We are the original owners of a classic 1961 Ford Galaxie Sunliner Convertible. The vehicle is original and has always been garaged inside our Northern California home to keep it rust-free. It has an automatic transmission on the column with overdrive and was purchased new in 1961. The original 352 cubic inches V-8 engine was rebuilt at 124,186 miles. It currently has 155,800 miles and runs great. Our treasured 1961 Sunliner convertible has only 21,000 miles on the new engine.
We have exercised this vehicle regularly, and have only driven it 7,000 miles in the last 33 years (18 miles/month). The vehicle has been licensed and insured every year for 59 years, now we are looking for a Buyer to provide a new home to celebrate the vehicle’s 60th birthday.
In addition to ordinary maintenance (oil, lube, tires, etc) below is a list of jobs done with mileage and dates since the engine was rebuilt:
1) Installed a new engine and overhauled the transmission. Mileage was 124,186, work was completed on 2-18-83.
2) Installed a new fuel pump and overhauled the front end. Mileage was 128,972, work was
completed on 1-30-84.
3) Replaced generator. Mileage was 131,262, work was completed on 7-16-84.
4) Overhauled the power steering. Mileage was 132,887, work was completed on 11-14-84.
5) Installed new a new water pump. Mileage was 134,709, work was completed on 3-20-85.
6) Front/Rear Brakes and re-painted. Mileage was 148,704, work was completed on 8-10-86.
7) The convertible top and rear window were replaced on 9/17/86.
8) A trailer hitch was installed on 9/21/91.
9) The vehicle came with the famous Cruise-O-Matic transmission (read about this below).
10) The vehicle has always been Starlight Blue https://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedisplay.cgi?wtcode=M1361&con=3&page=1&rows=50&size=large
11) We installed cruise control on this car sometime around the mid- 1970s.
12) We have always had a lifetime warranty from Midas Muffler. Cruise-O-Matic transmission.
Ford’s first automatic transmission, which appeared in its 1951 models, was referred to as the Ford-O-Matic. This basic unit was designed by Borg-Warner and would become the platform from which many later model automatic transmissions would evolve.
Developed as a three-speed automatic, the Ford-O-Matic used a cast-iron case and would normally be started in second gear. For this reason, you often see the Ford-O-Matic referred to as a two-speed, although the only actual two-speed units were produced from 1959-’64, and they had aluminum cases.
A sprag was added to the planetary assembly in 1958 so that you could select whether to start out in first gear or second, and the Ford-O-Matic name was changed to Cruise-O-Matic. They were later upgraded to the FX and MX series Cruise-O-Matics, then the single FMX transmission, and eventually, they evolved into the overdrive AOD transmissions used in the 1980s and 1990s Ford cars and trucks.
