Being a fairly big drag racing fan, when I bought my '63 Galaxie a few years back, I never imagined doing much more with it than driving and the regular upkeep/maintenance. But once I came on board at Primedia as the Street Rod & Performance Group's Web Manager, I began to see a whole new world of possibilities for the old Ford. Through Popular Hot Rodding, I could see the car--especially since it was a factory four-speed--with a really upgraded performance aspect... but I wasn't too sure about sacrificing any of the car's good drivability characteristics. In one of my regular production meetings with the CUSTOM RODDER group, I was approached with the idea of giving the '63 more of a contemporary makeover, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that was right down my alley.
If you recall, we started things out a couple issues back with a front disc brake upgrade from Master Power, and in the process, threw on a set of Billet Specialties 18-inch Talladegas with Bridgestone Potenza radials. While the car stopped a whole hell of a lot better, it still sat with an awkward stance. (Editor Fortier even ran it over to the muffler shop for a little coil-heating session to get the nose down a bit for the photos!) The option of airbags arose, but I wanted something a little more "fixed." That left just one avenue of dropping--new coils for the front, leafs for the rear, and shocks all the way around. It was also mentioned that since we were going to have the frontend apart, why not replace any "loose ends" with brand- new rebuild parts. Who was I to say no?
So here's what they came up with: For starters, dropped coils and lowered leafs were ordered from Eaton Detroit Spring, followed by a complete rebuild kit from Rare Parts. Concerning the shocks, QA1 was called to find out what information they would require in order to get the right length shocks once the Galaxie was back on the ground. Fortunately (I assumed that), the rest was out of my hands. From this point on, I left the hard part to Fortier (photos, captions, and wise cracks) and the competent folks in the Primedia Tech Center. I wasn't there for the actual wrench turning, but what I can tell you is, when they came in and told me to get my Ford the hell out, I was behind the wheel of a totally new car! It handled 100-percent better, including the steering responsiveness, plus it sat just right.
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 Besides having to occasionally...  Besides having to occasionally talk on the phone over the noise emitting from a multi-horse car on the dyno, having the Primedia Tech Center literally outside your office door has its perks. When it came time to drop Nick's '63, we were handled. |
 Unlike the front suspension,...  Unlike the front suspension, the rear hadn't been touched in years. When it was modified, though, a set of crude traction bars were added along with overload shocks to compensate for the removed leaf springs. No worries--it was all about to go! |
 Here's what we were going...  Here's what we were going to replace the flimsy old leafs and collapsed front coils with: Brand-new springs from Eaton Detroit Spring (3-inch dropped front and 2-inch dropped rear). |
 Also for the frontend, Rare...  Also for the frontend, Rare Parts supplied a complete rebuild kit, as well as new leaf shackles and bushings. |
 With the rearend suspended...  With the rearend suspended using a tranny jack, replacing the rear springs was a breeze. |
 The Eaton leafs were teamed...  The Eaton leafs were teamed up with new shackles and bushings from Rare Parts. |
 With all the weight on the...  With all the weight on the rearend, measurements were taken for new shocks. Just going down to your local auto parts store and trying to get a set of off-the-shelf gas shocks to work is an option...but not a preferable one. Get the right shock for the right application the first time. |
 Eaton supplies new spring...  Eaton supplies new spring pads and U-bolts with their leaf kit. Not using the rubber pads was not an option in this case, even though it would have netted at least another half-inch drop. |
 Besides being a superior tube...  Besides being a superior tube shock (with a billet body!), QA1's version offers an advantage most others don't--adjustability! Each shock provides 12 settings for varied firmness, depending on driving conditions and vehicle load. |
 Little Nicky forgot to mention...  Little Nicky forgot to mention that "some" of his frontend had been rebuilt recently (namely lower control arm bushings and ball joints), but nonetheless, we still had quite a bit of work to do. As you can see, the old coils had gotten a little hot under the collar, but that didn't help with ride quality. (Note: When removing coils, please use a quality spring compressor to avoid any unnecessary bodily damage!) |
 The new Eaton coils were slipped...  The new Eaton coils were slipped in between the control arms, the pigtail end fit in the pocket correctly, and a floor jack was used to carefully recompress the arms and reconnect the upper balljoint. |
 Regardless of the fact that...  Regardless of the fact that they were new, both upper and lower ball joints were greased. |
 What we did end up replacing...  What we did end up replacing up front was the steering linkage. |
 The Rare Parts tie rod en...  The Rare Parts tie rod ends... |
 ...and steering links fit...  ...and steering links fit like a glove. |
 With the frontend pretty much...  With the frontend pretty much buttoned up, all that remained was taking a compressed measurement for the shocks. Another thing to keep in mind when ordering shocks is to also measure the bushing size (both for eyelet and shaft styles), so you don't have to chase sleeves after you've installed your shocks and found they don't fit just right! |
 A trick we learned while installing...  A trick we learned while installing the QA1s was to turn the pressure all the way down (softest setting), extend the shaft, then turn the pressure all the way up so they remain extended while you insert them through the bottom of the control arm. The Galaxie's A-arm configuration allowed us only one direction to point the adjuster knob, but regardless, it is accessible without having to jack the frontend up if Nick ever needs to perform a little roadside adjusting. |
 Before taking the old boat...  Before taking the old boat out for a test sail, we rough-set the toe-in (Nick was worried about ruining his new tires!). As for the caster, we'll leave that up to the alignment shop! |
 Seeing above the front tire...  Seeing above the front tire was not acceptable--well maybe when he ran the Daisies and Tiger Paws, but this isn't a race car! The Billet Specialties Talladegas with Potenza S-03 225/45ZR18 radials now fit the Ford's wheelwells perfectly! |