1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie Skyliner & Factory Air Conditioning - My Car Story with Lou Costabile 

Hi Ron, High praise for the Designer & Engineers of this car :-) My pleasure sharing this one with you, Lou

Hi James, Happy to read you have a fun car too :-) Great way to honor the memory of your Father, Lou

Happy to read you "Love these old cars" :-)

Thank you for viewing & sharing your knowledge & memories :-)

People were more conservative in those days. Spending 450.00 to add air conditioning to a 3000.00 car didn’t make sense to people. Having it on a convertible was REALLY rare. Tight fisted people would buy nice cars like Galaxies and Impalas with six cylinder engines and no radios. Some people would have Mickey Mouse (aftermarket) air conditioning added when the summer heat got overwhelming! Sears did a lot of installs!

@@craigjorgensen4637 I’d bet factory air in 1959 was closer to $700 than $400. In some cars, it could be 1/3 the price of the car! There is one of these cars for sale in my area that needs restoration but it would probably cost $75,000-$100,000 to restore it.

Factory Air was becoming more common in luxury cars - Cadillac, Lincoln, and Chrysler Imperial.

Gas tank was in middle to make room for top down in trunk.. simple as that

Hi Tom, Happy to read this car brings memories of your Uncles car, Lou

Hi Mirch Shake, Happy to read you enjoy this 50's Gem :-) Lou

@@loucostabile That's a switch for the backup lights that are out but that isn't a hard fix.

Hi Steve, Happy to read you enjoy these cars from the 1950's :-) My pleasure sharing with you, and you're welcome, Lou

I'd agree :-)

I can type into the RU-vid search bar the most rarest obscure car ever and ninety-nine times out of a hundred the first thing to pop up will be a Lou costabile video.

@@jiveturkey9993 100%

Hi Sniper Pro nerf mods, Happy to read you're enjoying the episodes :-) My pleasure sharing with you, Lou

The top level '59 Ford interiors were the best, IMO.

Hi TheGunfighter45acp, Happy to read you find this car "amazing" :-) My pleasure sharing with you, Lou

@@loucostabile Are the seat covers original and if not do you kn0w where they came from, I need some for my '59?

Hi Jeff, You're right, to get to work just right, those Engineers must have worked overtime :-) Lou

Hi David, Happy to share this "Gem" with you :-) Lou

Hi Ron, Thank you for viewing and sharing you enjoy the effort of the employees at the time. Appreciate the kind words on this video, Lou

Hi Dave, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Family's cars :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

Hi Newton, Happy to read you learned something seeing this video :-) I'm learning from the Care Taker al the time and I find that to be so much fun. Glad you're along for the ride, and you're welcome, Lou

Hi Bruce H., You're right, it is mesmerizing watching the top go down & up on this one :-) My pleasure sharing with you, and you're welcome, Lou

Hi Jeffrey, Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

Hi Rusty, Happy to read you enjoy this "American classic!" :-) My pleasure sharing with you, and you're welcome, Lou

Hi Alejandro, Happy to read you enjoy this "WONDERFUL ride" :-) My pleasure sharing with you, and you're welcome, Lou

Hi Brian SD, A fun time there for sure :-) You're welcome, Lou

Like a large boat :-)

Hi John, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

Hi blaser51, Happy to read this car brings back memories :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

Hi Robert, Happy to read you appreciate the looks of this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi Terri Bel Bliss, I agree, this one is ahead of it's time. Lou

Hi Ron, Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Lou

Hi Mike, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

Hi Steve, Happy to receive a "Wow" from you :-) I agree, it's so cool to watch the top come down on this car :-) My pleasure sharing with you, and you're welcome, Lou

Happy to read you "love it!" :-)

Hi Curtis, Happy to read this started your day in the right direction :-) You're welcome, Lou

H Bud Lee, :-) Lou

Hi Robert, Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

My pleasure sharing this car with you :-)

Hi Matt, Happy to read you appreciate the looks of this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi PlymouthDuster 225, Happy to read this one is like Grandpas :-) Sad to read it disappeared :-( Lou

Hi Glen, Happy to read you "Cream puff" is perfect :-) Lou

Hi SpockvsMcCoy, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge, Lou

Hi Kharkovkid, Happy to read you had a cool car too! As long as you enjoy the car, that is all that matters. Here is one more for you to enjoy, Lou ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kSaT2yChJd0.html

I agree.

Hi Greg from TX, Happy to read you think this one is "Awesome" :-) Hmmm, we'll have to check into that. Thank for sharing a tip, Lou

Thank you Andrew. Glad you're along for the ride.

Hi monty, Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this car :-) My pleasure sharing with you, and you're welcome, Lou

Nice to be able to do that :-)

Never boring at that time for sure!

Can't forget about the effect of WWII ending. Also your dollar bought more after WWII.

Hi Skip, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi Michael, Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this car. Also, thanks for the location of the fuel filler, I did not know that, Lou

That’s correct about the fuel filler on the side. The retractable hardtop of the Skyliner necessitated that. The soft top convertible, called the SUNliner and all the other non-convertibles had the fuel filler in the center of the back, just above the bumper.

Hi iswc27, Thanks for sharing, and yes, I hope you get to visit, I think you'll enjoy it! My pleasure sharing with you, and you're welcome, Lou

Hi Thomas, Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

High praise.

Hi Bobby, Happy to read you're enjoying the videos with me :-) Appreciate the kind words, and glad you're along for the ride, Lou

Hi Sd90 Mac, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Dads cars :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

It's factory. The add on ac's had a different look, also a plaque on the fenders said it's factory.

@@MisterMikeTexas Yes. That's what I meant to say. Many people mistakenly clump all cars with the under-dash style AC as "add-on AC".

Hi Joseph, Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this car :-) Hope you have the chance to stop by there in person, Lou

Happy to read you find this one is impressive :-)

Hi jewllake, Thank you for viewing and sharing your thoughts. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi wmalden, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Moms car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

Hi Danny Al, This one is a very nice cruiser, and yes I hope it gets driven too. My pleasure sharing with you, Lou

Hi Peter, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi Gabriel, Good point. Thank you for viewing & sharing, Lou

Hi R S, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi X K, Thank you for sharing your research :-) Very interesting, Lou

Hi zulumax1, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge, Lou

Actually, that was called a Cruise-O-Matic! The Ford-O-Matic only had PRNDL on the dashboard, since it only had 2 forward speeds. We had a ‘59 Galaxie 4-door sedan when I was a kid and it only had the Ford-O-Matic. The neighbors had a ‘59 Galaxie with the Cruise-O-Matic. Theirs was a 2-door hardtop (no B pillar) and was more richly optioned with power steering and brakes as well. Ours had “Armstrong” steering (not power) and my poor mom who was a little gal really had to wrestle with that big steering wheel.

@@OldRustySteele You are correct sir! I remember the words Cruise-o-Matic printed on the transparent gear indicator. I have no idea why I called it something else. My dad had a '59 Ford station wagon back in 1966, white with red interior, 390 V8. It started burning oil so he traded it on a 1965 station wagon, honey gold, with a 390 V8.

@@zulumax1 Hi Zulu, yeah, I vividly remember our ‘59 Galaxie. It was a color called “Geranium” which was a pinkish orange, like the flower it was named for. After my dad traded it in for a ‘67 Fairlane (which got handed down to me when I was a teen), the ‘59 Galaxie stayed in the family, as my uncle bought it from the small-town dealer my dad traded it in to!! Our Galaxie was lightly optioned. It had the 292 cid V8 and Fordomatic and AM Radio, but that was it. No power, no AC. Big car, easily seated 6!

Hi Richard, NICE :-) Lou

:-)

Hi Daniel, Happy to read you enjoy this car, and thanks for sharing the light needs fixing too, Lou

Hi Richard, Thank you for viewing and sharing your thoughts. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi T. S. Gilmer, High praise :-) Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi LoveIsAll, Thanks for the movie trivia tip. Happy to read you love these cool cars, and you're on the right RU-vid Channel for the cars you enjoy. Lou

Thank you acts2210 :-)

Hi David, Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this car. Would be nice down by the beach too :-) Lou

Happy to read you enjoy this one :-)

Hi Michael, Happy to read you appreciate this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi Danny, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

Happy to read you think this car is neat :-)

Hi Larry, You're right, this one has a long name & a lot of features :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

Hi Jonathan, "romantic ride" You nailed it! Lou

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Hi Michael, Happy to read you think this car is "Very nice" :-) Lou

@@loucostabile 😀

Hi Brady Dog, You're right, air conditioning was an expensive option. This was the actual unit, however it was a nice day so we did not turn it on, so I'm not sure if it works or not. My pleasure sharing this one with you, and you're welcome, Lou

The Thunderbird fold away convertibles had hydraulic rams but the Ford retractables used screw jacks.

Hi Bill, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi David, Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this car :-) Good news! I think you're on the right RU-vid Channel for you, Lou

Hi Frank, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Please remember to watch the commercials at the beginning of the video (or at least the ones you can), as that's how I get paid so I can keep sharing with you :-)

Hey Andrew, Happy to share this car with you :-) Lou

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Hi Robert, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge of the cars you had. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi James, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Nice :-)

Hi Andrew, Happy to read you enjoy the color of this car :-) Lou

Hi Gary, I'm not sure of the price, however in the text of this video is the website and it should be listed there. Lou

@@loucostabile Thanks Lou!

Hi gst69man, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Thanks for sharing. We'll have to take a look into that.

Thank you for sharing Paul.

Hi Michael, Happy to read your enjoying the video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Lou

Don't know what you are referring to?? The Skyliner began as a Fairlane 500, denoted on the quarter fins. Then in comes Galaxie and they were all labeled Galaxie on the quarter fin. You could only get a Skyliner in the Galaxie series now. The Fairlane 500 had to remain on the trunk lid since the first 0 was the cover for the key/lock. I think Ford was just too cheap to redesign a proper trunk lid that said Galaxie. You can also find plenty of Fairlane 500s with all the chrome on this one that says Fairlane 500 on the quarters and have a different roof treatment. Confusing isn't it? In the video, you will note when he shoots the right side of the instrument panel, the chrome says Fairlane 500 and a gold Galaxie metal piece is glued on below it on the door. A rather shoddy thought process on Fords part to compete with the Chevrolet Impala. However, Ford still outsold Chevrolet in this year and '57. Only times in the '50s and only once in the '60s. The Galaxie series was just that. No '500' in '59, '60 or '61, then the Fairlane 500 mid-size came out in 1962. That is when we got the Galaxie and the Galaxie 500 at the same time. They both had trouble putting the name together in the video but I see the name of the video is correct. The cloth top convertible would have been 'Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie Sunliner'.

Hi Tom, Thank you for sharing what you noticed. Lou

Well, we (my parents--I was 11) had a brand new '59 in '59, but it was almost the cheapest model, the Custom 300. That was the model that had the quarter panel decorations you referred to. As for the car in Lou's video, it seems the proportions of the '59 body worked better with the long rear deck of the retractables. The '57s had this vast expanse of slab sided sheet metal...

@@edgarcook9607 Yes, you are correct. In my comment I had forgotten the Custom 300 completely. They also had a plain Fairlane model (not the 500) that had the script Fairlane in that position of the quarter panel. I have only seen a couple. I don't think they made many. IIRC, they also had a plain Custom that had no badging at all, below the Custom 300.

Hi Iggy rockabilly, Thank you for sharing, Lou

Hi My Channel, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou

Hi 和義 菊岡, Happy to read you enjoy this "dream car" :-) Lou

頑張っても頑張っても、一生運転できない夢の車だね。車の屋根がトランクにすっぽり入るんだよ。車のデザインも気にってます。