1966 Ford Galaxie 500 - So you want to own an old car? 

You know, I don't get this entire "drum-brakes bad" jazz. Drum brakes are perfectly fine and served the public well for many decades. If you have a classic car that you use like a sane person, drum brakes will be fine. Yes, they will overheat if you descend a long mountain road while keeping them applied, but that is why transmissions have lower gears. Of course, back in the day you used to actually "drive" a car instead of simply aiming it. It may be hard for many to believe, but we managed to get where we needed to go without four wheel drive, without front wheel drive, without rack and pinion steering, without traction control etc. We had rear wheel drive cars and used snow tires. Again, we also knew how to use them. I am old and drove this same model car and many like it through some of the worst winter storms in history without posi-traction, without disc-brakes and without super-duper LED headlights. Imagine that!

I absolutely LOVE the 65 and 66 Galaxie's. One of the sharpest cars there ever was.

My first car was a '66 Galaxie, bought from my aunt (who owned it from new). Wimbledon White paint and a red interior with cloth seats. As was common in '66, my uncle had the brand-new seats covered in clear plastic seat covers, secured to the underside with hog rings. When I bought the car in '77, the first thing I did was remove those plastic covers, which by then had grown yellowed and ugly. I was very surprised when I went to drive the car a few hours later - the air was full of authentic "new car smell", which had been sealed inside that plastic for years. It only lasted a few days, but it was so obvious that several friends who rode it the car noticed it and asked about it. Wish I'd held onto that one.

My daily driver when I got out of the Marines was a 67 Galaxie convertible. 289 auto. Absolutely adore that car

After retiring this year i purchased a fully restored 65 Galaxie 500 LTD with factory AC and 4 wheel disc brakes. I love driving it and its so easy to work on. Gets many looks everywhere i go.

I'd love to get one of these. Specifically a 66, Beautiful car.

Folks had one .352 CI 4 barrel.Zoomin!Great cars.

You are the only honest person on youtube warning people about owning an older car

64 and 65-66 are two of my favorite body styles of the galaxies. I own a 64 500xl and my first vehicle was a 67 f250 4x4 which I still own.

A 1965 Galaxie 500 was my first car. I bought it for $150.00 with 100K miles on it (1978) and drove it to 300K with no problems. Sold it for what I paid for it.

i cant beleive how sharp that car is. my dad had 1966 ford galaxie

Great points. Brakes are very important, and should be inspected often. I owned a 1965 Mustang C code Fastback I bought in 1980, a few weeks after owning it my brakes lost all pressure as I was coming off the freeway, the flexible brake line going to the front brake rubbed against the front tire and caused it to leak, I nearly crashed the car. First thing I did was get a dual reservoir master cylinder, and front disk brakes from a 1970 Mustang Mach 1 that was being parted out. I also used stainless steel flex brake lines to the front and rear brakes to replace the rubber lines.

My high school friend had a '66 7 Litre Galaxie (428 4spd) in the mid 80s. Always loved that car.

My Father Second Car in 1967 when I was 10 yrs old. Thanks for the Memories.

excellent overview of owning an old car. love your ford!

To answer the title: more than anything in this world.

Have my fathers' 1966 Galaxie 500, sitting in the drive way for years now, here in the valley too. Dad promised it'd be back and running by my 16th birthday, way back when. I swear, that car will have its day in the sun again. Couldn't understand back when I was younger just how beautiful that car really is. Not like how I appreciate it now.

Owned a lime green 65 with the 289. First engine I ever rebuilt as a kid in high school. Couple of true stories... repaired the dead motor on the side of the road by riveting the distributor worm gear on with a 16 penny nail and hand timing it... and got rear ended by a Toyota doing 30 with zero damage due to the MASSIVE thick rear bumper. Loved that car. Enjoy.

Such a great looking car!

Words of wisdom. I've been through all this but with much drama, wish I had heard this prior! Thanks!

Going to drive mine every day.

I love my 64 galaxie. New inner outer upper lower shocks disk conversion. Rebuilt 289 and 3 speed cruise o matic. Deleted pivoting lower control arm. Rides like a dream

This is the car i have been looking for since my mom had it and wrecked it when i was 10 years old

great video! I just purchased a 66' Galaxie 500 2 door hardtop a few weeks ago. And I'm gonna watch your turn signal swap video next!

My parents had a 65 Galaxy 500 and a 352 ci engine. That was a great engine.

Excellent commentary, I agree with everything said. 65 Mustang in the garage because some of the cars I looked at were too long!

I sold my 1966 T-Bird this week. Q code 428 motor. It had a rebuilt 428m, trans and most everything else. It ran perfect and never gave me a moments problem since 2005. Ok, fuel pump and starter motor. It also had factory electronic ignition and disk brakes. Beautiful car.

My parents bought a new '66 Galaxie 500 Convertible. I loved that car

Beautiful & sounds wonderful- love that throaty rumble

He is exactly right about drawing attention I have a 1970 Challenger RT and strangers will come right up to you and ask about your car possibly even want pictures!! 😂 it’s pretty cool

I’ve got a 66, came across it by accident. It’s my first classic car and it definitely will be the last one I ever sell. I’ve got a 64 TBird and a 74 Duster and they aren’t as fun to drive as the Galaxie is.

Nice car! Back in 1969, my brother bought a 1966 Galaxie 2 door hardtop, it was tan on the outside with a beige interior. The car had a 289v8 auto and power steering. It was a very good car, also made good gas mileage. My first car was a1967 Galaxie 2 door hardtop, back in 1973. I did buy another a 67 Galaxie about 15 years ago. It is that lime gold green color. Not olive green. It is a 4 door sedan The reason a bought it was that it does have the 390v8, and only 25,000 miles on. Bought it from a retired minister from Sioux Falls SD. The car was bought new at Hall ford in Sioux city Iowa, Made at the Ford plant in St Paul MN.

First car was a 60 Sunliner, next was a 63 Galaxie, 390, 4 speed. Pop bought a 67 Galaxie 7 liter. After that run, it was the truck years.

I got a 67 Galaxie 500 with a 390 FE in my garage right now.

I like the 500 but prefer the Country Squire wagon. But, that just me. I grew up riding around in both as a youngster with many, many memories. So yeah, I started looking at both.

Great offering. When i was a kid of 9 years old in '66, a family of three moved in next door. Sure, the daughter who was my age was cute but what i loved most was the 'new' Galaxie 500, And yes, It was white. I've only seen two in the last 30 years,,, a red 7 litre that was intact but in need of a restoration, private party car lot, late '80s, a dk metallic red convertible, blk top and kleeen ! Grocery store parking lot, 10 or so years ago. That's it ! Congrats on the score.

this was my 1st car at 13 yrs old Gram gave it to me thinking it would never run again LOL a month and I was bombing around the pine grove and sandpits across the street

Loved this video. Real honest talk about classic car ownership. Got a 66 convertible myself. Love this car, working on making her safe for modern roads :)

Ive been driving since 94 my first car was a 56 VW bug, had a number of other 60s bugs after that. A 65 Chrysler AP6 Safari wagon, 64 mini cooper replica, 65 Galaxie all stock suspension and drivelines I loved them all but the compromises were many. I bought my last old vehichle and to this day my "Sunday" car a 1960 F100. Was stock suspension and brakes with a 302 windsor and AOD drove it for a number of years and then I did what I always wanted slam it on coil overs discs boxed chassis 4 link and all new driveline. It took decades and an amazing friend to make it happen I will keep it till the day I die.

Luv ,this video,, AMERICAN CARS,, from 1980s back, to Henry Ford,are the most beautiful motor vehicles on this planet,,.. character, and style.. undeniable.

Nice car, one of my older brothers has two Galaxies, both from 1965

I had a 66 red 2 door 352 4 Barrel ran the hell out of it. Had c6 tranney I had to Change myself was my Introduction into automotive work.

The Blue cold light on those cars were neat.

i'm a Galaxie fan! I owned a 1968 Galaxie 500 XL fastback with the GT package: 428, 4spd, hidden headlights. Still wish I'd never sold that car. Would love to find another 1968, which is the year I graduated from high school...

Excellent video with an honest appraisal of old car ownership. Agree about the polyurethane steering bushing. Transformed my old car. As to brakes, it is possible and not hugely expensive to upgrade brakes, drums to discs. In my hot climate, thermostatic fans are a popular improvement. Of course, how far do you go bringing the vehicle into the 21st. century? Surely, part of the appeal is the car's idiosyncrasies. Ford Galaxies are beautifully styled and would be so great to drive on a sunny Sunday morning.

My first car, 1966 Galaxie, 390, 4bbl, 2 door, great car. A 65 nearby was my parts car.

I have noticed the people that engage when I drive my 64 galaxie are usually people that have owned them, or their parents owned them when they were kids. Most people don't even know what it is. They draw a specific crowd, even at car shows. A while back I had driven mine to Lowe's to pick some stuff up real quick and some older guy pulled up next to me and said he bought one of those in 1976 for $75 and it was the cheapest car he's ever had, and that it hadn't seen an ounce of wax it's whole life until he bought it. That was a fun one, we were all laughing. That one you have sure looks good!

I had a white '66 Ford 7 Litre wagon for many years that I rescued from a FL scrap yard for $500 in 1987. Only the A/T was bad. Everything else was fine. I sold it in 2002 for $15,000 to a relative that still has it.

Love the 66 2dr hardtop model in particular, the concave back window glass was one year only. I had a 66 Galaxie 500 2dr hardtop red with a white top when i was young. It had a tired out 352 which i swapped out for a 390 hi po from a wrecked Fairlae GT. Had a lot of fun with that car! Would like to find another decent 66 Galaxie 2 dr for a 429 ThunderJet engine i have.

I love this Galaxy 66 with that 351engine clean . I missed my chance to own one with that 289 in it with a 3 speed on the column.

I had a 1965 Galaxie 500 with a 289 4bbl and automatic. And I had a 1966 with a 289 4bbl and a "three in the tree". They easily got 18 mpg around town and 20-22 mpg on the highway. Great cars.

2:40 I love this workshop with the train horn in the background ...

Really good advice on how old cars compare with modern. They do not make good daily drivers for that reason. Throw in lack of air bags too, Owning an old car is not near as glamorous as you think. They all look great but modern cars do everything better.

Old cars are great as long as you have good parts support....aftermarket !

I love these cars. Have been in one since coming into the world as my grandma had a 64 Convertible when I was born in 66. If I'm blessed with enough time and finances, I will be building a 65-66 driver. They are such good-looking vehicles

I love my 65 Ltd hardtop. My 2nd one over 10 years. Daily driver, n Still working on it 😏

This brings back a-lot of memories from when I was a kid. And my Dad had a 1965 and he sold her. Because of the oil embargo of 1973. And he bought a new Dodge Colt. Well one day. I was watching Wild World of Sports on ABC. And it was the East African Safari Rally in 1976 And I said Dad there is our car. And that is when I became I sports car-rallying fan. And in my sci-fi book. The main character has his great-grandfather's 10x. Which he bought in 1968 and made saved enough money. To buy spare parts. To keep her looking new. And running new. And the truck is passed to from Father to Son. As long as it is kept like new. And be used for work. Or camping. And the truck is still running in the year 2360. And if I get the money. I want to get the 1998 Evo 6 from Jackie Chan's Who am I. Thanks for the video. Keep her as new. So you can pass on the car to your sons or daughters or grandkids.

Thank you for watching this video and sharing your Galaxie memories. Please hit the Subscribe button.

Love the color and the wheels!

My father had a new 66 Galaxie 500 4 door sedan, black with red interior. Neighbour across the street then in the same year bought a new Ford Custom 2 door sedan in a rust/copper colour. My uncle in the states had a 65 LTD, 4 door hardtop in honey gold. Now I do know for a fact that the grill on your 66 Galaxie is not original to the car. It is from either an LTD or an XL, or perhaps it was a special package offered at the time. At least in Canada the Galaxie the grill didn’t have 4 turn signal/parking lights, they only had 2, one on each side. Now myself I missed out on a really sweet 66 Galaxie 500 as I was driving through western NY state about 30:years ago...600 bucks...still kicking my butt ‼️ Cheers🍻👍

Had a 66 2dr sedan, original 6/stick, converted it to 352/4 bbl, auto,, 65motor/trans,,,,,

A clean car runs better, thats true. A good wash makes it aerodynamically slick!

I love old cars. I wouldn't want to drive one though. I really wouldn't want to pay to feed one, and I'd really miss remote door locks, and that sort of thing. You don't think about things like that, but you really miss them when they're not there. Also, let's be honest. Cars manufactured before around 1980 were death traps. What today is considered a "fender bender" could have been a fatal crash back then. And these old cars broke down a lot....even when they were new. We forget how much trouble carburetors were.

Great content! Thanks for taking time time to put it together.

beautiful ride

Lovely car, nice presentation, subscribed.

I just bought a 67, unfortunately to restore it, the prices are insane for "original" parts. Several thousand. Even the dash was like 600. Gonna have to diy a whole lot of parts using standard items.

Excellent Video! Your Galaxie is Beautiful!

Whew that shit sickk 🥵

I wish could thumbs up this video twice

I have 66 galaxie 351w, 66 fairlane 390 4sp, it's nice to drive but other folks dont care it they bump their door into your classic or folks pull out in fro t of you. They dont realize 60 yr old style brake systems and steering not like their new cars. But can't beat rumbling at a light and taking off with older folk remember back when they was young

Always remember, YOU have to make it purr like a kitten. Not the other way around!

You didn't touch on it but: insurance. It's hard to get appropriate cover. Most agents work on depreciation, so it's worth nada. Alternatively specialists expect you to join a club or only drive it X times a year. Insurance at all for cars over 30 years of age is tricky full stop. But I speak of my own experience, outside the US, might be easier stateside. And like any rare or exotic car you have to drive them conservatively.

Got my first old classy a mustang 71, sold it when I left mexico, 1 year after i needed a other stang has I miss the v8 too much so got a 69 coupe v8 manual, daily driving it, and upgrade it bit by bit ;)

I drove a 65 Galaxie convertible in 1965 at the NY worlds fair, it was in all fairness on a conveyor belt and I was 7, I did own a 66 Galaxie, I like the 65 sharp lines a little better, did you know your firewall says Hi on it?

Don’t sweat the drum brakes on old cars too much. I’ve rolled with them for decades on my 65. Good enough for semi trucks good enough for me. I only put around town a few times a year anyway.

My first car was a 65 Ford. 352 automatic same body style. Two door post.Awesome car Though It was never called galaxy of Fairlane. Just 1965 Ford.

That’s an awesome car!!!!

A car from the 60's is perfectly at home on today's roads. If you have a ready supply of spare parts you can run a 60's car forever. However body panels is another thing. If your Galaxie gets hit good luck finding sheet metal. Mustangs are far easier to maintain.

Galaxie looks pretty cool!

Good video!!!

Some Galaxies are not old cars, upgraded engine transmission, then of course you need new diff, all round disc brakes, updated suspension etc etc, basically it’s just the shell.

Like a man cave on wheels 😂 I love it

I'm looking at one of these now, It's in very nice condition but mostly stock. It does have a 351 Windsor and disc brakes all around. I want to make it my spring-fall daily driver. I don't put on many miles, so I think it might be alright. I work from home, so it's usually just to the store etc and back.

Great car and great video.....Thumbs Up.

Nice vid done well ---- watched all the way through

Mine had an excellent heater.

That's a nice ride.!!!

My mom got one new 289 auto, not fast copper over black it was a nice car

I had a 1965 Ford Galaxy with a 390 V8, I lost it because of a broken frame rocksalt special in CT.

I’d LOVE to have THIS one!!

Like the one song if you can turn back time wow love to have a friend like you .so a can go for a ride with before I die I wanted a 71 road runner with 318 hemi . but I can only dream

I LIKE IT... IT HAS STYLE

Shine brigth like a diamond...

oh so thats where the band got its name lol

My first love is Chevy but really do love all the classics. Even a Vista Cruiser is awesome to me. The 66 Galaxie is just awesome. If money was not an object a 66 Galaxie with a coyote and a six speed would be incredible I think. Of course take care of that chassis first!

My Dad got a new one in 66 white 390 it would fly

NICE ONE

Yea I'd like to have it.

I love classics but they are just getting too expensive sadly