1959 Ford Galaxie Skyliner 90's Restomod

When we purchased the Skyliner at a Grand Rapids, Michigan Lincolndealer’s private auction in 1995, we knew that we had a car with asubstitute Michigan VIN, which implied that the car was either stolen orsalvaged. Since there was no indicationof either other than the VIN, we decided to depart from our usual practice ofbuilding our collection of unmodified cars and make a car that we had neverseen elsewhere- a restomod treatment on a retractable hardtop Skyliner. This car, which looks stock on the exteriorexcept for the custom-ordered Boyd Coddington wheels and driving lights in theoriginal turn signal location (signals were moved inboard to behind the grill),was updated in almost every respect throughout the 1990’s, including:

·14,131miles driven since restomod work.

·Halogenheadlights plus a period-correct set of spotlight rear-view mirrors and amodern center mirror with courtesy lights.Also added correct “Flying Ellipse” mascot.

·CustomBoyd wheels ordered for this car.

·Rackand pinion power steering (might want to update further, turning radius islarge and much better equipment is available now).

·Nardisteering wheel with Jaguar center horn actuator.

·Rearair ride controlled from glove compartment allows proper stance whether the topis up or down. This is important, as thetop weighs about 1100 lbs.

·Ventedpower disc brakes, all four corners; rears then removed to allow air-rideinstallation, replaced with large drums.

·Ford428ci Police Interceptor engine with all-new accessories including 200-ampalternator and one-of-a-kind custom fuel injection. Cast iron factory headers.

·Custommade aluminum radiator with stainless shroud.

·GearVendor’s automatic overdrive behind a rebuilt C-6 three speed transmission.

·2½” dual stainless exhaust

·9”Ford rear axle with 2.73 gears

·Added2nd fuel tank (approx. 13 gal.), uses stock filler, plus transfer pump withswitch on steering column. Totalcapacity 28 gallons (approx.). Gauge isswitched to show levels in both tanks

·Custom-milledcenter console with engraved Flying Ellipse, controls for power windows, lock/unlock(also with remote), power seats, large/small cupholders, 12V plugs (2, plusthree in drop-down panel in the center dash), and top with indicator.

·Alpinedouble-DIN stereo with tape, remote, and 3-CD changer, all in-dash, Quartspeakers, thumpers under the front seats, all powered by two 75w RSM PPI ampsin the luggage bin in the trunk. Powerantenna on separate switch.

·DakotaDigital dash

·Customhotrod-style pushbutton shifter.

·Cruisecontrol

·VintageAir automatic climate control uses R-134a refrigerant.

·Continentalkit (don’t plan on a lot of parallel parking).

·Custominterior, included headliner, bucket seats, door panels, carpet, etc.

The car was painted prior to ourownership and the finish is showing signs of age, including micro-cracking inseveral areas and flaking in the top’s rain gutters. It is more than usable as-is (I’d call it a4-5 footer) but we were deciding whether or not to paint before we decided tosell the car. The color scheme isnon-standard.

The car runs and drives well, andeverything works, including the top (see video = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZpYTNClb_I).No rust above or below. I am inthe process of reducing our collection by about half, so after 25+ years, it’stime for a new owner to take over and (possibly) continue the process and makethis one their own. In any case, youwill definitely NOT meet yourself on the road in this car! I actually get more “thumbs up” in this carthan I do in our 1937 Phantom III Cabriolet de Ville!

One more thing- to answer the obviousquestion, the car is 19ft 4” long,6ft 5” wide, 4ft 8” tall.