Does anybody out there know what the difference is between 39 pontiac 4 dr sedan canadian built vs US built? My car doesn't have a vin plate so I don't know which one it is. My car has a 115 inch wheelbase. My engine that came with it is an inline 6 with valves on top. Sorry I don't know more but I got a deal on it I could not refuse. Seeking any help possible.
Looks like the 39 Chevys use a 112" wheelbase where the Pontiacs(us) were 115 or 120" . I use the Chevy for referance because whenever they started the canadian ponchos, they were on the shorter Chevy frames,chevy engines etc with the smaller version of a Pontiac body... http://www.carnut.com/specs/gen/pont30.html
My 39 Poncho was Aussie built. It came on a 115" wheelbase with a flathead six. Is yours a Pontiac engine?
I don't know if it is a pontiac engine or chev. How can I tell the difference? Is there anything on the motor to tell me?
From what I have been able to figure out, the XCanadian built Pontiacs were different from the U.S. built units. Anybody know different?
I Chevrolet engine will have overhead valves...the Pontiac will be a flathead. That is how you can tell.
Canadian '39 Pontiac is the same size as a '39 Chev. U.S. Pontiac is a bigger car. My Father built a 39 Pontiac when I was a kid (Canadian car) we retrieved a set of doors for it from a 39 Chev in a Manitoba field.
Interesting info on the Canadian Pontiac vs American built. There is a 39 Pontiac hot rod in Omaha that is awesome, certainly not one you see very often. Good luck with your car, what I see it looks in great shape. ~Sololobo~
Sorry for the deception, that is not my car on my avatar. Pics of mine to come.Thanks littleskeet, my car has overhead valves.
As far as I know, the Pontiac is the same as a Chevy from the firewall back. The front is what is different and is wider and I think longer than a Chevy and Ford. I'll see if I can find my notes and the websites I used for information.
Pontiacs were always flatheads untill they went to the V8s in 55. If yours has overhead valves its a Chevy. Iceman
Pontiac front sheet metal was totally different. My hood opens on firewall mounted hinges upward from the front. Grilles were different as they used sheet metal with four rows of four slots with a cast divider down the middle from the hood. I understand 1939 was the only year for this grille.
The body might be the same from the firewall back. The Aussie version is. The chassis however is unique to the Pontiac, and realistically not as good as a Chev.
My plan is to graft both front and rear frame sections from an 85 pontiac parisienne. It has heavy duty suspension and sway bars as well as lowering the front end nicely. I may look at lowering spindles if the front still isn't right. The 85 has a nice low mileage (81000 km) 305 and a 700r4 trans. Any thoughts?
Measure from the center of the wheel to the farthest forward point of that suspension to be sure it will fit under your front sheet metal without having to modify the body (the ones where people bulge the lower part of the front fenders or move the wheel wells back to make it fit look terrible)
Is there any vin plate on the front frame rail? My 35 pontiac has a aluminum tag riveted to the front frame just ahead of the steering box.
I'll second that. Mine is on a Toyo chassis. I had to cut 6.5" off the front of the chassis to get it under the guards (fenders) and it is still tight.
I calculated the 85 is roughly 5" wider in track, but with offset wheels,and the fact the 39 wheels were so desperately tucked inside the fenders, it should make for a nice look. I won't know for sure til they are both in the garage so I can get better measurements. As the old saying goes, measure twice then measure again before cutting.
Both body numbers and frame vin # have been destroyed. The frame had been " smoothed" long before I got the car, and the body numbers areas were repaired without thought to keeping such silly things as tags. DUMB ASSES !!!
I looked the pics on your profile, this is a real pontiac body , not a chevrolet. There were 3 levels of pontiacs for 39 25, 26 or 27 series, the 25 series is usally a chevy body on a pontiac frame. The 26 is the most popular ponitac. What else do you need to know
Everything. When you say a real pontiac body, does that mean it is different than the chev? If so , how? IS this the small body or the large?I appreciate your input and knowledge.
I have heard that the pontiac frame differs from the chev frame. Can anybody tell me how it is different?
Go to poci.org That is the site for the Pontiac Oakland Club Internatioal or just google the name. Probably be able to find some info there. 48 Poncho
figured out that the pontiac frame is a " c " channel whereas the chev frame is more like a top hat style, flat on the bottom and an inverted " u " channel on top. Does that sound right?
^^^ Bingo! The Chev frame is also much narrower at the front, making it much easier to do a suspension swap.