1964 Ford Galaxie
In a world where truly full-size cars have gone the way of the dodo, the concept of a big, body-on-frame muscle car seems almost entirely alien. Perhaps that is what makes the “Total Performance” 1964 Ford so appealing–there is just no equivalent in the present day. To own and drive one is a step back to an earlier time.
The 1964 Ford was the final refinement of a platform that had arrived for 1960. It was a thoroughly conventional chassis, consisting of an independent front suspension, ladder frame, and a leaf-sprung rear axle (Ford’s famously durable 9-inch unit).
The wheelbase was 119 inches, the same as Chevrolet’s full-size line. Weight wise, a 1964 Galaxie 500/XL two-door hardtop (with the sleeker roofline introduced midway through 1963), had a shipping weight of 3,622 pounds–172 pounds more than an Impala SS hardtop.
For 1964, the top Galaxie was the 500/XL, which included all trim found on lesser Galaxie models, plus bucket seats, a console, and a floor shifter. The 500/XL also came standard with a V-8–a 195-hp, 289-cu.in. “Challenger.” By contrast, the Impala SS was available with a standard 140-hp, 230-cu.in. six or a 195-hp, 283-cu.in. V-8.
Credit: hottestmachines.blogspot.com
