1962 Ford Galaxie

The 1962 Ford Galaxie 406 brought newfound power to the company's muscle cars. Ford began 1962 without an engine over 400 cid, a serious deficiency against 409 Chevys, 413 Mopars, and 421 Pontiacs. The remedy came partway into the season with an enlargement of the 390-cid Ford to 406 cubic inches. Called the Thunderbird 406 High-Performance-V-8, but available only in the Galaxie, the new engine cost $380 and came with a heavy-duty suspension, fade-resistant drum brakes, high-capacity radiator, and 15-inch wheels instead of 14s. Breathing through a single Holley four-barrel, the 406 had 385 bhp at 5800 rpm and 440 lb-ft of torque at 3800. As the Super High-Performance Tri-Power, it put three Holley two-barrels under a lovely oval air cleaner and was rated at 405 bhp. Both versions had 11.4:1 compression and cast-in headers that led to low-restriction dual exhausts. Ford's Borg-Warner four-speed manual was mandatory on these cars from the factory... Or at least that's what Ford said and everyone thought. But this was 1962 and if you knew the right people at Ford, you could get just about anything you wanted. Hence, many 1 of 1 vehicles were created that were exceptions to the rule. The car you see here is one of those exceptions. This '62 Ford Galaxie 500XL has received a full, frame off restoration and includes a massive collection of receipts to show as well as a full photo documentation of the restoration! Listed as #445 in the 1962 Ford Galaxie Registry, this is a very special Galaxie as it may very well be one of a kind! The car was a Los Angeles Special Order (#710467) and was ordered with the 406 cubic inch Thunderbird High Performance V8 with a Cruise-O-Matic transmission, which was a VERY rare, if not the only combination ever built! This car is extremely documented and comes with all of the documents, including the ORIGINAL build sheet that the previous owner found in a door panel stating the rarity of this very special Galaxie! Finished in Corinthian White, the paint is in pristine condition with no notable imperfections of any kind. The body is solid, sound and looks great! There has not been an inch of this car that has been overlooked. The bumpers have been rechromed and look fantastic with no notable imperfections. This car looks just as great, if not even better, than the day it rolled off the line in Los Angeles, California! Inside, the car looks incredible and is nearly all new. The seats are finished in the correct Gold Star color with no notable signs of wear. The door panels match the seats and look great as well. Both the carpet & headliner are new and look fantastic. The dashboard looks great and houses the original gauges which work with no problems. The interior is just as pristine as the rest of the car. This Galaxie looks just as amazing on the inside as it does on the outside! Under the hood is really where this special Galaxie gets interesting. Between the engine bay walls, you will find the "G" code 406 cubic inch Thunderbird Super High Performance V8 with three 2-barrel carburetors mated to the Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission, which is an EXTREMELY rare combination, if not the ONLY combination made from the factory documented with the factory build sheet. This particular engine is capable of producing 405 horsepower. Included with the photo documentation are photos of the rebuild of the engine that shows all of the important numbers. The casting number on the block is C2AE 6015 J and the Heads have a casting number of C2AE 6090 C. The engine bay is just as nice as the rest of the car, with new paint and an exceptionally clean appearance. This Galaxie boasts the correct wheels and hubcaps, wrapped in new Firestone bias ply tires. Very rarely does one come across such an incredible find as this particular Galaxie that is one of a kind, even more seldom the chance to purchase one. Included in the purchase of the vehicle is the ORIGINAL build sheet, a photo album of the res