1961 Catalina "Super Safari" build for real towing and daily useage

This thread is about my 1961 Catalina Safari. found for $500 in Kingman, Az in Dec 1998. Here it is coming home being pulled by my '72 Grand Safari. Much has been done to this wagon and much more is being done. Will be discussing this along with lots of pictures for this rebuild. I say rebuild because I already put 100,000 miles on it, mostly towing, from Jan 1999 to the spring of 2006. It's second rebuild is quite extensive and may be of interest here to some. It'll be on the road by this spring. So much to report but, here are some pics for now.
Here is where I found this car in Kingman in December 1998 as I swap on tires that hold air so it can be rolled on the trailer....



...and about to haul it home after loading it.






Much more to come on this very special build. As the thread states, this car is for work- towing and hauling, also for primary transportation as I really like the way they look. This '61 is also the official hauler for my AA/Fuel Dragster "Pontiac Heaven Special" using a modified '72 vintage enclose dragster trailer.

 

very cool, looking forward to the updates.

 

I hate you! Me and my son have been looking for a wagon!! Good luck ! Cant wait to see some updates.

 

very cool!

big load for that old trailer

 

That is a cool looking car

 

Really cool, I just got a 68 Mercury wagon as a daily driver. I'll be looking forward to your updates.

 

I love long roof cars my daily driver is an wagon one of the last models made

I guess suv and mini vans have killed them

 

When I towed it back to the Phoenix area, the first thing was to see if the motor ran, it was a standard 389 2bbl with a slim jim. The guy I bought it from told it ran but, smoked. Sure enough it did just that! Then I found tar or something like it in the bottom or the tank. I took a gallon jug of fuel, wired it up to the core support area and ran a fuel line to the pump. Basically bypassing the fuel tank. The smoke went away! This was good but, I wanted more. I was so excited to with this car, I thrashed on it for a month and changed the entire drive train. This included removing and flushing out the tank.
Out went the 389 and slim jim roto hyramatic, in went a fresh 455 with forged pistons, Ram Air IV cam, Rhodes lifters, Q jet and iron intake with 3 tube headers and dual exhaust. Behind it went a 400thm with a GM25 hughes converter. For the rear end, out came the 2.69 open rear and in went a 3.42 POSI,. Added a set of old Cragars I had sitting around and ran my buffer on the old paint. It did not look all that bad and I was very happy with it.



All of a sudden, the car was really fun to drive! With a little playing around with the combo, I did get it to run 14.3 through the exhaust at 4,700 pounds. I was happy with that.
After some time, I went back to the 2.69 gear but, with a POSI.




Now, the stuff I did not like and other parts of the Safari really needed some improvement. to be continued.....


Hosting Arizona Pontiac Power Group
http://www.meetup.com/Arizona-Pontiac-power-group/

 

Nice Poncho !!! What did it run ?

 

I'm probably the only guy who wants to see more of the O/T '72 Grand Safari. (I've had as many as three '72 full size Pontiacs at once, so...)

 

I would love to have that for my tow car.

 

show us more!

 

Love the Poncho! How bout this nugget?

 

dig it man! More!

 

Looks like a '60 389. Yours? or a file pic?

 

Oh yeah, I love my '72 Grand Safari! What a tow car! It was the last time that GM made a car for towing. huge brakes, 12" on rear, leaf springs, tailgate slides into the floor, back glass into the roof, etc, etc, etc. It was a great car but, really wanted something older. Enter this '61. This is what the thread is all about, making the '61 closer to, and hopefully better, than the '72.

Still have the '72, but have not driven in since '99. Plan to restore it one day. Both the '72 and the '61 has towed 200-250 different Pontiacs each to my Pontiac yard. But, then, I am getting ahead of myself.
More coming..



Here is the '72 Grand Safari hauling a '62 Catalina Safari I bought outside of Vegas in 1998. The '62 is being built too, but, that is another story as well...
Thank you everyone for your interest. Am hoping this thread may help and influence others to building/sing a vintage wagon for towing and daily useage. I have several Pontiac wagon projects to see for being built. 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1976 $1,250-$2,500 http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/pts/2760589603.html

Not here to sell cars but, since there is interest. Also, I have several hundred Pontiacs in my yard 1955-1981 if anyone is looking for parts.


http://www.meetup.com/Arizona-Pontiac-power-group/

 

Damn... you got that pontiac x-ray vision! Yes it is a 1960, 389, and I believe the stick version was rated @ 348hp. And yes it is mine. Bought it with trans missing @ an old salvage yard near home. The guy swears it came out of this 61.....

 

Over the years I've had all kinds of cars and a few trucks but I'm having more fun with my 62 Impala wagon then any other car I've ever owned. Thanks for sharing pic's of your 61. It's great looking car.

 

Looking forward to more details on the '61. The pics are great!

 

That would make a great tow rig for the dragster. The 61 year model Pontiac has always been my favorite since they were new and I used to stick my nose print on the show room windows of Pontiac dealerships in the Seattle/Tacoma area on just about Every other Sunday morning with my dad.

 

I think I've seen a picture of Mickey Thompson using one of those for a push rig for his Challenger I

 

Found this in a junkyard last weekend

 

Love the longroofs!

 

You had me at "build for real towing and daily useage".

-Dave

 

Since you're a Pontiac guy...I've redone this '60 Catalina Safari nine passenger wagon just recently...it sat in a neighbor's garage since 1983 while he "restored" it...all he did was tear it down and couldn't remember how to put it back together...I bought it two years ago...and put it back together. It's a driver now...and this pic is what it looked like when I bought it.

R-

 

why-why are you guys showing me all these Pontiac wagons??? you're all just a bunch of teases!
i LOVE 55-64 Pontiac wagons,now excuse me while i wipe the drool off me..

 

That's a cool wagon. The picture at the drags looks like a photo from the late 60. Cool ride.

 

Love me some poncho wagons

 

That pic is actually at Bakersfield March Meet about 10 years back. I towed my friends altered wheelbase '64 Lemans to there from Phoenix. While he was racing his car, I went and tech'd in and ran mine as well.

 

we''l be going into that topic in depth. I will go out on a string and say, we will discuss towing and daily useage probably more here than any other threads I have seen here. I have towed over 250 cars with this wagon and over 100,000 miles with it. Now, it is getting even more improvements. Keep posted here.

Here are some pics of the wagon at work.
This pic is near Wheatland, Ca. On the way back to Phoenix after I bought an nearly identical '61 Safari.



Here the '61 is towing a '70 Catalina I purchased. If you look close, you can see my adopt a hiway sign.


This pic is in El Reno, Ok near Ok city. Picking up a '61 Bonneville bubbletop on the way home back to Phoenix.



This trip is on the way home from picking up a one of a kind '66 Lemans all 'glass funny car body and front frame in Seattle, Wa.