Projects BIGREDTODD'S 1961 STARLINER THREAD

Not light enough... The Fords operated under a weight disadvantage at the drag strip though these years as their main competition were all a hundred pounds or more lighter. No big deal in NASCAR...

The answer at the drag strip was the heavily-modified limited production Thunderbolt '64 Fairlane. Ford's problem was they didn't have any other stock body that would accept the FE without extensive mods until the '66 Fairlane arrived. Even then Ford limited the 427 to 50-some 'race package' Fairlanes. It wasn't until '67 that the 427 became a 'regular' production option in a non-full-size car and they perversely didn't offer it in the Fairlane GT but only in Fairlane 500 trim. Mercury was sneakier, as they offered it in any '67 Comet Model (except wagons). But sold very few of those.

 

1. Yes Marty, I’m watching this one. You know my soft spot for 61’s and why…

 

…….”full sized”

 

Boy, I have a complete early '61 date tri power that needs one of those to carry it around, what a nice car! By the way, the gent was right about the 1960 Fords being the widest America ever produced, the front bumpers are the clincher, just a bit over 80 inches wide I think. Putting one on a standard 72 inch wide trailer (between the trailer fenders) requires careful use of ramps and approach/departure angles, making a fellow much more appreciative of removable trailer fenders.

 

Man, I can't say I'd ever try to fit any of my cars on a 72" wide trailer. My tilt bed trailer is 84" between the fenders. If you want to see a wide car threading the needle between the fenders, my '61 - '63 Imperials are WIDE, especially at the front bumper.

 

BigRedTodd, will be watching your build as I am in the middle of mine as well.

 

Looks great Scott! Tell me about your tire & wheel sizes?

 

I dunno about the '61s, but the '60 has humungous rear wheelwells. I've got 275/60-15s on the rear of my convertible, using an 8" wheel with 4.25" backspace. I believe a 295/60 would fit on a 10" wheel with 5.25" backspace. Fronts are 235/60-15 on a 7" wheel, same 4.25" backspace. It's a real handful with manual steering in a parking lot... LOL. Power steering is on the list....

The 275s do lightly scrape once in a while with the car at stock height, but the vert has 'dented' inner wells for top clearance when it's down. I'm lowering the car, so I'm switching to 255/60s in the rear and 215/70s in the front. These also have the same OD as the original tires.

 

Rears are 235/70/15 / Fronts are 205/75/15
Wheels are Halibrand Sprint rears are 15x8 w 4.25 bs fronts are 15x5.5 w 3.0 bs
I ordered new front springs from Coil Springs Specialties that are 1” over stock and had new rear springs built from St. Louis Spring that were arched an extra 1” and added an extra leaf from stock. Was going for the early 60’s Super Stock / Jr Stock appearance.

 

It's a great look...currently, I have 15x8 rear (4.5" BS) with 255/70 radials out back, and 15x5 (3" BS) on 205/75 radials in front.

 

OK...back to catching up on the tasks at hand

I mentioned that I had never done a headliner before, right? Well it was about this time that I figured doing it myself was a huge mistake, but I was committed. I didn't say encouraged, but committed:



I pulled & stretched it, and added some steam. I first clamped it to the pinch welds at the front & rear, hit it with a bit more steam, and pulled it again. Then I started tucking it to the tack strips on each side, working from the middle then forward and back. After a little bit more massaging, I glued it to the pinch welds at the front and rear glass opening (as instructed), and left it clamped.

Looking toward the front...pretty happy:



Looking toward the back...only one side left to go. Forgot to take another picture after it was all done:



The interface with the pinch weld, the rear garnish molding, and having a smooth headliner was a real challenge (pictures of the finished product to come later)

 

I'd mentioned that I took the plunge on an SMS interior, and after almost a year the stitched covers arrived. Man, oh man! Beautiful stuff!!

 

SMS advised that the door panels would be shipping the next month, so I took the seats & new covers down to Truck Toggery in Modesto, CA. They have done work for me in the past, as well as my dad's cars before he died.

I thought the original seat frames were in pretty good shape, and for the most part they were. But the front seat needed spring repair, and the frame needed some more involved repairs. So off to a specialty welding shop, then off to powdercoat. the only "before" picture I have of the seats (the rear seat upholstery was intact, but sun baked. the front seat had been recovered in vinyl, in a similar pattern to the original).



The seats came back looking better than new, having been completely restored & renewed. I was still waiting for SMS door panels, so the seats had to go into storage while I waited, but here is a few peaks at the new upholstery.

 

So while the seats sat in storage, I waited for the door panels.

...and I waited

...and waited

2 1/2 years after the order was placed, my door panels arrived...and WOW. Worth the wait!



I also sourced a reproduction package tray. Correct color (gray file photo shown) and grain, but molded in fiberglass. Perfect fit, from Ebay seller hemieddy:

 

Right on, I cannot recall the specific year, but Imperials, somewhere between '57 and '63, hold second place for the widest American production auto, again at 80 plus inches. The interior looks great, keep right on posting.

 

Ask me how I know...the front bumper is the lowest, widest point on the car. Threading this needle between the 84" fender width is pretty stressful.

 

OK, OK...back to the Starliner progress.

Going forward, I have to re-visit what I said about the sequence of the interior install. There were very few things to this point that gave me issues from a sequencing standpoint. I knew I had to get the headliner in first, and I wanted the carpet in (if only to make a cleaner work environment inside the car). Thinking that with the headliner in, I was ready for front & back glass. Right? WRONG...

Here is as briefly as I can summarize it, pertaining to the interior in general:
1. Headliner installed
2. Package tray installed (slides in from the rear, through the vacant window opening)
3. All work on the quarter windows needs to be completed by this time (rollers, adjustment, weathering, etc.)
4. All weathering & windlacing behind rear interior side panels, then interior (rear) side panels
5. Belt line garnish moldings for quarter window.
6. C-pillar garnish moldings (captures headliner, package tray, an belt tine moldings)
7. THEN the windshield & back glass can go in

 

Once I sorted out the sequence above, and had a bit of a pow-wow with the glass shop, I ironed out the last few details that needed to be dialed in before I could take it in. Not the best pictures here, but it feels like a huge hurdle to get past...finished, beautiful materials installed for the final time (the vice grips were only there until the window cranks arrived)

 

First headliner? It is nice and tight. Great job. I know they are a lot of work to make look nice but worth the effort.
They really finish off the interior when someone checks it out, you will be proud!

 

At this point, the wet & wild 2023 winter that we are enjoying set me back about 2 weeks...the glass was out except for the quarter glass and passenger side door. I wasn't about to do this in the rain, and I don't own, or have anyone nearby with an enclosed trailer.

Regardless, I was determined to DRIVE this car across the town that it has never left, for the first time since 1972. That's right, all the receipts in the glove box, all the registration stopped in 1972...



Not wanting the glass shop to worry about climbing over pristine new upholstery, I set my favorite beach chair on the floor and bundled up for the breezy ride.





And victory was mine...perhaps some of the most fun I have had driving a car in recent history...quiet morning, little traffic, crackling exhaust, big block, stick shift. Sure, it was only 7 miles...but that was huge to me, as it was the longest drive it has logged in over 50 years.

 

Thanks very much for the comment...it is the first time I have ever installed a headliner. There are a couple of "oopsies", but I am my own harshest critic, and I am generally very pleased. It's crazy, once the headliner was in (before anything else, other than carpet) I finally started to believe the car was coming together. Far more encouraging than a garage full of expenses boxes, as things fall into place.

 

Man I love these cars!!! Nice score, @BIGREDTODD !!!

 

You guys GET IT! Bigs n little mean just that. Most fools will run 7's all the way around and wonder why it doesn't look bitchin, especially on a full bodied car. Hell, there are guys afraid to do these sizes on ROADSTERS and wonder why their cars don't look like TRJ features

 

Gotta Love the ‘60/‘61 Starliners ! Want to see more build tech and end results on both, the black and yellow cars in this thread.

 

Might as well get all the way up to date...It's always great news when the glass shop is happy. I went to great lengths to make sure the flanges for the windshield & rear glass were cleeeeean! No rust, no issues, even the tiny holes for the tiny screws that hold the upper & lower stainless trim were clean.

It costs a lot to get anything done by professionals. You know why? Because it's usually worth it. I pulled the glass by myself, and new that was the end of my cost savings for that process. I guess it made their lives easier, and there were no surprises for anyone.

Front and rear, primed and ready for fresh seals and glass:





And, just like that it was done. Just a couple business days later there was enough of a break in the weather to pick it up...





The drive home was uneventful, but later that evening I did look down at the carpet and regret not replacing the heater core while everything was gutted out. No harm, no foul, and the carpet cleaned up fine. Even more fortunate, I was able to find a restored core & refurbished heater control valve (made of unobtanium, and priced accordingly) so I can just swap it out when it arrives.

I'll continue to add to this as things evolve. Thanks for checking it out.

 

I am messing with a 61 Sunliner but I definitely have the hots for Starliners. yours looks like a good one

 

NICE !!!!
6sally6

 

I had a mobile glass guy (since he is retired) come to my place and install the windshield, very much worth the $125. Another $150 went to setting the side glass in the tracks. I'm hesitant about the rear window, since they are hard to find if something goes amiss.

I had cleaned the windshield opening, primed and painted all around too. Carpenter supplied the new gasket.

 

do you have any idea were the vent hose goes to or is routed. went for the first drive of the season after several repairs over the winter including a new tank. I had not put a hose on the nipple leaked when full. I have put a hose on but not sure were it should go to. thanks Tim

 

I'll try to remember to take a picture for specifics, but mine has a soft line that connects the nipple on the tank to a hard line on the car. If memory serves, that hard line runs along the driver's side frame channel then across the rear most crossmember, and is visible near the filler neck opening.

Hope that helps!