The Frank Sanders 1963 Chevrolet Impala Z11 and the Jerry Alderman 1962 Ford Galaxie Lightweight, both part of Nick Smith’s collection. Story and photos by Mark Elias.
Jerry Alderman Ford’s 1962 Ford Galaxie Lightweight A/FX
In the early 1960s, before there was a Doug Kalitta or a John Force and his dynastic racing family, auto manufacturers dabbled in what was then considered the fledgling sport of NHRA drag racing. With “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” as their credo, the Big Three began offering, through their back doors, factory-built race cars that were rolling billboards for their latest offerings, even if they only looked like what was available on the showroom floor.
These were the cars of the Factory Experimental Class, or A/FX for short. Super Stock-like in nature, they were the closest things to- and the most powerful versions of – the cars you would see in your local Ford showroom. For those unable to score a genuine factory lightweight Galaxie, Ford offered up a host of lightweight body components for both the 1962 Galaxie sedan and the 1962 Galaxie convertible.
The 1962 Ford Galaxie lightweight seen here is just a part of the collection of factory lightweights owned by automotive retailer Nick Smith. It’s one example of what was a state-of-the-art racecar for the era. Using the lightest bits of the time, the cars were assembled by Ford’s Stock Vehicles Department Experimental Garage, built from the last 10 1962 Galaxies produced by the Wayne, Michigan plant (though one more car was constructed later, bringing the assembled total to 11). Starting with the lighter chassis from a six-cylinder Galaxie, the factory lightweight cars received fiberglass front fenders, a fiberglass hood, a fiberglass trunk, aluminum bumper arms and bumpers, and in some cases fiberglass doors.
Smith’s copy is said to be one of four ’62 Ford Galaxie Lightweights remaining. This particular car was delivered to Jerry Alderman Ford in Indianapolis, and driven by Bob Martin. In the early days of factory-backed racing, a dealer was generally involved as the party “campaigning” the race car.
The factory lightweight Galaxie models may have resembled cars on the dealer’s showroom floor, but that’s where the similarities ended. At the Labor Day 1962 NHRA Nationals, Ford placed five Galaxie lightweights in the finals, including the Jerry Alderman car pictured here. With Bob Martin driving, the car ran a 13.09 E.T., bested only by the Galaxie lightweight of Vels Ford, which ran a 12.73 but was disqualified when it missed a call to line up.
As with the exterior, the de-contented interior (almost) looked stock. Even the most frugal fleet buyer would likely have allowed for arm rests, missing in the name of weight savings, as were sound deadening, a radio, a heater and even carpeting. Air Conditioning? In your dreams. On the plus side, the interior did include a rear seat.
Power for the Galaxies came from Ford’s then top-of-the-line Thunderbird Special 406-cubic inch V8 engine, rated at 405 horsepower when fed by a trio of Holley two-barrel carburetors perched atop an aluminum intake manifold. Inside, the engine used a high nodular iron crankshaft, a camshaft with 0.5 inches of lift and pistons that raised compression to 11.4:1, ultimately exhaling through a pair of high-flow cast-iron headers.
A Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed transmission sent power to the differential, and ultimately on to the now impossibly skinny rear tires. Overall, the changes to a stock Galaxie shed more than 380 pounds, which lined the race car up with a 3,500-curb weight.
The Galaxies performed for the rest of the 1962 season but generally took it on the chin when facing the more agile Pontiacs, Chevrolets and Chryslers of the day.
The exact number of surviving factory lightweight Galaxies isn’t precisely clear: Some claim six or seven of the 1962 bodied vehicles were re-bodied as 1963 models which took advantage of a one-inch setback when nestled inside the fastback bodywork of the newer car. With the new 427 cubic inch engines in the so-called 1963-1/2 model year cars, they were more evenly matched to their cross-town Detroit competition.
Frank Sanders’ 1963 Chevrolet Impala Z11
Another significant member of Smith’s collection is the 1963 Chevrolet Impala Z-11 factory lightweight, as campaigned by S&S Header company owner Frank Sanders. A total of 57 examples were built in three batches, with the first 25 cars assigned to specific drivers with the right racing resume. Another batch of 25 cars followed, and seven more were constructed before the program ended, but not before the 57 Z11 models proved themselves as the fastest production-based drag racers of 1963.
Complete with 20 pieces of lightweight aluminum strategically located around the car including the hood, fenders (Caution! “Aluminum”), bumpers, and many other crucial areas, these mild-mannered Impalas curbed out at 3,405-pounds and looked fairly docile for the day. Except maybe for its stylish rake and painted logos, a non-enthusiast wouldn’t give this turquoise two-door a second glance. If this Impala were available for retail sale to the general public, it would have qualified in the NHRA Super Stock class. But due to its limited run of 50 vehicles, it ended up in their Factory Experimental (FX) class instead.
If outside appearances were rather vanilla, under the hood was quite a different story: In the place of what would normally power an Impala, Chevrolet stuffed a not quite yet, but soon-to-be legendary, 409-cu.in. V-8 stroked out to 427 cubic-inches. With high port heads, a pair of Carter AFB carburetors and a ton of trick innards, this classic, which had a “book rating” of 430 horsepower, was said to be capable of more than 500 hp (perhaps with the help of Sander’s S&S Headers). All that power and torque went to a Borg-Warner T-10 manual transmission with Hurst four-on-the-floor shifter. A heavy-duty suspension, 15-inch wheels and metallic brakes were responsible for putting the power to the pavement and slowing it down again at the end of a run.
After an edict from GM Headquarters in Detroit, effectively canceling any further factory racing involvement, manufacturer-backed drivers continued until the end of the season, with many jumping ship to other brands after that. But wait!
Even though the General was out of racing, albeit temporarily, it turns out there was still a ton of money to be made match racing throughout the country. Sanders and other like-minded drivers set out to hit every dragstrip possible, in search of riches and bragging rights. Oh, and the Drag News Top 10 Stock list. Made up of barnstormers in Super Stock and A/FX trim, they crisscrossed the country, running in a best three-out-of-five format. For several months of 1963, Sanders’ Z-11 was at the top of that heap.
A gearhead since receiving his first Matchbox Cars at age 3, Mark Elias, who shoots and writes about anything with wheels, wishes Instagram would make the photos larger. Check his out at https://www.instagram.com/mark_elias.
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