Projects Recently dragged home a 1948 Pontiac--Eventual build thread

I like the old Poncho, but the best photo is your kids with their four-legged buddy! Kids need dogs!

 

Thanks. I'm really hoping to preserve this one as best I can. I want to get a carport big enough for our classics, but it hasn't happened quite yet.

I was hoping I'd draw your attention at some point, it'd be great to have an expert on these chiming in periodically. I hope your renovations are going well, I was so sorry to see what had happened.

I agree! They have a very special relationship, and he's a VERY good boy with them--which is great since he's twice their weight!

 

After tons of searching, I finally found what I needed. USPS made a good effort to ruin it, however. I was a bit worried when I saw the box.



Nevertheless, the contents were OK. I spent some time cleaning it up and I think it'll be a decent driver-quality piece. I wish they were cheaper! I can't wait to get it installed on the car, but she's kinda tucked away for the winter, and I don't know if such a small job would justify pushing it out of that cramped little bay in the barn. I may have to wait a bit.

 

That's not USPS's fault, that's just lazy half-assed shipping. Glad it wasn't damaged!

 

I can see how it would look that way, but it was actually very well packaged. Several layers of bubble wrap surrounded the whole piece, and it was tightly drawn and taped to prevent shifting around. It took a fairly intense acceleration to cause that blunt end to pierce all those layers. It was probably dropped a decent distance. I'm just glad it didn't get roughed up any further after the box was damaged.

 

Been awhile since we've heard from you. I sold my 50 Pontiac coupe because I have way more work to do to get my 34 coupe the way I want it.
Get the ol' girl runnning yet?

 

I haven't touched it, and I'm riddled with guilt about it. Thanks for checking in, the reminders do help!

I've actually been moving it closer to the top of my list the last couple months. I'm getting a couple vintage motorhomes sorted out (a "new" one to keep, and an old one to sell), and I've got a new tow-behind to get running. I've also been working a lot on different daily-driver projects for the wife, but just got another last week that won't be much work, and hopefully it'll be a keeper for her. If I can stop buying modern cars for a bit, the Pontiac will be up next! I'm also hoping to get the new shop set up better, and maybe have some heat so I can get more done this winter. I'm ditching a couple other projects that have been in the way, so that should help too.


Looking at the rest of this thread now, I'm not sure what happened to all the pics! Pretty annoying. Maybe I'll try to fix that.

 

OK, so I fixed all the pics! Some were remote hosted for some reason, and apparently that only worked for a time.

On to business, I cleared out the barn stall next to the Pontiac by yanking out an OT project car that I "haven't gotten around to" in a couple years. That helps clear out the queue. In another week, an old friend I haven't seen in 16 or 17 years is driving down from WA to collect it. He just happened to see it on Marketplace, not even knowing it was mine at first! What're the odds?

Anyway, with that OT car out of the way, the Pontiac will be easier to get to. I'm starting to think about the work it needs again, which brings me to my question...

Does anyone have good pics of how the crossmember, trans mounts, starter, clutch linkage, etc all go together? OP dismantled everything while prepping to pull the engine/trans, then he changed his mind. I want to make sure I'm putting it back together "right" since this is such an original car.

 

Carport purchases keep getting delayed by other things (orthodontia, RVs, trips, etc). So, upon a friend's suggestion I decided to rearrange the barn to optimize it for Pontiac storage. Out came goat feeders, rabbit hutches, random stuff that's been stored since we moved; down came the partitions, unneeded posts, gate, and fencing. It wasn't supposed to rain until later, but of course, as soon as I get everything moved out it starts coming down. Nevertheless, the Streamliner is more accessible now. You can actually walk around it, and I can roll it in and out whenever I need to. It's even pointed straight at the shop door now! So maybe I'll even work on it!









The old girl is also much less hidden now. With that beautiful front end poking out every time we pass through the driveway, it'll be hard to forget about, and hopefully harder to procrastinate. I've just got to get a few more things sold to simplify operations around here, and then we can roll it into the shop.

 

If "bubble wrap surrounded the whole piece", why isn't bubble wrap poking through the hole? As a former mail carrier, it gets old being the one who is blamed for any damage incurred, just because you're the last one to handle it. That needed another layer of cardboard, as in double boxes.. Generally, if it's packaged well, that wouldn't happen.

 

This 42,000 mile original followed me home a few weeks ago, 6 cyl with a Hydro.

 

Did you read carefully and notice where I said it pierced through several layers? If it pierced through the layers, why would the layers get dragged outside the box?

That's a real beauty, congrats! Thanks for sharing.

 

Good news, the car is back on the lift! The wife is out of town for a week, and the goal is to get it putting around the driveway for a mother's day surprise. I've supposedly got the correct carb kit, a 40s Chevy gas tank that I can hopefully make fit OK, a random Harrison brass radiator in amazing condition that was on marketplace that "looked about right" for $10 (I haven't even put a measuring tape on it, so just crossing fingers on that one). I've ID'd the carb as a WCD 658s IIRC, and sourced the correct ethanol-proof kit for it.

Now I have to figure out what to do with all the linkages between the trans, starter, carb, etc. I've never seen one of these put together, all I know is there's all sorts of rods and links dangling all over, and the starter is loose.

Also at some point, the brakes were lost. There's staining on the inside of the driver's wheel too, but the residue is dark red and sticky. Weird.

I found the thermostat housing and thermostat under the seat. The housing needs a little work, but the thermostat is cleaning up OK.

The motor was stuck again, but also broke loose again. I could swear I had a manual for this car I used to read through, but I can't find one anywhere! So I'm sorta lost on a few things. I got a new battery from Tractor Supply. The crossmember needs reinstalled, there's no hood latch for some reason, driveshaft was in the back seat, the exhaust was completely chopped off and missing. Lots to sort out, and there's no can of bolts to help me out here. Darn.

 

Now for the bad news...
I've got the crossmember refitted, starter back in place, and set about figuring out the linkages. Thankfully I have the 1948 Pontiac specific Hydra-Matic manual. I've come to realize I'm missing a couple pieces for the trans throttle linkage. Items 7 and 8 did not come with the car--along with all the bolts needed to piece things together. I could fab up #8, but #7 would need a lot of measurements or the throw ratio between the vertical and horizontal rods will be off. Dang it. Anyone got a source? It's 8-cylinder specific too.

 

Well I found some bent linkages, some backwards linkages, and some missing ones. I've got things sorted out as best I can until I get the missing pieces. Great news though, no more grinding or clattering. I have full throttle control. I even bled the brakes on the weeping master cylinder and got good function for now. It's still on gravity-fed fuel until I can fix the fuel pump. But for now, this car moves, steers, and stops well enough for moving around the property.

 

Smooth as a gravy sandwich..