Galaxie Custom and Bonneville Salt Cruiser
December 2, 2009 by Hechtspeed
This 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 was easily one of my top 3 favorite cars from Speedweek 2009. I first noticed it in the pits then saw it again while Pikesan and I were cruising down the Long Course after the drivers meeting. We sort of cruised the rest of the Long Course along side Nick and his Gal’ then turned onto the Return Road back to the pits. Almost 7 miles from the start, we spied some pristine, undisturbed virgin salt and decided to make a detour for some salt-throwin’ pictures Craig’s ‘27 T, Nick’s Galaxie and Nick’s buddy’s 5 window Coupe you see in this picture above.
Here’s some more shots of this Mild Custom!
I love this car! That red satin paint against the bright white salt is rockin’.
I dig the long lines. That stance is perfect with its Air Ride Technologies 4-way system with electronic controller.
I dig this shot with Pikesan’s roadster in the background.
From Nick: “This car has been a great driver for the past 4-1/2 years. It originally had a 390/auto and I decided to swap in a 302/T-5 and 3.70 gears last year. It’ss an absolute blast to drive and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it anywhere. Come to think of it, during the 40,000 miles that I’ve put on it, I don’t recall ever being stranded.”
Here’s the specs on the Gal’
Engine:
Roller cam 302 (5.0), rebuilt .030 over, Trickflow Stage 1 cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, Edelbrock 650 carb., shorty Mustang headers
Exhaust:
2-1/2″ with H-pipe, 40-series Flowmaster mufflers, dumps just ahead of the rear bumper and sounds great.
Transmission:
Stock ‘94 Mustang GT world class T-5 5-speed.
Rear suspension:
3.70 gears. Air-Over-Leaf ‘bag kit, 2 leaf springs remain, with 2″ lowering blocks added.
Front Suspension:
Ford Granada spindles, disc brakes, and (manual) master cylinder. ‘Cool Ride’ air bag kit installed with shocks relocated to rear of control arms.
Wheels/Tires:
15×7 with 225/70r15 Diamondback Classic tires. Chrome wheels – original centers with new 7″ wide rims by Rally America. Chrome Spider Caps.
Body:
Red primer and Silver flake / Red candy roof
Enjoy these pics from Nick.
This was taken in 2008 at Nick’s first Speedweek trip. He drove it all the way out from Nebraska. Crazy!
This Galaxie just has it all for me. Late model 302, a T-5 5 speed trans, air ride, white walls, Mild Custom look with great stance-NAILED!! Nice work Nick!
But Nick, despite his fond memories and long drives in the Gal’ moved on to another project. A 1929 Model A Roadster with traditional style to come, no doubt. I can’t wait for Model A’s debut. See you at Speedweek 2010?
See you on the Salt!
Hechtspeed
Wow, great write-up, Chris — Thanks alot!! I actually wasn’t sure if you were going to still do this article, since I sold it. Thanks for the kind comments. I just picked up a lowered ‘64 F100 as a driver, too.