I wouldnt consider buying this. A sedan (or mabe a HT) with the roof cut off isnt worth much. Im guessing it was a sedan because the vent windows are gone. Think of it this way. A complete 53 pontiac 2dr sedan that runs and drives is mabe worth 5 grand if its nice. Now hack it up and cut the roof off......think its worth 5 grand any more??? The frames under the convertibles have alot more structure in the x member. I would think if you put this thing on a two post hoist it will want to fold in half. Rob
HOLY COW...one extreme to the other...i get yes its beautiful to....NO a POS....at 5 gs its not going to be a show winner but for 5 g's i don't want a bondo bucket that will break in half....has anyone sen this car in person
Yeah, totally. Plus, look at all the cheap accessories it has! and no windows at all??? 5gs is a "good" price for a 53 poncho i guess, but not this one. Then if i may, im not really a fan of flat black, but i can see its appeal on some cars.This is def. not one of them. With all its fat trim it would be a shame to make this car look cheap, itsa car that deserves class and constant tlc. Oh, and while am at it blasting my worthless opinion, i dont like the current white/red combo and tires/caps. Looks like a catalog build.
I would buy it for that price, don't see how you could go wrong, don't do the flatblack, looks good painted and much easier to take care of paint.
O.K. my opinion - only a complete fool would cut the top off of a total rust bucket to make it a convertible if the body was very weak and rusted - so your body is probably pretty solid on this one, even though it is located in the rust belt area of the US.... the dash looks exceptional as does the steering wheel - all body gaps look correct - I would ask if shaved doors have a remote control or not, if they do it will show some more technical expertise from the builder. These cars have a very sturdy frame and floor /rocker panel structure - unless the body mounts in the mid section of the car are completely shot, you should have a nice driver that won't give you any problems. Also the paint looks very nice and the hand pin stripping tends to make you think the guy at least spent some money on it. Bottom line is If this car trips your trigger, I wouldn't hesitate on pulling the trigger and buying it. You'll never build it for under 5K. Hopes this answers your concerns.
Make a carson top for it? One thing, 49-54 Pontiacs have a darn good frame stock, they have C-channel side rails with a big X crossmember to them, probably one of the few cars that should be relatively okay with the top cut off. I'd look for rot on the left front floor area, that seems to be common. Eventually it gets into the top of the frame rails. Outside of that, just the usual places, rockers, quarters, etc. -
BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! The 53 and 55 are my fave Pontiacs, mainly because I used to own a 55 Chieftain.. I dig the grill of the 53 (don't know what they were thinking when they designed the 54 grill, sorry!) and the twin winged hood ornament, it's also the first year the rear fin began to appear!
Might be a cool car but most every car that has had the top cut off are way down on value. No wonder its so cheap. They did a descent job on it but unless you have a garage to park it in and don't live where its rains good buy. If you really want it to be worth nothing do the flat black and red wheel crap. That will really ruin the thing. Nice parade car,but parades are only on holidays.
I've been thinking about this a little, and thought I'd dredge this back up. First off, I'm a BIG fan of lopping the top off a worthless sedan to build something fun on a budget (take a look at my avitar if you have any doubt). The close up pics you posted actually look better than the intial ones, even though I still think the original sedan w/s post looks like ass. It's certainly cheap enough if it has a good drivetrain under it, I do like the dash and the interior looks (with the exception of the back seat) like somebody cared. It'd be cool with hardtop style windows, a reworked w/s, and a removeable Carson style top. If you have the skills to do it yourself, it'd be a good start. If you have to pay someone else to make it not look like a hack job, it'd be better to start with a convert or a hardtop and build your own. There, now I feel better... Brian
So castleman1111, did you swoop in and buy it, or was it yours to bdgin with, and we've been trashing your car all this time? Brian
Can you post more pictures?? I rather have that hacked,low valued,used to be a sedan than a hundred rats. I love the car.
It's neat as hell! Back in the day no one messed with them because they were big, sluggish, and you couldn't nose and deck 'em 'cause of the indented chome on the hood and trunk lid. I had a '49 fastback, my first car,straight 8 automatic that I removed the visor, fenderskirts, hubcaps, put porta-wall on, new seat cover, dyed the headliner, fuzzy diced the rear view mirror and it wasn't bad for a kid with no money, no dad, no garage and only a screw driver and plyers, but I couldn't wait to sell it and buy a '49 Ford coupe w/ 3 speed and a flattie V/8 and I did!!
I read the posts. Im not busting your balls about it. I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes, and wanted the car. Im just saying if Im on the fence about buying something, im not gonna be posting it up on here!! Welcome to the 53 poncho club..... ROB
Please! Please Please!! Dont paint it flat black. I have a 53 Ponch as well and its shiny black, if ya like I can send you a pic and maybe you will change your mind. That car looks amazing! And I wouldnt change a thing. And for 5k! you are stealing it, I will give you 8k for it today. Buzz Bomb
what do we think? are you kidding? the 53 pontiac is one of thee best 1950's pontiacs bar none, and body style.. have you seen the wagons?.. the twin-winged illuminated hood ornament, the first year of the rear fin, the cool grill.. great taste!
I had a '53 with the eight flat head. I pulled it down, bored it .020 over, had a valve in head guru in San Diego do his magic and installed a Howard (Johansson) flat tappet cam and used the companion valve springs. Shaved a little of the head and found a triple deuce intake. Then I had custom headers made for it. With a Mallory dual pint/dual coil ignition system it was a great strong runner. It was really solid on the road too. I made a huge mistake and sold at a time I needed some cash. I've been sorry ever since. Great find! Nice car! Keep it Poncho if you can! Nice cars like this are rare today. Normbc9
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