I traded my 64 Pontiac to another hamber for this car back in March... it's a 1950 Pontiac Chieftain, The guy spun a bearing in it and the engine finally locked up a few months ago from me moving it around. I've been collecting parts for it and I'm finally getting around to working on it. I've slowly been making way on this project. I got the front clip off it, pulled the flatty Monday, slid the V8 in it Tuesday. I still have to make the mounts, I plan to do that Sunday when a friend of mine comes over to help. Here's a few pics... Empty bay with the flatty out. Here's my engine... It's a 1958 Pontiac 370 out of a Super Modified 32 ford race car. It's been bored & stroked, along with lots of other stufff done to it. It was built many years ago, but was always kept inside and covered. My friend said they had it fired up 2 years ago and it sounded great, didn't smoke or anything. The heads are off a 1960 Pontiac... It has an Edelbrock P303 tri-power intake right now, but I can't find the carbs I need reasonably so I'll have to go with a 4 barrel for now. I bought a 60 Bonneville convertible for a 389 and the Jetaway trans, I removed that trans, replaced all the seals, cleaned it up and bolted it up to the 370. I may re-paint the rest of the engine before I bolt it in for the final time. Here it is just sitting in there. I still have to get it exactly where I want it and make my mounts, hopefully that'll be done or mostly done on Sunday. I hope to have it running soon. There's a lot I plan on doing to this car eventually, but it's going to be slow progress. And check this out... This guy drove this car in NJ and the front control arm wasn't even tight... as a matter of fact, it was even missing a nut off one of the bolts for the control arm. On top of that, the p***enger side backing plates only had a thread or two on each nut holding them on so it was just flopping around too. I know it wasn't his fault as he just bought the car and drove it and probably knew nothing about it anyways. I'm going to be sure to go over every nut and bolt on the suspension of this thing before I actually start driving it.
Very cool car! What carbs do you need but 'can't find reasonably" for that tri-power??? Mart3405 ===============================================
It's setup to run 3 big base carburetors. I believe the studs measured 3.7" x 2" Considering the prices I've seen for cores alone, I doubt I'll be able to get any anytime soon.
Have you tried the 55-58 timing cover bracket? It bolts to the bottom of the timing cover than to the frame mount. The bottom mount kinda looks like a rear trans mount. If the holes are already there your done, otherwise drill 2 holes in the frame right there for the mount. That would center the timing cover in the middle of the engine crossmember.
I thought about that, but never really checked into it to see if it would actually work... If it will, then it'd save some time for sure. I'd just have to find the original bracket. It's got some nicely made mounts onto the engine now, I was planning to make some tripod frame mounts and go with some biscuit style motor mount bushings.
It Runs! I got my mounts made a couple weeks ago and between yesterday evening and today I got the engine wired & timed and spent a total of about 6 hours fighting with the header on the driver side, installing and removing the starter about 5-6 times (2 different starters) ended up having to replace a starter solenoid, drained the old oil out and put some VR1 in it and now it finally RUNS! Sounds very good too. Holds about 50lbs oil pressure. Tomorrow I gotta finish the trans mount and figure something out for a shift lever... setup an accelerator cable and hopefully I can put the front clip back on before long. I'm trying to have it ready to take to the Charleston Rod Run in October. Here's a short video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wILxtG7buTM
I've finally got most everything done! I rewired the car a couple of weeks ago using a Rebel 9+3 kit and all my lights, gauges (except fuel until I get a resistor) works now. The kit was well worth the money and the job was pretty easy. I drove the car up the street and back today for the first time since the engine swap and everything felt good - with the exception of not having brakes yet (e-brake works). The 1960 Jetaway transmission shifts fine for something that sit for about 30 years also I removed a hanging brake pedal ***embly from a 56 Chevy last Monday, and today I finally got it mounted up. I just got a few minor things to do to that and extend and hook up my brake lines. The temperature was reading about 220 today though. I don't think it's very accurate. I shot the thermostat housing and the temperature sending unit with a laser temp reader and it was showing about 160. The heads were about 168. Radiator was showing around 150. I know I'll need a shroud since my fan is a good 10" or so from the radiator - even with a spacer. I have the stock 6V gauges in it, I left the fuel gauge unhooked until I get a resistor, but I hooked the temp gauge up. Will the 12V throw off the reading on a 6V sender and Gauge? I used the 6V temp sensor out of the old Flathead that was in it. Here's a couple pics I took yesterday. I put the bumper back on tonight. I still have to rewire my horns and hook them back up, and install some wire holders to the firewall. Just little odds and ins here and there to clean it up. A few more days worth of work and I should be able to get my tag for it and start driving it.........I hope
Thanks........and no problem. I'll round up the head bolts and some other things I have for it later and give them to your dad to give you. I've got the car pretty much back together. I changed the temperature sending unit out for a mechanical one and now it holds steady at about 180° I rebuilt the 56 Chevy master cylinder using some old kits I had laying around and it seems to be byp***ing so I ordered a new kit off of ebay so hopefully that'll get my brakes finished. It also has a vibration in the wheel around 25mph that I'm going to have to try and locate. I'm thinking it may be the old bias ply tires I got on it since they aren't in that good of shape. I got some like new Firestone 7.10 15 wide white's for it - I'll change those out this week sometime and hopefully that'll take care of it. I plan to get my tag next week sometime. Most of what I have left now is just detailing and straightening some things up... and exhaust eventually. Here's a video of it running now.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXZRGP44aZs
Nice Pontiac, please, do not remove the factory ribbed trim from the hood and deck. I am so sad to see folks do that, but each to their own. Those deluxe bumpers with those smokin guards would be of interest for a bomb in the L.A area if you are not going to save them. Bumper Boyz would buy them in a second. Good luck with a sweet ride, the powerplant looks awesome. ~Sololobo~
thanks I'm not going to take the waterfall trim off this car... I think it's one of the nicest stand-out features of an old Pontiac..... it's just not a Pontiac without it. The bumpers on this car are very straight, it appears they have been re-chromed before, but someone did a lousy job. I'd like to have the grille and both bumpers re-chromed eventually, but I'll have to save up for that I'd still like to lower it a few inches also, but that'll probably be this winter sometime.
You really can't take the trim off the hood anyways, at least not without making a ton of work for yourself. The hood is two stamped halves that overlap with a one-inch or so deep troth down the middle for that trim piece. Meaning you'd need to, for the easiest option, cut up an Olds or Chevy hood (the Olds hood might even just bolt on, length would be the same, Chevy is shorter front to back) for the middle section and weld it in.
Yeah, if you were going to take the hood trim off, you might as well get a Chevy or Olds in the first place. Good decision. I do love me some Pontiacs. Plus there's that freakin' 4dr fetish thing I have going on. Nice ride. Keep it all Pontiac all the way!
Another poncho lover says keep the hood trim. Here's what a 51 looks lowered about 2-1/2" - thinking of going a bit lower this winter !!!
As of yesterday the car is street legal. I still don't have exhaust on it so I'm going to run it a little with the open headers until I get the exhaust done. I almost thought I was going to have to sell the car due to moving, but everything seems to have worked out and I believe I'm going to get to keep it gonna try to enjoy it some this weekend. I still got a few things I need to do yet, but it's driveable.
The Jalopy Journal
