MarkJ

I googled 61 Ford police package and found an advertisement for it. I had to save it and blow it up . But it showed in the options bucket seats were available to give more head room.

Bruce, a guy told me on another forum that the police package for the big ford in 1961 came with thunderbird bucket seats covered in fairlane 500 trim which was the cheapo trim by 1961. I'll bet that explains why they had buckets in the car. If you were Holman and Moody you could probably order any way you wanted to.

I decided to look at the pictures I have again of the car and in one of them you can see the very top of the drivers seat. It is rounded at the top so it can't be the bench seat that came with the 61 Ford Starliner. I was trying to think of what seat Holman and Moody would use if they did not use the bench seat and I remembered that they used a Thunderbird in 1959. I'm starting to think that they took the bucket seat from the 59 Thunderbird and used it in the 61 Ford Starliner. The 1959 Thunderbird bucket seat is rounded at the top. Just speculation on my part but it kind of makes sense that they would use it. It was also probably used in Joe Weatherley's 1960 Ford that he drove for Holman and Moody in 1960. Again I have no proof just speculation..

I think I might have messed up. I just found out that Ford did not offer bucket seats for the full sized Ford till 1962. So if they used a bucket seat it did not come with the car they purchased to make into a race car. Oops.

Thanks Aaron but I doubt if a tonneau cover for a 56 ford will fit a 61 ford. They are totally different. Also i am pretty happy with what I came up with. It looks just like the reference pictures of the car I have.

I then had to add a floor to the tub and also fill in the holes in the sides of the tub.

The interior comes with a bench seat molded into the tub. I had to painstakingly cut it out and make a bucket seat from parts of the bench seat.

Thanks Wayne but I ended up using printer paper and then coated it with Testors "make a window" glue. it actually turned out pretty good. I tried a handkerchief but it did not work at all. i will post pictures of it tomorrow. So Bruce your idea of paper mache in a slightly different form worked out pretty good.

I had to add a lip to the tub opening in order to install the tonneau cover.

Awesome excellent job, Dan. if your camera has the macro feature try it the next time you take close up shots of the interior.

Thanks guys.

I'm going to try a handkerchief. Install it with pins and thread and just shoot it with primer to stiffen it. If it doesnt work I will try something else.

Bruce, Awesome build. Fantastic job on masking the paint. Cant wait to see it finished.

i wanted to do this car because this was the car Fred got his first big win in at the Rebel 300. He pretty much out drove Curtis Turner who was one of the best at that time. After the race Turner slammed into the back of Lorenzen in frustration over being beat by the young driver.

Does anyone know of a fabric I could use to simulate 1/25 scale canvas?

looking great. i'll be watching this one.

Fixed the rear corners of the interior tub opening . Fixed the holes in the tops of the front fenders and added the tonneau cover braces.

You are lucky the decals did'nt turn brittle at their age. Excellent job.

Bruce, Its a secret but if you look at the wips again there are some clues in them.

Bart, No the grille is not molded to the body but the seats are molded to the interior tub and I have to cut the back off of the right front seat. It will be very interesting to figure that out and also install the roll cage.

Thanks Erik. I will have to Strengthen it with some evergreen strips after I install the windshield.

Another Excellent build