Many regard this generation Galaxie as the best looking, and when teamed up with a great driveline make for a grand cruiser
By John Hickey with Guy Allen
For some years I had been casually combing the sales lists for a similar-year model Dodge Phoenix sedan, without success.
One day we had a visit to our Sydney office from an engineer who was representing an American supplier that our business had been dealing with for some years, and I mentioned that I was wanting to procure such a vehicle and wondered if he could assist me. He agreed and a fee was discussed and agreed upon.
One day the phone rang and it was my friend from the USA, saying that he had found two cars that he felt may suit: One was a 1967 Chevy Nova and the other the 1967 Galaxie four-door pillarless sedan. I opted for the Ford.
In 1967 the Ford Galaxie was one of the largest selling luxury vehicles in the USA. It came in several models and had many different power plants. At that time, the main competitors were the Chevrolet Bel Air, Impala, and the Dodge Phoenix range.
In 1967, the Galaxie was presented to the world market in several different guises: four-door sedan, four-door pillarless sedan, four-door pillarless hardtop, two-door coupes and a two-door convertible. All of these models had a range of options so big, it is hard to believe.
To cover just a few: power steering, power disc brakes, integrated air-conditioning, power windows, tinted windscreens, electric seats, bench and bucket seats, coil and leaf spring rear suspension, optional wheel sizes, and then of course was the drivetrain options.
There were six-cylinder motors with an automatic, and a few V8 engine sizes fitted to a choice of a couple of automatics the C4 and a C6, plus a four-speed. The most popular engine sizes were the 390, 427, 428 plus a 429 unit. In fact, nine engine variants are listed for the third-generation Galaxie.
Ford produced 426,941 Galaxies in 1967, with a total series production (including wagons, LTD and Custom models) of 877,127.
It came from Phoenix, Arizona, which is very dry. The body had no rust whatsoever. When we pulled out the seats and the carpet, it was like a new car – I couldn’t believe it. It had little blemishes where the doors had been opened and bumped something.
I was aware it had taken a hit at some stage, that hadn’t been repaired properly. In the process it had received a new front guard and bonnet.
When we stripped it back, we discovered a rail had been bent back half an inch. We pulled the body off the chassis and pulled it forward and got it right. Terry Barnes did much of this work, which ensured that the body is aligned and all areas measure up perfectly with the door gaps and closures true and correct.
Early on, we decided to paint the car my favourite red, which is now shared by all three of my recent restoration projects! I think it suits the Galaxie really well.
It hadn’t been proof-coated when it was repaired – all those little things that people take shortcuts with. We took it right back to bare metal.
It’s running a very good driveline with 4V 390 V8, C6 automatic and a 9-inch diff.
Of all the available options, this one came with integrated air-conditioning and power steering.
We put disc brakes on the front and fitted a booster, then took it to Parramatta Brake & Clutch, which has done a lot of work for me in the past, and they made and fitted lines and got the whole system working.
I have a friend who specialises in gearboxes. He did the C6 for me
I was looking around for someone to do the engine and he said, “I’ll take you to see a friend of mine.” It turned out to be Manwar Engineering – all he did was build race engines for boats and cars.
He worked out of a big shed in the back yard of his house, and had all the gear including a dyno.
We opened up the engine and it was well-used with about 80,000 miles on it.
He said we’ll clean up the bore, clean up the heads, new pistons rings and bearings, balance the crankshaft, lighten the flywheel – a few other things – and I’ll find you another 50 to 60 horsepower.
I was thinking we would haemorrhage money, but his bill was okay. He said don’t you start it – I want to be there and pump oil into it.
He sadly passed away by the time we were ready, so I sent it to Auto Perfection to finish it off and start it. It had twin exhausts that sounded a little sharp, so I took it to Windsor Exhausts which added a couple of boxes and made it just right.
The grille was an interesting issue as it is made of an anodised aluminium in two parts, held in place with four brackets.
One section required repair and so our specialist separated the sections and advised that he could dip these in copper and chrome them for a better finish. Of course, I agreed.
However, whilst the final polishing was being completed, one section got caught up on the polishing wheel and was damaged beyond repair. Fortunately, we managed to track down a replacement part over in the USA and had it shipped straight across.
For the time being, the Galaxie is living in the showroom of Ian McAlister, the Ford dealer in Young, NSW. We’ve become good friends. When I told him what I was doing, he said, “I want that car.” He learned to drive in a Galaxie.
The project took 10 years by the time we finished, although we really didn’t start for five. What didn’t help was I was rushed off to hospital for heart surgery the night before the car was due to be delivered!
We decided we were going to work on one car at a time. In the meantime I restored a Prince Skyline and a rare Bellett GT-R (featured in Unique Cars issue 505), and then the Galaxie.
Parts are easy to source. We found a couple of places in the States where we could get pieces such as door rubbers and window rubbers, a high-speed starter, new fuel tank, and disc brakes as a kit. We didn’t need panels, but there was lots of other gear on our list.
Locally we were able to buy little things like window winders as they were the same as on the local Galaxies and Fairlanes.
I’m very thankful to Robyn my wife, and Grant our son, for all the hours of assistance and the time spent listening to me complain about the issues that we faced, and in believing in the project. All in all, the big red beast looks as we wanted it to look, so we are very thankful for all the help and assistance given by the trades and friends around us.
