Sunliner was the name Ford applied to its full-size convertibles from 1952 to 1964. For most of that time, it was part of the Galaxie 500 series which debuted in 1959 to compete against the Chevy Impala. This 1962 drop-top has been garaged for 40 years and the passage of time and some exposure to Mother Nature have taken their toll. It was kind of rare when new as we’re told it had a 406 cubic inch V8 with triple carburetors, but that set-up is long gone. Located in Riverdale, New Jersey, this old Ford is available here on craigslist for $3,750 OBO. Barn Finder Mitchell G. once again delivers in the tips department!
Ford sold a lot of big convertibles in 1962, nearly 56,000 of them to be more precise. 13,000 were the XL edition which came with bucket seats and other features to mirror that of the Impala SS. The rest were “regular” Galaxie 500s which would include the seller’s forgotten cruiser. It was probably quite impressive back in the day, with a badass engine, floor-shifted 4-speed transmission, and Metallic Maroon paint. All of that seems to have slipped away in the last four decades.
The G-code 406 was replaced with what the seller believes is a 390 HiPo (for High Performance). That engine seems to be stuck so the next owner may have to go hunting for a third motor. The tranny has been liberated altogether. The car will roll and steer the way it is but be wary of the brakes as they need to be redone. The mileage is unknown as the odometer stopped working some time ago. Back in the ‘60s, this should have been a heckuva muscle car, just before the genre really took off.
Two of the wheels have new tires and the other two will hold air. None of the locks are functional and will have to be fixed or replaced. The convertible top is shot and the interior is rather rough. It’s possible that rust is an issue in the floorboards and certainly is in some of the outward-facing sheet metal. Despite all this, the Sunliner should be worthy of a restoration even though it’s not numbers matching. The seller needs the space for other projects, so off it must go.
Not seeing the data plate which would back up the claim. That hole in the floor is a lot more than the factory 4sp hump took out so I’m looking at that steering column….sure looks like a three on the tree to me….
Did a car with a factory 4 speed floor shift, still have the shift tube above the steering column? I can’t remember.
Yes, they did have the tube although there was no socket attached to the tube for the shift handle.
Also, the picture isn’t great, but the hole looks correct to
Me. There was a stamped tin housing (for lack of the proper terminology ) that the boot was attached to that would’ve been screwed to the tunnel over the hole. It is missing. It all looks legit to
Me. I’ve owned a couple of these over the years.
No pics No sale!
Looks like it should be called a sunset liner
Great candidate for a NASCAR Convertible race series replica.
Tony….yep so have I – and I still have the factory floor cover from one I parted.