Mike Mansfield
1961 Galaxie Sunliner
VIN 1D55Z148300, BODY 76B, COLOR R, TRIM 92, DATE 07G, TRANS 4, AXLE 1
This car was purchased by me in 2004 from a fellow in San Jose, California, and then shipped to Michigan.
In general this is a pretty nice, solid car and is very original. It has 80,000 miles. I removed the original 390 engine last summer and had the long block rebuilt. I also installed a new fuel pump, generator, water pump at that time. While I wouldn't represent it as such, the transmission appears to have been rebuilt at some point as well. The engine has approx 1,000 miles since overhaul and runs great! The brakes were redone shortly before I got it. They are manual, but work well and have a good pedal feel. The fuel tank has been removed, cleaned and sealed and has a new sending unit. The floors are super solid, and some parts of the interior, especially the seats, appear to have been redone, though the door panels and quarter trim panels are showing their age. All the glass is very good, all accessories work very well. including the clock which I had rebuilt.
The convertible top, while it works very smoothly, has shrunk a bit and is coming apart at the rear seams on top. There is a bit of filler and minor bubbling above both rear wheel wells, and a bit of rust (2.5 inches) on the edges of the left fender inside the engine compartment where it bolts to the inner fender (not visible from outside). The rest of both fenders are very solid. The paint doesn't shine much and can only be called "OK". Both bumpers, while useable, have numerous small dents.
Left click on the thumbnails below to view the full pictures:
Let's see what the VIN and production data tell us...
The VIN of 1D55Z148300 decodes as follows:
1 = model year: 1961
D = build plant: Dallas Assembly Plant in Dallas, Texas
55 = Body Serial Code: Galaxie Sunliner (convertible), bench seats (44,614 produced during the 1961 model year)
Z = engine: Thunderbird 390 Special V-8, 390-4V, 300 hp @ 4600 rpm, 427 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm, 9.6:1 compression ratio
148300 = Consecutive Unit Number (CUN): 48,300th Ford car scheduled to be built at the Dallas Assembly Plant during the 1961 model year (Job 1 was CUN 100001)
The production data decode as follows:
BODY 76B = Body Style Code: Galaxie Sunliner (convertible), bench seats (44,614 produced during the 1961 model year)
COLOR R = exterior paint color: Cambridge Blue (medium blue metallic)
TRIM 92 = interior trim color, material and front seat style: medium blue vinyl cushion inserts and light blue "Morocco" pattern vinyl cushions, bolsters and back, bench seat
DATE 07G = scheduled build date: Friday, July 7, 1961
TRANS 4 = transmission type and shift location: Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automatic, column shift
AXLE 1 = rear axle ratio and type: 3.56:1 non-locking
Left click on the thumbnail below to read what the Buyer's Digest Of New Car Facts For '61 had to say about the 1961 Galaxie Sunliner:
