As we age we think about what we missed in our lives and wonder what we could do to make up for it. I’ve had a lot of cars but there have been a couple that I missed. One was the 62 Ford Galaxie 406 4spd. I tried to order one back in 62 but was too late in the year and I was talked into a 63 427 R Code car that I blew up a few months after I bought it. I had been looking for a good part of 2024 but lack of car funds stood in the way. In the spring of 2025 I sold my boat and decided to use the money to purchase a Galaxie and turn it into a G code car. I missed a car that I just couldn’t get to in time before it sold. I found a black hardtop in Denver that I thought could be brought around fairly quickly but after getting it home and working on it I decided to give up and look for something that had a better life. I finally stumbled across a survivor with 65000 miles up in Montana. The paint and interior is original and in good shape. The chrome and stainless is all good. It is an automatic 352 that isn’t impressive when it comes to performance. I was originally going to fly into Great Falls and drive it home but the previous owner thought that was a bad idea and I’m glad he talked me out of that plan. Annie and I drove up right before we started the Strawberry Fields ride. I still wanted to drive it back and see if it would be ready for a long trip this summer. I made it just short of 200 miles when it overheated. I had been running it between 80 and 90 through the hills of Montana and it ran great till the heating problem. Time was of the essence so we quickly loaded it on the trailer and decided to drive all the way back to Lewis. We ended up driving 2275 miles in 3 days pulling a trailer. Used to do that all the time when I was younger but not so much now. Good news (I think) was the radiator cap was not on securely so that may have been the problem. We got to Lewis, filled the radiator with water and went for a drive where it seemed to run fine with no problem and no overheating.
Future plans: First will be to run a compression check and a tune up, then enough miles to regain some confidence. The only cosmetics planned are to remove the cracked padded dash and replace the front seat cover. The upholstery is good but the original owner didn’t like the vinyl and had installed cloth inserts in the front seat. A good detailing is all that it will take for a start so I will just drive it till I get the upgraded driveline and engine ready. Along the way I purchased an old Oakland jalopy with a rebuilt 406 tri power. I also picked up an original T10 out of a 62 along with the factory clutch and brake pedals. That will hopefully be a short project for the fall and winter.
