31 replies to this topic

[DJH]

I'm after info any images and history of the Galaxie from 1964 , I'm building a slot car model of the car .

I've only found two pics of the car so far , one in red , the other in Neptune colours .

Norm only seems to have raced it a couple of times , was it a success ?

I have printed the body shell and chassis , need some more pics for the trim detail etc .

Edited by DJH, 15 September 2020 - 01:59.

[Ray Bell]

When it ran at Lowood in August, 1964, it was in Neptune Team colours...

 

And it had a reverse-scoop on the bonnet.

 

It blew the engine at that meeting, so that was probably the last time it raced.

[pete53]

I don't know if you have seen this one.

 

https://autopics.com...-bruce-reedman/

 

Not great resolution to the photo though.

[Ray Bell]

That's the Lowood meeting...

 

Norm only raced the S4 at Lakeside that year.

[DJH]

Thanks pete53 . thats one of the very few shots that I've seen of the car .

Not a Holman and Moody car by the sound of things , they didn't blow motors usually .

Locally tweaked I guess .

Was the engine a 390 or 427 ?

[Ray Bell]

Where did I read 'six and a half litres' today? In one of the reports...

 

So that's a 390.

 

And at Warwick Farm the entry form stated it was 6654cc.

 

I don't understand how it came to have that bonnet bulge in Appendix J. Does anyone know?

[Bob Riebe]

The hood bulge was a factory item , created for drag racing Fords.

The 390 is a 6.390 Centimeters Cubed 

It would be a 406 which Ford used for racing approx. two years before switching to the 427.

Edited by Bob Riebe, 15 September 2020 - 14:43.

[Ray Bell]

Thanks for the correction on that, Bob. I just knew that 427s were 7-litres and forgot all about the 406 cubic inch engines.

 

I recall well the commentator at Warwick Farm when Lex Davison spun approaching the Causeway...

 

"He's just a passenger in that!"

 

Best lap was 2:00.1, his spinning lap was 2:10.5, which was the next lap. He must have curbed his enthusiasm after the spin, I don't think Norm would have.

[cooper997]

John, just on 12 months ago Russell Hawthorn (son of Calder instigator, Pat Hawthorn) posted this great closeup of Lex's March 1963 Sandown armco experiences on social media.

 

https://www.facebook...&type=3

 

 

Stephen

[Ray Bell]

John Ellacott has this pic of Beechey in the Galaxie in February, 1964...

 

 

I'm sure it's been posted before, but it belongs here anyway.

[Lee Nicolle]

What was the rules in the day? Must be 4 doors? Norms Impala was reputedly the only 4 door 409.

That vintage Galaxie look far better in the 2 door.

[Lee Nicolle]

The hood bulge was a factory item , created for drag racing Fords.

The 390 is a 6.390 Centimeters Cubed 

It would be a 406 which Ford used for racing approx. two years before switching to the 427.

I just searched Wiki for the variations of FEs. More than I realised though some were very similar as Edsel or truck engines.

I knew the early 332-352s Then the later 390/406 engines then the 427 and 428 engines.

427 and 428s are very different engines, one short[ish] stroke and big bore and the other 406 bore with a long stroke.

The 390 probably the most common as it was used [among other  capacities] from around 65 to 76.

My new for 71 Galaxie LTD in the US had 2 and 4bbl versions of that engine along with numerous others from 240 6 through to 429 Cobrajet. In Oz we [reputedly] had 302W and 400 2bbl. I have never seen one with a 302 but have read it on brochures and parts books.

Even in 62-68 they had numerous versions of the FEs.

A local bloke with a 63 Galaxie coupe has fitted his 390 4bbl engine with the tripower 427 set up. Quite a quick car. And those cars are light at around 1700 kilos,, my 71 400 C6 a/c car is 1.990 tonnes. Simply a full size family car. The big cars weigh over 2 tonnes.

Another I know [its co owner worked for me] is a factory  66 7 litre manual car. Big lazy grunter with bull nose Top Loader and Kelsey Hayes 4 spot brakes. I suspect as a road car far nicer all round than the 427s.

Though I would adopt either!!

[DJH]

Thanks for posting the Sandown pic Ray .

I was going to do the model in Neptune colours , but , the red looks good too .

Stephen , the red 4 door Galaxie seems to have had a few pilots .

I saw Lex in Sir Gawaine's 2 door at WF , quite memorable , sounded fantastic .

Edited by DJH, 16 September 2020 - 04:26.

[Lee Nicolle]

Just looking again at a You Tube clip of Dennis Obrien driving the 427 coupe at Sandown. Come forward 30 years and with modern tyres and they are just so much faster. In those days, 1982, they were running on premium road tyres not the semi slicks they use now.

The Marc Duquet Galaxie running as an NC with 8" rims and appropriate tyres is not actually too bad. But ofcourse everyone else has similar tyres!

Norm or Lex Davidson were probably even worse off for tyres

[Formula 5000]

I saw “Stormin” Norm race the Len Lukey owned red Galaxie at Sandown, many years ago. Norm had retired the Impala and Lukey offered his car. Wasn’t a shiny red but it did have 406 in chrome on either front mudguard.
Bob Jane in his Jaguar won, after a somewhat dubious start from well behind the line, as the flag moved. Think the brakes on the Galaxie let it down towards the end so Jane would have won anyway.

Years later, at work, a guy named Bruce ?? said he owned the Galaxie. I saw it, 4 door, 406, manual, multiple carburettors and unbelievably 2 brake boosters. He lost his licence, 110 in a 60 zone and the car disappeared.

[cooper997]

Thanks for posting the Sandown pic Ray .

I was going to do the model in Neptune colours , but , the red looks good too .

Stephen , the red 4 door Galaxie seems to have had a few pilots .

I saw Lex in Sir Gawaine's 2 door at WF , quite memorable , sounded fantastic .

 

John, Lex should have learnt from his 1963 Sandown accident that fixing Galaxie's add somewhat to his racing expenses. 

 

No photos, but there's a brief writeup of Norm's first go in the Lukey Mufflers Galaxie in post 6 here...

https://forums.autos...h-january-1963/

 

 

Stephen

Edited by cooper997, 16 September 2020 - 09:50.

[Catalina Park]

What was the rules in the day? Must be 4 doors? Norms Impala was reputedly the only 4 door 409.

That vintage Galaxie look far better in the 2 door.

Yes, Appendix J rules required 4 doors for cars over 1600cc.

[Ray Bell]

The rules changed just in time for the Mustangs and Gawaine Baillie's car to run...

[Tom Glowacki]

I just searched Wiki for the variations of FEs. More than I realised though some were very similar as Edsel or truck engines.

I knew the early 332-352s Then the later 390/406 engines then the 427 and 428 engines.

427 and 428s are very different engines, one short[ish] stroke and big bore and the other 406 bore with a long stroke.

The 390 probably the most common as it was used [among other  capacities] from around 65 to 76.

My new for 71 Galaxie LTD in the US had 2 and 4bbl versions of that engine along with numerous others from 240 6 through to 429 Cobrajet. In Oz we [reputedly] had 302W and 400 2bbl. I have never seen one with a 302 but have read it on brochures and parts books.

Even in 62-68 they had numerous versions of the FEs.

A local bloke with a 63 Galaxie coupe has fitted his 390 4bbl engine with the tripower 427 set up. Quite a quick car. And those cars are light at around 1700 kilos,, my 71 400 C6 a/c car is 1.990 tonnes. Simply a full size family car. The big cars weigh over 2 tonnes.

Another I know [its co owner worked for me] is a factory  66 7 litre manual car. Big lazy grunter with bull nose Top Loader and Kelsey Hayes 4 spot brakes. I suspect as a road car far nicer all round than the 427s.

Though I would adopt either!!

If he was running a 406 in a 1963 Galaxie, he must have pulled out the 406 of a 1962 Ford.

[Ray Bell]

What model is this one?

 

It raced here in early '63, that would usually mean it was a '62 model.

[cooper997]

Ray, As far as I'm aware the first race with Lex driving it was 4 November 1962 Sandown. The car having only arrived shortly before this meeting.

 

 

Stephen

[Tom Glowacki]

What model is this one?

 

It raced here in early '63, that would usually mean it was a '62 model.

It is a 1963 Ford.  Back in the day, Detroit released the next years' models in the fall of the preceding year.  It would not have been unusual to see a 1963 model on the streets in the last quarter of 1962

[TerryS]

I saw “Stormin” Norm race the Len Lukey owned red Galaxie at Sandown, many years ago. Norm had retired the Impala and Lukey offered his car. Wasn’t a shiny red but it did have 406 in chrome on either front mudguard.
Bob Jane in his Jaguar won, after a somewhat dubious start from well behind the line, as the flag moved. Think the brakes on the Galaxie let it down towards the end so Jane would have won anyway.

Years later, at work, a guy named Bruce ?? said he owned the Galaxie. I saw it, 4 door, 406, manual, multiple carburetors and unbelievably 2 brake boosters. He lost his licence, 110 in a 60 zone and the car disappeared.

I believe the Galaxie is in the Bowden collection, and painted Red

[Ray Bell]

November, 1962 sounds like it might be right...

 

Which means it would have been one of the first cars off the line of that model year, usually the release is towards the end of August.

 

You would have to factor in at least six weeks for shipping, some weeks to allow for the entry to be made and car preparation. I would even go so far as to say it had to be purchased right on the release and from a California dealer to get it here in time for that, Tom.

[Catalina Park]

The rules changed just in time for the Mustangs and Gawaine Baillie's car to run...

The rules changed at the start of 1965.

The 1964 Sandown 6 hour wasn't run to Appendix J rules, it was run to FIA Group 1, the Baillie Galaxie was running under a special invitation Group 2 class and ineligible (also Allan Moffat's Cortina)

[ellrosso]

Shot of Lex at Longford in 1963. Coming up to Pub (Longford) corner.

 

[Ray Bell]

I didn't know Moffat's car was ineligible, Michael...

 

I was going to post something about the new rules (Improved Touring Cars) being the reason we only had the joy of the S4s for one year. Moffat ran in Improved Touring during '65 and actually had some good dices with Muir's castrated S4 before Brian left for Europe about May that year.

 

And Lindsay, that's a nice shot. Did Lex still race it after shunting the Cooper that year?

[Tom Glowacki]

November, 1962 sounds like it might be right...

 

Which means it would have been one of the first cars off the line of that model year, usually the release is towards the end of August.

 

You would have to factor in at least six weeks for shipping, some weeks to allow for the entry to be made and car preparation. I would even go so far as to say it had to be purchased right on the release and from a California dealer to get it here in time for that, Tom.

Ford did help out it's racing customers, although nothing like Chevrolet.  Maybe some connections were made and strings pulled.

[DJH]

Cracking shot from Longford , really shows how big those cars are .

[Ray Bell]

I certainly got that impression when Sir Gawaine passed me down Tannery Straight...

 

Between races,

[cooper997]

From malomay's dad, Peter O'May's wonderful photos. The Galaxie paddock bashing at the 1963 Longford.

 

Post 870, but all are worth another look.

https://forums.autos...pacific/page-18

 

 

Stephen

[Ray Bell]

They certainly are, Stephen...
 
TerryS has sent me a couple to post. The first is an ad for the car, which seems to be from the early seventies:

 

The mention of Holman & Moody seems to refer to it having been built by them originally, but it's possible they only supplied the replacement (427) engine.
 
The second is the race Beechey had with Max Volkers in a Cortina at Lowood. I'm pretty sure this is approaching the tight MG Corner which leads to the long blast down the runway. Beechey, I would say, is simply covering the corner as they brake here - a Brier Thomas photo.