotive in Anaheim, California, construct a stout 302 engine. Al had the tunnel-ram intake on hand since he knew from the beginning he wanted one sticking out of the hood, and he equipped it with dual quads.

After the installation of the engine but before work began on the body, Al and Trudi took the car to the Fabulous Fords Forever show at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. While there, fellow automotive enthusiast and comedian Jay Leno walked over and became interested in the car. Among other things, Jay told them that "the engine was looking good and to go forward with the rest of the job." Surely both Al and Trudi felt encouraged in their project by Leno's interest and kind words.

When the time came to address the paint and body issues, Loy Auto Perfections of La Habra, California, was chosen to do the bodywork and orange paint. Cleaning up the car was the plan, and toward that end the door handles, trunk entry, side mirrors, cowl vent, gas cap, and windshield-wiper holes were all shaved off or filled in. The result is a super-clean body and a sleek look.

Al decided way back in the beginning of the project that he would give the car his best effort and produce something extraordinary. He also said his ultimate goal was to get his car featured in Mustang & Fords magazine. We're glad to say he achieved both.

The Details
'63 Falcon Sprint
Owner: Al and Trudi Dufek, Largo Vista, TX

Engine

• 306ci small-block V-8
• 4.030-inch bore
• 3.00-inch stroke
• Ford forged-steel crank
• Eagle connecting rods
• JE pistons
• Chet Herbert cam 0.536/0.536 lift, 256/266 duration
• Ford cast-iron cylinder heads
• 1.94-inch intake valves, 1.60-inch exhaust valves
• Crane 1.6:1 roller rocker arms
• Weiand tunnel-ram aluminum intake manifold
• Twin Holley 450-cfm four-barrel carburetors
• K&N Air filters
• Crane Fireball Hi-6 Ignition
• 298 hp, 282.09 torque at rear wheels

Transmission

• Top Loader four-speed
• Centerforce clutch
• Hurst Competition Plus shifter

Rearend

• Currie-built 8.8 late-model Ford
• 4.10 gears

Exhaust

• Custom-built Tri-Y headers
• 3-inch-diameter stainless steel exhaust
• Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers

Suspension

• Front: Rebuilt stock, lowered 3 inches, KYB 90/10 Drag shocks
• Rear: Rebuilt stock, lowered 3 inches, Cal Trac traction bars, KYB shocks

Brakes

• Front: Factory drum
• Rear: Factory drum

Wheels

• Front: Boyd Coddington Sting Ray, 15x6
• Rear: Boyd Coddington Sting Ray, 15x6

Tires

• Front: Toyo Proxes 4, P195/50R15
• Rear: Hoosier Quick Time Slicks, P245/60D-15

Interior

• Custom tan and orange leather interior by Westminster Upholstery of Anaheim, California; Lexus carpeting; '95 Thunderbird power front seats; LeCarra Mark 4 steering wheel; custom instrument panel with Auto Meter Street Rod gauges; Auto Meter 5-inch tach with shift light

Exterior

• Chrome Orange paint by Loy Auto Perfections, La Habra, California
• All custom bodywork done by Greg Williams at Loy