(Author’s Note: In case you were suspicious, my name really isn’t Jack Lord. Jason is my given name; my surname is of German origin and has an Americanized spelling. Googling my name reveals a whole host of folks having dubious accomplishments with whom I do not care to be confused, so “Jack Lord” is sticking around for now.)
When pondering the creation of this article, I debated whether it was more of an “Autobiography” or if it would be a better fit under the “Cars of a Lifetime” heading.
Likely the quandary is irrelevant. This 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 has had the same last name on the title since about 1964, almost nine years longer than I’ve been around. The Old Gal certainly has stamina, given its life.
In 1963, Ford was marketing their full-size cars as able to fulfill many varied and diverse needs. Depending upon what advertisement, book, or experience one has, you could option a new full-size Ford in any configuration from stripped down six-cylinder fleet vehicle to a snazzy powerhouse convertible with 427 cubic inches of thrill awaiting under your right foot. For many this could likely be viewed as the halcyon days of vehicle optioning, as the a la carte method gave you exactly what you wanted with none of the fluff you didn’t.
Sometime in 1964 or 1965, nobody still alive knows for sure, my great-uncle Donald purchased his 1963 Ford Galaxie 500. For most of the time Donald owned this Galaxie, he worked it. He constantly was calling upon it to perform all manners of tasks. It was the family hauler. It pulled a trailer. And, briefly, when he served as a town marshal, he used it as his patrol car.
In the fall of 1986, I had just turned 14 and was planning ahead for the magical and wonderful day when the State of Illinois would grant me a driver’s license. At the time my parents owned a gray 1983 Plymouth Reliant, a gray and red 1984 Ford F-150, and a white 1985 Ford LTD Crown Victoria. Knowing the teenage adventures awaiting me would most likely involve the ’83 Reliant, I sought something with a bit more, uh, charisma. Okay, I really mean engine.
My Uncle Donald and his wife Bobbye lived in our small town of 450 people. She ran the small grocery store and video rental they owned. For the years prior to Donald’s death in 1985, he had been driving a tan and brown early 1970’s GMC pickup. With what he did, and Bobbye working long hours at the store, the Galaxie was used little, if at all.
At about the same time my ingenious idea of acquiring the Old Gal was hatched I learned my father was thinking similarly. It took another great-uncle, Stan, a bachelor brother to Donald and my grandfather, to start laying the groundwork with Bobbye. Stan was as gloriously uncomplex as people come, yet he certainly knew how to navigate the intricacies of family politics.
One night in December 1986, Bobbye called my father. She was looking to sell the Galaxie. They agreed upon a price of $200. She was happy it was going to a good home. Dad was happy to have something of his uncle’s. I was happy, period.
The day after Christmas, Stan, my father, and I went to fetch the Galaxie and take her to her new home. It was about a mile to get there. The Old Gal had not moved under her own power in some time, so we decided to pull her back with Dad’s old Ford tractor while Stan steered the Galaxie. Amazingly, I, without a hint of a driver’s license, was elected to drive the pickup back. Even more amazingly the dry rotted tires on the Galaxie were still holding air.
Close inspection of the Old Gal revealed much. The interior was in poor shape. She had only 73,000 miles. She had a physically large V8 (this was pre-internet, so I didn’t know what size yet). Hooked to the V8 was a 3 speed manual transmission with overdrive. She had no power steering, power brakes, or air conditioning. And her being a 4 door sedan mattered not a bit.
My Uncle Stan warned me before the chain was ever hooked to the Galaxie: “Jason, if you ever drive this car, be careful. It runs like a scalded dog”. While I’m still trying to figure the dog thing out, the advice has lingered in my head.
Over the next few months, while my father and I refreshed the car, I was also hearing more stories about the Old Gal.
There was a dent in the front bumper and directly above it on the hood. Donald’s house was at the top of a slight hill. It seems one fateful night the Old Gal popped out of gear, or was left in neutral, and rolled down the hill, through some brush, and right into the corner post of the neighbor’s pigpen.
I found a little dog hair in the back seat. When Donald was a town marshal, he kept a german shepherd with him just in case.
The ashtrays were full of Donald’s, and other’s, cigarette butts.
Donald had a habit of chasing speeders. In the part of the county where Donald lived at the time, the Galaxie had earned the reputation as being able to catch anything, which is remarkable for her possessing the mid-range 352 cubic inch (5.8 liter) V8. Only once was Donald outran, a time his german shepherd was howling for mercy due to their going so fast. (As a side note, Donald always carried a long chrome handled flashlight. When I was about five, I asked him how it had so many dents. Uncle Stan, a frequent companion to Donald, said the dents came from “some punk’s head”.)
This Galaxie is also the car Donald used on October 30, 1966, to track down my father upon my grandfather’s sudden unexpected death at age 47. Years later, Donald told my dad he was so shaken he wasn’t paying attention to his speed. Several miles north of town was a curve most wisely negotiated at 35 to 40 miles per hour. Donald said the speedometer was just under 110 mph when he realized where he was, giving him barely enough time to slow down.
Donald’s son told me had had burned rubber in all three gears.
While learning all of this, my dad and I succeeded in getting the Old Gal running. And run she did. Ford wasn’t wrong in calling the ’63 models “Super Torque” Fords.
From what I had learned I knew I need not worry about any carbon build-up in the engine, however, my family is terminally guilty of not maintaining vehicles. While the Old Gal ran great, there were issues with the suspension, such as ball joints, tie rods, and bushings in the rear, that prevented it from being a daily driver.
The Old Gal was driven occasionally during my time in high school and first two years of college. It was not driven after 1992 when I moved four hours away to finish college.
As one reflects upon their life, it is very sobering to realize how quickly time passes. The sobriety can also be mixed with some degree of angst and frustration regarding some topics when one realizes how much of the elapsed time is filled with good intentions and no action. When looking at the time period from 1992, when the car was last driven, to 2008, I finished college, got a job, married, had a child, moved six times, and had several serious health issues.
In 2007, my largest health issue to date made me realize my copious number of good intentions with the Galaxie and how I had acted upon absolutely none of them. The poor Old Gal was once again dormant, squirreled away in my father’s pole barn, and covered with paraphernalia my parents had bought from countless auctions.
Many miles of the road to hell had been paved with my good intentions. It was time to fish or cut bait.
So in June 2008, when gasoline was at record highs, I fired up my trusty $400 1987 Dodge 3/4 ton pickup and headed south to retrieve the Old Gal from languishing at my parent’s house. A buddy helped my father and me load up the poor neglected Galaxie and we headed the 220 miles back to my house. Dad signed the title over to me with my only investment being the $180 worth of fuel the old Dodge’s four-barrel 360 V8 was able to gobble down in one day.
I was determined to set things right. I bought a new gas tank and replaced the fuel pump. I rebuilt the carburetor. I changed the points, plugs, and wires. I rebuilt the entire brake system, converting it over to having stainless steel brake lines. I was on a roll, until…
She did not want to start. At all. The engine would turn over, but nothing further would happen. Finally popping off a valve cover, my suspicion was confirmed.
I had last started the Old Gal twelve years earlier in 1997. It ran poorly then, the blame going to five year old gasoline. Not so this time. The valves had stuck as evidenced by the six bent push rods with one missing in action.
Before I could rectify this, life intervened yet again. Several large life events occurred not allowing time or resources for the Galaxie. Upon conclusion of these, restructuring at my employer soon followed. Now, as I write this, the Old Gal is sitting under a tarp in my garage 100 miles away from where I sit writing this waiting for my house to sell.
This story is still being made. The Old Gal is yearning for another day in the sun. She wants her picture taken in front of the Ford factory in St. Louis where she was built. She wants to drive on Route 66. She wants her paint buffed and her ashtrays emptied of those blasted cigarette butts. She doesn’t yet know about the plan I have devised and to be executed upon the sale of my house.
One upside to my lack of action is that I still have my first car. How many people older than 25 or so can still say that?
So stay tuned for Part 2 of this saga….
My grandfather had one like this in beige, but not exactly like it. His was the one-year-only stripper known as the Ford 300. Had a 260 and three on the tree, and I remember that engine being so quiet I sometimes wasn’t sure if it was running. Back in 1967, when I was 5-6 years old, he used to let me reach over and shift the gears for him. Worked out great until that sad day I learned he was working a clutch pedal down there…the car ground to a halt and made a hideous noise thanks to my premature shift. Unbelievably, the transmission survived, but I never shifted Grandpa’s gears again.
He kept that car until ’71, when it was actually stolen. Replacement was a ’69 LTD 4-door, light metallic blue, ex-rental. He never owned anything in his life but a Ford, but he actually preferred Chrysler (like his grandson!). Why? He was a salesman for Federal-Mogul, and his biggest account was Ford. Couldn’t show up in a Dodge for that.
I had a ’63 Galaxie fastback, much like the one in picture 7 in your article. But mine did not have a vinyl top. It did have the “convertible” crease in the roof though. It was red with red upholstery. This was ’76, so the car wasn’t extremely “old”.
It had the 390 and was reasonably quick by the standards of the day but I don’t recall it being able to outrun everything else on the road.
I fell asleep at the wheel, rolled it, and that was the end of my Galaxie. I was not hurt bad, despite the lack of seat belts, and being in the rear seat when the car stopped rolling. I did have some pretty bad bruises.
Looking forward to part II.
They are fun and you will enjoy it when you get it going. We actually sold something very similar to this (article/couple weeks ago/64 mercury marauder). Had a lot of fun driving it and the wife still misses it. Similar situation that it was impossible to keep everything going.
I often thought that the best of both worlds would be an old body and a modern engine etc. I think I have changed my mind. Keep a daily driver and you can afford to keep big car with an FE engine.
I wish you luck and hope you dodge the health issues.
from Hawaii Five-O?
I don’t care if your name is Fred Flintstone, this is a wonderful story, full of history and heart.
The ’61-’64 round-taillight Galaxies are special cars. Comparable to the tri-five Chevies, at least to Ford people. Maybe because the new ’61 Galaxie Sunliner convertible we got when I was little made a very big impression.
I’m pulling for a brilliant part 2. Wishing you health and wealth.
My favorite Fords, hands down.
They are so timelessly beautiful that I don’t think a Full Sized Ford ever looked better before or After. If I ever had spare cash laying around, A Galaxie XL would get my vote as one of the cars if seen on Craigslist once I got the check, I’d jump at.
‘my favorite Ford’
wait a minute! Preferred over Flair bird???
blasphemy!
Even preferred over the Flair Bird. 1963 was a zeitgeist year in Automotive Styling and I think of all Ford Products, the Galaxie XL Fastback Coupe once again got the one up on GM on a styling trend.
Between the friendly face, the right amount of trim, an interior that at least looks Pontiac/Olds level, and the perfect sized bulls-eyed tail lamps. And there’s a perfect blend between soft curves and crisp lines. I’d take a 1962-64 Ford over any same model year Chevrolet because they look more classy… and for a 3 speed Automatic. I generally turn my nose up at Full Sized Fords, but the 1963 is definitely the sexy exception.
I’ll agree with Mr. Jones on this – the styling of the 63’s was the best of the Big 3. In fact, I would argue that the entire 63 Ford line-up was the top of the heap in all sizes, from the compact Falcon right on through to the Galaxie. There was a cohesion throughout the line-up – the Falcon, Fairlane, Galaxie and Thunderbird all shared design cues like the squared off roof-line and the round tailights.
My own personal favourites from Ford have always been the 60 and 63 full-size models – both those particular model years have aged very gracefully – much more so than the 61 and 62’s, and definitely much better than the contemporaries from Mopar and GM.
In the neighbourhood where my business is located there is a pristine 63 two door sedan, (in light blue of course!) that I spot occasionally. Even in the base sedan model the styling is still stand-out good looking.
For me, I would want the 63 as either the Country Squire wagon, or the two door hardtop. Gorgeous.
One of my teenage friend’s father had a 63 four-door hardtop, with the 390 and a manual transmission, and even though it was, by that point, a dozen years old, was still capable of out muscling a lot of muscle cars, and on a hot summer day was more than capable of buring rubber out of second gear, and chirping out of third.
The 63 1/2 XL hardtop (red with black vinyl top) is my favorite Ford. The XL had one of the best red interiors of all time — the 64 seemed cheaper.
63 XL seats had more padding. 64 XL had the clam shell buckets….that may be the difference.
My dad’s old 63 Galaxie
Wow. Very impressive story, whatever Paul may say about the Galaxie. Not just remembering your first love, but actually *having* it after all those years is really special. All the best to you, to your and your car’s health!
The steel torch with punks’ heads’ impressions reminded me of Albert Neri!
I rather like the ’63 Fords; perhaps my favorites of the whole decade. It’s the seventies where things started to go downhill at Ford.
“One upside to my lack of action is that I still have my first car. How many people older than 25 or so can still say that?”
I still have my first car and I’m over 25, an 88 Thunderbird LX with a factory 5.0.
As fond as I am of my first car, a ’63 VW 1200 sedan, it’s through the soft-focus lens of memory. I wouldn’t want to really have one now.
A clean ’63 Ford Galaxie with a strong V-8, modern shocks, brake linings and tires, now that would be a pretty sweet summer Sunday ride.
(I’m sure your 5.0 T-Bird is too.)
My very favorite 1960s Ford. We had a 1963 Country Sedan growing up. The only options were a radio, heater, and the 260 V8 (not the 289). It served us well for over 100,000 miles, which was really good in those days, and went on to another home for a few years that I know of.
Interesting saga and lousy fortunes with some aspects of life. Hope things work out for the best for you and your family.
Though not a fan of these Fords, I’ll be eager for part 2. If it’s old, it’s gonna be interesting.
It’s always nice to hear from someone that has a vehicle that they have a long history with and are very passionate about. Sounds like yours has quite the history in your family from before your time as well. It’s unfortunate that life has gotten in the way of your special car, as it does with many projects. Hopefully you get the opportunity and motivation to get it back on the road.
I can relate. While my brother and I now have our own fleet of big old Chryslers, Grandad’s 1966 Chrysler sedan languishes in our parents’ garage. Our dad wasn’t very supportive of our efforts to fix it, and can’t get motivated to do anything with the car himself.
Thanks for sharing this Jason, can’t wait to read your part 2. i wish you improved health and better fortune so that you can pursue these things that make you happy.
I really enjoyed your story and eagerly await part 2. Keem them coming!
Like many here, I have a thing for the 63 Ford. My own uncle had a maroon 64 that withstood a lot of teenage abuse from my cousins, and I always loved that car. Still, I always preferred the look of the 63, if only a little bit. When I was in 5th grade, a friend’s mom drove a turquoise 63 Galaxie 500 4 door hardtop, and it was a favorite of mine.
As I think about it, I narrowly missed one of these in my life. About 1964 or 65, my Dad got a promotion that earned him a company car. A white 63 station wagon with red interior. But it was a Chevy Bel Air. When he got to pick out his own company car in 1966, it was a Country Squire. Oh, so close. 🙁 I really would have liked a 63 Country Squire.
A 63 XL with a 390 and a 4 speed always loomed large in my imagination, but I never got one. The 60-64 Ford may have been the all-around best post WWII big Fords, at least until the Panther got the kinks worked out of it by the late 1980s.
The ’63 and ’64 Ford’s are my all time favs.
Yes. The 1963 front treatment…the concave grill, which did okay with the Falcon three years earlier, worked PERFECTLY on a full-size rendition with quad headlights.
The 1964 is good…looks too blinged up, which it was, being as it was the last year of that body; but for all that, its timeless good looks hold up well.
nice story, well told. my brother had a ’68 galaxie xl convertible. it had flip up headlights and the radio and ashtray wer all the way on the left side of the dash. barely started when we bought it for $500 or so from a guy in lake hopatcong nj in 1978. it was a rusted out yellow hulk with a black interior but the top worked and it turned over (barely), so my dad bought it for my brother. i drove it part of the way from nj to boston with my brother when i was entering college for the first time in late august ’79. i remember being terrified at the way it shook when the semis passed us on the highway. i think this was the first time i ever drove a car any distance. we must have been quite a sight to the other college kids arriving in their parents’ station wagons. two long-haired kids with sunglasses in a beat up convertible with a back seat full of record albums and stereo speakers. i wonder if i have any pictures…
You remind me of my 67 Galaxie convertible. Bought in 1977 from the original owner with about 60K miles on it. Light metallic green with black top and interior. A really nice car, although the rear quarters were getting rusty and the repainted rear quarters and decklid were dull. I would take it back.
Wow, my folks had a new ’68 XL fastback, metallic gold, vinyl roof, racing stripe, fake mags. Absolutely preposterous, the beginning of Ford’s Age of Dinosaurs. They kept it in very good shape and was their main car right through the early 1980s. In Pa., Ind. and Ill. no less. Its 428 took Sunoco 260, at 9 mpg. Insane, but my five-foot-tall Mom totally adored it.
There is one of these in the wild locally a convertable I think I shot it for the cohort the rego plate was good MY390 with gas @$2.19L I havent seen it for a while though. Good luck with yours its probably only a valve job away from being a good car looking forward to the next installment.
I got a kick out of the comment on your name. I’m of Danish extraction, and the first time I googled my name I got more hits on Danish pages than US ones. That was several years ago and things have changed.
I was already a Mopar guy, but of the 1960’s Fords the 63 was my favorite. I remember looking seriously at a 63 Galaxie fastback 2-door hardtop, red on red, with a 390 and 4-speed, priced at $150. It would start, drive, and stop, but it needed absolutely everything. Paint, tranny rebuilt, engine rebuilt, suspension gone through, cracked glass replaced, interior redone…you name it, that car needed it. Thinking back on it now, I’ll bet that was the all-time low price point for such a car – that same car now in that condition I’d suspect would bring 2 or 3 grand in today’s devalued dollars.
I wish you luck with yours…stay healthy too!
Although I own your Galaxie’s arch nemesis, I have great respect for survivors like the Old Gal and wish you success in getting her back on the road where she belongs.
Great story. Loved reading it. Thanks.
Good luck getting it back on the road.
I’ve always had a thing for the 63 Galaxie. I always thought the grill looked a little better than the 64.
My dad had an ice blue ’63 Galaxie 2-door fastback hardtop while he and my mom were dating. By the time I entered grade school it was long gone, traded for a six-cylinder ’69 Nova for his county job, in which he spent lots of time on the road.
“my surname is of German origin and has an Americanized spelling. Googling my name reveals a whole host of folks having dubious accomplishments with whom I do not care to be confused”
So your last name is Niedermeyer ?
+1!
Thanks for all the encouragement. I am looking forward to using her again. To add to the story, the fuel tank once fell off while I was driving it…and a wheel bearing once went south and a wheel fell off when Donald was driving to a funeral home. She has stamina!
Great story, great car. Good luck with your other circumstances, Mr. Lord.
Great story, with a plot arc that I suspect many of us have or will follow over the course of our lives:
“…when one realizes how much of the elapsed time is filled with good intentions and no action. When looking at the time period from 1992, when the car was last driven, to 2008, I finished college, got a job, married, had a child, moved six times, and had several serious health issues.”
When we moved to the Middle West in 2001, I had expected to continue flying regularly, finish building my WWI fighter plane replica and finish restoring my ’62 Beetle amongst other “dreams.” Life had other plans, however, as my priorities shifted more toward my family (sons were 9 and 12 at the time), and we realized our then-90-year-old farm house was going to need more than new carpet and a coat of paint (a LOT more).
The house is still “in progress” (there is light at the end of the tunnel!), but everything else had to be back-burnered. Son Number Two (now 19) and I are finally starting to work on the Beetles together (we bought a ’63 for him two summers ago, and poke at them together from time to time).
These old cars we share a love for are indeed fascinating, but the counsel I give these days (coming from a man in his Jubilee year with grown children), is to keep your priorities focused on the things that ultimately will matter more in the long run. Messing about with old cars is a bonus if you’re able to work it in.
Look forward to reading “Part 2,” and hope a lot of “life” is woven into that story when it gets written!
The Ford Galaxie 500 seems to be the one car everyone had an experience with. Whether it it was a coupe, sedan or wagon, most people had a period in their life that included a Galaxie 500. Mine was Dad’s 1970 Galaxie 500. What interests me most is why this car is rarely seen today while 60’s vintage Impalas and Biscaynes can be spotted at least once a week roaming the world. I have always pondered that question.
When I was in San Francisco in 2003, I was struck by how many 1960s Fords I saw as daily drivers. Far more than 1960s Chevys or Mopars.
Around here in Pennsylvania, there are plenty of 1960s Fords that show up at car shows.
Based on what I saw when I was younger, Chevys tended to end their lives as customized or “hot” cars for younger people who were willing to perform engine swaps to keep them running, while Fords were simply driven right into the ground by the owners. The Ford drivetrains tended to be stouter than the ones in the comparable Chevys, but the Chevys were better performing, so kids wanted them to “hop up.” And Chevys tended to have more “with it” styling, particularly among the compacts and intermediates.
Fords-A-Plenty in the Bay Area. Not to mention, in San Francisco and Oakland, Ford was (is) the “Fleet Favorite” for Police and Taxi fleets.
Great writeup. Can’t wait for the next installment.
When I was in high school (class of ’64) there was a man in town who bought a new Ford every year. He had a nice 63 two door hardtop. When the 63 1/2 fastbacks came out he got the first one – possibly the first in the state. It was yellow with black vinyl top, 390, XL trim I think, etc. We were all awestruck and quite envious. Beautiful car. Funny how cars people had stick with us car nuts.
“Funny how cars people had stick with us car nuts.”
How true. I will probably forget your name, I may forget your face, but I will NEVER forget your car. 🙂
I do hope that the old Ford makes it to St. Louis. My first car was a maroon 1968 Galaxie 500 Fastback complete with center console, bucket seats, and a 390. I sold it five years ago just before getting married when I realized I no longer had anywhere to store it, and fixing it was just beyond the realm of possibility.
When I had parked it in 2000 the frame had rusted at the torque box and separated. Had I had any sense in my brain I would have taken a break from the booze and the women for a year, saved up the money, and fixed the old girl. As you said, however, life has a nasty way of sneaking up on you and changing your best laid plans for you.
It was hard to see her go, and still to an extent is having owned the car from 1993 until 2007.
Can’t wait for the next phase of your story!
Great story, beautiful car, hope we hear more. Good luck.
That’s a beautiful car, Jack, and a beautiful story. Seeing the pictures makes me wonder what ordinary car of 2012 will be seen as beautiful 40 years from now, if any. This car is so graceful, with just the right amount of chrome detailing, and I prefer the styling to the blander slabs of Bel Air Chevy was serving up.
Jack,
I have a 1963 4-door square back XL model – same color. I bought the car with my brother Dave when I was 17 – I’m now 50!! 🙂
She’s been parked since ’98 and we’re just now getting her back on the road again!! New 15″ wheels, tires and standard stuff. Don’t need much more.
I have a 63 2 door sedan with 289 auto under-dash a/c disc brakes no power anything. I drive it to work (60 miles) I have driven to St. Louie we followed old Rt66 from OKC to Chicago and are ready to take the western Route soon. I also have the other best looking car ever made the 1960 Galaxie sedan it is a screaming banshee with the 300 hp engine. I have had over 40 cars and these are my favorites wouldn’t trade em for my old 68 supersport even! Good luck with your project… it’s gonna be a blast!
Your story reminds me of my father and I my first real car.In 1984 I was given a 73 Vega(if I could get it to run) to drive back and forth to my afterschool job. I had saved $1500 and my father knew a guy that had a 64 galaxie for sale. Not really knowing what model it was,all we knew that it had a broken back window. That next saturday we went to take a look. In his barn was the most beautiful car a 1964 galaxie xl convertable, black on black with a white top,the factory am/fm radio and a cassette deck in the glove compartment. For $1500 and that vega we drove her home.It turn out that that car and keeping it on the road was one of the few ways that my father and I could connect(he was 45 when I was born). That car carried me all over the U.S. and parts of Canada, My oldest had his carseat in the back before I parked it for more fuel effencent cars. My Father passed away a year and a half ago a month short of 90 and it got me thinking more about that old car. So this weekend I will be picking it up to start the long process of getting it on the road after it sitting for 18 years and having put 350,000 miles on the motor.
This is a great story and brings back so many memories of my favorite car.
I was 18 and had just purchased my first car. It was a two tone green 1957 Buick. It was a really pretty car, built with boiler plate, but gave the poorest gas mileage of any car I’ve ever owned. We tried everything to fix the mileage issue but were never successful. I only had it for about three months when a drunk driver hit me head on and ended the poor thing’s life. But I got a generous settlement from the insurance company and went out and bought a brand new, fire engine red Ford Galaxie 500 sedan. (I know it was a ‘sedan” but I got a super deal on it, and even then I was “conservative” in my taste.)
The only modification I did to it was to install a reverberator to the radio. Everything on those old AM radio stations then sounded like they were broadcast in a barrel. (I can’t believe we thought that was a “cool” sound. LOL) It only had a 289 engine it it but it still ran at some pretty high speeds. I had the car for three years, drove it everywhere, and have some of the most magical memories attached to it. I’ve owned around 30 cars in my life. Big cars, small cars, automatics and five speeds, expensive and not so much, but of them all, the one that always comes back to me is that fire engine red Galaxie. Just a great car.
John, since this article was written, I’ve got the car back on the road. Try the Google search bar in the upper right corner of the page to find more of the articles about it. I’ve taken it on two long road trips.