Hi, my name is Gunnar Hanson. My wife Elaine and I moved to Sun City in 2004. We brought with us our cherished 1963-1/2 Ford Falcon, which will be 50 years old in October this year.
In March of 1970, I received a call from my uncle in California. He told me that he had a spare car taking up space in his carport and wanted to give it to someone in the family that would take care of it. If I wanted it, I would have to travel to California and drive it back; well, that was an easy decision!
Gunnar Hanson sits in his 1963-1/2 Ford Falcon. (Chris La Pelusa /Sun Day Photo)
A bad snowstorm was brewing in Chicagoland at that time, but my wife, our 16-year-old son Kyle, and I headed to San Diego, where my uncle met us. We drove to Escondido, where he and my aunt owned a double-wide mobile home in Lawrence Welk’s Mobile Home Park. There, we had our first look at this unique little car. It was a Ford Falcon Futura convertible with a 260 V-8 engine, a two-speed automatic transmission, and mechanical brakes. Since our visit lasted several days, I had the opportunity to grease, oil change, check tires, and inspect components to ensure a safe trip home.
We left early in the morning one day with the intention of heading for Fort Worth, Texas, planning for a late evening arrival to visit with relatives who lived there. We kept in mind the bad weather in Illinois, especially since I realized that the dashboard had no heater controls. The next rest stop confirmed my suspicions — no heater! The thought crossed my mind — should anyone attempt to drive in Northern Illinois in March without a heat/defroster unit in their car?
When my uncle purchased the Falcon, cars were offered both with and without radios and heaters. He paid $1,832 for the brand new car in October of ’63. My uncle, John Carlson, was a fascinating man. He was a mechanical genius who immigrated to the States in the early 1920s from Sweden. In 1937, he invented the first machine for producing toothbrushes automatically — when China boar bristle was the filament of choice. He was a wealthy man but could also be frugal. Perhaps it didn’t make sense to him to put a heater in a car when you lived in Southern California.
The Falcon’s 260 cu. in. engine. (Chris La Pelusa/Sun Day Photo)
We discussed our situation and decided to make a detour to Tucson, Arizona, where Elaine had relatives who owned a Texaco garage and gas station on Oracle Dr. I explained our dilemma of traveling to our home in St. Charles, Illinois without a heater. Their response: no problem!
The first thing Elaine’s brother-in-law Bill did was to put his large tool box in the back of his pickup truck with a large cardboard box and colored tape to mark the cables, etc. We drove to an auto junkyard and found a similar Falcon that had been rear-ended. Luckily, the engine compartment was damage free. The whole process to remove the complete heating and defrosting system took about two hours and about three hours to re-install in my car — a fairly easy procedure.
This delay meant we didn’t arrive in Fort Worth until about 3 a.m. the following day. The last leg of the trip to St. Charles went without incident, thanks to a junkyard heater! I never mentioned the heater episode to my uncle; I’m sure he never thought the car would move north. I promised my uncle that I would take good care of the Falcon as long as I am alive, and I have honored that vow.
The Falcon was a precursor to the much-beloved Mustang. It is now a rare car with very few in existence. Many were demolished and some were abandoned – but their legacy lives on. Not only does the car have a sentimental connection for me and our family, but it is also my pride and joy when attending car shows, parades, and special events, like transporting our children after their wedding ceremonies.
Happy travels!
Gunnar F. Hanson
Sun City resident
