Words: NZV8 | Photos: Danny Wood
Your life changes when you have kids; everybody knows that. There are always plenty of ups and downs, but one of the greatest opportunities available to parents is the chance to share with them something that you’re passionate about. For Jamie Etridge, that was the ability to build a car for his son. And it looks like he’s done a bang-up job. The careful attention to detail, the refusal to cut corners, and the obsession with getting every last element perfect really shine through on this 1969 Ford Falcon XT. With the intention of handing over the keys to his son on his 21st birthday, this car would prove to be his most in-depth build yet, as it was required to stand the test of time as a family heirloom. That purpose drove every decision over the next four years of meticulous work, resulting in one of the most comprehensively built XTs we’ve seen.
“I’ve been around cars all my life,” Jamie explains. His garage has housed everything from ’62 and ’68 Impalas, turbo ’63 & ’64 Cortinas, a T-bucket, various HSVs and many more performance muscle cars. One of his current favourites in the garage is an HSV R8 with a rowdy LSA. But among all of those machines, the XT holds a very special significance. “There aren’t many XT Falcons around. I thought it would be a fun project. I grew up around all the old ’60s and ’70s cars and always dreamed of owning one.”
The hunt for the right car wasn’t easy. Jamie had tried to buy several XTs before this one, but each had different issues. He was set on something that was already pretty reasonable, since he knows how much work it takes to fix severe rust. After looking around for quite some time, things finally started looking up when his friend Tristan from Wanaka put him onto one that had been sitting in a shed, deregistered for 28 years. The sale information noted that it was “overall rust-free, and never been in an accident”, Jamie recalls. So he flew down south to view it, and never looked back.
It wasn’t plain sailing, of course; the XT arrived as little more than a barely rolling body — the 28-year hibernation had left it seized and dusty, but the body was the best they’d found in a long time — making it the perfect blank canvas for Jamie’s new project. After getting it back to Wellington, what followed was a four-year journey that would have Jamie and his mates touch every single component of the car. Jamie wasn’t any newbie to a refresh, but this was next level for him, “I didn’t realise how many parts were needed, and each part — especially custom components — had so many moving parts, and had to be mounted perfectly,” Jamie admits. “Things were made and remade, fitted then moved, etc. It was four years of ‘let’s try this’ and ‘what do we need to order?’”
The core of any serious build is the bodywork and rust remediation, and despite the car’s solid starting point, Jamie went to the Nth degree. “Every possible rust spot was cut out and replaced with new, strengthened replacement parts, welded up and later certified,” he says — it was a level of thoroughness that would prove helpful when the LVVTA certification process came around later, and likely help the car last another 50 years. During this bodywork period, Jamie also opted to install an RRS shock tower notching kit, both to help strengthen things up front and provide more room in the bay for the engine and headers.
With Bill Spears from Muscle Therapy taking on the role of principal builder and fabricator, Jamie became a near-permanent fixture at the workshop. “I spent weeks and weeks there, day and night. His family were super supportive and accommodating,” Jamie recalls. Bill’s high level of care, and dedication to realising Jamie’s vision would prove crucial in creating the Falcon that we see here today.
With the body eventually being overhauled, next it was a question of running gear. It was decided that the heart of the XT had to pay respects to its lineage, so Jamie chose an engine based on a 302ci V8, being how many of these Falcons came originally. On the other hand though, he figured that you might as well have a bit of fun with it, so a hotted-up stroked version — a BluePrint 347ci crate engine — was built by Grant Rivers in Whanganui. By all accounts, Grant did a bloody good job. Into it went brand new everything: valves, springs, retainers, bearings, a grumpy camshaft, Johnson roller cam followers, roller rockers, and fresh push rods. Grant also fitted a Gilmer belt drive, and of course, a fresh alternator and water pump.
Elsewhere, a Brawler carburettor sits atop the intake manifold, fed by a Holley fuel pump. An MSD distributor plus vacuum advance was fitted too. Exhaust exits through Pacemaker headers, into a full three-inch twin-pipe X-Force exhaust system that really lets the engine sing. And a custom-made three-row aluminium radiator with twin 10-inch cooling fans keeps temperatures in check, while to clean things up in the bay, the battery was relocated to the boot.
With everything buttoned up, the engine makes between 450-500hp at the flywheel; a healthy improvement over the factory 200-odd that the XT originally rolled out with.
That power is transmitted through a brand-new Tremec TKX five-speed manual, both making this a very engaging car to drive, and also ensuring that his son grows up to be a proper petrolhead. Behind the transmission sits a heavy-duty triple-plate clutch, while a custom driveshaft sends everything rearward to a nine-inch diff with 31-spline axles.
The undercarriage received the same obsessive attention as everything else; up front, a full RRS suspension setup, as well as adjustable coilovers were fitted, along with a full strut brace kit, while King Springs, adjustable shocks, and a torsion bar look after things in the rear.
Having upgraded the engine so much, the brakes had to be up to standard, especially if his son would be driving it one day. So stopping power comes from an RRS brake kit utilising 330mm RRS rotors and VTTR six-piston callipers up front, with Wilwood four-piston callipers at the rear. Everything was completely overhauled — a theme of this build — with brand-new brake lines, as well as an RRS Stealth SS under dash brake booster setup, and while they were at it, they added an RRS power rack and pinion setup.
To keep this Falcon planted on the ground, American Racing wheels in staggered sizes were fitted — with 18-inch fronts and 20-inch rears. They all wear Bridgestone RE003 rubber: 235/40R18 up front, and 275/30R20 out back. It’s an aggressive stance, but the 20s manage to tuck nicely in the rear.
The custom paint colour — which Jamie simply calls ‘Happy Blue’ — is a great match for this car, and suits the ’60s body lines perfectly. “I painted it in this colour as it’s my happy colour. It’s pretty unique for an XT to be completed like this, and when I show the car to people, I wanted to give them a big smile,” Jamie explains.
Kevin Dunston Panel and Paint handled the paintwork, bringing Jamie’s colour choice to life exactly as he’d hoped. Again, they installed every new part they could get their hands on — new bumpers, new chrome throughout, new rubbers, windscreen, locks, handles, new bonnet, boot lid — the list goes on. They also updated the headlights and driving lights, installing LED units, and added a musical air horn for some whimsical cheer. Even the boot release is hidden, maintaining the clean lines Jamie obsessed over throughout the build.
Inside, custom upholstered ED Falcon front seats anchor a fully bespoke carbon-fibre–style interior executed by Ivan Booth. “Ivan did the full interior and was honest and upfront, doing a great job,” Jamie says. The carbon-fibre theme extends to a custom dash, with a bespoke surround housing the gauge cluster. A seamlessly fitted Auto Gauge Monster tacho and shift light provide a nice nod to Jamie’s younger days, while a Scarles steering wheel and Hurst shifter make up the driver’s main touchpoints. Modern conveniences include electric start, a new heater, central locking, USB charging ports, reversing camera, as well as a Sony head unit with 6×9 speakers, subwoofer, and a serious amp. A new headliner and new carpets were part of this intensive refresh, while Dynamat lines the doors and the floor to provide some modern sound-deadening. “The detail — I love details, and making things look right,” Jamie says.
With such an in-depth build undertaken over four years, the support network around Jamie proved essential. Bill Spears’ dedication kept the project moving forward even when challenges arose, plus Jaysen Eveleigh, Clive Lilley, Ken Wood and Tristan Penrose all provided crucial help along the way. From here, Jamie intends to enjoy the car as much as he can with his son — taking him on school runs where he can, and going to car shows together to show off their hard-earned gem of a Falcon. “I built this car for my son, and to create memories together, so I couldn’t be happier,” he says.
Between now and when his young son eventually turns 21, Jamie is going to use this Falcon as the poster car for an upcoming initiative, Ryder Motorsport, through which he plans to educate his son and other youngsters about how to handle performance cars responsibly. This will be both about modifying them safely and properly, and to raise awareness around the consequences of being reckless with them. It sounds like there is a lot of quality time to come, then.
OWNER Q&A
DRIVER: Jamie Etridge
CAR CLUB: Obsolete Car Club
AGE: 42
OCCUPATION: Self-employed
PREVIOUSLY OWNED CARS: ’62 and ’68 Impalas, ’63 and ’64 Cortinas, a T-bucket, and plenty of other performance cars. Currently owns an HSV Clubsport R8 LSA
DREAM CAR: ’56 Chev Bel Air two-door sports coupe, HT Monaro
WHY THE FALCON? Not many XT Falcons around, I thought it would be a fun project. Grew up around all the old ’60s and ’70s cars, and always dreamed of owning one. I also wanted to build a car to give to my son for his 21st birthday
BUILD TIME: Four years
LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: Five years
JAMIE THANKS: Bill Spears from Muscle Therapy, Ivan Booth for the full interior, Kevin Dunston Panel and Paint, and everyone who helped and supported me, especially Clive Lilley, Ken Wood, Jaysen Eveleigh and Tristan Penrose
SPEC LIST
VEHICLE: 1969 Ford Falcon XT
ENGINE: BluePrint Engines Ford 347ci cast iron crate engine, BluePrint aluminium heads, BluePrint hydraulic roller cam, Johnson Lifters hydraulic roller lifters, roller rockers, BluePrint cast crankshaft, forged pistons, forged rods, MSD distributor with vacuum advance, AFR intake manifold, Brawler carburettors, Holley fuel pump, Gilmer belt drive, Pacemaker headers, three-inch X-Force exhaust, custom aluminium radiator, twin 10-inch fans
DRIVELINE: Tremec TKX five-speed manual gearbox, triple-plate heavy duty clutch, nine-inch differential, 31-spline axles, custom driveshaft
SUSPENSION: RRS coilover front suspension, full RRS front end, RRS rear shocks, King Spring rear springs
BRAKES: 330mm RRS brake rotors with VTTR six-piston front callipers, Wilwood four-piston rear callipers, RRS Stealth SS under-dash brake booster
WHEELS/TYRES: US Mags Rambler wheels, 18×9-inch front, 20×11-inch rear, Bridgestone RE003 235/40R18 front tyres, 275/30R20 rear tyres
EXTERIOR: Custom ‘Happy Blue’ paint, new bumpers, LED daylight running lights, custom LED lights, new chrome throughout, new rubbers, hidden boot release, new windscreen, new locks, new door handles, new bonnet, new boot lid
INTERIOR: Custom reupholstered carbon-fibre–style interior, custom ED Falcon front seats, Scarles steering wheel, Hurst shifter, Dolphin gauges, Auto Gauge Monster tacho and shift light, electronic start button, central locking, USB chargers, new heater, Dynamat sound deadening
AUDIO: Sony head unit, 6x9s, subwoofers, amp
CHASSIS: RRS Cammer strut tower notching kit
PERFORMANCE: 450–500hp
