Parked in 1988: 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 Hardtop
Parked in this shed in 1988, this 1963 Galaxie is a 2-owner vehicle with a claimed 89,000 miles on the clock. It looks like a solid car that is just waiting to be restored. The time has come for it to move on to greener pastures, so this might be a chance to secure for yourself a car that is a bit of a sleeper. Located in Trinity, North Carolina, you will find the Galaxie listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $6,100, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
Judging by the first photo, the Galaxie’s storage environment for the past 31-years looks to have been pretty dry. This would help to explain why the rust issues in the car appear to be so minimal. It looks like there might be some minor spots in the bottom corners of the doors, but the original Black paint makes it hard to be 100% sure. The paint is looking pretty sad, but it is presentable enough for the car to be used as-is until the next owner has the opportunity to undertake a repaint. The owner does state that the car is extremely solid, so hopefully, that means that everything under the vehicle is good. The fender skirts give the car a tough look, while the external trim and chrome look quite reasonable.
A black-on-black combination always tends to look good, and the Galaxie is no exception. The interior doesn’t look bad, and a new cover on the front seat, some fresh carpet, and a good clean would make the world of difference. Once again though, it isn’t urgent, and the interior could certainly be used as it currently stands. Thankfully, there are no aftermarket additions to the interior, and all of the original equipment such as the clock and radio are still present.
Lifting the hood reveals why I call this car a bit of a sleeper. It looks relatively mild-mannered from the outside, but it hides a 300hp, 390ci V8 under the hood. This is backed by a 3-speed automatic transmission, while the Galaxie also features power steering. The vehicle has been off the road since 1988, but as the owner says, it did run well when it was parked. He also states that the original owner only drove it sparingly on weekends, and this, combined with 31-years of inactivity, makes him believe that the mileage is accurate. I get the impression from the listing that the motor turns freely, but after decades of sitting in a shed, the car is certainly going to need some work before it could be considered roadworthy. Still, the end result could potentially be a big and heavy family car that is capable of devouring the ¼ mile in under 16 seconds. I don’t see that as a bad thing.
There’s no doubt that this 1963 Galaxie Hardtop will need some restoration work, but one of its great attractions is that none of this seems to be urgent. It looks like it could be driven and enjoyed once it has been returned to a roadworthy state. Returning it to sound mechanical health might be a great project to tackle during the colder months, which will then provide an opportunity to hit the road in style when the weather turns warm again. That is something that is well worth considering.
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Comments
’63 1/2. Nice car. Greener pastures are bad for old cars, Adam!
May have to bid on this one. I like it
Back in Black!! There’s a bold looking Ford! Don’t care for the fender skirts all that much but that’s just me. 390 made plenty of power for most people I suppose. Not many 406 and 427 galaxies were built anyways.
Clean up the engine and fix what needs fixed, turn key and enjoy!
😲i have a👍19631/2
427 & 1961 6 pack 😎
Two words come to mind, David Keniry……Fearsome Ford’s!
Pictures are a bit dark to tell clearly what’s going on, but the car looks really nice.
Seems after a good cleaning and attending to brakes, hoses, gas tank, carburetor, fuel pump, and fluids, that someone could use her as-is.
Looks nice in black.
I have a 64 with a 289 and it moves along real good!! I bet this big block hauls butt!!!
Uh, gee, I think you mean the fender skirts give a really ugly look, as they always have on any car.
Nice….glad it hopefully will be back on the road soon…….
Some cars look Great with fender skirts my 66 Thunder Bird Laundau would look bare and in the right place I would like this 63-1/2 It does NEED cold AC if you keep it Black on Black!!
Back in 68 a friend and coworker at Boeing owned a 63 1/2 (fast back) with 406 and 4 speed. We shared rides with a couple other guys so once every 4 weeks he drove and I mean he drove that beast burning rubber all the way up the on ramp to the freeway. Buy the time he hit 4th gear, which was pretty fast, we were way past the speed limit. Fortunately he would slow to the posted limit the rest of the way to work, but man what a ride.
God bless America
This car is a looker and with the 390 it would be a good performer. My best buddy growing up had a 63 Galaxie (not 63 1/2) 4 door hardtop with a 390, black interior, bucket seats and 4 speed. That was one fun car.
While the condition of this vehicle’s underside should be inspected and there are obvious issues with the paint, the majority of the black paint looks like it might buff out leaving you with an honest vehicle that would get a lot of positive attention. It would be great to see this vehicle on the road again.
I always liked these, but looking at the side views, that’s a loooong rear overhang…plenty of trunk space!
Even though I’m a GM guy, the 63-64 Galaxies always been special to me since I was a kid. My neighbor had a 63 1/2 427 Galaxie and back in ’82 tried to buy it. Being only 18 at the time, he would not sell it to me. Sold the car for less than I offered him and I offered him $3K for it.
Beautiful shape Galaxie. Pity it’s black on black. I don’t see the passion that most American restoration shops have for this colour combination as to me it resembles a funeral cortege family car. Apart from it making the car as hot as Hades in the summer months they are a swine to keep clean and as there are so many colour combinations to choose from, why go black?
Because black looks cool.
But it’s so hot when the sun comes out.
I’ve never had a problem and all my cars and trucks are black except a red cavalier.
When I saw the first picture in the barn, I thought Craig’s List. Then I saw the car pulled out and washed. I then thought this has to be an E-Bay auction. Yep, E-Bay…
A Galaxy “400” with a “400” engine?
The seller has no clue what they are selling.
I’ve always had a warm and fuzzy feeling for the 63 1/2 Galaxies. I really like this one and could see this one fixed up and doing an ice cream run.
So, its another non runner but he says engine and tranny are in good shape ?
Lucky for you he will flip it to you for an undisclosed huge reserve.
Its nice enough but already bid over what I would pay for a non runner.
What a gem! Factory black on black is simply cool! The skirts add to that… This sweety pie needs someone to give it some love & bring it back to life. I had a ’64 Galaxie 500 XL convertible with a 390 4-speed… Great road car!