Bob Varto
1961 Galaxie Sunliner
VIN 1E55W138858, BODY 76B, COLOR H, TRIM 92, DATE 11A, TRANS 2, AXLE 2
Bob says: I really enjoy and am proud of my mint condition 1961 Galaxie Sunliner. Here's some information about it:
Description: Vehicle overall appearance is excellent. All functional and operational components are 100%
operational. Vehicle appears as overall factory original, street show quality, there are many new
cosmetic improvements and mechanical updates as noted below.
Exterior: Dark Portofino Blue Pearl Matallic basecoat clearcoat (Code XB-1994 - # B9436 KH (ALBZ 19500
6618A). Refinished color gri1le bar, headlight surround moldings, taillight bezels and mirrors (all painted
body color).
Options: V-8 engine, rebuilt automatic transmission, rebuilt power steering, new power disk brakes, new alternator,
new racing steering wheel, new racing wheels, 4-way power seat, tinted windshield, dual outside
body-colored mirrors.
Engine: Ford 390-4V Thunderbird 300 hp V-8 with new 4-barrel 650 cfm Edelbrock carburetor, aluminum intake,
dual exhaust, and chrome accessories. Note: engine has been 100% rebuilt with new components effective
10/03. Actual mileage on new rebuilt engine as of 9/1/06 is 2,800.
Transmission: Cruise-O-Matic with column shift, rebuilt with new components as factory design.
Interior: TRIM code 92: Morocco grain, light and medium blue vinyl bench seats, doors and quarter trim panels.
Overall factory new/original and restored appearance.
Convertible Top: White top, power operated. Rear window and top in excellent condition.
Windows: Good condition and fully operational. Tinted windshield.
Radio: New Pioneer CD, Sirius, AM/FM stereo player and Ford AM/FM stereo cassette.
Body: BODY code 76B: 1961 Ford Galaxie Sunliner. All steel overall original as factory new. Excellent
condition/appearance. Street show quality.
Suspension: Almost all front end components, gaskets and seals are new or have been rebuilt.
Chassis: All factory original & appearance. Note: no apparent damage or deterioration.
Rear End: Rear end has been rebuilt with a gear ratio of 3.50:1.
Chrome: All original factory, excellent condition.
Tires: B.F. Goodrich T/A RWL, P255/60R15, new in excellent condition. American Racing wheels polished
aluminum, new in excellent condition.
Mileage: Actual mileage showing on gauge before rebuilt engine installed was 80,600. Mileage as of 9/1/06 is 83,400.
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 1E55W138858 decodes as follows:
1 = model year: 1961
E = build plant: Mahwah Assembly Plant in Mahwah, New Jersey
55 = Body Serial Code: Galaxie Sunliner (convertible), bench seats (44,614 produced during the 1961 model year)
W = engine: Thunderbird 292 V-8, 292-2V, 175 hp @ 4200 rpm, 279 lb-ft @ 2200 rpm, 8.8:1 compression ratio
138858 = Consecutive Unit Number (CUN): 38,858th Ford car scheduled to be built at the Mahwah 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 H = exterior paint color: Chesapeake Blue (dark blue metallic)
TRIM 97 = interior trim color, material and front seat style: medium blue pleated vinyl cushion inserts and light blue "Morocco" grain vinyl cushions, bolsters and back, bench seat
DATE 11A = scheduled build date: Wednesday, January 11, 1961
TRANS 2 = transmission type and shift location: 3-speed manual with overdrive, column shift
AXLE 2 = rear axle ratio and type: 3.89:1 non-locking
Left click on the thumbnail below to view the full picture:
Here's the article that appeared in the September 2005 issue of the Galaxie Gazette about me:
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I was born in 1941 and my story on cars goes back to 1944 when my parents bought me my first brand new 1944 Ford red convertible (remember the small metal cars with pedals). This car was the fastest in the neighborhood because I could pedal the fastest.
My whole life has been focused around the automobile industry. My father was a major car buff (along with being a plant superintendent for a major supplier his whole life). He had a new car every year (mainly sporty models) and we went to the races almost every Saturday. My father knew several of the drivers, because most of them worked for him and we were always in the pits with the drivers.
Having been brought up in and around cars my whole life, I learned at an early age many aspects of cars and racing. When I was 12–years old, my father started teaching me how to drive. Back then you didn’t need driver’s training to get a license. When I turned 16, my father bought me a new 1956 Ford 2-door red hardtop. I really liked the car, however, the car was not the fastest car in town and it wasn’t lowered nor did it have bubble skirts. Well needless to say, my buddies and I decided to modify my car to make it cool (remember this car was brand new). The first thing we did was get bubble skirts, than we put metal blocks between the rear leaf springs to lower the car. These couple of improvements were cheap and I could always remove these parts before I went home (we put these parts on and off daily) so my parents wouldn’t know.
The real difficulty of the project was to modify the engine. Money was part of the problem however, making sure my parents didn’t know what we were doing to modify the engine was the other. Well needless to say, we finally got all the parts needed and we worked continuously day and night in the school body shop to finish the car. To make sure my parents didn’t know what we were doing to the car, I told my parents the school body shop class wanted to use my car for body shop class.
Every year our city had a parade and anyone with a cool car could drive in the parade. My buddies and I decided that we would enter the parade with my car. Well to make the car cool we needed to lower the car, put the bubble skirts on and add glass pack mufflers for load noise. While we were driving through the city as we were passing the high school, we spotted my parents sitting on the side of the street. Well, we all know what followed when I got home. After all the what, why’s and wherefores, my parents finally accepted what I did to my car.
During my senior year of high school I broke up with my girlfriend (she was kooky about paratroopers); everyone had thought that we would marry after graduation. Well to show my ex-girlfriend that being a paratrooper was no big deal, I joined the Army and became a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Following jump school, I sold my 1956 Ford and bought a 1961 Ford Starliner (dark blue). This car was super and extremely sharp. The engine was a 390 V-8 with a 4-barrel carburetor. The car was extremely fast, however, not fast enough. While I was stationed at Fort Bragg, I met some friends in Southern Pines who raced cars and were aces on building racing engines. I gave them my car and they converted the automatic transmission to a Hurst four on the floor, changed the rear end ratio, modified the engine and added tri-pods with a blower. Needless to say this car screamed (burned rubber and gas like crazy) and after all the modifications, no one came close to beating my car.
Soon after I got the car finished, I was given orders that I was being transferred to Okinowa (2nd 503rd Airborne Division). I took my car home to store it until I came home again, however, my parents wouldn’t drive the car so it sat in the garage without anyone driving it. Three months after I was in Okinowa, the 2nd 503rd Airborne Division was sent to Laos (start of the Vietnam War). Not knowing when I would be home again I told my parents to sell the car.
When I got out of the service, I bought a Corvette (like many people wanted), but many times my mind would drift back to that 1961 Ford Starliner I had and what it could do. Following my time in the service, I became employed with Bower Roller Bearing (father was Superintendent) where I was fortunate enough to get a 4-year apprenticeship (Tool & Die / Machine Repair) and at the same time I attended Lawrence Institute of Technology (Mechanical Engineering). After completion of my apprenticeship, I joined Ford Motor Company as an Engineer in manufacturing at Vehicle Operations, Dearborn. I worked for Ford Motor Company for 31 years, 22 years of which I was in management. Looking back, I’ve owned more than 60 cars, and as many as 3 at a time. As you can see I have been around cars my whole life, even after retirement.
1961 Ford Galaxie Sunliner:
Every year we go to the Woodward Dream Cruise, and quite frankly, I was looking for a cherry Mustang or Corvette convertible. In 1997, my wife and I were walking around watching all the cars, when all of a sudden my wife noticed this gorgeous car. It was a 1961 Ford Sunliner with a striking color (Dark Portofino Blue) which was almost the same color I had on my original 1961 Starliner. The reasons the car really struck me were the color, it was a convertible, the appearance, the condition, and no Bondo. We talked to the owner and discussed price and I told him I thought he was high and I countered with my price. Two weeks later he called and we made a deal.
The car is an original Texas car with no rust at all. The individual we purchased the car from owned a body, paint and detailing company. The previous owner personally removed every body molding and all interior components from the car and sanded, primed and painted every part and all exposed metal surfaces. All sheet metal components are original and there is absolutely no rust or Bondo. When I purchased the car, the interior was all new and the exterior color was newly painted.
The original engine was a 292 V-8, with a manual 3-speed column shift transmission.
Since I purchased the vehicle, I have made numerous changes and improvements.
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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:
