Crowd Favorite

Surrounded by Higher Profile Rides, This ’631⁄2 Falcon Futura Stands Tall

- Eric English

When a customer of Craig Wick had let a ’631⁄2 Falcon project go idle for a couple years, Craig prompted him to see if he might be willing to sell the bird of prey so he might have a go of it. As the main man behind Wicked Fabrication in Auburn, Washington, Craig and his crew have built some of the most sanitary and well-sorted custom hot rods on the West Coast, but for his own set of wheels, Craig didn’t envision something over the top and the potential of the Falcon pushed his buttons. “I’m 6-foot-4, and don’t fit in a number of ’60s cars, particular smaller cars, like the early Novas. When I sat in the Falcon, I was shocked to find I had plenty of headroom. I thought I could comfortably drive something like this!” Craig says.

A deal was struck, and Craig was on his way to making the Falcon as he saw fit. The car already had a good paintjob in its factory black, and Wicked Fabrication had previously installed a Heidts Mustang II–style front suspension well before the purchase. Other than that, the ’631⁄2 was impressively stock, down to its original 260 V-8/four-speed/8-inch drivetrain. Since the Heidts front suspension had dispensed with the intrusive factory shock towers there might have been room for a physically larger engine than a small-block Ford, but Craig stayed with tradition and chose a stout 347 built around a ’69 302 block with forged Eagle internals.

These days, a small-block doesn’t ring as particularly sexy, but look closely at the engine compartment and appreciate the craftsmanship and attention to detail that Craig devoted here. Few underhood views are more put together than this one, traditional or not. Besides, the 347 does everything Craig wants—it’s affordable, reliable, and moves the lithe Falcon with authority.