John Viggianelli's 1963 Ford Galaxie

A photo of John with his Galaxie. John was a member of the Road Huggers of Central Valley car club, and his Galaxie was painted by Larry Watson at Watson's House of Style. In 2022, John told Kustomrama that to the best of his memory, the car was painted in 1965. Photo courtesy of John Viggianelli, provided by Nick Viggianelli.

The lifts on John's Galaxie were installed by a Mexican gentleman in Glendale at a shop right by the train yard. "My dad was approached by the guy's sons, and they told him their dad could make his car go up and down," John's son Nick told Kustomrama, "My dad jumped on it." John can't remember the guy's name, but airplane landing gear was used to make the front of the car go up and down. After John installed the lifts, a few other guys in the San Fernando Valley went and got them from the same guy. "As far as my Dad knows, he says he was one of the first in the San Fernando Valley to have lifts." Photo courtesy of John Viggianelli, provided by Nick Viggianelli.

A photo of John's Ford taken at the 1965 Tridents Rod Custom Autorama. By then, the car had received the Larry Watson custom paint job. Photo courtesy of John Viggianelli, provided by Nick Viggianelli.

Another photo of John's Ford taken at the 1965 Tridents Rod Custom Autorama. Photo by Bud Lang, from the Petersen Archive.

Photo by Bud Lang, from the Petersen Archive.

When John went into the service, his brother had the car for a while. In 1972, the brother sold it while John was away, and John never saw the car again. John's son, Nick Viggianelli has been trying to find his dad's old custom for a while, but he has had no luck so far. Do you know what happened to the Viggianelli Galaxie? Please get in touch with Kustomrama at mail@kustomrama.com if you have any info to share. Photo courtesy of John Viggianelli, provided by Nick Viggianelli.

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Lost and Found

1963 Ford Galaxie owned by John Viggianelli of Pacoima, California. John's Ford was nosed, decked and shaved for much of its chrome. The dual headlights were swapped in favor of single headlights, and the stock grille was scrapped in favor of a tube grille. The customization work was done by a father and son shop at Van Nuys Blvd. In 2022, John couldn't remember the name of the shop, but he recalled that it was next to a speed shop close to the hospital. The Galaxie was dressed up with chromed and reversed wheels with narrow whitewall tires.

Custom Paint by Larry Watson

John was a member of the Road Huggers of Central Valley car club, and after the Galaxie had been restyled, it was painted by Larry Watson at Watson's House of Style. In 2022, John told Kustomrama that to the best of his memory, the car was painted in 1965. It was shown at the 1965 Tridents Rod Custom Autorama, and by then, it had received its Candy Ruby over Pearl Silver, Red, and Maroon Metalflake custom paint job.

Hydraulic Lifts

After Watson had painted the car, it received hydraulic lifts up front. According to John's son Nick, the lifts were installed by a Mexican gentleman in Glendale, at a shop right by the train yard. "My dad was approached by the guy's sons, and they told him their dad could make his car go up and down. My dad jumped on it." John can't remember the guy's name, but airplane landing gear was used to make the front of the car go up and down. After John installed the lifts, a few other guys in the San Fernando Valley went and got them from the same guy. "As far as my Dad knows, he says he was one of the first in the San Fernando Valley to have lifts."

Where is it Now?

When John went into the service, his brother had the car for a while. In 1972, the brother sold it while John was away, and John never saw the car again. John's son, Nick Viggianelli has been trying to find his dad's old custom for a while, but he has had no luck so far. Do you know what happened to the Viggianelli Galaxie? Please get in touch with Kustomrama at mail@kustomrama.com if you have any info to share.