Falcon XF - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

Ganman · 12-01-2003, 22:00

Gday i just bought a 1986 Falcon XF for my first car, and it ****ing awesome but i wanna find out all the shit that i can do to it, performance wise and how much it would all cost? Cheers

Ganman · 12-01-2003, 22:14

ahhh forget the whole poll thing....first timer.

Fordy · 12-01-2003, 23:25

Try the mods section of the site.

All i can suggest is a set of extractors and exhaust system to start, then maybe a cam or carby change depending on how much u wanna spend???

Oh and welcome to the site.

mongoose3800 · 12-02-2003, 20:42

Sell it before it sucks your wallet dry. I used to think these were good cars until I bought one. Sorry to say this but they are fuel hungry, gutless rubbish. Here's what I think are the top 10 things to expect: 1) Door handles will frequently break. 2)Idler arms will last 5,000 to 10,000 km. 3)oil will leak out of every orifice. 4)Head gasket will blow or at least start leaking at approx every 100,000. 5) Heater core will be blocked and is a bastard to replace. 6) Camshaft will wear out and may take lifters with it - Mine mushroomed out a lifter so badly the exhaust valve stopped opening. 7)Carby will block up and during overhaul the threads in the carby will strip thanks to cheap softened alloy. 8) if it has rear disks brakes they will get noisy (a droning sound) and require dismantling to clean out rust. 9)Gearboxes don't enjoy longevity. 10) The centre console (as well as other interior items) will colapse and disintergrate. The list goes on with minor petty issues.

Now before you die hard Ford fans get stuck into me please understand that I love the look of the XF and still think they are one of the best looking cars Ford have brought out. I bought one based on this and because of the good reputation they are supposed to have. But all the points from above are honest points and come from my experience of owning an XF. The majority of problems I have listed have been experienced by several of my mates/relatives who have been unfortunate enough to buy an XF on the same grounds that I did.

ED GLI V8 · 12-03-2003, 01:20

I've had 2 XF's & had a great run out of both.As Fordy said A good set of extractors & a 2.5'' exhaust; carb {i ran a 350 holley on one of mine} & a mild cam should get it moving a bit quicker & maybe do the heads if your budget allowers

BLO GMH · 12-03-2003, 18:00

never had any dramas with mine.

fordmuscle_83 · 12-09-2003, 23:16

I have an s pack and love the power and torque fromt he good old crossflow carby.
Mine has 2.5 inch mandrel bent exhaust, pacemaker extractors (i also have some interference type of unknown brand, $40).
The craby has been rejetted and runs on pulp with unleaded seats as it was once leaded.

Is your EFI or carby GANMAN?

gsw · 12-09-2003, 23:59

Other halfs dad had an xf and got 350000km's out of her before the engine let go, the only major problems where those bloody door handles. First mod i would do is exhaust.

xf_250 · 12-10-2003, 04:30

Totally agree with mongoose3800, loose the XF. Sorry dude - being your first car and all. But if you are thinking modifications, XF is not the way to go.
The EFI motors are crap - not much you can do without spending megabucks (turbo, aftermarket computer etc).
As for the carby, not much you can do legally. You can do the whole cam, extractors thing but in my opinion the costs exceed the benifits.

If you like the shape, get a 351 XD and put xf panels on it.

Best off punting around in your xf, saving some cash and getting some no claim bonus. Damn I sound old.

OverDose · 12-10-2003, 05:10

the xfs got potential

so many cheap parts