Projects My '48 Pontiac Build

I've built a few fast cars but it's been what seems like forever since my last one. I looked for a couple of months for something pre '40 to hop up but the search didn't turn up the "perfect car". This isn't exactly what I was looking for but it was love at first sight when I saw the pictures on Craigslist.

What I found was a long black '48 Pontiac. I payed $1,250 for just a body on a rolling chassis and I was worried that I payed too much. The more I look, the more I think I got a great deal. The body rust is superficial and all of the chrome is in great shape. There are a few small spots on the floorboard that are rusted through and the spare tire would fall out through that hole but those things are easily fixed.

The plan is to end up with a shiny, loud, fast, mean looking rod (I haven't decided if I want to chop it but I like the look). I've already started working on it so I'll get some before pics, some target pics, and some progress posted soon.

 

Some before pictures. Most of them from the Craigslist ad.

 

No chop , lowered and drivee! Cool car !

 

The ride home. The lady that I bought it from tried to sell it as a '47 Olds but clearly it's not. The first time my wife saw it she said I needed a Tommy gun to go with it.

 

Yeah, I can do "no chop" with my current skill set.

 

The first thing I did was take the rear bumper and the right rear fender off so I could get around to the shelves and sink without having to climb on the car.

The road grime on the inside of the fender well just flaked off and left behind a very well protected body. It looks like the entire undercarriage has the same road grime on it. And that rust you see where the fender was sitting almost all came off when I wiped it with my hand.

 

Since I had the fender off and I promised my wife that I wouldn't spend too much money on it right now, I took a hammer and dolley to the fender to straighten it out and sand blasted the paint off.

It came out alright for my first try at this but I'll probably revisit it before I send it to paint. The close ups show one of the many dents in the fender as it worked its way out.

 

I also straightened and blasted the piece that goes between the body and the read bumper. Can anyone help me out with the name of this piece? I'm not sure what you'd call it. I didn't spend as much time straightening this piece since I haven't decided if I want to keep the bumpers yet. I'm leaning heavily towards no.

 

Great score! Looking forward to your progress. Subscribed.

 

Concur... Lower that baby and get her on the road. Late 40's cars look so good cleaned up and in the weeds... aka: resto-rod.

 

The pans that go between the body and front and rear bumpers are called gravel pans, front or rear, "shield" is used by some folks.

 

I know they're there, my truck has them but I guess I had never noticed a "gravel pan" before on all the cars I've been around and shows I've been too. My first though when I saw it was that it was a water trap and it would be all rusted out but it turned out to be in pretty good shape. Thanks for helping me learn something new today!

 

Thanks. That's good motivation for me to try to pick up the pace (without sacrificing anything of course). You'll have to bear with me though, this is a weekend project.

 

Dent came out pretty good ! Nice job!

 

Thanks. If they all go that well, I'll be pretty happy.

 

I pulled the trunk lid off this morning and undressed it fully intending to straighten it out. Once I got a good look at it, it turned out that I didn't have the patience for it today.

So, I decided to clean out the trunk. I scraped and vacuumed out everything I could and then took a wire wheel to it. It's a decent start. I'll sand blast this when I do the rest of the body.

I knew about the whole in the pan where the spare sits, the other two were hidden under the huge pile of dirt and tarred down carpet padding.

Sorry about the crappy iPhone pictures.

 

I also pulled the tail light off. They need a LOT of TLC. At least the chrome is good.

You like the wiring job on them?

 

Those tail lights are repoped by quite a few sources some with leds.

 

I'll deffinately check that out. The left lense is ruined so I know I at least need that.

 

If the gas tank is bad, it's easy to get a new one in when the trunk floor is out. Maybe get a poly one?

With the trunk like that, assuming it is bad may be best for your planning. The trunk seal likely failed and water collected in the trunk and top of the gas tank.

Only once did I own a bumperless car. Never again, IMHO the bumpers are needed for all but trailer queens. Maybe pull the bumper in closer to the body though.

 

I'll be tearing the whole car down, cleaning it up, making sure its structurally sound and building it back up. If there's ANYTHING wrong with the tank I'll replace it. Poly is a good idea, thanks.

The seals were MIA on the trunk so it's been getting water in it for a while. The damage looks manageable.

 

I've been looking at a lot of pictures, following the form vs. function thread, I got ride in one that was chopped, and I think I'm sold on not chopping mine. Lowered, sitting level with the ground is the way to go and the bumpers have to stay. The thing I've always liked about Pontiac is the way they take Chevy's design and make it look better.

Take this picture, photochop out the cobra pipes, curb feelers and the visor and I think you're onto something. I like the black with red accents and all that chrome has to stay.

 

I am also building a 48 and I have learned a lot about them. The panels from the body out to the bumpers are also called aprons. If you need a NOS one here is one on ebay.

eBay Ad

As far as the taillights go I do not know anyone remaking 48 lights. Tons of 50 Pontiac lights which have a similar lens but not the same chrome piece. The chrome trim is angled to match the contour of the body. Not sure if the 50 lens would even seal down to the body flat.

 

great car... drive the hell out of it . . dont use poly . you will know why 2 months later . and 30 filters later .

 

I've seen your build. There's a lot of nice work going on there. When I bought mine and started looking for inspiration and how to, I found your build and that's what drew me in to the HAMB.

 

That bad huh? I'll have to figure something out (pull it from the sacrificial car that donates engine and seats). The tank doesn't even smell like gas any more. I'm sure that's not a good sign.

 

Needs a big block Ohh! a 421 with three deuces!!!

 

Damnit! I hate working on my tools.

 

good look

 

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