From the front it just looks like an Electric Current Red '64 Futura, albeit with a teardrop hood. Even the interior is rather sedate with its original black bench seat and stock non-padded dash. Yep, from the front, Joel Smith's '64 is, outside of the scoop and color, a plain looking but clean and neat Falcon. all that changes under the glass tear-drop hood and rear flanks of the bird.
In fact, that's what stopped us at the Ford 100th Anniversary in Dearborn, Michigan, back in June 2003. Though the rest of the Falcon is as neat as a pin, the underhood sold us the car. In between the Electric Current Red shock towers sat a roller 302 block topped with Dart heads, Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake, and a Holley 650-cfm double-pumper carb. Hand-built headers that started life as Hooker Super Comps push out the spent stuff to Flowmaster three-chamber mufflers. Of course, what you can't see is what makes the tires go round and round. Inside the block are Eagle rods, Speedpro pistons that make a 12.5:1 squish, and a Wolverine cam sporting .544 lift and 278 degrees duration at .050. Folks, I think we have some muscle in the house. Behind the 302 and its mighty sinews is a five-speed clutched by a Centerforce unit and linked to the engine via a Lakewood blow-proof bellhousing.
As if the engine weren't enough, Joel amped up the equation aft of the tranny via a set of big ol' 29x15.50 Mickey Thompson Sportsman Pros; and, no, they don't fit the stock wheelwells. Much pain and agony went into hogging out the Falcon wells for the massive meats. In the middle of all that meat is a Moser 4.30:1 Detroit Locker suspended from a coilover suspension system. A lot of said pain was because of Joel's desire to keep a stock gas tank, and have the exhaust exit at the rear bumper. oh, yeah, he wanted a stock rear seat, too. With copious planning he got all three wishes. Wheels are Weld Drag Lites, and the front tires are Remington Front runners.
Sounds like a drag car, right? Well, no. Joel and his wife Jeannie haven't toured the 1320 yet, but they do take the car out in good weather. We can understand, especially with all that uncut rubber and raw horsepower just burning to be used. Beefy indeed.