December 2020 I bought a ‘54 Pontiac and have cleaned it up a bit and am plotting my build. It’s a junkyard find and my goal is modernized drivetrain, wiring, suspension. Here it is in the yard where I found it: Here it is the day it got delivered: I’ll add to this thread as I go along. for my ‘49 Ford I used CLR. On the Chieftain I’ve experimented with oxalic acid. I used a scotch brite pad and did half the hood with CLR and the other side with Oxalic acid. I’ll put up some pics later of the difference but the overall impression is that I like the oxalic acid better. The CLR runoff is milky which seems like some of the original primer/paint coming off (which I don’t want). The oxalic acid requires rubber gloves but is LESS harsh on the OG paint. Just dissolved the surface rust. The stuff is legit. Love it. The only thing to watch out for is to keep it off the chrome. I’m weighing two drivetrain options: Pontiac 400 with tri-power or 351 Cleveland. Also, if anyone has contacts for Pontiac parts I think I’m going to need a new grill. At this point I’m looking at starting full-on in August and won’t stop till it’s on the road. Truthfully I’m torn about painting it. It is a solid car but I’m afraid to start down that route. If I was going to do a full resto I’d start with a queen. This is a junkyard rescue that I want to actually enjoy driving. It would look great two-toned with a fresh coat!
Did it come with the LP Jr? I had a '54 Chieftan in high school. When the motor took a dump we dropped in a 350 Olds I got for free. Just about any motor will fit in there with plenty of room, but Pontiac fanatics will recoil in horror at the Cleveland if you ever want to sell it. The Olds motor was enough to turn away a couple potential buyers on mine. I would go with the 400 without hesitation.
I’m leaning toward the 400 but haven’t found the right one. The 351 is something I can do right away. I have a buddy with enough parts to build a few of them.
Update: I’ve got a low mileage one owner ‘77 Grand Prix Pontiac 400 & transmission that’s going to be the drivetrain donor for this project. So I’m definitely keeping it Pontiac powered.
That's a relief to hear. I didn't want to disparage the 351 idea since it's your car and all, but now that you've sourced the 400, I must admit the thought of a Cleveland in a Pontiac made me gag a bit. I don't think there'd be anything wrong with running it with that patina for a while. I like a good genuine car, that has been through it all, and is still here anyway.
Speaking of chrome. That bumper looks pretty good. Don't forget the old crumpled AL foil dipped in water to rub off rust on chrome. As long as it's not peeling the chrome will usually come back pretty good.
Dare to br different....56 Packard V8, torqueflite trans...o k I am sick. Uncle John had a 54 2 door h/t really neat cars !!!
I welcome your candor! I can take it! When building my ‘49 F1 I kept it all Ford. You can even consider that the Jag IFS counts since at some point Ford owned Jaguar. Haha. Would the 351 have been more appealing if I called it the “Cleveland Indian”?
I'd vote for a Pontiac engine. A minor thing - note that 400 Pontiacs never came with tripower, that stopped in 1966 with the last year of the 389. However, a 1966 tripower manifold will work on a 400, so if you can find one it will bolt on. As time goes on, 400 Pontiac engines are getting harder to find and are more expensive, after all they stopped making them 40 years ago. They're still out there, but if you find a 350 Pontiac it will work too and won't cost as much. Edit - after I posted I saw your later post that said you've already found an engine out of a Grand Prix.
Update: I went down a performance upgrade rabbit hole in my head and am going to step back a bit and lay out my objectives and philosophy of this build: I think I’m going to grab that 77 Grand Prix 400 & tranny and for the most part just drop it in. Maybe do some upgrades for more performance but really just focus on reliability and daily driving. This is going to be a mild custom cruiser. Solid drivetrain, modern wiring. Better braking and airbag suspension. That's really my 4 point checklist. The fifth point is style. Upholstery and possibly (gasp) paint. Maybe a different grill insert. All stuff that's not performance $$$. But on the cheap turned into thing of value. I want to avoid making the mistake of spending a lot on stuff that doesn't really add value. Like when a Dr builds a sweet house that's a gozillion dollars with all sorts of quirks that makes it something nobody else wants. Maybe one day I'll have a spare gozillion laying around. For now it should be clever, stylish, and driveable.
I like the idea of airbags in theory but have never owned anything with them. The concept of a selectable ride height for something like this at the push of a button seems too good to be true but the trunk is huge and the body lines are fantastic for a low profile. I realize these opinions may divide folks but I’m just thinking out loud in a thread that will live on beyond us. Someone can find things here that are useful when it comes to seeing a project through.
Anyone have any suggestions for donor rear ends? I’ve got junkyard connections but am curious what the go-to chieftain rear end would be. I bought the parts interchange book. Not as helpful as I’d hoped but still useful. I’ve noticed that Pontiac searches come up with much less info but what if I just mostly pretend it’s a ‘54 bel air?
8.8 ford from early 2000’s explorer goes right in. If you get the v8 version you can get 31 spline axles, disc brakes and 3.73. Its within a half inch of my original in my 50. But allot of rears will work.
I’m guessing that it was an obscure junkyard if that visor was intact. Any other goodies in the yard?
I put an 8.8 Explorer 3.73 in my ‘49 Ford. I had to cut the perches off and relocate them. I also had the misfortune of getting the only open carrier explorer rear end around. So I had to get a posi but then discovered after scoring a 27 spline (mustang) on Marketplace for $60 that I needed a 31. Chalk it all up to my ignorance. The only other unforeseen Ford 8.8 surprise was the offset. All in all I had some issues with the Explorer that I’d like to avoid. Mainly the offset and the posi.
The owner is a friend and the Chieftain was his dad’s car he’d been saving. The lot had been his dad’s lot before him. It’s out of town and private property. You can see the lot in this video a friend made for my ‘49 F1.
Oh, correct the perches do need to be relocated and yes it is approx 2” offset. I dont see that as an issue...maybe it could lead to a vibration reonence? Well I will find out very soon
Chevy has a very different rear end and suspension (torque tube rear, narrow leaf springs). The stock rear will hold up just fine. I drove mine pretty hard [teenager] with the 350 Olds in there and never had any problems. That's assuming the parts to rebuild the brakes are available these days. All that really matters is the width.
The 54 Pontiacs were originally supposed to get the new V8, but that was pushed out a year. The engine compartment is designed for the V8 if I'm not mistaken, so your 400 should fit relatively easy.
Anyone have any thoughts about dustless media blasting? I put out feelers for some quotes and am waiting to hear back. This '54 has a solid body. When I get the frame off in a few weeks I can better assess the situation underneath.
Good build, I'm with you on getting it running and driving and have fun, I've had a car apart for full build and paint for too long. Oxalic acid and Citric acid are great, doesnt damage the paint, works best if you submerge, I've had good luck soaking a towel or blanket. Keeping it wet with a pump sprayer and covering the whole mess with plastic to slow evaporation. Pretty low effort way to knock out a lot of surface rust. Late 70's pontiac 400's will have about 8:1 compression, still can get a lot of out of them. Good timing recurve, or buy the kit and do it yourself is definitely worth the effort, headers, aluminum dual plane intake. Id keep the quadrajet with some tuning work. Cam swap would defintely help but not necessary. Solid torquey driver, you dont need a lot of rear end gear with a Pontiac 400.
I seem to recall the rear axle housing from a 1957 Pontiac will bolt in, and then you get the super strong differential that was used in those cars. Of course, finding one may be a problem.
So this is just a quick photoshop chop of 2” just to get the profile if I decide to do it. I also tinted it to reflect something closer to the color I’m leaning towards. What do you think? To chop or not to chop?
Nice ride Custom, Any luck on finding Pontiac parts. Im in the same boat as you. I just picked up a 52’ Catalina. Looking for grill and headlight bezel. The nice thing with these cars, is you can make em your own…..engine, paint (or not), suspension etc. Who cares what other people think. Make it fun and enjoyable for you. Heres my hard top.
Nice find! I was able to find some fender skirts and have been looking for a headlight bezel and a new grill. My project is about to get going in the next few weeks. I’ll post pics/updates!
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