Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Ford and Chevrolet were constantly at odds in full-size car sales. The Chevy Impala usually won out over the Ford Galaxie; in 1970, the ratio was 1.75 Chevies to each Ford (on the other hand, the roles were reversed for the LTD vs. the Caprice). The seller has a nice driver-quality 1970 Galaxie 500 with four doors, and it has a 390 cubic-inch V8. Located in Neenah, Wisconsin, this frisky family sedan is available here on eBay for $6,700 OBO.
Ford redesigned its full-size machines in 1969, so changes in 1970 were most minor. But the differences in the grilles and taillights were enough that they were easy to tell part parked side by side. While the lesser Custom series was popular for fleet use, the Galaxie continued to sell well enough with families and would do so through 1974, when the name was retired after 15 years. The car’s name would be synonymous with the Space Race, which had its shining moment in 1969 when man finally walked on the moon.
The listing for this Ford sounds as though it was written by AI and includes a fair amount of what I call marketing-speak. But the known facts are that it has a 390 “FE” V,8 which produces 265 to 320 horsepower depending on compression and carburetion. It should be paired with Ford’s -speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission, and the package is said to have 74,000 miles. The body and paint look good, but we doubt the upholstery involves “luxurious leather” as the seller professes.
The car needs a bit of work, but nothing a “shade tree mechanic” shouldn’t be able to handle. That includes the power steering pump, a set of U-joints, and the windshield wiper switch. But the Galaxie is said to run, stop, and cruise well, so if you’re okay with a driver-quality ride with an ample number of doors, does this 500 work for you?
Assuming there are no fatal flaws, this is the type of collector vehicle which has its own charms, but not the ones one typically thinks about. No, it’s not fast or flashy; it’s not a sporty model; it was “just a car” in its day; it’s in driver condition. What it is, is a low-stress collector car. Easy to live with, parts available at the local AutoZone, use it to take the grandkids for ice cream, a conversation piece at the local show (“we had one of these, only it was x,y,z”), if it gets a scratch or rock chip, no big deal. And it’s cheap.
Looks like “2V” on the air cleaner, so it’s the 265hp version. Had same in the parent’s ’69 LTD coupe. Loads of torque, plenty of zip on low-octane fuel. Not many Galaxies survived to this age, most used and abused.
That upholstery looks well done. Nice car
It had a vinyl roof at one time.