Falcons were near the model T for simplicity. I had a friend in HS who had one with a gazillion miles. The auto trans got to where it would not shift out of low, so he drove it around (slowly) in low with the engine screamin'
The 2-speed automatic was good to some 45-50 mph in first gear. IIRC it was about equivalent to 2 in the 3-speed manual's gears, and depended on the TC as a pseudo-first gear to get off the line.
That car broke down early and often, yet only actually stranded me once. It was amazing how far you could go limping, or by use of chewing gum, etc. It got a new rocker bar once, and only a few hours operation after install I heard a horrid squeaking because my brother had forgotten to turn on the auxiliary oiler which ruined the thing. I just used a file to smooth out the worst of the scoring, turned it over, turned on the oiler, and it's been that way ever since. -- Jim
