This guy calls me yesterday regarding a '62 Pontiac Tri-Power I have for sale. Actually he called about "a" Tri-Power, I have a few. So I asked him what year he was dealing with and that's when he told me he had a vintage speed boat with a '62 Pontiac engine. Now I have 40 years of Pontiac under my belt but never heard of a Pontiac powered boat. The guy continued to educate me and said that these were a production boat (unfortunately I can't remember the name). He also exlpained that there were many Mickey Thompson parts on it but didn't know much more than that. Has anyone ever heard of such an animal and does anyone have any pictures??? Could this be some more of Mickey Thompson's handy work???
Olds were real popular jetboat engines, a Pontiac would bolt right up to a B-O-P bellhousing, maybe it was a swap 50 years ago?
I have an aquaintence that has since moved to Arkansas hat had a pontiac drag/speed boat motor on a stand in his garage. it was all slathered in M/T parts as well. he said it was a full roller motor. I think it came out of a donivan or some sort od a D name for a boat.
I want to say that howard boats used some pontiac stuff "applekrate" would know http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=281595 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=316668
I just remembered one thing the guy mentioned if it helps. He said that it wasn't a real desireable boat in its day because fibergl*** was becoming more popular and that's what guys wanted. This boat is a wood boat with fibergl*** over the wood, which made for a heavy boat. One of the items on the engine are Mickey Thompson exhaust manifolds. He said that the M/T is casted right into the E.M.
Howard did use out of the ordinary stuff. I had a '64 Howard with the original '63 cross bolted 427 Ford.
40 years into Pontiacs and not heard of a boat with a Pontiac in it? you must have been under a rock of something, there were tons of v drive boats built with Pontiacs in the early 60s, I mean thousands, perhaps 10s of thousands. They were very popular in the 60-66 era I own 2 and getting a 3rd soon.
No rocks! No boats either! Just GTO's and Grand Prix's! So what's with all of the M/T parts and what brand of boat?
Mickey Thompson raced a Hallett back in the day. He like Nicson, Edelbrock, Aero and dozens of others (even Rudy Ramos...Raysoncraft) offered everything you needed to put almost any car engine in a boat, mounts, manifolds and so on. Howard Brown, my old neighbor and boss, would rig your boat with whatever power you wished. He and almost every other builder back in the day built custom boats meaning each was built to suit.
Donzi was made by Don Aronow, who coincidentally like Thompson, was murdered mysteriously, allegedly by a compe***or.
The days prior to Aronow's death, he had many personal call's to Daddy Bush, they were 'friend's'. Any pix of the mystery Poncho boat?
Never knew that, I remember seeing them in the Marina when I was younger they alwasy had a little flag on them. That is why I said drag/speed. the fella raced it in the boat drags so he said.
As I mentioned "slammed" I just talked to the guy on the phone. I told him to keep in touch and he said he would cause he's interested in my Tri-Power. I will see if I can get a gander at this thing the next time we talk. Pictures (many) will be in line for sure.
Pontiac never made a dedicated marine engine, but that being said, Pontiac conversions were popular and fairly common in speed and ski boats from the late 1950' and though the 1960's. Companies such as a Nicson, Edelbrock, Glen-L, Barr Marine and probably others made marine manifolds, motor mounts, front covers and other stuff for Pontiac V8's to convert them for marine use. Mart3406 ========
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