Now there’s a land yacht, the 1959 Ford Galaxie

 By Rock and Roll Bob & Jinny

The 1959 Ford Galaxie is not a common sight on Woodward these days, although it sold very well back in the day. 1959 was the first year for the Galaxie nameplate. It was actually a "pull ahead" body style change that took place in those competitive years with GM and Chrysler. In fact, the "Fin" era was at its peak, evidenced by some of the cars built that year. Remember those Cadillacs, Dodges, and Buicks?

It was the "Rocket" age that inspired those designs and you can see that influence in the "59" Ford Galaxie for sure. From the "gunsights" on the tops of the front fender to the "afterburner" tail lights, this model had it all. In fact, it was judged “The Most Beautifully Proportioned Car in the World” at the Brussels World Fair that year. Quite an honor and quite a car!

Our 1959 Ford Galaxie Club Victoria has the classic two-tone paint scheme that was so popular in the 50's. With its Raven Black over Colonial White exterior, it only seems fitting that it should have a red and white interior, trimmed in silver and black. Wow, no lack of color in those days! 

She's decked out in practically all the available factory and dealer-installed options, from the front bumper guards to the Continental kit on the back. Twenty feet from bumper tip to bumper tip. Talk about land yachts!

Classic wide, white wall tires, Sunburst style hubcaps, chrome exhaust tips and miles of chrome and stainless trim set this car apart from the rest. It even has an ARC 2500 45 RPM record changer under the dash to play all of my favorite records from the past. Old school at its best.

We've had this car for a few years now and purchased it in a semi-restored state and it's been a constant labor of love to keep it original and pristine. A couple of years ago, the engine died a slow death from "no-lead-itis.” Translated, it means that I was "told" it was set up to run unleaded and eventually the lack of leaded gas deteriorated the valve seats.

Initially, I thought of dropping in a big block 427, but that would have destroyed the originality, not to mention adding thousands of dollars to the repair bill for unforeseen extras needed to complete the swap. Undaunted, I made a decision to build the motor my way -- just like I would have run it on Woodward in 1959 -- thereby keeping some of its originality while having some fun in the process. Now, the ultimate test of appropriating parts that were period correct. Y-block parts are a bit more difficult to come by and what made it even harder was trying to find an engine builder who actually worked on these. You see, the Y-block is quite a bit different in design than the common Chevy small block.

I chose D&S Engines for the task and they were instructed to pull out the stops. Mill it here, polish it there, and bore it what?...and balance the whole thing when you're through. I wanted the proverbial “Saturday Night Special.” I met some good guys on the Internet who custom made some parts for me, too -- aluminum timing cover, aluminum water pump and thermostat housing to mention a few. Polish everything possible when you're done...even the windshield wiper motor!

The engine was completed and finished to my expectations, dropped in the car and transported to my buddies at Motor City Steel for the finishing touches. It seems that we had too much "cam" for it to idle, so that necessitated “flashing” the converter just "this" much to get it to idle in gear. Dave, the master tuner and owner, built progressive linkage for the Tri Power and adjusted, massaged, and tuned it on the dyno for optimal performance and economy. A custom mandrel bent exhaust system, complete with "dumps," finished the job and put me on the road.

I am a firm believer in keeping your neighbors working, so I had the hard working crew at Shelby Trim install some much-needed carpeting and weather seals and rework the original seats covers to look factory fresh. They even custom fabricated close-out panels in the trunk area.

We enjoy driving this car in the local cruises and attend most of Ford Motor Company's exhibitions and shows. Out of the 5,000 classic cars on display at Ford's 100 Year Anniversary Celebration in Dearborn a while back, we had the only 1959 Ford Galaxie Club Victoria. Our car was selected to be on display at the Concourse De Elegance that same year, but scheduling conflicts prevented that from happening. 

Obviously, it's a ball to drive and it sounds awesome with that lopey idle and raspy exhaust note emanating from those chrome exhaust tips. It never fails to transport us into Nostalgia Land every time we drive it. 

Our favorite thing above all is the comments we get from the old and young. The Old Timers remember this car well, and often shake my hand for keeping it alive, along with the fond memories it brings back. I've heard it all from how many kids they fit in the back seat to their dating stories with their favorite girl! Some even approach the car with tears in their eyes as they reminisce. 

The young hot-rodders simply ask when I lift the hood...How fast will it go? Or, What’ll it turn? Some things never change! 

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