want 2 improve my xf falcon

look guys i want to know the most cheapest and reliable way to improve my 86 falcon sedan its a 4.1 litre six cylinder automatic all standard and i would like to do it up for club meets and so forth i've arranged a new paint job im painting it a wild strawberry (pearl metallic)should look mad and if anyone knows how i can improve power and performance cheaply it would be appreciated i want to keep the motor and gearbox without changing them :rolleyes: just looking at maybe head work to the motor or air filter or fuel management or muffler systems anyhting to get this car to go harder and faster oh its also on gas and runs on performance shocks and springs so its a bit low the cheaper the better guys any body got some info for me ....and it would be great if someone can tell me anywhere i can get this done im from brisbane qld and im also looking for a car club to join up here any one got a website or info where i can join a carclub in brisbane thanks....:bandit: :D :devil:

It's a while since I had an XF so this is coming from memory...

The XF I had was the EFI model with the auto tranny and a LSD (it was a 1989 S Pack). It also came with the Bilstein shockers etc and alloy wheels with 215/65/14s ex factory.

I regret not having the tranny cooler as I blew a torque converter which was replaced but I flicked it about six months after that.

The EFI and carby's had slightly different alloy heads from memory - the carbies had a lean burn head and the EFI's had a high swish or something like that.

Headers do help a bit with this car as they tended to run out of breath over four and a bit (HM Headers are a place to start). Other than that I guess the only other thing to explore would be air cleaner, intake manifold and some port work but that's about all I think - I don't remember the bottom ends being particularly strong in that series engine so you won't get huge gains without possibly sacrificing some reliability.

The only other thing to note is look at your bushings - nolathene is a good start and there are also some aftermarket lower trailing arms too (but possibly they were for the EA - EL I can't remember). Someone was also marketing steering dampers for the rear end (like a coil over damper but mounted front to rear to help prevent rear axle steer) too but I don't remember who it was! Motor did a project car I think so it may be worth looking for a back issue...

Also watch the lower arm bushes on the front end for wear - they can fail with alarming results.

Good luck...

Yo Bumper....you got any pics of your XF. Id like to take a look. I own an XF myself and i need some ideas to do up my car. I dont have that much money at the moment, so cost is an issue for me. I have so many plans for my car but no money to do it. Anyway get back to me, heres a pic of my XF shown in my sig.....theres also plenty more pics on car domain for you to see if you wanna take a look.

Link on CarDomain (http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=252388&make_type_query=make%3DFord&model_brand_query=model%3DFalcon&tree=Ford%20Falcon)

the engine is really strong and reliable if it has had a good life.
the best place to start is the computer that will give you good bang for your buck and keeps it reliable
the head is good to if you do most of the work yourself ie take it apart and send the bits away
i have heard of this one xf on gas that runs a turbo with no gaint engine mods it done a 12sec pass on 20 psi but you need a good tranny
anyway good luck post some pics of your paint job when done.

One thing to remember with the old X flow engines is they have a habit of chewing up cams so if its got more that 150,000km on the clock a mild cam upgrade with new lifters & timing chain/gear set a good place too start. Compresions generaly cheap horse power so if u got the head off to do any thing else, work out the type of driving u're doing & the fuel u run & run the compression to the max u can get away with. From memory the injected X flow has bigger intake valves than carby version. Don't go to town on the cyclinder head because the intake manifold/throttle/barn door style air flow meter is more of a restriction than the head. They do repond to a modest tidy up of the exhaust port though. Extractors will help but exhaust up grades probably not worth it till u increase the diameter of the cat (this can be a little expensive). There's piggy back up grades for the ECU's & Air box mods are cheap (do little on there own though). STD bottom end OK if u set it up to make max power buy 4500rpm. (quick note ARP rod bolt for windsor fit)Hope that helps :smile: :smile:

well i would be starting with ur air flow in to the engine to start with and then maybe extractors with a chip if u can get them for the xf model.mines a bit gutless of the mark but when the revs get going so does the rest of it

2.5 exhaust, extractors, mild cam, port and polish etc
check out the come racing website on head and cam they can put a good kit together at a reasonable price and maybe check out the ford forums there are so many xf boys on there