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I think I see white on the edge of the paint chips on the roof and also on the side, on the door edge. Or is it just the light?

Hmmm.....I see what you mean. It's odd that this undercoat is not more obvious given the number of chips and high-point rubs on the model. There is also no white paint to be seen in the wells of the baseplate rivets.
Could I suggest that what you have highlighted are small areas of fresh chipping which have exposed untarnished metal? That shiny surface is then reflecting the photographic lights, giving the appearance of small areas of white paint?

I see what you mean about the gap between the lowest louvre of the grille and the top of the bumper.That, coupled with the casting defect at the base of the driver's-side C-pillar, leads to to agree with you that this example is a pairing of an early baseplate casting with an early body casting. The question still remains though, did it really leave the factory with those wheels?

Idris wrote:Could I suggest that what you have highlighted are small areas of fresh chipping which have exposed untarnished metal? That shiny surface is then reflecting the photographic lights, giving the appearance of small areas of white paint?

You're probably right. I do have a 67b VW that definitely has a white undercoat, but it's not visible on the edges of every chip on this very battered car. It's obvious on the large chip just above the number plate light, but not on the rear wings. Perhaps the undercoat is less durable and wears off very easily once exposed?

Idris wrote:The question still remains though, did it really leave the factory with those wheels?

I really don't know. Jason pointed out that the Galaxie sits too low - which could be drilled-out wheels, as he says, but could also be that there's no suspension, like my grey-wheeled Corsair. What a shame if someone's taken a really early casting and spoilt it by changing the wheels! I've been waiting to see if someone here bought it so that we could really know for sure.

DrJeep wrote: On the downside, the grille isn't seated very well against the body. But it's the grille I find most interesting - does anyone else have one that would photograph like this, looking like there's an obvious gap to the bumper?

jsherwood wrote:I have a couple of Galaxies with Black wheels (one of each with '59' or '55/59' on the base) - The 55/59 grill casting is not quite as flush to the body compared to the '59' casting.

Sorry, I was comparing the gap between the grille and the body when looking from the side on my galaxies compared to the ebay galaxy. Also, I meant to say that the 59 casting is not quite as flush to the body as the 55/59 casting, not the other way around.

It's just that the ebay gpw galaxie has the 55/59 casting but the gap is wider than on my 55/59.

here is the gpw galaxie

Here are my galaxies - the '59' casting is on the bottom in both photos My galaxies don't have any shadow / gap at the bottom of the grille where it meets the bumper.

Cheers

John

Thanks, John - I see what you mean. I can't see any reason why the base would have been off the eBay Galaxie, though, and the rivets look good. Perhaps this supports the idea of an early casting?

DrJeep wrote: Perhaps this supports the idea of an early casting?

I'd been wondering whether the rake of the front of the body or of the grille itself might not be different from a normal production model.

Because of the quality of the ebay images I can not tell if the axle ends are factory. This was a period where axle ends were not consistent, so without an in hand inspection we may not know.

What is known about the casting is that it is early but given the angle the photo was taken at, it does not give details as good as lower front on view.

Here is a pic of known early base plate (permission to use from owner) placed above the gpw model

From it we can see 7 horizontal grille sections
The top of the bumper runs under the two lights on both models.
The very top horizontal section is crisp on the early model but thicker on the gpw model.
A gap between the grille and bonnet on top one but may not be on the red model.
If you now look at my own somewhat play-worn but much loved for 50 plus years you will also see the top fin is thicker and touches the bonnet.
Now this is slightly later than the gpw model because there is only one bit of infill between top of bumper and lowest grille horizontal. ( an interim model that would sit between Glenn’s Galaxie grilles image white model on left and middle fire chief model )

So I would say the top horizontal line quickly flashed to edge of die to make it thicker or a deliberate thickening

Glenn, to compare properly could you help with an image taken of the 55c white model on the left taken front on like the one I have labelled "possibly early" please.

Thanks

Bert

How's this? I think I see a few differences compared to the "possible early" base. The main one is the shape of the right light surround (on the left in the picture). It seems to be higher on the outside of the car, while the early one slopes the opposite way. At this magnification you can see casting flaws on the right-hand headlight, and that the gap at the bottom of the grille has started to fill in - especially noticeable on the left side next to the headlights. So mine is early but not that early...

Perfect, thanks Glenn.
I hope to have a look at a couple of early examples on the weekend, so may have something to add then.
Cheers
Bert

This is a great thread and a good example of how a thread can develop with detailed posts and super pictures, it makes such interesting reading regardless of the subjects. Thanks guys.

Ghosthunter.