Words: Gary Rosier
Donald B "Brad" McKinney of Flagler Beach, Fla. owns this '62 Ford Falcon. He affectionately calls himself a "Gear-head" and Lone Wolf, who has looked at life a little bit differently than most, perhaps.
Originally from Colonial Beach, Va., he worked for the civil service hauling freight for the Army and Air-force. He also worked as a sub-contractor who buried cable for about 20 years. He had a heart attack on Friday the 13th of Nov., 1998. He survived that - and then on May 5, 2001, while riding his Harley Sportster, was hit by a car! He woke up some 4 days later with more screws and plates than Ace Hardware! Lucky to survive at all, he managed pretty well and got better, but wasn't able to work full time any more.
Being a "Lone Wolf" had its advantages, he says; always self-sufficient, he got back on his feet and bought a motorhome to "escape" and see the country. 7,500 miles later and now relocated to Fla., the RV Park is where the motor home ended up and now calls home. A confirmed bachelor, he says, but he's always up-beat and quick to laugh, and a very likable soul.
Brad has always loved the gassers of the early 60's. "Different" is who he is, he says. He recently sold a street gasser car that was part Willy's and Ford, hence "Willord" - a name that was bestowed upon him these last few years by his gear-head friends. He sold his Willy's to someone who approached him with an offer he couldn't refuse, and sought out another project that he could wrench on himself and yet be a little bit different than everyone else.
Enter into the picture this '62 Falcon, which he found locally. It needed a lot of work, but Brad had the tools, the "can do" attitude and time to mess around with it. He liked the fact that it had a '65 Mustang Hertz rent-a-car interior in it with the engine and transmission too! (A 289 Hi-Po V-8 and C-4 automatic. It was the '63 and a half Falcon that first saw a V-8, however.)
Mess with it he did, too! The whole front end (a Speedway Motors straight axle) needed re-building, then the transmission and motor. Overheating issues and more kept Brad plugging away at the gremlins, one by one, until now she runs straight and smooth, stays in the 180 degree range all day long and is a blast to drive, he says, and very dependable!
He then covered up the primer which was over much of the car with a factory Ford Oxford White. Lettered by "Striper Bill" of South Daytona and "Palm Coast Eddie" too, it was taking shape as what Brad had envisioned. He also wants to credit "Special Ed" and Tony Passa for helping him out so much.
The Hi-Po 289 was rebuilt about three years ago and has twin 500cfm Holly Carbs on a Weiand Tunnel Ram manifold. MSD lights its fire, and fenderwell headers with electric cut-outs expel the exhaust gasses and keep the neighbors amused. Its power is then sent through the C4 transmission and selected gears chosen by the B&M ratchet shifter. An electric water pump, electric fan and aluminum radiator keep it all cool. A Sun Pro tachometer and Moon gauges keep track of the important stuff like fuel, RPM and temperature.
The rear end is out of an early Ford Fairlane and houses 3:55 gears. "Slap ur Mama" (seriously!) wheel hop/traction bars help it plant those wide 26x12R15LT rear "meats," with 165/80R15's up front on ET (Halibrand style) aluminum wheels. Front Wilwood Disc brakes (drum rears) bring it all to a safe stop. A real Moon Tank adorns the front end and really sets the gasser theme off, but is not functional; it definitely adds to the gasser vibe though!
They say a "Lone Wolf" is a very dangerous animal, but the only danger lurking in this car is its quick-like-a-cat off-the-line jump, the looks and stares it gets from admiring fellow "gear-heads" and the friend you'll probably have for life when you meet this colorful "gear-head" enthusiast!