Been looking for a 1963 Tempest coupe or wagon for a while. I know, their like looking for hens teeth but I still do searches. So I wonder how many have one and what do they look like. Are they street or strip driven?
This is the one I will always remember. http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/10/ebay-find-of-the-day-1963-lemans-tempest-sells-for-226-521/
i don't have one now. But I bought one new in '63. First new car. Should have kept it. I liked that car, but stepped up to a '66 Dodge Cornet 500.
We do too. I remember looking at it for the buy it now price of I think it was $1200 and thinking, well there's getting it back home. A few days later all hell broke loose when it became a auction after it was found to be one of the original 6 coupes.
How does one step up from a Pontiac to a Dodge? I thought that would be considered stepping down!!LOL
Well it was a small Pontiac with a 4 cylinder. And a big block mid sized Dodge. In the end I miss the Tempest. I don't miss the Dodge. In fact I traded it in on a '69 Firebird.
I remember as a teenager our neighbor had a Tempest with 4 cyl 4 barrel and a 4 speed but it didn't run. Always wondered how that combo performed?
Provenance, it rolls off the tongue, sounds good, if you've a mind to like French root words.There's a magazine I subscribe to that I will dump if they use the word once more. And while I like a Pontiac, I have a hankering for the looks of the mid 60s Coronet. I had a 64 Tempest and a 66 LeMans once upon a time.(this rant is based on the auto blog's use of the word the reply starts with and is not intended to offend the French, subscribers to auto blog, former owners of Tempest's , previous girl friends, or people old enough to have bought a 64 Tempest new. It's target is copy writers who are only trying to fill pages with a pusillanimous display of vernacular)
Oh, ok I guess that makes a hell of a lot of sense. So on to maybe looking at some 1963 PONTIAC TEMPEST!!!
I remember looking at a Tempest, for a buddy that was up for sale. The seller was talking about converting it to a GTO, until I asked about the trans-axle.
Has a 63' tempest wagon back in the mid 60's 326, added 4 bbl carb and intake, automatic. Transaxle and rear powerglide was always and issue. The 64's solved these problems, couldn't afford to upgrade the 63 back then.
Ive got one. 4 cyl stick. 4 door rough old car. has a title. hardly any parts missing. $250 like it sets No guarntees on the condition of anything. all I ever done was pull the spark plugs and pour diesel and trans fluid mix in the cyls.
i have a 62 jetfire.. real close,,just less made. anyone know who makes a cage?????look at full throttle mag a few months back. theres one on the cover
New a guy who had that once. Doc gave him a shot for it IIRC... Seriously, a friend had a '63 wagon in H.S. (early 70s). Transmission went out late one Saturday night, leaving a fine social establishment, but reverse still worked. Backed it all the way home, damn near 10 miles (country roads). Neck hurt for a week.
Wanted to give a shout out to Butch (not sure what his HAMB name is) here on the board. He located a pretty solid '63 Tempest coupe for me. Will see what happens. Thanks again Butch!!!
Had two '62s back in the 80's and even then they were pretty much forgotten cars that you didn't see on the road anymore.
Don't know a lot about it. Ran for several years at Bonneville, several years ago. Julian Doty built the head and car. I think. I really don't know. I saw the car a few tines and thought it was cool. It was a record holder at one time.
The Jalopy Journal
