In the 1960s, the Galaxie 500XL was Ford’s equivalent of the Chevrolet Impala Super Sport. They came with bucket seat interiors and apparently with any engine that Ford offered in the Galaxie. This ’63 XL is a convertible that’s been going through a restoration of sorts over the past two years. In the process, it’s about to gain a 427 cubic inch V8, Ford’s monster engine of the mid-decade. In dirty, but overall good condition, in Temecula, California, this Ford awaits someone to finish the project. It’s available here on eBay where you’ll have to go higher than $19,700 to break through the seller’s reserve.
Ford redesigned their full-size automobiles for 1960-64 and the 1963 models were the most attractive (IMO). Buyers agreed as more than a half million Galaxies were built, including some 18,500 XL drop-tops like the seller’s car. I got a bit excited when I saw that a rebuilt 427 V8 was ready to go into the car (remembering the 1963 ½ Galaxies), and then I checked the VIN. While this open-air Galaxie is an XL convertible (code 69), it had a 352 2-barrel (X-code) in it when it left the assembly line. No mention is made of the whereabouts of the lesser powerplant.
As the story goes, the seller is just the car’s second owner. The original purchaser died in 1983 and the car sat for 38 years before the seller bought it off his/her estate. It sat untouched until two years ago and all the work referenced in the listing was done by the seller. That includes rebuilding the engine and automatic transmission. The Ford sports disc brakes all around, something else we assume the seller has taken care of. The body looks good, the interior even better (except maybe cracks in the dash pad), and the paint (green/gold) may be okay though the seller suggests it could stand a new clear coat.
The motor and transmission may be back in the Galaxie before the auction closes. And the hood, not pictured, is said to be somewhere nearby. The overall vehicle has 82,500 miles and the exhaust system (will a 352 convert to a 427?) is said to still bear Ford insignias. With most of the heavy lifting already said to be out of the way, maybe detailing the car will be the buyer’s biggest chore