Presented for your consideration is this gorgeous black-on-black, 390 powered, 4-speed, air-conditioned Galaxie 500 XL coupe, just like the ones Ford used to dominate NASCAR in the '60s. A true two owner car from one family in Missouri fully restored and showing 56,129 original miles, this is one awesome piece of Ford history. It just received a thorough polish and looks absolutely radiant in that silky Raven Black paint and the amazing trim that Ford used on the top-of-the-line Galaxies.
Speaking of paint, the surfaces on this car look recent, and are done in a 2-stage system for a deep, rich finish that acrylic lacquer and enamels from 1964 just can't touch. Sinister and imposing, this is the car you always wished your father would buy instead of the stodgy 4-door with an inline six and automatic transmission. The flanks are very straight, and I have no problems believing that this was a clean car before restoration. All sheet-metal on this Galaxie is original to the car and panel gaps are better than average all around. Look at the pictures again and remember how hard it is to make a black car look good under the harsh lights in the photo booth—bad prep can't hide from the camera, and there are no cut corners on this Galaxie, it's all first-rate workmanship. And as I mentioned, our own detail shop put the final shine on the paint just a few days ago, making this car show-ready today.
The assembly line installed 390 cubic inch "Thunderbird Special" V8 under the hood has been detailed and looks awesome in its original gold color. It is dominated by the big, round air cleaner housing, and, in this particular car, the air conditioning compressor, which was factory equipment. Hoses and wiring are new, and RKM just installed a correct Autolite battery the other day. The original single master cylinder is still in place on the original power brake booster, but note that this car does not have power steering, strange, but just a part of this car's mystique. The bottom of the hood has been finished to a much higher standard than original, too; look at the reflection of the engine in it!
The muscular 390's power is transmitted rearward through a bulletproof Toploader 4-speed manual, which absolutely transforms the car's personality. Luxury car? Muscle car? Both? The transmission is plenty stout enough to bang through the gears. And speaking of gears, of course there's a rock solid Ford 9-inch rear out back, the same one that has been transmitting power for all the big horsepower racers for decades now. The floors are solid, as is the frame, and all the mechanical pieces have been recently rebuilt and serviced, making this Galaxie a turn-key hobby car. True dual exhaust feeds a pair of Flowmaster mufflers that sound great behind the big 390, not too loud, but enough to let people know this isn't grandma's grocery-getter. It looks like there's a new shock absorber at each corner, the brakes are firm and stop the car well, and it rides on relatively recent 225/75/14 whitewall tires and original spinner hubcaps.
The interior features black vinyl deluxe bucket seats and a center console that houses the shifter for the 4-speed. The front seat covers, headliner, and carpet are new, while the rest is a combination of outstanding original pieces and items that were replaced in the past. It shows extremely well, with very little wear and tear on any of the surfaces. There's an original Ford pushbutton AM radio with front and rear speakers, with the rear one in the center of the rear seat behind a gorgeous chrome grille. The steering wheel is gorgeous, with the Galaxie 500 XL emblem in the center and a rim-blow horn ring. I really dig the gold anodized appearance of the gauge faces, better than plain black or the more common brushed silver, and it's amazing how "right" it looks in this black '60s cruiser.
Fords are still relatively under-valued when compared to their GM and Mopar competition, and this gentleman's express Galaxie is a screaming bargain!
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132646 / 1966 Dodge Chargerby rkmotorscharlotte3,881 views
Slick sounds awesome!
mrcaymanislands1 3 months ago