Would You Take A '53 Pontiac or Wait For Chevy?

I want a '54 Chevy Bel Air 2 door post car but would take a '53 if I had too, I dont have a lot to spend looking to stay in the $1,200 range and would like a project...seems everything I've found is way out west 15+ hours away

now I did find a '53 Pontiac Chiefton Delux about 30 minutes from my place for $800 it looks pretty solid..I know the Pontiacs are close to the chevys except I'm not a fan of the rear fenders at the top with the small fin and the grilles dont do it for me either...I do like the trim by the windows and on the sides though

my plans are to chop the car whatever one I get, section it, packard tail lights, desoto grille, air bags..etc

so my question is what would you do if it was you? try to make the Pontiac look as much like the Chevy as possible and do everything I want to do or keep waiting til I find the deal on the '54 chevy that I want..

 

Poncho's are way better ,They are a chevy on steroids ,Im a pontiac and mostly gm ,You would make me proud if you went with a Poncho ,You wont regret it .There is no second thinking the difference ....

 

my only problem is I know nothing about Pontiacs, I've been researching the Chevys for months now as I've been looking for one to buy and parts seem pretty easy to get

I've heard the Pontiacs have longer hoods and front fenders but from the picts of this car I cant really tell the diffrence from the Chevy

also I'm curious how hard it would be to put a '54 Chevy bumper on this car and a '55 Desoto grille..I know the grilles go on fairley easy on the Chevy's

 

'Settling' for the Poncho will never make you happy if you really want a shiverlay. The Pontiac in the pic looks like a very nice car and no doubt has tons of potential, but only to someone who wants a Pontiac.

15 hours may be a bit of a drive, but if you find what you want then enjoy the journey.


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>>>>>,Don't Even Think About It !!! Go Get That "Poncho" as Fast As you Can ,,looks like a really nice solid car ,,it don't get any better ,,,Mucho better than a '53-'54 Chevy ,,Put a Pontiac V-8 in it and drive da wheels offa it ,,
You Don't Want It ??? i'll take it !!!,,,

 

I think I'd buy that for $ 800.00...
I'd rather have the Pontiac, too...it's, well...just a bit different, ya know?

 

That looks like an incredible buy. IMO though, if your plans are to try and make it look like a Chevy, skip it and let someone else have it.

 

Drop a 400 pontiac or bigger and you will no longer want a chevy ..... I ve got this and I would rather have this than any 69 Camaro .....

 

yeah that is a plus the whole thats its diffrent and I cant even think of one that I've seen at a show before

I'm just wondering if I'd end up spending more money on the Pontiac to make it a "custom" than I would the Chevy in the end after all the mods I do

 

If you do the work yourself they all cost the same ...Paint ,bodywork ,That dont matter ,Motors are a little more .But they have tons of torque .In the long run I believe you will make more money on a turnover and plus I think you will fall in love with it when your done .

 

If you can get that car for 800, I think thats a good deal, you could then swap it for a chevy, scene as pontiacs are rarer. however if you really dont want a pontiac, and it would be a burden to own, then jsut wait. youve lost nothing if you didnt want it in the first place.

 

Make sure you WANT what you get or you will loss interest.

 

If it were me, I'd take the Pontiac and not think twice about it...

I don't really see why you'd spend so much more building a "custom" out of it than a Chevy if you're doing the work. Even if you did, it'd be worth it in the end. Your odds of parking next to another one at a show or cruise in are very slim compared to a Chevy. Dare to be different...

I'd go Pontiac power also

But those are just my opinions

 

if you are concerned with how hard it would be to do a simple bumper/grill swap, then you should probably not venture into a chop and section...heh

 

If you don't love it don't bother. be patient...

 

if your going as far as putting packard tailights you can easily get rid of the fins on the back, when your doing the metalwork for the lights

 

a solid 53 Pontiac foe 800 sounds good to me, plus I've seen so many chopped and bagged 54 Chevy's. it would be nice to see someone put some time and imagination into that Pontiac!

 

I'm not concerned about it was just asking because I've heard the front ends bigger on the Pontiacs so I'm assuming I'll have to make the grille and bumper longer to fit if thats the case..compared to the Chevy where I believe they fit as is

I dont think I've ever seen one of these Pontiacs in person so I have a lot of questions about them

 

exactly what my thoughts were

 

If a Chevy is what you really want then hold out for it and don't settle for the Pontiac. If it were me however, I'd be all over that Pontiac.

 

'54 Chevys are cool but I have a '54 Pontiac Starchief in the works and love it!
Look kinda similar but are totally different. Hood & fenders are longer for the straight eight. Front end components, brakes, spindles etc. are different. rear ends are not torktube type they are open on a Poncho. I love the chrome and body differences on the Pontiac.
But is a Chevy is what you want save & be patient.
Just my 2 cents.

 

Not wider, longer. The Pontiac was very much the same as the Chevy but the fenders and hood were longer(and subsequently, wheelbase)..if you compare the area between the front door and the wheel opening with that of a Chevy, you will see the difference... and that grill doesn't just drop in to anything but what it came out of...you will have to modify the sheet metal with a proper grill surround of your taste

 

Think of it as an upscale Chevrolet because that is exactly what it is. Only difference in customizing it would be the additional difficulty of taking off the silver streak if you chose to do that.

As stated above, later Pontiac V8 drivetrain would be a subtle way of preserving brand identity, with any of the 400 and larger motors providing more than adequate power in stock form. With the modern components available for these motors these days building one into a 500 horse torque monster isn't terribly difficult, either. Fitting early fifties V8 tin to the motor to make it more "period" is a virtual bolt on deal. The '66 to '69 SOHC six cylinder Sprint motor would be a natural, too. Most 2004R automatics have the corporate B O P C bellhousing compatible with all the Pontiac V8s newer than '63 (fits the SOHC sixes, too) if you want OD automatic and stick bells are readily available for any transmission that retrofits in place of a Muncie or Saginaw 4 speed.

Hiding the Pontiac identity is easily done if you desire, but you might consider passing it through to a fellow Hamber wanting to preserve a piece of Pontiac heritage and go find the lesser Chevrolet of your dreams instead if that's what you really want.

 

may be a dumb question but why are they called Ponchos?

 

just edited my post to show pic examples of what i was saying

 

Pontiac, why?. Cuz, to many 53 n 54 Chevs out there. Just like theres too many tri-fives, I know!

 

Ponti-Acks are for people who really want a Chevy but have to settle for 2nd best. Cut the cheese anyway you want, Chevy is still around, where's Ponti-Ack?

 

Be different, buy the Pontiac.

 

Ok, i can see your point

wait, what was your point?

 

haha, I was saying I dont like how they are originally made, just like I'm not a big fan of the tail lights of the '53/'54 chevys...regardless I'd change em on either car