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After 6 years of procrastinating about it, I finally wrote up something that can be added to this magazine edition. To start, I come from a Ford car family. In the 1960's and 1970's, our family and extended family had all sorts of Fords. When my aunt and uncles, cousins and grandparents would get together, the driveway and street just outside of the house was full of Fords. We all should have been paid by FOMOCO for advertising every time our extended family gathered!
My family had a 1965 Country Sedan station wagon in Ivy Green color with a Palomino color interior. It had a 289 V-8, automatic transmission, AM radio, power steering, power rear tailgate window and folding third row seats. I have 2 brothers and a sister. When my parents took us anywhere, my brother David and I would invariably sit in the very back of the wagon on the folding third row seats and watch the scenery and other cars go by. I can still vividly remember those times like it was yesterday, but that was over 50 years ago! Man, where does the time go? One of my uncles had a 1964 Ford Country Sedan station wagon in Wimbledon white color with a Palomino color interior. My favorite uncle had a 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 2-door hardtop in Vintage Burgundy color with a black color interior. I remember climbing up onto the rear seat package tray in that car. Now, I couldn't even get one leg up there! A third uncle had a 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 2-door hardtop in Sauterne Gold with gold color interior. My grandfather right across the street had a 1963 and 1/2 Ford Galaxie 500 2-door sport roof hardtop black in color and a black color interior. This car had only power steering, automatic transmission, AM radio, clock and 352-V8 as options. The car was a real beauty! It lasted well into the 1970's as did our family's 1965 Country Sedan station wagon. Fondly reminiscing, in my Kodachrome-like memory banks, these Ford cars left a soft spot in my heart for these now vintage cars to this very day, particularly for the very sporty Galaxies. All of which brings me to my old Ford. I have a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 2-door fastback, which is affectionately called Fergerson (aka Ferg), Ferg is Wimbledon White over Pagoda Green. The exterior of Ferg was originally all Wimbledon white in color with turquoise/dark turquoise color interior but all was changed in a past refresh of the car. My Galaxie is a very clean and slightly modified driver quality survivor car. I get many compliments on the color combination, especially from the ladies! They really dig that Pagoda Green color. Fergerson got his name from the many times as kids my brother David and I would play with our GI Joes. It was the Americans versus the Germans! Fergerson was always the name of one of our American GI Joes. Such fun and imagination we Boomers had back then. My Galaxie is originally from Georgia, and I got it in August of 2017 after a few years of looking for a solid and clean-bodied Galaxie that needed some work but wasn't an overpriced rusted-out mechanical basket case. Well, I believe I succeeded. This Galaxie was found to be extremely clean with some small blemishes, blisters, and battle scars here and there. As noted, this car obviously had an exterior paint job and custom interior refresh back in the 80's or early 90's that has worn fairly well over the years. Unfortunately, exposure to the elements, time, wear and tear eventually took their toll. My car will need another refresh of the interior and exterior paint, but more on that later. My brother David Kocjancic, who has the 1964 Ford Custom 500 4-door sedan (Fred) featured in the last issue, works on it for me. This is particularly helpful to me since I had a kidney transplant late last year and now can't do many of the things I used to do and take for granted, particularly operating like a "bull in a China shop". David has straightened out all kinds of wiring gremlins, mechanical, and engine issues this car had when I first got it. My brother is a retired Master mechanic with uncanny mechanical, analytical and technical skills. Man-o-man, there isn't anything my brother can't do and do well. He is also a Master electrician and Master HVAC technician. David and I share a passion for these old Fords. I am very lucky to have such help from him. My brother and I get together once or twice a month to see what we can improve and then wrench on my car. We then get the Galaxie "in the wind" and cruise. We later kick back at my house for a couple of beers, snacks and chit-chat before my brother goes home. It's always a good time to be had for us old Ford gearheads! In between the wrenching sessions, I always try to cruise my car as much as I can in the warm months here in northeast Ohio, as the cold winter months mean no fun with the car in winter storage. This Galaxie has a Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission with a mild shift kit. It has a previously rebuilt and strong running 390-V8 with a 4-barrel Holley carburetor with a Holley phenolic spacer. Between wrapping the gas line, as it enters the engine bay, with heat resistant tape and other related tweaks, there is absolutely no issue with vapor lock at all. We added a PerTronix Ignitor III distributor and ignition module system for smooth trouble-free idling. The engine also has a resealed Edelbrock Performer intake manifold (due to a rather bothersome oil leak), a double roller timing chain, and a mild cam. This makes for slow, easy cruising or neck snapping acceleration when the time is right. My car also has power steering (which we added back on since it was original and was taken off in the past) and manual brakes. The steering is the usual loose and numb "steer with your pinky" power steering compared to today's cars. The manual brakes are improved with disc brakes in front with a dual reservoir master cylinder and a proportioning valve added. This makes for confident, straight-line braking with no brake-pull. Additional major improvements done over time since I got the car are: A complete OEM-like stainless steel dual exhaust system, new rear leaf springs, front springs, and hydraulic heavy-duty shocks all around. Stainless steel brake lines were installed as well. A rear sway-bar was installed last year. New tires and American Racing rims complete the look. A complete front end rebuild was done as well, including the installation of the revised offset shafts. No mushy wallowing here, as this car holds the road almost like a slot car. This makes for smooth and enjoyable boulevard cruising, which this Galaxie is so adept at. Upcoming improvements will be to put in the OEM-like Distinctive Industries/Pro Fit Interior two tone light turquois/dark turquois door cards, rear quarter cards, front and back seat covers, and new (just installed) turquois color ACC molded carpeting all of which I had already have. Later this year after my Galaxie is stored for the winter, I'll take just the front and rear seats and door/quarter cards to a local upholstery shop to properly fix any issues in the seats and install the new seat covers and door/quarter card material. Every man needs to know his limitations and call in the experts when necessary. LOL. Once the upholstery work is completed, I plan to get my renewed seats and door/quarter cards installed in the car late this year or early next year. After all the interior work is done, the final plan is for my car to be treated to a new same color combination paint job within the next year or two. At that time, I'll also replace the front windshield, as it currently has a very small crack in it. As some of you astute Ford Galaxie fans noticed, I don't have an upper radiator coolant expansion tank on it. I do already have one and new radiator hoses to go with it. I even have an OEM-like after-market fan shroud. The current set up you see also has a 6-blade fan which we put on and cools the car very well, even on the hottest of days. If the current radiator springs a leak, it will be replaced with a top-quality OEM-like radiator and all those parts I said I have will definitely go on. Until then, "if it's not broken, don't try to fix it" is my mentality. Lastly, I also have a new gas tank and a stainless-steel gas line for future needs. The stainless gas line will go in at some point. The current OEM gas tank has an "Oops, I just backed over something really big" dent in it done by a previous owner. The tank is generally super-clean and rust-free inside and out with no leaks. As I indicated earlier, you learn over time to always fix/change what you have to, not what you'd just like to. Nothing is always just a simple R&R, as other interconnected things can break or snap in the process, ruining your wrenching day. So again, if it's not broken, don't try to fix it or you'll unnecessarily lay up your old ride. Availability to cruise your old Ford at a moment's notice is definitely what it's all about. Drive your old car, just don't treat it like a huge and expensive flowerpot. So, any time I can get my Galaxie "in the wind" and cruise to relive some of those fond Ford memories, I do it! In closing, as my brother and I say, "Peace, Love, and Classic Cars" to all! Darrin Kocjancic Rocky River, Ohio dkocjanc1@cox.net
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