Displaying items by tag: fr20177

Old Gold – the ‘Chicken Coupe’.

A legendary 1973 Ford Falcon XA GT RPO 83 was auctioned in July 2020 and sold for more than $300,000. The auction of the rusty ‘barn find’ made headline news around Australia and overseas. Purchased by a private South Australian enthusiast, the Falcon has now been sent to Finch Restorations for a detailed ground-up restoration.

As rare as hen's teeth, we have sourced New Old Stock (NOS) quarter panels for the also rare 1973 Ford Falcon XA GT RPO 83 'Chicken Coupe'. These (unused) panels would likely have been pressed during the original Ford XA production run in the early 1970s.

The legendary Chicken Coupe has arrived at Finch Restorations for a full ground-up restoration. The very rare 1973 Ford Falcon XA GT RPO 83 made headline news around Australia and overseas when it sold at auction for over $300,000.

At Finch Restorations, one of the first steps in the Chicken Coupe project was to assign one of our project managers. Molly was assigned as the project manager before the Coupe arrived at our workshops in the Adelaide Hills.

Due to the poor condition of the Chicken Coupe, after decades of rat-infestation while stored in an open-fronted shed, the car represented a bio-hazard to humans.

While being careful to note any archaeological details, the Coupe needed to be rid of rat faeces and rat's nests. Their removal started to reduce the terrible odours, which lingered in the body until the car was eventually stripped and dipped.

The disassembly stage is a major activity during the ground-up restoration process when a car is transformed back to its constituent components. Usually the car will transition to a state where it is in more pieces than it was in the factory, as sub-assemblies used in the factory, like the drive-line, also need to be repaired and reconditioned.