1963 Ford Galaxie 500 Convertible
"The Galaxie 500 convertible is an action car and looks it in every line. The roofline is lower; the windshield is set at a more rakish angle; the styling influence of Thunderbird is unmistakable. Underway, the performance promise is brilliantly fulfilled. There's ample proof in the new Galaxies and 500's that Ford engineering set the pace again in '63." From the 1963 Ford Galaxie sale brochure which included the entire line including the Country Squire.
For consignment, a 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible with a title verified 29,536 actual miles in a spec used by Ford in the original sales brochure, white top, red paint, red interior.
Exterior
Ford was riding high on the success of the Thunderbird and many cars in their line including the Galaxie and Fairlane drew design cues from the bird. Sleek body lines here on our Rangoon Red car with round taillights that are markers for a Thunderbird, but the Galaxie has some of its own features. The body trim starts with a spear at the front, makes a hairpin turn at the rear and sends another spear down the midline, ending on the door. The face is all Galaxie too, with dual headlights, a concave grille with an enhanced grid design, bumper guards reminiscent of the '55 Thunderbird but with rubber tips, and a long, mostly straight front bumper. Fender ornaments rise like small shark fins and the artistic side mirrors resemble jar lids with a shiny Ford crest. The grille design repeats in the back where it spans the width between the taillights and below it, a similar straight bumper with repetition of the rubber tipped bumper guards and all the chrome back here is very nice, including the exhaust tips which peak out near the corners. The white canvas top and plastic window are in good condition. Imperfections include touched up chips and scratches and some paint run.
Interior
Highly stylized door panels include a metallic panel, curving silver trim pieces, stitched bars of different sizes, a crest, and metallic hardware. The split bench front seat, although less complex, still has a variety of elements including ivory piping, decorative buttons, and pleated panels between smooth surroundings. We note some discoloration and compression especially on the driver's side, but no rips or heavy wear. The rear bench has red seat belts for two and mirrors the patterns on the fronts. A red rimmed steering wheel with horn ring shares the column with a slim shift lever and leads to another exercise in style, the dashboard, which has two round gauges flanking a contouring, horizontal speedometer. The metal backed, slightly concave lower panel houses a series of knobs and levers and an AM radio and clock. Red looped carpet covers the floor and wears Ford crested floor mats, also looped and red. The enormous trunk is covered with a fitted mat showing some usage, and a spare tire is mounted high, fitting under the package shelf.
Drivetrain
Under the hood is a very clean 352ci V8 rated at 220 horsepower and fueled by a 2-barrel carburetor. A Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission is on board and sends the horses to the Ford 9" in back with 3.00 gears. Drum brakes are found at all four wheels.
Undercarriage
Clean underneath with some patina, mostly in the form of light surface rust and some residual oil on the transmission pan. Dual exhaust enters stock style mufflers in the back just before sending showy chrome tops to the outside. An X-frame dominates the underside and coil springs serve as suspension up front with leaf springs in the rear.
Drive-Ability
The smooth running 352 purrs to life and we tweak the thin stalk to put the car into drive and it rolls onto the test loop. The car tracks well with its 14-inch wheels and 75 series tires, leans a bit on turns, and provides plenty of decent acceleration although you would lose a race to the famous 427 powered 1963 Galaxie 500 "lightweight". Meanwhile, all functions work as they should on our cruiser and it's time to get his ragtop on the floor for all to see! 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.
An incredibly low mileage time capsule from 1963 in stunning red. This is a classic in every way. More than 648,000 Galaxies were produced in 1963 and they were likely very common on the streets. Now, they make great show cars that often strike a chord with those who lived and drove during the 60's. There's a large national club with six regional chapters that are active in keeping Galaxie enthusiasm in the stratosphere!
3E65X244646
3-1963
E-Mahwah, NJ Assy Plant
65-Galaxie 500 2 Door Convertible
X-352ci 2bbl V8
244646-Sequential Unit Number
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.
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