The Ford Galaxie 7-Litre was a one-year-only, stand-alone model for 1966 and was an offshoot of the 500 Series. The 7-Litre was Ford Division’s version of the Mercury S-55, which FoMoCo also introduced that year. While production was not low, it wasn’t very high either and this example is equipped with a Q-Code 428 cubic inch V8 engine. It looks to be a stalled project that’s been in storage for quite some time. Located in a dusty garage in Marlborough, Connecticut, this 7-Litre is available here on eBay where the bidding has reached $9,000 with the reserve still looming. Once again, Barn Finder Larry D comes through with an interesting tip!
The Galaxie 7-Litre was visually identifiable over a regular Galaxie 500 by an emblem on the driver’s side of the grille. That was about it, so, it was a subtle way to tell people you had something kind of special. 8,705 copies of the 7-Liter hardtop were built in 1966 (plus another 2,368 convertibles). The majority of the machines came with a C-6 heavy-duty Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. At no extra cost, you could opt for a T&C Toploader 4-speed manual instead, which may be the tranny in the seller’s car.
With the Q-code 428, the seller’s car should have had a 9.75-inch differential with 3.45 gears installed as standard. With all of this and 345 hp, a Galaxie 7-Litre could do 0 to 60 mph in 8.8 seconds and master the quarter mile in 15.2 seconds. With loads of torque and a 10.5-to-1-compression ratio, the Q-code engine also had solid lifters, low-restriction dual exhausts, and an unsilenced chrome air cleaner. But a 7-Litre wasn’t the only way to get a Q-code 428 as it could be ordered in any Galaxie 500.
Little information is imparted regarding this 7-Litre. It originated in Texas and somehow found its way to this garage. It’s been stripped of a lot of its chrome bits and wears grey primer over what once was Medium Silver Metallic paint. The interior, which was done up in black (according to the door tag), is mostly void of critical items like seats.
A couple of key questions come to mind. Does this Ford run? We don’t know that. Is it complete? We don’t know that either, though there are enough parts clustered together, so it might be all there. This could be one wicked and valuable car when restored, but it looks like an uphill climb.
Wow going to be a real project for someone. Square sharp lines, stacked headlights make these stylish cars. This was probably a pretty strong runner, probably beat up on some muscle cars back in the day. Some poor Chevelle or Road Runner never saw it coming. Lots of parts to go through and usually finding them all when they are like this car is a challenge. Hope it eats up some asphalt again.
Any Chevelle SS or Roadrunner that couldn’t do 0-60 in less than 8.8 or beat a 15.2 quarter needs to get all their cylinders hitting in which case they’d have no problem leaving this big heavy slug in the dust.
You think it was all from a dead stop? Tires back then we’re terrible from a dead stop. Slow roll some cars still were able to overpower the tires.
Looks like a stick shift, rough project, these are very cool cars.
Jay Leno owns one of these too! He recalled his story growing up accompanying his parents to the Ford dealer. Supposedly his mom convinced his dad to let him pick options on the car. He chose the 7 litre with muffler delete and a 4-speed. The one he bought and restored pays homage to his childhood experience.
Don’t think it was a 4sp. His new one is a resto mod stick.
Apparently, that was done on the sly, and the old man wasn’t too happy, but took the car home anyway. It was an automatic. https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a4676/4330481/
Hmmm looks like a 4 speed, I like it. Its from the south but check the frame good anyway. Nice sleeper, tire fryer! Good luck and happy motoring.
Cheers
GPC
My Mom would not lend me the $4000 to buy one of these when I was 17. It was a 4 speed in dark green and white interior.
BF: “The 7-Litre was Ford Division’s version of the Mercury S-55, which FoMoCo also introduced that year.”
Other way around, I’d say — the Merc was L-M’s version of the Ford. Also the S-55 was reintroduced — not introduced — for ’66 as the name had been used by Mercury in ’62 and ’63. The difference was those earlier cars were part of the Monterey Custom series whereas the ’66 was a separate standalone series like the 7 Litre.
BF: “At no extra cost, you could opt for a T&C Toploader 4-speed manual instead, which may be the tranny in the seller’s car.”
I don’t think so. You could get the Toploader 4-speed but not the T&C which was an overdrive transmission not offered with the 428.
These cars always seemed redundant to me as Ford already had the Galaxie 500/XL to fill the full-size bucket seat/console sporty niche. Since you could get the 428 as an option in the XL what was the point of having a virtually identical car that offered only the 428? I can see where buyers might have been confused.
Handsome cars.
It’s a shame, we see a primered hulk, and doesn’t convey what a special car this was. This was no drag racer, this motor was as good as it got to move this thing. 7 litres were for, again, that single guy who lived at home, and bought these to impress people, particularly that new boss, or his girl friends dad, who may have had a lesser model Ford. I remember, as a kid, we all thought, “what’s this “litre” ( spelled wrong, we thought) crap? It’s America,, CUBIC INCHES, BABY. It was the 1st time we saw that on an American car, and tip of the iceberg where THAT went. What’s next, we thought, metric sockets? Ha, ha, ha, never happen,
7 litres were for folks that couldn’t do a T-bird, almost a grand more, in ’66, a grand was a lot of money. The buyers of these looked just as cool, and quite frankly, could probably put a T-bird in the rear view mirror. These are awesome cars, and will no doubt be restored to the 9’s by someone with deep pockets, it’s that cool. Someone thought enough to save the coolest mid 60s Ford. In an all to familiar ring today, it’s to bad they never finished it..
I’m about 15 from where it is. It’s so tempting to go look.
The 428 engine did NOT use solid lifters.
S55 was part of the “Special” group of Mercurys introduced for ‘62. S22 Comet, S33 Meteor, and S55 full size Mercury. Girl in H.S. drove a copper colored 7 Liter. It was very sharp- but there’s something about a Mercury
Howard A: Sorry, Howard, if you look at a ’64 and up GTO, you’ll see a fender emblem that states: “6.5 Litre”, not 389.
tiger66: Ford just making things easier for the customer, just check one box; with the 7 Litre, you got all the GO 428 standard, 427 optional; all the SLOW disc brakes standard; and all the SHOW XL trim and interior with special wheel covers and factory pinstripe!
Russ Dixon: “The Galaxie 7-Litre was visually identifiable over a regular Galaxie 500 by an emblem on the driver’s side of the grille.” Not so, the 7 Litre was more aligned with the 500XL, with a die cast grill (500s had stamped aluminum grill) and bucket seat interior. In addition, there were 7 Litre emblems on the front fenders, trunk, and glovebox door. Believe the die cast windsplit on the hood was also only on the 7 Litre. Also believe the ’67 Police Interceptor 428 (so the ’67 Shelby GT500, too?) was the only 428 (not even Cobra Jets) to get solid lifters. Don’t believe the story on muffler deletes, they had what amounted to dual glass packs on each bank of the V-8.
Think the paint has too much sheen to be primer. Looks to me to have come back from the paint shop, and sat. Give it a wash, install the trim and whatever else is missing, and you’re ready to cruise!
Thanks, pal, I forgot about the GTO, it was still uncharted territory, and I still call engine size by good ol’ American “cubic inches”, until they pry my cold dead hands from my AMERICAN made Jeep,, whispering: that has a 2.5 liter motor for any reference purposes, that is,,, ;)
For the record, I think the all new 1964 GTO had “389” and flags on the front fender.
The auction has been terminated.
“Muffler delete?”
Nice car … would rule the road if put back together.
Hopefully it doesn’t end up in somebodies collection to be finished and then left to languish in an air controlled environment.