I found this car last year and finally got the bag full of quarters nickles and dimes it took to buy it. It replaces the one I stupidly sold 25 years ago. Been scanning through the pics I took and dammit not one of them is a front quarter shot, so I'll post up a pic later. It's not the 390 I used to have but I can remedy that in a while. The smallblock will be fine for now.
Here she is, dirty dusty, and a little tired looking. Been sitting for too long, got to get her up and running!
Got to love the spray can gangster whitewalls (LOL) and the Mexican blanket on the rear seat. She needs some TLC for sure. I think I have all the trim in the trunk. Got a nice straight new grille to replace the bent up one. I built my first one back in Virginia from a body shell I bought for 150 bucks in 1992. Took me two years to put it together. This one is at least almost ready to drive already.
Neighbors bought a black one new in 63. The dad put black and white pillows on the package tray, and did the exhaust. I was 10 years old, and would stand in the yard just to hear him shift into 2nd when he pulled out. Always loved those cars.
Awsome car!! I lost out on one by an hour in the fall!! Saw it on line, decided to eat supper before calling the guy and when I did said some one just called and was coming to see it Called him the next day and it was sold Friggin’ supper............. What it got for an engine?
It's either the original 289 or a replacement 302. Six bolt bell housing and blue paint. Probably a 302. Had a line on a 4dr parts car with a 390.........
If it's the original motor it's a 260 if early production, the 289 was substituted later in the year; both will be 5-bolt motors. Easy way to check the 5 vs 6 bolt is the size of the bellhousing bolts. The 5-bolts use 3/8" bolts with 9/16 heads to attach the bell to the block, the 6-bolts use 7/16" bolts with 5/8 heads.
It's a 6 bolt 289 going by the bolts and ancillaries. Just a 2v at the moment, no need to change that yet. PO must have had a failing IVR because all the gauges have been bypassed. Missing a few pieces of trim, not too hard to find. Order up a new IVR and sending units soon. Never liked hang-on gauges.
Nice score. Neighbor lady bought a new one in '63. Midnight blue, black bucket, 289, wire wheel covers. Real looker...
So; the dreaded "Previous Owner" syndrome is in full effect. I charged up the battery and put it in to check lights and nothing but headlights. Add-on gauges which are headed for the bin. Ignition switch broken. Not disheartened at all, just an observation of what people do or put up with. These are not expensive parts nor are they that difficult to find. Oh, and I have a rare set of NOS Ford skull door lock knobs I'll trade for a cheeseburger.
Get you some big driving mirrors and you will be ready to recreate this with a little work, (seeing that camper behind your ford)
Every time I see a 63 ford. I think about the rookie last minute replacement driver Tiny Lund winning the Daytona 500 in 63.
Yes, I've said this prior. When I see one all I can think of was the "fool" that I knew in the early 70's, he had a 406/3×2/4 speed Galaxy, he tried until he succeeded in blowing the back of the 406 block off when his clutch exploded.
One of my favorites is the Holman/Moody built Willment team car that Jack Sears drove up the backsides of Jags all over England in '63 and '64.....
Its hard to believe the little 260 could pull a big 63 galaxie. they used 355 gears to help. the 352 cars had 300 gears. We had a 63 galaxie 500 XL it was a 4 door htp. bucket seats and console. 352 crusomatic. no reverse gear. We put in a 355 rear gear when the original went bad. It was a worn out hunk of junk. Never really liked it. Never won a single drag race with it. installed a 4 bbl and it wasn't any faster. I had cut the exhaust pipes right before the pipe made the Y. installed a pair of those blue glass packs they sold at NAPA stores. It then had the drone and the car was so low they got dragged flat on the bottom. I traded the body for a old steel wheel Farmall Regular tractor. Today the buckets and console would be worth money. I still have the 352 engine that was in it.
That's what I thought the 289s showed up in April I didn't know if the fast back was a little earlier or not.
Tiny Lund drove a 63 Fastback to victory in Feb 1963 at the Daytona 500, so the fastback was in production by then. If the 289s didn't show up until April I guess there might have been some 260 powered fastbacks. I'm thinking they would have been pretty under powered.
Love it! Had an Uncle that had a red on red 63.5, 390 3 speed, bench seat car. Had those original Thrush mufflers on it with pipes out the back, man, that thing would talk. He sold it to his younger brother, who later sold it to his brother in law, who later became my brother in law for a while. When I found out that he had had the car, he told me he sold it to some guy he worked with at the time, the guy and car both disappeared, he didn't know what happened to either. I was sick, I always wanted that car, but was always too late. I've seen several in the last 10-15 years, but they are never the same one. Former brother in law also had a sweet 56 Ford F100 with a 289 in it, never could talk him out of it no matter how I tried. He sold it to some dude for less that I was going to give him for it, but he was that kind of an ass. No wonder he didn't stay married to sis in law no longer than he did, he was an idiot.
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