What's Wrong With This 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL? (The Lost DDG Revival Episode!) 

1) THE CAR HAS BEEN SOLD. 2) I actually like these cars. This is the second one I’ve almost bought myself. They’re cool. It’s not my fault they’re made by Ford. 3) Yeah, I’m a Mopar guy. Mopars (and Mopar people like me) are goofy too. I’ve made an entire RU-vid channel out of that fact. Did I really disrespect Ford any more than they deserve? Come on. Grow up. 4) At least ten people have told me that their timing chain jumped just like the one in this car - in all kinds of models, including classic Chrysler products. It’s a totally new one for me - but today, like every other day, is for learning. If it weren’t for those comments, I wouldn’t have known how frequent a problem this was in the day. That’s the real point of this interaction - we can all learn together. Let’s keep doing that.

That old beast is very worthy of a total restoration.

Cruise-O-Matic is a “dual range) 3 speed automatic. When the green dot is selected the trans will start in low and shift twice. When the white dot is selected the trans starts in second . This is useful for taking off on slippery surfaces like snow. Actually a very good reliable unit.

Another easy check is to pop the cap off the distributor ,put a wrench on the crank bolt and turn the crank back and forth to see how much slack there is. Then bring the engine to where #1 cylinder should fire and see how far off the rotor is from #1 on the cap.

Thank you for releasing this one! We’re EXHAUSTED from seeing your talent, natural mechanical ability and successful projects. All aboard the failboat!

Thank you for releasing this vlog , Jamie 🙏 Great diagnostic tips Hopefully , this car will find a good home 🏡 ( hint 😉 hint Jamie )

Great video. Glad you released it. If you are looking to re-home that Galaxie my wife might actually not give me too much grief for buying it. Our first car was a galaxie 500 and she reminds me all the time I never should have sold it.

Thanks for the Clutch shout out. I knew there was something else cool about you. I always tell people they're the best rock and roll band they aren't listening to. Always enjoy your content and usually learn something. Thanks again

My dad had one of these. Wasn't an XL and it had a 352 2 barrel. Pretty fast and smooth. It was a nice car.

The Ford is cool. The Ford is broken. The Ford is a Ford. The dog is lonely. The birds are cute. That about covers it. I look forward to your next video. BTW, Happy New Year.

Very common issue to come into the shop back in the day. You could hear no compression on any cylinder on the first crank. next I would pop the set the timing mark @ TDC, pop the distributor cap and the rotor alignment with #1 or #6 tower. You could tell right away the timing chain jumped if the phasing was off.

Happy New Year DDG. Ferd videos are a good test for how much I like a channel. Will I watch? Yes, if it's you, Derek, or Puddin. Lot's of chuckles in the commentary lol.

XL stands for xtra lively. I've got 3 of them here😁 galaxies are my thing. I have a 63 500xl i got at 13 years old. Learned many things bringing that old girl back to usefulness. Fe's used nylon cam gears originally.

Neat car, I like the sliding steering column and the 'cockpit-like seating. Hopefully that XL lands in the hands of some Ford people that can get it going again.

My grandfather was a Ford guy. He always got in-line 6's under the hood. When Ford 20:06 offered the Galaxy with the 406 engine, a neighbor got one. My Dad said it was like a rocket compared to grandpa's. He tried to find one but no one had them. That's how he wound up with his 68' Charger.

I had one of these! A friend of my dad's gave it to me when I was 14 years old for my first car but it was so rusty I didn't use it and ended up putting the 289 out of it in a 1959 ford pickup my dad had, I used it for work a couple years. The 64 galaxy 500 I had, had a swing away steering column like the T birds, I'm pretty sure it was really rare for a galaxy. My first car ended up being a 1970 dodge coronet!👍

You've come across some of the more interesting engine problems I've seen in recent videos. The Studebaker and the Galaxie both had issues I personally have not come across. I appreciate the way you work through those issues. Im pretty sure I'd get frustrated and bail on it much quicker than you did.

My first car was this. Shift on console, no eagle on the fenders, black interior with red body/black vinyl roof. Loved it .... and so did the ladies. Moonglow inst. lighting was really great at night. Didn't like the weight of the cruise-0- matic and the FE. Put a lot of stress on the front suspension. The intake manifold was half of the valve cover rail = an 80lbs boat anchor. Freeway gears and plenty of power made road trips a breeze. A magical car indeed. My grandfather in Port Orchard had a black '61 StarLiner that must've been designed by the same body team. That car is now in a Tacoma Museum.

I worked on a 360 years ago. It had a terrible oil leak from the front. The chain was so bad it wore a hole in the chain cover. I saw a 318 swallow a valve because of a chain. On GM, chains were a time change item at 70,000 miles. We used to replace with steel gears. They used nylon because it was quiet. Fun video.

One of the prettiest fords ever made! Gotta love early to mid 60’s Fords!

Wow.....what a change up....good content and thanks

That's a sweet old Ford. The 64 T-bird I have will allow the steering column to move sideways freely when ever it's in park. The trans has three gears. Starting in the bigger, green dot position allows it to work normally but putting it in the small dot (normal?) position makes it start in 2nd. The only time I've found that useful was when driving in snow. Otherwise, it just makes it drive like a slug. FWIW, worn timing chains tend to slip or break (the latter isn't your case) when the engine is shut off. So it's totally possible for it to run one day and not the next. It's hard to believe that slipping a tooth or two would kill ALL compression though..

I'm betting they started the car, revved it up, and the chain let go. That's to be expected on an engine with 150,000 miles. The Ford FE engine family is one of the most durable V8 engines ever built by anyone.

I used to own a 66 mustang with a 289 4 speed. It was pretty cool. It was my daily driver from about from 1990 to 1994. That's the extent of my Ford experience. Somebody out there wants that car I'm sure. Too bad you couldn't get it running.

Love the car! It’s beautiful and I can say I would be proud to own it, I can honestly say that I would feel the same if it was a Plymouth satellite or even a Studebaker! Back in the day all the cars had curves and lines you don’t really see today not to mention the attention to detail. Some folks will never know how it feels to ride in vintage cars but I do. The same can be said for a vintage bicycle. Forgive me I’m old. Lol love your work! You are in Oregon aren’t you? I live on the coast! We have some good old cars on Facebook marketplace down here.

Never been much of a Ford guy, despite owning several over the years - I must admit this old F150 4x4 I bought a few years back has been the most reliable truck I’ve ever owned, a ‘93 shortbox flareside with a 300 I6 and a 5 spd manual, the thing will literally chew through anything it is my winter rig

Very nice car worth restoring, Wish I had the money to buy. it.

My family never had any luck with fords, something major was always broken on them. I decided to get rid of my ‘94 ranger( also my first car) after the transmission refused to shift into any gear and I was late for work. I love my ‘08 monster mile ram and everyone else in The family love their Jeeps. My aunt (who only owns mopars) said “you guys should’ve had mopars the entire time!”

I was thinking the other day when I saw where someone referred to the GTO as the first muscle car. They came out in 63. The super stocks came out in 62, and they were more muscle and predated the GTO. 🤔

That was pretty cool, I seem to remember a couple 390's with timing gears that self- distructed (67 and 68 mustangs) Good video!

Cool find! I'd love to find one in decent condition for a fair price. I'd paint it turquoise with a black interior. What do they want for it and where is it located?

Old timer I worked with years ago had a well used 65 ford pickup…trying to convince me these were the most reliable trucks in the world he says “ best thing about these old Fords is you don’t need to change oil anymore-lose a little to burning a little to leaking and you just top them off” it was 30 years old at the time and had 285k on it so …😅

XL was mostly an interior option. You got front bucket seats, Thunderbird style rear seats, center console with shifter unless you had the Sing-Away steering wheel option then no console shifter, and interior door illumination. There are some XL specific exterior pieces including different hub caps. Would be a nice project car for someone.

I like that body style. We(my friends and I when I was young) used to run around in one with a 390. It was a really good ride and dependable as Hell!! Ford starters are always a problem on Fords through the '80s. I had a '67 BelAir station wagon that my ex tried to rev high as Hell before dumping it into reverse. 3 teeth sheared of the cam gear(original nylon type). Needless to say, that was fun fixing up. Timing chains and gears can jump at any time with the old original timing sets. So no surprise it was that and I wondered why you didn't check for tdc sooner(like a couple months ago/)

From the golden age of NASCAR.

I love those cars the 1963 and a half is my favorite

That's a really cool car! I'd love to own it

Not a Ford fan but I do I like several of the early Ford's

Sweet ride ! 🍕🍺⛽️

Jamie had my mates 318 do exactly the same thing drove into the carpark and it wouldn’t start after that, turned out to be the nylon cam gear the chain just pulled off when I pulled it apart

Fascinating. Halfway through the video, I was thinking someone swapped the spark plug wires around to be funny. I figured you'd have caught it immediately though. Then I thought maybe the distributor got pulled and put back 180 out or something. Then I thought stuck valves, but all of them? Nah. Never thought timing chain.

My Dad was a Ford guy so that's where I started learning,picked Mopar for myself tho love some old Fords.Dad also had a 55 2dr Desoto Hemi in the 70s.My brother put the wrong plugs in it and beat the pistons out,didn't have the sense to stop trying to crank it after it hammered the first time,I was just a kid but even I knew it was toast.He had one of the transition Torinos that wasn't a fastback or really a Torino other than badges,it was a Galaxy 500.70 and a1/2 I think.My Ford knowledge is hit and miss.

Strange, never seen a swing away in a 64 XL or the console shift delete, and I've owned 12 of these Galaxies. I still have a 427 side oiler to put back in a Galaxy. Are you gonna hold on to this one

You don't have to change the flex plate when changing to a small high torque starter. I have a 64 Galaxie 390. It had the 50 pound old style starter. I just bolted on a Jegs high torque starter and have had no issues with that.

Pretty cool car , the dog doesn't like being alone .

Happy new year

That looks identical to the one my grandma bought brand new. She traded it in on a new Torino GT in 1970!

From a loooong time Ford guy, No harm, No foul about you picking on Ford. That's what we do, right? I've always thought the way Mopar did things was "weird". I firmly believe the reason the 1"x 3/8 drive extension was invented was for working under the hood of Chrysler products. Short socket=nope, too short. Deep socket=nope, too long, something in the way. And then there's that spare ballast resistor in the glovebox...lol. But, in reality, we're all "Car" guys, right?. I love and appreciate all of that old iron, and it seems like you do too. I'm a sucker for an early Challenger in Plum Crazy! When I started driving in 1977 people were practically giving away those big block 60s Galaxie XLs and T-Birds. They were $2-500 all day long in nice condition. They were just too darn old and thirsty for that expensive $.70/ gallon gas, and I bought and sold a bunch of them over the years. My favorite is the 66 Galaxie XL or XL 7 Litre. That 64 is a nice car. The Galaxie XL was the Sport model, like an Impala SS. Usually 2 door hardtop, bucket seats, console shift, etc. The console and column shift is strange on your car, but that was the only way to get the swing away steering column on an XL. I've always thought it was a gimmicky option, lol. Pardon my "old guy" Ford rambling. It's 20 degrees and windy as hell, so I can't go out to the shop and work on my 78 El Camino. 👍

I love that car that’s one of the only Fords I would drive!

My dad had a 64 Galaxie 500 XL 390 4 speed during the 70s.

I had a 64 XL 390 possi in 1976. It cost a tank of gas to drive from Greenlake to Monroe auto swap meet. And a tank to go back. Gas was .72 cents a gallon.. 😮

I like these cars , especially the XL. I know someone who bought one these brand new. Black with red interior 352 auto. 👍

i am interested in the 64 ford lmk where its located .

My dad bought a 64 galaxie 500XL in 1999 for a project and it had that same POS radio in it from the 80's. After about 19 years of it sitting in the garage and life getting in the way more times than I care to admit we finally got it pretty much all done to the point where we could drive the thing. That car was a total pain in the ass. I don't know if someone placed a curse on it at one point or another, but I never had or seen so much trouble with new parts and getting stuff to work right on a car ever. So, what do I do? I went out and bought a 64 4 door sedan LOL that one went together a lot better. The sliding column is pretty unusual in one of these and that solid plate on the center console without any shifter cutout is very expensive. The 4 door is the best driving car I've ever had. My grandparents had a 63 galaxie 4 door 352 auto and a 64 country sedan 289 3 speed overdrive. My uncle took the country sedan to college in eastern WA in about 1972 or so. The battery went dead on him in the middle of winter, and he got someone to help him either push start or tow start it and when he let the clutch out the timing chain jumped time and that was the end of that 289. Pretty sure it was well over 100,000 miles by then. They had those cars for a long time and drove the shit out of both of them.

Yup they will jump time usually just like that. At the gas pump or some other equally inconvenient place. My first experience with it was my dads 73 B300 with a 360. This happened in about 76, with about 50k miles on it. Why did the plastic gear disintegrate that soon? Who knows? Murphy, probably. Point type ignition would pop back if the points weren't just right. Add a bunch of miles and years, and a bit of a kick back on one cylinder and it can jump time even if it doesn't have a plastic cam gear.

that Galaxie is gorgeous

I've had this happen before, on a Ford. 1970 Ford Mustang Grande, it was a customer's car. Timing chain jumped while the car was in the shop for unrelated reasons. All the sudden no start. Fun times. And of course one of the water pump bolts broke during tear-down, because, Ford.

*watches Dodge-less video, hears you say "Fords are weird", unsubscribes* 😆 Nice video. As a Ford lover, I liked it. I'd love to find an old Galaxie or something like it. Sadly, I'll probably find 50 of these around here for half the price of 1 classic Mopar.

It’s never good when there’s a tube of clear silicone caulk in the back seat 😂

If you miss 100% of the shots means you were trying the hardest....maybe? Lol. I love your "and remembers"

Stop worrying about what other people will say and follow your muse. Its fun watching you dig into old fords and Studebakers, and what ever else strikes you.

Spacegrass… nice 🤘🏼

I know a lot about those 1963-64 Galaxies. 500 was upscale trim 352 V8. XL is the top of the line, 390 engine. You could also get a 289. A 6 cylinder and a race ready 406vtri power.

Always entertaining and always educational. FYI, the Galaxie's center console will fit a 6 pack of beverages and some ice.

Well then! Owner of a '64 Galaxie 500 2-door hardtop name of Paco, The Lowrider of Goodwill, and thanks to your interspecies foray you get a damn subscription.

What tool did u use there for the electrical stuff and the starter?

I always wanted one like that.

Drove a 70 Nova into my driveway to put a clutch in it. Shut it off ,put clutch in, no start,nylon gear disintegrated,bent every valve. 350 ci. Same happened with a 318. Yup,seen it happen.

The only reason I have any interest in this car is because it is very similar to the car my dad had back in "The Sixties". I was just a little kid, but I remember it quite well. It wasn't an "XL", but it was a Galaxie 500, and it had a 390 but with a much better and more fun 4 on the floor. Bench seat, red interior. The exterior had the same white top, and the lower body was about the same red as your 68 Charger. It was a nice looking car, but that 390 could be embarrassed quite easily by a 383 Fury of the same era. Even my dad admitted that. Dad had a much cooler car before that, but a little before my time - a 57 Fury with the dual quad 318. Now there is a car I'd love to get ahold of, but not many of those around. Anyway, this was a good lesson on timing chain diagnosis. I still think a 440 Mopar would be a great swap.

I have had 3 cars jump time. All 3 jumped under the same conditions. Low speed, light throttle and then suddenly slamming the brakes to avoid an idiot. All 3 continued running but idled extremely low and almost no power. All of them were early 70's 318,s.

My cousin has 64 . It needs work also. It is XL model has console w the column shift. I thought that to be unusual as well.

I was with timing chain when I saw the comp gauge. So I do know Ford 390 and 352s and 360s because they were common farm trucks and the fact I was the 7up fleet mechanic in 79. Most times they ran and were parked then when they try to restart they would backfire and blow the chains. Yes nylon gears where used. I have seen them blowen to bits several times. But like you said it's a Ford. On a lighter note I sent Tom money through the cosmos so when it lands I own a 67 rat coronet. Just make sure it runs for me son.

This Ford needs to be fixed properly nice car.And that’s from a MOPAR boy . 👍🏻🇦🇺.

Cool barge.🖖

Restomod it. Man it's worth it. Did a 62 Impala SS. Ready for a 69 Buick Riviera.

Pop off cap and rotate the engine backwards and watch the rotor to see how far it takes before the rotor starts moving, to see how much play is in the timing chain

Dodge Swinger. 1973. Galaxy 500. Can’t win every time. Still a great video, my friend. Even if it’s a Ford. ;)

Luke at Thunderheader 289 is genuinely a Ford aficionado.

If you replace the chain clean the small pieces of nylon from the top gear out of the oil pan and while you are down there replace the oil pump. The very small pieces of nylon will get past the pickup screen and are notorious for wiping out the oil pump a few miles after the new gears and chain are installed.

Dang, I always miss the boat! I would have bought that in a heartbeat but I just came across your channel. Can you disclose what it sold for so I can be more disappointed

Thanks for the Video Jamie, sorry you don’t car for fords 😮Hahha. Would be a nice driver. Are the people going to sell it.

I like the car, what do they want for it?

Yup, the FE's definitely have a nylon toothed cam gear. That dinosaur in the shop sounds like it smokes 2 packs a day.

I wish it was mine!

I have several Ford repair stories. Shocking I know! One involves a friend of mine tricking me into stealing a Maverick to remove the front clip for his Maverick, that he crashed into a flower pot while under the influence of uncontrolled substances. The concrete flower pot was bigger than his car. His father was a cop and highly suspicious. Thankfully the statute of limitations has expired, because I am too handsome for jail!

How much are they asking for the galaxy I would be interested in buying it please let me know

That car looks like it would clean up good. Console without floor shift that's strange.

Some ways to look at this issue: Find tdc with the finger in the number one spark plug hole pushing air out to confirm you are on the compression stroke. When I jumped timing, the spark timing was also retarded and it ran poorly after I advanced the spark timing by rotating the distributor. Which got it running but did nothing about the cam timing. It jumped a second gear and then it was back firing and would not start at all. A slipped outer wheel on the damper will ruin a lot of measurements. You can turn the crank from the front and look at the distributor to see how much slack is in the chain by seeing how far the engine had to turn back and forth to move the rotor. On cars with distributors in the front you may be able to see the chain through the the hole where the distributor goes after you pull it out.

I’d like to see a video showing how to adjust the slop out of a steering box. (Mopar of course)

Have they put a price on the. Galaxy to sell??

..." T-minus whenever it feels right"....

This car is so close to a runner. I was clean her up and daily that sweet beast. Put me in touch with the owners if they want to sell.

So price on galaxie? And location?

Turns out the swingaway steering was a 50 dollar option at the time. Also, when in park it should swing away. But in neutral or drive it should stay put. Also over 500, 000 galaxie 500XLs were made that year. So finding parts should be easier than dodge parts in that sense.

I have nothing but trouble with Ford and similar AMC starters, too.

I'd love to buy that car, I even have a 428 with a c6 sitting in my shed (30 years) waiting on just such a car. The only snag is I live in Ireland and my marriage won't stand me importing another car from the USA 😢. It'll be a nice project for someone.

You working on a Ford is still acceptable because the Dodge Brothers started out working for Henry Ford. The 500XL was the high performance version of the Galaxie and could be ordered with the 352, High performance 352, 390, High performance 390, 406, or even the 427. They were big and heavy but were respectable performers. Theres a cool video here on RU-vid of a guy rally racing one of them in England against all those tiny European rally cars and storming the track. You can almost see the looks of outright TERROR on the actual cars as the behemoth comes barreling down on them like a pissed off rhinoceros because its 427 has the power to make it pull hard.

I don't think I have ever seen a Galaxie with the swing away column. At least you now know why it has the column shifter.

The next step is to pump transmission oil and do the compression test and vacuum pull. . Ggood luck.

i had a 500 4dr 390 same color in 1970 and ran for several years.