Chuck Phillips loves the design of the 1964 Galaxie 500 fastback. This stunning red beauty, rebuilt from the ground up, is the fourth one he has owned and the first car he ever restored, adding some custom touches to spice things up a bit.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Phillips opted for a custom interior for the Galaxie, choosing the whitest white vinyl with pleated red inserts. Roger Maunz did the upholstery work, making the '91 Ford Escort bucket seats look right at home in the big Ford's interior.
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The engine and transmission were missing when Phillips bought the Galaxie in 2001. He took care of that problem when he found a correct 352 V-8 and had it rebuilt by Midwest Engines. The C-6 automatic transmission was brought up to snuff by Cottman Transmissions.
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A Flaming River tilt colum mounts an Forever Sharp billet steering wheel wrapped in white; the smaller wheel is possible, thanks to power steering added to the rack and pinion setup.
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The stainless steel trim needed simply to be cleaned and buffed to a high shine; the front fender trim got a fresh coating of white paint to help highlight the Galaxie 500 emblems.
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Phillips wanted to keep the lines of his Galaxie clean and simple, so he opted for a set of Rocket wheels that use a smooth center cap. They mount a set of Continental American Classic 225x75x15R medium-wide whitewalls.
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Little touches, like removing the Ford badging from the rear of the car, along with the Galaxie 500 emblem from the tail light panel, are in keeping with the owner's plan for clean simplicity.
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The rear seat is an original piece, but was recovered in the bright red and white vinyl used for the entire interior. Those are a couple of awards garnered by the Galaxie at recent shows.
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Phillips kept the original long armrests with stainless inserts, but designed all-new door panels accented with a bright red stripe.
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Phillips used white-faced Auto Meter gauges, slipping a perfect-sized tachometer in the left pod, a 120-mph speedo in the right. He removed the factory horizontal speedometer and crafted a 4-hole aluminum panel to hold the smaller accessory gauges.
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A super-sized aluminum aftermarket radiator and an electric fan were used to handle cooling issues during hot summer cruises and parades.
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The raked rear windshield gives a view of the custom-upholstered package tray, which continues the interior design theme in red and white.
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The horizontal '64 grille gives the car a bolder, wider look. Note the vanity plate the owner designed, which reads `Clas C.'
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Originally conceived as an aerodynamic aid for Ford's NASCAR race cars, the fastback roof was introduced in mid-year 1963 and was used on all full-sized two-door hardtops in 1964.
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Chuck Phillips logged more than four million miles behind the wheel of an 18-wheer during his 36-year driving career, a million of those miles in this Freightliner. Originally painted white, the truck wound up looking like this. `I'm kinda partial to red,' Phillips admits.
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Chuck Phillips / Courtesy Chuck Phillips
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