Jimmy's 1967 Ford Galaxie

[LennyB]

Jimmy worked at a Ford dealership. Every two years Jimmy bought a new Galaxie. You would think he might be a sales rep or some bigwig in the company to buy a new one every other year. No, that was not the case. Jimmy was the shop gofer. Jimmy, go pickup parts. Jimmy, go drive this customer home. He did all the odd jobs around the place.

In 1966 Jimmy bought his last Galaxie. A Burnt Amber 2-door hardtop with a 390. I worked on Jimmy’s car many times with my father. Anything from brakes to tune-ups. And every time we worked on the car we were rewarded with a spaghetti and meatball dinner prepared by his wife Annie.  Homemade meatballs and gravy (don’t call it sauce) and Vermicelli pasta (Ronzoni). It was a tradition up until the 80’s. And always a Saturday night and always started with a shot of Black Berry Brandy. I still use the recipe today, the pasta, not the brandy.

Jimmy loved that car and Jimmy loved Annie. They went everywhere in that car with their dog Feefee in the back seat. They celebrated their 50^th Wedding Anniversary with that car. There was one thing funny about Jimmy however. When he first met Annie, he was too embarrassed to tell her his real name. It wasn’t Jimmy, it was Joe. But for the rest of their time together she always called him Jimmy. So, this is really the story of Joe’s 1967 Galaxie.

 

This is a project I first started planning for back in the 90’s when I found a rather sad AMT Galaxie Promo at the Hershey AACA fall meet. I paid $3.00 for it and purchased a number of other sad promos from the same dealer on the White field. When I recently got the idea to start on this model, I went through my stash to find it. I found I have four 67 Galaxies; guess I had the idea of building this more then once. Well, they won’t go to waste so let’s get started.

This is what we are starting with.

 

 

Pretty sad, huh. I think I have my work cut out for me.?

Edited November 11, 2024 by LennyB

[LennyB]

We are going to start at the bottom and work our way up. Being this is a promo it doesn't have a proper chassis. Trying to find a suitable candidate I looks at other year Galaxies to see if they would work. From 1965 to 1969 (and I think 70 is the same as 69) they are similar, but not the same. You can see the progression below of the changes AMT made.

You can get all of these chassis today from various re-issues except for the 1967-68 style I need.  The 1965 chassis that is now available is very much the same as the original. Original on the bottom here.

The 1966 chassis has been slightly modified with changes to the front suspension. Original on the left in both pics.

 

As the 1965 chassis has the exhaust molded on and the 1969 has a simplified front suspension and holes through the trunk I decided to use an original 1966 chassis.

Here is the 1967 chassis on the left and the 1966 reissue on the right. The interior floor has texture molded into it which is why the middle of the chassis is cut away. I'm going to cut away the center on the 1966 chassis.

 

 

 

Here we have an open window to the interior.

 

But it's not that simple. We have a gap at the rear of the interior. The side rails are also too wide.

 

This is the reason for the gap. The shape of the rear inner fenders. The 1966 stand tall in front and the 1967 slopes rearward.

 

So we have to do some cutting.

And splicing

Getting closer.

The gap is gone and some strip styrene has been added to the side rails to fill in there.

 

Next time; more chassis work, see ya then.

 

[DJMar]

Awesome project and an awesome story!

It's a bittersweet reminder of a simpler time when even the shop gofer could afford a new car.

[gman]

The '67 was always one of my favourite Galaxies, and I have admired the lines from when the 1:1 car was new. After finding them to be "unobtainium" online when I tried to find a scale version, it is nice to see your build in pictures. I am looking forward to seeing what you'll do with it.

[TopherMcGinnis]

Growing up, both neighbors on either side of us had '66 Fords-one had a '66 Fairlane and the other a '66 Galaxie. Great story and build!

[Bullybeef]

Jimmy/Joe was on the witless relocation list! Looks like you have a good head start on the planning @LennyB.

[LennyB]

20 hours ago, DJMar said:

Awesome project and an awesome story!

It's a bittersweet reminder of a simpler time when even the shop gofer could afford a new car.

And not just once, but every couple of years and not because you needed one. Now it's more like you buy a new TV set every couple of years, because they break.

19 hours ago, gman said:

The '67 was always one of my favourite Galaxies, and I have admired the lines from when the 1:1 car was new. After finding them to be "unobtainium" online when I tried to find a scale version, it is nice to see your build in pictures. I am looking forward to seeing what you'll do with it.

Greg, I don't think we'll ever see this one re-issued. I think AMT evolve the 67 into the 70 and that's where it will stay.

9 hours ago, TopherMcGinnis said:

Growing up, both neighbors on either side of us had '66 Fords-one had a '66 Fairlane and the other a '66 Galaxie. Great story and build!

That's cool. I think my neighborhood had more VW's then Fords.

8 hours ago, Bullybeef said:

Jimmy/Joe was on the witless relocation list! Looks like you have a good head start on the planning @LennyB.

I know, he told me you were there too Bil.?

[customline]

On 11/10/2024 at 9:22 PM, DJMar said:

Awesome project and an awesome story!

It's a bittersweet reminder of a simpler time when even the shop gofer could afford a new car.

Remember what the minimum wage was back in '67?  $1.25/hr?  (Nice one, Lenny! ?)

[DJMar]

13 hours ago, customline said:

Remember what the minimum wage was back in '67?  $1.25/hr?  (Nice one, Lenny! ?)

Federal minimum was $1.40/hr. That's around $13.20/hr in 2024 dollars (almost double the current federal minimum!)

Plus, you could get deals like this...

 

[LennyB]

18 hours ago, customline said:

Remember what the minimum wage was back in '67?  $1.25/hr?  (Nice one, Lenny! ?)

 

5 hours ago, DJMar said:

Federal minimum was $1.40/hr. That's around $13.20/hr in 2024 dollars (almost double the current federal minimum!)

Plus, you could get deals like this...

 

So back then you could work for and hour and have earned enough to buy a model kit.  Can’t do that today even at Ollie’s.  

[DJMar]

4 minutes ago, LennyB said:

So back then you could work for and hour and have earned enough to buy a model kit.  Can’t do that today even at Ollie’s.  

When I was in high school, I worked a part time job at $4/hr. Model kits at the time were around $4.25 at my LHS. I thought I was living large! Gas was also only .93/gal. ?

[LennyB]

The front of the chassis from the 66 is not as detailed as the original chassis from the 67. Not that the 67 was great but at least it had some semblance of a front spindle. So I'm going to make the 66 look more like the 67. While a bit of a glue bomb this is a 67 chassis.

This is our 66 with the traditional insert for the metal axles. As noted above the reissue chassis does not have the inserts but is a solid piece.

 

To give the piece a bit more strength I layered a piece of sheet styrene on the outside of the faux spindle. The idea is to trim it down so the spindle is not so wide and closer in size to the 67 chassis.

I cut back the excess plastic and shaped the lower section so it didn't look so blocky and more like the 67 version of this chassis.

 

As you can see from this side on the 67 chassis where the faux spindle is MIA there is a spring sitting within a socket. I have to locate some springs and I will add them to the 66 chassis. And that will do for our front end.

 

I'll leave it at that for now. Say Goodnight Gracie......

Edited November 13, 2024 by LennyB

[espo]

Great background story, the sort of thing that makes your model build all the more personal. 

[LennyB]

1 hour ago, espo said:

Great background story, the sort of thing that makes your model build all the more personal. 

Thanks David, gotta have fun where you can?

[LennyB]

 Little further work done on the front end. I drilled out some "pockets" for the front springs and found a piece of "spring" in the spare parts bin. Adds a bit of detail so the lower control arm doesn't look like it's floating in mid air.

 

An interesting thing about this Galaxie is the promo body has 428 markings

and the kit body has 427. You can see the '7' sits a bit high so that was probably done later.

 

While we are talking about the body there are other differences. The underside of the hood has no detail as the hood is secured shut and no one would see them anyway. The kit has detail but it's not accurate.

Wanted to give the hood some detail so I started with a piece of .040" styrene sheet and cut out a square which I then cut into quarters and rounded the points.

The underside of the hood was sanded smooth and the pieces I made glued in place. These will be painted to represent insulation later on.

I also added some strips to represent the understructure. figured it's better then nothing.

I next added some strips on the inside of the fenders to represent the fender lip. I will mimic some bolts there at a later date.

The radiator support has two holes in it but no radiator.

I marked out a spot for the radiator after finding one in the parts box that will fill the void. I cut out a 'U' shape in the support mainly as it was easier then cutting a square hole. I then created a top for the support and shaped it to better represent the real thing. And at the same time I'm plugging the holes

At the other end of the engine bay we needed to find a firewall. Back to the parts box and I came up with the orange one below.

It's not an exact match for the kit firewall, the one on top, but the shape is close enough to work with.

I removed the master cylinder as I will replace it with a more detailed one, and I filled the cutouts on the top left and right. Then added a lip on top.

Inside the body I put two strips to mount the firewall against.

And now it's found it's home.

 

That's all for now. C&C always welcome. Catch ya on the flip side.

 

[customline]

That 427 badge is kinda weird, Len. Could that have been done by the glue bomber ? It's not even the same font.  Nice re-engineering on the chassis, firewall and rad support.?

Edited November 18, 2024 by customline

[LennyB]

2 minutes ago, customline said:

That 427 badge is kinda weird, Len. Could that have been done by the glue bomber ? It's not even the same font.  Nice re-engineering on the chassis, firewall and rad support.?

I have two more of these in the attic, I will take a look at them and see what they have.

[customline]

1 minute ago, LennyB said:

I have two more of these in the attic, I will take a look at them and see what they have.

How hot does it get in your attic in July, Len?  Is it temperature controlled up there? I've been in attics that were 140F on a summer afternoon. That can't be good for styrene (nor for humans)

[LennyB]

48 minutes ago, customline said:

How hot does it get in your attic in July, Len?  Is it temperature controlled up there? I've been in attics that were 140F on a summer afternoon. That can't be good for styrene (nor for humans)

Yes, I guess you could say it's temperature controlled. I have a ridge vent that runs the length of the roof that allows heat to escape and I have a large gable fan that turns on automatically between 85 and 90 degrees. I've been up there in August and it's no hotter then it is outside. I've stored things up there over 30 years now and have yet to find an issue.

[customline]

49 minutes ago, LennyB said:

Yes, I guess you could say it's temperature controlled. I have a ridge vent that runs the length of the roof that allows heat to escape and I have a large gable fan that turns on automatically between 85 and 90 degrees. I've been up there in August and it's no hotter then it is outside. I've stored things up there over 30 years now and have yet to find an issue.

That sound good, Len.  I started storing some model stuff in my detached garage recently but I worry. I guess the only hazard out there is an occasional black widow.

[Sledsel]

Looking really good. I wonder if the chassis you used was a Thunderbird? They were open in the center also.

Ya know as you get done they will re-issue the '67 Galaxie!!! I hope so!

 

[LennyB]

10 hours ago, Sledsel said:

Looking really good. I wonder if the chassis you used was a Thunderbird? They were open in the center also.

Ya know as you get done they will re-issue the '67 Galaxie!!! I hope so!

 

The chassis is from the 66 Galaxie that I cut the middle out of. I was told once that the open chassis from the T-Bird will fit the Galaxie. Never tried it.

If they reissue the '67 after I'm done that would be fine by me.?

[LennyB]

On 11/17/2024 at 8:04 PM, LennyB said:

I have two more of these in the attic, I will take a look at them and see what they have.

Jim, found another in the attic and it's a 427 with the same wonky "7"

[customline]

4 hours ago, LennyB said:

Jim, found another in the attic and it's a 427 with the same wonky "7"

Ah ha!  Can you believe that 💩?  Why am I so surprised? They didn't think anyone would notice. 

Edited November 26, 2024 by customline

[customline]

Hey, Len, what's the thinking on why the clear plastic parts turn cloudy and yellow like that?   I realize the ones pictured above may be over a half-century old, but it happens only to some. Is it the specific type of material? Maybe environmental conditions? UV maybe? 🤔