History
NB: "POSTSCRIPT INSERT"
Update:
Very important postscript edit today on 06/07/2024:
Today I received an email notification from Dr John Wright (Motoring Journalist) who told me that my 1988 EA Falcon "S" "certainly" once was his vehicle.
My 07/1988 EA Falcon "S" five speed manual was a Ford Motor Company of Australia "press test" vehicle, having the "retail dealer" code 3999.
In 1988, Motoring Journalist Dr John Wright picked up this EA Falcon from "base", Ford Australia Victoria, and drove it to Gosford on the NSW Central Coast.
Then, in 1988 also, John Wright bought this EA Falcon "S" at Grawill Motors Gosford from Ford Motor Company of Australia.
I now own this same EA Falcon that has such an important Australian Motoring historical story and significance.
With now having such amazing provenance, it is the the icing on the cake to my Falcon's story. Having today had Dr John Wright himself kindly confirming to me that this EA Falcon "S" was "certainly" the same EA Falcon "S" that he once owned, and wrote about with such greatness.
End postscript edit 06/07/2024.
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I am leaving the following in, as I had written it prior to having Dr John Wright sending me an email notification to let me know that my 1988 EA Falcon "S" was "certainly" the same Ford Motor Company of Australia"ex-pess vehicle that he once owned.
I didn't want to reveal this part of my 07/1988 EA "S" Falcon's history yet, as I'm still in the process of trying "diligently" to verify and authenticate possibly very important "historically journalistic" details about this EA with the first incorrect VIN that it was originally NSW registered and recorded with in 1988... However, as motor vehicle enthusiasts you will all understand the importance of just the "VIN" alone when it comes to rare and collectable vehicles.... Long story short is, that this EA Falcon's VIN was incorrectly recorded when it was sold new and firstly registered in NSW (and it happens more than you would think, so the NSW Services RMS told me). Until I had bought this EA Falcon "S" in 2020, the VIN's "typo" that had been written on it's registration papers had gone unnoticed, year after year, since it had initially happened when it was sold as a new car on 27/08/1988 by Grawill Motors Gosford, approximately 34 years ago (from 2022). It wasn't until after I had already bought this EA Falcon that I had phoned the Ford Motor Company of Australia to get a "Ford Verification Letter", that I was told that the car's VIN doesn't even exist on the Ford Australia vehicle database VIN records, etc.. There was never "any" vehicle made by Ford with it's VIN, and it had been driving around like so for approximately the last 34 years..."true story". I quickly looked at the compliance VIN plates, (and the chassis number VIN also) attached to my actual EA's engine bay areas, and "low and behold", the "serial number" that makes up the last 5 numbers of the VIN had one number different than what it had been incorrectly recorded from new (the number 6 typo, instead of the "actual" number 4)... When I told Ford Australia the actual VIN, the car could finally be revealed for it's true identity. It created a lot of dramas for me after I bought the car and noticed the problem. I had to get a blue slip to verify the car's "real" and actual VIN. I had to provide lots of paperwork to the NSW Services RMS to show that all the documentation was true and correct to re register the EA again. Very thankfully though, the NSW Services RMS could see the VIN "typo" from new and immediately established new registration papers for my EA FALCON with it's actual and original factory VIN. Luckily though, I have all that documentation for future reference, especially since this EA Falcon "S" has an important 34 year history whilst it was recorded with it's incorrect VIN.... It wasn't easy, and had me worrying day and night for a month or so before all was properly documented again.... "But hey, look on the bright side of things", I probably now own the only EA Falcon "S" sedan that was technically first registered 34 years after it left the Broadmeadows assembly plant.
I apologise if I've written too much... It's all my own work with no plagiarism.
NOW HERE'S THE CARS BRIEF (looonnng) HISTORY:
Rather than just give a brief story of this vehicle's history, the following is a pretty detailed story about this vehicle's history....because, being from the days of the Australian made Fords, it probably deserves some recognition.
Read on if you've got some time to spare.....
In 1988 this Falcon EA "S" sedan was made in Australia, at the Ford Motor Company of Australia Broadmeadows Assembly Plant in Campbellfield, Melbourne, Victoria, with the VIN "BUILT DATE" of 07/1988.
This factory original matching numbers EA Falcon "S" sedan (Model Code 18734) was, what I would call, factory "optioned up", with the following specifications being factory fitted. It was "optioned up" with an inline straight six cylinder 3.9 litre SOHC multipoint EFI engine (Engine Code P), as the multipoint was an option on the EA Falcons "S". It has a 5-speed BougWarner T50D fully synchronised manual floor shift transmission (Transmission Code K), where the option there was a 3 speed auto (?). It has metallic Silver Slate paint (Paint Code M6), and Iron Bark pinstripe cloth with red piping (Trim Code G2). It has Air Conditioning (Option Code 40), that was standard equipment on the Falcon "S". It was optioned with a Limited Slip Differential (Option Code 98). It is 1 of 34 in this configuration, out of a total of 20204 EA Falcon "S" cars (sedans and wagons), out of a grand total production of 223612 EA series vehicles made.
It may have been a Ford factory produced "Press Test Vehicle", and I have been trying to verify whether it indeed was. Hopefully though, I will be able to verify that it did leave the Broadmeadows Assembly Plant as a "Press Test Vehicle", so then I may also have a very interesting, and very historically important journalistic story to add to this vehicle's history....
....For now though, this is the vehicle's history: ...or eastory.
In 1988 the vehicle left the Broadmeadows assembly plant in Campbellfield Victoria with the BUILT DATE of July 1988 and given it's initial 1988 Victorian registration (I presume by Ford??) having the Victorian number plates DNP-681.
Then, in 1988 also, the vehicle went from Campbellfield in Melbourne Victoria, to Gosford, on the NSW Central Coast, where it was sold to John Wright (as a new car I suppose??) by "Grawill Motors Gosford Pty Limited" on 27/10/1988 (approx just 3 months after the vehicle's built date 07/1988) and now given the NSW registration with the number plates PCZ-O63.
The next owner of this EA Falcon "S" sedan was by a gentleman ("Ernie") who had bought it in approximately 1988, or early 1989 (??). Then the NSW registration was changed to his Personalised NSW number plates EP-704. It had subsequently then been his "Pride and Joy" for approximately 30 years thereafter. In 2020 "Ernie" now lived with his wife in Bonny Hills, on the NSW Mid North Coast, and was a respected member of the Bonny Hills Rural Fire Brigade. He sadly though, passed away in 2020.
The NSW registration was then changed to standard black on white generic generated style with the number plates now being CTN-19A to sell the car. The car was then advertised for sale in August 2020 on Facebook as an original SVO EA Falcon S sedan, for $2000 at Bonny Hills, NSW Mid North Coast.
On 20/08/2020 I noticed the car for sale on Facebook. Very excited, since I had previously read about Mick Webb's SVO (Special Vehicle Options) EA Falcons, I drove straight to Bonny Hills to look at the EA. Once there I looked over the EA and was happy to see it had an SVO grill, an SVO bootlip spoiler, an SVO badge that replaced the original "Falcon S" badge on the rear bootlid number plate applique facia, and SVO badges on each front guard quarter panel that replaced the original Ford red "3.9 multipoint" badges. Inside there was a 4 spoke Momo steering wheel with Ford blue oval horn button, a Momo leather bound manual gearshift lever knob, an a SVO badge on the centre console dashboard. The front suspension was very low as well. It had no SVO wheels or SVO Recaro seats, nor did it have the recognisable SVO two-tone paint, etc...but I didn't care. So, after having a very thorough look at the EA Falcon (for about....a minute), I said, yes I will buy it, and purchased it there and then off "Ernie's" widowed wife.
When I bought this EA Falcon "S" on 20/08/2020 it had approximately 150000 kilometres on the clock. It was NSW registered until 23/11/2020 with the number plates CTN-19A and it was able to be driven home just up the road to Port Macquarie. It had a slight engine "miss", but went good.
Once home, I washed, polished, cleaned, and vacuumed the car, and gave the engine and drive train a good degrease and pressure clean.
I could now see that this EA Falcon had been well looked after and probably garaged. The window and door rubbers and seals were in good condition and not cracked or perished. The interior was in good condition, and the working original radio came separately with the car. It had good "Silver Slate" metallic paint, with a few "out of character" dents, and slight side panel scrapes, here and there... probably from carparks, or something.
In 2020, 2021, and 2022 I continued to drive the vehicle and did minor ongoing maintenance, such as:
Oil and oil filter changes.
Radiator flush and coolant change.
New thermostat.
New radiator hoses.
New spark plugs.
Brake, and handbrake, cylinder repairs with service kits.
From when I bought this EA Falcon "S", it seemed unusually powerful, even though it had an engine miss, and backfired once or twice on deceleration, especially downhill declaration. Driving around town I used only 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears, as it just wanted to "go". I had wondered that maybe it had had some previous cylinder head work at some stage (??), as it sounds like it has a bit of a "lumpy cam", or something. Some people thought it was a V8 just buy hearing the "throaty" exhaust rumble. So in September 2021, I eventually decided to unbolt the rocker cover just enough to try and have a look inside at the cylinder head components. To my surprise, I could see shinny light blue aluminium alloy anodised roller rockers... I'm not sure why it has them, as I only have a bit of a mechanical understanding, but knew that this was a good thing. I don't know if these roller rockers were factory fitted, or whether a previous owner had the cylinder head modified by SVO as well, or something else altogether.
In February 2022 the cylinder head gasket failed (a common EA problem). That could probably explain why it had a slight engine miss (and no thermostat) when I bought it.
I didn't renew the registration after 23/05/2022, and on 21/07/2022 I cancelled the registration and put the number plates CTN-19A on hold.
The vehicle is a project now, and hopefully will be back on the road when I have it ready to pass a blue slip.
My EA Falcon S was now undrivable, due to the blown head gasket. In approximately March 2022 my son helped me put my EA Falcon S onto a car carrier trailer and towed it to his rural property about an hours drive away from Port Macquarie. My son then began to repair the head gasket, and other necessary mechanical repairs.
These were the repairs that my son did:
The cylinder head gasket was repaired in approximately August 2022. The fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel lines, fuel rail, and fuel injectors were all cleaned and tested. The fuel filter was renewed, along with new fuel in the fuel tank. A new distributor, and distributor module was installed (with the original distributor's spline gearing used again). A new MAP sensor was installed as well. Lots of other little things like tuning, and tidying up wiring, etc. When I bought the car it had "super low" front suspension, that made it handled well, but it wasn't practical and scrapped on low surfaces like my driveway. I had factory original Falcon "S" springs and shocks installed, that are 1 inch lower than a factory standard Falcon GL and Fairmount.
Goes really Good now...but there is more to do yet though.
Now that the EA Falcon S was drivable again, I drove it back home to Port Macquarie on an unregistered vehicle permit in September 2022. It drove very well, however just before arriving home, the was a possible fuel, or electrical problem and the car only just managed to make it into my driveway. Due to other commitments the EA Falcon sat in my driveway, unrepaired, until June 2024.
In June 2024 I gave the EA Falcon S to my son, and we then put it onto a car carrier trailer and towed it to his home in Kempsey.
Modifications
Firstly, this 07/1988 built date (an early EA1) EA FALCON "S" (Sports) sedan was fairly well optioned up from when it left Ford Australia's Broadmeadows assembly plant, and had the following factory fitted from new:
1) Inline 6 cylinder SOHC multipoint EFI engine, 139 kilowatts, ENGINE CODE P.
2) 5-speed BougWarner T50D fully synchronised manual floor shift transmission, TRANSMISSION CODE K.
3) Factory optioned with a Limited Slip Differential, Option Code 45.
4) EA "S" factory fitted Sports suspension, approximately 25 millimetres (1 inch) lower than standard.
5) Factory 15" snowflake alloy wheels.
So in 1988, without any other aftermarket modifications, this was a fairly nice vehicle to drive from when it left the Broadmeadows assembly plant.
Remembering also, that 6 cylinder Falcons were all that was available in 1988. Plus, it had been approximately 6 years since Ford Australia last had a V8-powered Falcon, in the XE Falcon, that finished production in approximately November 1982. Also, it would be approximately another 3 and a half more years before Ford Australia's next V8-powered Falcon would be again available, in the EB Falcon, in August 1991. So, performance wise, this 5-speed EA Falcon "S" multipoint sedan was the car you would want.
When I bought this EA Falcon S in 2020 there had been a few modifications, and other unusual additions to the car. But I haven't yet been able to find out when those modifications were made. However, I think this EA Falcon S sedan was an ex-press test vehicle and may have had a few extra modifications added from new...but I cannot confirm that yet.
When I bought this vehicle on 20/08/2020 it already had these modifications:
1) SVO grill.
2) SVO bootlip spoiler.
3) SVO badge that replaced the original "Falcon S" badge on the rear bootlid number plate applique facia.
4) SVO badges that replaced the original Ford red "3.9 multipoint" badges on the front guard quarter panels.
5) Super low front suspension.
6) 4 spoke Momo steering wheel with Ford blue oval centre horn button.
7) Momo leather bound manual gearshift lever knob.
8) SVO badge on the centre console dashboard.
9) Blue coloured anodised aluminium roller rockers on the cylinder head (I'm not sure what sort, or whether there's other camshaft and cylinder head work yet... probably).
