Rich and Cheryl Swangler of Burlington, New Jersey, are the enthusiastic owners of this good-looking '65 Falcon Futura Sedan. They found the car in North Carolina four years ago, and at a price of $300 they both felt they couldn't go wrong. Some of their confidence surely came from the fact that Rich is a professional automobile painter by trade, and his best buddy just happens to own a body shop. Even so, it was a long road to bring the car back to the status you see here. The refurbishment project was extensive, and according to Rich, the work went from rubber to roof and bumper to bumper. The post-bodied Futura took three years to complete.
The deep-purple pearl paint job was Cheryl's idea, and the color is so rich that it looks purple, blue, and black simultaneously. This Falcon is definitely a joint venture, and Rich's influence is easy to find. Not content with the mild-mannered powertrain originally installed, he decided to go the modern route with a Ford EEC IV fuel injection set atop a 5.0 Mustang engine. In fact, the whole 5.0 Mustang driveline was borrowed for this car. The gearbox is a Ford Racing Performance Parts T-5 with a Hurst shifter, and the rear axle is the modern 8.8-inch unit. The 3.90 gearset in the axle makes sure the car has no problem getting with the program.
 Cheryl wanted the car purple,...  Cheryl wanted the car purple, and Rich agreed on the color if he could build his custom dash and interior. Now everyone is happy. As Rich says, "Life's short; drive a hot rod." |  As with many cars from this...  As with many cars from this period, there's an aviation influence in the details of this design. The taillights of the Falcon were fashioned to resemble a jet-engine exhaust, especially when lit. |  As is the rest of the car,...  As is the rest of the car, the interior is super-sanitary. The two-tone, custom purple upholstery is fashioned in leather and complements the metal body-colored interior panels. Auto Meter gauges are set in a custom-made dashpanel. |
The Futura compact clearly has the go power, so the slow power had to be upgraded. Stopping improvement is provided by a set of Granada front-disc brakes. American Racing Torq Thrust II aluminum wheels and BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires with raised white letters give the car the look of a survivor from the Total Performance years. The interior is a complete custom job beautifully executed, and the car's sound system is built to please with a remotely controlled Sony stereo and 10-disc CD changer secreted away in the trunk.
This car is driven mainly to shows, and it's plain to see that Rich and Cheryl have a real winner on their hands. It's a first-rate result of which they are justifiably proud.