If one were to ask me, right now, my opinion on the best-looking four-door roofline of the postwar era, I’d tell them it was the 1964 Ford and Mercury full-size four-door hardtops. First, you have that little “Hofmeister kink” in the rear door combined with a gently-sloping fastback. Then, you have the color combination on this particular Galaxie: black and red, the unofficial car tuxedo of the early 1960s. Finally, you have a 390 with a four speed. Some days, writing for Barn Finds is a dangerous game, but I can’t buy ’em all!
Under the hood is nothing out of the ordinary, the workhorse Z-Code 390 four barrel that produced 300 horsepower and 427 lb.-ft. of torque; I know those numbers by heart because the 390 was found under the hood of millions of passenger cars. This one has air conditioning, but the seller only mentions that it’s there, not that it works. Being that this three-owner Galaxie has spent much of its life in dry storage, let’s assume it does not. The seller does mention that the brakes and fuel system were gone through roughly 10 years ago, but it’s been doing a lot of sitting since then.
Even though the engine is not a 427 or even a police-spec 390, it’s a special car: the console, buckets, and four-speed transmission are what make this beautiful biggie so desirable. The XL trim was already snazzy with brightwork on the pedals and console, but that chrome shifter jutting through the tunnel makes this an uncommon machine. There’s just something so wrong yet so right about the mental image of power shifting a four-door Galaxie.
The owner says that this is an unrestored California car that spent some time in Arizona, and finally found its way to Indiana several decades ago. It has old but not original paint with many small flaws – it’s a classic twenty footer (my favorite kind of car). The interior is nice but not perfect; it has a ripped driver’s seat and a cracked dash pad. But seriously, look at how cool it is with the doors open like that.
Being a western car has its perks, the most notable being a solid undercarriage. This is unlikely to be the kind of car that will ever find its way onto a rotisserie, so the 60 years of grit and grime will likely continue to be part of the charm.
I’m already envious of the next owner of this neat old Galaxie. It’s currently on eBay with no reserve, but it also has zero bids at its starting price of $9500. There is also a buy-it-now option of $16,500. If you could swoop in and snap up this driver/easy project for ten grand or so, I’d call that a bargain.
Good article Toth. This is a rare sight.
4 doors, 4sp, 390-4V, 3.50 gear ⚙️ std.
Something for everyone from Ford back then, mileage-maker 6, 289, 352, 390, 427.
This one is set-up beautifully.
A 1964 Galaxie 4-door was a common sight in my growing-up town. But I remember them mostly being bread and butter 289 automatics, with the normal options. In other words, not like this. Cool car, well equipped, great colors, good shape, unusual with the 4-speed. Like Aaron notes, it looks perfectly fine as a four-door.
Everything Bob said.
It’s a 500XL 4 door hardtop which is a rare sight by it self.
I agree with Aaron. Black with a red interior is most certainly the tux of cars. What really gets me is the console with the 4 speed in a 4 door hardtop with a 390. Somebody special ordered this car. Especially a console in a 4 door. There cant be too many of those. This must be one swift and fun Ford to drive.
I have always loved the 64 grill. Nothing quite like it. I have the same model except for an automatic.
In 1974 after planning a trip to deep coastal Mexico from Northern California, I purchased this same model for $50 from a co-worker. I went through it, registered it same 390 block. It had to get us 2000 miles to Matzalon and back. Lest to say, engine vapor locked and died in Nogales border town. I decided to leave it at the train station unlocked with keys visable on the front seat. We took the train to our destination. Upon our return after 3 weeks, car was still there and untouched. Nobody wanted it, not even the Mexican authorities. We did some engine work and got us back to San Jose and there I left it in my mechanics parking lot where it was towed away. So whenever I see a Black Galaxy 1964 390, I cringe! jv smashpalace
I remember as a kid (70’s) there was a similar car running around our town. A ’63 4 door hardtop, with a 406, bucket seats and a 4 speed. It was dark brown with a black interior and it was immaculate. It was for sale, but nobody wanted to pay 2 grand for a 10 year old 4 door. It was amazing that back then you could order your way, and some people did. Now it seems all of the jellybeans are the same you just pick the color.
Cringe or not, those 4-speed console plates are like Ft. Knox to those of us who hoard Galaxie parts….
I get it, A very nice rear car with great options, it’s beautiful! But I just can’t do 4-doors.
The dark stains on the rear floor pan pics suggest a fluid leak somewhere up front and it’s blowing back.
Being a 64, this may be a pre PCV car and that stain could be oil from the road draft tube.
My dad had a 4dr 390/4bbl AT … some cars are just “better than others” … this was one of those … friends were amazed it would get rubber shifting into second … would “bury the needle” in the quarter (maybe speedo off?) … he traded it, with a travel trailer, for an inground pool …
Back in 1967 my first car was a 64 Galaxie 500 2 door hardtop with a 390/4barrel, 3 spd on the tree with OD. Pop overhauled the motor, .30 over, bigger cam, dual exhausts. Pretty fast car. But with a 120mph speedometer there is no way it would bury the needle in the quarter! Now on the open highway, yes, it would bury it then. Scary to think back that I would do that on bias ply tires. Loved that old Ford, but when I entered college in 1970, Pop bought me a 1969 Mustang, 302 with a 3 speed manual on the floor. At the time Pop was driving a 66 Fairlane, 2 door hardtop 289. Mom was driving my brother’s old car, a 56 Ford Fairlane, 2 door hardtop, 292. Pop was always a Ford man, me too.
I’m not a Ford guy, but I have always appreciated certain ones, and a ’64 Galaxie was one of them. As far as this one goes, a 4 door, 4 speed, 390 car has got to be pretty rare. Pretty cool automobile.
I remember riding with my older brother in the mid 60s in his 63 Vette 340 HP 4 speed and having a four door 64 Galaxie next to us at a light and got a big surprise when the light changed and found him hanging right with us through four gears! No slouch for a four door. Cool car, not your average muscle car.
Same kind of thing! 1966 St Louis in my friend’s ’65 GTO, ’64 Galaxie didn’t just hang with us, he smoked us! Would love to know what he had in it…
Never saw a 4 door XL before….very uncommon.
My neighbor had a 64 galaxy four door, 4 speed 390, but not an XL. It had a bench seat. It was burgundy with a black interior. he had thrush mufflers on it, so it sounded awesome we he started it up.
the 3 best 4 door rendition Ford cars–
1936 (slightly better than the 35s),
1950 (same, slightly better than the 49s)
1964 4-dr Hardtops like this one, awesome styling and the bucket seats were exceptional.
Thank goodness I can “dream” about these and still feel the sensation of driving em in my sleep, that way they are fresh, affordable and “maintenance free”
I’d throw in the Ts and As where a Fordor was a considerably more upscale and deluxe car than the Tudor Sedan, the ’57 Fairlane, ’86 Taurus and ’02-early ’07 Focus ZX5 for the Dearborn 4-Door Hall Of Fame.
That’s not counting wagons of course.
I know where there’s one at. White with black interior. XL. Bucket seats with console. Love the black with red interior.
How slick is THIS?! Bucket seats in a 4-door, w/a 4-speed no less! SUPER rare combo! Chevy had nothing to compare w/this configuration in ’64. Closest attempt would perhaps be a ’67 Caprice Custom Sedan w/the new-for-’67 strato-bench seats & a Muncie 4-speed. A later model which got by me on eBay was an Ascot Silver ’74 Pontiac Grand Am Colonnade 4dr. w/burgundy interior & factory 4-on-ther-floor! Ended up in a museum.
Back in the day when I was around 13 or so I was walking thru Welters junkyard they had 2 64 galaxy 500 XL’s in the lot. Both white 4 door cars with bucket seats and automatic floor shift. Didn’t check on what motors they had, just thought it was very odd to see a 4 door with what looked like factory bucket seats. In the early 80’s I was walking thru the parking lot of a bowling alley in St. Joe and there was a brown 4 door 76 Olds Cutlass that had bucket seats and an auto floor shift in it. Fairly new car at the time but it still could have been modified by the owner
Having owned both a 1963 and 1964 bothe FE powered – your going to need a big foot to bring down this non- powered sweety….
The neighbor friends brother( single, lived at home) had a good job at the sewage commission, he came home one day with a black ’64 XL 500, red interior, 2 door, 4 speed R code. It was a monster. Didn’t have it long, too many tickets, his next car was a 6 cylinder Mustang. The 4 speed is unusual, but not that rare, production numbers don’t break down the transmissions, but there was an emphasis on drag racing and the “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” probably had quite a few 4 speed buyers. ’64 was also COTY award for Ford across the board, although the Mustang had a lot to do with that, I believe.
I had this exact car when I was a young man with one very important exception . My car was a 2 door . Which is the way it should be !!! just sad !!