I found this months feature car on our Facebook page. Jon Kauffman is the proud owner of this great looking 1959 Pontiac Strato Chief. With the help of his brother in law, Jon took the tired wagon to a whole new level. When disaster struck he seized the opportunity to improve the performance even further. Jon tells us all about this rare Poncho:
I haven’t always been a classic car guy and I certainly am not the guy that knows everything about every year and every make but when my sister in law married a guy who is "that guy" in 2003 his passion for classics and his 62’ Bel Air Bubble top project started rubbing off on me. In 2006 I was helping a friend shingle a roof about 30 miles from home when I saw this beauty over the neighbors fence. After we finished the roof I walked over where I met the original owners daughter… Her dad bought it new in 1959 in Edmonton. After some wheeling and dealing we settled on a price and I returned with a trailer and hauled it home.
Having grown up farming, which is what I still do, I was mechanically inclined enough but time was not something I had a lot of as we had 2 young kids at home and plenty of work to do on the farm. It was process to find any one who could/would take on an old wagon and as with most projects, finding parts proved to be quite challenging.
Eventually we found rear quarters from an Impala and as well rockers and were able to get started on the body. A couple more years went by, a few more conversations, recommendations, and connections were made before I was able to find a shop that was willing to take on the balance of the body work and paint. Turned out the same guy had a good running Buick 340 motor and a 2 speed power glide out of a 69’ Skylark, which soon replaced the original engine and 3 on the tree transmission. The same car also donated power steering and power brakes which made the car much more driveable.
Finally, in the summer of 2011 we were on the road! From that point, we have slowly made improvements as budget and time allowed, first doing a front disc brake conversion on the farm, with the help of my brother in law and a kit from Toms Classics on eBay in 2015. Over the next few years we dropped the front end an inch and a half and changed out the fuel tank as it was weeping a bit.
By the end of 2017 we were starting to have trouble with the 2 barrel carb. It was giving us grief at different temps (it turned out to be a vacuum leak that was causing the majority of the problems). Instead of trying to learn the art of carb rebuilding and tuning I opted for a FiTech EFI conversion. This kit was simple to install and again, with the help of my brother in law, we tackled it in a weekend. This made the car much more reliable again, easy starting, easy idling, and no more hood up trying to get the engine to fire and keep running.
We ran the car all of 2018 and the spring of 2019 this way and thought we had things dialled in nicely but sadly on June 29 of 2019, with our family of 5 in the car, the engine bay caught fire on the highway. Thankfully, we all got out safely and the first 2 vehicles that stopped had fire extinguishers with them! We got the fire out quickly but lost the engine, hood, wiring, and basically everything in the engine bay.
This was sad, scary, and devastating, but thankfully as of April 13, 2020 we are about 2 weeks away from completing an LS swap to a 5.3L with a 4L60E behind it.
We are all eagerly anticipating getting back on the road and looking forward to the power, reliability, and drivability of the pro touring upgrades. We have built many memories in this car as a family.
My brother and sister in law with the 62’ live in BC’s lower mainland so that has served as an excellent launch pad for many road trips including BC/s Sunshine Coast, Whidbey Island in WA, Winthrop, WA, Osoyoos BC, Penticton BC and many other local trips. We’ve been to a few drive in movies, car shows, and drive the “cool car" (as the kids call it) to church most Sundays as well. The car has become a member of our family and we are looking forward to many more journeys down the road!
I agree, darn cool and great that the whole family are enjoying it a lot.
Don
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
How has these cool wagon slipped under the radar for so long? Great back story and nice save.
I love the shots of the kids at the Drive In. Watching movies at the drive-in from inside a Pontiac wagon, what a "remember when" for many of us, myself included.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it came back even better than the first go-round. It turned out beautifully.
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67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
Well that is an awesome wagon and the story with it is even better. So glad that fire was no worse than it was and there is new life. Congrats on being feature of the month.
Beautiful wagon and great story (except for the fire bit).
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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.
Sweet story, before you know it those kids will be adults, great way to plant the classic car seed in their hearts! Beautifully done even if I'm more the type to leave it stone cold stock!
Just re-read the thread again and I sure like how the Strato was dropped an inch and a half and eventually converted to the 5.3 and the 460. A blend of original and current systems to create a functional vehicle for today and in the future.
I just think you re-created a real functional gem that is so unique and great eye candy! Those kids in the back watching the movie will never forget that night at the drive in theater!
