Replica Interceptor:Info from an American mechanic

[steve66]

Hello all.I am new to the site,so please forgive me if some of this info has been covered.
Like any good gearhead and Mad Max fan,I've always wanted an Interceptor of my own,but being born and raised in the States,getting my hands on an Austrailian vehicle of any type is next to impossible,let alone a Falcon XB,especially on a working man's income.Therefore,I have put many hours into finding a suitable donor for this project and have come up with the following:
At first,I thought a 1970 or '71 Ford Torino would suffice,but after closer inspection,it is not possible for someone looking to build a replica as close as possible without having a real Falcon.The body lines are completely different;although the roof line is similar,the quarter windows are different,with the Torino's having a vertical rear edge where the Falcon does not.Also,the doors and front clip are so different that anyone would be able to tell it,even in the dark.Also,the Torino is overall much longer and wider than a Falcon,which brought me to my next plan.
After having viewed side by side photo's of a Falcon and an early '70's Mustang on this site,I believe a Mustang fastback,or sportsroof,as some say,would be a better choice.The overall size is close between the two cars;the body lines are closer and even the nose and hood is very similar if you can find a Mach 1 Mustang,which is a heck of lot easier to come by than a Torino.The biggest modification I can see,other than recreating the nose,is ,again,the quarter window opening.But any body man worth his salt should be able to open up this area on the Mustang since that particular area has plenty of room to extend the opening and sharpen it up to replicate the Falcon's shape.
I hope this may help those of you in my same situation.As for me,I have already started my search for a donor Mustang Mach 1,which seem to be fairly available and economical to pick up here in the States.I will post build pics as my project advances.See you out on the road!

[17 Night Rider 17]

Hey Steve, I just joined the site recently and have finally caved into ten years of debating whether or not to take the plunge and attempt to buuld an interceptor. I too have decided that the mach 1 seems to be the choice for me for reasons similar to those you listed. Mostly due to availability and price. My question to you is what would your reccomendation be as far as what type of base car to secure. Keeping in mind that I will be looking to build a fairly accurate replica including bodymods etc. , do you think I would be better off securing a well maintained running car which would obviously cost more or should I search for more of a project, where the sole importance is overall solidness and integrity of frame and body panels.

I am not a mechanic and I plan to enlist the help of friends and family for things above my skill level, but I plan on learning as much as I can,and doing all the rough gruntwork personally. With that in mind what type of base car do you believe would make the most sense.

Glad to hear from you, look forward to seeing your project progress. And,thanks


Apologies for grammar etc.... Written on my droid

Apologies for grammar etc.. Written from my drois

[Talen Raith]

Hey Guys, I am also pretty new around here and havent yet started my projects either. If I may, perhaps a little nomenclature is called for, what you are building is properly called a Tribute car, a replica needs to be XB- based. Tribute cars are a good thing really, as it gives you some creative licence to make it your own, the MFP is a big outfit, no doubt they had a Mustang or two in the fleet! No point in hacking up the body trying to "Falconize" a perfectly good car. Most people won't notice the diffrence anyway and those who do notice that it's not right! my 2 cents FWIW.
I am looking at a 72-73 Montego as a base car for an Interceptor (Yellow car), and a same year Cougar for a Pursuit Special (BoB). The Cougar is a bit longer than the Mustang from the same years, but is nearly identical size wise to the XB Falcon and has very nice, agressive lines. I would use the Montego for an Interceptor as they are availiable as sedans. The biggest issue with using these cars is the massive bumpers the feds mandated in about 1971.
Other options I don't see mentioned here are the Plymouth Satellites and AMC Javelin's from the early 70's, Those cars have "the look" to make a great Pursuit Special and you can stuff some serious muscle under those hoods.

In fact here's a decent Satellite for someone to get started on... http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/cto/2640598556.html

[aussie muscle]

having seen both done as interceptors, i'd say the torino or maverick look better than the 71 mustang.

[steve66]

Thanks to all who have and will post to this thread;I enjoy talking about this subject.
To 17nightrider17:I am fortunate enough to be a former certified ASE mechanic and body repair specialist,so my project will probably be the best buy for the money,whether it is a complete car or a basket case.Having done quite a few restoration projects,I fully expect to probably end up with parts from three or four vehicles;seems that it is easier to purchase a few different cars to piece one good one together than to find 1 car with all good parts when you're on a tight budget.Also,having extra parts is always handy---just in case.In your situation,with your limited mechanical knowledge(for now...that will change with time),I would concentrate on finding a mechanically sound car,even if it were a 6 cylinder with automatic trans;these things can always be modified later.Also,it will be much easier if you can find a decent body,with fairly straight and solid panels to work with.Rust and dent repair will only add to a whole lot of work that's ahead of you already.Ultimately,what you decide to work with is only limited to your imagination,time and money.Hope I've been helpful and best of luck.
To Talen Raith:You are correct in the use of the term "tribute" instead of replica when talking about using a totally different body style on which to build;however,for those like me who are willing and able to get a close cousin and modify everything about it to make it appear to be an Interceptor,I think the "replica" term could apply,but it would have to be so close of a match that it would be hard to argue that it isn't a true Interceptor.After all,we are discussing the building of a car that was never really produced,based on a Falcon XB.Also,if you study the photo's of the Interceptor on this site,and I'm talking about photo's of the real thing,you will notice small differences,such as the pipes in front of the rear wheels are different in shape,size and angle in at least four instances that I caught.Another photo shows clearly that the wheels are painted black,but are not exactly the correct style as most other photo's.So in that respect,while a Mustang will never be a Falcon,with the correct mods,it could very well be an Interceptor.I do like your choice of vehicles for the tribute builds;I too looked at the Maverick but decided that it was just a little short in wheel base to pull off the "replica" thing I talked about.Thank you for your input and best of luck to you also.If I can help in any way,let me know.

[steve66]

Just wanted to ad this while it is fresh on my mind on a seperate note:for those in the States or anywhere there are AMC automobiles available,the early through mid '70's AMC Gremlin sedan's look VERY similar in style and size to the yellow pursuit cars.These are getting a little hard to find,but can usually be bought for a song and dance.Most were 6 cylinders,but with the gas crunch going on back then,it isn't uncommon to find a three or four speed manual transmission in them from the factory,and finding a Jeep with all the components for a 304 c.i.d. v-8 engine swap isn't hard to do.With a little imagination and alot of elbow grease,I would bet that someone could build a nice pursuit sedan for under 2000 U.S. dollars and have a million dollars worth of fun with it.Food for thought.

[Talen Raith]

Steve, you do realize that the Yellow MFP cars are also Falcons? A Gremlin would be much too small I think. Having been in the presence of Several XB Falcons I can tell you that the closest US car you'll find to an XB Coupe size-wise is the 72 Cougar, Torinos and Montego's from that year will also be very close.

For clarity you are building a Pursuit Special (The Black car) right? You'd need a sedan to do an Interceptor.

[Chase Bansi]

mid '70's AMC Gremlin sedan's

There is no such thing. Gremlin was only a two door with a vertical flat hatchback. The Hornet was one of AMC's sedans.

[toecutter]

This makes my head hurt.

Just import a Falcon.

[steve66]

My bad,guys---you are both correct.A Hornet was what I was thinking of.
And ,yes ,Toecutter---it makes my head hurt too.I posted this thread in hopes of opening some options for folks like myself who just can't afford the cost of obtaining a Falcon.Any future post's of mine will be limited to the advancement of my project,or to try and help others any way I can.Thanks again to all who have shared their ideas and plans;and keep 'em coming---great minds and Max fans think alike.