My Dad was a Ford guy. Although most everyone else on both sides of my family were firmly in the GM camp, there was almost always a set of FoMoCo keys in Dad’s pocket. In early 1977, I was finally given the parental green light to buy my first very own car. I was open to a lot of things, but I really wanted a Ford. “Just don’t buy the first car you see” was the only mandate when my friend and I went out on the great search.
The Original JPC Mobile
The first car I saw turned out to be a 67 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible. Original owner, garaged in a nice neighborhood, and 60K miles. Although I looked at several other cars that day, the rest were nowhere near as nice. $700 and it was mine. So, I actually did buy the first car I saw.
At that time, the 62-64 Galaxies were starting to become collected. “Just be patient”, I thought, “and these big Fords will come into their own.” Well, I am still waiting. The 65 eventually became noteworthy for the first LTD that really was quieter than a Rolls Royce. People remember the 7 Litre package from 66. But the 67 (and 68) big Fords sort of disappeared into the mists. And it is a shame, because this was a nice car.
The story of the 65 Ford has been told here before. Ford had a major revision (with an increase in wheelbase from 119 to 121) planned for 1969, so the 67-68 was to be enough of a freshening to get them to the new model.
You could always tell a Ford - big single taillights with star-like backup lights in the middle.
The 67′s styling was a break from the laser-sharp lines of 65-66, probably a concession to Bill Mitchell’s attractive and fluid 65-66 Impala. The 67 Ford became the median between an even sleeker 67 Impala and the really angular 67 Fury. The front brought back the stacked headlights for a final year, while the rear was reminiscent of the 62 Galaxie’s taillights that sunk into the bumper. To me, the 67 big Ford was the best looking of the 65-68 models by far.
This front end bears an eerie resemblance to the 67 Cadillac.
Mechanically, the 240 cid 6 continued as the base engine (though not on the LTD), with the 289 V8 returning for its final year. The big engines remained the 390 and 428 versions of the FE block, along with the 427 (offered to keep the engine legal for NASCAR). The only real mechanical difference from 66 was that the 352 was dropped from the model lineup. Although 100 cubic inches was a big gap in displacement, the 352 had never offered much of a step up in performance from the 289, and it was not really missed.
Ford was among the last to eliminate metal frames around glass on hardtops. Other than the 1971-72 LTD wheelcovers, this car is bone stock.
These were quiet, comfortable cars. The power steering was light, and the power brakes were highly boosted, as was common at the time. The drum brakes were so-so at best, but Ford was the leader in equipping cars with disc systems, so you could get decent brakes if you wanted them. My car had the 270 hp 2 barrel 390, which saved me a lot of money in insurance as a teen (as opposed to the 315 hp 4 bbl version). The torque of the old 390 cannot be overstated, and it had no trouble pulling my 2 ton convertible through the 2:70 axle. The 390 may not have had the racing cred of the Mopar 383, but it was a really nice engine for lugging a big family car.
The 1967-only steering wheel hub. Who says GM pioneered air bags?
One interesting item unique to all of Ford’s 1967 models was the huge foam rubber steering wheel hub. I recall reading somewhere that that Ford’s collapsible steering column was not ready for its mandated appearance on the 67 models. So, the company met the regulation with the collapsible foam hub mounted on the 1966 steering wheel across the entire model line.
The clear plastic inlay in the steering wheel is unique to the LTD. Also note the factory air, still relatively rare in 1967 (at least in the midwest).
There was one fatal flaw in these cars, which may be the reason they are not seen more today. These Fords suffered badly from rust-through of the perimeter frame. I saw an early victim in the late 70s – a very rusty 66 LTD with the right rear wheel halfway into the trunk. This was not the kind of flaw that one could overlook in salt country, and certainly killed many of these cars prematurely.
It was a strange coincidence that after my debut piece on the 59 Plymouth Fury (My 4th car), I stumbled across this nice 67 LTD at a local used car lot. These may still be common on the back roads of the southern and pacific states, but understand – they are just not seen anymore in the midwest. This car takes me back to about 1980. The faded and dull Clearwater Aqua paint, the bubbles under the vinyl roof and the slightly rusty lower fenders – this is what they all looked like then with any sort of normal use in our difficult climate. This car was plainly cared for during much of its life to make it this far.
That this is a 289 car is evident from the lack of a 390 or 428 badge on the front fender behind the wheel.
My 67 Galaxie was a very nice driving car, and was quite rigid for a convertible. It was significantly smoother and quieter than the C body Mopars I later owned (although it did not handle as well). It also got amazingly good gas mileage (I once hit 19 mpg on the highway, although 10-12 was more common in town). In all, it was a very polished and well finished car. Style-wise, it struck a near perfect balance between curves and angles. I would buy another if the right one came along. The first owner of this 67 LTD would have been rightly proud of this very attractive new car. I hope that someone buys this car who can appreciate its many charms and its attractive lines. But check the frame first and keep it out of the salt.
My Dad had a ’67 Galaxie 500 convertible – the second in a string of 3 straight ragtops. The Galaxie had the ‘big six’ and automatic, and was red with black top and interior, great looking car.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c30/ddibiase/WebpagePics/twocars.jpg
The first thing I thought of was the 67 Caddy nose. Very strange indeed! Though I guess it gave the car the upscale look they were after.
They were nice cars…for nice Detroit-style big cars.
My family had a ’68 – so I’m partial. But for my money, the 1968 was the cleanest exterior style; and an interior that was head-and-shoulders above the painted-metal full-size Chevrolet of the same year.
I’d always wanted to play mix-and-match with the 1968 variants: The hidden headlights of the LTD on a stripper two-door coupe…and if I could have grafted the two-door forward section to a wagon rear quarter, I’d have had a really-slick “shooting brake.”
…Ahhh. Dreams of kit-bashing….
Although I prefer the 67 overall, I will confess to liking the huskier looking 68 Fastback. But in truth, I liked the 68 Mercury Monterey and Montclair fastback even better.
Back in the days when kids were allowed to stretch out in the package shelf under the rear window while your parents hurtled down the interstate at 80, that 68 Ford/Mercury would accommodate 2 of us side by side. Amazing we’re still here.
Yeah, I used to do that too. It was an amazing view, laying down on the package shelf, looking straight up through that huge rear glass.
If you did it today your parents would be arrested for child endangerment.
It’s been done, although not quite by the factory. Rankin Ford of London, Ontario had thier own exclusive variant in 1968-69, the RF500.
They DSO’d a run of Custom 2 door posts with LTD hideaway fronts on them.
Since Ontario is salt country, I doubt any are left.
I always liked the 1965-68 Fords better than the big Chevys and Plymouths of those years. While the 1965 model was the best of the bunch, in my opinion, the 1967s were a very nice package, and the one that is really better looking than contemporary Chevys and Plymouths. As the article notes, the Ford was a nice alternative to the voluptuous Chevys and very boxy Plymouths of that year.
Or maybe I’m being influenced by memories of the Hunter Green Galaxie fastback Aurora slot car.
From what I’ve read, the frame rust was caused by Ford’s decision to use a fully boxed frame. This gave the car a very solid feel, but if any moisture got INSIDE the frame, it would rust from the inside.
Your comment on the boxed frame makes sense. I recall this Ford being very stiff for a body on frame car. Much moreso than my 59 Plymouth and than contemporary Chevys. It was also much, much stiffer than the 71-78, and even the 79-91 big Fords.
The frame rust thing was surprising, because the rest of the car was pretty good against the tinworm (the 65 particularly – Lee must have shaved some rustproofing cost out of the 66-67 as they were not quite as rust-resistant in the fenders and doors)
As for the Aurora versions, I remember the light yellow and the robin’s egg blue ones:)
The frame-rust issue was very real. It hit ours with only four years on it….repair was expensive but at the time, trading it in was out of the question.
Hell of it was, the sheet-metal was holding up much better than our previous cars, the Rambler or the 1957 Ford. No perforations…yet the frame had broken apart from rust and was leaving the body to fend for itself.
On the whole, it was a good car and worth the cost of repair. But dam, Lido! What would a galvanized frame have cost, per car? And what a sales feature that would have been!
A ’67 Galaxie 500 four door (not sure if it was sedan or hardtop) was my brother’s first new car. He was finishing his stint in Vietnam in the fall of ’66 and wanted a new car for the drive with his family to San Antonio to finish his ROTC service, so he had our dad line it up with the Ford dealer in Medford, NJ. I recall it was Sauterne Gold with a light tan fabric interior. Pretty sure it had the 289 and that bro sprang for factory air and disc brakes. At the time I thought it was a pretty sweet looking ride.
The science teacher at my grade school had a ’67 Galaxie 500 2 door hardtop he bought brand new, and was still driving it daily, though his wife had a new Aerostar. This would have been around 1989. Light blue metallic with white top and blue interior, and the mag wheelcovers like the 7-Litre had. He lived in Florida previously, so it had surface rust on the hood and trunk, but was still very solid at the time. He retired in 1993 and moved to Southern Illinois. I’ve lost touch with him but wouldn’t be surprised if he still has it. Anyway, for that reason, I really like the 1967 full-size Fords, though I haven’t seen any for a long time. And I go to a lot of car shows!
The 1967 was the best looking of this generation IMHO. The 1967 LTD was a particularly unique combination of “lasts”, and “one year onlys”.
It was the last LTD to include, in it’s base price, an automatic transmission.
Downgraded to 3-on-the-tree for 1968 to quote a lower base price. It was the final year for a truly nice interior in the base price. It included a rear folding armrest, cut-pile carpeting and door courtesy lights. Also the final year for door courtesy lamps on the rear doors as well as the front. All deleted for 1968, restorable by ordering the “Brougham Interior Group”. But the rear door lights were gone forever.
It was the only year to have as standard a feature called “Comfort Stream Ventilation”.
A powered vent system utilizing 2 AC-like registers on the dash. Optional for ’68, then gone until 1971. And it was the only year the 2 door LTD had it’s own unique roofline,
with a standard padded vinyl top. That vinyl top was there for a reason. The standard Galaxie roof was altered by welding in triangular pieces of metal, then using convertible quarter windows. Rather than metal finish the whole thing properly, they just covered it in vinyl.This roof was shared by the 1967-68 Mercury Marquis as well as the 1968 Meteor Montcalm, and they all have viny tops for this reason.
I still fondly remember the road trip to see Expo 67 in the summer of ’67 I took with my parents in this car. It had an indelible effect on me and to this day I always hear the call of the road beckoning to me because of this trip as a 6 year old.
The car was well optioned, including disc brakes, the 5 speaker in dash tape system, and a speed-activated vacuum lock system which malfunctioned on the Expo trip.
The vacuum refused to release, and it was very strong. It was extremely difficult to pull up the lock plunger while opening the door. And, no dealer could repair it.
Yes, the frame rot. Collectors of these cars tend to become well versed in frame swaps.
Being it was a company car, it was gone when my dad quit his job in January 1968.
I always vowed I would have one but I work overseas.
By the way, that AC unit is an add-on, but it’s a FoMoCo unit. The factory AC was completely integrated into the dash, and had been since 1965.
The collapsible steering column wasn’t federally mandated until 1968, along with sider marker lamps — some cars had them earlier, but it wasn’t required until the 68 model year. IIRC, 67 was the last year before federal intervention started rearing it’s head.
Nice article……..love the big 60′s Fords.
GM , Chrysler & AMC had collapsible columns for the entire 1967 run. This was because Chryco and AMC used Saginaw designed lower sections.
Ford’s was in-house, and began to appear midway through the year.
I think you’re right. GM fitted collapsable steering columns across the board for ’67 (Even on the lame duck Corvair!), but they weren’t mandated until ’68.
My favorite year for big Fords. A Galaxie 500 or LTD hardtop sedan like this with the 390 would be a great cruiser. And to think – this was a run of the mill family car! This Ford is much more striking, interesting, and dare I say luxurious than anything Lexus, Cadillac or the Germans offer today.
Aside from being safer, more comfortable and more efficient than ever before, modern cars really suck.
My dad did body-and-fender work, and used to buy rebuildable wrecks, repair them, and drive them for a while, then sell it. In late ’66 he got hold of a 1966 Galaxie 500 XL two-door coupe with the 390 and C6 automatic. It was cinammon metallic with cream-colored interior, bucket seats and console. IIRC it was a theft recovery and had been banged up a little bit while being joyrided. Daddy repainted the whole car the original color and gave the roof a spray-on finish that looked like a black vinyl top.
It was one good-looking car, dead-nuts reliable and actually fairly good on gas for its time. We kept it until 1972, when he replaced it with a ’71 Galaxie 500 that had also been rescued from a junkyard. The one thing that stands out was the inability to keep a muffler on it. Lean into the pedal too quick, and that 390 back-pressure would blow the single exhaust right out. Once Mom blew the muffler completely off the car, and it went tumbling out the back into traffic. Daddy finally solved the problem by installing an all-one-piece dual exhaust system made for a stock car. He didn’t like dual exhausts (I don’t know why) so he welded the two tailpipes together to make a single exhaust.
Sadly, the old girl died the death of a thousand cuts. Mom was sideswiped on the passenger side from the door trailing edge to the taillight, and it just wasn’t worth fixing. So we kept it rolling until the next Galaxie was ready, then broke her up. The front cap went to another body shop, the engine and transmission to someone else, the bucket seats went into our boat (where they held up amazingly well), and the doors, taillights, back bumper, etc. went into the attic of Daddy’s body shop, where they still were when it burned down in 1979. I still have the emblems off the quarterpanels as keepsakes.
The 67 was my favorite big Ford of all time. The sharp creases of the 65 and 66 were softened and refined to create a look that rivaled anything coming out of style leader GM. My stepdad wanted a new 67 LTD to replace our 63 Fairlane. He found a baby blue 2 door hardtop with black vinyl top and dark blue cloth interior. The car had a very rare option under the hood, a 427 (with automatic not a 4 speed). This was a special order car that the dealer got stuck with when the prospective owner’s deal fell through. My mom nixed buying that car and he settled for a 67 Country Sedan, that served our family well for the next 8 years. I’ve often wondered how it would have been to borror that LTD for a night of hooning. What a sleeper it would have been. I also never heard of that engine mated with anything but a four speed, but back in those days Detroit would let you custom order any combination of options even if they were not listed in their catalog.
Boy I’d love to see the Marti Report on that.
My formative years were spent in the middle and “way back” of a ’68 LTD Country Squire wagon (auto, 390 four-barrel!). I think my parents bought it in ’69 or ’70, and we called it “Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang” because of all the dashboard lights and gizmos (this car replaced a Rambler American if I recall correctly).
Dad had a massive full-frame trailer hitch installed, and we pulled a camper trailer every summer out on vacation.
Upon reaching driving age, I was eventually entrusted to convey my brothers and me back and forth to school, which is where I learned how four-barrel carbs work! Thankfully, my hooning never ended up badly.
The car caught fire twice, once in the driveway (easily put out) and once on the road (an alert driver flagged us down). Dad cleaned up the mess, rewired it, and it was good to go for another half-decade, albeit with a big pink spot on the hood from where the heat discolored the paint.
Blown head gaskets and general worn-outedness finally did the car in. Dad sold it to someone for a few hundred, and that was the last we saw of the car.
See articles regarding the 67 LTD brought back memories…
I was stationed at Scott AFB, Illinois in 1967 and had just returned from Southeast Asia, where I had been TDY. Returned thru Honolulu, Hawaii, an was really impressed with the place.
So much so, that when I got back I vowed to return there on an assignment. Which I worked out with the magic of friendship in the military…
Anyway, I had a 64 Chevy and a 57 Chevy Convertible that I sold and traded in, and ordered a 1967 Ford LTD, beige with a Black Vinyl top, air conditioning but, get this, I did not get the electric windows… (duh) Neither of the Chevy’s had Air Cond. that was my excuse for the deal.
First crack out of the barrel, the 428 showed its muscle by running down a 67 Galaxie, CID and
promptly blew his doors off!
Sold it to a Roger Starcher in 1970-71 while stationed at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. He was being stationed near Boston and put new freeze plugs in the 428 an shipped it to the west coast to pick it up and travel to the East Coast with his family to their new assignment…
Was a fun car, of course, My wife did not like the big engine… Don’t have a pic handy to attach…
An older couple at my Mom’s church once owned a ’67 Ford, the Country Squire wagon in turquoise (or was it simply a light blue, I forget now) and it had the AM radio with the rear speaker in the cargo hold and I don’t know what all else it had in the way of options it had. Their son Bill and his wife would I think borrow it when they needed to take a bunch of us youth group kids on a jaunt somewhere as we’d fit in there pretty well although often it was at least 2 cars going since there were that many kids in the group at the time, the other being I think a ’78 SAAB 900 4 door.
This being the early 80′s and by 1983-84, Bill was inflicted with Leukemia and passed away and I don’t recall seeing the wagon much after that. I believe his parents bought it new back in the day. Being that we live in the Puget Sound area, rust isn’t a big deal here as it is in the Midwest or wherever its salt country so it had a long life as far as I know.
Some good friends we once knew had a dark green ’69 or 70 Country Squire wagon with the rear side facing seats in the way back, and I think it had the “wood” paneling as well.
Beautiful family cars.
I have always had a soft spot for these vehicles.
The 6 and 289 versions were underpowered, but still dependable and wonderful cruisers.
The 352 comments are incorrect, as there was little difference between the 390 and 352. Anyway, the 390 was the best motor choice for the year. A better alternative for these cars is the later 351 Windsor (not available at the time this was made). I built one of these with that motor, and the fuel economy and power to weight ratio is the best of all worlds.
The 351W was probably Ford’s best older motor, all things considered. it was more efficient than the FE blocks, had better reliability than the 351 Cleveland, and remains a favorite high performance engine with all the aftermarket parts.
Having said that, the sound and torque of an FE block is fantastic too.
I even liked the 289 in these cars.
Just picked up the 1967 LTD 2 door hardtop fastback pictured below.
I love the way this car looks. I have always been a blue oval guy when it comes to American cars. Can’t wait to get her road ready. The 390 is purring like kitten just got to get the brakes squared away and some new rubber to keep her on the road. All original and number matching. Had been sitting for 20 years but she is solid with no rust issues. Built in LA and never lived out of CA.
I have 67 4door LTD and am looking for a frame-any help would be appreciated.
It has the 390. I am also looking for the front grille LTD badge.
The car is a dream to drive, especially with its Hooker Headers.
I stumbled across this chat room. Very nice! I grew up in the 60s My dad always had Fords in the drive way. I remember a 68 wagon white with the wood sides. Nice car.390 motor. As it got older if it sat out in the rain it wouldn’t start! He would use a hair dryer on the cap and wires and then it would fire up. I think the frame broke on that one too.and it was junk yard bound.He had Torinos and the smaller fairlane wagons. Thanks for the memories!!
In 1989, I was living in San Diego,Ca. and had made friends with an older gentleman who I helped several times with various repairs on his vehicles. One day he asked me if I’d be interested in an old Ford he had stuffed way back in his garage/workshop. He said he had not had it out of the garage since 1975 or so, and it was covered with several blankets, and had old cardboard boxes piled on top of it. I said yes, so we cleared everything off, and pulled the blankets off it. It was a 1967 Ford LTD 4 door hardtop, with 390 badges. He said in the mid-60′s he was a California State Trooper, and this car was ordered by the highway patrol for the division’s Captain. When the Captain got a new car in 1973, it was slated for retirement, and he had bought it.
Along with the car, I got a big cardboard box containing the original window sticker, all the tags and what-nots that were hung on the dash, the clear plastic covers that the seats had on them when delivered, the paper floormats from the dealer, and a book with it’s full maintenance records from the date it was sold, to the day he parked it in 1975.
A look at the window sticker was shocking, it was three pages long due to the options added. The car had a 390 4bbl Interceptor 375hp engine, C6 Super Duty Police trans., Super Duty Police power brakes (with huge 4 piston disc Kelsey Hayes up front, and 13″X4″ rear drums),9″ Traction-Loc rear, 40 gal extended range fuel tank, Desert Cooling Paackage (4 core radiator,19″ HD fan and clutch, aux. Trans cooler, engine oil cooler, rear end oil cooler, and power steering oil cooler.), Factory A/C, 15″X8″ HD rims and a Super Duty suspension package that gave it HD coil springs (stiffer and 1 1/2″ shorter than stock, massive front & rear sway bars, fully boxed upper and lower control arms up front, and severe duty shocks. I came with dual exhaust, and had steel headers on it that had Ford part numbers on them, but the guy I bought it from said he had purchased those and installed them in 1973, as the cast manifolds had cracked, and he had bought them from the local Ford dealer. It oddly was not equipped with a spotlight, nor a shotgun mount in the front floorboard (as most police cars were), It was wired for a magnetic bubble light and siren, but those had been removed prior to it being sold by the highway patrol, as well as the police radio, but the dash had holes under it where the brackets had been mounted.
I bought it for just $600, and it only took me about a week to get it running and driving. I remember that the car was extremely fast, especially for it’s size and weight, and it handled as well as, or better than my 1987 Z-28. It made a fantastic “Sleeper”, and I made a fair amount of money off it racing it on Friday and Sat. nights on the streets. It was in fantastic condition due in part to it being the Capt.’s car and not a daily driven patrol unit, and in big part to it being covered in blankets for all those years. It was Wimbledon White, and did not have a vinyl roof, the interior was a dark grey, but might have been what Ford considered black. the carpet was black, as was the vinyl on the dash and door panels. After buffing, the paint looked freshly applied, and all the chrome and stainless polished out to like new as well.
I enjoyed that car for several years, but when I moved back to Alabama, I was forced to sell it… a decision I have regretted ever since. I recently purchased a 1967 LTD to restore, and I’m intending to keep it this time… It’s just a standard 390 4bbl Thunderbird 315hp version though, but I’ve got all the pieces needed to make it a police-spec Interceptor w/ 375hp.
Great story! Wow; you must have had regrets about letting that one get away.
What’s a bit curious is that the CHP was such a heavy buyer of Dodges for years and years. But I guess there were other brands mixed in too. And maybe the captain’s car was ordered separately.
Wow, sounds like you had the ultimate 67 LTD. I am quite certain that had I owned your car instead of the one I had, I would have killed myself or someone else. My 2bbl lopo 390 with the flaccid suspension placed some reasonable limits on what 17 year old me could do with the car.
I’ve regretted selling it since the day I sold it. I originally wanted to drive my pickup and trailer to Alabama, then turn around and drive back to Calif., get the LTD and load it on the trailer, and bring it home too… but I didn’t have the money, nor time, to make the extra 2,200 mile each way trip.
I’ve seen a few wierdly optioned government cars over the years. a mid-70′s Plymouth Fury station wagon with 440 and 3/4 ton 4wd in Forestry Service Green, a 427 dual quad side oiler in a ’66 Country Squire station wagon (I can only assume some guy told the dealer he was going to tow a big travel trailer and wanted the biggest, most powerful engine Ford made…lol), and also a 427 powered Copo Nova that was used by a local police dept. for pursuit duties…they still have that car and it’s on display at their police station.
Back in the good old days, if a big fleet wanted something different, the manufacturers would usually do their best to accomodate them…provided it was possible. Nowadays, they are pretty much stuck with what the manufacturers offer as standard…. although there are still some unusual offerings available if an agency has the funds. ie: Police version of the Corvette