10:00AM at Sunset Park in Airway Heights, WA (just west of Spokane). Due to my “real” job I probably will not be able to attend. There were a few Fords of the Full Size variety last year as well as many others. The show is open to all makes and models.

The ’61 Club Victoria saw the light of day for the first time in two years over the weekend as the kids and I cruised her downtown to check out the Cruizin’ The Falls car show last Saturday. It took a freeze plug install (the front two had fallen out), power steering control valve rebuild, and seat belt installation to make it happen. The 352 ran great with no overheating issues and the Toploader 4-speed shifted well. Look for upcoming articles on the power steering control valve rebuild and seat belt install.

What turned out to be a dreary, dry, and uneventful winter turned out a rather nice surprise. We were able to obtain a 1961 Ford Galaxie Starliner! Beauty is, it was only thirty minutes from our home. It’s an original 390 tri-power car with a three on the tree with overdrive but now sports a healthy 460 backed by a C6 automatic transmission. Our plans include returning the car to it’s 390 tri-power glory however we’ll probably end up using a 4-speed Toploader rather than going back to the column shift. The clutch pedal is still present. The car was originally Corinthian White so we may end up returning to that as well. There is some rust repair to do (trunk pan) and other minor details as well that will need addressed but it is overall a very solid car...

The snow will be flying soon and it will be too cold to work in our uninsulated unheated shop so bench racing season is right around the corner. Plans for next year (following spring thaw of course) include actually getting the ’64 Road Race Galaxie on our local road course here in Spokane, if only for a shakedown. Plans also include getting the ’61 Galaxie Club Victoria 2-dr back on the road (yes this was a 2011 plan and I have no idea what happened or where the time went), pulling the 352 out to replace freeze plugs will be the biggest obstacle on that one. And maybe, just maybe I can get all the pieces to the ’63 boxtop Galaxie in the same place, (the front clip is here, the rest of the car is in Oregon) and begin re-assembling it...

The ’55 Customline is finally home after a year under a tarp in Southern Oregon! (Special thanks to my Dad who let me store the car in his yard, among others, while I moved from California to the great state of Washington!) Check out the story in the Project Cars section.