Don’t you hate it when nice classic cars are being abandoned on fields or in barns? I do too. But fortunately, some of them eventually get saved and get a bit more time on the road. This 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 was lucky enough to be revived after spending more than 30 years on a field.
Granted, this isn’t the best-looking second-generation Galaxie out there. Its body panels are covered in lots of surface rust, and I’m pretty sure I spotted a few holes as well. It’s also missing a few parts, including the rear bumper and some of the trim. But it’s a solid candidate for a restoration as most of the body and chassis seem to be in one piece.
On top of that, it also hides a cool surprise under the hood. The car was originally fitted with a 352-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) V8, but someone got it out to make room for a larger, 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) big block. And the cool thing about this swap is that Ford actually offered this FE-series mill in the Galaxie in 1964.
So is the V8 still running after more than 30 years without dinosaur juice flowing through its veins? Of course not! But YouTube’s “Sleeperdude,” the guy who saved the Galaxie from rotting away on the field, made sure the 390 FE comes back to life.
It took a lot of work, but the Galaxie eventually came out of the garage with a running V8. And not only does it take its first drive in more than 30 years, but it also has enough oomph left to do a massive burnout.
You can check it all out in the lengthy video below, but if you’re here to see rubber-burning, you can skip to the 57-minute mark.
As a quick reminder, Ford introduced the Galaxie in 1958 as a competitor to the Chevrolet Impala and Plymouth Belvedere. U.S. production lasted until 1974, but a Brazilian-made version was sold until 1983.
