'64 galaxie 500

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andreasklapp

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2010
Messages
156
Location
northern california
here's my galaxie. had it about a week. got to patch a couple holes in the body, do up the suspension, figure out the cause of the burning oil. not burning much though, probably just the rings or maybe valve guides or something. doesn't even burn it all the time. should be an easy fix. i think this was a one owner car. spent the last few days cleaning up the grease, tracing wires, finding the worst of the worst. not bad. i'll post up more as i make visible changes to it. some of the things on the agenda are a chuck taylor shoe sole gas pedal, a ww2 20mm gun shell shift knob (auto), sea lion bone blinker switch knob, indian blanket seat covers, paint, patches, tires. got to put seatbelts in the back, etc...
 

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Good score!! Runs and drives is even better. What are your plans for paint?That patch under the back glass will be tricky. Be sure to post pictures of the progress...:)
 
yeah i'm debating the patch, thinking about just riveting in some stainless until i can get some help to weld it, but i may just weld it and leave it. i will post progress. it's raining today so i can't do much. kinda sucks that is like the only body panel i can't find for sale anywhere. any one have any thoughts on riveting this area? it doesn't seem structural, it really just needs to keep the weather out. as far as paint i think i'm gonna flat black, grey, and white on the outside, there are three distinct planes to the side of the body, i think it will give it an old police car kinda vibe. i'm thinking about tiger striping the underside of it though and doing a combo of alice chalmers orange and black in the engine and suspension. got to get it legal first. so glad to have a project that runs this time. i'll check out that pcv. i think it's all pretty new though. my girlfriend and one of my roomates work at a thrift shop and somebody came in to donate this car, so my roomate got it but got some flack for snaking it out from under the store. so he sold it to me after an explanation of the past ten years of just missing a bunch of old t-birds and fairlanes. but the lady who used to own it had about 5000 worth of work put in about two years ago then parked it. i've got to go back through the list to see what was done. all new brakes and lines and drums though. it will be fun.
 
good lloking old car ya got there.......
gotta love the cruise-ship of the ford line ......."Galaxie 500" [cl

will be anticipating a build -update[P
 
beat the first gremlin. got the tail lights and brake lights to work consistently today. still plan to fix up the ends a little nicer than they are, but it turned out to be some buildup on the connections at the fuse. i think i may try my hand at welding a patch into that hole in the back. just don't know if my welder is up to it. corrected an issue with the power steering. got it paid for, now i just got to mail off for the title and get it legal. dmv's here suck. month wait for an appointment.
 
If you just rivet something on there, use a sheet of brass or copper. Something different to set it off. Maybe a couple leather buckles even (maybe not on the buckles). I'd probably go brass....
 
you know i hadn't even thought about the brass or copper, that would go well with the ocean relics that will be making up some of the bits and pieces inside. i just kind of worry about the integrity of pop rivets.although with my lack of welding experience that probably wouldn't be much better.
 
andreasklapp said:
you know i hadn't even thought about the brass or copper, that would go well with the ocean relics that will be making up some of the bits and pieces inside. i just kind of worry about the integrity of pop rivets.although with my lack of welding experience that probably wouldn't be much better.
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I don't think you want to use pop-rivets. Probably a hammer rivet matching the material used. As for structure, if it needs it, I think you'll either want to weld in a patch panel or weld in some framework underneath for support - if it needs it.

If your welding is bad - find someone you can learn from and practice. Body panels can be done with a small welder, but you'll still need to know what your doing - especially on a piece like that.

Maybe go with the brass until you can get your welding skills up to snuff.
 
did a little rust-bustin today, got plenty more to do. may have pinpointed my oil burning issue. about to pull out the headliner and most of the interior. things like to mold up here.
 
always. anybody got any tips for reinstalling a glue in window? i've done some small ones like side windows, but this is the back glass. haven't got it out yet. still a little ways off, but i'm pretty sure i'm going to have to get it out of there to do up the body. do you need the clamp things they use on windshields or can you just press it in and let the silicone do it's job. i'll keep looking around but if anybodies got some know-how on this it'd be much appreciated.
 
found out my car has definitely only had one owner before me. met her yesterday, kinda scary (she gave it to my roomate, he sold it to me, she was kind of freaking out because it wasn't covered up and all the trim was off of it and everything.) i had to explain to her that it was only not covered because i was working on it and then that it was actually my car now, since i bought and paid for it. weird. i love the idea of being the first person to see something in almost 50 years. pulled my headliner out yesterday. makes me feel like an archaeologist or something.
 
put my big shell on the shifter today, may keep it the way it is, may use the clay type epoxy to make it more permanent and give it a bullet tip, sort of like it's growing out of the post. it's a 20mm round from a world war two plane that came up in the net on the boat i was working on a few years ago out of monterey,ca. got some more of the specs of the bullet somewhere, just don't remember them all. never fired. have a few more put away. pretty much just used the tape and built up the shaft to be a tight squeeze for the shell, then rolled up a little tape ball sticky side out to keep it in place. temporary, permanent, don't know yet. kinda like how it looks though.rainy today so i can't do to much else.
 

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i like the "shell-shifter" really a neat touch......
not sure but i think those back glasses were held in with a butyl tape type sealant......a guy might use silicone but i personally would advise against it....there is a windshield urethane in a caulk-type tube that would hold it in permanently..just use a windshield "primer" first any reputable glass shop should be able to steer you in the right direction--maybe one of the more experienced guys on here could help confirm or correct any of my advice...
 
always thought it would be cool to wedge a galaxie motor into a ford probe. I know it would take alot of work, and making it rearwheel drive, but you would have a galaxie probe, and that would be the coolest ford ever.
 
yeah i always loved em. like i said been trying for this one for ten years. my grandpa's been building up cars (and trucks and semis and tractor's,etc...) since the forties. grew up messing around in his garage. but missed out his hot rod years. got to see all kinds of old john deere's growing up though. helped throw a turbo into an old minneapolis moline one time. riding wheelies on a farm tractor's pretty fun. the body and welding is the only thing that kinda intimidates me. i'll figure it out though. just got to get some wire for the welder at my house and go to practicing. one of my cousins had some monster of a motor shoehorned into a little ford ranger once, don't remember the motor, just remember that little truck had so much power you couldn't even begin to drive it in a straight line. i'm just glad this one is all there and running when i got it. it's a lot nicer to have to look at the car sitting there because it's not legal yet than to have to look at it because you are ordering it piece by piece starting with a piston (or whatever.) i'll keep that glasswork in mind preacher. thanks.
 

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