'64 Galaxie curbside

[customline]

After chassis swapping to create a full detail '63 lightweight, I have decided it's not worth the expense and time to do the same for the '64. The styling of this big Ford is a favorite of mine.  I scored the kit for a decent price on Ebay and it had been started with paint on the chassis and the wheels were "narrowed" by cutting off the axle bosses.  I had considered trying to swap the chassis with the Edsel's but decided against it. There's a chance I can open the hood. It's a lot of work but I'm thinking about it. I won't be changing anything on  the chassis because I kinda like the promo look with all the features called out on the bottom. 

This is kinda cool since other promos are equipped with flat, featureless bottoms. I have not decided about repainting it but it's perfectly acceptable the way it is. I won't be "fixing" anything here.

The grille/bumper was detailed by a former modeller and its good to go. I am debating adding lenses.

There's some work to be done filling sink marks due to all the bosses. My efforts will focus on a good paint job and giving the interior some visible detailing. In order to do that, I will need to cut it apart. The tub was also painted by the former craftsman. I'm grateful the dash and steering wheel escaped the flat black treatment. I plan to go with red with no secondary color. Three dimensional cranks and handles are planned and I figure I can make them. The seats and door panels will need foil- not happening without cutting it up. 

Yup. All one piece, a la promo. This version is a full-on screw bottom and that's how it's going to stay. 

I think red.... 🤩.......thanks for checking. More later. 

[Trainwreck]

If you decide to build a full detail kit from this, you should consider the '60 ford as a doner kit for the frame instead of the Edsel, it's much more accurate.

Anyway just do your thing, Jim. I'll be watching.

[customline]

5 hours ago, Trainwreck said:

If you decide to build a full detail kit from this, you should consider the '60 ford as a doner kit for the frame instead of the Edsel, it's much more accurate.

Anyway just do your thing, Jim. I'll be watching.

Yeah, William, I used the '60 frame and floor pan to build the '63 Tasca car and it worked well. It's hard to get the Starliner kit for a sane price so I tried the Edsel but it's not close enough . The Edsel kit is pretty decent and I built it stock a while back and would like to customize one (if that's possible 🥴).   Thanks for your suggestion, William, and your interest.

[Trainwreck]

31 minutes ago, customline said:

Yeah, William, I used the '60 frame and floor pan to build the '63 Tasca car and it worked well. It's hard to get the Starliner kit for a sane price, , , ,

Strange that the '60 would be more than the Edsel, The Ford is still available and the Edsel has been out of production for a while now.

The current offering of the Ford kit is the 2in1 and comes with some pretty nice "go fast" goodies though, so it would still be my go to if you go full detail.

[customline]

This is my first '64 Galaxie so I wasn't ready for the chassis with War and Peace embossed on the frame and I thought about what a pain it would be to remove all that.  Then I realized how charming it really was and decided to just build it as the folks at AMT intended with some added interior detailing. 

There was no way to add foil to the one piece tub without cutting it apart. I started with my razor saw but I saw that would wreck the door panels so I tried several ways and ended up with the Dremel and the sanding drum. I used the sander to thin the plastic on the outside where I needed to make the cuts and used a 5/8 chisel blade to cut through from the inside.

This is the only way I could think of to expose the door panels without having to deal with the back seat. After it's painted and foiled I can add some decent cranks and handles. Then just glue it back together and we're good. This is my reference for the interior detailing 👇🤓

 

Thanks for stopping by. 🤓

6000 miles between oil changes in 1964 ? Not a good idea. 🤔

[customline]

24 minutes ago, Trainwreck said:

Strange that the '60 would be more than the Edsel, The Ford is still available and the Edsel has been out of production for a while now.

The current offering of the Ford kit is the 2in1 and comes with some pretty nice "go fast" goodies though, so it would still be my go to if you go full detail.

I'm always looking to snag an open or started kit for around 20 bucks but I won't spend 30-40 for a "bash" kit unless there is some special reason. That isn't the case with this build. I found the '64 for a good price. The shipping cost twice what I won the kit for and it was still a good deal. Maybe I'll find a Starliner before I get too far and go full detail but for now, ....it's curb city.

[Trainwreck]

1 minute ago, customline said:

 but for now, ....it's curb city.

I get it, I usually buy only when the price is right too. 

[LennyB]

Nice choice Jim, I’ve collected a bunch of these over the years on the cheap, grab them whenever I find one.  I like to find the first issue as that had the working light's so the headlights have real lenses.   If you want an original chassis without the Funk & Wagnalls I’m sure I can come up with one.  

[customline]

8 hours ago, LennyB said:

Nice choice Jim, I’ve collected a bunch of these over the years on the cheap, grab them whenever I find one.  I like to find the first issue as that had the working light's so the headlights have real lenses.   If you want an original chassis without the Funk & Wagnalls I’m sure I can come up with one.  

The '64 is my fave for that decade, Len. It's just about the body styling. I was thinking about going full detail but it's not a requirement for this one. I don't feel like doing all that.  Today I was out on the road in my antique 2000 Ranger "work truck" when I found myself sharing the road with an absolutely perfect black '64 Galaxie 500 XL hardtop. Couldn't find my phone to get a pic until all I could get was this 👇😔

It was immaculate. 

[LennyB]

Kismet😁

[customline]

2 hours ago, LennyB said:

Kismet😁

Yes!  I spotted it in my mirror, way back, but I recognized it immediately. Imagine my surprise 😲. So here's a question fer ya....I couldn't get a real good look at 55-60 mph because I was driving and fumbling with my phone, which is illegal in VA and I'm trying to determine if the side trim actually consists of a white area in the front or if it's just fogged stainless steel. I think it's white but im certain that you're the guy that would know. 🙂

Edited November 30 by customline

[customline]

Not much here today but the issue of wheels has raised its ugly head once again. If I can't find anything suitable in my current inventory,  I'll use what's in the kit. This is what comes in the kit, usually, and is the stock wheel 👇

The wheels in my kit were modified for a reason I'm not fully understanding yet. The axle bosses were cut down flush. If I need to, I can add back any of that but I could not get the wheels into the tires ( which were still in a sealed bag.) I guess the historic nature of this kit is the reason for the unusual wheel and tire configuration. I think maybe the tires were more pliable when new.  I removed the outer band to make it easier to push the wheels into the tires. 

I hope I can find a better option. A nice set of Keystones, maybe. My kit was devoid of whitewall stickers (remember those?) Or decals. Thanks for coming by.

 

 

[LennyB]

59 minutes ago, customline said:

Yes!  I spotted it in my mirror, way back, but I recognized it immediately. Imagine my surprise 😲. So here's a question fer ya....I couldn't get a real good look at 55-60 mph because I was driving and fumbling with my phone, which is illegal in VA and I'm trying to determine if the side trim actually consists of a white area in the front or if it's just fogged stainless steel. I think it's white but im certain that you're the guy that would know. 🙂

It's supposed to be a satin grey color but I have seen some that were painted white. I think those painted white were simply because the restorer found it was easier to do then try to recreate the original color.

[Kutnplastik]

The 64 is by far the best of the Galaxy’s for styling. Can’t wait to see all the progress pics!

[customline]

1 hour ago, LennyB said:

It's supposed to be a satin grey color but I have seen some that were painted white. I think those painted white were simply because the restorer found it was easier to do then try to recreate the original color.

I think when I foil them I will use "aluminum" BMF and just polish the outside and not the recessed area. That could work, right? 🤔

[LennyB]

2 hours ago, customline said:

I think when I foil them I will use "aluminum" BMF and just polish the outside and not the recessed area. That could work, right? 🤔

I think that should work. Might be a bit tedious. I wonder if you brushed some dullcote over the center section. 

[DJMar]

Yeah, the forward trim part on these were just a dull aluminum. I've seen them painted white and also in black, but AFAIK nothing like that came from the factory.

[customline]

37 minutes ago, LennyB said:

I think that should work. Might be a bit tedious. I wonder if you brushed some dullcote over the center section. 

I guess I could do that too if need be. Thanks, Len.

19 minutes ago, DJMar said:

Yeah, the forward trim part on these were just a dull aluminum. I've seen them painted white and also in black, but AFAIK nothing like that came from the factory.

Yeah, I couldn't find a picture this good, DJ. Thanks!  Should be fun trying to duplicate it. 🤪

[1972coronet]

On 11/28/2025 at 2:28 PM, customline said:

6000 miles between oil changes in 1964 ? Not a good idea.

Like the 20,000 miles intervals these days. 

I can imagine that back in '63 ('64 model year) the advent of PVC (versus Road Draft Tube setup) and improved / added detergents in the oil , the claim could be made. 

Still... 6,000 miles , even under ideal conditions ( open highways of Montana with the climate of Hawaii's east coast ) , that's  a stretch. 

[customline]

12 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

Like the 20,000 miles intervals these days. 

I can imagine that back in '63 ('64 model year) the advent of PVC (versus Road Draft Tube setup) and improved / added detergents in the oil , the claim could be made. 

Still... 6,000 miles , even under ideal conditions ( open highways of Montana with the climate of Hawaii's east coast ) , that's  a stretch. 

I've cleaned the sludge from the rocker arm shafts of more than one y-block. 😪

[stavanzer]

I like where this is going.

I like the '64 too.

 

[customline]

Today I finally found some suitable rolling stock.  The Keystones are stolen from the Pepper Shaker and the skinny white walls are from the '65 Bonneville kit. I'm going to need tire glue, they're a tad loose. Any recommendations? 

The original builder tried to use some alien wheel/tire combo that had larger diameter metal axle and consequently I had to deal with enlarged axle holes. They had been enlarged with a #11 apparently  but luckily I was able to use aluminum tube to bush it and some evergreen tube for spacers. The rear looked pretty good but I thought I would drop the front a bit.

This car looks great when its closer to the ground.  The screw bottom thing is actually a blessing. It makes mock-ups easier 😊.  

I'm happy with the stance.  I'm fantasizing about skirts ( no....not that kind....never mind....🤨) but they would hide those nice rims.  WDYT?

Inside, I added some half-round to host the foil when the time comes.  The seats will not be very friendly as the molding is a bit vague.  There's some nice ejector pin marks to clean up but I skinned 'em. The floors will get embossing powder for texture even though nobody will ever see them but you. And me 🥴.

That's it for now. Thanks for coming by.

[LennyB]

I think you got that wide tread design down Jim. Stance looks good. I would use some epoxy for that tire glue, just keep it off the white walls.😁

[customline]

20 minutes ago, LennyB said:

I think you got that wide tread design down Jim. Stance looks good. I would use some epoxy for that tire glue, just keep it off the white walls.😁

Roger that. Good idea, Len. That was easy 😏

[stavanzer]

I use Black Electricians tape wrapped around the rims to fit larger tires, but the epoxy is just as good.

I love the Rims and Stance!