Hello, I am new to Oldsmobiles and I have a chance to buy a 61 Starfire convertible. It's a project that is complete except for the engine and transmission. I will get a good look at it today or next Tuesday. I know nothing about them and would like to know if there is anything that I should know before looking at the car, like typical rust areas? He is asking $2500 for the car.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Steve

 

Welcome to the forum. Hopefully someone with more knowledge of the car in question will respond , all I can say is look for evidence of bad repairs on the frame or body and floor. Take it for a drive if you can.

 

Does it have an engine and trans with the car? For $2500 I would not expect alot, but the car needs to be somewhat complete. It's basically a parts car without an engine or trans and worth whatever you are willing to write a check for.

Pictures would help a lot.

 

I found the car when I bought a 65 Mustang Fastback from him.. It Looked solid at my quick glance at it. I commented to him that I like the styling of it And that it was a convertible. All the interior is there but the fabric would need redone. There is no engine or transmission with the car

 

Hence the Kcode sig. I like the looks of the Old/s Starfires also. Post some pic's so some of the Starfire guys can chime in.

Also post some pic's of your Mustang/s, I had a 68 GT Fastback when my wife and I got married...., lets just say a long time ago.

 

Welcome aboard, love the 61 Starfires.

I have no advice on the value of the Starfire with out a bunch of pictures, but on the other hand the missing engine and transmission could be some what hard to find and expensive to rebuild, keep in mind hardly anything is repoped for this year car so what you need will probably have to come off a doner car. I love the 394 but I have a bad taste in my mouth about anything to do with a Slim Jim transmissions, others have had no problems, for me nothing but grief. That transmission is probably the most problematic of all of GM's creations.When you get a chance post a bunch of pictures and we will at least be able to give you a WAG estimate......Lost in the fifties ...Tedd

 

They'll have typical convertible rust issues unless they've been in the desert all their lives. Check floors and trunk pans close and also the torque boxes on the frame.

Interiors are metallic finished leather and can get pricey. If you just want a car to enjoy and not go for high-point restoration most of the interior colors can be matched in vinyl.

Is all the side trim there and in decent shape?

No drivetrain hurts the value some but I wouldn't worry too much about it. A 59-62 394 isn't too difficult to come by; 63-64 have different timing covers and water pumps. All 394 can get pricey to rebuild.

I wouldn't even fool with a Slim Jim since it has no transmission. Unfortunately no other trans will readily bolt to a 394 but there are companies who can adapt a Turbo HydraMatic to it. KQQLCAT has a great thread with pics on here about putting a Ross Racing THM in his 61 Dynamic 88 post coupe, which will be the same mechanically as the Starfire.

Or you can adapt a later Olds engine and trans. Plenty of guys have done that too and 350-403 and 425 with a THM seem to work well in Starfires. I'd stay away from a Chevy or even an LS transplant because that will totally wreck the value of a 61 Starfire. 61 was the first year and only 7800 were made. It was Oldsmobile's Thunderbird killer and their first "personal luxury" car.

If you like the car and it's all there except drivetrain $2500 is not a bad price. Nice original or correctly restored examples go for $40k and up. Just be aware that it is not like a Mustang as far as parts availability. You're gonna have to dig for them and fight every other 61 Starfire owner for them.

If you're not totally hung up on originality and decide to use a different drivetrain, front and rear disc brakes are pretty easy to install on this car too. They are worth more restored as original, but better back on the road than languishing in a garage or junkyard.

 

I will make an effort to get pictures today on my way down to my parents. That was 1 of my big concerns is getting parts for something that's not readily available. Thanks for the advice.

 

I currently have two Mustang fastbacks and will be picking up my third fastback on Tuesday, where the Starfire is located. My Hipo 65 fastback is pretty much ready for paint and my 66 GT fastback is well.......a basket case. The new 65 fb is a running driving car that needs floors and a cowl, then the rest gone through. I also have a 67 Camaro SS convertible that's all original and two 1950 Chevy short bed trucks, a three window and a five window. Here are a couple pictures. No pictures of the 66 GT fb. I work on all of them a little at a time. Probably sell one of the trucks this summer.

In the far corner is my Camaro, and then the two trucks. Five window on the right.
camarobus004_zps3516362c.jpg

This is the numbers matching 65 hipo.
65mustang001.jpg

This is the new 65 fb that I'm picking up Tuesday. I'm a fastback addict, sorry.

 

Ohhhh!! Those stangs would look sooo good in Highland Green.

Looks like you're no stranger to working on vehicles. Careful, a lot of us are going to get Garage envy....

 

You have some great rides there.

 

Welcome to CO! Nice group of cars you got there.

 

Not much on st a stang fan but do like the pickum ups

 

Thanks for the nice comments about my cars
I love the look of the 47-55 Chevy pickups. I will probably sell the 3 window and keep the 51 the truck.