Hot Rods Scored a 50 Pontiac coupe this afternoon

Yesterday I gave the car a sponge bath and cleaned the windows. Holy crap! The glass in this car is phenomenal!!! Windshields have no cracks, delamination or wiper burns. I put the battery in it {previous owner bought a new $140 six volt battery for the car 3 days before I bought the car} and spun the engine over. Had to hot wire the starter to get it to work. Compression is pretty low with #8 having no compression. I poured some penetrating oil down all 8 cylinders and rechecked....now have compression on all 8. After it got dark I went out to try some lights. I see I have an issue with the neutral safety switch. The back up lights stay illuminated in all gears. That's prolly why the starter button doesn't work.
You guys should see this thing.....all the rubber weather strip is still soft! Even the windshield gasket and the little gaskets around the door handles, tail lights and emblems. The dome light comes on when doors are opened....the glove box still has a functioning light when opened. I need to replace/repair a broken hood release cable. Had to use an adjustable, spring loaded shower curtain rod to keep pressure on the Indian head ornament while I took a looong screw driver/bar under the car to reach up and trip the latch. The spring loaded curtain rod popped the hood up on the safety catch. That was no fun and I got some black, greasy sand in my eye for the trouble. Had to stand in the shower running water in my eye . It's ok now.
To be contuined............


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[QUOTE="Rocky, post: 13852370, member:
You guys should see this thing.....


.[/QUOTE]


Well you have the car and a camera

 

Great score Rocky! I belong to the camp that say's "keep that flattie and drive the shit out of it"! I often regret selling my '50 Catalina, it still had the straight 8 and Hydramatic...

 

Sounds like a great score Rock! We are long overdue for a visit

 

If the straight 8 is in good condition, I'll drive the car with it this summer. If not, I'll build a Pontiac v/8 for it. I can see the car with dove gray paint and the top painted the same dark metallic gray as the dash and garnish moldings.
It's been pretty cold here and my cheezy little propane heater worked great in my old 1 car garage but it struggles trying to heat my high-ceiling 3 car garage. I managed to get the engine running a bit on dribbled gas until the fuel pump [it actually works!] picked up 40 year old gas in the tank and filled the carb with it. The engine won't run on that shit. I already knew that so why the hell did I leave the fuel line hooked up? I suppose to see if the fuel pump worked. [/ATTACH]
So I spent some quality time on line and scored a KILLER illuminated Indian head hood ornament. The original is a pretty nice all chrome one but we all know a Pontiac HAS to have the light-up ornament sitting out there.
I snatched the locking gas cap off the fuel filler and as a nice warm afternoon project I disassembled the cap, lubed it up and got it working again. I know this is a teeny little job but I

 

This is what I get for staying up so late posting this....missing text, missing photos. screwed it up but too bad. I'm going to bed.

 

Love that new hood ornament, Rocky....Beautiful!

 

Clean it, make it safe, drive it.... simple! Good looking ride!

 

Had some great weather today so I drove to NAPA for some parts and was able to get the ol girl lit off today. Hooked up my 12 volt fuel pump to the 6 volt battery. Sucked out of a 1 gallon gas can and it started for the first time in 42 years. Oh man! It clattered, smoked and missed but it ran. I actually had the presence of mind to jump inside to check the gauges while it was running and I was astounded to see every one of them works! Carries 35 LBS oil pressure while idling, generator charges, has 1/4 tank of "gas" . I did notice the thermostat housing [no upper radiator hose] was pulsing with steam which tells me the engine either has a bad head gasket [crossed fingers] or a busted block. I let the engine get nice and hot before I let it run at high idle and drowned it in Marvel Mystery oil poured down the carb. I'll let it sit a few days and clean the plugs and fire it off again so see if that clatter is gone. Then I'll remove the head to see wtf?
If the block is busted, I'll take my $100 to my buddy and buy his 400 Pontiac motor and start on the engine swap.
If all it needs is a gasket, I'll do that and drive the car this summer while I collect parts to swap it over to the 400/350 turbo.
Right.....the last time I said that I owned a primo 48 Pontiac straight 8/Hydro and never did update it...loved the original drivetrain.
Oh yeah....while it was running I accidently dropped the trans in drive and it began to move....made me feel good.
I have video of the car running but have no idea how to put it on the Hamb.

 

I love it.

 

You have to set up an account on You Tube post your video there and then link it here through the "response" task bar next to the smileys. The media icon looks like a film strip.

 

Love those old Pontiacs

 

Going back through my thread I got to thinking about Pat's post. I actually have a 283 and a set of TRW 4" forged 11 to ones, Oliver small journal rods and a set of 186 heads from a Z28 engine, Lakewood scatter shield and an extra M20 Muncie. I believe the Pontiac was about 3400-3500 lbs with the giant lump of cast iron engine and iron transmission. They have to represent close to 1000 lbs. The SBC is 530lbs or so and the Muncie is about 85 lbs.
NAH.....I don't think I could Chevyize my Pontiac but it it would pound pretty good.

 

Rocky
Before you start tearing things apart, put a hose on it & pressure test the system.

 

Yeah, OK...thanks. It's so easy to get ahead of myself.

 

I just read this thread in its entirety for the first time. While I do not have the skills you do I am attempting to get my 50 Streamliner back on the road. I did get the motor running and actually drove the car a couple weeks ago for the first time in about 50 years. Your thread will be an inspiration to keep me going on my project.

 

That's funny. I was thinking the same about you...loved the video

 

How DARE you??!!

-Abone.

 

Oh fer Christsakes, Jeff! If anybody should know I'm not really gonna put a chevy motor in my Pontiac it should be you! No, yesterday, after the NASCAR race my ol' Pontiac buddy made me a crazy cheap offer on a 40,000 mile '61, 389 complete motor...or a 400 that's apart with a pretty substantial cylinder ridge. If I can get him to sell me all the stick changeover stuff out of a 63 Pontiac we cannabilized about 20 years ago, I'll go for the 389. Think of it...389/Muncie 4 speed in the old '50 Poncho. I'd even leave the stock rear end in it. I've never broken one yet.
I'm planning on putting the chevy 301 stuff on the HAMB classifieds to help finance the 389 build. BTW, I also have a pair of 6X heads with 2.11 intakes, screw-in rocker studs, hardened valve seats and pushrod guide plates for the 389. and don't tell me the later heads won't work on the 389...I've already made that swap on the motor in my 34 ford. Works great.

 

I might be game for that 301 stuff

 

Wow what a cool find, pontiac had the best looking coupe in 50 in my opinion.

 

Now yer talkin'..... you don't want to risk the wrath of the Pontiac fanatics on this 'site. (Now on the other hand, just between you and me, if you keep threatenin' to put a SBC in it some of the fellows on here may start offering you some cheap Pontiac parts.... just sayin' )

 

Hey Rocky ! Great to relive our youth isn't it ? always liked the coupes & fastbacks probably leaned more towards the Olds product line, could never quite decide if the coupe or fastback tripped my trigger the most, then too convertibles, wagons........

 

Nice car rocky. Back around 1952/53 my buddy work in wrecking yard & scored a 50 coupe & olds rocket 88 & tranny. That thing was pretty quick but he couldn't keep the fins in the torque converter it would just rip the blades out.
I had a 50 chevy vert with a bored out 270 jimmy, dual strombergs ,nicson intake , clark headers , mallory dizzy.
He could keep up with me but never quite pass. I do not remember whatever happened to that car. I had way more coin tied up in my car than he did in the poncho.