Classic Wheels Spotlight: 1963 Ford Galaxie 500

When Terri Niersbach and her husband, Justin, were in the market for a classic Ford in 2017, they turned to Facebook, where they immediately found a Ford that piqued their interest. But before they could get to it, someone else had bought it. Lesson learned – and the hunt continued.

One day later, and not wanting to be beaten to the punch again, they locked in on a 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 2-door hardtop that required them to travel to Indiana to obtain it. It was stashed in a barn, so, technically, it’s a ‘barn find!’

An admitted ‘Ford Fanatic,’ Justin is also the primary mechanic in the family. He was excited that the ’63 Galaxie had a 390-cubic-inch FE motor, which is not common in these cars. The Niersbachs purchased the Galaxie with racing in mind, and when they got the car home, the metamorphosis began.

First, the interior was replaced. The bench and rear seats were swapped out for bucket seats and matching rear seat. The dashboard was upgraded to an Autometer gauge cluster, the trim on the gauges is gold anodized with the Ford emblem. A Grant steering wheel replaced the factory wheel, which was too large for racing. The car is painted Ford Wimbledon White, the way Terri bought it.

The engine has had some high-performance modifications added to it. The cylinder heads and intake manifold are from Edelbrock. The rocker arms are from Harland Sharp. The carburetor is a Holley 750 cfm Proform 4-barrel. Mallory ignition gets the fire to the cylinders. To keep it cool, there is an aluminum radiator with an electric fan. And to help it breathe, the exhaust has Hooker Super Comp open headers. Terri says she especially likes how loud it is!

The 4-speed manual transmission was replaced with a C-6 3-speed automatic, but you still have to shift it manually, through a Hurst shifter. The differential is a Yukon locker, 4.10:1 ratio gear with Strange axles in a Speedway housing. To get the power to the pavement, the rear wheels are American Racing mags, with 28 x 10.5 x 15-inch tires. The front wheels are Rocket Racing mags, with 27 x 6 x 15-inch tires. The suspension is all Calvert Racing parts, front and rear shocks and springs. The brakes are Starboard all around, including line locks.

Although Terri has only been racing for two years, she admits she is already hooked. Her best E.T. at the track, so far, is 12.63 seconds in the quarter mile. Not only does she race her Galaxie, she also drives it to local shows. She can’t go too far with a small racing fuel tank, so the car is trailered to the racetrack.

To lighten the car for racing, Terri has replaced the hood and bumpers with fiberglass components. She is a member of several car clubs: the Nostalgia Super Stock Racing Club and the newly formed Revved Up, an all-women’s classic and custom car/truck club. Terri calls her car Moonshine, while her husband’s car, a 1964 Ford, is named Bootlegger. Sounds like a fitting pair!

If you have a car you would like to see featured in Classic Wheels, contact Rudy Host, Jr. at Classic.Wheels.Rudy@gmail.com.