Art & Inspiration Remains of 55 or 56 pontiac.

Today I went to the auction site and loaded up another load. I noticed the scrappers where dragging parts out of the overgrowth. One had a part of a Pontiac on his trailer. It still has the hood engine with air cleaner. its a stick shift trans. Its a top loader type trans not a Muncie 318. Any way since im partial to early reverse cooled Pontiac engines I bought it. Im hoping the stick bell and flywheel are saveable. with the hood and oil bath air filter still there possibly the old tin indian mill might be saved?

 

Great save, much too good for the scrappers


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Very cool

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the old Pontiac engines are getting scarce. finding one with a stick trans is even more rare. I paid a $100.00. Hard to not add it to my hoard. I reciently sold a 55 GMC that had a 287 Pontiac V8 and a stick trans. It had the 318 Muncie trans. Those stick pedals that come up from the floor on the Pontiac are a desirable item also.

 

I Went and got another Pickup load today. I looked the pontiac remains over pretty good. By the hood ornament and Vin Number Ive determined its a 56. The engine if original should be a 316 cu in mill. I pulled the air cleaner and poured a quart of auto trans fluid down the carb. I pulled the dipstick and the oil looked Ok. It was right at the full mark. I don't think rain water made its way into the engine crankcase. The water pump is missing. Ive got something that needs my attention tomorrow so it will likely be Friday before I bring it home.

 

Man that thing might fire right up let's hope all is well
I got a thing for the old Indians myself save all you can

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I have several Pontiac engines in the hoard. a couple of 350,s a 301, slant 4 and a 400. I drove a 65 tempest back in the 70,s. and once had two 55 two door hardtops. one was a chiefitan and the other a star chief. they both had the 4 speed hydros. one had the lighted hood ornament.

 

good to see that you are saving what you can

 

I'm building a 54 Starchief Catalina now

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$100 is a great deal, even if all that ends up being salvageable of the drivetrain is the stick bell, flywheel and pedal assembly. Bonus if the engine is saveable. I think I'd also cut out that complete dash before I scrapped the firewall and frame chunks. That's exactly the kind of stuff I buy when I get the chance, although I personally would turn around and resell it. Glad you saved it.

 

Sell me the clutch pedal with linkage. I'll pay a fair price and shipping.

 

I likely will not sell any of it for scrap. the vin tag is still attached to the cowl. That means I can obtain a bonded title. The trans is a new one to me. Has six bolts holding the stamped steel top cover on it. I know a guy has a 59 Pontiac. The auto trans is shot. He is thinking about swapping in a chevy engine and trans. If he does I will try and get his 389. The 56 stick bell and flywheel will fit a 59 and most 1960 389,s.

 

Kinda mix feelings on that
great score for you
WHY? to him

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From what I can tell the transmission is a 56-57 55s had a 5 bolt cover 56-57 6 bolt both are selector shift so save the column floor shifters are hard to find.

 

Thanks I was looking at the shift linkage and told myself that its not your common ordinary three on the tree setup

 

For some reason a gut feeling or sunthin I think this car was originally a convertible. If you got part of the frame that has the vin . likely stamped on top of the frame under the driver seat and a cowl vin . weld whatever you want to it and you still have a 56 Pontiac. A very customized one but its 100% legal. I know of a guy that built a 57 chevy convertible out of a 57 convertable cowl section a 57 Pontiac convertible and a 57 chevy 4 door. He does U Tube Videos. Daniel Restodan is his name.

 

So where's the rest of the car, where was the guy getting this stuff?

 

This was the estate auction of a long time car dealer. A 60 year collection. They drug about a dozen vehicles out and sold them individually. The over growth was concealing a lot of hidden stuff. And the auctioneer sold what was hiding in there for one money. The guy was a dealer and you know how a dealer accumulates a lot of unsalable vehicles. and they crush a quanity every so often. I bet the back half was crushed long ago. Ragtops tended to get water and leaves and the body rust away. so they simply cut the frame and took the back half. Im certain the guy knew the engine and trans was worth keeping. There was also a Plymouth front half with engine and trans. Bet it was also a convertible. My Pontiac remains I can tell had a X member frame.

 

Back in the 70's I helped my buddy get some trim pieces of a 59 Ford convert in out favorite old junk yard. The old guy that owned the yard told us some guy drove it in one day in about 65 or 66 and he gave him $35.00 for it. It got junked cause the top was bad and he didn't think it was worth the money to have it fixed

 

Yep back in the day no one wanted a rag top. The Top got bad and leaked and ruined the interiors. Back in the sixties a teen I know wrecked his 55 chev htp . Totaled it out hitting a herd of horses. He bought a Rag Top real cheep and welded his HTP on to it.

 

This might help https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-floor-shift-conversion.617487/#post-11543525

 

They all do.

My hardtop frame.

 

HOLY SHIT please tell me you got this one too! That appears to be a 57 or 58 Plymouth with Sportone side trim and front bumper wings! Those front bumper guards and those side moldings are some seriously valuable shit, and anything else that can be salvaged, perhaps it's got the 150 speedometer or power steering or something else. That chunk is gold, if the rest of the car is around, it'd be an incredible find.

 

Grab those bumper wings off the plymouth, they sell for good money even in poor condition.

 

I am not savvy about dodges. The Plymouth has already been taken away to the scrap yard in Popular Bluff Mo. I checked to make certain it was not a hemi.

 

Ah that’s unfortunate, those would have probably gotten about $1,000 on eBay. It would have had a 318 or a b-block 350. Hemi’s were in dodge/desoto/Chrysler and imperials.

 

Yup. Just the two right front fender moldings probably would have brought $200, even dinged up, they're super hard to find. That's a damn shame.

 

I wish I had known. I probably could have also bought it for $100. Im not a Dodge Chrysler products savvy person. My only experience is with the Pilot house trucks. And back in the day a older neighbor had a Firedome Hemi in a Desoto I used to tune up when it got to running poorly. Main thing I did was clean the spark plugs . Then get it out on the highway & open up the 4 bbl and blow the cobs out of it.

 

I hauled my last load today. Just returned home. I used a come along and some boards & barely got the remains on the truck mostly setting on the tail gate, But I have it securely chained on with a log chain and ratchet boomer at the rear and a ratchet strap at the front. Hot sweaty work! Im give out at the moment. My wife just made me a chocolate milkshake. I will likely unload the truck when it cools down later. and take & post some pictures.

 

Yep I can see why you need the pedals and linkage. I like that your going 4 speed. A real hot rod has three pedals.