Ford : Galaxie XL 500 1970 FORD GALAXIE XL CONVERTIBLE

1970 Ford Galaxie XL Convertible with a 351 CI engine.  I picked this car up in Reno, Nevada when I was living out there.  I drove the car for about 2 months, and then drove it the 1500 miles to Chicago, where it has been garaged since 2005.  I’ve never had any significant problems with the car, not even running it across country at an average speed of 70mph for three days straight.  This car ran well the entire time I drove it.  The good and the bad: 

The body of the car is in extremely good shape.  There is a dent in the front passenger side fender that I started to repair but didn’t finish (see pictures).  I have the chrome strip that is missing in the pictures.  I also have the turn signal that goes in the front passenger fender, but it may need to be glued together, as the plastic is cracked.  There is some rust starting around the rear wheels that can be seen in the pictures.  When I bought the car, the dual exhaust and frame were in really good shape, but it has been in Illinois for a few years, so I’m not sure of their condition now.  I put in an electronic ignition to replace the points system.  New ignition coil, new starter, new solenoid, new tires (1500 miles on the rear, 0 on the front).  I had the transmission rebuilt right before I left Reno, so it has 1500 miles on it.  The carburetor has been replaced with a Carter 4 barrel.  I have the original carb (2 barrel), if you want to put it back on the car.  There’s also a new pioneer CD player and speakers in the aftermarket counsel seen in the pictures.

The odometer reads 41,389, whether that’s 141K or just 41K is anyone’s guess.  The car is in good enough shape for the low miles, but it has been around for 38 years.  The car has baked in the Nevada sun, and the paint, top, and vinyl definitely need to be replaced.  The paint is flaking way in a leopard pattern, showing spots of gray primer over the entire car.  It can be seen if you look carefully at the pictures.  The seats and dash are cracking and need to be recovered (see pictures).  The convertible top is in one piece, but is in bad shape and needs to be replaced.  There is one hole in it (see pictures).  I priced out a new top and found one for a couple hundred bucks.  The convertible top motor doesn’t work, but the top can still be put down manually.  I stared replacing the plastic hydraulic lines with metal lines, but the top motor doesn’t work.  The cooling fan is making some noise, so I think the fan clutch may need to be replaced.  The 351 runs well.  Probably could use some new plugs and wires after sitting for a few years, but runs strong.

The car runs great.  It has a bit of a hesitation up around 70mph, but I took out for a few miles couple days ago, and it ran perfect.  So if you’re willing to put in the wrench time, and fix some cosmetic problems, this could be a great car. 

THIS CAR IS BEING SOLD AS IS.  I’ve tried to list all of the things (good and bad) that I know of, but keep in mind this car is used and it has been sitting for a few years.  This car is not perfect and the buyer should be prepared to make repairs as needed.  The car is 38 years old, and anyone who works on old cars knows that things go bad over time and need to be replaced.  It’s the nature of owning and rebuilding cars like this one.  If you don’t think you want to put the time and money into this car, DON’T BOTHER BIDDING.  ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE BIDDING OR DON’T BID. 

I wanted to add some additional info. that I thought about later.  The antena is missing.  The original AM radio is still in the dash, but I don't know if it works because the antena is gone.  All four windows are frameless (because it's a convertible) and need to be adjusted.  The move from side to side when all the way up, but i'm pretty sure there are brackets that can be adjusted to steady them.  I never had a problem with them, because they were down the entire time I had the car.  Also, one of the rear windows is off the track and no longer conected to the crank.  It can still be put up by pulling on it, but not by using the crank.  The trunk pan is clean/pretty much rust free (any rust is just a little surface rust) and I do have the spare tire.