Features I Get Visions In My Head And ADMITTED SICKNESS

You're missing the best part he was sharing his addiction. Then I followed up and talked about my addiction and I think there's a few others although they were more brief because they're not ready to come out in the open about their caraholic problem.

 

Well said

Ben

 

Good one , Gary.
I like the TR quote!!

Ben

 

Dang, made me LOOK! Wish I was as observant.

Ben

 

cool car, my dad bought one in 63, he had it about 2 weeks, went to work and never came home... I rode in it 2 or three times.... enough to get hooked on the new car smell... only thing I remember was it seemed like the shifter was on the dash??? but just wanted to let you know.... My cousin Vinnie is an attorney if you ever need...

 

11s with a Pontiac 4 cylinder.
Whoa...

 

I'd be dialing in that Chris Craft if it were me but nice car to start with.

 

WOW it looks Great Enjoy it! Gary

 

I learned to drive in a 63 Tempest with a 194 and 3 speed, they used a Corvair trans axle it was fun to drive. My older brother ran an X/FD in 64 with a fuel injected 194 at MoKan and held the national record for a while. The hearse in the background was the tow car/push car the pictures were from MoKan in 64 or 65, Danny Hix sponsored the car.

 

Great ride. Your Tempest is simplicity in motion.

 

Hey @corncobcoupe
Man does this information that you have posted here on this thread really ring a bell with me, indeed it does.
As the son of a wrecking yard and car and truck repair owner, I saw a ton of great cool stuff come through the yard, that I had visions of owning and modifying into something cool.
More often than not, those cool things wound up in the crusher as I was too young to really have any mad money to invest in them.
I watched a lot of cool cars and trucks, just vanish.
As my dad would say to me, every time I said lets save this one, he would reply, if it cant pay for its foot print, then it has to go!

One of the cool things about the pictures you have posted about this very cool oddball tempest, is the other things in the the new shop.

You have displayed some elements that really caught my eye, and it has reassured me that you are not insane or sick!

1. Forklift.
2. Pallet racking system.
3. Mini quad.
4. Vintage Chris Craft wood boat.
5. Sensible truck with useful dump bed.
6. Basketball hoop and backboard.
7. Riding lawn mower.
8. Cabela's, I assume a gun safe.
9. Electric roll up door.
10. Overhead radiant heat.
11. Mystery green car with hood up.
12. The new shop itself!

It's always fun to look at the surrounding element's, in other peoples shops and the things that are displayed, such as the tons of space that will eventually be used for more pallet racking as needed.

I am not going to hijack this thread by posting pictures of some of the oddball rigs I have owned in the past, a quick look at my profile page will reveal the shared alleged insanity, that we as fellow gear heads, are from time to time afflicted with!

And I say that in the most positive way!

"It takes leather balls to play rugby"
And it takes a very open mind to purchase this cool tempest, with a 4 banger, with a rubber band (rope) drive line attached to a trans-axle !

At any car show that you attend with this very cool survivor, you can bet that it will be the only one of its kind at that show!
And I totally get that!
It's great when you own something, that no matter how strange or unique it is, it somehow scratches that itch, and it makes you smile and feel like you are the "King of the Automotive Universe"

​

Most impressive Cob, most impressive indeed!
Thanks from Dennis for sharing some cool bits from your world!

By the way, yesterday, Sunday 2/9/2025, was the passing of one of our most prolific authors, Tom Robbins, he was 92. You might want to pick up a copy of "Another roadside attraction" and keep it in the glove box of that cool Tempest!

 

Grinning to myself here, it never occurred to me that the shop wasn't yours, oh well, you now have a list of potential target acquisitions to aim for in the future.
The advise of getting a copy of the Tom Robbins book, "Another roadside attraction"to keep in the glove box of that Tempest, is still very applicable!
Thanks from Dennis for the clarification!

 

Cob, your not going to let a little rain stop your picking up the new toy are you? HRP

 

Why do I suddenly have a taste for a Werthers'?

 

"Hi. My name is John and I have an addiction..."

 

Was it available in "Mint Green paint" with Michelin model XGV size 75R14 tires?

 

It is a Pontiac

 

63 Pontiac Tempest Lemans
195 CU 4 Cylinder Engine 115 HP
(half of a 389 V8 Engine)
Automatic Trans
Independent Rear Suspension.

0-60 MPH in 4-1/2 days.


Hello,

Wow, nice Pontiac… the set up speaks for itself. In 4- 1/2 days, it would have qualified for competition with our teenage group’s cars for the Cherry Avenue Drags in the “other” classification races. While my 1958 Impala was able to turn 14 seconds in the quarter mile as a stock car, with the addition of the C&O Stick Hydro was enough to be the leader in the so-called “standings,” for the whole high school years, until the 409 days.

But, some of the most fun races involved the “other” classes of high school teenage folks/cars. A
6 cylinder Chevy, a Chevy 2 4 cylinder, and a 51 Pontiac. Added to that group, among others, was a salmon pink Flathead 40 Ford Sedan Delivery in the mix. I had the “go” power, but I also was in the running for the “other” class of teenage hot rods. If I only had one other passenger, then my chances were good that I could possibly win a race or two in the sedan delivery. The 3rd passenger would have been weight over the rear wheels for extra traction when needed... ha!

If the back of the Flathead sedan delivery was loaded with some other teenagers, the total weight was horrendous and dropped me to the slowest end of the spectrum. The slowest, but for those sitting in the back cave, one of the most fun rides. Talk about weigh distribution and over the rear tires, to boot. Ha! In this case, The added weight for traction, was a little too much for the stock Flathead to overcome and I saw plenty of red taillights in my windshield. But, but what a fun ride, scooting forward to make it go faster.

Jnaki

But, this was the aftermath of our Willys Coupe build and dragstrip adventures. So, my brother’s mind was wandering forward to the next project. With two ideas already floating around, a station wagon with a 301-352 c.i. SBC motor with dual quads or a single Paxton supercharger or a smaller Pontiac LeMans. In this case, with a v8 motor to start.

By this time, Mickey Thompson was well established in his Westside of Long Beach compound and the manager, Jack Ewing, had some friendly advice for us. He wanted us to stay in the hot rod/drag race mix. The shop had a huge inventory of Pontiac parts and he was willing to help in the sponsorship end of the next build. He actually proposed a 671 supercharged Mickey Thompson shop motor to be placed in the 58 Impala mated to the already installed C&O Stick Hydro. He said it was a good start for us to install the C&O for quicker starts and control the additional power. Then, we mentioned a smaller Tempest sedan.

For the next level of drag racing, there were a few experimental Pontiac cars getting prepped for those early SS and FX classes with super modified motors. Then the whole scene turned into the factory FX cars making a great show of power in their respective classes.

It was unheard of to have one of his Pontiac motors in the Tempest. But, it could fit and make an awesome hot rod. A 400+ c.i. inch Pontiac motor with almost 700 hp mated to a C&O Stick Hydro would have made quite a street legal, daily driver. So, it was tempting, as the shop was right down the street from our own garage. The Impala idea was out, as we needed it for our daily drives to the doctor and hospital visits.

With a willing sponsor that had an endless supply of parts and go fast motors ready/willing to move to the next project, it was tempting to accept the offer. A Tempest with a 700 hp motor would have been the first “muscle car,” if any such category was so called, given a nickname, back then.

Note:
The lure of being outside in the surf was what my brother was heading towards. Despite the Tempest with a powerful motor for his daily driver to college classes, (and perhap several days at Lion’s Dragstrip ) the waves and beach lifestyle was too strong. We thanked Jack Ewing for his offer and moved on with our lives.

These days, 500-700 hp is a common approach to high performance cars and trucks. Even my wife is into that high horsepower game. “If we ever move to Montana or Wyoming, the next vehicle will be a new 700 hp Raptor truck.” Or a smaller station wagon with 600 hp in its AWD version… ha! YRMV