Hi all ... some really nice cars here.  Hat's off to all the folks who've bought, restored and helped keep these Galaxies (and more) on the road. 

I recently completed a frame-off restoration on a `66 Galaxie 7-Litre.  I had never restored a car before and it took several years.  It was a collaborative effort and most of the big work was done 2013-2017.  Over the last 1.5 years I've been tweaking, re-working, fixing and you-know-how-it-goes in order to get it right.  Pretty much done now.  

I've been taking it to high-end/concours shows while it's fresh as that won't last forever.  I didn't build this to be a trailer queen, it's meant to DRIVE. 

I also want to help drive awareness of these cars and their lineage.  In many ways, they are the result of Ford's commitment to NASCAR and racing in general (Total Performance Program).  Results include the 1963-1/2 Galaxie fastback, the race-proven 427 sideoiler, the collaboration with Carroll Shelby, the historic Ford GT 1-2-3 finishes at the 1966 LeMans (powered by what they called the "7-Litre" 427).... and the $50M in R&D to develop the underlying full-size platform introduced in 1965 featuring a perimeter frame with a wider track and torque boxes; 3-link coil spring rear suspension with Panhard rod; forged steel front spindles; and lateral front control arms with torsion bars for greater road deflection.  The front setup proved to be the NASCAR benchmark into the 1980s.

Here is a video of the car at the Quail Motorsports event which takes place 2 days before the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance during Monterey Car Week.  Love live all these old Galaxies!    



 

First of all, congrats on your car, those `61 Starliners are just terrific looking beauties.  Before sharing on the rear end, assume your car is a 352 or 390, but curious, is the close ratio a Borg Warner T-10 or Toploader? 

So here's my opinion.  For these heavy Galaxies, part of the answer to your question lies in finding the right starting line ratio (SLR).  As you may already know, SLR is calculated simply by multiplying the rear-end gear ratio by the first gear ratio.  It's also a good way to look at how the gearing will work on the car.  

Let's say a Galaxie has 3.50 rear gears and a 2.78-1 first gear.  To find the SLR, you multiply 3.50 x 2.78 which is 9.73-1.  While racing enthusiasts may also consider stroke and weight when finding the right SLR, generally the rule of thumb for cars in the 4000lb weight class like our Galaxie's is an SLR in the mid-8s or higher.  

The further below 8.00-1 the SLR, the more the car will feel like a dog off the line.  That's because it'll be "under-geared".  Now granted you're not going to be taking your car to the track, still you want to keep some balance between good launch characteristics and comfortable cruise speed.  

To have a good cruise speed, the motor is turning around 2,500 RPMs while the driving speed around 65-70mph.  

Whether your Starliner has a T-10 (2.36 1st gear) or Toploader (2.32), for a car that won't see the track and instead will be driven on the street and perhaps cruising on the highway too, a good choice would be 3.50 rear gears.  That way, your SLR would be around 8.25, giving you somewhat reasonable off-the-line launch feel and decent cruise speed too.  

If you'll be cruising more on the highway and that's more important to you, you could always go with 3.25 rear end. Your SLR will be around 7.65 and you'll have higher cruise, but the car will feel a bit more sluggish off the line.  Overall, the higher you go with the gears (i.e. 3.00, 2.80, etc), the worse the car

That and go to local car shows
to ask Ford guys for reputable shops.