Story
1970 Ford Falcon GT-HO Phase II
Ford Australia developed the XW Falcon GT-HO Phase II as a road-legal production-touring homologation car. It kept the practical four-door XW GT body and five-seat cabin but paired them with a narrowly defined high-output Cleveland engine, close-ratio four-speed, heavy driveline, Daytona rear axle, larger brakes, handling equipment, long-range tank, and five-slot wheels. Ordinary XW GT equipment and cosmetic additions do not make a Phase II.
Phase II, not every Cleveland XW
The first XW GT-HO used a 351 Windsor. A March-April 1970 interim group commonly called Phase 1.5 introduced the Cleveland while retaining much of the earlier hydraulic-lifter, wide-ratio, 28-spline specification. Full Phase II production followed in the June-October period. It added the solid-lifter Cleveland development, close-ratio Toploader, 31-spline 3.50 Daytona rear axle, larger tailshaft and universal joints, wider finned rear drums, proportioning valve, and five-slot wheels. Build date and one installed part cannot establish the phase by themselves.
Solid-lifter Cleveland
The 351-cid Cleveland retained the 4.00-inch bore and 3.50-inch stroke and was advertised at 300 gross horsepower and 380 lb-ft. Phase II preparation included a solid cam and lifters, larger pushrods with guide plates, four-barrel induction commonly reported at 750 cfm, and dual-point ignition. An H code, 4V heads, or a Holley carburetor is only a starting point. The block and assembly identity, castings, valvetrain, intake, carburetor, ignition, exhaust, dates, and Ford records all need to agree.
Close-ratio driveline and chassis
The four-speed Toploader used a 2.32:1 first gear, followed by 1.69, 1.29, and direct fourth. A heavy tailshaft and larger joints connected it to the 9-inch Daytona rear axle with a nodular carrier, 31-spline shafts, limited slip, and a 3.50:1 ratio. The chassis combined independent coil-spring front suspension with a leaf-sprung live rear axle, uprated springs and dampers, and front and rear anti-roll bars. Power-assisted front discs, wider finned rear drums, and a proportioning valve completed the regular Phase II brake package.
Appearance and cabin
Phase II cars used the XW GT's four-door body, black bonnet treatment, hood scoop and pins, side stripe, Super Roo identification, twin driving lamps, and front chin spoiler. Five-slot 14 x 6-inch wheels carried ER70H14 radials. Inside were front bucket seats, a console and floor shifter, full GT gauges, a 140-mph speedometer, and an 8,000-rpm Cleveland tachometer. Paint and trim varied, and rare options such as power steering or a factory sunroof require car-specific records.
Production counts conflict
A Ford-derived color summary totals 287 Phase IIs, including 95 records without a paint code. Shannons and Australian Muscle Car references report 285, while a Falcon GT Club anniversary supplement reports 402. Those scopes have not been reconciled by serial and build date in the reviewed public evidence. This page leads with the detailed 287-car summary and preserves the other figures as explicit conflicts rather than averaging or silently choosing among them.
Identifying an individual car
Start with the Australian XW GT sedan identifiers, including the JG33 body prefix, then obtain Ford Australia or recognized Falcon GT verification tied to the chassis. Reconcile the compliance plate, chassis and engine sequences, build date, title, dealer and ownership records, engine assembly, Toploader, tailshaft, Daytona rear axle, brakes, suspension, wheels, paint, trim, and protected original evidence. A stripe, scoop, front spoiler, H code, Cleveland engine, or collection of Phase II parts cannot prove identity alone.
Native Australian pricing
Published references report a new price of A$4,830 and later Australian-dollar sales ranging into the hundreds of thousands. The current structured pricing and valuation contract supports USD and CAD, not AUD. Those native amounts remain cited research gaps rather than being mislabeled as US dollars or converted without a dated exchange-rate contract. They can be added cleanly when typed AUD support exists.