Featured Car #11

I purchased my 1963 1/2 Galaxie 500 Fastback in June 2002 from the original owners. They were moving into a "retirement" community and couldn't take
the car. The car was a true California black plate "survivor" that had been pampered since new. The car had a very clean interior, no rust or corrosion,
and had obviously been garaged. There were many receipts and service documentation with the car. I found that the car was built at the Ford plant in
Los Angeles (Pico Rivera) and delivered on July 12, 1963. The car was sold
new in Torrance, Calif. at Vel's Parnelli Jones Ford dealership, and spent it's
next 39 years in nearby Hawthorne, California.

The car is in the original "Tucson Yellow" paint and has the original black
Vachette vinyl and Crush vinyl interior and upholstery.
It had 110k miles on the odometer.

Since 2002, I have upgraded the car with as many performance parts that I could source. The FE engine and transmission were completely rebuilt in 2003. It now has aluminum Edelbrock Cobra Jet heads; Comp Cams solid-lifter Magnum cam and lifters (.571 lift); +.030 TRW forged pistons; 428 crank; Ford Tri-power/Holley induction; Shelby magnetic distributor; FPA Tri-Y headers; POP roller rockers and shafts; Holman Moody valve covers; Edelbrock water pump; 2 1/2" exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers; and a 9 quart road race oil pan with baffles and trap door made by Dave's Kustoms in Gardena.

The drive train consists of a Centerforce clutch; Borg Warner T-10 four-speed
trans with Hurst Super Comp shifter; and a 3.70:1 Trac-Loc 9" differential. The handling was improved with a larger 1" front sway bar and the addition of a
rear sway bar and solid front control arm offset shafts. The rear springs were renewed with Eaton Detroit 7 leafs. NOS Ford heavy duty hydraulic shocks
were fitted front and rear. The wheels are 15 x 8 steel with '63 Galaxie center
caps. To monitor the performance, without cutting the dash, I pulled the
factory speedo, fuel, and temp gauges and added a complete set of Auto Meter gauges, including Tach, Speedo, Fuel, Volt, Oil Press., and Temp.

I really enjoy the car's size and performance. I also appreciate the extensive, varied, and successful racing heritage the '63 fastbacks enjoyed in: drag
racing, NASCAR, British Touring Car Championships, road racing, LeMans,
Hill Climbs, etc. Some of the world's best drivers in racing history
drove '63 Galaxies. They include: Dan Gurney, Fred Lorenzen,
Fireball Roberts, Tiny Lund, Ned Jarrett, Glen Wood, Marvin Panch,
Sir Jack Sears, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Sir Jack Brabham, Graham Hill,
and Sir Gawaine Baillie.

Dan Gurney was kind enough to autograph my car's dash at the Supercar
event at the Art Center College of Design in 2004.

If you'd like to see more info on the engine build and more pics check out the website addresses posted below!