Got a lead on a '39 Poncho body 2dr coupe. No frame. Anywho, I wonder if the other GM frames will work? (Buick, Olds, Chevy) Or what years crossover for the same frame? Need to start a search somewhere, somehow.
Scott, I'm not an expert on these old cars but I know from working on my '37 Buick, GM seemed to change year to year, model to model. A '37 Special is a completely different car than a '37 Road Master. Very little interchanges between a '37 and '36 or '38. I would assume that a Pontiac chassis is different from the same year Buick, Olds or Chevy. Not like our Bonus Built trucks where we can swap pretty many parts from year to year, model to model.
Thanks, Bob. Yeah, that's what I'm kinda afraid of. I don't think it would be a deal killer not having the frame and all, but if it's in bad shape and no title on top of it, I might pass it up. I've got plenty of projects anyway, lol. But would make a neat hotrod.
It depends on the model - Pontiacs were all A-body (Chevy, small Buick, small Olds), with one economy Series 25 on a 115 inch wheelbase, and the Deluxe series 26 and Eight series 28 on a 120 inch wheelbase. Unfortunately they are more or less 1939 only, one model in 1940 has the 120" wb, but the others are all different. The 115" car you could probably substitute a 49-54 Chevy chassis under pretty easy, correct wheelbase, narrow enough, and just change the body mounts to Chevy type. In fact there are a ton of options for a 115" wheelbase. 120" is tougher, but a 49-52 (not 54) Pontiac could do it, 120" and should fit under there, and not terribly rare. The other option is to use another 1939 A-body chassis and swap the front clip over too. 1939 Buick Special is a 120" wheelbase, so the chassis alone might do it. Or just make one, use a mid-80s GM car chassis and make new side rails. Or an S10 frame may work.
Hey thanks! That gets me in the right direction. My avatar is getting a homebuilt frame, so I suppose what's one more, lol.
He sent me pics. I offered $350 delivered. He has the front clip, but no hood. Can anyone guess if this is the 115" WB? It's rough, I know, but this what I always start with.... cheap junk.
Did Pontiac have both the 6 and the straight-8 that year? That might make a difference in hood length, thus wheelbase.
Cheap junk=expensive project. I know, I do it all of the time: $550 '37 Buck Special Turned out to be junk, bought another another engine from one car, a tranny from another, different frame, different body. I am however, using the front sheet metal, at least most of it. I like to tell people I'm building the car backwards, I bought the parts car first. I've always felt the biggest fool is the person who buys some one else's discarded car with the intentions of bringing it back to something useful. Even though I think it, it never seems to stop me. Scott, if you've never work on a car of this vintage you're going to learn a lot. As I stated above, not exactly like our old Bonus Builts.
My first F1 ended up being the "parts car first" too, lol. We just aren't right, I know. On a side note, I'm looking to get my uncle's F6 home this Summer, and shuffle everything around the yard, and I'm done! Done! Done! Done! Then it's full bore into the F1, provided my hectic work schedule allows me.
Havi, is there an ID tag on the firewall (or anywhere)? Might have a model number.... You might get the W.B. from that.
He says it looks like the 120" version. However, since there's no frame, and no hood, I wonder if it's possible to stub the fenders to make it 115" ? Not positive I'll do that, but just curious, in case I find a 115" type hood. I'm not too familiar with these style cars, but I'd have to assume the width of everything is the same, and just the length and angle from cowl to nose are different?
I guess I'll get it and worry about the rest later, but if anyone can answer my questions, that'd be great. thanks. EDIT: Got it for $350. All I need now is a hood and hood ornament. The frame I'll worry about later.
Got a lead on a possible '39 Buick frame, thanks Bob. If nothing else, it'll give me something to model a homebuilt frame after. And thanks to rustynewyorker for helping as well. A ways away from getting onto this project, I'll move it to a different thread when I do, not that anyone really cares, lol. EDIT: I guess it was a '37 not '39.
There are a couple of 40 Pontiacs in the Twin Cities area that I have recieved parts from. They are pretty much complete I'd guess because they have the engines (6 cyl.) and one transmission, because I got the other. The 40 is the same as the 39. If your body has a tag the 25 series has a 115" wb and the 26 and 28 series have the 120" wb. This thread caught my eye because it has both a Pontiac coupe and a 37 Buick Special which I have sitting in the garage.
Snow in TX? lol. Thanks for the head's up. Any way to contact them in the cities? Also, does anyone have the frame dimension view, like what could be found in a shop manual? I'm looking at Faxon right now at getting their reprint book for 1939, but the sooner I can see a frame chart, the quicker I can see if Bob need's to hold onto his frame or not.... thanks.
just rummaging around the HAMB and found this 39 Pontiac chatter. My dad had a 39 Pontiac that we drove out from Chicago to California to to a new job in '44 . I guess it would be classified as a kinda rare car, at least here in Ca. don,t see many old Pontiacs out here. It was the long wheelbase straight eight business coupe, and I havnt seen one since. Pontiacs frame must be different as it has completely different suspension. It appears to me the strt.8 Pont. coupe body is the same as the Buick Special, Century,Caddy, and Lasalle, and the 6 cyl body is same as a Chevy, not sure how Olds fits in. Always looking for 39 Pontiacs here but there are very few.
I just got it home. It is rough to say the least. The floor fell out when we picked it up to put it on the trailer. It is the 120" WB. series 26. I'm gonna block it up out back, and right now, I'm thinking it'll be a total customization from the bottom up.
Personally, if it's that rough, I'd go the early stock car route with it, just make a flat hood, and not use the fenders or grille at all. If the grille is good you can probably sell it for what you paid for the whole works. But a 26 or 28 hood (and frame) would work. I've also seen guys take late model frames and to make them fit, cut out where they bow out for the cowl and replace it with a straight box tube. Only problem there is figuring out how to hide the steering box on most of them. Or you could buy the complete, running '39 Eight sedan my buddy has, cut the body down, slap the coupe shell on it, and have a decent original car out of it.
The grille pieces on the fender fronts are pretty good, the body side trim is great. The body is solid, but with the glass gone, all of the snow lays inside and rusts everything on the bottom out. Patches along the bottom of the doors, and rear pan shouldn't be too bad. The floor can be replaced I'm sure. I'll see if I can save it, or if nothing else, it would make a good body replacement for a stripped out sedan. I'm in no hurry, as I have a couple other projects to finish first. But when the parts come along, I hope to be able to get them. I just wish the PO left the glass in it.
Thanks to this reply, I now have a frame. The wheels are a different matter, lol. Anyone know what wheels will fit a stock '39 Pontiac? We tried a different 5x5 wheel (unknown what it came from), and though the bolt pattern was right, the center hub wouldn't let it go all the way on. So I'm looking for donors.
On the Pontiacs the 120 in. body is for the straight 8, basically the same as used for the Buick Special/Century,big Olds, and Lasalle/small Caddy. The 6 cyl small series Pontiacs were chevy type bodies, not sure about the frame. On Buicks they just move the front fenders forward on the longer chassis. You will learn pretty quickly as you get more into this project, but a large percentage of body parts will fit from other GM bodies and models. Buicks are mostly mechanically different than other GM cars.. So,keep looking you probably will find a deal with more complete car. Looks like there already are some guys offering parts, so jump on them.
5x5 w/3" center. Strangely, it seems 1/2 x 20 lugs don't thread on, neither. As a Ford guy, I'm learning more the hard way about old Pontiacs than I ever wanted to know, lol. So, what wheels interchange?
When I first got my Poncho, it had 2 wheels off an Austin Kimberly on it. I don't suppose that's much help to you though. I have read that 1980s Chev fullsize wheels will fit. But being on the other side of the world, I've never tired it. I think Caddys from the 30s and 40s had the same stud pattern?
'37 Buick is the same pattern and even though it's bolt and not lug I had some 80s fullsize wheels on there. The easiest way to tell you what to look for is Chevy C10 and G10/G20 5-lugs will go on, 80s full size station wagon will go on, Caddy will work, the others are a mixed bag depending on model and year.
Knew about the LH and RH, thanks. I think a couple of the wheels are C20 or similar truck wheels, as they have the octagonal center hole of sorts. Anyway, I got it moved to where it's gonna sit. Just dragged them flat, and tore up the grass a bit.... oh well, it'll all be covered with snow soon. I did notice a tear in the crossmember where the arm attaches on the driver side. Curious what suspension grafts work best for these cars with keeping an original engine in place.
No snow yet, Bob. But October is right around the corner. Jag would be interesting. In looking at the frame, if I could just replace the suspension in a way that the crossmember wouldn't be relied on for the arms, I'd be happy. That way it could still be used for the engine mounting, and other stuff. I'm sure a Nova graft would be nice, but I've been wanting to keep this car as Hambworthy as possible. Besides, the '47 Ford sedan I've got coming already has a Nova front end.
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