'65 parisienne vs catalina bodies

mk1V · Member

RE: '65 parisienne vs catalina bodies

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Hmm, I may try to do it in a little bit then.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

63gpman wrote:

All measurements are taking on the lower body line with no trim attached from my 65 Catalina 2dr HT.

Behind the front wheel = 18 on the button

In front of the rear wheel = 20 ¼

Behind the rear wheel = 32 ¼

1966 Strato Chief 2 door post

Behind the front wheel = 17 1/4
In front of the rear wheel = 19 7/8
Behind the rear wheel = 32 1/4

63gpman · Addicted!

I would be it has more to do with exactly where we are measuring than them being different. I'll see if I can take some photos, but I would bet two doughnuts they are exactly the same. The reason I believe this is that the 66 CS and GP trim is exactly the same as the 66 US built 2+2 trim (always looking for better pieces than I have already)

63gpman · Addicted!

You know I am serious when I bet two doughnuts. If I only bet one, I am only kind of serious!!!! ;)

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

I'm thinking possibly 65 and 66 aren't a direct fit between the 2 years.

koolconvertible · Poncho Master!

I built a 65/66 hybrid. bits being rare in Oz bought a 65 for the front end parts cheap. Came with heaps of parts includng a complete 66 front. Kept the good 65 front and fitted the 66 front. Fitted except for where front panel bolts onto the top of the cowl are. We use 66 doors on 65s and vice versa, spats or you call them fender skirts. Bodylines are generally the same.

mk1V · Member

The '65 hardtop I was planning to remeasure this week has disappeared. It's possible they're different, Carl, but odds are they're very close to, if not the same. Looking at GMs pontiac styling cycles through the sixties like the 59/60, 61/62, 63/64, 65/66 etc, it seems the freshening up was at each end and interior, leaving the main body structure and doors alone.

Your front fender measurement appears to verify John's statement regarding the front wheel center spacing.

mike

-- Edited by mk1V on Sunday 10th of September 2017 04:16:38 PM

-- Edited by mk1V on Sunday 10th of September 2017 04:20:26 PM

norontcan · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Carl Stevenson wrote:
63gpman wrote:

All measurements are taking on the lower body line with no trim attached from my 65 Catalina 2dr HT.

Behind the front wheel = 18 on the button

In front of the rear wheel = 20 ¼

Behind the rear wheel = 32 ¼

1966 Strato Chief 2 door post

Behind the front wheel = 17 1/4
In front of the rear wheel = 19 7/8
Behind the rear wheel = 32 1/4

My 65 CS has chrome along this body line so a little harder to get exact measurements.

Here's what I measured

behind the front wheel 17"

in front of the rear wheel 19 3/4"

behind the rear wheel 32 1/2"

65wagon · Poncho Master!

ive stripped several 65 66 GPs for decent parts they interchangeable with the Canadian cars

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

65wagon wrote:

ive stripped several 65 66 GPs for decent parts they interchangeable with the Canadian cars

Have you actually swapped fenders, doors, quarter panels? I'm told they are the same on the outside (the GP's, not the rest of the models) but the mounting tabs/holes on the fenders etc don't line up.

mk1V · Member

So what we know is the information (GM data) shows the '65 Parisienne, Catalina, 2+2 and Grand Prix to be the same overall length, but the canadian cars on the chev chassis have a 2" shorter wheelbase.

parisienne

65prsn1

2+2

65pnt2+2prfl

Our measurements have shown that the rear quarter body line lengths match on these US and Canadian cars. The front fender lower body line is 1" shorter on the canadian cars because of the front wheel center to firewall measurement being 1" shorter on the chev chassis. Interesting that when you look at the above pictures, the wheels on the parisienne look to be closer to the rear of the front wheel opening and the front of the rear opening, showing the canadian chev frame's shorter wheelbase.

Maybe we should get measurements on the door lengths as well aww

mike

-- Edited by mk1V on Wednesday 13th of September 2017 02:16:29 AM

Mondo Poncho · Addicted!

If anybody wants to compare quarter panels for the 1967 Parisienne compared to US Pontiac quarter panels, I have an NOS set for '67 convertible I could measure in detail. I'd really like to know for the 1967 model year if quarter panels will interchange between Parisienne and Catalina. I'M LOOKING FOR A SET of 1967 quarter panels for a 2 door hardtop Parisienne if anybody has info on that for me. If Catalina quarters are the same, I'd like to know that.

mk1V · Member

One anomaly shows up in the specs for the '66 cars; the US catalina and GP show to be 1" shorter than the canadian cars. Perhaps that could be accounted for by the brackets needed to adapt the bumpers to the chev frame.
In '67, the measurements go back to being the same again, so the quarters are probably very close.

mike

65wagon · Poncho Master!

Carl Stevenson wrote:
65wagon wrote:

ive stripped several 65 66 GPs for decent parts they interchangeable with the Canadian cars

Have you actually swapped fenders, doors, quarter panels? I'm told they are the same on the outside (the GP's, not the rest of the models) but the mounting tabs/holes on the fenders etc don't line up.

im not talking about printed specs, and yes under the skin these cars are different, one uses a " American body " the other a chev body. im talking about the skin only, the bonny always was a different car, we have used parts back and forth , ie trim and skins between Canadian and American cars with little adjustment, over the years, its just easier to build new now because so few are left, and I hate killing any of them for parts.