Muscle Car Review – September 2019

42 7 GALAXIE R-CODE

10 SEPTEMBER 2019

A

bout 10 years ago, Don Feldt
was back in his hometown of
Hayes, Kansas, for Christmas.
When he left, his brother,
Johnny, sent him on a mission.
“He said, ‘On your way back home, stop
at the [Harper] family farm and see what all
is out there.’” The farm is where Johnny’s
good friend Dennis Harper had grown up.
Don grew up in Hayes but lives 180 miles
southeast in Wichita. As a teenager in the
1970s (high school class of 1977), Don re-
membered that Dennis had a body shop in
town.
“I’d never seen him drive anything cool,
but my brother knew of a 427 Galaxie that
Dennis drove. He said he remembered see-
ing it parked in town [at the Harper Body
Shop], probably about 1971-’72.”
Don followed directions to find the farm
abandoned. Nobody lived in the house.
The land was rented out, and there must
have been 20 cars parked on the property,
including a 1967 Ranchero 390, a couple of
Econolines, a 1965 Mercury Comet, a 1957

Dennis Harper bought this 427 Galaxie when it was six months

old. He drove the car on the street and raced it in the quarter-mile.

A friend told Don Feldt that Dennis’ best time was 12.90, which

probably was with a hotter cam than stock.

This Galaxie is an XL, which explains the luxury bucket seats. A

four-speed rises from the center console.

By Jerry Heasley

Ford, several pickups from the 1948-
era, and a 1940 Ford pickup with a hot rod
flathead topped with Edelbrock heads and
dual carbs.
“I wound up buying the ’40 Ford pickup
from Dennis’ daughter. And when I met his
wife, Sandy, that’s when I asked about ‘this
other car that Johnny says is in the garage
at home.’”
That Ford was at the family house in Mun-
jor, Kansas, population 213, located 7½ miles
south of Hayes off old highway 40. Don was
amazed to hear Sandy “rattle off” a full de-
scription. “It’s a 1963½ Ford Galaxie 500 XL

427, dual four-barrel, four-speed.”

Although Don asked about buying the

Galaxie, he knew nothing was for sale as

long as Dennis was alive. Sandy did say that

several guys had been calling her about

buying the old Ford.

Seven years later Dennis had passed

away. Sandy still had the 427 Galaxie.

“My brother would see Sandy from time

to time in town. He knew she had been in a

car wreck. She was not hurt, but her car had

been totaled.

“My brother said, ‘Well, are you ready to

sell that Galaxie, then, to pay for a new car?’

“‘And she said, “Yeah, I think I am.’”

Two weeks later, in September 2015, Don

was in Hayes for a family visit and made ar-

rangements with Sandy to see the car. He

found the Galaxie on jackstands, no engine

under the hood, and layers of dirt on the

body. But the windows were up and the car

out of the weather. Other than being dirty,

the body was rust-free and solid.

The original 427 heads and intake, air

cleaner assembly, valve covers, camshafts,

pistons, and “stuff” were scattered around

the garage. A new side-oiler block mounted

on an engine stand was an obvious sign of

“He found

the Galaxie

on jackstands”