The picture is pretty small but I believe the black car in the photo above is a '61 Catalina. As mentioned earlier, there are two or three '62 Pontiacs running around today that have had '61 roofs grafted on to them. This is one of those cars.
61 Catalina at the Pure Stock drags a couple of years ago. Yes, they actually push the pedal (has three pedals by the way) all the way to the floor.
This is my old Olds....wish I had it back....nothing beats a '61 Olds.... How it looks now.....sadly.... No pic...but a friend has a '61 Buick bubble...
So do the pontiac, chevy, buick, and olds all share the same chassis? Will suspension components for an impala fit any of the others as a straight swap?
Thats what i was wondering. These cars have really started to grow on me, and in my limited search for suspension components, it seems things can be readily had for the impala but nothing is listed for the others.
They were all different. Pontiac and Olds had a perimeter frame, Chevy and Buick had an X frame. For the most part they shared no common components, each make built their own stuff back then.
Thats what i was looking for! Thank you. What are you non chevrolet bubbletops doing for suspension? Custom with bags? Or just different springs?
What car do you have? You can run 2" springs and have a 2" dropped spindle or a stepped lower control A-arm like I had done to my Chevy. Some guys cut 2 full coils off theirs, but the ride varies in comfort.
On the 61 Olds I'm doing, I found that other Olds guys used 92 Impala SS coils front and back to get new springs and lower the car. This one hasn't been fully put back together yet, so I can't say how low it will be (Eibach lowering spings were purchased)
there is a parts exchange book available on EVILBAY. There was some interchangeability . 1961 hardtops (bubbletops) side glass and windshields , most glass trim, door s minus skins, interior panels, and a short list of other parts. But, not on the scale of modern cars.
The glass and roof sheetmetal is as close together as the cars get to each other. The '62 doors are the same as a '61, on Buicks at least.
This is correct. Pontiac went to a modern perimeter frame and 4 link rear susp in '61, Chev styed with the 2 peice driveshaft and x frame through the '64 model year. No major changes are needed for frame and rear susp on the Pontiacs. you can add a rear sway bar and disc brakes. They already have the very strong 9 1/4" drop out rear ends too. There are options for the front susp too.
I have these to sell, they look the same ( same colors and model ) but, they are different. One is a stick shift. no eng/trans in either. This one I have been working on and off for many years. It is getting closer and am looking forward to enjoying it for the remainder of my life. This one is a Catalina in Jadestone green. It has nos reupholstered Bonneville int ready to install when the body is ready. I have already completed a lot of body work. This pic is from a few years back. It is further along now but, will still be many years until I get to drive it. Have other, more important projects ahead of it. I just cannot be without a '61 Pontiac bubbletop in my collection! Hosting- 4th annual Pontiac Buick Olds FALL FEST Sat Nov 3 Phoenix www.fallfest.org www.pontiacheaven.org
Brad - just curious, do you know what color interiors were in those two black Bonnevilles? Cloth or vinyl? Black was a fairly unusual paint color that year, I'm guessing they had red vinyl interiors (my car has fawn cloth, it's the only Bonneville hardtop I've ever seen so equipped.)
I fell to my knees first time I saw Stuart's Bonneville, so I spent 5 years building from this to that:
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