1959 Ford Galaxie 500 Sunliner Convertible, Survivor, 30,000 original miles

1959 Ford Galaxie Base Description

This Ford was purchased new by Genero Forte at the Vincent Montone dealership in Hazleton, Pennsylvania on March 21st, 1959, and it remained in the original owner's family until 2014. The car was always stored indoors, and has covered just 30,333 miles since new. It is in remarkable original condition, and retains 60% of the factory applied paint, as well as the original seat covers, door panels, carpeting, and floor mat. The interior surfaces show minimal wear, constant with the miles, and the entire car feels like a well maintained two year old automobile. All of the switches, windows, and latches feel solid, with almost no play or wear. The steering wheel retains it's original white paint, with a few spots just beginning to wear through after 30,000 miles. I have inspected this car thoroughly, and every part of it confirms the low mileage and excellent care it has received since day one. The floors and trunk are solid, and still retain their original paint under the carpeting and trunk mat. The door panels are in superb condition, with virtually no wear on the armrests, and no warping on the panels. All of the windows crank up and down smoothly, and the side glass and windshield are original with the Ford scripts. The weatherstripping is all original, and is still soft, retained by the factory brush-on glue. The top well is excellent, along with the original top boot (not shown in the pictures, but included with purchase). The power top works very well, with no known leaks in the hydraulics. All of the lights are functional, and the horn and wipers both work. The heater works well, along with the original six tube AM radio. This car is equipped with the desirable four barrel Thunderbird 352 V8, which was the largest engine available in the Galaxie for 1959. It also has an automatic transmission, but manual steering and brakes. This car was stored for many years, and returned to the road in 2007 by the original owner's family. The engine was completely rebuilt at this time, and receipts for the machine work and installation go with the car. At the time of the rebuild, the odometer showed 27997 miles. All brake lines were replaced, as well as the fuel system, convertible top, and dash cover. I have owned this car for almost two years, and have added about 500 miles to the odometer. It starts easily, idles quietly, and drives beautifully. The dual exhaust was replaced recently, and has a beautiful tone. I have had zero problems with it since my purchase, and it is truly a turn-key vehicle for the next owner. I exercise it frequently, and even participated in our local Veteran's Day parade with the car a few weeks ago. It made it through a very long parade route with no issues whatsoever. During my ownership, I added three seat belts for the front seat, serviced the radio, cleaned and detailed the undercarriage, and had the lower insert on the driver's seat replaced. The original had developed a one inch crack, and I was concerned it would get worse and detract from the otherwise perfect original interior. The repair is almost undetectable, and I even retained the original insert for future reference. The car was undercoated when new, and has a very nice undercarriage for an east coast car. All of the body mounts are solid, as well as the inner and outer rocker panels. There is a very slight perforation on the edge of the left front body mount behind the fender, but it does not affect the integrity of the mount. The transmission lets a couple of drops out occasionally, but there are no significant leaks under the car. The lower ball joints, rear leaf springs, rear shocks, and transmission shaft seal were replaced by the previous owner, and receipts also go with the car. The original paint does show signs of previous touch ups, and the nose and right rear quarter were blended and refinished many years ago. The work is very good, and not noticeable to the casual observer. There are a few small spots where you can see some crazing under florescent shop lights, but I'm really picky and always notice such things. The body does not show any signs of previous rust repair, and the lower edges and fender lips are all solid, original steel. The paint has a nice uniform gloss, and looks very good. The deck lid, doors, left quarter, and cowl all wear their original Ford paint, and it is incredibly well preserved. The driver's door latch drags slightly when closing, but the panel alignment is otherwise very good throughout the car. The neutral safety switch works about 50% of the time. This is a very common problem in older Fords, and simply requires that the car be put in Neutral instead of Park for starting. The neutral safety switch could be replaced to solve the problem for good, but it really was never an issue for me. The clock does not work, and the right turn signal does not cancel automatically. I have not tried to use the window washer, but the wipers work just fine. The tires are the correct 14 inch Coker Classic bias ply, with proper 2 3/4" whitewalls, and the spare matches the other four. The car comes with it's original invoice, window sticker, and warranty booklet, as well as the factory owner's manual. Receipts for the engine rebuild and other repairs are also included. The car is garaged at my house in Tucson, Arizona, and is available for viewing by appointment. My name is Alex, and I can be reached at 520-465-2539 with any questions. International bidders are welcome. $500 deposit via paypal is due within 24 hours of auction close. Balance due by wire transfer within three days. The car is currently licensed and insured, and I have a clear Arizona title in my name. License plate not included in sale.