Recently, Shawn Davis with AutotopiaLA got to meet up with Nick at Dean’s SoCal Classic Car Storage to discuss his absolutely radical 63-½ Galaxie 500 Fastback build.
The car that Nick credits his fathers low-rider days in the San Fernando Valley for inspiring, looks somewhat tame from the outside. In fact, with the exception of the wheels and tires, the Galaxie lacks any clues to its radical underpinning. Opening the door, the interior is a continuation of this theme as well.
The stock seats and stock seat belts do not let on to the massive engine under the hood. That’s right, other than the Holley Pro 6.8 Dash Unit tastefully framed by the steering wheel the interior is pretty much bone stock. So, it is not until Nick turns the key that onlookers get a glimpse of what caught AutotopiaLA’s host’s eye, screaming from its 3-½-inch exhaust system at a recent Quarantine Cruise.
Under the hood is a 460 cubic inch Big Block Ford that has been bored out to a monstrous 520 cubic-inches mated to a C6 transmission with 4R100 guts, a billet planetary set, and a Coan Performance billet torque converter. All 720-horsepower is fed to a stock rear end housing with a Strange third-member and 35-spline axles by way of a Strange chromoly driveshaft.
Barely keeping the rearend in-line is a Ridetech four-link setup that Nick admitted could use some more reinforcement. The front suspension is just as wild, featuring FatMan Fabrication tubular control arms and Ridetech coilovers mounted to a custom made K-member. Braking for the 3,780-lbs car is handled by a 6-piston front, 4-pistons rear Wilwood brake setup with a Wilwood proportioning valve.
With restomods gaining in popularity, it's not often that you get to see such a powerful car built in such a unique way. The naturally aspirated big-block power mixed with the classic look of the stock interior is truly breathtaking.
