I have the opportunity to buy a 1951 Pontiac Cheftain for $2100. What should I look for on these cars like common rust areas and certain hard to find parts that I should check to make sure they are there. I dont have any pictures yet but I will post them when I can get some. The car runs but it needs new brakes and a master cylinder I found the car on craigslist back in December. The owner thought he had a buyer but the deal fell through.
Mine didn't have any rust issues. Make sure your hood latch is in good working order... mine wasnt.. Other than that, it served me very well almost daily for two years with the straight 8.
Looks OK to me. Its the same as mine. Even down to the staining on the headliner... ..which isn't from the window leaking
I know it does it runs and has brakes. I am just wondering where I should look on the body to check for rust holes. Apparently everything still works all the way down to the trunk light. I was kinda worried about the stain on the headliner I was affraid the truck might be rusted out.
The usual....floors, trunk etc...you can get a LOT of replacement stuff easily. If its the flathead 8, like mine, it should run forever. Mine was $4000 Penelope the Pontiac by Pro Photo Photography, on Flickr Penelope by Pro Photo Photography, on Flickr
Its 61 years old and still running...right? Its a good motor, just don't abuse it and don't expect to win any races
Looks like a three speed stick shift instead of the automatic---perhaps likely to be less of a problem. Check floors under carpets and rockers. Get underneath to see...if you can. Looks good.
It looks like 100% original, including the paint, so what rust there is you'll be able to see. They tend to rust at the dogleg (the area between the lower rear door and the wheel opening in the rear fender), the tops of the fenders just behind the headlights, and the rocker panels. Floor boards and trunk floors, especially the very rear edge of the trunk where it dips down, are also common areas. From your questions I'm assuming you haven't owned a lot of '50s cars so forgive me if you already know this, but getting a "solid" or "decent" car into "really nice" condition can cost thousands of dollars. Chrome costs hundreds of dollars per piece. Interior work can set you back over a thousand. Body shops charge thousands for paint and body work these days. If you like it the way it is or can do the work yourself, then go for it. But if you want a car that looks as nice as A32Flathead's red one, you could wind up putting far more into the car than it is worth if you pay to have it done. It is far cheaper to pay a couple grand more for a really nice car than to buy a project and make it nice unless you can do all of the work yourself, and even then the chrome and tires alone will set you back a couple grand.
Another thing to consider id do you want "any random old car" or "one of the orphans" depending on your skills/experience/cash-flow etc, you may want to do as atomickustom above suggested, spend a little extra & get something a little better/newer/mainstream. Luckily all the trim is stainless steel, so it just needs polishing.... Rockauto.com lists the M/C for around $100 Maybe start there & see what the brake job will add up to before getting too deep into it
Ok thanks for the help the only 50's vehicle I have owned is a 1957 Willys CJ5 that is bone stock. This will be the first car from the 50's that I have owned if I buy it. I plan just driving it as it is like every friday and on the weekends.
I like the patina look if the floor and tunk pans are not full of rust holes and if it runs good and doesnt smoke. I will probably be driving it home sunday
It all depends on what you want to do, and what you CAN do. Buy the best car you can afford as a starting point. There are no "deals" in classic cars. (At least not in the 'save a buck on the builder sense'). Now- for what to look for. Check for rot in the rear doors, rockers, rear fenders. Look under the car at the floor where it kicks up to the trunk. Check the floor braces. Check the doglegs at the front. Then take a good hard look at the rear splash apron and the area between the lights. If it's all solid, then go for it without a doubt.
There aren't alot of rust free vehicles down here the few that have low rust free cost a fortune the ones that are at a reasonable price are few and far between and get snapped up pretty quickly. I just like the styling of the car and the indian head hood ornament and emblems are pretty cool. Isn't the indian head hood ornament and the grill emblem supposed the light up when the head light are turned on?
That thing is risicoulously solid fot your area, isn't it? And it RUNS? Geez. Are the rockers good behind those rocker mouldings? If so quit worrying before someone finds out it did not sell, and runs to his house! I wish I could find a 1949-52 4-dr out here like that (in NV). === If you have to, pay close the asking $ & "maybe" try to get a deal without insulting him... ***but unfortunatelry you really don't have much to bargain with***. It looks killer, and the guy's got it really fairly priced...(and it DRIVES). Sure he knows "dry" cars there are no problem to sell. Pay an $ amount that makes you feel good...but I think even 2K+ is a steal. If it were somewhere where it would not cost us $1500.+ to get it brought here, I would want it myself. Thanks for sharing the pics.
The ornament lights up if the bulb holder is in there, if not, you can stick a small LED in there and wire it up to the lights. REMEMBER the car is 6volt...
This is just my opinion but I Think thats priced kinda high. I bought one for not much more than that, and it was a two door that was a runner. It needed some interior work, but it was a sweet car. Being a 4dr that works, I would offer $1500. Worth a try... Its a Pontiac, so its cooler than the run of the mill Chevy!
Well I bought the car today scored it for $1500. Its going to need new front floor pans, door skins, and part of the trunk pan. But I was amazed at how completed this car was it is 100% original it still has the glass washer bottle on the fire wall, has alot optional parts that were bought from the local Pontiac dealer in the area. What got me was it still had the factory grease pencil certification numbers on the fire wall from the factory. Everything still works from windshield wipers to the clock in the dash to the trunk light. As far as drivability it needs a tune up and all new brakes. I'm just now starting to find parts I found a company I can get floor pans from but what are some companys that specialize in Pontiac parts like drivetrain and brakes?
Ive never had to replace floor pans before but I want to learn how. What will have to be done to replace them will the body have to be supported when the panel is cut out? I'm pretty sure there is lots of info on here and on youtube on how to replace them. I would just like some advice on how to do the repair.
www.rockauto.com has the brake stuff for the car as I mentioned above. When I get home I will dig up a couple of other helpful places too.
Ok thanks I'm just going to try and get it so I can drive it. then worry about the floor pans and trunk pan later.
Lots of great info on the Performance Years forum http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/index.php
My dad drove one when he was in college. If the rust is minimal, i'd buy that for $2k, in a heartbeat. Floor pans don't concern me.
Got mine for $2500 and found some problem areas.. overall i love it and am very happy. Other than the fact they can be weird to get parts from because they are the stepchild version of the chevy its a fun car. www.pontiacparts.net www.rockauto.com www.ebay.com .. those are my best friends lately Congrats .. Luke
Great Pontiac - can't open up a catlog and build them from the ground like a Chevy is... Here are a couple of leads. As far as the metal work, there are more than enough GOOD threads on the HAMB for those 1949-52s. Between the HAMB and maybe joing the "Yahoo 1950s Pontiac subscription group" (which is *sometimes* helpful...right now, there's a debate people are havibg about putting seat belts in a '50 wagon that is filling up the inbox for the last wek and a half!...fascinating.) ...there are some guys who know tech stuff on there, too. For panels try: http://www.surplussupplyco.com/ (Oops - could not remember, so I just checked. Chevy, no Pontiac...and they are not the same). http://emsautomotive.com/ EMS products seem good. Several HAMB threads using them. Plus the owner is on here. Username is: ems customer service<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_3507317", true); </SCRIPT> Senior Member ================== Also get to know California Pontiac RRestoration for repro. parts... http://www.pontiacparts.net/ 2nd is a 50's Pontiac Hobbyist turned parts daealer (has a site but you kind of have to call, I have found)...Joe wheat. http://www.wheatpontiac.com/ Brakes=Kanter? They get so much bad press for (imported) quality parts now, and poor cust. svc.. Like the other guy said - try rockauto.com for brand names, usually cheap. Or NAPA for these cars.
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