https://www.v8speedshop.com/contact
Ford Galaxie 500 Lightweight 1962 – Muscle car video of the week, episode 331
1962 Ford Galaxie 500 Lightweight Factory Drag Race. This is truly a special car. While Dodge was scorching the drag strips with 413 Wedge engines and Chevrolet was making tracks with its famous 409, 1962 Ford entries maxed out at 406 cubic inches. And although they made 405 hp from a high-compression, aluminum-intake, multi-carbureted FE V8, the 1962 Ford Galaxies needed every advantage to beat the competition. Ford's solution came in the form of fiberglass and aluminum!
Super Stock drag racing was very popular in the early 1960s, and by 1961 both Dodge and Chevrolet had lightweight cars to compete with. Ford engines made power, but the cars were heavier, so the result is this 1962 factory lightweight Galaxie here in The Brothers collection.
These early lightweights are certainly a rare sight. Ford only built 11 of these 1962 Diet Galaxies equipped with fiberglass body panels like the hood, fenders, and trunk lid. They used aluminum for the front bumper and the inner fenders were also made of aluminum. It all looks like regular production parts, which was part of the goal…the Super Stock classes had to stay true to production form. But that doesn't mean they couldn't get creative!
Inside, Ford ditched the radio, heater, and other non-essentials like door handles, sound deadening, and carpeting. The driver sat in a lightweight bucket seat and gripped the thin steering wheel and Borg Warner 4-speed handle on the way to low ETs.
The 406 breathed harder thanks to tubular-style cast steel exhaust manifolds and dual exhaust, and the area under the hood appears sparse, with no comfort options and no trunk-mounted battery. These engines had a compression ratio of 11.4:1, producing 405 horsepower and 448 lb.-ft. of torque. The 4-speed sent the twist to a 9-inch rear end spinning at 3.50:1. This relies on heavy-duty shock absorbers, springs and ladder-style traction bars to help the 15-inch wheels and tires grab what they can of the road. A larger radiator and better drum brakes complete the performance package for less than 400.00 in 1962.
One problem was that converting the 1962 Galaxie lightweights took a while, and by the time those cars were ready to race, it was already time to start building the new 1963 cars. In fact, many chassis 1962 cars were transformed into 1963 cars to get a head start.
Of the 11 built, only 4 Galaxie lightweights from 1962 are known to survive as the 62, and of these only 2 are believed to have their original body panels. It's one of those 2. The total weight reduction was about 164 pounds, allowing the car to tip the scales at just 3,400 pounds.
We love sharing very rare cars like this factory lightweight race car from The Brothers Collection. Subscribing to our show is easy, just press the button to receive our next episode straight to your inbox. Thanks for watching and see you next time on MCOTW!
#FordGalaxie500 #musclecaroftheweek #Lightweight
SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/RIkdDS
http://www.musclecaroftheweek.com
Ford Galaxie 500 Lightweight 1962 – Muscle car video of the week, episode 331
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/V8TVshow/
BUY FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/V8SpeedShop/
V8 Shirts, Hats and More:
https://v8speedshop.com/shop/
Please take the opportunity to connect and share this video with your friends and family if you find it useful.
