Vehicle Description
1963 Ford Galaxie 500 4 Door Sedan
"There's Thunderbird velvet in the 1963 Galaxie's all new ride, the
nearest thing to flight itself. With road taming improvement topped
by new front and rear suspensions, Galaxie's ride and handling are
so smooth, so effortless you'll have to try the Galaxie to believe
it! Maintenance? It doesn't come any easier, Galaxie is the car
that pioneered the twice a year or 6,000 mile service schedule! No
other car can give you so much of the look, power, and feel of the
fabulous Thunderbird, especially when equipped with the 300hp
Thunderbird 390 V8!" From the 1963 Ford sales brochure.
For consignment, a 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 4 door sedan showing
43,106 miles, but the true miles are unknown. This car was stored
for many years and now has many new parts as we'll learn. Nearly
650,000 Galaxies were produced in 1963 with a number of body
styles. That's a lot of cars allowing for an enthusiastic following
to exist more than 60 years after this production year.
Exterior
Not many years behind the 50's, here we have a decidedly square
car, simple in design and execution, but also appealing to those
who wanted a Thunderbird, but maybe didn't feel wild enough! This
slab sided car is bathed in two stage Champagne paint perfectly
accented with stainless trim the full length of the shoulder line,
then performing a hairpin turn as it covers the low panel, ending
spear tipped on the front door. Faux louvers on the rear quarter
are a nod to the Thunderbird's trim as is the C-pillar
underscoring. But it's out back where the key influence occurs with
the distinctive round afterburner tail lights flanking a rear
grille with the same geometric patterns as the front, all over a
laser straight chrome bumper. The front bumper has more contour to
it, dipping on the sides to accentuate the dual headlights. Where
the 50's was known for hood ornaments, the 60's welcomes fender
features, including blade like ornaments, here adorned with the
crosshair design we see over the red lenses of the tail lights. The
paint and metalwork are in very nice shape on the car with a few
imperfections noted. First, there's some cracking paint and Bondo
behind a rear door, and unevenness on the rocker panel, a chip, a
tiny ding, and that's about it!
Interior
The champagne exterior is contrasted by the bright red interior,
beginning with door panels that are accented by silver shapes and
trim and all are in great shape. From there, we go to the front
bench, handsomely configured with red cloth inserts striped like a
fine suit surrounded by red vinyl and based in a shiny metal shell.
The back bench shares design, quality, and materials and also has
the accent buttons along the seat back and the center badge in the
waterfall of red vinyl. A red ribbed steering wheel presents to the
driver with a metal horn ring on the lower half, all leading to a
red dash with two round gauges flanking a horizontal speedometer
the sides of which conform with the rounded gauge housing over a
metal mid panel with fine rows of a defined grid and it's all in
very clean condition. A vintage Air Way compass is mounted to the
dash pad above the AM/FM radio in the dash. A center console has
been added over red loop carpet with vintage rubber mats under a
white headliner and everything is in very nice condition. The trunk
presents cleanly with a plaid vinyl mat.
Drivetrain
Speaking of presenting cleanly, the engine bay is spotless and
mostly original looking with a 352ci V8 producing 220 horsepower.
It is fueled through a 2-barrel carburetor and mated to a
Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission sending power to the
Ford 9" in back with 3.00 gears. Power drum brakes are supplied
front and rear and have new components. There's a newer battery, a
rebuilt generator, the engine and transmission have been resealed
and repainted, and there's a newer radiator.
Undercarriage
New parts here include the gas tank, front and rear springs,
suspension bushings, and body mounts. There's also new dual exhaust
consistent with the clean conditions underneath, and they intersect
stainless steel mufflers before exiting unceremoniously out back.
Everything is spectacularly clean and anything painted black shines
with showroom fresh satin paint. A few drops of oil on the
bellhousing do not deter from the spotless knuckles and rust free
underside where the floorboards are undercoated with glossy black
coverage. Coil springs make up the main suspension up front with
leaf springs out back.
Drive-Ability
Tires from late 2021 mean we've got relatively fresh rubber on the
car and the 75 series tires do well to absorb typical road bumps,
and the newer suspension components lend their support! This once
common pedestrian sedan is now a remarkable testament to early 60's
design and the 352 provides plenty of giddy up. We found the clock
the only inoperable item on the car, and the rest operates just as
it did in 1963 when someone drove off the showroom floor with this
beauty! While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions
were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee
these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
Even with the Thunderbird influence, there is something
extraordinarily simple about the design of the Galaxie and like the
comfort of home, it makes these cars quintessentially 60's,
approachable, and desirable. It's difficult to find an analogous
situation where a manufacturer so ardently boasts the qualities of
a current car as having some of the attractive features of another
model in the same year! Whatever the goal, the result was the
production and sale of over half a million Galaxies in 1963, ten
times the supply of Thunderbirds! This well sorted example is a
great representation of the era.
3N62X160187
3-1963
N-Norfolk, VA Assy Plant
62-Galaxie 500 4 Door Sedan
X-352ci 2bbl 220hp V8
160187-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY PLATE
BODY 54A-Galaxie 500 4 Door Sedan
COLOR I-Champagne
TRIM 25-Red Gleam Cloth & Crush Vinyl
DATE 11G-July 11th
DSO 23-Philadelphia
AX 1-Ford 9" 3.00 Conventional
TRANS 4-Cruise O Matic
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
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