1970 Ford Galaxie 500

From compacts to station wagons and from intermediate to full-size models, the 1970 Ford lineup was all-inclusive. From the Thunderbird to the Mustang, the full-size LTD to the economical Pinto, from fuel-sipping six-cylinder engines to 429 cubic-inch V8s, Ford entered the 1970s offering a host of performance, luxury, and price points catering to a wide audience of buyers.

The Ford Galaxie mirrored Ford's 'please all' mentality with its long list of options, body styles, engines, and amenities. It was positioned above the full-size Custom/Custom 500 series and below the LTD. Standard amenities included a chrome windshield, chrome rear window moldings, rain gutter moldings, chrome side windows, polished aluminum wheel opening moldings, and nylon carpeting.

The styling of the 1970 Galaxie was first seen the previous year, and only minor updates were made for 1970. The following year (1971), the Galaxie would receive a complete redesign.

The 1970 Galaxie rested on a generous 121-inch wheelbase platform and had an overall length of 213.9 inches. The sedan body style was priced at $3,030, the two-door hardtop sedan and formaltop coupe at $3,100, and the fastback coupe at $3,045. These came standard with a six-cylinder engine, with the substitution of the 'base' V8 engine boosting the price by approximately $100. The six- and nine-passenger Country Sedan were solely offered with eight-cylinder power, with the former costing $3,490 and the latter at $3,600.

The most popular 1970 Galaxie body style was the sedan with 101,784 examples sold, followed by 57,059 of the formattop coupe, 53,817 of the hardtop sedan, and 50,825 of the fastback coupe. The six-passenger Country Sedan was more popular than the nine-passenger version, with 32,209 of the former and 22,645 of the latter.

The standard engine was an inline 240 cubic-inch, overhead valve six-cylinder unit with a Motorcraft one-barrel carburetor, seven main bearings, 9.2:1 compression, and produced 150 horsepower at 4,000 RPM.

Optional V8 engines included the Windsor 302, Windsor 351 CID, the 390 CID FE, 400 CID, 429 CID, and 460 CID. All of these engines had overhead valves, cast iron blocks, and five main bearings. The 302 CID V8 with a Motorcraft two-barrel carburetor and 9.5:1 compression produced 220 horsepower at 4,600, and 290 bhp with a Holley four-barrel carburetor and 10.6:1 compression. The 351 CID V8 produced 250 and 300 hp depending on configuration, and the 390 CID V8 developed 270 bhp at 4,400 RPM.

The 428 Cobra Jet V8 had 10.6:1 compression, a Holley four-barrel carburetor, and produced 335 horsepower at 5,200 RPM. The Super Cobra Jet version had 10.5:1 compression, a Holley four-barrel carburetor, and 360 bhp at 5,400 RPM. The Thunder-Jet 429 CID V8 produced 320 bhp with a Motorcraft two-barrel carburetor and 360 bhp with a Holley four-barrel carburetor.

Ford Galaxie XL
The Ford XL Series was offered as a two-door fastback or a two-door convertible. These sport trim, full-size Fords came standard with a 302 cubic-inch V8 engine, bucket seats, LTD style die-cast grille, retractable headlights, and special wheel covers. The interiors were done in all-viny, and prominent 'XL' designations in block letters could be seen in various locations throughout the interior and exterior.

The fastback version was priced at $3,300 and was the more popular of the two body styles, with 27,251 examples sold compared to 6,348 of the convertible (priced at $3,500).

Ford LTD
The Ford LTD was luxurious and among the most expensive vehicles in the company's lineup. It came standard with a 351 cubic-inch, 250 horsepower V8 engine paired with a Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. Accouterments included an electric clock and retractable headlamps. The LTD Brougham received even more lavish interiors with prices that were above $200 above those of the LTD. Brougham body styles included a sedan, hardtop coupe, and hardtop sedan.

Full-Size Ford Production Figures
Ford Custom and Custom 500: 124,443
Ford Galaxie and Galaxie 500: 318,339
Ford XL: 33,599
Ford LTD and LTD Brougham: 373,934

Total Full-Size Fords: 850,315

Intermediate Ford Production Figures
Fairlane and Fairlane 500: 177,091
Torino: 117,358
Torino Brougham: 44,620
Torino GT: 60,758
Torino Cobra: 7,675

Total Intermediate Fords: 407,502

Maverick: 451,081
Thunderbird: 50,364
Mustang: 197,045

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2024