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Automotive
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By: Steve Smith
Star Interceptor
When car owner Dennis Hill decided he wanted a custom car he also wanted one that he could drive on the Power Tour and if something broke he could take it to any Ford dealer for repairs. The only problem was his car is a 1960 Starliner. Not exactly a car you can take to the local Ford dealer for repairs. So how do you get current automotive technology into a 1960 body? Sure you can update the engine, driveline, interior components, electronics and other systems with off the shelf after market parts. But that isn’t going to get you anywhere close to being able to have if fixed at the local dealership.
Dennis did some figuring and decided to use a donor car to get the technology he was looking for. So when Dennis brought the Starliner to builder Doug Clark he brought along a 2001 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as the organ donor. We aren’t talking about just the engine and driveline, they used the whole car right down to the electric trunk release. The Starliner body was lifted off its frame and completely stripped. The entire body inside and out was taken down to bare metal and any rust was cut out and repaired. The only part of the Starliner used in the completed car was the body.
Next in line for a makeover was the Vic, it had its body removed from the frame and set aside. All the Vic’s parts were saved for possible use on the Starliner. The Vic’s chassis and driveline were not taken apart, only cleaned and inspected. After measuring the Starliner body and the Vic’s chassis, it was determined that the Vic’s wheel base needed to stretch 4 ½ inches so the Starliner body would fit on it correctly. The frame and exhaust was cut and the needed length added to both. A new drive shaft was custom built in addition to a few new brake lines. The front of the frame was shortened 2 inches and the radiator support was moved back to match the Starliner’s engine bay.
After adding 4 ½ inches to the Vic’s floor pan it was time to lower the Starliner body onto the Vic’s chassis and firewall. There was still a ton of fitting and adjusting and more fitting of the two major components to get them both to line up. A big reason for all the adjusting was because is was decided that all the Crown Vic components like A/C, wipers, pedal assembly, steering column and such were used instead of after market parts.
At this point they found they needed 18 inches added to the rear of the frame so there was a place to hang the bumper. The rear seat back and package tray from the Vic were fitted to the Starliner. The Vic’s electric window mechanisms were adapted to fit into the Starliner doors. The entire wiring harness of the Vic was prepped and installed into the Starliner. At this point Doug wanted to make sure everything was working. So they added fuel and coolant, turned the key and the Vic’s engine came to life. Everything worked under the Starliner body just as it did when it was a Crown Vic, right down to the 4 way self-adjusting Air Lift air suspension.
Now that it all works, the next thing was the interior. The dash was filled and a Dakota Digital instrument cluster was modified to fit into the original gauge opening. The car was now ready for the final body work and paint which was completed by SoCal Paint Works in Santee, Ca. After paint the leather interior and custom console was installed by Jim Kilpatrick Custom Interiors of Riverside, California along with a custom sound system by Audio Plus of El Cajon, California. Doug used front seats from a Lexus 300 series and installed the climate controls in the custom console.
Dennis now has the car he wanted. A quiet smooth riding completely dependable 1960 Starliner that he can enjoy on the Power Tour and be repaired at any Ford dealer in the country thanks to builder Doug Clark and a 2001 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor that really gave its all. Look for Dennis and his Starliner…Star Interceptor as we call it on the next Power Tour.
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