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I suppose we're not going too far off topic. We're still talkin' 'Super Duty', right?..... Pretty cool knowing there's a few Pontiac enthusiasts here.
I used that rationale in reverse when I bought my truck all those years ago. I had grown up as a Pontiac fan but when I needed a truck it was always a Chevy. However they never really lasted all that long for me and always seemed to be working too hard for how I was using them. So, in 1999 when it came time to buy another truck I had to talk myself over to the Ford side. There never was any doubt that Ford knew how to build a solid truck but I always liked the GM styling better....but then the Super Duty came out and I was hooked. I figured that was my signal to switch over to Ford since every Super Duty Pontiac that I've known had been a bad a** vehicle.
For those Pontiac fans out there......
Have you ever seen a RAV Judge? I knew a shop that created one back in Albuquerque. Pontiac never actually offered the RAV in a passenger car but they did produce a few engines for over the counter sale. Purely PMD restored a GTO Judge and dropped in a RAV as their vision of what it would have looked like if Pontiac would have built it. I think they used a 1970 model....it came out awesome. I wonder where that car is now?....
those old pontiacs were tanks. i had 3 of them, all venturas. two 59's and a 60
i paid $25 each for the 59's, and $50 for the 60.
the first 59 bit a tree head on at 45 mph, and the radiator did not even leak. the second 59 lasted about 4 months before the carrier bearing ripped out of the frame. i sold both of them for $100 to the same guy who made one out of the two.
the 60 only was on the road for less than 3 weeks when i got t-boned by a 53 chevy.
totaled the chevy, bent the pontiac's frame. i drove it to a junk yard where they gave me $150 for it, and a ride home.
and i walked away from the crash without a scratch.
Wow. Were the Pontiacs an X-Frame design like the Chevys?
Greg Great Job on the bubble top !! I don't know how you found time to go to work since it sounds like and looks likes a ton of hours of labor to bring that old car back to life. Dad has to be very pleased with the job and I love the plan to keep it in the family.
My dad had a '73 M/B 450SL (grey market/ from Germany) that I was never allowed to even touch it as a teenager. But by the early 90's it needed some serious TLC and my dad allowed me to do floorboards, rockers and complete repaint. I was working in body shop at the time for at least 10yrs at the time. It turned out beautiful but I still was not allowed to use the car. Well after another 10 yrs of trying to talk him out of the car. He finally gave in and the car was MINE a cherry '73 450SL with 57k and it sat in my garage under a car cover. I drove it only a few times a year it was my baby until about 6 yrs ago when it burned to the ground in my garage. I was heart broken and it proved my father right. I should have never been allowed to have the car.
One last thing you guys brought up old T/A's and GTO's well all I can say is there is a place in my heart for them too. Many stories I could tell but I tell this one. Back when I got out of the Navy in '84 I lived north of Tampa and I would drive by a junk yard that had a '69 GTO sitting there. I talked the guy into selling it to me for $400. I put a battery in it and drove it home. I went though the motor 400 HO #YS did the brakes I also put a tri power off a '67 GTO on it and drove it for a few years with the body looking like it came out of a junk yard. It was a true sleeper That car landed me in jail a few times 30 days, 90 days and lost my license for 3 or 4 yrs. I ended up painting the car and selling it to pay legal fees. Mind you I had never gotten a DUI but speeding, racing and running from the cops type of things.
Bummer. Those Mercedes models are very cool looking. Those are the cars with a removable hard top and stowable soft top....correct? Very cool. Sorry to hear about losing yours. Hope no one was hurt in the fire. We opted for an entire new wiring harness for the Bel Air just because we are worried about the condition of the old wiring. Even so, maybe a battery disconnect is a good idea for us just in case. Thanks for sharing your story. Do you have any pics? (before the fire)
Wow Nice!!! So did your dad work for Buck O'reilly? I used to mow Buck's lawn when I was a kid.
I am amazed at the number of old cars and trucks sitting in backyards all over Tucson. I've seen quite a few in decent condition but nobody wants to part with them. I really, really miss my 442 convertible.
He worked for Frank O'Rielly...Buck's dad. He was employed there from 1958 to 1961 ish then he moved to California for a year to work at a Chevy dealership there. He moved back to Tucson in '63 or so and has been there ever since.
What year was your 442? A friend of mine had a 1970 convertible but the engine blew. Around the same time my grandmother's car was t-boned with only a few thousand miles on the engine we had recently rebuilt. Her car was a '72 Bonneville so we yanked the engine and dropped it into the Olds. Then we found a W30 hood at the salvage yard and had some more fun with that car. Those were the good ole days...when you could piece together a cool car with what amounts to pocket change these days.
Bummer. Those Mercedes models are very cool looking. Those are the cars with a removable hard top and stowable soft top....correct? Very cool. Sorry to hear about losing yours. Hope no one was hurt in the fire. We opted for an entire new wiring harness for the Bel Air just because we are worried about the condition of the old wiring. Even so, maybe a battery disconnect is a good idea for us just in case. Thanks for sharing your story. Do you have any pics? (before the fire)
Greg it did have the removable hard top and soft top and being from Germany it had different headlights and bumpers then the ones meant for the USA.. I know I have old printed photos and the rest are on floppy dishes somewhere I'll have to dig up. I should have some on a CD somewhere. It was a cool car. What had happened is since I only drove the car a few times a year when I would start it I would let it warm up before pulling it out of the garage. Most of the time I would put the top down or play with the radio but that day I opened the garage door started it and ran in the house to go to the bathroom and by the time I got to my back door flames were shooting out of the garage. Now mind you I had it insured for appraised valve so State Farm send out a fire investigator to find the cause. He found that the fuel return line at the tank broke and Boom. It was a blessing that I wasn't sitting in the car when it happened. It was about a 3" rubber line that let loose over the top of the electric fuel pump and even back in '73 M/B had fuel injection. A part I never gave any thought to. Since then I never overlook any fuel or brake lines on any vehicle. And good for you for thinking about replacing the wiring. That is a smart move.
He worked for Frank O'Rielly...Buck's dad. He was employed there from 1958 to 1961 ish then he moved to California for a year to work at a Chevy dealership there. He moved back to Tucson in '63 or so and has been there ever since.
What year was your 442? A friend of mine had a 1970 convertible but the engine blew. Around the same time my grandmother's car was t-boned with only a few thousand miles on the engine we had recently rebuilt. Her car was a '72 Bonneville so we yanked the engine and dropped it into the Olds. Then we found a W30 hood at the salvage yard and had some more fun with that car. Those were the good ole days...when you could piece together a cool car with what amounts to pocket change these days.
Mine was a 69 with a 400, when I blew the 400 I dropped in a 455 with 40K on it salvaged from an Olds station wagon ambulance from Sierra Vista.
Wow. Were the Pontiacs an X-Frame design like the Chevys?
yup, and the center of the "X" was prone to rotting out, causing the carrier bearing to become a "loose object" if you were very careful and easy on the gas you could get it to center itself and be balanced. but if you goosed the gas it would deflect and go out of balance and try to vibrate the car apart.
all three of them also had the screwed up auto trans with reverse all the way down where you would expect first to be.
one night rite after i got the 60 i did not see a biker who pulled out in front of me from a side street and almost hit him as i swerved and passed him.
he started chasing me, so i turned the headlights off and floored it. i got far enough away to be able to duck down a side street, and used the trans to slow down. i was doing around 25 mph as i got to the turn and pulled down another gear forgetting all that was left was reverse. the guy on the bike almost hit me again. i took off down the side street like a bat outa hell. he stayed back after that one and i was able to loose him and get to the highway and get away.
The whole project is mind blowing! More so is that fact it's a 61' ONE OWNER car ALL ORIGINAL!!!!!!
Yeah, that is kinda cool. We kept as much original stuff as possible, even the interior was stitched using OEM fabric. We still have the original title. Back then the state kept the title until the lien was satisfied so he has the lien release title that was issued by the bank a few years later. He does have the original bill of sale and copies of registration for 32 consecutive years. That stuff most likely adds to the perceived value of the car....not that it matters though, it's never going to be for sale. I guess insurance value will be good to have in case something were to happen...
We have been approached by some folks wanting to buy it already. Really crazy numbers have been discussed....close to six figures. Seems ridiculous to me though. We just keep saying its not for sale...
Apparently the Bel Air bubble tops are very desirable right now more so than the Impalas. The VIN and body tags can denote if the car originally came with a V8 but there isn't any real way to know how many of those cars had the 348 "W" engine so being able to document it with the original bill of sale and original owner is something that is very hard to come by. The white with red interior is a rare color combination also.....
Ok, this got me thinking about my old T/A so I have to hijack & post a few pics.
It's my last T/A resto. It's a 1979 special edition 301/auto. I shoved a .030 over 400 (406) & 4 speed in. I also swapped out the 2.41 gears for a set of 3.23's.
I sold it before moving to Florida and regret it... "Incorrect for '79" turbo wheels and all.
Frank, That must have been a fun car! My love for classics and old antiques like fuel pumps and such make me wonder why I wasn't born in the 50's and not 84.
Frank, That must have been a fun car! My love for classics and old antiques like fuel pumps and such make me wonder why I wasn't born in the 50's and not 84.
Yep, a big block, 4 speed, and a posi make for a fun combo for sure.
You and me both. Well, I was born in '72, but I have an old soul.
I remember walking thru the wrecking yards back in HS & seeing plenty of sec gen Trans Am's & Z28's and all kinds of late 60's and 70's cars.
The good ole days....
He worked for Frank O'Rielly...Buck's dad. He was employed there from 1958 to 1961 ish then he moved to California for a year to work at a Chevy dealership there. He moved back to Tucson in '63 or so and has been there ever since.
I remember Buck driving home one day in a brand new Monte Carlo, must have been about 1974, and how he showed off how the driver's seat swiveled toward the door to make it easy to get in and out. Course the driver's door was about six feet long! Took care of Jim Click's lawn as well and cleaned the showroom at night for Bill Breck. All of this got me nowhere however as today I am driving a 12 year old Ford.
11-03-2014, 09:30 PM
Pretty cool knowing there's a few Pontiac enthusiasts here.
That car landed me in jail a few times 30 days, 90 days and lost my license for 3 or 4 yrs. I ended up painting the car and selling it to pay legal fees. Mind you I had never gotten a DUI but speeding, racing and running from the cops type of things.
"Incorrect for '79" turbo wheels and all.
