granadaman

Hi there, just moved over to NZ from the UK and looking at buying a 78-82 falcon XD as it maybe my only chance to own a car of this size!, are there any model specific faults or common problems I should look for , e.g. rust areas, tell tale engine noises, transmission etc, (as i assume it will be an auto which I dont know much about). Will probably go for 4.1 six if i can find one.

Any advice would be great

Cheers, Steve

XY UTE 351

hi , is there any reason you want an xd ? , an xe or xf would be a better idea
i can only say i have owned all 3 and xf much better overall , cant really help with mechanical things , minewere all pretty solid , if they are looked after and serviced regularly they go for ever , but all are getting old now , try a eb ef , they are pretty cheap over here now , check the forum archive for x series problems , good luck

Mental

XD's when not properly cared for are rust buckets. The XE's and XF's are marginaly better but still suffer the same problems to varied degrees.

Here's a small image of where to find the most rust in an XD. Your biggest concern is the rear quarters, they will literally fall off an unloved XD. Also check around the front and rear window seals.

Attached Images

XD-profile-blueprint-rust.jpg (33.0 KB, 61 views)

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Any problem is best aproached sideways ... with a crowbar
-Mental

TruBlu351

Hey Granadaman,

The other thing you need to look for is rust under the dash. You'll buy it on a dry day and then when it rains, your floor pans will fill up wth water!!

There are air vents on the front window sill outside (where the wipers are). Dirt and leaves gather in here over the years and block the drain holes up under the dash which causes rust. Just get a water hose and run it in the vents and all over the windscreen for a minute and see if any comes out under the dash (inside). The drain holes are just behind the front panels, infront of the front door hinges.

Be carefull not to spray water down the genuine air vents inside that sill vent, then you will get water inside for sure. There are raised shields around the genuine air vent intakes whick allow the water to run off OK.

Sorry for the ramble! Let us know how you go!

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XE Falcon
393 Tremec TKO 9"

jas24zzk

G'day,
as hinted, the plenum chamber is a major source of rust in these XD-XF and one of the most costly to fix.
If the car smells musky, or has a generous amount of air freshener in it, be wary!

Cheers
Jas