Man, You must live right, I've been hunting for one of those for 30 years. I agree, keep all the chrome and keep it all Pontiac. I"m with Mercmad in that you should be able to get it pulled back in shape on a rack.
I HAD A'56 IN HIGH SCHOOL.. COLDEST DAMN AIR CONDITIONER IN THE WORLD.. TOO YOUNG AND DUMB AT THE TIME TO DO ANYTHING COOL WITH IT.. BUT... IF I HAD IT NOW............ HOT ROD!!!
My opinion will depend on your definition of "hot rod it". If it means 389, tri-power maybe with a 4 spd, a nice late 50's custom interior...then by all means...go for it. If you are going to transplant a 3fiddy 3fiddy or a hu****ous BBC crate motor with all that billet **** then leave it stock. It's even more special because it's a Pontiac. Don't be lazy and take the easy way out...please It'll cost a little more to keep it Pontiac but it will be worth it. I fell in love with my aunts 56 Safari when I was 12 and I never got over it. They are beautiful cars and don't need a lot of redesigning. It looks like you have a hell of a builder there. You are a lucky man.
I've got the 4 door brother to it. Great rides. Rare? You bet as others have told you. You should also take this into consideration...parts are extremely rare though California Pontiac Restoration carries a goodly quan***y of non-rare stuff. That bashed light...good luck with that. Lenses? Even rarer. As you "hot rod" it, keep in mind that when it's not a safari anymore, it's value is also gone the same way so keep it close to original with period modifications that can be changed back IF you get rid of it. As others have mentioned, they are cool and Pontiac motors are excellent. Here's a pic of mine as she sits now...awaiting more attention.
you got a great find. Just don't hack up the body, and you can't go wrong. (except fot the front grille) Do anything but what pontiac did there, and it will be an improvement.
Those are friggin cool. Good thing you have good doors....those sell for absolutely stupid prices. Build it, you wont' regret it.
go ahead make a "el poncho" wack off the whole roof add ragtop windsheild frame leave the cargo areas open ... graft on a 55 nomad qrtr and that will have em guessing too if need be seewhat plow boy and crew . do to ****,,,,, i mean neat cars
Safariknut should post on this with a picture of his "traveling art show". One of the coolest Pontiacs I've ever seen. I don't think he's allowed to leave the house without it. Besides being a rolling tribute to worlds best stripers it transports one of the neatest guys I've ever met. Frank
I don't know where you're at in Missouri, but Horn's salvage in Springdale, Arkansas has three 55-56 Safaris. You might get a quarter panel and other parts there. He has been crushing, but has been holding on to rare stuff.
Horn's Salvage [SIZE=-1]2842 Habberton Rd Springdale, AR 72764 (479) 751-2612 If you google "horn's salvage springdale arkansas" you can get a map to it. [/SIZE]
the black/purple one is a 54 chevy grille with extra 54 chevy teeth and the red/white one is either a corvette grille or that aftermarket "sabertooth" grill, can't really tell from that pix but it is one of the two
i have a 55' wagon 2dr wagon and changing the front end to get ps. and pdb. are in the future. didn't want to but seems the only practical way to rid myself of the ****ty front end and steering. clip it!
Damn......I would give my front seat in Hell for one of those......hell.....you could even bang my old lady !
Nice score!There are several places that sell vintage Pontiac stuff;a**** them the aforementioned California Pontiac Restorations as well as Ames Performance Engineering in Marlborough NH and Year One.For body parts you might try Boneyard Stan's in Arizona.I have his address around somewhere and he advertises in Hemmings. Factory a/c is a VERY rare option($560 when new!)and should be retained if possible.The compressor shouldn't be hard to find;it was a pretty much standard GM if I recall.The rarest option had to be the padded dash;I've only seen one 55 with it. Rebuilding a Pontiac engine can be pricey but I think worth it.If you can find a 59 389 I think they still use the same mount layout(one front and two rear).If you go with a later one and are using an automatic trans,you have to use either a 350 or a short tailshaft 400 or cut the X member(not advisable). Disc brake kits are available from ScareBird(he's a HAMBer) although I have never had any issues with the drum brakes as long as they are cleaned and adjusted routinely.Front wheel bearings can be a problem;the outers are the same as Chevys but the inners are different and hard to find. I have had mine for 14 years and have driven the wheels off it(165,000 plus)and have had very few problems.My 57 still is a garage queen(has been since 1979)but I hope to get it running soon. As was said before they have a 7 inch longer wheelbase than a Nomad and ride considerably better.Jivebomber was right on with the stats;the 57 being the rarest.Do it up mild custom or stock and enjoy the hell out of it!
No to hijack this thread too much, but my buddy just got a 57 Pontiac wagon. It's a 4dr. super safari I think. It's a ultra clean, perfect, beautiful car. I cannot even believe how beautiful the chrome and trim is on this car. Are the 4drs wagons not as valuable as 2drs? What might his 4dr wagon be worth? And honestly, it's a awesome car. It's the blue with white insert color combo. btw
That looks like a great project, keeping it all Pontiac would be your safest investment. No need to clip it, i've even upgraded to ball joints and disc brakes with 58 parts on my 55. I didn't want power steering, this was the best option for me anyway. Here's a great website on tri-5 Pontiacs ,, alot of good referance material on Safaris here also. http://pontiacsafari.com/
The SafariKnut is right. The 59 and 60 389s will bolt right up. They have both the dead center mount and dog ears. I've got one in my 55 and Rocky is an avid early 389 master. GOOD times I hope for that car. I still want yours, lucky *******. How rare is a padded dash on ANY 55 Poncho???
They are rare. I had a '56 Safari. They are kinds hard to find parts far. Chevy's of the same year are not the same.
Dig the car and the time you are going to be spending with it. Why not go Hot Rod & semi stock (389, strong trans, posi rear), the correct wheels and stance, add some nice paint and leave the trim? big cars dont have to be slow and these cars already have the lines. I have a std. '55 Pontiac two door wagon and went the clip route, engine and rear from the donor also. But if this had been a Safari? no way in hell would I have even contemplated the thought. I see your trim from the door to the rear is missing and if you did not get that with the car start looking for 4 door trim and welding the two pieces together. Or pay the outrageous price for it when you do find it. All of the other pieces seem readily available but the spear is like just not there. I would definitely lean towards the 389 bad mfrs. A friends last 64 GTO had one with a Muncie that would walk the talk. Traditional to, had red drums behind the Cragars
The most valuable 4 door is the 57 Transcontinental wagon. They were more money than just about any other model and they made less than 2,000 of them as well. 55 and 56 4 door wagons are Chieftains. Not big money there... http://home.gt.rr.com/limited58/57safari.htm
I found photos of the burn victoms, if anyone has the morbid curiosity enough to resize them, I'll email them.
who? tagged or not, **xlmark should be 55-2564DF. Mine is 55-2563F. The bodies are discernibly different. I am curious about the length now, the pic of his '55 on the trailer seems to be the same wheel base as mine and I thought the 860's were shorter. side note: I really really want a set of that lower rear wheel quarter trim. I have cash.
thats is a lot to think about. thanks for all the info guys. the tag on mine is style # 55-2564DF body #CL2500 Trim 278 Paint 5562 ACC BGI KNS
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