hey guys , i have the opportunity to pick up a 1962 Pontiac. Here is the thing. its the Canadian/Australian version of the Catalina which i guess is the Laurentian. i know nothing about these Canadian/Australian cars other than they were offered with Chevy drive train. so this one is equipped with an inline 6 and 3 speed manual. im really just buying it for the manual pedals as i can convert it to a 4 speed easily. and put a SBP in it. its also a 2 door sedan (not a coupe??) any input would be great before i go buy this thing. and as for photos. stay tuned. ill be taking some this weekend
Your right a 1962 Canadian Laurentian looks like a Pontiac on a Chevy chassis with a Chevy drive train. If you want a 1962 Pontiac with a 389, on the HAMB Classifieds there is a 62 Bonneville for sale. The last bump was 1/31/2020. Check it out.
Well I am going to say that he isn't looking for a battleship size Bonneville as nice as it would be but the light weight 2 door post body that he can stick his V8 and stick trans of choice in and have a car on the line of what you would have seen in a stock class in the 60's when the guys running new cars at the drags often bought the two door post rather than the hardtop because it was several hundred pounds lighter. It doesn't really matter if the suspension and frame are Chevy based or Pontiac based for what he wants. A swap to BOP bellhousing and the right motormounts and the rest should be simple.
Here in new Zealand, we had the Canadian version.. My son had a 1960 Pontiac Laurentain (spelling ??) It had a standard factory 292 6 cyl.. I noticed on the front cross member where the mounts bolted, there were lots, and I say lots of options for factory engine mount positions. It had the good ol' Chevy X frame..
man, thanks to those replies, im feeling a little better about buying this thing. the real deal is that he wants to trade for a truck i have. i have a 1986 c20 with a newer 350. im still debating but i keep thinking in 20 years, that laurentian will be worth way more than my c20. so i may very well just do it. thanks guys!!
Canadian Pontiac had ONLY Chev Power. An American Pontiac owner in Canada had difficulty getting parts in the 60 s. The Canadian versions were on a Chev Chassis so a shorter wheel base ,mainly from the fire wall forward. You may have problems putting in a Pontiac engine, Never seen it done. How does a Pontiac engine fit in a Chev ? A chev engine would be a bolt in . They came with Six ( 261 in 55-57 ), 283, 327, 348, 409 and 396 ci
The wheelbase difference between American/Canadian Pontiacs is 1 inch. Overall car length difference is about 3 inchs. I don't think fitting a Pontiac V8 would be too much of an issue, after all the Impalas could be had with up to 409 cubic inches. I have a 1962 Laurentian myself, just bought it last June so I'm learning everything I can about them. Mine has the 283 and 3 speed, which runs great. I put 3000 Miles on it between June and October, with several 200+ mile road trips without a hiccup.
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