Any other Falcon owners out there?

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chamilion

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Joined
May 24, 2008
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13
Location
South Alabama
Hello everyone! Anyone else a Falcon owner? This past weekend I purchased a 1994 Ford Econoline with the Falcon conversion. It has a little of 50,000 miles on it. I?m really looking forward to using it a lot. On the weekends I travel around and photograph different automotive events. This van will be perfect on the weekends and will eliminate my hotel stays. Overall the van is in pretty good shape and I?m pretty pleased with it. I?m ready to hit the road.
 

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Interesting name, considering the Econoline van was originally the called the Ford Falcon Econoline when it was introduced in 1960.  It was built on the Falcon compact car frame in response to the VW kombi van - Chevy also came out with a compact van based on the Corvair chassis that same year.

Ford dropped the Falcon from the name when they transitioned the Econoline to their full size pickup truck frame in the 1970s.
 
I used to own a 1961 Ford Falcon, but it was a 2-door sedan.  :)  The Falcon name on your van is most likely a 3rd party conversion company.
 
Hi! Yes, I've owned a 1990 Ford Falcon for 2 yrs and she's (it's a girl van:) a beaut! I took her out last summer for a monthlong, 5,000 mile trip to the Cabot Trail and other out of the way places on the East coast and she never missed a beat. Granted, the original owners didn't drive it much and I bought it with very low mileage, plus she'd been in storage in a garage for almost 20 yrs. with semi-annual check ups. Not a bit of rust on her, she looks brand new.

I love the way she practically takes care of herself. My list for set-up and break-down is very short, mostly unhooking elec. and water and turning off the propane when it's time to shove off. I enjoy camping in primitive areas and the aux. battery stays strong with the refridgerator and lights going for several days.
Alot of folks think these vans are too old to carry on, but mine should last at least another decade, if all goes well.

I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine. Just be thoughtful while using it and ask any questions on this forum... there's alot of knowledgable folks here! Mine didn't come with any instructions (and I'm a first time camper owner) but there are answers online.
Lynne

ps... I've seen several Falcons while on the road (and we drivers wave frantically at each other) so they're still out there.... maybe see you one day?
 
Hi! Yes, my husband and I just bought a 1994 Ford Falcon and we are getting ready to remodel the inteior. Still learning how to operate the appliances but getting there. Ours has 100k on it but we think it can last another 100k if we take care of her.

We plan to take out two vertical cabinets at the back of the cab that really make the dinette feel cramped. Will be a nice challenge. Yours may be a different floor plan, as I see they made several. Also will repaint the cabinetry, replace curtains, and put fabric on the walls. Lots of good ideas to make this small space liveable for us and our 3 smalls dogs.

Please feel free to share ideas!

Cathleen
 
Hi Cathleen, It sounds like you're really going to enjoy your van! I didn?t have the need to remodel mine so I can't give you any pointers about this except to go with light weight materials.
I'm enjoying mine right now driving around Ontario, even in cold weather.
Safe travels! Lynne
 
Hello.  Just purchased a 1990 Ford Falcon.  I will have it in my possession later this week.  I am sure I will be visiting this forum often.
This is our first RV.  We are in NH

Tony
 
I've posted an ad on CL about wanting to buy a camper van and someone contacted me about a 1993 Ford Falcon 190.
What should I ask and look for if I go see it? He send me some pictures and it looks nice, he said that there are no dents, no rust on it and no major issues. Should I go to a car shop to get an inspection? It has around 90k miles, he's the second owner. I'm more scared about the mechanical issues that might come up at a 23 year old car. What is the best gas mileage that you got?
Anyone tried to travel and sleep 4 in such a small space?
 
I would definitely take it your mechanic to check the engine and possible rust/wear on the underside. If there's a way to check the gray and black tanks for leaks that'd be good, too. At that age you should reseal (silicone) around the windows, too.
I recently broke down on the NYTurnpike with a damaged (original) alternator but with AAAPlus the towtruck guy took me to a garage that replaced it in 2 hours! Fords are usually easily fixed on the road.
I get 10-12 mpg but with 2 gas tanks i travel 300 miles before refilling.
As for sleeping, I've had 4 adults crammed into the van... lots of laughs that trip! You have to really like those who you travel with.
Mine is 26 yrs old this year and still very spry... We're planning a big trip cross country soon, but I take her to my mechanic before every trip for a check up.
Good luck and I hope this van works out for you,
Lynne
 
Thank you so much for the fast reply. Long life to your Falcon! It sounds like a reliable van.
So the repairs are not that expensive having a Ford van platform & motor?
He told me that the generator gets gas from the fuel tank, but it's got something that prevent it to get all the gas out and one can still drive to the nearest gas station. I hope I understood correctly.  :-[
 
Right.  The fuel pickup for the generator only extends 3/4 of the way into the tank, so the generator will suck air and stall out when the fuel level gets below 1/4 tank.  That way you still have enough fuel to drive to a gas station and get more.

One tip when making engine repairs on an older vehicle ... often the time required for a mechanic to peel off parts to get to what needs to be replaced is the largest part of the bill.  For example, if he has to take off the fan belts to replace an alternator, it often makes sense to replace the water pump while the belts are off.  Or if you have to replace a radiator, it makes sense to replace the hoses at the same time instead of reusing the old ones.

I've purchased several older RVs over the years, be sure to set aside a contingency fund for occasional repairs and when they're needed, don't be afraid of doing several jobs at once.  An honest mechanic will give you a discount if combining the jobs saves him time.
 
chamilion said:
Hello everyone! Anyone else a Falcon owner? This past weekend I purchased a 1994 Ford Econoline with the Falcon conversion. It has a little of 50,000 miles on it. I?m really looking forward to using it a lot. On the weekends I travel around and photograph different automotive events. This van will be perfect on the weekends and will eliminate my hotel stays. Overall the van is in pretty good shape and I?m pretty pleased with it. I?m ready to hit the road.

How about posting some interior pics of the van.  Include over all pics and pics of things you like and don't like.
 
I sold my Horizon a year or so ago.  Here is some info I got in 2004.
Marvin
Quote:Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 11:46:10 -0500
To:  email deleted for personal reasons
From: "Kenneth K. Humphreys" <[email protected]>  Add to Address Book

Subject: Re: Horizon 17'

"
"Wow. It looks like you found a beauty. I can't tell the age from the
Photos. What year is it?  1985

The International Vehicles Corporation that made your Horizon went out
Of business in about 1997 but the club which consisted of owners of
Horizons and Falcons, the other RV made by InterVec, has continued. The design engineer for InterVec, who designed your rig, is a member of the club and willingly provides assistance to club members with problems they may have and assists in getting parts, etc. He now has his own company, Phoenix USA which for a time built clones of the Horizons and Falcons and now builds small Class C RVs. Because he gives purchasers of Phoenix RVs membership in the club, we changed our name to the InterVec-Phoenix Travel Club and at the moment our membership is pretty evenly split between Horizon/Falcon owners and Phoenix owners.

A great advantage to you and other Horizon/Falcon owners is that our
Monthly newsletter generally carries lots of tips about upkeep of the
Rigs and also gives you access to the guy who designed it should you ever have major problems. He will even make major repairs and modifications at very reasonable cost if members drive their rigs to the Phoenix factory in Indiana.

Also, if you don't have an Owner's Manual for your Horizon, the club
can provide a copy to you at no cost if you become a member. Otherwise the manual is $15, postage and handling included.

For you guidance, I am attaching a membership application and a sample
Newsletter. I hope that you will give membership serious consideration
and will join with us and our network of other owners.

Sincerely,

Ken Humphreys
Secretary-Treasurer
InterVec-Phoenix Travel Club

PS: If you join and need the Owner's Manual, enclose a note to that
effect when you return the membership application." Unquote
 
I had a problem with my SIM card after that seller contacted me so I lost his contact. Or he did not get the OK from his wife and did not call anyway. :( I liked that model because of the over the cabin bunk bed. I need one for the kids.
I even consider selling the TT for a newer class B. Will keep looking.
 
Getting ready to take possession of a 1991 Falcon on a Ford frame. I know nothing about how to operate anything on it. Is there anywhere to get an owner's manual for this thing? 
 
Welcome!!

Did you read the posts above? Perhaps in checking out this old info some valuable info can be gleaned.

These manuals often do not contain much valuable information regarding the operation of, say, the appliances. But many appliances can be looked up and the manual downloaded from the internet. The makes and models of each will be required however.
 
Just got my Falcon a week ago. It's a 1991 Ford conversion. One immediate need is a replacement window for the over the cab portion. It's tinted and is a corner mount so standard glass won't work. Any ideas where to get replacement parts? Thanks.
 
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