The light above the speedo is an indicator light to tell you that your
high beams are on. It doesn't indicate an issue.Just to let you know you may be blinding someone coming at you.
Press the dimmer switch and the light above the speedo should go out and also the high beams.
I had good luck taking apart my faulty light switch and cleaning all the contact points and it works fine.
-G
-- Edited by Greaser on Thursday 22nd of June 2023 10:49:23 AM
DonSSDD said
Jun 22, 2023
Im not sure what differences there are between the 59 and 61 dash, the wiring could be almost identical or not, so this information from the 61 should be viewed accordingly. As I mentioned elsewhere, you should get a 1958 shop manual amd a 1959 shop manual supplement , plus a 1959 assembly manual, from Chevy if you cannot locate one from the Cdn Pontiac. There are some minor differences in wiring on the Pontiac and Chevy, the Pontiac has an ammeter in 61, 62, and 63, that is different wiring wise and you may have an ammeter too.
DonSSDD said
Jun 22, 2023
1961 fuse box etc. The sideways pics may help you to print them out
-- Edited by DonSSDD on Thursday 22nd of June 2023 10:45:24 AM
Sorry guys, been a long day. My 59 has a 350 with an alternator. The wiring around the engine compartment looks like it was redone when the car was built or maybe it was just recovered. The previous owner thinks it was done around 2015/16 I think? He was actually a member here but he didn't post much about it I don't think? He did ask about a cowl tag and vin ID and strangely enough that's how I found this site. I googled the tag information and his conversation with another member came up.
The wiring on the inside looks original with a few extra wires added in for accessories I guess. There is an aftermarket stereo in the glovebox with 6x9s cut into the back deck, and the radio doesn't power up. I have recently added some gauges as I think the engine is pretty tired and needs to be monitored. I took all the pics you requested so you will see the red and black inline fuses in the fuse box pics, that's me.The rest is how I bought it.
You can see some heat damage on the plug to the light switch but I don't know if it happened in this car? The switch and wires don't show any damage and test okay.
3rd pic is firewall plug to the right of the column from the inside. Last ones are outside
I've been looking for a manual and stumbled across the old car manual project.com. Found a few things on there but I usually browse on my phone and theres tons of ads, and shady links spammed everywhere but I'm still going to try and print things out.
JoeyJoeJoe said
Jun 23, 2023
Sorry, the pics seem to have a mind of their own and rotate when I post. Let me know if you need to know which way is up on any of them.
JoeyJoeJoe said
Jun 24, 2023
Well here she is in all her glory. I can't thank you enough for all your help Don.
Do a Kijiji search for Canada in classic cars for the words 1959 manual and read every ad that pops up and ask for notifications for future ads. You will get every ad for 1959 with the word manual in it and eventually a shop manual for the 1959 Canadian Pontiac May show up. Do the same for 1958 manual. Your first search will turn up a lot of manual transmission vehicles of all makes plus manuals for all other makes but your future notifications for new ads will not show very many daily. Eventually the 2 shop manuals will show up.
Maybe someone else has a better way to search Kijiji but this works for me. You may also find them on eBay or Facebook marketplace. A 1959 chevy assembly manual is available from eBay and from chevy vendors. They are reproduced.
You are welcome for the help from all of us, we all enjoy helping and being helped. You dont see very many 1959s and they are a real classic.
Now all you need is a 283/348 and a 3 pedal 4 speed(some of us like 3 pedals, it keeps young and alert .) Plus a 348 4 speed is lighter than the 350 with cast iron powerglide!!
-- Edited by DonSSDD on Saturday 24th of June 2023 03:17:35 AM
JoeyJoeJoe said
Jun 24, 2023
Thanks Don, I'm on the lookout for the 59 manual as we speak. Why do you suggest the 58 manual? Did they use leftover parts in the 59s? I'm going to need to rebuild this steering column at some point in the near future and want to make sure I get the right parts.
Unfortunately I think this car has been modified beyond the point of no return so I may keep going. I've been into restomods as long as I can rememeber and this is a perfect candidate in that regard. Tubular suspension, air ride, 4 wheel discs, power steering etc. Maybe even a little AC if I'm feeling spicy. I hope that's not sacrilege around here? I have some buddies who still think fuel injection is a dirty word.
I'm trying to leave the body and interior as original as possible though. I'm currently looking for the correct trunk emblem and a bunch of other original parts but this thing really is a unicorn in some regards. Thank god for the chevy drivetrain though.
DonSSDD said
Jun 24, 2023
The way the manuals work, the 1958 manual is the main manual, then the 1959 is a supplement to the 58 manual with only the changes from the 58 model year. For my 63, I need the 1961 main manual and the 1963 supplement. In my case, the 63 went to an alternator from the generator in 1961, the 6 was a 230 from a 235, they added a 409, lots of things changed but they didnt do the main shop manual new until 1965. 1964 uses its own supplement with the 61 manual.
The old car manual project is a good site, hard to find stuff on there- it has a lot of information on lots of cars. It was started by a fellow who had an old US chevy as a hobby and was looking for information on line for his car. It is a hobby for him and pretty sure he still runs it.
You do your car whatever way you want of course, Im only into stockish xframe cars so of little help with 4 wheel disk conversions. One thing if you do that, be careful what you install if you want to use 14 inch rims. Be careful with offsets, do lots of research on 1959 and 1960 Chevies which have been converted. Air ride and extreme lowering changes steering and driveshaft angles and some have major issues with vibrations or cutting frames. There are some good lowrider sites, but be careful there too.
DonSSDD said
Jun 24, 2023
Do a search on ChevyTalk for the username smoovep, you can check for posts he has started on the site. He has a 59 bubbletop and a 58 convertible.
Okay, that makes sense. I was able to find the 1959 supplement manual but it say maintenance manual. Is that the right one? It Canadian too. I will see if I can find the 58.
I was actually looking for a 59-62 impala, caddy, or buick for a couple of years but they were out of my price range, especially the 59. I had actually given up and was looking for a fishing boat on marketplace when this Parisienne showed up. I had never seen one before.
For air ride I don't think I'd go with anything but ride tech. It's $10k for the whole kit without the tank so it better fit right.
JoeyJoeJoe said
Jun 25, 2023
Is this the right 58 manual Don? Second edition okay,
The light above the speedo is an indicator light to tell you that your
high beams are on. It doesn't indicate an issue.Just to let you know you may be blinding someone coming at you.
Press the dimmer switch and the light above the speedo should go out and also the high beams.
I had good luck taking apart my faulty light switch and cleaning all the contact points and it works fine.
-G
-- Edited by Greaser on Thursday 22nd of June 2023 10:49:23 AM
Im not sure what differences there are between the 59 and 61 dash, the wiring could be almost identical or not, so this information from the 61 should be viewed accordingly. As I mentioned elsewhere, you should get a 1958 shop manual amd a 1959 shop manual supplement , plus a 1959 assembly manual, from Chevy if you cannot locate one from the Cdn Pontiac. There are some minor differences in wiring on the Pontiac and Chevy, the Pontiac has an ammeter in 61, 62, and 63, that is different wiring wise and you may have an ammeter too.
1961 fuse box etc. The sideways pics may help you to print them out
-- Edited by DonSSDD on Thursday 22nd of June 2023 10:45:24 AM
Interesting that one pic above from the 61 manual has a 58 Pontiac.
Sorry guys, been a long day. My 59 has a 350 with an alternator. The wiring around the engine compartment looks like it was redone when the car was built or maybe it was just recovered. The previous owner thinks it was done around 2015/16 I think? He was actually a member here but he didn't post much about it I don't think? He did ask about a cowl tag and vin ID and strangely enough that's how I found this site. I googled the tag information and his conversation with another member came up.
The wiring on the inside looks original with a few extra wires added in for accessories I guess. There is an aftermarket stereo in the glovebox with 6x9s cut into the back deck, and the radio doesn't power up. I have recently added some gauges as I think the engine is pretty tired and needs to be monitored. I took all the pics you requested so you will see the red and black inline fuses in the fuse box pics, that's me.The rest is how I bought it.
You can see some heat damage on the plug to the light switch but I don't know if it happened in this car? The switch and wires don't show any damage and test okay.
3rd pic is firewall plug to the right of the column from the inside. Last ones are outside
Thanks again everyone, this place is awesome
I've been looking for a manual and stumbled across the old car manual project.com. Found a few things on there but I usually browse on my phone and theres tons of ads, and shady links spammed everywhere but I'm still going to try and print things out.
Beautiful dash in the 59.
.) Plus a 348 4 speed is lighter than the 350 with cast iron powerglide!!
Do a Kijiji search for Canada in classic cars for the words 1959 manual and read every ad that pops up and ask for notifications for future ads. You will get every ad for 1959 with the word manual in it and eventually a shop manual for the 1959 Canadian Pontiac May show up. Do the same for 1958 manual. Your first search will turn up a lot of manual transmission vehicles of all makes plus manuals for all other makes but your future notifications for new ads will not show very many daily. Eventually the 2 shop manuals will show up.
Maybe someone else has a better way to search Kijiji but this works for me.
You may also find them on eBay or Facebook marketplace. A 1959 chevy assembly manual is available from eBay and from chevy vendors. They are reproduced.
You are welcome for the help from all of us, we all enjoy helping and being helped. You dont see very many 1959s and they are a real classic.
Now all you need is a 283/348 and a 3 pedal 4 speed(some of us like 3 pedals, it keeps young and alert
-- Edited by DonSSDD on Saturday 24th of June 2023 03:17:35 AM
Unfortunately I think this car has been modified beyond the point of no return so I may keep going. I've been into restomods as long as I can rememeber and this is a perfect candidate in that regard. Tubular suspension, air ride, 4 wheel discs, power steering etc. Maybe even a little AC if I'm feeling spicy. I hope that's not sacrilege around here? I have some buddies who still think fuel injection is a dirty word.
I'm trying to leave the body and interior as original as possible though. I'm currently looking for the correct trunk emblem and a bunch of other original parts but this thing really is a unicorn in some regards. Thank god for the chevy drivetrain though.
The old car manual project is a good site, hard to find stuff on there- it has a lot of information on lots of cars. It was started by a fellow who had an old US chevy as a hobby and was looking for information on line for his car. It is a hobby for him and pretty sure he still runs it.
You do your car whatever way you want of course, Im only into stockish xframe cars so of little help with 4 wheel disk conversions. One thing if you do that, be careful what you install if you want to use 14 inch rims. Be careful with offsets, do lots of research on 1959 and 1960 Chevies which have been converted. Air ride and extreme lowering changes steering and driveshaft angles and some have major issues with vibrations or cutting frames. There are some good lowrider sites, but be careful there too.
Do a search on ChevyTalk for the username smoovep, you can check for posts he has started on the site. He has a 59 bubbletop and a 58 convertible.
https://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/339054/post/2651081/hl//fromsearch/1/
I was actually looking for a 59-62 impala, caddy, or buick for a couple of years but they were out of my price range, especially the 59. I had actually given up and was looking for a fishing boat on marketplace when this Parisienne showed up. I had never seen one before.
For air ride I don't think I'd go with anything but ride tech. It's $10k for the whole kit without the tank so it better fit right.
Is this the right 58 manual Don? Second edition okay,