1968 Galaxy 500 - New Aquisition

[JimNNN]

Originally Posted by Stephenorf

And it only went for ~$8k? That's not too bad considering how hard to find good unmolested muscle cars are getting. Cyclones are pretty cool, even Torinos are nice. And a 302 can really put out some nice HP too.

Check out this 1966 Mercury Cyclone GT 390 car that just sold for relatively cheap on eBay. Could be a basket case, but would be really sweet when done. Is this the one you are thinking of?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25548056652...p2047675.l2557

I love the '66-'67 Cyclones and Fairlanes, too...beautiful lines on truly mid size cars. The one I was looking at on eBay was a '69 fastback similar to the pic I posted...they look to be larger cars...I describe them as being very "late '60's NASCAR" in appearance. Way back when, I had a '71 Montego two door coupe that would be the platform for the Cyclone of that era. It had a 302, but it was one of the pedestrian versions and not much to write home about in terms of performance. Still, I don't race or thrash cars, so the eBay car I saw would've been plenty adequate for me.



This 390 convertible you posted looks like a great deal, too. The problem is I'm not really very talented at working on cars, so it would be beyond my abilities. Getting my '65 T-Bird in to presentable shape has been a lot of work for me, but it'd be a small project for most experienced car guys.

[Fortunateson]

Very interesting thread. Makes me want to leap frog my Dad’s ‘69 four door LTD, 2V, 390, and C6. Only had 120,00 miles when he died in ‘77, mainly towing a trailer, as he ordered it with the trailer towing option. The car has fairly minor rust but small patches will be needed. Interesting I found an OEM left rear quarter panel for very little man hey on EBay. Luckily not many people restore four doors. Good luck!

[rotorwrench]

The 4-door hardtops are nice but many of them were the LTD version of the Galaxie type with the Brougham top. My folks had a 1965 Galaxie 500 4-door with the 352 and later a 1971 Galaxie 500 with the first of the 400 engines. The 71 was a screamer compared to the old 352. Ford changed the 400 after 1971 due to smog controls and later fuel shortages.

[Stephenorf]

So I was able to get some keys made and finally opened the trunk. What a mess. At least the rats family didn't chew all the wires up. The wires that I can see all look goos and even have the little paper tags still afixed.

[Stephenorf]

So the trunk area is in pretty good shape except of all the rat turds. Definitely unmolested. Original jack and (maybe original) spare tire are back there. The decals on the bottom of the trunk are still there from when they we applied at the factory.



Jack usage and storage instruction decal:



Ford safety disclaimer (I guess):

[JimNNN]

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The wires that I can see all look good....

I found lots of evidence of rodents in my '65, but strangely there was no evidence of wires or even tape wrap being chewed. And all the electrical systems work fine so far. I guess some varieties of rodents chew wires and others don't. Mostly the evidence I found was that some of the burlap type seat cushion lining had been chewed off and made into nests throughout the car. I also found probably 150 empty walnut-type shells, maybe more, spread throughout the car. I don't recall seeing a lot of droppings, but I'm sure I got rid of a lot of them with the initial vacuuming I did.

I'm almost wondering if I had squirrels, but unless the windows were left open, how would they get in and out? I guess squirrels chew wires, too, though. Trunk stickers on the Galaxie look to be in good shape.

[mercman from oz]

1968 Ford Galaxie 500 Fastback languishing in a car wreckers waiting to be rescued