(first posted 11/14/2014) Some cars invite controversy the moment you mention them. Vega anyone? Others seem to almost blend into history. You know it’s there, but there isn’t really much to say about it. The 1964 Ford seems to be one of these.
Is there anything really special about the 1964 Ford? The 1960 model that began the run of this generation had controversial styling and its rushed development led to lingering quality problems. The 1963 model may have been the best looking of the decade (certainly the first half of it) and had “Total Performance” written all over its sharply creased lines. The 1965 model was the first all-new Ford in years, and with the introduction of the LTD, it went on to dominate the “popular luxury” category. The ’64? Hmmmmmm. Could we say that this was the last in a long line of incremental changes going back to the 1949 model? If we were to break the Ford Motor Company down into two eras, the ’64 might represent the end of the first one, while the quiet riding ’65 would be the start of the second, which continues to today.
Whatever there might or might not be to say about this car, it is one of my favorite Fords of the 1960s. My Uncle Bob worked for General Motors back then, and their white ’61 Dynamic 88 bubbletop fit right into my extended family’s tendency towards GM cars. But the Olds eventually succumbed to “Roto Hydra Matic disease”, and another set of wheels was necessary. Then, I recall being told that my Aunt and Uncle had bought a Ford. It was a late model used ’64 Galaxie 500 four door hardtop in the exact color combo of this wagon.
Ford-loving young me instantly became smitten with that maroon Galaxie. I spent hours playing in it, and can still recall being on intimate terms with so many of its little details. Like the way the chrome rubbed off the radio buttons to reveal the grayish plastic underneath, or how the back door windows had an unusual way of lowering in order to get all the way down into the doors. I also learned how every one of these had to be started: left arm up over the steering wheel to pull the shift lever all the way up into Park, right hand turning the key, while the right foot steadily pumps the accelerator. And that starter that kind of sounded like a baying hound with a nice vibrato.
That car lasted into the mid 1970s, with multiple cousins doing what teenaged boys will do with an old car. The poor thing just took the abuse, like a big lazy old dog. It eventually got pretty ragged and got put out to pasture. Living its life in Salt Central USA certainly didn’t help it. However, the old thing probably stood up to what got dished its way about as well as anything could have. What I took from my experience with that ’64 Galaxie was that it may not have been the smoothest or quietest or the nicest driving or best looking thing out there, but it may have been one of the toughest.
I guess Mayberry Sheriff Andy Taylor knew what he was doing.
You now know why I was so easily distracted when I found this Country Sedan last summer. My family and I took a few days and went to the beach in St. Joe, Michigan. As the rest of the family trekked out onto the sand our first evening there, I took a detour when I saw this old wagon in the exact color combination as Uncle Bob’s car.
For those of you of a certain age, I’ll bet that if you close your eyes and I shout out “’64 Ford”, one of the Galaxies will come into your mind’s eye, and it will be in a particular color. If someone does that for me, it will be a Vintage Burgundy Galaxie 500 four door hardtop. So, in my little world, a ’64 Ford is properly painted only one color, and this is it.
You know that I am a sucker for a station wagon, but on the with/without wood question, I go both ways. The wood treatment on the ’64 Country Squire very cleverly mimicked the chrome trim on the front half of the un-splintered models, so a ’64 Squire is a winner in my book. However, the burgundy paint that shows off the gentle sculpting on this car without the distraction of the Di-Noc makes for an attractive package as well.
The only rap on this car is that Ford gave the Country Sedan a slightly down-market interior compared to its more expensive wooden brother.
Looking at these pictures again, it strikes me how graceful the lines are on Ford wagons of the early 1960s. The big Ford passenger cars may not have sold nearly as well as their Chevrolet counterparts, but the wagons closed the gap a bit.
One look at the boxy ’64 Chevy version of this car, and the Ford looks all the more fluid and sleek. But then again, I am a prisoner of my history, because Uncle Bob didn’t drive no ’64 Chevy.
Some of you purists out there may gripe about the owner’s choice of wheels, but I like these a lot. Besides, he probably had no choice after all of the original Ford wheelcovers flew off into the weeds, which almost all of them eventually did. I would more likely complain about the petite little 289 that is probably under the hood. One of these with a Thunderbird 390 would be much more to my liking.
I have concluded that this is almost the perfect car to be seen in at the beach. Maybe a guy should have two – a nice one like today’s subject car and another that is a little more tired for taking out onto the sand.
Really, I can think of only one question – with the wood or without? A tough question. Some days I like my coffee with cream, other days I take it black. Today I think I’ll take my ’64 Ford wagon plain.
I know that in real life, this wagon was probably the Kia Sedona of its day – or maybe a Grand Caravan. There were plenty of more luxurious wagons out there to buy, and this was a pretty ordinary car – an appliance, really. But all these years later, it is much easier to see what a visual delight these really were. Really, as a wagon, I can’t find a bad or awkward line anywhere on it. And an attractive car that has the durability of an F-150 turns out to be a pretty attractive package. Even though he didn’t get the wagon, I think I see what was going through my Uncle Bob’s mind all those years ago.
Further Reading:
Great wagon and nice color (my Mustang was originally Vintage Burgundy—today it’s close, but a little redder). If that actually has a 289 under the hood, the owner’s in for a leisurely stroll. It must look like a toy in that big engine compartment!
Good call on the comparo between the Chev and these. I usually go for woodness but that police package looks enticing. If you’re offering two I’ll take the blue one as well.
Better without the wood IMO.
Hmmm… That’s rather attractive for a Ford – a pre-1965 Ford anyways. Actually, it’s far better-looking than a similar 1964 Chevy wagon, but you just can’t beat the 1964 Impala SS convertible I owned so many years ago!
That maroon color sure favors the lines. I like it.
At first glance, due to the boxiness, I thought the Chevy was an intermediate Chevelle, but it does, indeed, appear to be a full-size car. Based on that comparison, alone, the Ford should have cleaned-up in its market segment.
One of my favorite movie scenes with this car was the Ford station wagon careening around a corner with Richard Burton at the wheel in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Yeah, that’s the full-size wagon, Impala/Bel Air/Biscayne. That rear end treatment plus the upright pillars looks like GM phoned it in. The Ford – I hate to say – had much more style in the wagon department.
Never could figure that one out.
The maroon subject also has my favorite “mag” wheels of all time, second only to steelies w/baby moons! Trim rings optional.
Wow, what a write-up. It really hits home as my family owned BOTH a 1960 and a 1964 Ford wagon….and so did one of my Uncle Bobs(I had 2) and his brother, Uncle Joe.
Our 60 was a Country Sedan with a 6 cylinder and the 64 was a Country Squire with 289 and “3 on the tree” PLUS (optional) overdrive. My uncles had Country Sedans with 289 and automatic…I think, BOTH in that turquoise green color in and out.
From the inside: the dash was pretty much the same from 1960 through 1964, with the speedometer and it’s flanking “gauges” being perhaps the biggest difference for the 60-62 models. Upholstery was nearly the same from 1960 through 1964, but I seem to remember (perhaps incorrectly) that a neighbor’s 61 Country Squire had a variation of that famous Ford “Western round-up” pattern on their car’s vinyl seats which was not on our 64.
The 289 was barely adequate for powering these cars, except perhaps as a single person commuter, with our family of 7 aboard it was really loaded.
I’ve often thought when looking at all 5 years, from 1960 to 1964, that the order of their appearance in showrooms was “wrong”. The 61 and 63 are very similar (in the way a 65 and 66 Chevy are) and so are the 62 and 64. From the outside, the only thing that SEEMS to unite the 60 and 61 is the edge of the “fins”. On a 60 it’s horizontal while on a 61 it’s “bent” to the vertical.
Which Ford wagon from this period would I like to own? A 63 Fairlane….even a plain, almost stripper model like my other Uncle Bob owned, along with a full-sized 63 Country Sedan.
60 wagon. Drool.
Boy, you really are the expert in these wagons. It’s funny, because my father had a white 66 Country Squire in the same years Uncle Bob drove his 64. As a kid who breathed this kind of stuff, its like those 2 Fords, only 2 years apart, felt like they could have been made by two different companies. There was nothing about one that ever made me think about the other, they were just so different.
BTW, our 64 Country Squire was white, but unlike the one pictured here it had blackwall tires and little “dog dish” hubcaps in the center of white wheels. And yes, someone ordered it from the factory that way.
Very nice wagon! It certainly makes me lean more towards camp steel-sided. The woodgrained wagons still look very nice too. My grandfather owned a few large wagons in the late-50s and 60s when my mom and her siblings were young. Always low-trim versions, so no wood.
BTW, I found a color picture that answers your question about his 1966 Bel Air wagon. It was gray! https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-vintage/cc-vintage-my-grandfathers-1966-chevrolet-bel-air-gasp-a-non-oldsmobile/
I know this has been brought up in the past, so no explanation needed, but it still irks me that Ford called this wagon “Country Sedan”. Cognitive Dissonance at its best!
Wonderful post, thanks! You’re really singing my song here.
My granddaddy had a contracting company – building bridges and piers, mostly but he also built the lighthouse that stands guard over the SC coast from Sullivan’s Island – and he always drove Ford cars and trucks. Some of my earliest memories are of riding in one of his mid-sixties Fords. He had a powerful personality and we all rather venerated him. As a child I believed there was nothing he couldn’t do so these Fords have always symbolized solidity and steadfast confidence for me.
It doesn’t hurt that they were nice looking and tough as nails, as you said. Thanks again, those Galaxies made me smile.
And did the Dearborn Police really drive around in purple squad cars in 1964? Very groovy.
New (well within the last decade) Minnesota collector plate on front, vintage Michigan plate on back? I’m betting there’s a story in that somewhere…
Perhaps Minnesota allows Year Of Manufacture plates on collector cars, but they require plates front and back whereas Michigan in ’64 required only one? (Or he couldn’t source two that macthed?)
whereas Michigan in ’64 required only one?
Michigan had front and rear plates in 64. Mi went to two plates in the mid 50s, then back to rear only about 80.
Great picture. What color was it? I have to admit that the family driveway looks a little nicer with a Galaxie XL than with the 56 Stude. 🙂
What color was it?
It was Rangoon Red, with a black interior and white headliner. Here’s someone else’s XL that is just about a twin, tho dad’s didn’t have the fancier XL wheelcovers, and of course lacked the engine badge on the front fender because it had a 289.
looks a little nicer with a Galaxie XL than with the 56 Stude.
And, more importantly, I had a full head of hair then!
The story behind the plates. I bought the car in Minnesota and it came with the Minnesota collector plate on the front. A special provision in Michigan law allows a historical vehicle owner to use an authentic Michigan license plate from the same year the historical vehicle was manufactured. The plate must display the correct colors for the year of issuance.When I got it back to Michigan I found a 1964 Michigan plate on eBay and registered it. I just never took the time to take the Minnesota plate off.
‘ Be nice to people ‘ on the roof =8-) .
-Nate
Nice, 64 is my favorite full size Ford of the 60’s.
Great choice on wheels & tires too. I’d be pleased and proud to drive this with a 289
I would definitely drive this, woodless.
Those are the same Fenton mags I had on my ’69 Ambassador. I loved the gray textured spokes.
+1
For me, the styling of the ’64 Ford wagon works better than that of the sedan, and this one is beautiful in dark red with no wood, and those well chosen wheels. The 289 suits me, too, with power sufficient to my needs. Nice article, JPC.
It seems to me more modern police squads could benefit from the words “Be Nice To People” painted on the roof of their cars.
Should also be printed on their dashboards, as a reminder.
Suddenly I like 1964 Ford wagons. Nice car without the wood, like the mag wheels.
Beautiful looking car. Who needs wood trim? The car looks fine without it. I like t 1964 Ford more than that of the 1963 or earlier.
’64 has been my favorite sixties Ford since I was a young man. Something about the long, low lines of the styling, with those character ridges in the grille and afterburner tails, just really appeals to me. And while the semi-fastback roofline of the hardtop coupe is still my favorite, I really do like these wagons nearly as much. This one is just about perfect with the gray mags and no wood. Great color too. Love the way the rear glass curves around too, no contest in style compared to the oversquare lines of the ’64 Chevy (which really does look like a II at first glance due to the vertical rectangular tails).
Nice find!!
Ford definately has it over Chevy for this wagon. Years ago, I saw the “XL” version of this wagon.Somebody had a non-woodside one in this color with the 390. He put a black `64 500 XL interior with the console and the thin shell bucket sears in the front,put XL badges on the grill and sides, the 390 emblem on the lower front fenders,and added the upscale hubcaps. Car also had factory air and an automatic.Though Ford never produced this wagon in XL form, it would have been nice. IMHO,the `64 Fords were the nicest ones ever built. Total Performance rules!
I drove a 64 Galaxie 500 XL in high school. My father bought it in 69 (I think) and we used it for our family car until 1984. It had been wrecked when he bought it… hit in the back driver quarter panel HARD. We stripped it down to bare metal in the mid 80’s for a repaint, that’s how I found the paint underneath the yellow was blue, except for the maroon right rear quadrant. I was not gentle with this car either. It had a 352 with a cruise-o-matic that I routinely kept above 80mph. That big ole car would move. I took on a pine tree my junior year. Got the car all straightened out… she’s till road worthy today!
I had a chance to get a 64 Country Sedan wagon, complete and driveable on ebay in 2002, but would have had to go to Arizona from Florida over the Thanksgiving holiday to get it. I was newly married and my new wife said we would be going to her family’s town for Thanksgiving, not Arizona. I told her Dad what I had intended to do that Thanksgiving. He said to me, “Why are you here?” The winning bid was around $1,100 for a complete, driveable, rust free 64 wagon. I remind her of this episode about once a year!
I’ve only ever seen one of these on the road, and believe me I look. We were headed back from Houston on I-10 in South Louisiana when I spotted it. I stayed beside it for a few miles admiring it and reminding my wife of the missed opportunity!
Don’t forget James Bond rode in the back of a 64 Country Squire in Goldfinger!
The Goldfinger Country Squire is strange with the dog dish hub caps. You would thing Ford would want to show off the top of the line wagon with full wheel covers.
Falcon Rural a modernized classic until 1991!
…and the TAIL…
Those 60s-’til-the-90s Fords built down south always looked so alien, yet so familiar. Whether it was a Falcon or a double cab “F-1000,” there was always something a little unnerving about them.
I should say in the ’90’s: “escapados” from the past… That had been the situation also with the Opel Rekord C-series clone the Chevrolet Opala. Same old bodyshell BUT with the “modernized” nose, tail and interior… Everything else inside was the same ol’ technology from the ’60’s…
Like it !! Ford could have stayed with that style Falcon through the 70s in the U.S. There were no compact wagons in the 70s from Ford until the Fairmont, late 70s.
Ah, the ’64 full-size Ford. They have such a distinctive look to them. If you know 60s American cars at all, you can tell a ’63 Ford from a ’64 out of the corner of your eye. About a year ago, I spotted a ’64 4-door hardtop given a very similar treatment to this wagon, right down to the wheels. I like ’em both, but I’d take the wagon, and I will add my voice to the anti-woodgrain chorus. Those heavily-sculpted sides just don’t look right covered in di-noc simulated woodgrain.
I had a neighbour who had a 64 Ford Galaxie 4 door hardtop. I didn’t get to talk to the owner of the car, but I did like the car and wanted so much to go for a ride in it. 🙂
THe Ford was definitely better looking than the Chevy. But the Pontiac Safaris were much nicer:
http://image.carcraft.com/f/featuredvehicles/1312_1964_pontiac_wagon_1966_chevy_chevelle/62153874/1964-pontiac-catalina-safari-wagon.jpg
Around 1990, one of our neighbors bought a 1964 Ford 4-door hardtop very similar to this one in the very bright turquoise color that was available in 1964. These have an interesting upturned window line at the back of the rear door that somewhat resembles a Hofmeister kink, and that serves to make the hardtop look a little different from the 4-door sedan. The top is quite a bit less angular in back than that on the 1963 4-door hardtop.
My father actually owned a 64 Galaxie 500 that was blue with a white vinyl top. Last car he owned before all the company cars started. It was in that car that we moved from Baltimore to Los Angeles, in 1966, with all five of us in the car cross country. Must not forget the fish carried along in the back in a styrofoam cooler. Those goldfish made three moves and lived 8 years.
As for the wagon the plain sides look very sleek to me and I like the look. Naturally a lot easier to preserve. In fact I have seen a 1969 Ranch wagon for sale which is no wood of course. The kicker is that this wagon is powered by the 429. I guess one could get it if one has fun burning gas. I’m tempted just like I’m tempted to shoot myself in the foot.
Excellent homage to a very worthy wagon. There’s no question that the Ford wagons from this era were more appealing than the comparable Chevy on so may levels, never mind the styling. The difference in the treatment of their rear ends is pretty huge. Never mind the husky V8s and 3 speed automatic.
One question: why do you assume it has the 289? I’m pretty sure there were no fender emblems for the 352, unlike in 1965. With dual exhausts, automatic and A/C, I’d like to think it has at least the 352, quite possibly upgraded to a 390 without the call outs.
I was assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that the 352 got a callout on the fender like the 390 did. That little picture of a thunderbird holding crossed flags was always such good news. 🙂
I’m not aware of any 352 callouts/emblems prior to 1965. Once the 390 “Thunderbird Special” showed up in 1961, it and the 406/427 were the only ones bestowed with that emblem.
The 352 (rightfully) wasn’t even called a “Thunderbird” anymore starting in 1963, certainly not in 1964.
The 352 was mighty common on big Fords of those years, especially in wagons and higher-trim cars. But there’s no way to tell externally.
You’re right Paul, The 352s didn’t have the eagle/flag cubic inch callouts on the fenders. Interestingly, the 390, 406 and 427 blocks still have the “352” stamp on the front. If I recall correctly, most 352s of the period were 2bbl carb engines.
Yes, the 352 was 2 bbl from 1961 to 1963; it grew another two barrels for 1964. The 352 became pretty emasculated for 1961 after it being the top engine in 1959 and 1960.
1964 was literally the best year for the Big Three auto makers in terms of styling. Except for Chrysler, Ford and GM pretty much went downhill in terms of styling.
With dual exhausts, automatic and A/C, I’d like to think it has at least the 352,
Probably right Paul. My Dad’s 64 XL had a 289, and single exhaust.
This is my ’64 gal. It is indeed a 352 Windsor. I love my ’64 gal.
Always liked the quality built look of the 64 Fords. The color and wheels add to the classy look. I think it looks great without wood. That thickly padded dash also looks nice. The 65’s are not bad looking at all, but the sharp edges and boxier shape just seem to me to give it a cheaper look. Nice car.
A terrific wagon in what may be the definitive color for this car. Kudos to the owner for the wheels. If it were stock, the wheel would have been swallowed by the wheel wells.
John Steinbeck referred to the Jobe Family truck as being capable of going to hell and back on its belly. These Fords are just as tough.
Lordy that’s one pretty wagon! I’ve always been a bog fan of mid-Sixties bog Fords and ’64s are my favorite. And IMHO the ’64 Galaxie 4 door hardtop is one of the prettiest 4 door hardtops from any manufacturer.
This Burgandy color made a little comeback in the ’90s, at least at Chrysler, and I had it on my ’95 Concorde. I had forgotten its run in the ’60s and thought of it as sort of a ’30s color.
I was not much of a Ford guy when young, and the ’64 Ford was not on my radar until the early ’90s when I would regularly see a Galaxie 500 XL four door hardtop. Very cool with a full console, buckets and optional power windows with console switches. The roofline and XL trim made it a standout among ’60s Fords.
Interesting that all the ad copy cars sit so much lower in the rear compared to the actual car.
Nice write up!
Very enjoyable article. These always seemed bland to me, sandwiched between the very handsome 1963 model and the “quiet as a Rolls-Royce” 1965 model.
As for what is special about this car – it was very well-built. Ford had been burned by the rushed development of the 1960 Ford, so it spent the next four years refining and improving its full-size cars. These Fords were supposedly very well-built and durable.
The ’64 is still my favorite ’60s Ford Galaxie. I do prefer the “Woodie” versions and I like the look of the Torque Thrust D wheels for a period correct look. I would love to find a nice ’64 Country Squire and retrofit the buckets/console and door panels from a 4 door Galaxie XL.
My Dad had a ’63 Falcon Squire Black over Red with the bucket seat/console option and an automatic on the column. It was traded foe a non-woodie ’65 Falcon before a series of cheapo Bel Air wagons through the mid ’70s.
The Dearborn Police Wagon was probably meant to be Vintage Burgundy. I like the admonition on the roof to “Be Nice to People”. Maybe we should bring that back.
I loved that picture! I wonder if that was the real markings on Dearborn police cars?
Family holidays in America when I was a kid,little sister getting a window seat due to her ability to blow chunks usually I got a view of the back of my parents heads unless I got the other window seat or the middle of the bench which I wasn’t keen on.One of those rare cars which looks equally good as a wagon,sedan or convertible
64 Ford is a VERY pretty wagon and that is a great find. I want!
+1
I always liked the styling on these; if the ’62 Ford picked up a bit of the ’61’s Bullet-Bird styling, then perhaps the ’63 and then ’64 took it a little farther. And the ’64 T-Bird then went the “formal” route, followed by the same kind of thing with the ’65 full-size car.
’64 Ford-vs-Chevy wagon photos: that’s a pretty dramatic comparison. I’ll bet the Ford’s curved side/back glass cost a bit more to produce, but what a result!
Hard to think of these as “50 years old”–time flies…
If I could have any exterior, I’d take the Corinthian White Country Squire, which seemed to be featured in all of Ford’s period ads. That said, I’d be the next proud owner of our burgundy driver in a heartbeat–no matter what’s under the hood.
I hope he’s got the E-Brake on, given the propensity of Ford trans to pop out of Park.
’64 Ford wagons were so ubiquitous in those days, they’d hardly warrant a look. Seeing one now recalls all manner of memories. The only ’64 I remember personally is a white ’64 Galaxie 500 four door hardtop that belonged to my sister and brother-in-law shortly after they were first married.
My parents had had two used ’63 Fords, one which I learned to drive in, so the ’64 was comfortably more of the same. They drove and handled nicely, rode well, were about as flashy as small town folks striving for a place in the lower middle class could hope for.
Although I will admit that the graceful, stylish, flowing, scallop sided ’64 Ford is better looking than the boxier ’65/’66 models; the ’65/’66 was a MUCH better driver/handler/road car than the ’64 on down.
“Like the way the chrome rubbed off the radio buttons to reveal the grayish plastic underneath…”
Bubble burst here tonight JPC I just assumed a car this old would be “all metal” inside 🙁
My recollection is that the other knobs on the dash (definitely vents and lights, and I think heater controls as well) were all metal, but for some reason the radio knobs were plastic. Not having had a working radio in my ’64, (as in the photos here, the dash speaker is the best pace to mount an aftermarket tach) the knobs stayed in nice shape. 😉
“Like the way the chrome rubbed off the radio buttons to reveal the grayish plastic underneath…”
Ford must have had two vendors for those buttons. When I wore the chrome off in the XL, the plastic was rotten teeth yellow. Gray would have looked better.
I have always liked 1964 Fords. I owned and drove a 1964 Ford Galaxie for about a year in the 80’s. I bought it from a guy at work who needed some quick money. I paid him $500 for it. It was a two door fastback but not an XL. It had a 390 PI motor with 3 speed on the column. I later converted it to a Hurst floor shifter. It was a pretty stout runner and is one of the reasons I chuckle when I hear folks say the Ford 390 was a “boat anchor”.
In 1982 I was working and living in Blackpool and I found a black 64 Galaxie convertible for £450 in the Marton area.I’m still kicking myself I never bought it as I had the money from the sale of my Mercury Comet and Ford Zephyr burning a hole in my pocket
In 1982 I was working and living in Blackpool and I found a black 64 Galaxie convertible for £450 in the Marton area.I’m still kicking myself I never bought it as I had the money from the sale of my Ford Zephyr burning a hole in my pocket
I HATE fake wood. This thing looks stunning, way better than the comparable Chevy or Plymouth of the day. However, the new for ’64 GM midsize wagons were the best. The stretched A-body Buick Sportwagon is one of my all-time favorites.
I agree. I’m not a fan of faux wood. I think it looks tacky. Not very attractive. I also like the 1964 Chevrolets, more so than the 1965 and later.
As a confirmed no-woodnik, I’m loving this (very) longroof Ford. For side decor I’ll take a chrome spear over a fake tree any day. Great paint, rims, everything. All this wagon needs to be perfect (except possibly a 390 if it is only a 289) is a pair of surfboards on the roof.
I’m normally more of a GM guy, but as other posters have argued, in 1964 Ford’s fullsizers really had it over Chebby. (But then I’ve never really understood the fetishization of the ’64 Bel Air/Impala anyway, which resembles a toppled refrigerator. What exactly do the lowriders see in them? The wagon is particularly hideous.)
JPC says we all have ’64 Ford memories, so here’s mine. Growing up, a neighbor down the street who was a successful paper/office supplies salesman had as his (company?) car a high-zoot ’64 XL 500, 390, console, silver exterior, burgundy interior. I think it was the four-door, but it was definitely pillarless — and pretty much the slickest vehicle on the block. He kept it for many years, before it passed down to one of his teenage children and her greaseball boyfriend. My last memory of it, was hearing some arguing between the parents and the teenagers, followed by the kids getting in the Galaxie, revving it up, and peeling out with the loudest, most obnoxious burnout ever heard in our area. Well, at least until I started driving 🙂
Not a lowrider guy, but for a big portion of my life, 62 and 64 Chevy’s were my favorite models. The taillights the two toning, the impala emblems…all the details together. Just really liked them.
After reading CC for a decade, my opinion has changed. Still love the looks of the two door Chevy, but the wagon is way dorky compared to the Ford. Also, there’s the X frame…
So today, I’d definitely pick the Ford. Make mine a wagon, please, sans wood.
Here’s a picture of the engine bay of my ’64 gal featured in this article.
I love my ’64 gal.
Here it sits in the driveway. I’ve put power rack and pinion steering on it last year and front disc brakes. I try and do a little to it each year. It’s a true labor of love.
Another picture of the front.
I’ll say again–such a sharp car! I like the lines of the ’64 better than perhaps any other full-size Ford. Plus the gray powdercoated torq-thrusts look great with the burgundy!
Nice. As long as you don’t do too much to the car. I like a car as original as possible, while upgrading what needs to be upgraded. I do like the wheels.
I agree about leaving it as original as possible. I have a friend that put too much into his car and now he doesn’t dare drive it. The pictures are very kind to the paint, it will need a paint job someday, but for now I’m going to just drive it and enjoy the parking lot chats every time we take her out.
My point exactly! You want to be able to drive it safely and to be able to enjoy it.
Oh, I missed your original comments here. In case you hadn’t noticed, I simply fell in love with your car. I am glad to hear that it is getting the love it deserves.
I’ve always found the 1964 Galaxie and Fairlane the most attractive cars of the 1960s. Other than the 1965 Chrysler Newport, cars after 1965 just didn’t look very attractive.
My Dad’s 64 Squire Survivor.
289, three on the tree, 34K miles.
This was the last year of the “Rocket” round tail lights on the Galaxie line and the body went from a more rounded shape to a boxy look.
Wow, what a fabulous wagon! Your family has taken excellent care of it!
Speaking of “Rocket” round tail lights, here is a picture of those as well.
Comment from the future…
If we were to break the Ford Motor Company down into two eras, until this year I would have said pre-panther and post-panther….but now it is the car and ‘no-car but mustang’ eras (2020+). I hope the latter won’t last that long…
Blast from the past from the Ford woodie ad and its concern for the “population explosion” – a big worry of the time (though in actuality the baby boom was about to end within a year).
+1 on “Be Nice to People” being printed on every cop car…
Yes.
A handsome family hauler. I guess that 60 years from now guys will pine for a 2014 Ford Explorer?
It’s weird that they updated the original body instead of starting with the facelift 1964-5 version. The doors on that thing were 31 years old. The hearse-like rear window treatment is particularly bad, and the different rear side windows break up the beltline unlike the original one. The window and tailgate other than the skin look like they are the original. Maybe they should have left good enough alone.
That comment was supposed to be a reply to the blue Falcon Rural photos way up above.
I remember an Andy Griffith / Mayberry episode, where Deputy Barney Fife was charged with failing to signal a turn, driving one of these Fords. Andy had to prove to the court by demonstration, that Barney had signaled, but the sun was too bright to allow visibility of the taillight. Seemed odd to me, even at the time, that a taillight would not be visible in direct sunlight, to signal a turn. The made a whole 30 minute episode out of that plot line.
Times are changing. My wife was taking me to a dr appointment one morning in the dark. I was shocked at what looked like a fire truck with all its lights flashing. She corrected me by saying it was a school bus on a routine stop. The LED lights were really bright!
I stumbled upon a ’64 Ford wagon (woody with the 352) in a suburban neighborhood in New York while enroute to look for another car. There was a paper pie plate on the back window with the price: $200. This was probably sometime in the early ’80s or late 70s. Except for rusted through rear quarters it looked pretty good in and out. And I already knew that 1964 was peak quality for Ford.
Upon inquiry the owner said they couldn’t get it running. I forked over my $200 and they gave me a bill of sale.
In those days I used to carry a home made wooden tool and reference “briefcase” with me, always on the lookout for 10 plus year old cars. One reference book included spark plug wire diagrams for all sixties automobiles. The problem with the Ford was that the plug wires were hooked up wrong. Five minutes later that Ford was purring like a pussy cat.
Drove it the 330 miles home and it never missed a beat. It was the first time I had ever driven a V-8. As it turns out, it was the only time I have ever driven a V-8, being partial to the other end of the spectrum.
I never pay much attention to style, so the accolades above were lost on me. But I soon found out that this model was in great demand, so after fixing the rear quarter panels, I turned a tidy profit on that blue Ford.