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

More Inspiration. I snapped a couple of pics of this Poncho Wagon pulling a Pontiac powered FED at the Hunnert Car Heads Up a couple of years ago.







Good Luck on the build. Wagons are meant for towing.

 

I'd like to thank everyone who has replied and kind words and encouragement. It means a lot.

Back to the car itself. After dropping in the 455, 400thm, etc and getting the 'newness' worn off a bit, I started making further improvements in brakes and handling to allow for better towing. As shown earlier, my prior tow vehicle was a '72 Grand Safari. After using the '72, I nick named it the "Super Wagon" or "Super" for short. My friends knew it as such. Why? because it was simply just that. The '72 did everything in a "super" way. Outstanding brakes, very stable towing, lots of inside room, etc. Even though the '72 had so many virutes, I was just infatuated with the styling of the '61s and '62s. I had decided to get at least one of each when ever I could find them. Over the last 15 years, have now have 5 '61 wagons and 6 '62s. Have also been able to sell some to people who are going to build them too. That feels good.
Once I started driving the '61,. I just loved the dash and styling, colors, etc but, the brakes were awful, the cooling system was marginal, the steering was slow, the handling was just not there, etc, etc.
Over the next few years, started making improvements in all areas.
At the time, there was no simple way to add disc brakes so, I put brakes on both axles of my trailer. Did not seem to need brakes on the trailer with the '72 but, with the '61 it was mandatory.
One of the next things was to swap in a Trans Am steering box. That helped the steering.
The simple little class 1 hitch came off and a heavy reciever hitch was found at another yard on a '63 Safari. Then added air shocks, air bags.
Then crammed in a 4 core cross flow radiator out of a 70s Pontiac full size, had to torch the frame horns a bit and dent the tanks with a hammer but, it helped a bunch. Also a make shift shroud and then a good clutch fan.
Then, I boxed the lower rear control arms and fitted a rear sway bar off of a '71 GTO.

Things were getting better but, still not on par with the '72. I simply just towed at a lower speed and drove it more carefully.
This was a time of growth for my Pontiac yard and I averaged one new Pontiac purchase a week. Sometimes would get 10-12 a month. Then made some deals with other yards and bought packages of Pontiacs by the dozen. Prior to Jan '99 this was all done with my '72 Grand Safari, from Jan '99 through the spring of '06 towing was all done with my '61 Safari. Hundreds of old Pontiacs bought locally and as far away as Oklahoma were towed back with my '61.
Also hauled other things like this tool shed.



In 2000, I ordered a new nostalgia Top Fuel dragster. The '61 became the official tow vehicle for this car. it was the only car in its class thatr actually used a vintage car to tow it to the track and use it for a push car as well. My friend Bill, who helps me with many of my projects, built a push bar for it. Here we are at Bakersfield California Hot Rod Reunion 2003 getting ready to fire up!

 

Great car, great thread! Looking forward to more!

 

Great car and a great story! Looking forward to seeing whats in store for it! I would love to have a big ol wagon for towing...but anything big enough around here rusted away at least 20 yrs ago

 

AWESOME wagon and neat towing history. I love wagons. Thanks for sharing.

You ready to sell it?? I see one in my driveway by early summer.

 

I thought all you Catalina fans might get a kick out of my dining room table.

 

Yep, shoot me an e-mail address and I'll send you some info and pix...

Hmmmm, that hood looks just like the one on my wagon...!!!

R-

 

There was a letter to the editor in the Jan 12 '12 Old Cars Weekly about a '59 Poncho wagon with tripower whose owner loved to get it over 100 mph - didn't realize they were that 'hot' of a ride.

 

Great car and excellent narrative - looking forward to more! Having had a '61 Catalina bubbletop and several other old Pontiacs, I can really relate to your falling in love with the looks of the car as a daily driver.

Using a '61 as a tow car reminds me of a car I called about that was for sale in Saskatchewan sometime in the late '70s. A '61 Star Chief four-door hardtop in need of restoration, the seller told me that it had been ordered by the orig. owner to tow a "big trailer" with a tri-power 389, four-speed, and posi-traction rear. Don't remember if it had 8-lugs or not. At the time I wussed out thinking about the logistics of getting it from western Canada to PA, but now I wish I'd done it! Wonder if it's still out there somewhere?

 

What a cool car. I love the '61 Catalina body style.

 

Yeah, I did a car to match my dining room table.

 

Fixed!

 

Very nice...as a fellow 61 driver [my best friend has it now] I'd love to know what modifications are needed to the floor to install the 400 turbo.

 

I swapped in the 400thm with relative ease. Do not remember much, if any, changes needed to the floor. If there is any, it is very subtle.

Yeah, I am a BIG fan of '61s and '62s. Hav collected about 40 presently of both years together. Many are parts cars, some builder projects to sell and others are keepers for my collection. For those who do not know me, my big project in my life is the Pontiac Heaven musuem which will be a tribute to Pontiac Power 1955-1981. I have about 50 Pontiacs set aside for this planned museum. Already have the properly, zoning, permits and the cars. Now working on paying off the land, then putting up a large building to store and restore them for the remainder of my life.
My '61 and '62 keepers are
1961-
*Jadestone green Catalina bubbletop
* Rainier Turquiose Catalina convertible
*this Cameo Ivory 6 pass Catalina Safari
* 9 pass Seacrest Green catalina Safari
* Mayan Gold Bonneville 4 dr vista
1962
*Silverleaf green Catalina Safari
* Catalina 2 dr ht ( color torn between Ensign blue and Aquamarine )

Here is yet anothe pic of my '61 towing another vintage Pontiac to my yard.
This is another nearly Safari nearly identical to mine. A few differences- this one has red int & is a 9 pass. Note, this is not the same white '61 shown earlier I bought in Wheatland.



Next, I will be discussing about what I did to improve the stopping of this wagon.
First, it got front discs, then rears.

Then a custom made set up control arms to increase caster, then...

This is still the early stages of the car. Much has been done since including a front frame clip, doubling the fuel capacity, OD trans, narrowed rear frame and housing and much more..
Stay tuned...

Hosting
14th annual Pontiac Heaven March 30-April 1 Phoenix www.pontiacheaven.org

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

 

I´m very impressed by your Pontiac collection to say the least.
Love wagons in general but those early 60´s Pontiac wagons are
really great.

 

Gotta love the long roofs,,HRP

 

Here's a '60 from Massachusetts that some of you might like. Look close and you'll see factory buckets and eight lug wheels. There's also a 389 tri-power under the hood!

 

Man, how do you sleep at night? But seriously that is just about the ultimate tow vehicle in my book.

 

Pontiac Brethren Unite! wow nice wagon and I'm sure chief Pontiac is puffin a peace pipe to the 455 swap after my 49 chieftain club coupe is done I'm lookin for a 63 catalina hard top 2door for wifey" and also gotta lead on a 1929 pontiac coupe series 6-29 * for a traditional rod build, got an idea to put a multi-carb set up on a pontiac 287,316,347 for that one great work and nice build...

 

from the movie bikini beach

 

Violet- Thanks for posting that! I thought I was the only one who knew about that, glad I was not. Not sure whos car that is.

In real life the well known chevy twin gas slingshot "Freight Train" used a white '61 Safari as their tow vehicle. There are many pics of that digger with the '61 behind or next to it.

Great addition to this thread. Thanks much!

 

very cool love big wagons

 

I believe the car is the Stelling and Hampshire S&H Red Stamp Special, there is a picture of it and the Safari Wagon sitting next to Tommy Ivo's Barnstomer (also in the movie) on page 74 in the Rodders Journal #50

 

subscribed!.......loooooooove those long roofs!....I got a lead on a 60' catalina wag I'm going to check out....I two really dig the early ponchos even more now that PMC does'nt exist anymore.....so many cars, so little time and $$, but every one saved is a blessing!.........later man, Doug

 

Nice....

 

Will be adding more to this thread soon but, also have decided to add a 2nd car to this thread as I am building both. It is a '62 Catalina Safari. Just like the one my parents bought new. Silverleaf green Catalina. It is almost untouched stock and been off the road since 1975.

Here I am with it where I found it in early 1998 in an old yard near Henderson, Nv. It had been vandalized with some broken glass but, not too bad. I was sooooo happy to find and buy it!


The '72 Grand Safari hauls yet another Pontiac wagon home to Pontiac Heaven to add to my collection.



Here is a faily recent pic. I did get it running and replaced some of the glass and started collecting needed parts. Since it is now 50 years since my parents bought our familys first Pontiac, I feel it important to have it running this year to commemorate the anniv. Literally hundreds of Pontiacs in our family would follow the purchase of this car.



This pic, dated June 30, 1962, show our family leaving Long Island Mineola , NY and heading west to Arizona with our new and very loaded down 1962 Catalina Safari. "Arizona or Bust"





The '62 is going to be like the featured '61 was about 10 years back. This mainly consists of bolt on upgrades and such. The '61 is much more involved.

stay tuned....

Hosting 14th annual Pontiac Heaven March 30-1 Phoenix www.pontiacheaven.org

 

Looks like your '72 is the same color one of mine was.

 

Did get some work done on the engine for this build. Its a 455 out of one of my GTOs.
Tore the shortblock down, it was well worn ( 181,000mi ) but, otherwise was good.

Brought the crank into a shop for a magnaflux.

Then prepped a set of rods to be sized tomorrow with new bolts.

Putting together a set of used pistons

cleaned up the block a bit.

Still deciding on cam and head choice for this low rpm torque/mileage/towing build.

 

Today we installed the posi 3rd member in the '62. also swapped the wheel studs on the drivers side axle. These cars had left hand threads on the driver side. If you want to use mag wheels as I do, there are no left hand thread mag wheel lugs available. So, now can fit a pair of Cragers on the back with some small truck tires. Actually these rear tires/wheels were on the '61 wagon.
More to come.

 

I didn't even know Pontiac did the left hand thread deal. Thought only Mopar did that. Learnt something new again on the HAMB.
I like these old Poncho's. When I was a kid in the '60s my dad used to ride to work in his friend Rons '64, Bonneville I think it was. It had the 8 lug wheels, a tri power 389 and 4 speed. My dad said that car would eat up the miles at 100 mph. Back in the '60s you could do that in western South Dakota.