Customs 1953 poncho custom ideas?

aweseome, thank you once again!!! you weren't kidding about it being a tight fit by the steering lol

 

WOW!!!!! Thanks Cousin Steve!!!!

Did you find that CPR had everything you needed to re-bush and restore the control arms and tie rods for the car? Did you redo the steeting box? What's the brake master arrangement you mounted on the firewall there?

Thanks for helping out with the pictures!

 

Don't know what you've done to the car since your last Post, BUT hope you've kept the "hump". That's what's cool about those Ponchos. ALSO, the side spear/chrome works so well it's been "stolen" by many other Rodder's through the years.

Tail lights ? '56 Olds 98's could be frenched in that housing without too much trouble, and still keep the flow of the fender intact. (I'd stay away from '59 Caddies...they've been used a lot. They're cool...but do something different .)

Any pix you can post yet ?

JK

 

47plym, I was thinking about those taillights myself. Looks awesome.
Thanks, Cousin Steve for the pics and info.
Lots of cool ideas to think about.

Scootermcrad and Brandy, on the Pontiac motor swap, what is the difference between the 55-60 and 61- later motors in respect to bolting right up?

 

hey jonnie, I'm def. staying away from the caddy lights....way over done!

 

I believe the bolt pattern is entirely different for the transmission, but also, there's nothing in the way of provisions for side-mounting an engine in there, like an SBC of sorts. But as already mentioned, you can use the universal style mounts and weld them in.

 

Right! Because the 55-58 engines are front mount like you car and in 59 & 60 they used the same casting but added dog ears on the block.....so you can actually bolt the dog earred 59-60 blocks into your center mount car without modifying it. Later engines they stopped casting the block with the extra center mount.

 

brandy knows all!!!

 

Was trying to think of something she doesn't know... Haven't yet. I'm going to keep working on it though!

EDIT: I just asked her a Pontiac question she didn't know and she said "ask Rocky".

 

wow, what was the question? and a pontiac question none the less

 

"Will a BOP patterned 200-4R bolt directly to a '59/'60 389?"

I believe the answer is "No", because I think the pattern changed in '61, but I'm waiting on confirmation from Rocky.

But that's nothing but thread hijacking... On with 53 Poncho discussions...

 

Hay Scooter, CPR seems to have everything for the frontend but it aint cheep. Luckly mine was in good shape and all I replaced was new kingpins and bushings. I did take everything apart and clean all the old hard grease out. There is like 20 zirks on this sucker. The outer tierods I converted to heim joints to help with the angle to the steering arms(higher with droped uprights). The brakes were a universal pedal/master/booster I got off epay.(pic) The steering box I replaced with a manual saginaw box I had from an old jeep conversion. A power box has the same bolt pattern so If I want to upgrade later its a bolt in swap now. The main reason I changed was to go with a tilt column with the right shifter for the th350. Hope this helps you out.

 

Wow! Certainly does! Thanks man! All stuff I never thought of doing.

 

this thread has become very awesome and informative!!

 

absolutely!
I bought a 52 Cheiftain and plan on doing a 400 swap so seeing the universal mounts are a help.
Thanks for posting everyone!

 

Hey! I was driving down the road!! Oh and I run hydros. =o)

 

Bob, just make sure you make a Tech Thread on your car when you finally start!

 

Ah, this thread kicks ass ! Thought Id pop in and say thanks for all the info. I just picked up a 53 hard top about six weeks ago for $750 bucks off Craigs List . havent gotten a whole lot done on it yet,the motor purrs like a kitten and after eight qts of tranny fluid shes got all her gears.Need to go through the brakes so I can pull it in and out of the garage.Plans are to bag it,missing the front bumper and grill but more than likely will be running the grill and bumper from a 50 Buick. losing some but not all the trim . Im thinking of having a buddy mill me some bezels that match the original tail lights,but actually running the exhaust through them and putting the tail lights in the over riders on the bumper. Will get into it hot and heavy in a few weeks when I get back from vacation.Will start throwing some pix at ya then...

Carl

 

I have a front bumper for sale if you need one, and the guards and also the pan...maybe get a relay going

 

will do, I want to really start in on it when we get back from Nashville on Monday...so I'll take good pics for all of the pontiac people

 

That's awesome, we love pics!

 

Thanks for the info! Gonna try to put it to good use.

 

heres where we are at as of today, we still have a few little patches and to welding everything in solid but its almost done...then we have to make the outer rockers, but its a lot more solid now

 

Good start!

 

This is what i am talking about! I just subscribed to this thread so i don't miss out! I have a 52 Poncho that i am getting ready to get started on...Suspension and chassis will be first on the list.

Other than CPR, where else can i get front suspension rebuild parts??

Oh Yeah! I am also looking for 53-54 Bumpers with "over riders" attached...Thanks in Advance!

Hey Punkabilly, Here's a shot of Buzzbombs Poncho!

 

I'm trying to figure out how we are going to get the correct bend on the outer rockers. I think I'm going to have the metal shop put it in the slip roll and then brake an edge at a ninety degree

 

anyone have any luck with these?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200502570276&viewitem=&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2&category=42611

 

CPR is about your only resource and a damn good one a that....if their prices scare you, keep in mind you aren't rebuilding a highly mass produced car with everybody and their brother making cheap repo parts. We're a special breed and an expensive one at that.

 

Front mount isn't "cast" into the block at all, it's actually bolted to the bottom of the front cover. There has been some conjecture whether or not a center front mount could be bolted on to one of the later front covers. I have bolted a 58 front mount to a 65 front cover, but I never ran the engine that way, so I have no feedback on the longevity of such a combination. An 1/8" steel plate ran between the front cover, mount, and motor could be built to transfer stresses directly into the engine block and not the die cast aluminum front cover if that were an issue. A motor plate between the block and transmission could be built to run stock rear side mounts in an early/mid 50s chassis too. If you could build it strong enough, a plate between the transmission and transmission dust cover to carry the rear side mounts might work on the Turbo 350, 400, and 200R4s.

Using a 200R4 without adaptors means using a block with starter mounting provisions (some 64s and everything 65 and later).

 

got the front clip off of the car today and this thing was covered in mud and grease probably about an inch thick!! Go figure, I just cleaned the garage yesterday...guess I'll have to do it again.