My friend saw this car sitting in a town in Oregon a couple weeks ago and it had a 4 sale sign in the window. He knows my love for 63 Galaxies so he let me know about it. This past Sunday I made the 45 minute drive over to look for it. I found it right where he said it was. It is a 390 with factory bucket seats and floor console and floor shifter. After talking to the owner and a thorough inspection I took it for a test drive which it ran and drove perfect. It needs floor and trunk pan and lower qtr rust repair. and just about everything else as you can see. Nothing I can't do. I left Sunday without buying it but couldn't get it out of my mind so I called the guy today and made the deal and he drove it to my house when I got off work. To my surprise when he showed up with it the back seat was full of extra parts including two more bucket seats. He made me a killer deal on the price as well.
Cool, my first new car was a 63 Ford Galaxie 500, 390 4 speed convertible. Had a sticker list of $3600.00. Good luck on this car.
63 1/2 500XL My favourite 60's Ford. Owned one for 10 years 390 Cruisomatic. You can buy all the reproduction interior, I know the HAMB is Rods and Customs, but the original Ford trim for these cars is outstanding. Here's a bit of inspiration
I remember that the people who bought the flat tops, were really pissed off when the fastbacks came out 6 months later..
One of my favorite years. Had a bench seat,390 4 speed 3x2 car. In my infinite ignorance I sold it. Sold it to a collector who specialized in early 60's muscle cars. Definitely one of those cars I wish I had back.
Those wheelcovers will make great Frisbees or clay pigeons! Almost got a real solid one in '82 for $500 but somebody beat me to it; finally got a nice one-owner moredoor in the '90s for the same price:
Had one back in '69. 427 4sp bench seat. Car rode like a dream and was fast. Pissed off a lot of guys back then with their factory muscle cars. They just couldn't believe they just got beat by it.
My Control Line model airplane partner got an inheritance from his deceased Dad, plus a big check for 'wrongful death' in a law suit. He ordered a new '63-1/2 Fastback, 427 and B/W 4 speed, radio delete, bench seat, 'spartan' interior... When it arrived, he drove it around 1 day, then we tore the Holley carbs off, boxed them up, and sent them to Les Ritchie's 'Performance Associates', for the geared secondaries and 'street/drag super tune'. Bill Waters Ford in Oakland had a 3rd member (4.11) with posi ('Equalock'?) (Long time ago) We flat towed it to the drags, (Fremont then, later 'Baylands') behind friend Jack's 426 Plymouth. Guys at the gate razzed us, "Hey, you guys have the Race Car on the wrong end of that tow bar!" I asked Jim to let me take it through...he declined. "You might do this all the time, but I think I can drive my car just fine!" Oh yeah...he 'dialed it in' at 13.60. LOL But in all fairness, he did let me drive it through. (jumped the bracket, got D.Q.ed for 'sandbagging'...) we 'corked it up' and he drove it home. Fast car, actually...he just had to learn to drive it. (which he did, eventually...Match raced every comer at the Montague Expressway 'track'...SCTA Sanctioned, that's 'Santa Clara Timing Ass'n' ) 10 P.M. most week nights, we were the RJ drive in crowd...wicked adversaries were the gang from the Sunnyvale A&W. (those guys were organized...They had A&W decals on their wing windows! 3" water slides, took some 'pull' to get those...) There was an Asian kid with a '62 Chev tudor post model, 409. Called himself 'The Chinaman'. Undefeated, all the time we ran out there...he blew Jim's doors off, 3 out of 3. Jack finally beat the Chinaman with the 426 Plymouth...and not by much. That was one fast 409! But the 427 was always 'noticed'...Guys would say, "Listen to this Ford!" If you were standing 'down track' and he cut it loose from the lights, the sound of the induction was this extremely low 'roar'. Sounded 'ominous'. So I bought a white '63-1/2 when I found one. It was a 260 car (!!) Getting my new 406.
Seeing a 63 1/2 always gets the blood pumping a wee bit faster. For those of us of certain age, seeing guys like Fred Lorenzen racing them in Holman and Moody trim is an indelible memory. John Mumford's 63 1/2 done by Roy Brizio and Dave Lane's are two fine high end examples! TEB
I've got a 64 500XL Convert 390 4V Cruiso. Had it for 11 years now. Love those 63 64 full size Fords. Are we going to be treated to a build thread? Good luck with it and enjoy Sent from my SM-N9005 using H.A.M.B. mobile app
Here's mine, factory 390 auto car work in progress. Car was very rough but had good bones. Has a Crites frontend.
I used to hate these cars but about 15 years ago I bought a 2 DR sedan and fell in love with it. Then I got a box top hardtop. This is my first fast back.. I'm a die hard Kustom guy so I keep looking at it from that angle but a hot rod wood be fun.
The Jalopy Journal
