Starfire61

I have several Olds convertibles of that vintage & would be glad to talk about pricing with you. An average price of $38K for an excellent '61 Dynamic 88 convertible seems way too high, unless the car has either had a high-dollar professional restoration or has some sort of pedigree (documented ownership by a movie star, for instance.) You describe your car as average. I think condition is everything with these cars. Unlike an example of a '57 Chevy, there isn't exactly a vast selection of reproduction parts, suppliers, & information out there. You can't just thumb through a catalog & order an interior kit or fender patch panels for a '61 Olds 88. Consequently, it doesn't take much to have more money invested in the car than it will be worth in your lifetime, & believe me- I learned that the hard way. Unless you're fortunate enough to have your own restoration shop, or at least a lot of talent, generally you're better off spending more money upfront for a nicer vehicle than buying a project. The hot cars now seem to be all muscle & rods. That's not to say that nobody out there would want your Olds at the right price, but there's not exactly a burgeoning market for these cars. When I take a '61 Olds to a typical show or cruise, most people don't even know what it is. I get an odd glance as they walk past me to ogle at the fiberglass street rod sporting flames & a chrome crate motor. Suffice it to say it's a fairly select group that would be interested in your car, especially if it needs any kind of major work. The Dynamic 88 was the entry-level full-sized Olds for '61. It's the most common '61 Olds convertible, as about 12000 were built. Someone with the resources to restore it would likely get more bang for his buck with one of the three other convertibles they offered (Super 88, 98, Starfire,) all better-trimmed, better-performing, & more collectible. Nonetheless, if your car is solid, somebody looking for vintage drop-top fun could do a whole heck of a lot worse than a red Dynamic 88! I'll send you a PM, too. Good Luck!

Wow, that's a nice car! I remember seeing it on Ebay. You sure did a great job with it. It's nice to see one done right without 20" wheels, flames, & other excrescences. Congratulations on a sweet ride!

I doubt there are too many of those cars to be found in Germany, or anywhere else in Europe for that matter. The Ninety Eight convertible is actually harder to find than the Starfire (3804 vs. 7800 built,) but overall not quite as desirable. The Ninety Eight rode on a 126" wheelbase, vs. 123" for the Starfire & 88. Furthermore, the rear overhang on the Ninety Eight was an additional 3" longer, for an overall length difference of 6" vs. the Starfire/88. For the record, the horsepower of the Skyrocket engine found in the '61 Ninety Eight & Super 88 is 325, with a 10:1 compression ratio, while the Starfire is 330 & 10.25:1 (bumped up to 345/10.5:1 in '62.) I have seen very, very few of these cars restored correctly. I guess it's easier to just do a custom, which unfortunately isn't my cup of tea. The factory deluxe wheel disks are notoriously difficult to mount & keep on the wheels, so they're often replaced with something aftermarket. Narrow whitewalls were only available on the Starfire in 1961- the correct whitewall width for your car should be 2 1/4". Other than the pimpmobile spare tire on the trunk, the car looks pretty good. Do you have any interior pics? The original interior on the Ninety Eight convertible is arguably more elaborate than the Starfire. While the Starfire had a monotone interior, that of the Ninety Eight converts was tri-tone with leather inserts- very difficult & expensive to recreate today. The VIN is found inside the driver's doorjamb & would reveal the final assembly point of the car. Also, if you can post a picture of the cowl tag, or at least report the info on the tag, it would be possible to determine the build week, body plant & original paint, trim, & major options. The tag is located in front of the windshield on the driver's side. Feel free to PM me if you like. I'll try attaching a pic of mine. Chuck

I had the Bendix booster on mine rebuilt by Booster Dewey in Oregon over ten years ago & it's still working great. I think he still advertises in Hemmings.

That's me- I usually try to park next to Ed P. & his '62 Starfire convertible. I remember seeing your car last year too, but you must have been out wandering or getting a bite to eat. I really liked your Starfire- you sure don't see many convertibles from '64. I'll make a point to look for you now that the season's starting. Good luck with the starter! Chuck

Can't answer the question, but you should be able to have yours rebuilt without much trouble. Keep trolling Ebay to find a core, then you can also have that one rebuilt to keep as a spare. I see you're in Naperville. I live in Wheaton, & I've used Illinois Auto Electric at 43rd & Western in the city to rebuild '61 & '62 starters. They've always done a great job & have a very fast turnover. I hear there's a guy in Oak Brook with a business called Vintage Voltage. I haven't used him myself, but I've heard good things about him, too.

Depending on what you're looking for, I've had really good luck with Ames Pontiac. For my full-sized '61-62 Olds I was able to get things that weren't in the Fusick catalog, but happened to be compatible with Olds. I never thought I'd be able to replace the channels at the bottom of my door glass, but they had 'em. Their tech guys are very helpful & answer email right away.

I've been meaning to follow up with a post for awhile. The Slim Jim on my '61 Ninety Eight turned out very, very well. I couldn't be happier with the work that Tom Kasper did on that tranny- all the upgrades thru 1964. Sure, it still has that big 1-2 rev drop, but the shifting all around is remarkably smooth. If I didn't know better, I'd think I had a TH-400! I wish I had it done sooner. Glen, Tom works on transmissions from all around the country. If you're tired of those Slim Jim headaches & really want to enjoy that car, give him a call- I'm sure he's dealt with a lot of freight companies & would have a good idea of how you could best get your trans to IL.

Either of you guys interested in parting with a decent set of 4? I could care less about the paint. I have dog-dish caps coming out of the woodwork, but I can't find the trim rings!

Yeah, Tom's the guy. He rebuilt the Slim Jim in my '62 Starfire for the previous owner about ten years ago. When I bought the car, I couldn't believe a Slim Jim could shift so well. Like night and day compared to my '61 Ninety Eight. I recently brought him that '61 & he's finishing it up... hope to pick it up in time for Christmas! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks!!!

How does the Jetfire engine differ from the carbureted aluminum V-8s in 1962? I know the 4-barrel aluminum V-8s shared the same 10.25:1 compression, but are there other differences? Different block? Heads? Pistons? Cam? What was the standard transmission, & were they available with a four-speed?

I have both '61 98 & Starfire convertibles, along with a '62 Starfire coupe. The convertible frames are indeed boxed-in. The '61 & '62 cars are nearly the same under the sheetmetal, & the doors are entirely interchangeable. If you have some welding skills, you could very likely adapt a '61 98 convertible frame to a '62...I simply can't imagine there's much difference between them. The problem will be finding one, and if you do it may well be as bad or worse than the one you have. They just didn't make a lot of them, & the frames all rust out where the front of the rear axle arches meet the torque boxes. The difference in length between the 98 vs. the 88/Starfire is 3" in the wheelbase (126" vs. 123") and another 3" in the rear overhang, for a total of 6". The 6" difference is found entirely in the rear quarter panels; there is no difference in doors and front fenders. Good Luck!

Good call, Rocketraider. I checked the throttle body gaskets & none of them quite matched the one that was on the carb to begin with. For that matter, nothing quite matched the one in the manual, either. I buddied up the old gasket with the closest match, & the car's running better. It's not great, but I know the engine's tired & at a minimum needs some top end work this winter. It has a persistent lifter tap, & the breather smokes like a mosquito fogger. So for now I'll live with it. I just want to get through the summer shows & cruises without having the car torn apart till Labor Day. Meanwhile I'm driving myself nuts with the Slim-Jim linkage. First the 1-2 upshift was very hard. I understand that this shift occurs when a fluid coupling empties & a clutch applies. This got better & now the 2-1 downshift seems delayed to the point that the car is almost at a standstill when the downshift occurs... very unpleasant. To top it off, the car seems to surge & lurch when in second. I don't know if the clutch is worn, or if this too is linkage related. No amount of linkage fiddling seems to remedy it. There's a trans guy in the area that some people in my local Olds club have used for Slim-Jim service with good results. He even advertises in their journal. I think I"ll be paying him a visit before too long!

I recently put a NAPA rebuild kit in the 4GC on my 61 Olds Ninety Eight convertible. The car had sat for a very long time prior to the rebuild. The carb was very dirty, floats & linkage badly out of adjustment, but it ran. Idle was rough, but slow. Since the rebuild, I can't get the idle down. Before, I could put the car in gear, take my foot off the brake, & it would barely move. If I try that now, I'm on the next block. It's playing havoc with the slim-jim, but that's another issue. There is a set screw in the linkage on the driver's side adjacent to the dashpot that holds the butterflies open on the primary side. I have to keep those butterflies propped open a crack just to keep the car from dying. The idle mixture screws seem to do nothing, since the butterflies are opened. It seems like a vacuum leak. I disconnected all the vacuum lines & sprayed WD-40 all around the base of the carb, especially the throttle body gasket & butterfly shafts, but there was no significant difference. However, if I cup my hand over the primaries, the car smooths out real nice & I can back way off on the screw holding the butterflies open. What am I missing? If the intake manifold gasket is leaking, why didn't I have this problem before the rebuild?