Fan Car Friday is a segment where we want to share with the world the automobiles that our fans have. Today’s photos were provided by V8 Speed Shop; we have no affiliation by them and we are not endorsed in any way, shape or form by them – We are simply using their photos. These cars are not for sale and we have absolutely no affiliation/relationship with the cars, the build or the owners (Nor do the owners pay or sponsor us in any way, shape of form), we saw the photos and felt they should be shared with the world to inspire others on their build. Or, simply put, its great eye candy for those of us who can’t make it to car shows or meetups as often as we would like. This post was written with written consent from the owner.

This week we take a look at our friend Red Lehr’s 1964 Galaxie Fastback from lehrsmeatmarket.com. Unlike many kids these days, Red was lucky enough to have something with style as his first car. At the age of 16 he was the happy owner of a 1964 Galaxie. Red drove that car around everywhere, which included a couple dates with a few sweethearts when he was back in highschool. On one of these dates he was cruising on the highway going 55 when a Mazda GLC turned hard in front of him. Red ended up hitting that Mazda (and the two drunks driving it) and sent it flying. The result was his Galaxie now carried the title of “totaled”. Like any of us could imagine, it broke his heart. He swore that one day he would have another and he would build it right.

Fast forward 30 years and Red came across another Galaxie in Nevada. He promptly purchased it and shipped it home without a second thought. After going back and forth a few times on what to start with, Red decided it needed to be repainted. Originally he had a light blue Galaxie, but something was steering him towards a dark blue this time. It showed off the lines and just seemed better suited for the car. At the same time it was being repainted Red worked on polishing the stainless and aluminum trim to a mirror finish. The metal now looked great, the paint job though? Not so much. So he taught himself how to wet sand, cut and polish paint so Red could get it to where he wanted it to be.

Once your ride starts to look good, what comes next? More power. So Red pulled the 390 cid Fe engine to swap in a 428. He started with adding a 4.25 stroke crank, bored 40 over, added custom Diamond pistons, a hydraulic roller cam, hydraulic lifters and some roller rockers. Then he topped the engine off with a new set of BBM aluminum heads, a dual quad intake and two 600 Holley Carburetors. Red then finished everything with a 4 speed toploader, a 9 inch rear and some aftermarket 3.80 gears. It’s safe to say that Red knew exactly what he wanted and how to do it.

But not everything is as simple as it sounds. Red was continuing to have trouble dialing in the dual carbs so he took it to a local shop to have his engine looked at. Just as the car was driving into the shop he suffered another bout of heartbreak with a 1964 Galaxie. The brake pedal pin holding the brake booster arm in came out and the car sailed into a set of heavy steel doors. Then a door fell onto the car. It hit the hood, bumper, fender and grille. Red decided to just start from the ground up after everything he learned and repaint the car once more after this fiasco. He also decided to add a Crites tear drop to the hood while he was at it.

Red’s favorite thing about this classic is the old school look it carries. It has the look and gives him the exact same feeling he had when he was young. Red loves how the dark blue paint job and the Cragar wheels make the car pop on the outside, and the 428 stroker makes it hop when you’re inside. This was the car Red dreamed about when he was a kid and after many years, lots of hard work and sweat it was a dream come true. Though, he says, a childhood dream car is never truly finished.