While honoring the 18th Syracuse Nationals it was a perfect time for STREET RODDER and Ford Performance to recognize street rodders who install a late-model Ford engine in a Ford hot rod or custom. While canvassing the massive confines of the New York State Fairgrounds we found Steve Ramsey’s immaculate 1963 Ford Falcon Futura Gasser making its debut, featuring a Ford Performance 427ci aluminum crate V-8 which caught our immediate attention.
Nothing says hot rod better than a Gasser with its mile-high frontend accented by an adrenalin-charged V-8 nailed between the framerails. If you grew up in the ‘60s they were a main attraction at any drag racing event. Once you saw them it was easy to fall under their spell as they made their way through the burnout area and then down the track. For Steve Ramsey of Fallston, Maryland, getting indoctrinated into the world of hopped-up cars was as easy as walking into his dad’s auto repair shop. It was the place to be in the ‘60s if you wanted to have the latest speed equipment installed on your ride. Since his dad was also deep into dirt track racing it was common for them to visit local tracks numerous times during the week to check out who was the hottest driver in town.
Before long Steve began spinning wrenches himself and by age 12 he purchased his first car, a 1955 Chevy coupe, long before he could even drive it. It was now the late ‘60s and the scent of nitro took control over him. He started frequenting local drag strips to see first hand the blistering times drivers were laying down on the strip. One thing he never forgot was the adrenalin rush he experienced while watching drivers pilot their wild Gassers down the track. As the years passed Steve has owned almost every type of domestic performance car from hardcore hot rods to rare muscle cars and even exotics but something was still missing. The thought of building a period-perfect Gasser had always lurked at the back of his mind. The car would have to be a light weight Ford, run an injected mill and be finished like a show car that could also hold its own on the strip. He started his search for a suitable roller and it didn’t take long till he located a stalled hot rod project close to home. The car was a 1963 Ford Falcon Futura that was on its way to becoming a race car at some point, a roughed-out roller at best stripped of all its driveline. A deal was made and the project was hauled back to his shop for evaluation.
As owner of both Ramsey Ford and Elkton Ford, both located in Maryland the availability of Ford Performance parts gave him the opportunity to inject some serious venom into the project. Having worked with Dave Vrankin of Forest Hill on prior builds, it was a perfect opportunity to have him spearhead the project and get started seeing they shared the same views on how the car should evolve. A decision was made to retain the factory unibody while adding plenty of extra strength. For starters the rotted floors were replaced by Dave who continued on, adding custom frame connectors, gussets and crossmember to make the platform rock solid. Out back a Strange Engineering 9-inch rear was packed with 3.70:1 gears linked to matching 31-spline axles. It’s suspended in place by a combination of custom era-correct ladder bars linked to a wishbone, Panhard bar and QA1 coilover shocks. Up front its all business with a Speedway Motors Gasser front axle kit including a straight front axles linked to 1949-1954 Chevy spindles deftly matches to semi-elliptical springs and tube shocks. Slowing the beast you’ll find a Wilwood Engineering master pushing fluid though stainless lines to matching 11-inch front discs wearing four-piston calipers combined with 10-inch Ford drums out back. Anchoring it all to the street are a pair of Rocket Racing 15×6-inch front Launcher-series wheels with 15×8-inch rear Injector-series wheels all wrapped in rubber from M&H.
If you’re going to make a statement you’d better have plenty of horsepower under the hood to back it up. Steve went to Ford Performance for their fire breathing 427ci small-block all aluminum crate V-8 packing 600hp right from the factory. Hand assembled by the Ford Performance team, it’s packed with a speed shop full of go-fast goods. Starting with an aluminum four-bolt main block filled with a SCAT forged steel crank linked to matching H-beam connecting rods topped with forged Mahle pistons getting bumped by a solid steel billet roller cam. Up top a set of CNC ported Ford Performance aluminum “Z” cylinder heads make plenty of power when fed by a Hilborn eight-stack injection system. It sparks to life through an MSD ignition and dumps gasses through custom fenderwell headers by Dave to 3-inch exhaust with Spin Tech mufflers. The goods move through a Ford C4 trans warmed over by Performance Automatic of Frederick, Maryland to a custom aluminum driveshaft.
Dave wasted no time getting started on bringing the battered old body back to life. He replaced the rear quarters while also removing the stock shock towers to accommodate the new V-8 and adding a six-point rollbar. The doors, front fenders and fiberglass hood were then fitted to the car and the shell was completely metal finished. Dave then coated the body in Axalta Astro Blue metallic bringing it all to life. Bright work from Pauls Chrome Plating added the final icing. To add the perfect era-correct Gasser style to the interior the stock dash was filled with Auto Meter gauges to monitor the vitals while a Mooneyes steering wheel carves the course and a Hurst Quarter Stick pulls gears. Bux Customs of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, created a period-perfect business office covering a set of 1967 Mustang buckets in a combination of blue and white vinyl while also crafting custom door and side panels accented by blue loop-style carpeting. An American Autowire kit installed by Dave completes the job. Congratulations to Steve who will receive a limited edition jacket as the award winner.
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