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Buy with confidence!
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We ship world wide.
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1963 – The Super-Torque Fords
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Tasca Ford’s Go Getter 1963-
1/2 lightweight Galaxie owned
the Super Stock class in New
England. (Alan Wood)
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Dick Brannan received a second
1963-1/2 Galaxie. This car, No. 824,
was the backup to his national
record-holder. (Alan Wood)
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Nineteen-sixty-three began much as 1962 had ended – with the top engine offering from Ford
being the 405-hp 406. Also still available on the option list was the 385-hp version of the 406 and
the 330-hp Police Interceptor 390. The good news was that a new engine was in development and
due to be released by December of that year. Ford’s public relations department was still singing
the praises of the 406 as an ad released early in the year titled “Strictly from stock” showed Ford
high-performance answer man Ak Miller’s sports car, powered by a stock production 406 engine,
winning the coveted Pike’s Peak Hill Climb as onlookers sit in a new 1963 Galaxie.
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When equipped with the 330-hp
Police Interceptor 390 engine,
full-size Fords like this 1963
Galaxie fell into the D/Stock class.
Here they faced a tough challenge
from high-performance 289
Fairlanes. (Larry Davis)
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The new engine offering would be the culmination of all things learned to this point from racing. The
427-ci version of the FE would feature a bore size of 4.23 inches while it retained the 3.78-inch
stroke of the 406. The new engine’s number two, three, and four main-bearing caps would have
cross bolts that had been proven to increase the reliability of the late-production 406 blocks. New
pistons featured unique “bumpers” on the top of the piston designed to “bump” closed the “floating”
valves of an over-revved engine before catastrophic damage could occur.
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Dale Bargman was one of the
Ford Boys still winning with his
C/Stock 406 1963-1/2 Galaxie
later in the decade. (“Pete”
Garramone)
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The 427 would be available in two versions, as was the 406. The single 4-barrel-equipped model
was rated at 410 hp while the top-of-the-line unit would mount two Holley 4-barrel carburetors atop
an aluminum intake manifold and carry a rating of 425 ponies. This engine would come to be known
as the Low Riser. Also slated for release in time for the 1963 Daytona 500 NASCAR race would be
an all-new roof line for the Galaxie. Called the “sports roof,” the new top was a fastback design,
which vastly aided the aerodynamics of the big Ford.
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Honor Thy Father
In 1963 Walter Beasley was 19 years old and an employee of Mole Ford in Long Island, New York,
when he placed an order for a new Ford Galaxie equipped with the 425-hp 427 engine. Beasley
waited anxiously on the July day that his new car was delivered. When it came time to unload his
car from the carrier, young Walter was in a near panic when it wouldn’t start. Apparently the
bouncing ride on the car carrier had caused the floats in the car’s two 4-barrel carburetors to stick.
In very short order, the problem was corrected, the car prepped for delivery, and Beasley was
handed the keys. His first stop with the car would be the local speed shop, and by the end of the
day the Galaxie had been fitted with a 4.57:1 gear set. By Friday of the same week the big Ford
had claimed a trophy for an A/Stock class win at Islip Speedway. On Sunday, Beasley took his
second win at Hampton Dragway and embarked on a successful local drag-racing career that saw
him take class and Stock Eliminator honors quite regularly. So it was inevitable that Beasley and the
Ford he had named The Liveliest One would face off against local legend “George the Beard” and
his 409 Chevy. Present among the throng of fans on hand that fateful day was Beasley’s friend and
owner of his own 427 Ford, Willy Gerken. Gerken bore witness to the defeat of yet another
“invincible” 409 Chevy at the hands of a 427 Ford. Beasley’s victory over the Chevy was such a
local event that an artist did a rendition of the Ford crushing the hapless Chevy. This drawing was
proudly displayed in the rearquarter window of The Liveliest One in commemoration of the win.
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This cartoon was done in honor of
Walter Beasley defeating a local hot-
shoe named “George the Beard” in his
409 Chevy. The cartoon was displayed
in The Liveliest One’s window to
commemorate the victory. (Brian
Gerken)
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Eventually, Willy Gerken was forced to sell his Ford sans the engine, and ultimately the engine was
sold off as well. As fate would have it Beasley also sold The Liveliest One, and after blowing the car’
s engine the new owner came into possession of the engine that Willy Gerken had sold, which he
installed in the car. On learning that his engine was now powering the famous Galaxie, Willy
immediately bought the car from the second owner. Gerken drove the car on the street and raced it
regularly at New York National Speedway. His son Brian had fond memories of sleeping in the car’s
spacious interior as a youngster as it was being towed home from the races. In 1977 The Liveliest
One was retired and dismantled with just 18,992 miles showing on the odometer. After sitting for
over 30 years, Brian Gerken has undertaken a restoration of the car to its former glory as a tribute
to his dad and Walter Beasley.
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Al Joniec has much to smile
about in this photo. His
1963 lightweight Galaxie
was considered one of the
East Coast’s hottest Super
Stock cars. (Al Joniec)
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Previous | Next
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This has been a sample page from
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Total Performers: Ford Drag Racing
in the 1960s
by Charles Morris
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The 1960s was arguably the most important decade for
drag racing. It had exciting cars, thrilling races, and most
importantly, factory participation. Among the best high-
performance cars and engines were those coming from
Dearborn, Michigan. Ford Motor Company’s “Total
Performance Years” saw a breakthrough as drag racing
helped the younger, performance- and style- conscious
consumer to begin receiving some recognition.
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Factory participation in drag racing pushed the
envelope for high performance developments. Ford's
FE-series engine, Police Interceptor, GT 390, Single
Overhead Cam, Cobra Jet, and Boss 429 are all
covered in detail. See the cars and the drivers that
made them famous – Dick Brannan’s Goldfinger, Bill
Lawton’s Mystery Mustang, “Dyno Don” Nicholson’s
Eliminator Comet, Gas Ronda’s stretched Mustang, Al
Joenic’s Batcar, and more.
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Click here to view sample pages from
each chapter.
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Chap. 1 - 1960 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 2 - 1961 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 3 - 1962 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 4 - 1963 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 5 - 1964 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 6 - 1965 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 7 - 1966 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 8 - 1967 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 9 - 1968 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 10 - 1969 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 11 - 1970 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap 12 - Ford of Canada Drag Racing
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Accomplished journalist and life-long Ford aficionado
Charles Morris takes you back to the Total
Performance Years through first-hand accounts as well
as over 400 rare photographs. A drag racer since
1966, Morris has run cars in both Stock and Super
Stock classes. He is currently the owner of the original
Norristown Ford 1963 _ lightweight Galaxie and races
the car in Nostalgia Super Stock as part of the 422
Motorsports Drag Racing Team. This book is a must
read for all drag racing fans, not just Ford enthusiasts.
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Hardbound
10 x 10"
192 pages
130 color & 290 b/w photos
Item # CT407
Price: $Discontinued
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Click here to buy now!
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This is a great book any Ford
enthusiast will love!
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Other items you might be interested in
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Gasser Wars: Drag Racing's Street Classes: 1955 to 1968
Author Larry Davis combined his own image archive with many rare,
never-published images from racers, fans, and track photographers all
over the country. He also did extensive research and interviews with
former drag racers. The result is a comprehensive, entertaining, and
nostalgic look at drag racing history.
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Price:
$22.95
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Factory Lightweights: Detroit's Drag Racing Specials of the '60s
Among racers it has never been a secret that a lighter car is a faster
car—particularly in drag racing. When Detroit’s automakers got
involved in organized drag racing, they paid heed to this principle,
issuing a series of rare race-only cars that became legends in their
own time. Factory Lightweights: Detroit’s Drag Racing Specials of the
‘60s chronicles these rare cars that still inspire admirers and imitators
today, like the Ford Fairlane 427 Thunderbolt.
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Price:
$22.95
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Ford Galaxie & LTD Gold Portfolio 1960--1976
Contemporary road and comparison tests, specification and technical
data, driver's reports, long-term tests, new model introductions. 176
pages, 475 pictures and illustrations. Softbound.
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Price:
$29.95
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Shipping is combined and discounted for multiple item purchases!
Buy more and save on shipping!
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Search Our Store for More Great Ford, Lincoln & Mercury Items!
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MRE
PO Box 47
Grinnell, IA 50112
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