The Details
Dr. John Craft's '65 Galaxie Grand National Stock Car
Engine
- 427ci FE 4V
- Medium Riser intake
- Shelby Medium Riser aluminum heads
- Holley 4150 4V carburetor, 735 cfm
- Autolite dual-point fitted with Pertronix Ignitor and hidden MSD 6AL box
- Shot peened and polished Ford Le Mans rods
- JE forged pistons
- Compression Ratio is 13.0:1
- Melling high-volume oil pump
- Ford FE windage tray
- Holman & Moody 8-quart oil pan
- Delco fuel pump (rare and absolutely correct for this 427)
Transmission
- Large shaft Top Loader wide-ratio four-speed
Rearend
- Ford/Holman & Moody 9-inch
- Detroit Locker
- 31-spline double-spline floating axles
- 5.20 gears (at Daytona, they used 3.00, and at Riverside 3.50)
- V-belt drive Eaton pump for oil cooler
Exhaust
- Hooker Competition Plus Long-Tube Headers
- 3-inch dump pipes
Suspension
- Front: Holman & Moody designed adjustable upper and lower control arms with coil springs, racing shock absorbers, steering gear reworked by Holman & Moody, Holman & Moody 1¼-inch sway bar
- Rear: Holman & Moody designed Watt's link coil spring, fully adjustable with two shocks each side
Brakes
- Front: Full metallic drum, 11x3 inches
- Rear: Full metallic drum, 11x2½ inches
Wheels
- Front: Holman & Moody 15x9-inch steel
- Rear: Holman & Moody 15x9-inch steel
Tires
- Front: N.O.S. Firestone racing, 8.00/8.20x15
- Rear: N.O.S. Firestone racing, 8.00/8.20x15
Interior
- Clad in 1959 Chevrolet Cashmere Blue per Holman & Moody, Ford Econoline van seat, Stewart-Warner instrumentation in a Holman & Moody fabricated dashboard
Exterior
- Wimbledon White with hand-painted period graphics
1966--C6HM-10073
Like John Craft's '65 Lorenzen car, Jeff Ray's '66 427 Galaxie stock car started out as a "body in white" '66 Galaxie shipped directly to Holman & Moody's race shop. Jeff's No. 28 Galaxie was one of three '66 Galaxies shipped to Holman & Moody and converted to race cars. This Galaxie was built specifically for Fred Lorenzen to race in the 1966 Daytona 500. This car's first time out was for the 100-mile Daytona 500 qualifier. Lorenzen finished Fifth. He started Ninth and finished Fourth in yet another rain-shortened 500. After Daytona, it was on to Rockingham, North Carolina, for the Peach Blossom 500 in March, starting tenth and finishing 26th due to engine failure. The following race was at Bristol, Tennessee--the Southeastern 500--where he started Second and finished 22nd, again due to engine failure. Its last Grand National race was the Atlanta 500 later in March. Lorenzen started Third and finished Second. It would be all over a month later when Ford pulled out of racing and began a lengthy boycott against NASCAR. Suffice it to say Jeff's No. 28 car had a short super speedway career with Fast Freddie Lorenzen at the wheel.
According to Jeff, his No. 28 Galaxie went straight from NASCAR to dirt track racing early on. A gentleman named Red Farmer purchased the car and turned it into a dirt track racer. Jack Vincent Sr., Bug Vincent's father, bought the car from Red Farmer in 1968 to help his son Jack race in the Midwest. The Galaxie was raced extensively until it was rebodied as a 1971 Torino in 1973. The important thing to remember about stock cars is their very confusing paths. Chassis and body are two different elements in the world of stock cars. Chassis live on under different identities because bodies, racers, and owners come and go. So do engines, drivelines, and suspensions. So what you see here isn't necessarily the same body Fred Lorenzen sat in back in 1966. It is surely the same chassis. Stock car racing is a violent, rough-and-tumble world in which cars get smashed and bodies get tossed. Chassis get repaired and live to see more races. Bodies aren't always so fortunate.