Ep15 XE FALCON WAGON FIND , FROM PARKED FOR YEARS TO RATTY CRUISER IN JUST 5 DAYS. 

I am the proud owner of a 1982 XE Fairmont Ghia ESP, I just love it

Was overseas for 20 years. Just came across your channel. You are a legend and make me laugh so much. I was born in 1973, so all of these cars and your language is so much my childhood! THANK YOU MATE!!!!! BUT, please wear safety glasses, especially use the wire brush! PLEASE...PLEASE....PLEAAAAAAAAASE

Your the best Mick, your videos are not only informative but more importantly you take time & effort to teach & pass on your experience. Keep it going please 👌

You are just awesome, mate! No BS just get it done. I love how you basically complete a whole build in an episode, even though it probably tool a week to do. Love the old XE wagon and those wheels look awesome. Great work, keep it up

I woke around 3:00 am to find my husband watching this vid (he works nights and finds it hard to sleep). He was 5 minutes into it. I can never watch the programs he watches as they are usually crap in my view! I sat there and watched your video till the end! Although I'm not usually a "Petina" look fan, I love how it turned out, love your video, love your work! I thoroughly enjoyed watching your video.

Me been a massive Ford fan you've got your self the right choice of this one for sure. From William Mount Gambier South Australia 🇦🇺

I like your "less is more" approach, too many people pull apart a car in a weekend and never get it back together. Top job!

The best car repair car show ive seen on RU-vid love ❤️ watching the aussie cars gettinb a new lease on life love your work 😊😊

Even as a Holden fan, I had a soft spot for the early X series. My grandfather had a Ghia years ago, and even in its busted up state, it smooth and comfortable. The only thing that let them down was wheel styles they had. I never thought most of the factory options suited the shape and styling of the body. Great work. Thanks for sharing.

I just bought a 32 year garage find. 1966 Ford Taunus. A tank full of fuel. It was nasty. Scraped the tank . Sent fuel to recycling . Couldn't even have it on my property. It was nasty. Good show. English man looking from Sweden. Good luck. PS want me one of them moose bars. Lol. No good for moose. Might stop a deer wrecking your ride..

What a way to spend Friday night. Sharing beers with Mick. Love the episode mate as always. The explanation on spray patterns and lengths is why we all enjoy your content. (The old indian tricks) Can't wait to see the other cars mate and keep it up.

Few years back I bought a XE PV it was sitting for 7 years. Still had registration. Paid $800. Same thing as you, right down to removing the roo bar, finding the spare key behind the front number plate and a tank full of crap. I lowered it slapped on a fat set of hotwires with a budget $200 satin black paint job. I got offered $10k for it last week. Just cant part with it reliable, cheap to run and great to travel and sleep in.

Awesome, Just down to earth, get her done!

Just found your channel, awesome. Love falcon wagons, been buying them for decades. Just makes me feel really old when you rat rod a car that doesn't seem that old to me..

Good viewing mate 👍 👌 👏 I noticed some wurth products They make a product called rubber care it really helps with installation and rejuvenation of old rubber seals we use it daily at work. Give it a go.

Bud ,I love your videos, you are 100% correct when you say "thats the sort of shit you get hung up on" and the car does sit in the corner for ages. I've been there not done it and the car is still sittin there 5years down the track

Another awesome episode. Great result on the XE... I love the way you explain things too. Looking forward to seeing what's next for the HQ.

My first car was a cream XE GL sedan:- 3-3 six with a four speed, no air or steer. It was as basic as XE's got. It had lovely cloth bucket seats and a great heater. I drove it all over NSW armed with an extra big supply of cassettes to listen to. The engine was.........ok so long as the correct gear was engaged. Door handles were crab. Clutch cable snapped a couple of times. I could see rust creeping in, so got rid of the car before it became a huge deal. Soon after buying it, I had a set of XD Ghia rims fitted to give it's appearance a lift, plus a hood ornament off a Fairlane I think it was. Wasn't a bad car.

job well done."let's get stuck into it" should be words to live by.that wagon looks cool.

I use to absolutely hate these cars now i absolutely miss there boxiness. Car looks amazing

that 1950's Chev pickup in the mud run was sexy AF

That XE looked just about right & good choice on the Wheels & Centre Caps, I like what you do mate 👍👍👍

The XE looks mint and the mud cars and bikes look like a load of fun. Thanks for sharing 👍

It kind of reminds me of the Fairmont wagon we got here in America. They came with a 250 straight six

Watching you hit that quarter glass freaked me out! THe old glass is so much thicker than some of the new stuff - I cracked my wifes on a Camry(2017) windscreen just by lightly tapping on a plastic piece of trim!!!

Mate, would love to see you do a Leyland P76, with that awesome Buick V8! would make interesting viewing considering they were only made for Australia and NZ ha ha! also the fact you could fit a 40 gallon drum in the boot.....in the middle of the 70s fuel crisis.....😆

Was cleaning out my parent's garage when were selling the house recently and discovered a battered 25 litre outboard motor fuel tank hidden under a pile of old paint cans that had once belonged to an old Evinrude 6hp now long gone, and cracked it open to find it a quarter full of 30yr old 2-stroke (had probably been full to the brim once and had slowly evaporated down over the years to become the thick slop that was left at the bottom). I've got a feeling that the stink I experienced that day was similar to what that fuel from your XE smelt like; really sticks in your nostrils and makes your eyes water, eh!

This is awesome Michael,, I loved how you kept its originality,, I’ve an old ‘92 station wagon that I bought near new in ‘93,, it’s still all original and it still runs well and the interior is still mint all original carpet and panels I put a new hood lining in it though but all the seats are mint with no rips or tears,, I put a new/old bonnet on it because the other one was rusted out in the front,, It’s going to the panel and paint shop this month January to have a couple of wee dents and scratches where other cars have parked beside it and yeah they’ve hit my car and left with no note,, It’s going in to have these done and a couple of small rust pieces done and then a total re-spray and clear ,,, When it comes back I was going to re rubber the doors and sills etc and put some different wheels and tyres on it,, all my children are grown up now and have left home and this car I bought when they were born,,, After watching this video I’m kinda excited just to touch it up and repair the dents and scratches and the bit of rust and ask them if they could buff it and clear coat it to try and keep its original look It’s a really nice Holden VN station wagon and it still runs well,, I’ve never put a spanner to the engine or the automatic transmission since I’ve had except for water pump plugs etc it’s fuel injected V6 engine 3.8,,, and has heaps of power,, Will probably change out the power steering pump or get it overhauled it still works great no leaks but sometimes it feels a wee bit stiff when you first start off after being parked for a while,, I offered it to my children but none of them wanted it,,,😢 what would you suggest In regards to,, 1/ not getting a full cover paint job but rather an over spray or buff and clear coat once the scratches and a couple of wee dents are done,,? 2/ I have a friend about an hour away from me who does power steering pumps, should I drive it over to Greg and let him have the vehicle to check out the power steering,,?? I’m in no hurry for it as I have plenty of other vehicles to use,,? 3/ the rubber trims ,,? Will it be okay to replace them after the panel and paint or should they be done before or during,,? Would appreciate your thoughts and advice please,, Thanks Mike too much,, I’m not too concerned about how much it will all cost,, I just love this car and I love driving it,, It’s big it’s roomy it’s got pace it’s quiet it also has air conditioning,, 😀💕👍

Takin some classics yer are now, n givin em some love back out there again. Respect'

Hi Mick, yep that old fuel smell. Just like you..... words can not describe what the old varnished fuel smell like. A little like varnish and paint thinners. Even worse when you run the engine on it and the smell that comes out the tail pipe is even worse. I have been hanging to see mucus return.

Hi mate very nice job 👍 beers time 😮

Now to Add Sunvisor And Tail Gate dust deflector. Great looking patina.

I used to hate the XD body shape falcons back when they were everywhere, now days I really appreciate them. Very cool rig mate 🤙👍👏

I had a '85 xf sedan myself at one stage. 4 speed with factory ac. Had no psteer which was unfortunate. Had lpg too. Wasn't fast but it was super reliable.

Well I pulled the old carpet out of my XD and vacuumed it and then got some liquid omo and the pressure washer out. Worked pretty well . Tip inspired by you 🍺

Nice job on the wagon! You opened up a few ideas I hadn't thought of doing, thanks again for your content...

Bloopers are always a highlight....

Life is busy so had to watch this awesome ep over two days. Well worth it. As always Mick, you are a master of your art. Bloopers are awesome. XE turned out perfect. Well done mate.👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

Thumbs up. Certainly looks a lot longer being low, l had to look to see if it wasn’t a hearse. Hope you put a globe in the right rev light.

Turned out beautifully Mick! Honestly shocked at the result it’s the perfect blend of 80s cool and 60s retro all in one cannot wait when AU’s start getting this sort of treatment! BTW I’m pretty sure this is the GL Eclipse edition due to the two tone color scheme!❤ cause the family pack was on XF mainly for the 25th anniversary editions!

THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT VIDEO AS JOY WATCHING

Funny how much that Falcon looks like my 1984 Ford Granada estate (the European one) , and yet it's so different!

Sometimes less is more. Turned out mint

did a good job with the wagon! a man after me own heart, don't have to explain yourself so much though!

Look like a spac front bar for the win! Nice....

37:59 never has a truer word been spoken!

I love how you save these old girls good solid steel great cruiser reminds of an xf I brought the passenger door handle was the only one not broken I remember starting it one morning not long after I got it and closed the door ping last door handle breaks lol managed to get a ladder and pop the sunroof and had to climb in through the roof to shut her off goodtimes was a bloody great car once I got the niggles sorted

Falcon wagon had a whole lot of room for the camping enthusiasts,or last minute stay. Excellent work, very disappointed in my self for not keeping any of my older vehicles. They were sadly just slightly old in the late 80s and 90s, I couldn't have imagined the money they would be worth

I have bought cheap vinyl reviver and soaked rubbers in it in a bucket. Leave it for a few days and even EJ wagon rubbers that were rock hard came back around. It keeps them greasy enough to help when installing like you did also. My 2 cents...

Awesome 😎

Love the XE . Drove XDs and XEs as Police cars back in the day here in NZ. The XD's were Aussie assembled (grey deck chairs striped seats) and no power steer, they were as tough as nails but a dray to drive. The XE we got had power steer, what a difference, loved driving that car....good memories. You do a great channel, had an Aussie built XA 500 factory 302 Clevo as my own car in the 80's, should have kept it.

Great simple tips explained great content and with the bloopers it’s great to laugh at your self (god knows I do everyday 😆) and your arch nemesis is your compressor😎 the mud run would be a grouse event to watch Keep up the great work mick

Great outcome. Kudos

Mateeeeee! Bloody unreal as usual, it looks so sick!! I reckon I learned a good 5 things on this one!! Loved the surfboards on the racks at the end to 👌👌

Awesume job Mick bloody cool looking for a Ford lols love the mud mad max trucks lols what a blast , cheers , shaneo, nelson, nz, 👍🍺

Cant beat that carby goodness. Looking forward to that econo 22 mpg + fuel efficiency. Roadtrip anyone???

I'm stoked seeing these 70's and 80's budget classics given a second chance. I'm sure your content has and will inspire both the nostalgic old farts and newer generation DIYers among your viewers to rescue many, many more. Great work Mick, can't wait to see more crusty relics rescued on your channel. And now for something completely different... I'm no stranger to the woes of old car rubber and the shock of how much it can cost to replace seals, bungs, trim bits etc that are no longer manufactured. I'm guessing that you likely already know about this this "fix" for old rubber, (but just in case you haven't tried it)... I've had good results on over 90% of the 35 year old rubber I took off my 87 Jag resto mod. Body, door, window, outer screen seals etc, were brought back to better than usable condition with WD40 Silicone Spray, sandwich bags and time... First give 'em a good clean with dish soap and a softish kitchen scourer to take off dirt and hard layer then rinse and dry. Next find yourself an airtight sealable bag big enough to allow you to arrange the rubber bits, leaving enough space so you don't have to struggle to close the bag. After that spray the rubber and inside of the bag with far too much WD40 Silicone spray (more than enough to cover the rubber) ..$9 a can. Finally seal the bag whilst getting our as much air as you can, massage the liquid into any pockets that aren't coated and then just let it sit for a week (longer is better if you're in no hurry). I did this to all of the rubber bits I removed for the body prep, and painting processes and topped up the WD40 from time to time. I reckon it was all soaking for about a month give or take. I honestly didn't think it'd do anything much but I was floored at how the rubber responded. Definitely won't work on everything. Some bits are just FUBAR from trying to get them off or rock hard, cracked or flaking to pieces. Worth trying though, can't make it any worse.

Just came across your channel Mick, love your work. -When you get a moment, set your playback to slow & click on - 45:58 Cheeky little bugger got pretty close eh? lol, one for the classic moments.

i have to agree with james barton you are just fair dinkum awsome no bs just get it done love it love it love it

These videos are fantastic. I like the aspect of preserving instead of restoring. How many "Projects" have we seen on various websites where a car is pulled apart only to sit in a garage corner. Great work!

Well done 👍

Great video! Enjoyed watching from here in central florida USA!

II'm glad i found your channel. Very entertaining.

Lowered looks great. But not a lot of good if camping in the bush. .could put air shocks. bags. Make a fun ride.

In my opinion. I think it would look better if the bull bar was still on it. Those Falcons just look so awesome with bull bars on them

Awesome wagon

Great episode.

Yes! Another Backshed video - so worth waiting for! Thank you. XE wagon: That result is my kind of "high art."

Shape's up pretty good, all the best to yous and your loved ones

Like the bull bar on the front mate

Those early 80s falcons are so strange looking to me the American. It almost looks like a giant economy car.

Should get yourself the car yard ramps. Make things easier to clean the underside. Just a thought

yeah nice work

Mate when I started watching this I thought,thats the ugliest fuckn car I've ever seen.How the hell do you make this pos cool.Then I remembered how skillfull you are Michael.You never fail to impress.Wish you could do a new car every week,love it!!

Another enjoyable production. Well done.

Thanks mate, great work. Awesome

Deadly, should’ve left the Bullbar, Mick Taylor would approve.

I'm really enjoying these long videos, cheers mate 🍻

I'd say the fuel smells like pickled deck stain with a hint of inner tube air! You'd be surprised at how many old cars have a spare key hidden on the somewhere, behind the number plate was always a good spot 👍

Loving the binge watching haha.. would kill for another long roof and loving the patina 🍻

Love ya work mick. Can't believe I watched an episode on an XE wag..lol... you still made itentertaining... btw, only soapy water in a spray bottle for rope in glass 👍

Just stumbled onto this episode Mick. You are certainly a natural talent mate well done. Subscribed & will watch all of your future works.

Te rust on the roof is from sitting in the sunshine to long same for the Hood. To bad you did not do a walk around on that Ford Pickup, I once had a 76 Ford Pickup with 390 V8 got 11mpg empty or loaded sure missed that truck. I ran er on g asoline & it was not cheap even then, also automatic, PS, PB (drum all around)

Awesome episode here Mick, clever tips for the handyman thrown in and explained very well. l had the same experience finding a set of keys up in the wheel arch of an XD Falcon l purchased down in Rosebud Victoria back in the late '80's. Keep up the great work Mick, always a joy to find another episode to watch with cool content. Take care and catch you again soon with another project.

Love the old XE's👍good to see it back on the road, them "mud races" look like fun

Mate, this was awesome. The old man had a red XE wagon, I’ve had a XT,ZJ, XF, EA,EB,ED,AU,BA, BFXr6T lol🤣 Oh to be young 😂. Love the channel. I have a spare spot on my channel for a driver in my current Race series , so I’ll put you in for a drive and see if you can win a race or 2 at Thunder Valley😊 . Keep up the awesome work Mick, Macey “Aussie Diecast Racing League” Tasmania

Holy crap, that came out absolutely incredible! What a transformation! I have always had a soft spot for XE Wagons in particular, as I learned to drive in one. I'd absolutely love to have one some day!

Love your channel and very informative and cost effective, cheers

Nice one mick, you've got a bloody good eye for making shit look a lot cooler than it should. Another ripper episode, cheers mate .

loved the video. Know what you mean about the smell of rancid fuel, I have just started working on my XE wagon in jade green after sitting since 2009.The petrol was the color of muddy water.

Mate, this would be my favorite video yet! The XE looks mean as, keep it up 👍 cheers. Bruce NZ

Great job Mick, looks mad. Save them all I say

‘ Smellavision ‘ yes!! 😂

Good video I miss miss you put them out hope you’re well😊

Love to see some valiants on the channel! Great vid! Keep it up!

Love it..quite amazing🦾🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Looks like an eclipse pack Falcon and a fairly late XE at that.

Fantastic video there mate. From William 👍

Well done Mick, the wagon turned out a treat. The ride height is perfect and good job on the paint. Rub a bit of mud around those wheels to get 'em lookin old LoL. Top Job mate!! I just picked up an XF ute out of SA and giving it a quick buff and shine over to drive as a survivor. Keep at it mate, Cheers.👍

Nice video.