{"id":14755,"date":"2023-10-08T17:00:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T16:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hemmings.com\/stories\/only-one-family-has-held-the-title-to-this-1969-ford-xl-convertible\/"},"modified":"2023-10-08T17:00:03","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T16:00:03","slug":"only-one-family-has-held-the-title-to-this-1969-ford-xl-convertible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/08\/only-one-family-has-held-the-title-to-this-1969-ford-xl-convertible\/","title":{"rendered":"Only One Family Has Held The Title To This 1969 Ford XL Convertible"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Timing is everything, especially when it coincides with the well-earned acquisition of a freshly minted driver\u2019s license while in high school. It\u2019s a joyous moment, liberated from a slog to and from class in a crowded bus, or a long walk no matter weather conditions, yet it\u2019s also a celebration tempered by the need for transport for which said license quickly earns its value. Options at this stage in life are typically few. Do you accept the offer of a dowdy hand-me-down sedan the parents drove to within an inch of its usable mechanical life, or save an extra year\u2019s part-time job income to help defer the cost of a cool decade-old hardtop coupe from the used-car lot? Then there\u2019s a rare third option that can materialize when one least expects it, something far better. <\/p>\n

\u201cUncle Wally was a Ford man. My earliest memory of his cars was a 1957 model he drove until he bought a brand-new Galaxie Sunliner in 1960. It was painted Orchid Gray; Aunt Connie referred to it as her \u2018purple car.\u2019 They didn\u2019t travel a lot\u2014 though they did visit Cuba during the revolution\u2014so it always looked really nice, even after they took it to Florida and back one year. By early 1969, though, my Aunt Connie wanted a new car, and if they found something they liked they were then going to sell me their Sunliner for $1,\u201d Coatesville, Pennsylvania, resident Frank Root says.<\/p>\n

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Being the good \u201cFord Man\u201d Wally Leighton was, he made the short trek from his Coatesville abode to Ford dealer Sloan Motors in Downingtown, and approached a salesman with a short list of mandatory requirements. Their new car had to be a full-size convertible, and Connie requested it be painted green. Fortunately, Wally was provided options: Both the Galaxie 500 and the XL model offered convertible body styles and there were no fewer than three different green hues available. Ultimately, Wally and Connie chose the Ford XL, and specified it be delivered in Lime Gold over black vinyl upholstery, in addition to a black top. And with that, not only were the Leightons happy, Frank\u2019s first car\u2014the Sunliner\u2014became his.<\/p>\n

When introduced during the 1962 season, the XL was designed as an upscale trim level built upon the Galaxie 500 subseries. Despite the existing full-size foundation the new trim level utilized, the two-letter emblem did not stand for \u201cextra-large,\u201d but rather \u201cextra lively,\u201d as stated right in the factory literature. Whether that\u2019s accurate or not, it was hard to argue against, for the Galaxie 500\/XL skipped right past the economy six-cylinder lineup and stipulated the Galaxie\u2019s base V-8 as standard equipment. Further proving Ford\u2019s insistence that it was the \u201csporty\u201d Galaxie, other standard features included front bucket seats, \u201cbucket-styled\u201d rear seats, a \u201cThunderbird-styled command console,\u201d full wheel covers that mimicked knock-off wheels, and extra trim throughout. Options included an automatic or four-speed manual transmission, and one of the four then-available Thunderbird V-8 engines. Only two body styles were offered: a two-door convertible or hardtop. Just under 41,600 combined units raced to eager owners in the first year of production<\/p>\n

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In the ensuing years, the Galaxie 500\/XL both welcomed and discharged additional body styles\u2014including a four-door hardtop\u2014and evolved stylistically and mechanically. Its core remained true to the original design intent, even after the LTD supplanted it as the top-of-the-line model in 1965. Just two years later, the XL finally shed itself of the Galaxie 500 subseries moniker, though in a strange twist, it was still part of the Galaxie family of cars. By now, the original two-door hardtop and convertible lineup were all that remained and production began its rebound from 23,335 combined units during \u201967 to 61,595 in \u201969; 7,402 of those were convertibles. <\/p>\n

The numbers strongly suggest that while Detroit\u2019s factory muscle cars were garnering road testers\u2019 attention, and LTD sales eclipsed the 417,000 unit mark, sophisticated types still yearned for a sporty image machine. Or, in the case of the Leightons, a convertible they could be proud to drive. Aside from the color combination, theirs was delivered with a now-standard bench seat, it and had been modestly optioned with a two-barrel, 220- hp version of the 302-cu.in. V-8, along with a column-shifted \u201cSelect-Shift\u201d Cruise-O-Matic transmission, power steering, radio, and power front disc brakes. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy aunt worked at the Coatesville Hospital, which was about three blocks from where they lived, and my uncle worked a couple blocks away from the house, so neither ever drove to work. They also didn\u2019t do a lot of traveling by that time. They would drive the Ford about five miles to my parents\u2019 house and go to the grocery store, stuff like that, but they didn\u2019t go anywhere further than that,\u201d Frank says.<\/p>\n

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\"Color<\/p>\n

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In the early 2000\u2019s, Wally died, at which point Frank\u2019s father, Frank, purchased the XL convertible from Connie. Though he didn\u2019t revere Dearborn\u2019s vehicles like Wally did, the elder Frank drove the Ford in the same spirit\u2014minimally\u2014while maintaining its care both in presentation and mechanical maintenance, though not without incident. <\/p>\n

According to young Frank, \u201cMy dad was on his way to the grocery store one day and he was sideswiped. Fortunately, it wasn\u2019t all that bad; the only real damage were scratches along the side, and the pot-metal side marker bezel ahead of the front wheel broke. It was a minor enough collision that my dad didn\u2019t pursue restitution. It turned out to be a young girl who had her baby with her, and she wasn\u2019t even the owner of the car. The owner didn\u2019t have insurance, and even though he offered to pay for any damages my dad told him not to bother, since it was cosmetic. Dad drove it like that until he couldn\u2019t drive anymore. That was in October 2008, and he basically gave me the Ford XL and his 1984 AMC Eagle wagon.<\/p>\n

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\"Color<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen I brought the XL home, my wife looked at it and casually mentioned that she disliked the color, so I told her we could fix that by having it painted. She suggested red and we agreed that if she didn\u2019t like the car after it had been repainted I\u2019d sell it. We went with Ford\u2019s Candy Apple Red, which was an available color for the \u201969 models. Someone we know nearby was commissioned to do the job, which also required two tiny patch panels in front of each rear wheel opening. I mean tiny\u2014 that was the only rot on the car, simply because it wasn\u2019t driven much. Unfortunately, it took the guy a while to get the job done, and after some nudging and nearly four years, it was back in my hands. My wife looked at it and said she loved it, so obviously I had to keep it. Other than paint, the two patch panels, and a new side bezel, the car is all original.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2012, Frank was finally able to take his uncle\u2019s Ford XL to its first car show: the AACA Eastern Fall Nationals at Hershey, Pennsylvania, where he had to fend off persistent offers to buy it. He\u2019s since joined the Ford Galaxie Club of America and has continued to display the convertible at several local and regional events. And like his predecessors, Frank has managed to keep the mileage low. At the time of our visit in late 2022, the XL\u2019s odometer read a scant 28,646 miles. It begs two questions: What kind of maintenance is required, and what\u2019s it like to drive an essentially original, low-mileage 1969 Ford XL?<\/p>\n

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Color closeup of the \"XL\" emblem on the trunk of a 1969 Ford XL convertible.<\/p>\n

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Color closeup of the tail lamp, rear trim and \"Ford\" emblem on a 1969 Ford XL convertible.<\/p>\n

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MAINTENANCE <\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Frank, \u201cI had to fix the carburetor this past winter because it was leaking, so I went to my local auto parts store and got a kit to fix it. That\u2019s the beautiful thing about this car: It\u2019s not complicated. Mechanically it\u2019s all Ford, and it uses almost all the same components every other Ford used during the era\u2014and they built a lot of Fords in 1969. If you can\u2019t find something at the local parts store, odds are good that you can find it online, and the support network through the Galaxie Club is amazing. They know all the subtle details and the right people to talk to if you run into some sort of issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings like body parts and trim are different. It can be hard to find some of the specific trim, for instance, because they only built 7,402 convertibles and 54,557 fastback coupes; the XL was not a high-production model like the LTD. Again, this is where the Galaxie Club\u2019s network really serves car owners well.\u201d<\/p>\n

DRIVING<\/h3>\n

\"Color<\/p>\n

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Frank reports that driving his family\u2019s Ford XL convertible is a comfortable experience. Even with the 220-hp 302-cu.in. small-block engine managing nearly 4,000 pounds of metal and material, it provides plenty of pep when needed and runs very smoothly when properly maintained. Not unusual considering the V-8 has been a near bulletproof, reliable Ford staple since its introduction. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t drive the convertible super fast, but it will easily cruise at 60 mph without any trouble. I know it will go a lot faster; it\u2019s more than capable of maintaining speed in today\u2019s highway conditions if you don\u2019t want to take the slow route somewhere. The Ford XL doesn\u2019t wander all over the road, either. It probably helps to have radial equivalents mounted, but even with bias-plies it tracked nicely. The disc brakes up front provide just a little more stopping reassurance, and because of the chassis wide stance and a capable suspension system it doesn\u2019t wallow while cornering at a reasonable speed. Ford really knew what they were doing when they engineered this. It\u2019s a very enjoyable car. <\/p>\n

\u201cI asked my dad why he bought this XL from my uncle, and he said, \u2018I bought it for you. I know you like to collect cars.\u2019 I think he knew I\u2019d appreciate this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Color<\/p>\n\n

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Timing is everything, especially when it coincides with the well-earned acquisition of a freshly minted driver\u2019s license while in high school. It\u2019s a joyous moment, liberated from a slog to and from class in a crowded bus, or a long walk no matter 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