After getting the column shift back in, I realized that the previous owner did something jacked up with the front end. Both front coils have spacers installed, the right shock bottom mount is sprung, and the drag link is definitely bent as well as the idler arm bushings are shot. I may be able to straighten the drag link.
These are sweet rides, gorgeous body style. Looks like a very nice car all around, nothing wrong with driving the smaller motor while you shape up all the mechanical stuff, congrats and enjoy bringing this nice ride back to hot rod life.
One of the cars that come under the "wish I never sold" category. 390, 3x2, 4-speed bench seat car. Have fun with yours.
Poor pics, but the only ones I have. The Galaxie I had as a senior in high school. Bought white and painted Cordovan Firemist with chrome reverse wheels - 1968. 289 with 3spd and overdrive.
These cars are looking great. I love the 63 trim. I got my 390 back from the builder and installed. Now I can keep up with traffic.
It's been a while since I logged in ( I had some health issues, but all is good now, and I've been out of state a lot), but there's a lot of nice replies and pic's!! Thanks for all the posts and comments! Update on my oil psig issue. I replaced the oil pump by disconnecting the motor mounts, jacking up the engine, pulling the pan. I replaced the pump w/o pulling the dizzy, still no oil psig, so next attempt I'll pull the dizzy and check the pump drive hole on the bottom of the dizzy.
One of the guys in HS had a 63 1/2 light blue...a really clean car, powered 406-405 4spd 3.50 gear. It ran exceptionally well!
Around 65-66, my older cousins wife drove a 63 1/2 that was light blue with a white top. I fell in love with the body style from that car, except theirs was a 289 and 3 on the tree, so in late 69 I found my first one, white with red interior, 390 w/3 on the tree and 3.50 gears. I put a floor shifter in it, did a lot of street racing, successfully, drove it a while and sold it. I seriously regret selling it!!
this 63 sold for $950 at last Saturdays setting & rotting estate auction. Pretty rough car drivers side worse . floor pans rotted away. locked up 351 W engine. No Title I passed on it . bought a 67 T bird with a 428. Im thinking of putting the driveline and leather bucket seat interior from the bird in my 55 ford?
Just bumped into this thread - you mentioned the Galaxies which raced in the UK and Europe back in the 60s, and to me doing the car up as a period replica of one of those cars makes perfect sense. I have a friend who went to Brands Hatch to see a round of the British Touring Car Championship back then and he remembers to this day how the crowd laughed at those "mad Yanks with their monstrous cars". Everyone expected the Galaxies to disgrace themselves and during practice they did due to all sorts of problems you get on new race cars in an unknown environment, thousands of miles away from home. And then the race came lol. The Galaxies practically ran away from the Jags and hid - my friend also remembers the stunned silence in the grandstands. Jaguar left racing after that season and stayed away for many, many years... When I started looking for a car to do up those - and the Mercury Montclair Marauder - were in my sights but living where I do with our narrow roads I realized I would not be able to enjoy a full-size Ford or a Mercury as much as I could with a compact, so I went for the car I have now, which can also go round corners and embarrass the locals (pic: Keith Shuttlewood)
Old Wolf, Back in the early 70's, my younger sister had a '67 Tbird, she was rear-ended, which pushed her into the car in front of her, resulting in both ends of the 'bird being smashed. I bought it from her and pulled the 428/C6 & electric bucket seats and put them in my '64 Ford short/wide bed pickup. That short/wide was pretty fast with 428/C6 combo w/3.89 gears in the rear (it was originally a 6 cyl/stick). I had pulled some leaves from the front axle and had 60 series tires all around. It wasn't the fastest car, but definitely the fastest pickup in "small town" southern OK!
I love me a 63 galaxie. Here's a pic of mine... err ..aaay, my little girl claims it. 1963 galaxie 500 box top
Pigiron63, Very nice '63!! That's the same color interior & exterior of my first '63 1/2 !! I'm sure everyone on here probably knows it, but I've found out in local cruise-in car shows that most don't know when Ford brought out the 63 1/2 mid-year, that they dropped the top 2" on the 63 1/2 for NASCAR aerodynamics. Remember when they raced real cars in NASCAR? I have a pic of a 63 & 63 1/2 Galaxies side by side, I'll post it later when I find it.
My first 63 1/2, from 1970. It was a 390 w/3 on the column, later switched to a Mr Gasket floor shifter, and a warmer hyd cam from the Ford catalog (which I still have somewhere). It had 3.50 gears in the rear. I graduated HS in '69, two of my best friends got new Road Runners, one chose a '69, the other waited until fall when the '70 came out. Both were 383's/auto/3.73 gears. I got a $500 63 1/2 Galaxie. Out in the country, we had a long, straight highway that was marked off for a 1/4 mile drag strip. I could take both of the Road Runners by a 1/2 car length to a full car length every time we ran them. They didn't like my old Gal beating them!!
Since willys36 posted a pic of his two FE's, I'll post a pic of another FE that I have, altho' it's not in a Galaxie. It's a '66 'Bird 428 block +.030" and 3/8" stroker crank, now a 462 cu in. 48 IDA Weber's, the intake doesn't have a number or letter on it anywhere, scored it on ebay. Edel heads & water pump, Comp Cams special grind to prevent reversion on the Weber's since its not a single plane or double plane plenum. 552 hp & 557 tq in a 2,300 lb Factory Five '65 Cobra replica.
I was looking at a Shelby 289 article from 65...an intake and 4 - 48’s was $1200.00...big money in those days for sure...and that’s so much cooler that the usual 302 roller motor you see in those cars
Heavy rain today... discovered just how bad my windshield gasket leaks.... yeeeesh. Gotta seal those leaks up before I even consider putting any floor covering in it.