The rivalry between Ford and Chevy guys continues to this day because a good rivalry will survive the passage of time.
Just ask any New York Yankees fan what he or she thinks of the Boston Red Sox.
Dave Bayek did the unthinkable when he bought this 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 4-door sedan.
This humble owner described how he came to own his survivor Ford: “I’m sort of a Chevy guy but this car was in such good shape. I bought it because of the originality-it even has the original manual. My wife’s dad was a Ford guy”. That confession may not be music to Bowtie guys’ ears but Dave ended up with a mint family sedan.
Dave explained how he found this pristine Ford sedan: “I found it through my sister because she knew the guy who owned it. It’s a 352 with 61,000 miles and I think I’m the third owner”.
This car had an impeccable history so it breezed through the preliminary stages with its new owner as Dave explained, “It passed a mechanical inspection-no problem”.
Dave is a real-deal car guy so he had a well-defined game plan for his 52-year-old Ford: “It needed some detailing underneath and rear shocks plus I gave it a tuneup”. That’s a pretty short list in the world of old iron.
This low-mileage survivor Ford is not destined to be a protected trailer queen because Dave believes the best time you can spend with an old car is on the road in the real world. He gave a typical car guy assessment of his Ford’s road manners: “It drives great-it’s got a little shimmy up at higher speeds but that’s probably a tire balance. It stays on the road great for the year but you gotta watch your stopping distance”.
Dave’s ’63 Galaxie 500 won’t be a daily driver, but it does play a role in his summer activities. This activity is very familiar turf for members of the car guy fraternity: “I’m going to take it local car shows and have a little bit of fun with it”.
Clearly, the biggest problem with a survivor car like this ’63 Ford 4-door sedan is a succession plan because cars like this often end up in flat black paint with a belly crawling, lowered stance. Dave is fairly comfortable with the future direction of his modest old Ford.
Dave’s answer stems from a personal experience with his son last summer as he recalled: “We took the car out to go golfing last year and he drove it back-he likes it. He had to try the passing gear and he liked that too. He doesn’t want me to get rid of it so hopefully he gets it because he really does seem to like it”.
Most people look at 4-door sedans as a fond memory from their past when they see them sprinkled in with the flashier convertibles and hardtops.
Four doors were the workhorse for many families back in the Baby Boom era and Dave is confident his ’63 Ford will have a continued family link.
Maybe that’s why a self-confessed Chevy guy owns a Ford Galaxie 500 sedan.
Jerry Sutherland
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