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March 13, 2021 10:45 am  #1


1961 Sunliner - Advice Needed

Hi everyone! I am very close to pulling the trigger on a 61 Sunliner. The body is SUPER straight, rust free... I only hesitate because of one major issue... there is no engine, transmission or interior. I am young (33) and have done cars before (69 Mustang, 59 Ranchero, 67 Ranchero), but all of those began as complete cars and I was just restoring components. This is something else. 

My biggest issue is: what elements from other years of Galaxie will work in the 61's interior? For example, can the back seat of a 62 Starliner fit into the back of the 61? Can I take the Rear Armrests from a 64? Same for the front seat and door panels?

I am not trying to build a numbers matching concourse car. I want a fun, clean ride I can cruise around in with my lady. New upholstery is obvious and easy for me, but if someone were to look inside and say "those are the wrong door panels" I wouldn't care as long as they fit. So again if it fits, it ships.. and '61 Sunliner Specific parts are hard to find so I am not picky.

Other Question: I have done my homework here on what engines I can use, and I know about the Fox Mustang motor mounts for a Windsor block (thanks Daze!), but what about transmission? Can about any transmission clear the tunnel? (AOD, TKR, T5z, C4, 4 speed top-loader etc.) or will I be at the mercy of a period matching Cruise-o-matic? (again, I did see Daze's write up on the T5, but If I go with a 428 (and I have found one...) this won't be an option..)

PS I know anything is possible with enough elbow grease, but Ideally I want something that is easier to achieve alone, outside of a shop and won't cost me an outrageous amount. Example, is a 351 Cleveland with a C6 an easy install? Or a 428 with a 4speed top loader? 302 with a c4? What will cause the least amount of head ache?

Thanks everyone!

Last edited by willievt (March 13, 2021 4:56 pm)

 

March 14, 2021 10:40 am  #2


Re: 1961 Sunliner - Advice Needed

Welcome to the forum. I picked up a 61 Starliner a few years and here's what I ran into with mine.  On the interior the PO made his own door and quarter trim panels. Best I can say about those is they covered to doors and they looked homemade. The seats he installed 65 (I think) Tbird bucket seats in front and a 64 Galaxie rear seat. Rear seat would have looked great but it was in poor condition. The buckets weren't very good either and they didn't fit the floor right. Had to make a shim to make both outside seat tracks fit right. My solution for the interior was purchase a new interior from Labarron/Bonney. Of course that required finding original seat frames for it. Fortunately a friend had a 61 in his collection i horse traded for some seats. You have to watch out what seats you find because there are different seat bottoms depending on how your floor is configured. Some have a flat front floor, others have front floor wells. I still have the incorrect rear seat bottom in mine. Mine now looks factory stock if you don't look too close. I'm not sure about swapping different year door panels and seats. PO made the rear seat of a 64 work but it was really tight when I disassembled it.
The engine/trans. Mine came with a 406, 3x2's, and a toploader 4sp. but currently gathering parts to make it a 427. Personally I would go with the 428. It's a bolt in. Trans, you could go with a C6 if you don't like to shift gears (clutch linkage is hard to find and $$). An early AOD would work with an adapter and a little fab work. I had a T5 in my 57 Ford and it was a blast to drive. I'm sure it will work in a Sunliner along with a toploader or a T10.
Do your research and ask questions here, I'm sure others can chime in with answers.

 

March 15, 2021 6:34 am  #3


Re: 1961 Sunliner - Advice Needed

Just another thought on your Sunliner. A friend had a 60 Starliner that he installed a complete 63 Galaxie 500XL interior in it. Dash included. Don't know how difficult it was but it looked like a 63 Ford inside.
Yours being a Sunliner you may have to get convertible specific rear seat and quarter trim panels to look/work correctly.

 

March 15, 2021 8:46 am  #4


Re: 1961 Sunliner - Advice Needed

Thanks for your input, Lowrider! That's very interesting about your friend with the 63. Yes, exactly, I guess my worry is a bit more that the interior of the convertible--because of the overall structure of the car--may be a bit more unique as opposed to "year hopping" among hardtops. Thank you for your input and I hope some other members hop on as well

     Thread Starter
 

March 25, 2021 7:09 pm  #5


Re: 1961 Sunliner - Advice Needed

willievt wrote:

Hi everyone! I am very close to pulling the trigger on a 61 Sunliner. The body is SUPER straight, rust free... I only hesitate because of one major issue... there is no engine, transmission or interior. I am young (33) and have done cars before (69 Mustang, 59 Ranchero, 67 Ranchero), but all of those began as complete cars and I was just restoring components. This is something else. 

My biggest issue is: what elements from other years of Galaxie will work in the 61's interior? For example, can the back seat of a 62 Starliner fit into the back of the 61? Can I take the Rear Armrests from a 64? Same for the front seat and door panels?

I am not trying to build a numbers matching concourse car. I want a fun, clean ride I can cruise around in with my lady. New upholstery is obvious and easy for me, but if someone were to look inside and say "those are the wrong door panels" I wouldn't care as long as they fit. So again if it fits, it ships.. and '61 Sunliner Specific parts are hard to find so I am not picky.

Other Question: I have done my homework here on what engines I can use, and I know about the Fox Mustang motor mounts for a Windsor block (thanks Daze!), but what about transmission? Can about any transmission clear the tunnel? (AOD, TKR, T5z, C4, 4 speed top-loader etc.) or will I be at the mercy of a period matching Cruise-o-matic? (again, I did see Daze's write up on the T5, but If I go with a 428 (and I have found one...) this won't be an option..)

PS I know anything is possible with enough elbow grease, but Ideally I want something that is easier to achieve alone, outside of a shop and won't cost me an outrageous amount. Example, is a 351 Cleveland with a C6 an easy install? Or a 428 with a 4speed top loader? 302 with a c4? What will cause the least amount of head ache?

Thanks everyone!

I went to look at the car today (the snow had finally melted enough to get to it. It was a bit rougher than I was expecting, but still very clean. No serious rust any way and minimal filling needed on the back quarter with some putty and sanding. Would love any input if possible: I will now try and post a few pictures.









(Hopfuly those posted)
 

     Thread Starter
 

April 6, 2021 9:23 pm  #6


Re: 1961 Sunliner - Advice Needed

Happy to hear of another Sunliner getting a new life! I completed a 5 year restomod restoration on the exact same car. Lots of posts on this forum of the restoration. I installed a 4.6 and 4R70W, rack and pinion, hydroboost, 4 wheel disc brakes and many other mods. Bottom line is...do what you want, it's your car and your money. Dont worry about what others say, they aren't doing the restoration so they shouldn't have an opinion. Real car people admire others work and are generoisly curious about why you did what you did. PM me if you need any info, I would be happy to share all that I learned.

 

April 8, 2021 5:40 pm  #7


Re: 1961 Sunliner - Advice Needed

Did you rescue that Sunliner? I have 2 of them and that one looks pretty solid compared to mine.
The closest cousin to the 61 Sunliner is a 62. Some things interchange between 60 and 63.
The back seat trim panels are different as they surround the top mechanism, shouldn't be hard to reproduce something simular if you can examine an original. The back seat is narrower also accommodate the top. You should be able to narrow a hardtop seat. The rear footwells are convertible specific because of the X member.
Check the convertible top header that attaches to the windshield, they are prone to rust and made of unobtanium.
The door panels are flat, so easy enough to cut a replacement panel and do your own thing to upholster it. Last I looked none of the regular upholstery sources reproduced for the 61. A specialty shop might do it.
Mike

 

April 9, 2021 5:30 am  #8


Re: 1961 Sunliner - Advice Needed

I picked up a complete interior kit from Labarron Bonney a couple years ago for mine. Fit great and looks good. Problem is Labarron Bonney filed for bankruptcy about a year ago. You might try SMS industries for an interior. They are the supplier of materials for most all of car upholstery shops. Trouble is they are notoriously slow. If your not set on original patterns for your interior sometimes you can choose something close to speed things up. That's what I ended up doing because SMS dragged their feet over a year to supply one grain pattern for my seats. I ended up choosing the same color but a different grain for mine. Labarron Bonney finished it in a couple weeks. I can't tell the difference, it looks and fits great.

 

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