Just bought it at scrap price today from a farmer. It has been sitting in his tree Grove for 9 years since he bought another piece of land and moved the remaining vehicles that were on it to his home place. It's sunken to the rails still on his property, I'm going back with a flatbed next weekend. Is there a more modern chassis I could body swap it to with minimal fabrication? And if so, would anyone be interested in drive train/chassis parts off the star to help in financing this project I've taken on? (This is probably going to sit in my garage till late November before I start really tearing into it and actually decide what I'm doing) Style number 55-2819SD
Back in the 80's and 90's it was common for guys to put Merc bodies over Olds, and Grand Prix chassis (and sometimes floors) All you need is a measuring tape, and a welder.
It's better off sinking into the tree row than getting wrecked onto a modern chassis. Much easier to just go to a dealer and buy a prius if that's what you want to drive.
You can put it on a ‘55-‘56 Chevrolet chassis and then either modify the front portion of the frame or find a Canadian front clip which is shorter than the US built because the Canadian Pontiac was put on a Chevrolet chassis
Well, "more modern" is technically anything later than 1955 so it still might be HAMB friendly. And, all things considered, I rather see it back on the road with your definition of a modern chassis than to continue sit rotting in a fence row. Also, nothing wrong with a Prius. It's a great car for its application.
My understanding is that the strato streak v8 is hard to get parts for, and that the 55 version was a pile new. It's also not a manual, so I don't care about keeping the transmission. Combined with what I'm expecting for frame and axle rot I'm really leaning toward cutting out the floor pan and welding the body on a newer chassis and floor pan
Exactly my thoughts, and I can potentially use the parts I don't care about to help someone who does complete their own project.
Welp.........as a die-hard 55-57 Pontiac geek I can tell you the 55 star chief [28 series[ has a long wheelbase which may be beneficial to your plans. Star chiefs were 126 inches. Problem will be the track width. I've always been lucky regarding rust problems on my cars, [11-55-57 Pontiacs]. If the frame does turn out to be junk I'd take a really long look at this project before I spent one dollar on it. Swapping frames can be a can-o- worms and even nice 55 star chiefs have little resale value, let alone a modified one. If it was me, and it has a bad frame, I'd pass.
I agree with Rocky, the basic problem is the amount of work vs value of the finished car. If the frame is too far gone, consider parting it out. Help others and you'll likely come out money ahead.
If the car is so rusty that the frame is gone, the rockers will probably be absent. That shell won't be strong enough as it is for you to ''save'' it. Anthony could though..
I am sometimes amazed at how folks give up on projects rather than do what "real" hotrodders/customizers do. Make do with whatever tools to have, to bring back an old car. Modern drivelines, and chassis included.
Not a lot of call for a 55 Pontiac drivetrain. Sad that but that's the way it is. Since they are basically the same engine people look for the later more powerful engines. Relatively speaking they are somewhere expensive to rebuild also and running engines can be found for not a ton of money. Too bad it wasn't a standard as those pieces are sought after and not so easy to come by.
It all depends on your skill-set. I'm getting too old to get nuts deep into anything like that. If the rockers and floors are toast, wait for another car to come along. Oldsmobiles of the era were especially cool.
im a little bit of a pontiac nut, i have a few. a 55 starchief is one of them. i love the car but like everyone said the resale value is half of a chevy, if not less then half. if its a big project it may be better to buy a better car and use the current one for parts. decent project cars are still available.
Maybe I missed it... was the frame already verified to be so rust damaged to be unrepairable/unusable?
It's not so simple - Canadian Pontiacs have completely different frames and floorpans than the US version, you can't just drop a US Pontiac on a Chevy chassis.
Part it out if you don't build it. If it's got side trim and bumpers, custom guys might be interested. What does the dash look like?
I would say save it. If you have the skill and some cash go for it, don't worry about the resale value. Might turn out to be a cool project.
For $400 (roughly scrap price) I'd say it's worth hauling home if you have the time. Worst case scenario, you part it out and break even.
Well, you know, you get bonus points for badmouthing something that you may have alreadydone but don't mention here. On the other hand finding a 126 inch wheelbase chassis (OOPS my info says 124 inch) that will fit under that Starfire is going to be the real challenge / The GM sedans that I was thinking of have 121.5 and you aren't going to stretch them 4-1/2 inches very easy. The long verson of the little troka that every spit and whittle club things is the optimum chassis swap donor is only 122.5. First step is get it out of the mud if it will come out in one piece and see what it looks like and if it is worth dong anything with except move it to the guy's other place for him.
"Hey Bubba.... bring that there Chuvaley 4 X 4 with the rusted out body over here, and let's build us a go-anywhere Pontiac!"
I’m running with the assumption that if it’s sitting on the ground then the floor pan is probably gone, also the assumption that someone who would tackle a modern chassis swap would have an easier time swapping with a frame that could more readily be used and still maintain the integrity of the old school hotrodding. Chevrolet floors are cheap and easy to install in those Pontiacs. I had one I would have liked to have finished. So many cars, so little time!
Got it out of the mud with an excavator, had to drop it at my brother's house because he has usable trees to comealong off of. Both rear wheels are locked up and drivers front didn't even have a rim. Got to find a set of rims and tires and beat the rear drums lose before it can go in my garage. Frame looks fairly solid from the peeking I did after excavator lifted it. Floor panel is shot.
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