As a youngster growing up in NZ, I lusted after big American cars, and my first-ever example was a second-hand ’55 Customline I bought as a 15-year-old.
NZ was fortunate in directly importing many American-built cars that were not available in Australia, particularly the late ‘50s-early ‘60s Fords and Chevies.
Oz PM Robert Menzies introduced a tariff on all non-Commonwealth imported cars, which meant Australian versions of American brands were actually made in Canada, which was part of the so-called British Commonwealth.
Thus, Australian fans of large American V8s only had a very restricted choice of models and styles to choose from as many Canadian versions of USA models used outdated bodies and drivetrains. Unlike their Kiwi counterparts.
I thought the Customline was a great car, but what I really lusted after were the big Ford Fairlanes and Galaxies of the late- ‘50s/early- ‘60s. They were the epitome of the fin and chrome era, with flashy, roomy interiors and ever-bigger and more powerful big block V8s. By now Ford had mostly abandoned the trusty, but heavy Y-block V8s (239-312 cu in) in favour of the bigger FE engines, beginning with the more robust 332 cu in model and eventually expanding the size of the same basic engine to 428 cubic inches in 1966.
Of the total of 910,851 Galaxies that were produced in 1960, 44,762 were Sunliners.
Size was everything back in the day, and nowhere more so than in the cars of the era, which seemed to be designed as mobile landing strips for jet aircraft. Or perhaps as Cold War era rocket launch pads. Try and park the same cars in your average supermarket car park today and you’d better have a copilot to direct you, so you don’t scratch the paint. As has often been said, big is beautiful and the ostentatious car styles of the era have lasted the distance, still drawing admiring glances and comments 65 years or more after they were built.
And when you view the sales brochures of the time, how could buyers resist such subtle and tempting lines as this description of the features of the 1960 Ford Sunliner: “The Sunliner brings exciting new elegance and flashing performance to sunshine living! With the optional Thunderbird 352 Special V8 engine, hills surrender on sight!”
Which, no doubt, prompted buyers in their droves to surrender their hard-earned to secure flashing performance and thus enhance their sunshine living.
Which brings us to these three beauties: A trio of 1960 model Ford Galaxie Sunliner convertibles, all with the factory-standard electrically retractable roofs. All are also based in south-east Qld where they are ideal cruisers for the year-round sunny local climate. The owners are members of a very active 1957-64 Ford V8 Club Qld, which also happens to have more than its share of Kiwi members, all about the same age as me. In fact, we all share the same affliction – a life-long admiration for the cars we loved as youngsters.
The 1960 Ford line-up’s most distinctive design element was its half-moon tail-lights, which were a one-year-only departure from Ford’s signature large round tail-lights that dominated its Fairlane and Galaxie models. Twin headlights were big, too, as were the wide, flared rear fins with their fine leading edges, which no doubt would be frowned on today by our uncompromising safety zealots.
Engine choices ranged from the harmless 223 cu in, 145hp Mileage Maker six, to the ageing 292 cu in, 185hp Y-block V8, while those who preferred performance over economy could pick any one of three 352 cu in FE series ‘big block’ V8s producing from 235hp up to the 360hp Thunderbird Special with a four-barrel carby and higher compression.
Bryan’s Sunliner
I caught up with Bryan, one of the owners of our featured cars, at the Coolie Rocks On car festival in June this year, where the club had a great display that attracted a lot of attention. Since Bryan was the first member I spoke with, we’ll cover his Sunliner first.
Like me, Bryan was a Kiwi child of the late-’50s and had true blue Ford blood running through his veins from birth. He owned a succession of English Fords in NZ, although an Aussie XB coupe with the rare six-cylinder 250 cu in 2V head and four-speed was a notable exception.
“I used to live in Johnsonville north of Wellington and as a youngster I’d see these big American cars with the dual headlights and stuff,” he recalls.
“Wellington is NZ’s capital, of course, so there were a lot of big new American cars with embassy number plates being driven around and I loved the look of them.”
Now based at Ningi, north of Brisbane, and with a lot more time on his hands, his own Sunliner comes with quite a backstory, having been imported by someone attached to the US Embassy in Canberra, who had it converted to RHD.
Factory options now fitted include front and rear bumper over-riders, rear reflector kit, exhaust deflectors, central bonnet chrome trim and rear-wheel fender skirts.
“We call her ‘Monty’ because there have been three ‘Belmonts’ in her history,” explained Bryan. “Her original colour (Belmont Metallic Blue), where she was restored (Belmont, Brisbane) and where I found her (Belmont, Geelong).”
Since it arrived in Oz, the car has gone through quite a few caring owners all over the country, until it was purchased by Bryan in 2016. By then, it’s original 2V 352 cu in engine had been replaced by a 302 cu in Cleveland mated to a C4 auto and with disc brakes installed.
Bryan undertook a complete mechanical rebuild of the car in 2019 and it now boasts a very driveable, yet grunty 351 Cleveland courtesy of John White Race Engines. Mods include all the usual hi-po gear, topped off by an Edelbrock Performer inlet and Quick Fuel 600cfm Slayer carby.
All of the additional driveline and suspension mods were handled by GMR Mechanical at Caboolture.
Recent cosmetic additions include whitewalls with new steelie rims, chrome baby moon caps and chrome
dress rings.
Bryan says Monty is: “A nice, comfortable cruiser that just floats along. We have clowns wanting to race us off from the lights, but we just laugh at them. It’s funny, but we get a lot of people telling us how much they like our ‘Chevy’ or ‘Caddy’ and lots of positive comments about the colour, too.”
Steve’s Galaxie
Steve’s car (another Kiwi by the way) has an entirely different history, with him having discovered his Sunliner in NZ in the late-’90s in a shed in Napier on the east coast of the North Island.
At the time, he was a member of the Marineland Hot Rod and Custom Car Club and after hearing about the car, he approached its owner to buy it. It was a bit rundown and had significant rust in the panels, but Steve could see potential in it.
“The next day after buying it I took a closer look to find it had rust in most areas underneath, including the entire boot,” he says.
“So, I stripped it back to bare metal, removed all the rust areas and solid-welded in new steel, including fitting an entire new boot floor fabricated from a CF Bedford van floor pan.”
Steve says he liked the idea of it as an original left-hooker, so has left it as it came from the factory in the US.
After coating it in two-coat epoxy sealer, he then had it painted in the current black pearl, while he set about rebuilding the original 361 cu in truck engine, swapping the internals for 390 components to increase power and capacity.
He also fabricated his own gearbox mount to accept a C6 auto transmission and converted the front to disc brakes using HQ Holden calipers and XY Falcon discs. Rear springs were reset, and three extra leaf springs were added from an XC Falcon panel van for extra stiffness. Wheels are 15in Cragars front and rear.
Steve is a real DIY guy and loves nothing better than tackling any and all areas of car maintenance and modification.
He’s also self-taught, spending years working in various occupations involving cars, electrical and mechanical work, so other owner mods, all conducted in his small backyard shed in Napier, included debadging the exterior, adding an electric boot opener, fitting a CD player and matching upgraded sound system, upholstery repairs, electrical and mechanical work.
“I actually probably get more enjoyment out of working on the car rather than driving it,” he confesses. That said, he still takes every opportunity to enjoy his Galaxie on the road.
“Of course, I love taking it out and driving it with the top down and getting the thumbs-up from people, which to me is appreciation for the car itself.”
Moving to Queensland in 2005, Steve notes that his Sunliner was not actually registered since it was imported to NZ from the USA until he finally assembled and registered it in Australia many years later.
As far as any other mods go, Steve hesitates for a minute before revealing one more possible addition.
“A blower would be nice,” he says. “Nothing like the sound of a 6-71 supercharger to get people’s heads turned.”
Given his talents for DIY modifications, don’t be too surprised if you see a black Sunliner rumbling menacingly with a large shiny air pump sticking out of its bonnet.
Dee Blight’s Sultana Turquoise Sunliner
The story of the third Sultana Turquoise Sunliner actually includes a tale of two lady owners both named “Dee”. A Dee Duo, you might say. The first was the car’s first Australian owner and the second is its current owner.
At this point you need to pay closer attention (we’ll be testing you at the end of the session) as Bryan, who we spoke of earlier, was almost going to buy this car before he bought his own Sunliner. So, he’s also a wealth of information on the car’s history. It also happens to be the closest to original of all three featured cars, having been imported from Denver, Colorado many years ago by now elderly Dee Blight and her late husband Darryl.
“Darryl was a really serious car collector and restorer and a hardcore Ford guy,” says Bryan.
“He had all sorts of cars at his place, and I almost bought Dee’s Sunliner when I first saw it. It was a bloody nice car with zero rust and just some minor damage to one panel.”
Bryan says it had been painted with white house paint by an owner in the USA, but Darryl repainted to it to its original turquoise colour scheme.
Darryl’s Dee drove the 352 cu in Fordomatic car in its original left-hand drive state for many years, using it as her regular daily driver and eventually sold it to someone related to our second Dee and from whom she purchased it. Still with me?
Dee Two takes up the story.
“My husband Paul and I actually bought it because we thought it would be a great way to enjoy ourselves in our retirement. All our kids had gone, but then along came our three great grandchildren and I’m now their carer, so we’re just not using the car like we planned to anymore.”
Nevertheless, Dee and Paul have spent a bucketload on bringing their Sunliner back to 1960s showroom condition, with Customs N’ Classics of Noosa putting in plenty of time refreshing everything from the steering-wheel rim to the brakes, engine gaskets and wiper blades, and pretty well everything else that needed tidying up. Which, on a 65-year-old car, amounts to quite a bit.
“We’re thinking of selling it, actually, because we just don’t have the time to take it on runs and to shows anymore,” she says, before adding, “But every time I jump in it to start it, I think maybe we shouldn’t sell it after all,” she laughs. Anyone interested can email Dee at: la.princess@live.com.au
Celebrating Sunliners
No matter what angle you admire them from, Ford’s Sunliners have proven that for sheer sex appeal and head-turning impact, they just can’t be beaten. Designers of the day were given pretty much free rein to bend metal in whatever shapes they deemed appealing and I’m sure modern auto designers envy them as they sit down to design yet another bland SUV, EV or other cookie-cutter tribute to plastic and fake chrome.
In keeping with the sentiments of excitable 1960 advertising copywriters, long live flashing performance and sunshine living! And long may the hills quiver in fear at the menacing approach of Galaxie Sunliners!