First post - 69 Galaxie in NoVA

Hey fellas. Long time car nut here, but first time full-size wagon owner. I went shopping for an older Suburban, but found this Ford instead! She is a '69 Galaxie Country Sedan, all original from top to bottom, and very little rust from what I can tell.

I'm actually jumping the gun a bit, because my wife volunteered to fly out and drive home in this thing....today.....what a woman! She's making a road trip out of it -- with two teenagers -- stopping to visit relatives along the way. Praying that the old girl (car) won't let her down, since neither me or my tools will be anywhere nearby.

This same wagon was mentioned a few weeks ago on this very site, and I didn't want to get scooped by someone local to Milwaukee so I kept my mouth shut It is very green, it has excellent interior with the beige-y woven vinyl, 390 under the hood, and very few options. We have a little bit of history with another big Galaxie, having owned a '70 XL sportsroof when we were in our early 20's. That will always be "the one that got away" in my mind, so this is a great chance to re-live some of that.

Possibly my favorite feature on the car is the Lowry AFB sticker from 1987, because I was stationed at Lowry in 1987 (Denver). It was formerly owned by a retired AF Colonel apparently. Who knows, I probably saw it driving around base at some time or other.

Plans for the car are just to use it frequently, for hauling, towing, vacationing, and going to the drive-in, i.e. what wagons were made to do. I have some long-term upgrades in mind, like AOD & rear discs, but that can come later. I hope to be pretty active on the forum, but for now I'll just be happy if the car, wife, and kids all get home in one piece!

Anyone located along the I-80 / I-76 corridor between Chicago and Breezewood PA is welcome to contact me... I may need to beg a favor if she blows a radiator hose somewhere.... stay tuned!

Some pics the p.o. sent me:

 

to the wagon train, green. Great intro! And a great wagon! Man....you have a lot more nerve than I do....and your wife has more than both of us! I sure hope that the car is a runner and makes the trip without any problems. I think you have a cool car and a cool wife! Glad you found us and joined our wagon family. Looking forward to more info about the wagon when it gets home.

 

Ah yes, the Green Machine. Seem to remember a comment I made possibly on that thread where it was posted - about the color being the same as my folks '69 Galaxie hardtop.

That beige upholstery sure looks a lot better in the wagon than that green vinyl the folks had.

Welcome, and good luck with the wagon - especially for your wife and kids on the way home.

Marshall

 

Welcome! A road trip is the fun way to buy an old car and get it home, assuming it is in reasonably good shape to make the trip. With a cell phone, credit card and AAA membership (plus an adventurous spirit), most any contingency can be handled.

 

Great looking wagon!!! Welcome to the Forum!

 

Car checked out and she is on the road! Dual exhaust might be a bit loud for the neighbors, will see when she arrives in a few days

 

Green - just a thought here -

How did you go about purchasing the wagon, since you're so distant? Did you have someone check it out for you? Tell us about your experience there....

 

I've done this once before with an individual seller, it comes down to a certain amount of trust and a certain amount of risk. I had 22 photos that he sent me, to get an overall sense of the condition. Phone calls with appropriate questions that only a Ford guy would know, during which I built a higher degree of confidence in the seller. I've been around enough to spot most of the 'red flags', and to get a sense of whether someone is a straight shooter or not. Still, there is always a risk.

Next step was a couple of repairs I requested...not major ones but not easy either. Exhaust manifold gasket was leaking on one side, which took him all weekend to repair. AC had lost its charge, which he had pressure and dye tested, then re-filled with R12. I agreed to a couple hundred for a deposit to hold the car, which was done via PayPal with an invoice. It isn't bulletproof, but if PayPal arbitrates in your favor, they will dock the funds from the other party's account.

The rest of the deal was a cash transaction, and the risk was the price of three cheap plane tickets to Milwaukee, and the possibility of having to rent a car for the return journey if the GreenMachine turned out to be a junker. Fortunately I had a friend in Milwaukee pick up the family, and provide moral support, and act as a sounding board with his impression of the car. I probably should have had him check the car out before getting the plane tickets, haha, but I was worried someone else would scoop the car. It was a killer deal I thought at $3,500.

Let's see, other details.... quick call to the insurance company "Does the car have an alarm system? Airbags?" -- har har...... one-way trip permit downloaded from the DMV.... that's about it really.

 

Yup....should have. It's a Wisconsin car. From what I can see of it, though, you may have lucked out. Doesn't look like a car driven in the Wisconsin salty roads.

 

Yeah only 5 years in Wisconsin, and most of that in storage from what I can gather. It spent at least 20 years in Denver, where I'm told they don't use salt.

Fingers crossed!

 

great deal on the green machine, enjoy the ride and please keep us up to date!

 

Welcome aboard Green Machine

 

Hi GreenMachine, this is such an interesting story. I am so envious of your wife, what a great adventure for her and the kids. Please keep the pics and the progress coming.
By the way your new car looks awesome, loven the hubcaps.

 

Looking forward to seeing it some time soon at the Saturday afternoon cruise in at the Burger King near the airport in Manassas, Virginia.

 

Welcome to the madness Green Machine! I bet the prior owner checked over the car good to insure it is up to the trip knowing a lady would be traveling in it. Hopefully she keeps the speed down and watches gauges/lights and pays close attention to any strange sounds or shakes. He recharged the AC system with R12?? Not 134a??