GAVIN HALL

Purchased after a relationship breakdown and then built three times during the last ten years, Gavin Hall finally has his XA Falcon where he wants it. For a while anyway…

1973 Xa Falcon

Some people are never satisfied. They finish a job and then sit back and think, “I could have done this better, or done that a different way”. It’s just human nature. Gavin Hall is one such person, hence why his XA Falcon has changed three times in ten years. The current look was completed within 12 months and has appeared back onto the Townsville car scene looking better and brighter than ever! When the Falcon came into Gavin’s possession, the body was rusty, but hadn’t been played with so what you saw, is what you got, with no hidden nasty surprises. It did come with a GT Bonnet and guards, but this didn’t mean Gavin was going to build another GT replica. The guards have been retained on the latest build, but the bonnet now features a scoop based on the BOSS429 Mustang that has been reshaped to suit the XA body lines. Body mods have been kept to a minimum with just a small front spoiler added to an otherwise untouched exterior. The engine bay has been smoothed out with all unnecessary holes welded up, with the same process done to the underside. With the metal prep done, Gavin had Adam Colquhoun at Chad Panel and Paint lay on litres of Red Pepper paint to the entire body before the unique side strips were laid on by Kai’s Signs. Completing the exterior makeover is a set of colourcoded Outlaw Intensity rims measuring 15x4 and 15x8-inches.

Inside, there’s yet more red. It’s probably not the place to be early in the morning after a big night, but that’s not to say it’s not cool!

Peter Pardon at Perbrery Upholstery got the nod to stitch up an interior that was going to make the XA a standout. Mission accomplished! The original XA seats have been replaced by BF Falcon items, the door trims are custom and the centre console is a one-off to suit Gavin’s needs. The colour of choice is a retina-burning Fire Engine Red with covers all the new trim with contrasting dark red carpet under foot. With the dash pad painted red, the facia is all black and retains the circa ’73-gauge cluster, though it’s now partially blocked from view by the AutoMeter tacho and shift light that sist between the dash and the billet steering wheel. The console holds the Aeroflow shifter and alloy cupholders. Whilst out cruising, Gavin has the tunes pumping through an impressive Retrosound and Kenwood sound system. Where he could, Gavin installed new glass as well as all rubbers etc to give the XA’s interior a true, new look and feel.

Hiding under that reworked bonnet sits a finely detailed Cleveland sporting no less than 393 cubic inches. Pieced together by a local engine builder, the small block not only looks sweet, but goes every bit as good as the visuals suggest. The standard block was taken 30-thou over to accept the Scat forged crank, rods and forged pistons wrapped in SRP rings along with a Comp hydraulic roller cam, modified factory oil pump and a 7-litre ASR sump. From there, a pair of Edelbrock RPM alloy heads kitted out with the usual high-quality gear the company is known for. The Air Gap intake manifold also sports the Edelbrock branding and plays host to a single 750cfm DP Quick Fuel carb. After the MSD ignition system fires the tough small block into life, a pair of Pacemaker headers sends the gases out into the atmosphere via a dual, three-inch exhaust system. With a belly full of 98-octane fuel, the stretched Clevo produced 400hp and 570 foot-pounds of torque at the wheels. Other notable features include the CVF Racing pulleys and bracketry that also incorporates the air-conditioning pump etc. Gavin backed the engine with a built C10 auto fronted with a 4200rpm converter that gets the power to the 4.11-geared trutrac XB disc brake 9-inch diff. The axles are Billet A9 31-spline. As well as being detailed like the upside, the suspension and braking systems have seen plenty of upgrades with the frontend scoring 350-pound springs, and dual-valve GM shocks from the Viking catalogue. Down the back, the springs are 3-inch lowered Kings with matching Viking shocks and Gazzard Bros Caltracs. DBA crossdrilled disc rotors live inside each wheel.

The current build was only completed Feb this year, but prior to that, the XA had won its fair share of awards at various shows including Top 10’s, Best Engine Bay, Top Ford, Peoples Choice and more. No doubt, there will plenty of more gold coming Gavin’s way now this makeover is complete. So, what does the future hold?

Gavin explains, “I’m going to enjoy the car for the next 12 months with some shows and some runs down the quarter mile, but mostly cruising on the street. At some stage I’d like to Procharge the engine for more horsepower at which time I’ll do more work to the engine bay too!” Sounds like the Falcon is far from finished…again!

THANKS TO: Peter Pardon at Perbrery Uphostery. Adam and Chad at Chad Panel and Paint. Nathan at Ace Upholstery for Headliner and carpet install. Maddy at Kai’s Signs for graphics along with Paul Monkhouse for all his contacts. Bruce McKean for his 3D printing and design work in heater control deletion panel so I could add 3 switches to instead of drilling into dash, rear seat lever button and surround, and filler plated for new LED interior lights. Most importantly, my son Brendan Hall for his assistance.