Flight of the Bumblebee

Wayne and Alzina D. first saw the “bumblebee,” a ‘55 Ford Sunliner convertible with a distinctive yellow-over-black paint job, at an auction in Reno during Hot August Nights in 1998. Although they liked it, they were not really looking for a car like that then and did not bid on it. But about a year later, Wayne decided he wanted a ‘55 Ford convertible. He remembered days of his youth when a “rich kid” had a new one and they had cruised around in it, sometimes going to his family cabin near Big Bear Lake. Wayne had loved that car so he started looking. He found the one from Reno on a dealer’s lot in Kansas City.

Although the price had gone up some, they reached a deal and Wayne hauled the Bumblebee home. It had the original 292 CID engine and Fordomatic transmission, with good interior and decent paint. Since then he has done a lot of work on the car. He had the engine rebuilt by fellow Roamin Angel Richard Farmer, boosting the horsepower while he was at it. While he was at it, Wayne detailed the engine compartment and converted the wipers from a vacuum motor to a more dependable two-speed electric one. Although it had a continental kit on the back, it was poor quality and Wayne replaced it with an original dealer-option one. He also detailed the frame, repainted the front clip and did a number of other improvements. The result is a dependable, classy and attractive vehicle. Wayne and Alzina’s bumblebee has ranged far afield, going on cruises and to car shows in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Canada twice and all over California. And it made all those trips without even losing a wing.

The ‘55 Sunliner had unique stainless steel trim, which Wayne restored. The wire-wheel type wheel covers were an option that year. The bumblebee paint scheme is even reflected in the license plate, RBUMBLBE.

Although it is the original engine, it was rebuilt to Police Interceptor specs, with more power and a four-barrel carb.

Everything is basically stock here. The steering wheel is an optional one for that year that Wayne found and had restored. The radio is externally stock, but has modern “guts,” with an AM/FM with CD connections.