Thread: Original matching 390 remanufactured vs non matching 390

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Hi there, I'm new to this forum so apologies ahead of time if this has been discussed in the past.

I've got a 63 galaxie 500 XL fastback that I'm in the process of rebuilding (Original owner). My question is whether I should put in a reproduction re-manufactured 390 or take my existing 390 (Z code) all original and send that in for re-manufacturing. Is having matching numbers that important?

I plan on keeping this car. The difference in price from what I'm seeing between going with a reproduction re-manufactured 390 vs re-manufacturing my original is about $2500 for re-manufacturing the original 390. Is it worth keeping the original?

Looking for opinions.


Thanks,

Welcome aboard and good to see you here!

The real decision on "originality" is what is it that you want the car to do? Protecting an "investment"? making a show car" or perhaps just a cruiser?

Obviously, saying it is "the original" has a certain "something" and will bring a return if and when you sell it. But, it's a Ford and other than date coding each part, it'll be hard to prove otherwise.

Welcome to the forum. Seems to me that it really depends on what your ultimate plan is for the car. At some point down the line, having it totally "numbers matching" will be a significant increase to the value of the car in an auction scenario. If it were mine, and I was the original owner I'd take the original engine to a trusted shop and have it rebuilt. Yes, it's a big deal.

Thanks for the responses...!

It won't all be original but the block #s will be mathcing. If i'm not keeping all original parts, will it be that important to keep original block? The sentimental value is making this a harder decision than I thought since originally I was going to go with a production 390 and save $2.5k and put it towards other parts. My grandpa bought this back in 63 and it was passed down to me so I will be keeping it. It'll be a fun project to see what I can do with this.

The shop that's helping me work on the car is saying that it really isn't a big deal whether I go with a production or rebuild the original since it's a 390 and not a 427. Thoughts on this?

Originally Posted by AZM

Thanks for the responses...!

It won't all be original but the block #s will be mathcing. If i'm not keeping all original parts, will it be that important to keep original block? The sentimental value is making this a harder decision than I thought since originally I was going to go with a production 390 and save $2.5k and put it towards other parts. My grandpa bought this back in 63 and it was passed down to me so I will be keeping it. It'll be a fun project to see what I can do with this.

The shop that's helping me work on the car is saying that it really isn't a big deal whether I go with a production or rebuild the original since it's a 390 and not a 427. Thoughts on this?

Given everything you've said, I'd go with a production 390 and put the $2.5K towards other parts that you need.

sort of as randy says .. you have an ordinary car .. put an ordinary engine in it and enjoy .. if you had an extraordinary car then restore it at all cost ..

Keep the "original" motor - buy you another motor that gives you the most bang for the buck - Have fun driving it and if you ever sell the car, offer the "original" motor to go along with it if someone is picky, plus it cost you nothing to be able to offer that.

Originally Posted by Scooting

Keep the "original" motor - buy you another motor that gives you the most bang for the buck - Have fun driving it and if you ever sell the car, offer the "original" motor to go along with it if someone is picky, plus it cost you nothing to be able to offer that.

I agree, other than a core charge and space for storing the "original" there's no cost, but like Mike said earlier,

Originally Posted by 34_40

.....it's a Ford and other than date coding each part, it'll be hard to prove otherwise.

There's no true "numbers matching" on a Ford of this vintage, just the date codes that place the time range of the casting. They didn't have the secondary numbers tying to body style, right? Like Scooting says, keeping the "original" to offer with the car later is a nice touch if it's not too much hassle.

I wrote a long post last night but site shut down before I got it posted-------


A 390 powered 1963 galazy fast back has about everything you could want in a car except disc brakes. Either keep the original stuff either in the car or on the shelf.


one of the rarest autos out there would be a 3 x 2 405 hp 4 speed ------car has 9 inch rear-----
does it have bench or bucket seats? lots of info missing for an professional opinion, but the writing it off as a 50+ year old turd don't cut it

Hey AZM, would love to see some pics of the car. The "fastback" was first introduced in 1963 1/2 and was the first "half-year" model introduced by a car company. The new roof style got its origins from NASCAR and Ford decided to include it for there production models. Is the car an automatic or stick? Buckets seats with console or bench? The "XL" also adds value to the car. Unless it's a factory "R" code 427, it may never be a huge collector car but as a '63 Galaxie 500XL fastback, it's no ordinary car either.
Welcome to CHR!

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions.
I'll attach some pics of the car. It's an original Z code engine and yes it does have a white interior with bucket seats.



Thanks.

Redo the original motor and keep it as original as possible----------
The 1963 Ford fastbacks were famous for taking the first 5 positions in the 1963 Daytona 500----------talk about the bickering afterwards

I remember stripping the seats and door panels out of a black 63 1/2 XL and putting them in my 61 Starliner. Sure did like that setup, thought you could see it better in the Starliner than in the 63.

You may already know all this stuff, but here's an article from Hemmings you might find interesting. 1963-1/2 Ford Galaxie 500XL Fastback | Hemmings Motor News

If you're looking to do some "upgrades" that enhance the driveabilty without destroying the possibility of going back to original, you can convert to disc brakes using Granada or 77-79 Tbird spindles. Flaming River also makes a bolt on power rack & pinion steering kit that is pretty sweet. There are also various suppliers offering factory style upholstery kits, etc.

The reason I know all this stuff is I used to own a '64 Galaxie very similar to yours except it wasn't an XL and only had the 289 engine. It was my grandmother's car and I inherited it from my dad.
64 Galaxie3.jpg64 Galaxie4.jpg