First Time Restoration 65 Galaxie 500 XL 2D Hardtop

Hey, I just purchased a 65 Galaxie 500 XL. Its got a factory 4 speed manual transmission, 390 eng, and the body is in pretty decent shape besides a little rust on the upper left fender. The previous owner had just recently replaced the front windsheild, and put new brakes, brakelines, and tires on it. My question is, where do i start the restoration process? I think i'm going to redo the exhaust, and headers, and eventually repaint, but its all pretty overwhelming since i've never done this before.

Also, i would also like to know what you guys think this car was worth, so i have an idea if i got ripped off or not. Any help is good help!

--Drew

Welcome to the forum. I have a '65 2 dr hardtop that I'm building a 390 for right now. There is good support from the restoration companies for reproduction parts for '65s and it gets better with time. Check out Dearborn Classics, Mac's Auto Parts, AutoKrafters to name a few.

In general you begin with mechanical restoration of the driveline, brakes, suspension, etc then move on to body and interior once you have the heavy mechanical part done.

Is the car going to stay on the road as you restore it? This matters because it effects the level of detail you are able to give to each job. Having it running by Monday becomes a real pain after a while. I did it for years and now I can finally pull the car apart and do it right.

The best advice I can give you is to have at least a rough plan and some goals before tearing into it and be realistic about budgeting the work. I generally make a detailed estimate of what the job will cost and then DOUBLE it to get a 'real' cost...it is ALWAYS more expensive and complicated than you think it will be.

Tell us more about the car, your level of experience and what kind of restoration you intend to do. There are a lot of knowledgable and nice people on this forum to help.

I agree with Jakengle . It seems you have a great base to start with, rounding up trim pieces are a pain so the more complete your is the better you are!
as mentioned make a plan an stick to it. nothing is worse then planing as you go along. Main thing is to have fun.Keep us poted
[addsig]

Welcome new member! Always nice to see another galaxie owner in our midst. If you have anything in particular you want to know about do a search here and you will find a lot of info covered. If you don't find it, there are plenty of helpful people here to help![img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_tup.gif[/img]

Deb

Welcome!...[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_tup.gif[/img]

Jan

Did i mention that the car had only 56,000 original miles on it? Isnt that just crazy? Anyways, i'll put some pictures of it up soon, so you guys can tell me what you think. I noticed that no one even touched my question about its value, is that a dicey question?

The car is going into the shop for the winter, so i'll have a good 6 months to work on it, before i licence it in the spring. I hope that gives me enough time to accomplish what i want.

Does that car have a center console being that it is an XL 4spd? If it does, please include pictures of that when you post them. How does the frame look, expecialy front and rear torque boxes?

Sounds nice but as Phalanx suggested check your frame thoughly before you do anything.

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On 2004-10-06 13:18, Galaxiefaraway wrote:
I noticed that no one even touched my question about its value, is that a dicey question?

The car is going into the shop for the winter, so i'll have a good 6 months to work on it, before i licence it in the spring. I hope that gives me enough time to accomplish what i want.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Maybe there jsut wasn't enough info sight unseen. Most people say they are worth what someone is willing to pay for it. You can go to www.nadaguide.com and they have a classic car area to give you a rough idea but don't think it includes the mileage aspect.

Deb

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2004-10-06 13:18, Galaxiefaraway wrote:
Did i mention that the car had only 56,000 original miles on it? Isnt that just crazy? Anyways, i'll put some pictures of it up soon, so you guys can tell me what you think. I noticed that no one even touched my question about its value, is that a dicey question?

The car is going into the shop for the winter, so i'll have a good 6 months to work on it, before i licence it in the spring. I hope that gives me enough time to accomplish what i want.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Value depends on the condition of the car. The fact that its an XL 4-speed makes it much more desirable, but ultimately it depends on what its worth to you.

I'm not proud to admit it, but I paid $2500 for my car (galaxie 500 2dr hardtop, 352ci auto, bench seat interior) because it was so 'clean, original and rust free'. I have since found that it had a new rear quarter in the past and the frame has been welded. I still think the car is cool, but I would not pay that much if I had it to do again.

I'm getting a quote on re-welding the frame today, so wish me luck...