Cool early Ford muscle. Factory 390/4-speed car. Long list of recent upgrades including disc brakes, power steering, and more. Freshened interior with buckets and a console. A cool Galaxie with a lot of attitude!

Halfway through 1963, Ford needed to do something to get competitive on the high-banked ovals of NASCAR, and the result was the all-new Galaxie 500 “fastback” hardtop. A beautiful piece of design, it was aerodynamically more efficient than the older hardtop and the fresh look drew buyers into showrooms in record numbers. Someone in the spring of 1963 knew what they were doing when they spec’d this beautiful 1963 Ford Galaxie 500XL hardtop, adding the 390 cubic inch V8, a 4-speed, and as a 500XL, bucket seats were part of the deal. In the years since then, it has been freshened and upgraded, resulting in the awesome-looking bright red bruiser you see today. The paint is probably 10-12 years old, and the bodywork underneath is laser-straight. Just sight down those enormous quarters and you won’t see any waves or ripples. That’s pretty nice work. It has been driven, of course, so there are a few flaws and signs of age, but nothing that really detracts from this car’s big impact when it shows up. All the chrome and stainless trim has been re-plated or polished, and even the orange grille and unique matching tail panel look great. LED lighting has been added to improve visibility out back. There was good money invested in making this car look its best.

Inside, there’s a recent custom interior using gray vinyl with red piping to make a bold statement. The XL models received buckets and a console and those are indeed the factory seats, but the fresh upholstery gives it a more contemporary look. Matching door panels were created using the factory patterns so the custom parts blend seamlessly with the factory look. That console houses the factory 4-speed shifter with a cue ball knob, but we’d probably install a Hurst linkage to tighten things up—the stock shifter is pretty vague. A custom leather-wrapped steering wheel lives on a tilt column, but the primary gauges are still OEM. A vintage-looking Moon Eyes tach and custom auxiliary gauges were mounted above the console, so they kind of blend in with the overall look. The factory radio was tossed in favor of a newer digital AM/FM/cassette head unit with speakers on the rear package shelf, which is also upholstered to match. The back seat is neatly trimmed in the same gray vinyl and the red headliner is just the right touch. The interior is tasteful, yet functional. Even the trunk was upholstered in the same style, right down to a matching cover for the full-sized spare.

This is a factory Z-code car, meaning that the 390 cubic inch V8 under the hood was there in 1963. We can’t determine matching numbers on a 1963 Ford, but we do know this one was rebuilt to stock specs and fitted with a few upgrades like aluminum cylinder heads, a Holley 4-barrel double-pumper carburetor on an Edelbrock Performer RPM aluminum intake manifold, a set of headers, and an electronic ignition system. There’s a big aluminum radiator up front, along with an auxiliary cooling fan for low-speed operations—a smart upgrade. Dress-up includes Edelbrock air cleaner and valve covers, plus a custom billet aluminum master cylinder for the front disc brakes. A new EPAS electric power steering system was recently installed and works superbly for effortless driving, even in a big car like this. We’re told the Borg-Warner Super T10 4-speed transmission was also rebuilt, and it feeds the original 9-inch rear end with 3.50 gears inside, a nice compromise between performance and comfort on the highway. The body has never been off the frame, so it’s not sparkling clean and there are some patches in the floors in the usual spots, but the work was competently done and presents no issues today. A newer dual exhaust system sounds exactly right, muscular but not obnoxious, and with a set of air shocks in back, you can adjust the attitude if you don’t like the current stance (we do!). 17-inch Ford Mustang wheels are a bolt-on for the Galaxie, and carry 245/45/17 front and 255/55/17 rear performance radials.

Not many cars in our recent inventory have generated the attention that this big Galaxie does. Everyone seems to dig the look. And when you consider that it’s a real-deal 390/4-speed car, has a long list of desirable upgrades, and all the hard work is already done, well, it’s easy to understand why it’s so popular. If you’ve been looking for some FoMoCo muscle that was made for grown-ups, this Galaxie is what you want. Call today!

Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.