$2500 BARN FIND Auction XF Returns! With UPGRADES! Iron Empire - EP 115 

Saving these old Australian built cars from the scrap heap is why you enjoy it so much! Keep up the good work 👏

Plenty of these cars have been or will be restored back to factory. With the addition of those Globes, this XF looks terrific and is unique. Love it.

2008 Melbourne we had a ol boy come into our workshop and ask if ANYBODY here would remove hes old Nissan ute out hes backyard as the real estate demanded it gone when he moved out otherwise he was getting part of hes bond taken away from him,i was the only one to take hes address and with a bag of tools and a battery 10 litres of fuel fully expecting to get a free non running ol Datto ute ,rolled up and its a rusted out ol XF ute 5 speed manual with Nissan badges ,i thought it was a joke ,just needed a clutch ,its still going strong today but every Nissan decal badge and steering wheel was swapped out to make it a Ford again

Doesn’t matter how rough a car is, wheels and stance will always make it a headturner! Merry Christmas to you both 🎅

I had a brand new XF Falcon back in the mid 80s, and sold it after two years. My wife has never forgiven me, she loved that car. So I am loving your video.

Merry Christmas Mark Those wheels are awesome and tyres too. Good old XF Falcons are going up in value and I love the nostalgia. Those taillights are my favourite from that generation.

Another great video on a Falcon, you've done a great job, XFs are a great solid old bus that just keep going and deserve love these days.

LJ XU1 had spacers on the front when fitted with Sprintmaster wheels from memory 😊

'What about the Children' hahaha. Great job, wheels look killer 👌

Miss my old EFI, manual XF SPAC. I really need to get back into a shoebox falcon. Cool as 🤙

Love how you fix up old cars, keep at it. Doesn't matter if they're worth it or not. They're worth keeping on the road not sitting around collecting dirt and rust. That's why I love this channel mate... love your passion and motivates me to fix up my 85 Fairmont Ghia :)

I just got recommended your channel and I saw this video pop up. I completely love the XF's. I live in Sydney and I learned to drive in one of these so I have a big soft spot for them. I originally wanted my old man's one when he sold it (he wouldn't sell it to me for some reason) so that I could do a Barra swap into it and a full, proper restoration to make it look real nice. I can't wait to see what you do with this car!

Lc-Lj gtr xu1 came out with factory wheel spacers with steel rims. They were removed when sprint masters came out.

Globe wheels are great, never go out of fashion, and period correct for the Falcon . 👍🏼

Great vid , I am doing an XF up a bit of motivationto get back in to it, brought it from SA during covids via video. Once got it to WA and fully stripped rust everywhere. Been on axle stands for last 12 months. Keep the XF series rolling

I know some Porsches ran spacers from factory. I have run spacers on a couple of cars and never had dramas.love the xf with the slightly different shades of blue on it!

Love the car Mark!! Keep up the awesome work and look forward to watching more of the Iron Empire in 2023!! Merry Christmas and and all the best for 2023 to both you and Andi. Thanks again, Matt:)

Looking great mate , my xf ute which I’ve had as a daily for over 20 years has over 550000 kms and she’s still going 🤘

Well done Again on the XF build and showing us all year what u been up to on working on cars have a Merry Christmas and happy new year can't wait to see what 2023 has to offer

Porches have factory wheel spacers. You can even buy them from Porche to fit to cars that they didn't come fitted to.

Merry Christmas 🎄 Mark and Andi. Stay safe and enjoy. Look forward to seeing more videos in the new year.

The production quality 👌 my favourite episode this year!!! love ya work Mark merry Christmas bro

I am a huge fan of a beater tidy up job. Very rewarding.

Whenever you have those XF webers off, check that they open the secondary butterfly all the way. I think xe,s and leaded xf did but unleaded xf,s in my experience have a slot in the linkages that only allow the secondary to open up about half way. Weld up the slot for full throttle actuation. Merry xmas everyone.

Thanks for another year of great builds and vids mate can’t wait to see what your doin next year.merry Christmas guys🍻🎄

I will keep coming back to watch whenever there is a Ford in-line 6 involved, especially if it’s in a TE Cortina, an XF or an EL Falcon 💪 The Webber carbs are finicky, the idle mixture screw is set from factory and generally locked in place, people stuff around with the low and high speed air bleeds and cause themselves all sorts of drama, same with the accelerator pump, they need to be spot on for drivability. Great episode 👍

Some of the 70’s Porsche 911’s came from the factory with wheel spacers..🤙🏼

Certainly my cup of tea ☕. Well done again. Merry Christmas

Torana xu1s had the spacer on the 72 bathurst with the globe sprintmaster wheels

Love your work Mark. Very enjoyable. Merry Christmas mate 🎄🎉🍻🤜

Merry Christmas to you Mark and family look forward to future video in 2023. I've got an old ea spac looking rough but I love it. Hasn't run for a few years.

Nothing wrong with 5-6mm slip on spacers period. Only thing wrong with bolt on spacers are that some people installing them have no idea about right thread and pitch wheel nuts for the studs on the spacers used. 1/2-20 wheel nuts screw onto most 12mm metric studs and tighten up but are not right and eventually come lose and fall off.

Another fan of the beater tidy up.... love the humour in this ep too. You're a funny bugger Mark!!! 🤣

G'day Mark. After watching a few of your videos you've got a new subscriber. I dont care what these cars look like. It's just great to see them get a new life back on the road. Have a great Christmas mate.

It looks great I remember playing around with them back in the 90’s as you do, get them to sit right is the key.. merry Christmas to you all 🍻

love the XF's they are very hard to find now for $2500 you must have been in the right place at the right time! one build i've always wanted to do on an XF is a big ridiculous Cam, 350 Holly, 5 speed Celica gearbox! but i havent even gotten close to finding anything for $2500 let alone something that can be saved (with my skill set lol)

Great vid. Globes looking good as. In terms of factory spacers- yes porsches came with them but aussie muscle is the XY GTHO with the factory globes

Love the look of the xf with the globe's, red walls and fresh tint, have a great Xmas and looking forward to next year videos. 👍

Stoked to see some xf love, mate. Truly one of the blackest sheep in the falcon world.

Keeping one shitter/cheap daily alive at a time! Keep doing what your doing! Best ep of the year! Brighten my day!

Merry Christmas Mark and Andy! All the best in ‘23

I'm sure 5mm Spacers were a factory option on the certain Porsche models like the 997, 987, Enjoy Chrissy Iron and have a happy new year!

definetly my cup of tea...looks mint!.....btw the simpson editing with spacers was a good laugh 😁.... have a nice christmas and new years and hopefully cya at the nats if you're going

Cheers mark, looks the same as my daily I had in the 90s. Good memories. Have a great Xmas champ.

Loving the cheeky quips. Amusing episode. Keyboard mechanics...😆

It’s amazing what a set of wheels, tyres and a better stance does. She looks mint mate. Keep it up and merry Christmas to you and the iron empress.

Looking great mate huge difference from what it was when you got it👌 thanks for continuing to put out the great videos mate and Merry Christmas to you and family

Looks killer mate. Merry xmas to you both from NZ. Keep up the good work.

Looks great Mate. Made me think about tinting the windows on one of mine.

I don't have anything to really say except I had a great laugh at the keyboard mechanics quote. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Mark.

Coming up good mate have a merry Christmas and a safe new year

That paint is dying for a cut and buff! Be good to see, if that would shine up. I don't think the front tyres look bad on it at all!! looks great!

The issue with the car not idling may be the idle solenoid not retracting fully when the car is turned on. Some people unscrew it and cut the end off it when they fail. It is there to prevent over run when the car is turned off by blocking the idle circuit. Long small bolt like thing in side of Carby with wire attached on the end. It just unbolts. You can test it by putting 12V on the end and earthing the body of it.

The Australian designed and built Austin 1800 utes run a cast iron wheel spacer on the rear with extended wheel studs to suit (its's a good 1/2" thick).

Awesome work as always Mark👍, We do this because we are car people & enjoy working on cars:). I have no idea which car came factory with spacers haha

I had one of them, carby Fairmont, went real hard for what it was, But those door handles!. Real nice shape car too

Merry Christmas to you and Andrea too mate. Good job. Cheers!!

Love it.. keep it up. Merry Christmas 🎄

Hell Yeah Mark, I know I have said it before bro but, You certainly have an eye for turning a so-so looking car into a sweet looking cruiser 👍🇺🇸🤘🔥🔥 Merry Christmas to the Iron Empire Family

Don't worry about your wheel spacers, you just carved out a groove in your tyre sidewall! 😂😂 Wheels and tyres look awesome, love the red lines!

Old Porsches had wheel spacers and also the original cooper s minis

It's an excellent cup of tea!

Loving the video I can’t sit to get my xf back from the mechanic it’s getting a turbo Barra swap done seeing you drive yours made me miss mine even more

Love your videos Mark, the simpsons clips are gold! Have you thought about chucking a XG ute grill on it? Merry Christmas to you and your family👍🎄

It looks sick mate, I love how you out the red line in the wheels very cool I’ve never seen that done before, great car to drive

Factory spaces came on Toyota 79 series Landcruiser you bloody dodgy bastard 😜. Thanks for sharing. 👍🏻👍🏻🙃🙃

You always mail the wheel & tyre combo. 👍 - (At a guess I’d say the ESP ran a spacer?). Nice work!

Merry Christmas to you and your family Mark hope you guys had a bloody fantastic day mate 🍺 👌.. 3 to5mm spacers were run in conjunction with Bathurst Globe wheels on xw xy to space the wheel off the brake caliper.. In the right application wheel spacers are fine mate.. The xf mate were and still is a great motor vehicle built to outlast a lot of the new technology..

Bro you killing it with Making these old falcons look better this and that NC Fairlane look smicko 🤙 New Subscriber

Love the vids Mark, have a awesome and safe Christmas

loving the xf build, have you thought about the fact that the 5L from that NC will drop in there quite nicely.i had a xf ute when i was in highschool and my father and i brought a nc v8 and put it all into the ute drove like a dream.

Love what you do and I particularly love this old xf ❤

Man I love your work and show. As far as wheel spacers I have a Suzuki 4x4 with 4" spacers & had no drama with them apart from having to do wheel bearings 3 times a year 😜.

Mighty XF 🎉 Merry Christmas Mark ❤

Great work mate, looks sick!

Looks A1 with the tint and wheels done.

Good to see a XF saved. its for sure my cup of tea :D

Most Porsche 911's come with factory wheel spacers, 930 turbos especially

Great look I have 2 xfs my son wants us to get at least 1 on the road again

Shit hot Mark !!! Tint and wheels have made it 👍🍻 Have a merry xmas get festive and think of the children!!!🤣

My school days right there cruising with mates ❤

Heaps had spacers mate. Even some with a tin shield for protecting the brakes that is basically a spacer. If you got haters you're doing something right 👍

Killa work brother happy new years

Love it bro All the XF falcons we had on kangaroo Island have completely rusted away still got an old S pac 5 speed at my cousin house that i think a tree is growing through Take it easy mate Byron from WA

Hey mate ya made me keep my xf I've had sitting in a shed for years , they make a good cruiser just a set of wheels and lower the shit out of them , have a great Christmas mate looking forward to the next episode .

Love the old xf bro lookin good

Love watching from Nz Your shed is my future goals How good Porsche 997 I believe had them factory

Mate, the XY GTHO PH 3 with the "Free issue" Globe Bathursts had the spacers on the front, probably got a set lying around somewhere. T

I believe it is Porsche that issued wheel Spacers from factory? Sorry if it's been answered already. There are a lot of comments to go through

Love the fact you're saving some cars most snobs would crush. I run wheel spacers on most of my cars lol. If the spacer is wider then 8mm I put longer, toughened wheel studs on but you'll cope the keyboard mechanics chucking a tanty no matter what you do so keep going I say. Love your work.

Redwalls look amazing!

Mint xf I was in Adelaide the other night and I am from port Augusta keep the hard work up and merry Christmas to you and your misses

Mark looks great mate and by the way a lot of mechanics out there don’t know what they’re talking about. Keep up the great work mate. Cheers have a Merry Christmas and don’t drink too much👍🍺

Great job on the XF. I agree on tyres but love the car. Will buy if u drop it off. Happy Christmas to you n yours Bill in ft wayne Indiana USA

LJ XU1 had wheel spacers on the front from factory with the globe sprintmasters

Well done - love your weekly updates, inspirational whilst building my LX tribute SLR5000

I’m pretty sure 5mm wheel spacer were a factory option on a porche 987, Merry Christmas and a happy new year

The only factory fitted spacers I knew was some old Porsche. I had a giggle at that part of the video after old mate in the comments last week having a right old cry. I remember herrods selling “track adapters” for fg utes when they first came out, turned out they were just bolt on adapters same as everyone else uses haha.

As a VW fan, I know that some Porsches had factory wheel spacers going back as far as the 70s 👍😊👍

The keyboard mechanics are the reason i started uploading videos 😂 Love the XF mate, i dig the barn find look. Great tunes in this episode too 🤘