1960 Starliner Part 2 – It’s Custom and Evil

---

If you’ve read MyRideisMe.com long, you know we don’t do many stockers, but the unrestored and original 1960 Starliner from part 1 was special. Contrast that with the billet-wheeled’n candy painted sweetheart you see here. Or is it?

I met Mel and Lynda Swafford at the NorCal Knockout in Vallejo, CA. From the pics you can see it was a cool show nestled in the trees of the Solano County Fairgrounds. As the first annual, it wasn’t that big, but everyone who showed enjoyed a perfect California July day. (Look for Nick K and my pics soon…)

Back to this “sweetheart” known to the Swafford’s and their friends as, “Christine”. Oh you remember! Stephen King’s 1958 Plymouth Fury that didn’t mind running folks off the road… It’s not a nickname you give to a car that’s been nice during a rebuild. (Are they ever nice?)

It all started well. Mel’s dad owned a white 1960 Starliner way-back-when and Mel, “Always loved it.” It’s often a special memory a car brings back that make it, “My Ride is Me.”

To get started, in about 2006, Mel traveled to Denver to pick up a “Fresh and original” 1960 Starliner. It turned out to be a basket case filled with rust. With ideas of leaving without the car, Mel bought it anyway but later needed a parts car sourced out of Walnut Creek, CA. From there, it was a complete frame-off restoration… and it shows.

This is a great view of the ultra long overhang on the 1960 Starliner.

So why Christine? Turns out it was the paint. To get what you see now, the car was painted a total of 4 times. One guy went bankrupt, another time the paint bubbled and peeled up, then, believe it or not, someone keyed this beauty. (There is no bigger loser than someone who’d key a car like this)

Finally, the car was painted and the color was all wrong. Mel didn’t have to settle because the car was keyed again! Maybe this car is possessed because Mel’s a cool guy!

It’s easy to tell a 1960 Starliner from the 61… in 1961, the tailfins are almost gone and the signature round taillight of the 60′s was back.

Finally, the paint you see here was laid down by Mashore Autobody & Paint in Brentwood, CA. It was worth the wait. I tried to capture the color in this picture, but it might not do it justice.  At least the multiple reflections give you some idea of the depth. You also get a close-up look at the groovy lines of a Starliner with chrome trim everywhere. Just so you know, it’s Candy Apple Red with Brandywine mixed in.

Unlike Christine, this story has a happy ending. Mel and Lynda are enjoying their Starliner every chance they get. With the 390/C6 combo, Vintage Air and Airride on board, Mel assures me, “The only thing old here is me and the old lady.” I love it.

So where’s part 3 of the Starliner series?

1960 Starliner Part 1 – Low Mile Stocker

When you’re cruzin’ the LA Roadster show, you never know what you’ll find. Roadsters, yea, but like I’ve said before, the LA Roadsters brings out the best in all of SoCal. Here’s one of the best you’ll see anywhere from Rod Barrett of Rancho Dominguez, CA. This original and unrestored 1960 Galaxie Starliner has a little over 10,000 miles on the odo.

This is part 1 of 2 Ford Starliners found this summer, but maybe there was a part ZERO?  KIRK! from Billetproof and now Goodguys Gazette fame has  (had, he sold it now) one of the finest 60 Starliners ever built. If you’ve never seen it, check it out in Kirk’s garage here.

So much has been written about Kirk’s ride, I’m skipping to this bad black beauty.

One thing 60 Starliner folks are happy to tell you is that they own the longest and widest Ford ever built. At 5.7 inches longer and five inches wider than the 1959 Ford, they’re still shorties compared to the 1959-60 Caddy coming in at 213.7 inches compared to the Cad’s 225.

Looking around the web, I found numerous mentions of the super-long rear overhang on the 60 Starliner. No problem if you’re using Ford’s “Sporty” fastback as a racing platform as the NASCAR boys did, but look out for steep driveways or those cool aluminum rear gravel shield are toast!

I caught Ron just as he parked this beauty and heard him say to some new mates from Australia that the car only had 10,740 miles on it. From 1960, that’s only 214 miles/year! Ron found the car with 7800 miles on it in upstate New York, so don’t think he’s not driving it. In fact, he said, “I never trailer it!”

Ron swore the for sale ad must be a mistake at only 7800 miles. He thought, “Don’t you mean 78-thousand?” But since Ron owned and raced a 1960 Starliner in his younger days, he called anyways and a deal was made. He’s heard offers since, but he asked, “Where will I find another like this?” You won’t.

What originally caught my eye, before hearing the mileage, was the interior. Check it out! (Click to see the pic full size). I’ve been shooting pictures of interiors for my Falcon Wagon project and had to have one of this! What’s the best name for the patterned cloth insert on seats like this?  The sheen on the seat is from the originally installed clear vinyl seat covers. Everything inside is perfect.

Ron 292 cu. in. equipped stocker is backed by the 2 speed Fordomatic trans. Not as desirable as the 352 or later the 401 HP tri-powered 390 with a 4 speed, but hey, it purrs like new.

So thanks to Ron for sharing some info about his Starliner and for parking right next to where I was walking. Got a lower mileage 1960 Starliner? I’d love to see it!

Look here for Part 2 of the 60 Starliner Series. This next one’s a hot rod!

Galaxie Custom and Bonneville Salt Cruiser

This 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 was easily one of my top 3 favorite cars from Speedweek 2009.  I first noticed it in the pits then saw it again while Pikesan and I were cruising down the Long Course after the drivers meeting.  We sort of cruised the rest of the Long Course along side Nick and his Gal’ then turned onto the Return Road back to the pits. Almost 7 miles from the start, we spied some pristine, undisturbed virgin salt and decided to make a detour for some salt-throwin’ pictures Craig’s ’27 T, Nick’s Galaxie and Nick’s buddy’s 5 window Coupe you see in this picture above.

Here’s some more shots of this Mild Custom!

I love this car!  That red satin paint against the bright white salt is rockin’.

I dig the long lines.  That stance is perfect with its Air Ride Technologies 4-way system with electronic controller.

I dig this shot with Pikesan’s roadster in the background.

From Nick: “This car has been a great driver for the past 4-1/2 years. It originally had a 390/auto and I decided to swap in a 302/T-5 and 3.70 gears last year. It’ss an absolute blast to drive and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it anywhere. Come to think of it, during the 40,000 miles that I’ve put on it, I don’t recall ever being stranded.”

Here’s the specs on the Gal’

Engine:
Roller cam 302 (5.0), rebuilt .030 over, Trickflow Stage 1 cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, Edelbrock 650 carb., shorty Mustang headers

Exhaust:
2-1/2″ with H-pipe, 40-series Flowmaster mufflers, dumps just ahead of the rear bumper and sounds great.

Transmission:
Stock ’94 Mustang GT world class T-5 5-speed.

Rear suspension:
3.70 gears. Air-Over-Leaf ‘bag kit, 2 leaf springs remain, with 2″ lowering blocks added.

Front Suspension:
Ford Granada spindles, disc brakes, and (manual) master cylinder.  ‘Cool Ride’ air bag kit installed with shocks relocated to rear of control arms.

Wheels/Tires:
15×7 with 225/70r15 Diamondback Classic tires.  Chrome wheels – original centers with new 7″ wide rims by Rally America. Chrome Spider Caps.

Body:
Red primer and Silver flake / Red candy roof

Enjoy these pics from Nick.

This was taken in 2008 at Nick’s first Speedweek trip.  He drove it all the way out from Nebraska.  Crazy!

This Galaxie just has it all for me.  Late model 302, a T-5 5 speed trans, air ride, white walls, Mild Custom look with great stance-NAILED!!  Nice work Nick!

But Nick, despite his fond memories and long drives in the Gal’ moved on to another project. A 1929 Model A Roadster with traditional style to come, no doubt.   I can’t wait for Model A’s debut. See you at Speedweek 2010?

See you on the Salt!
Hechtspeed

1 Painless Way to a Roadster Pickup

At SEMA, it’s easy to find a great car, they’re in almost every booth!  But like the 70 Chevelle with a Duramax diesel motor, it’s a the different and sometimes unique builds that really get my attention.  That’s what I found in this “Painless” Roadster Pickup.

This style of roadster pickup, also called a “Truckster” was penned by well known hot rod artist Thom Taylor back in August of 2007 for Rod and Custom Magazine. The concept  is simple, but you’re gonna get to know a sawzall and grinder real, REAL well to get it done. You take 50-70′s pickup, then chop up the cab and the bed until proportions of a hot rod. Easy for Thom to say!

I saw a Thom Taylor sketch in the pickup bed of this truck, so I’m sure he had a hand in the proportions, color and stance that make this truck one of my favorites from SEMA.

So what is it? It started as a 1978 Ford Pickup. Recognize it?  From there, the cab was narrowed 16 inches, then the top and A-pillars were chopped off and the remaining cab shortened 8 inches. The reassembled jigsaw puzzle and newly created “roadster” body was then channeled over the frame. The rest of the body includes a 1938 Dodge grille and believe it or not an MGB windshield with 4 inches cut off each side.

Up front you’ll find a mix of wholly (or is it Holy?) traditional 1952 Merc flathead topped by a pair of Stromberg 97 Carb-like fuel injection bodies complete with, of course, Painless Performance Products wiring. Clean, simple and brand new! The owner and Executive VP of Painless, Dennis Overholser, told me they barely had time to tune it before SEMA.

The tough stance is courtesy of 18 and 20 inch Dayton wire wheels. Straying from the traditional on the wheels like they did is a nice compliment to the fuel injection and adds to the, “What is that?” stares at the show. I guess those folks don’t read Rod and Custom?

On the inside, you immediately notice the perfectly weathered dark brown leather that’s straight from the actual “King Ranch” in Texas. Everyone’s heard of King Ranch from the Ford pickup option package, but this is more than just a name.  So now will rodders be on the look out for patina’d paint and leather? Interior is custom work by Eddie’s Rod Shop. The gauge is a one-off from Classic Instruments that features the name from 2007: “Truckster”

Finally, the shift knob is an old friend from Mad Magazine, Alfred E. Newman. Hand made by Bob Boudreaux, I believe it’s one of a kind.  Bob also gets credit for the PPG “Hot Wheels Orange” paint. (Click on any picture to see it full size)

SEMA brings out just about everyone in the car world, and if you’re Chairman of SEMA’s Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) then you probably know most people, like Dennis Overholser of Painless. Follow closely because another Dennis,  Dennis Gage from the show “My Classic Car” dropped by and I snapped a picture of the Dennis pair test fitting the Truckster.

So there you have it, 1 Painless way to make your own roadster pickup. Will we see more?

Special thanks to Optima Batteries for the trip to SEMA.

Bummer! 33 Ford Coupe Goes Down at Optima Invitational Race

One of the first things I saw Saturday morning as I arrived at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch was this Factory Five built, black 1933 Ford Coupe. I was worried it would be all about Camaro’s and other muscle cars during the Optima Invitational Ultimate Street Car Challenge – but seeing this smooth coupe roll across the pit assured me I’d have someone to cheer for this race day.

I can’t tell ya all about the long list of goodies it had – but let me assure you it was long. And being built by Factory Five means its some serious business. After the few laps around the Road Course that all of the cars took, Lucky #13 was just the second car for its chance to prove its stuff in this segment of the race.

To the dismay of everyone watching, as it began its second lap of the track, pulling past the first curve we saw a big cloud of dust. What we’re all asking now is what came first, the break or the accident? I guess Lucky #13 was not so lucky, it’s front suspension snapped right in half. (edit 11/30/09 – Check below. Hot Rod’s editor Rob Kinnan’s setting the record straight)

We were all disappointed to see this baby sponsored by Hot Rod Magazine get put on the sidelines…but here’s hoping it’ll be back next year!

Next Page »