Restoration Blog: 1966 Ford Galaxie, Ultimate Edition - Jay Leno's Garage 

"Oh let the kid choose the engine. What difference does it make?" Jay's mom was a legend.

This car is the most Jay Leno-ish of all his cars. If he only had one car it should be this one.

My truck-driver granddaddy bought one for my grandmother. Four door hardtop, red with a white top, 428 V8. It would RUN. He was convinced the safest cars on the road had the largest engines. And I think she enjoyed motoring around in it, too. I rode with him on a trip after my grandmother died, back in the days when they checked your oil at the gas station. The gas jockey would raise the hood, and their eyes would bug out of their heads at the engine. Thinking back over it, they had lived through the depression. They deserved a fun car.

Your heart strings are always wrapped around the cars your family had as a kid. It's an emotional connection. These cars are the conduits of time in the same way a time machine works

I love the story " there's a hole in the muffler!" "It's a rocketship, it's a damn rocketship!" best story ever.

Best Jay Leno car story ever. Orders up a classic right under his Dad's nose. Excellent.

I love that Jay always gives credit to people who helped out on his projects with finding parts or certain details. Class act!

My uncle worked for NCR back in 66 and went to Detroit on a business trip. While there he went to the FORD plant walked in ordered a car while there he watched them build the car. Drove it right off the assembly line. Drove home and gave it to his mom. My cousin still has the car.

It's hard not to be struck both by Jay's sheer love of cars, and the unpretentious way he talks about them.

The part where he is talking about his Dad at the beginning is Hilarious. "It's a Rocketship!"

In the 70's my brother was RCMP highway patrol stationed out of Lethbridge, Alberta (Canada). He drove all the police interceptors and the one he took me in was a Ford Galaxy just like the one above with modified 460 and suspension. Coolest car I had ever been in - but most interesting was the shifter in the column. It was a four speed automatic that shifted itself through all four gears at exactly the right moment. When you stepped on it from first it went like a rocket and they said it was made to out run Porches. Canadian highways are hug, very long and smooth - and a great place to let it go. Of course being a cop helped. It was fast and quiet and very comfortable.

I paid a lot more attention to this episode than I did to the last movie I watched.

That dad story is just great. Really funny!

Lot of Jealous people out there. Jay deserves his toys, you guys think it's so easy to be a star. I bet there was a lot of hard work, sweat & tears to get there & good on him for what he has achieved. One day these cars will be gone & so will guys like Jay who has the passion & ability to restore them to a high quality. What we see here is saving history & I hope he has a lot more years of doing it. Don't give him a hard time because he has the means, go out & make you own millions if that's your want & live your dreams. I say good on you Jay & your doing a top Job. Thanks for sharing. Bill. Jimboomba, Queensland, Australia.

"Oh, let the boy pick the engine! What difference does it make?" I had to laugh!

I LOVE the beginning of the story at the dealer. 😂 Love Jay, always has a way to tell a story! Great intro!

Jay is such an iconic and genuine character, so glad we have him.

It's nice to know that somebody, somewhere, respects the individuality of a car and takes the time to develop it to its optimal configuration, using modern technology. Any rich guy can spring for a modern supercar and get noticed. Jay is the real deal, a car guy through and through who astutely invests in a staggering range of automobiles, each the best of its type. This guy is the godfather of motorheads everywhere - not just present-day but those to come. Once his garage becomes a museum, visitors will see more than the usual concours restorations. They'll see cars like this that represent the ultimate realization of whatever was their original mission - in this case a family hauler with NASCAR DNA.

My uncle, May he Rest In Peace, bought one of these beauties in ‘66. I was eleven years old and he came by to show the car to us. His was this same color, the same 7 liter motor, everything just as shown on the car in this video. I don’t recall if it had toque thrust wheels like this one, but it was gorgeous and very powerful. He drove it for a couple of years and gave it to my grandmother to replace her ‘64 Galaxy which by then was starting to wear down. My grandmother owned this lovely beast until her death in the early 70s at which time the car was sold. I loved that car and wanted it so badly. Seeing this one brings back fond memories. On that day in the summer of ‘66 when my uncle came to show the car, he allowed me to drive it. It was the first car I ever drove myself without an adult also helping maneuver/control the car. Cruising on a country road along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Southern Maryland where we had a summer cottage, behind the wheel and in complete control of this incredible fire breathing monster, was quite a thrill which the boy in me will never forget. Thanks Uncle Norty, you were the best!

Mum and us three boys used to stay at the lake through the summer while dad worked Monday to Friday in the city. Every Friday evening we would boat across the lake to pick Dad up for the weekend. One Friday evening late in the summer Dad calls Mum and asks us to be ready for supper in town as he has something to show us. We are waiting in the parking lot by the pier when around the corner comes a beautiful 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 LTD, Burgundy with a black hardtop, a 428, rumbling up to us, and Dad with a big grin behind the wheel ! Our family rode into town for pizza. I'll never forget that day. Never forget that car. The bucket seats with a console and a big chrome T-shifter. Sure wish we still had that car now after reading and seeing your story Jay ! Thank-you very much !

What a generous man is Mr Leno, to share his passion with us, the way he does. Love him like a brother.:

I was a highway cop in 1967. I had a 1967 Ford Custom 4 dr sedan police interceptor. It was a very special car. It had a prototype 428 4V V8 mated to a C6 trans and a 3.25 rear. power disc brakes, power steering. Ford was service testing what was to be offered in the Mustang Mach I in 1968 - the 428 Super Cobra Jet with ram-air. Quietly installed on Interceptors to test durability, strength, speed and reliability. The car was a rocket ship that buried the 140 mph speedometer faster than anything we had seen before, and was the first patrol car we ever clocked on radar at 155.6 mph. Very little is known about this engine. Mustang experts know all about the Mach I package and the 428 CJ and SCJ, and Galaxie freaks talk about the "7 Liter" package, but Noooobody knows about the 1967 police prototype 428's. When this engine proved its worth by inflicting itself on the criminal element coast to coast in the fall of 1966. When the 1967 Ford Custom hit the road with a badge and a 428 - it became the fastest 4 door sedan in the world. After millions of miles of testing, Ford released the engine to the public in the 1969 Mustang Mach One. Car & Driver reported "The 428 Mach One is the fastest straight line car we have ever tested." The 67 428 PI did not have solid lifters, as some have thought, and it was only mated to an automatic transmission in the police car. It was NOT available to the public at all. It put out over 425 horsepower on the dyno and ran on 103 octane back then. I left police work in 1976 and spent the next 40 years looking for one of these big sedans. Never found one. Never could even find a PHOTO of one. Last year I found a photo of one. the Eagle on the lower front fender is the giveaway. the fastest factory stock American sedan ever made has disappeared into the mists of time. I know there is one out there - perhaps in an old boarded-up garage somewhere in Arizona, squatting under the weight of dusty bric-a-brac....But I am old and tempis fugit - but it doesn'r fugit as fast as that magical old Ford.

I had 66 LTD w/352 white w/red interior. Loved that car! Let a "friend" drive it and put it into a ditch totally destroying the front suspension. I cried.

Mr. Leno is a man's man. I could listen to him talk about rocks.

I love the stories about your Dad. I had the pleasure of sitting next to him at one of your stand up shows in the late 80's at American University in DC. It was your birthday, and he showed up as a surprise. I'll never forget his reaction to your bit about him being afraid of the TV remote control. He took it like a trooper and laughed. Struck me as just a really nice guy.

That style of pillarless two-door Galaxie is one of the most beautiful cars ever built IMO. Not a bad angle on it.

In '67, my grandmother's neighbor 2 doors down owned a Galaxie 500(not the 7 Litre) The woman was headed somewhere for whatever, I didn't care. At 7 years old, I just thought it'd be a blast to ride in the thing! First and last ride in the 500 but I fell in love with it just the same!!!

My Dad's was a Spankin new 66, White.......He had a new 71 Roadrunner with 383 as well....Just lost him Oct 2nd...We were not speaking....Never argue with your loved ones,time may never be there to get back...Love You Dad,RIP...

Thank you for the story of your dad buying the car, good memories are priceless.

Man I am so glad that NBC paid Jay so well. Now we get to enjoy that$$ also! Great stuff Jay.

We had a 65 Custom 500 when I was 12. It had been a DPS ( highway patrol) Cruiser with the 428 P.I., we kept it 4 years. Man was it a mover. In 78 I built a 428 I got out of a 68 Mustang GT and put it in a 75 F150 It was a blast to drive. I ended up giving it to my oldest grandson after he graduated from Marine Recruit Training, San Diego With 1 condition, he can never sell or trade it outside the family, if no one else wanted it, I would buy it back. So far, he still owns it.

"Oh let the boy pick the engine...." One of the best Jay Leno's Garage ever.

"17's look kind of goofy on a vintage car" *_AMEN_*

over the last couple years, this is the third time ive watched this episode because I love the story so much! Thanks Jay!

The fella that provided the trick radiator might ring a few bells...Don Johnson, aka Don the Hawaiian...one of the original Dragster guys from the '60s and early '70s. Our neighbor and dear friend back on Old Malibu Road...miss ya dude. Jay, always a class act...after years of him being a fellow car/bike nut, always showing me his latest builds and acquisitions, I finally did the shop tour...mind blown! Most people probably can't imagine how comprehensive his operation actually is, and to a greater degree, what Jay does for the world of vintage/collector vehicles...it's like he adds just that extra bit of credibility to those of us that love old cars and motorcycles.

Hands down, this is my absolute favorite car in Jay's collection. I have always loved the 66 model year of all Fords but this one, the 7 Litre Galaxie, really stands out. Some day....

ha-ha!! Great story. " You checked glass pack only sir"

That is one handsome car Jay, one of the best looking in your garage.

J you’re living the dream that I always wanted to live but was never able to afford it no regrets I’ll live it through you I sure do enjoy what you do keep on keeping on man

I always loved the looks of the '66 Ford Galaxie, the design is a work of art. And to see this car restored with modern technology whilst maintaining the original look is just heaven. And what a fantastic restoration job it is; everything shines and looks like brand-spanking new. I actually think that of all the cars Jay has shown on this channel, this is my favorite. Ford should take this car in production again, exactly the way Jay has resto-modded this one. I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Great story about your dad getting the ticket!!! Thanks for sharing.

Have to say, out of most of your collection, this '66 Galaxie is DEFINITELY one of my favorites, and that's tough to say from a die hard Mopar guy like me.

I always loved that body style. Thanks Jay for resurrecting this 54 year old beauty.

Jay, that’s such a badass ride, I would love cruising in that beast!! Thanks for doing the extended video and thanks for giving all those people the credit they deserve for putting in all of the extra work to make that project happen, it really shows you have class! 🤘✌️😎

I miss my '66. Best year for the Galaxie, total sweetheart of a car.

When Jay is really really old (looking) if that ever happens, he'll still tell that same origins of his car love story & it will still be awesome. He's just such a darn likeable guy!

I’m watching this at 4:30 AM. I think I’m having a dream. I’ve told you before that I had a “Royal Bobcat” ‘66 Pontiac GTO. Well , after I returned from the Army in ‘75 I didn’t come straight back to California. I was up in Sun Valley, ID on Ski Patrol. Well I got back to CA in ‘77. To make a long story short. My neighbor had a ‘66 Fairlane that had the 352ci w/4 barrel. He gave it to me for a song. I loved that car. It changed my whole life and I became a lover of Ford’s. I have an ‘06 Mustang GT. That car you’re driving, it a “Dream” I’m 73 now, but all the things you do I take them to 💜. Thanks Jay.

Jay - I love your personal life stories about cars and this one is right at the top. You have an uncanny ability for making a story so wonderful to hear and relate to! Don't ever change. You mentioned a '64 Galaxy 4 dr. My Mom had a black with red interior, '64 500 XL, 2dr. pillarless fastback with a 352 4bl. Even my friends who were Chevy lovers admitted the 500 XL was a beautiful car. Thanks for being who you are Jay!

Jay remembers the salesman name that sold his Dad a car, now there's a car guy😀

Every good Muscle Car story always seems to end with a tree.

No one in his right mind would restore a ford Galaxie... Unless he/she was alive at that time. thank you! great job, Jay! ps. I didn't know that engine/drive package was available. BEAUTIFUL CAR!!!

Such a cool story Jay. Brings back memories. I was born in 63, and the first of my Dad's cars I can really remember was a 68 Galaxie 500 2-door fastback. It was Gold metallic with a brown vinyl top, I think parchment interior, and the 428 w/C6 automatic. I still remember the rumble as Mom dropped me off at school. :-) I nearly bought it back when I was 15, but ended up with a Mercury Comet instead.

Nothing like a little nostalgia from Jay's youth...!! Great build

I love this car! This is like the fourth time I've watched this.

Mid ‘60’s was such a terrific era for styling and going fast in a straight line, but this example of one of the very best looking sedans from that time. Now there’s wonderful handling and stopping and it REALLY goes fast in all situations, Jay and I are of one mind when it comes to what really comes to what a car should be. Thanks Jay, your videos are so entertaining and informative…

I have been in love with this car since I was a kid. My dad had one and would brag to me all the time about it. Simply beautiful.

I'm not a Ford guy, but this thing KILLS! SO badass! Love the Cragars, and the BeCool radiator, the whole thing is just the BEST of everything, which is why watching Jay is SO MUCH FUN!! SIMPLY the BEST!!

"I didn't wanna go with a scoop, I'm not 16".

Hello Jay I have watched this video over and over again. I love what you did with all the up grades to Brakes, Handling, Brute Power, Sound Dreading and more. Now this gorgeous Ford, is truly a one of a kind car. I hope you still take it out for a drive and to a show sometimes, I know it`s one of your favorites, it is high on my list of your many cool rides. I wish I could see it in person sometime. Take care Jay

That opening story is hilarious. I can just picture dads reaction of the way you described it. lol gotta love it.

One of your best videos Jay! If more people were like you today and had an appreciation for nostalgia, respect for history and love for family, we'd all be better for it! Blessings to you man!

Jay you live the fantasy life of every gearhead and car nut. I smile more with every episode.

Back in 1974 or so I bought a ‘66 Galaxie with the 289 V-8. That was enough for my 19-year old mind back then. It was a great car, the first and only Ford I ever loved. I joined the Army and allowed a buddy to drive it while I was away. He ended up getting in an accident with the car. I replaced it with a ‘67 Galaxie, which turned out to be the antithesis of everything I loved about my ‘66. I sold it, bought a big Buick convertible and have only owned GM products ever since.

My second Ford was a ‘66 yellow convertible black interior 390 4bbl. I smashed up my first on the ice knocking down a mailbox & hitting a tree. My life savings was totaled. My Grandfather helped me out. I changed it for a Hurst shifter & put in additional directional lights in the empty holes below the factory directionals. I remember the Blue dash light for a cold engine. Once the top got stuck in the down position & I had to remove part of the interior tracing the harness to a pinched wire under the rear seat. In the winter the horn would go off 2 or 3 AM getting me out of bed pulling the 2 wires off the horns. I had replaced a noisy throw out bearing only to have the clutch go bad a few weeks later. Love the wheels Jay, they remind me of Cragars which I put on my ‘69 Mustang fastback years later. It was a gorgeous car, got me from NJ to Miami Beach no problems & the ladies liked it too. Thank you for taking me back 50 years Jay, you’re like a time machine

Probably the best video he's put out, clearly a special car to him, I really like this side of Jay that the car brings out, hilarious and great.

This is without a doubt my favorite Jay Leno’s Garage video

Jay, I’m 70 yo and my father bought a 63 galaxy……because there was 9 of us and we needed a big car….it had a 289 ci . While I loved it, your galaxy I thought was the best looking galaxy ever, loved what you did and are doing…..would love to take it for a spin. Here in Australia, we never saw any 2 door jobs so love the pillar less coupe as well. Keep having fun, I’m envious. Cheers Terry

Best memories with my dad was with his 65 and a half Ford Galaxie 500. Thank you for sharing!

the most beautiful of all 60/70s ford ever

My first car crush was a 66 Ford LTD, 352, Black Vinyl roof, harvest gold/Green, black interior, power everything, and yeah Jay, I had fun with that front/back speaker knob...lol I loved that car. Just happened across one one ebay last night, but Dad is gone 10 years now, and I don't have the know how (he did) or the money. I lived it vicariously through this video. thanks.

Out of all the JL videos I've seen, Jay really looks the most comfortable in this.

Jay, it makes me smile knowing you are going back to they time you and your dad get the car and duplicating that.

Jay, this is one of the best videos you have made, I love this car, and even more with the awesome upgrades you have done to make the car handle and Stop. I would like to see a fresh video of this car , I am a huge Ford lover, Jay you nailed the restoration and mods. you have done to this cool car. Jay if you ever need help at the garage, I am your guy.

Hands down the best episode I've seen of this show. Dad story was hilarious.

That Galaxie is one of the most stunning cars in Jay's collection. It is a perfect blend of modernity and old tech, wrapped in beautiful burgundy red steel sheets.

Too many people overlooked this body style at the time as a true keeper. Very nice!

Jay, I've watched this video many many times. This car chick just loves this Galaxie!! You did it up just perfect. Thanks for all the great videos.

In Chile, the presidential car for official ceremonies is a 1966 Ford Galaxie 500/XL convertible.

This may be my favorite Garage story. Let the kid pick the engine! Priceless. I remember this car so well. My dad’s last car was a 1965 Ford Galaxie. So good to see this and hear the stories. Bravo

The color, the look and the story behind it all! This is definitely my favorite chapter in the series so far. I can imagine how much better Jays first Fairlane was scented immediately after the girls hoped in😎

Jay, your story at the dealership with your dad made me laugh so hard, tears were flowing.

"Let the boy pick the engine. What does it matter?" - Classic.

When I was a little kid, my dad went down to Duddie Ford on Rte. 9 (that might ring a bell fpr you, Jay) and bought a brand-new 1967 Galaxie 500 two-door with a 289 4-barrel. God, I loved that car.

Glad to see these classic Fords getting the respect they deserve. Keep 'em coming Jay!

Jay with his denim seems like a time traveller in this.

In high school I had a 7 Litre back in 1973 ,blue in color and great condition. kept it for 3 years and sold it still in decent condition for $75. kids i sold it to stripped it to make a hot rod pickup. always missed that car and now almost 50 years later i now have another one . all original, numbers matching survivor car. Had to pay a little more to get the second one !! Brings back good memories for my wife and I were dating in the first one. i was also lucky to have had two 1967 Galaxies 500 2 door hard tops. one had 289 other a 390. all of them were fun to own.

That is a BEAUTIFUL car from front to back, top to bottom, inside and out!!!

Of all the wonderful cars you have, this is the one I covet.

LOVE the longer video, many of us are living vicariously through you Jay, thanks brother!

Thank God for Jay Leno. My 65 Galaxie is getting many of these components.

You got one HELL of a personality Jay.. No wonder you do what you do as a person.. God Bless you and your family. Only in America.. I think they used the Galaxy a lot in Stock car racing..

Man, that car is straight! Nice work.

I'm 16 and I wouldn't want the scoop neither =)

Hey, Jay! Best vid yet! Grew up in Billerica. In Dallas, now. My Dad got a used '66 powder blue Galaxie 500 2dr. But, it only had the grocery getting 6 banger. And an am only radio that had some kind of reverb thing mounted under the dash. Eventually took it off and found it had one...one spring inside it. Anyway, that 66 took our family of 5 all the way to Disneyland < via a somewhat circuitous but direct route> from Boston and we added 2 cousins on the way back WITH a "Nimrod seventy" pop up camper being towed on the back, OUT and back!! THEN, it served us for at least another 10 years until it started getting into big repair bills. NO A/C!!! Boy, that was Sooooo fun when we were crossing the painted desert and petrified forest!!! ♨️🍳😖😬😎My mom ended up trading that awesome ford in for a used '74 pinto wagon.🙄💩 . I learned how to drive, and got my driver license in the '66. Lotsa memories. Love yer comment about the "family of four living space" in the trunk- Too true/so funny!! Keep sharing, we're still watching and luvin' it all, bro!!

I purchased a used low milage red Parnellie Jones (he drove it and owned the dealership in Torrance CA where I bought it) 66 7 liter Galaxy. Wow, that was one fast car for its day. Didn't handle well with the soft suspension but for $3,500 who cared. Great memories. Sold it when I started a family and needed something more practical. Thanks for this video. Brought back memories.

Tried the same thing back in 69 when I went to the Chevy dealer with my dad . In the showroom was a leftover 68 impala 427. Tried to get dad to buy it but when he looked at the sticker said if it's less than me ordering a car I'll buy it . Unfortunately it wasn't. I tried to get my dad to get all kinds of extras but only got him to get the 350 instead of the 327 and HD suspension that was only like $19.xtra. For $19 it came with Corvette rallies and a 12 bolt rear. I hated the looks of the 69 compared to the 68 but after 180k with the original engine/transmission still running good it was finally sold. To this day I can still remember that 68 2dr sky blue 427 ! Unfortunately mom wasn't there but rescued me a few times when I got in trouble. So mom was cool in her own way.

Working in Jay's Garage must be a mechanic's dream job....

My grandfather had a car like that and it's always been one of my favorite Automobiles of all time

My mom and I were on a long trip in her 1966 blue two door Galaxy from Colo to Texas on some endless strait highway when I was 7, nice spring day, felt like we were floating on a cloud, thought we were doing 70 mph, looked at the speed and she was doing 110mph lol. I mentioned it and she said "oh oops". All blue interior, Beautiful car!. Will never forget that day.

Best car story ever “we bought a rocket ship.” I hope your dad was able to see your car and the amazing memory he gave you