I've been dipping into topics in this forum since last night when I first started to play with my new high speed internet installation but maybe I should post something here.
I have a 66 Grande Parisienne 2 door hardtop 396 car in northern Alberta. It's well optioned (like AC)and doesn't have too much rust. I've started working actively on it last year but I've had it since 2002. I've had many burning questions about this beast and this sure seems like like a good place to swap some info, parts and blarney.
My dads first new car was a 66 Parisienne so I have an attachment to these cars. (That one is still rotting away in the back acres.) My brothers and I have wrecked a few over the years (notably a quite nice 66 327 four speed Grande Parisienne that we still cringe when we think about.) I guess this latest one is atonement.
I also have a 39 Buick with a 327, 700 R4, front clip from an 73 Apollo etc. an 89 Dakota convertible pickup, a 70 Chev CST with buckets and a 250 six, a 38 Willys pickup project truck (and I do mean project) and sundry parts cars.
My brother has a 65 custom sport 409 4 speed car but its a ways from running.
Howdy guys thanks, I've had the Willy disassembled for a lot of years actually. I found it laying on its side in the bush withe frame broken in three places, but still, its got lots of potential I was thinking of puttnig it on an S10 Blazer frame and runing a buick tubo V6 with 200 R$, but at the rate I'm getting to it I may make it electric. If a can scan an old picture I will do it. As for the Pontiac the only picture I can seem to find now is when I was already starting to take it apart. Looks pretty rough but its a beauty down deep!
No need to make any excuses for the condition of your car around here Ken. Some (many) of us don't even have a classic Canadian Pontiac on the road at this point.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Some of us started with cars that were on the road in "acceptable" condition, but then started to improve them. Suddenly they are no longer "acceptable" or driveable. This is a hobby. It is fun. All it needs is time and money. Keep repeating the mantra.
Rick
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1967 Parisienne 2+2 1967 Grande Parisienne
1967 Laurentian 1967 Strato Chief
Remember, "The Government" only has money confiscated from us.
Here is a scan of the Willys just as we found it. it had laid on its side for many years as the top of the cab just over the drivers door has a rust hole through it. Rough but doable, just a question of when.
Howdy, as far as he knows from George Z at GM the 340 horse 4 speed 409 of that year was one of about 72 or something like that. He's painfully slowly(amongst many other projects) trying to accumulate restoration parts. Right now the engine is still sitting in a 55 GMC big window we had running some years ago. The tranny is MIA but shouldn't too hard to find. It's kind of rough actually but has a lot of torky memories associated with it. If I can find some pics I will scan them.
It actually amazes us as to how rare these early big block cars seem to be and just generally how few survive that haven't been gutted. Fir instance I have a 67 2+2 parts cars that is supposed to have been a 427 car but the engine and tranny are long gone. I was thinking of just harvesting the parts I could use It has discs, rallys and a tilt and scrapping it but if it is one (even as rusty as it is) maybe I shouldn't.
Maybe they are just rare here in Northern Alberta as the roads weren't too good back then and of course a car like that was driven hard. Dunno, is it the same all over?
No need to make any excuses for the condition of your car around here Ken. Some (many) of us don't even have a classic Canadian Pontiac on the road at this point.
and some of us don't even own one.
always thought the earlier year willys front end looked better than the '40-'42s.
No need to make any excuses for the condition of your car around here Ken. Some (many) of us don't even have a classic Canadian Pontiac on the road at this point.
and some of us don't even own one.
Ha, hadn't even thought of you Dave...!!
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
His brother has a 409/340 horse in a 55 GMC ... wow!
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Howdy guys, yeah we ruined a lot of cars over the years by not appreciating what we had . That 55 was pretty noce when we got it in about 74. It had the big back window, chrome grill , deluxe interior and hydramatic and was a short box to boot. We drove it for a couple years stock except I had found an original radio to put in. What fantastic visibility in that thing! For some reason my brother got power hungry and took the 409 out of the 65 Pontaic and stuffed in it there along with a 350 turbo (that was all we could find) and a chev 12 bolt. Boy could that thing smoke tires. He still has it and runs the 409 every year to make sure its still alive. This year the old old square 4 barrel was dried right oout so it ran bad.
I don't know if he has real plans for the the 55 but he has sons... (We both have a lot of trouble getting rid of stuff but he's way worse than I am.)
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to run the Canadian Pontiac 409, in a GMC! good stuff