1958 Pontiac Pathfinder Wagon Build

Tempest · Veteran Member

1958 Pontiac Pathfinder Wagon Build

Tempest · Veteran Member

Here are some more pics

Tempest · Veteran Member

a few more of the rockers.

I bought the rockers off of ebay, and they are awful, needed a lot of 'tweaking' , I am no expert, but I enjoy trying

I did the engine first as I had the space to bring it home and work on it, I am going for a retro look

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Putting a Pontiac motor in a Canadian Pontiac?

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Tempest wrote:

Hi Guys,
Here is the start of my 58 wagon resto/rebuild.
Cheers, and Happy New Year to All

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm looking forward to following it.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

seventy2plus2 wrote:
Putting a Pontiac motor in a Canadian Pontiac?

Seems to me somewhere previously he stated that is because he already had the Pontiac 350?

DonSSDD · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

You get lots of credit for bringing this one back, rust is a lot harder to deal with than a motor. Im looking forward to seeing more of the build as you go along.

Glenn Musgrave · Addicted!

It will be a nice rescue! Looking forward to seeing it progress.

Tempest · Veteran Member

Hi Guys, and Happy New Year

I was able to get some work done on the inner and outer rockers (Pass. Side) Unfortunately the contour of the outer rocker did not match the rear wheel well profile very well, so I needed to cut the underside of the rocker to enable it to fit better. (will need some filler unfortunately) The outer rocker was also too narrow, so I added a 2 x 2 inch length of angle iron to bridge the gap between the 2 panels. (seam welded the inner and plug welded the outer) this will all be covered by sill plates and carpet, but I still wanted it to look respectable.

The bottoms of the A,B, and C pillars turned out OK, and the inner rocker that I made will work fine. (not that anyone will see it) Some welds need grinding, but that will be done with the doors off and once the floor pans are installed

I now have some solid edges to weld floor pans to, so next up will be the floors and braces on the Pass side.

here are some pics

cdnpont · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Looking forward to your progress. Looks like you have all it takes to make it happen!

oshawacliff · Poncho Master!

Lee

I would like to see you at our breakfast meet Jan 7

Bring along a book of photos of all of those restorations

1961ragtop · Veteran Member

Looking good, Lee!

Tempest · Veteran Member

1961ragtop wrote:
Looking good, Lee!

Hey John,

Not using much from the floor, except the braces.

Hope you are doing well

1961ragtop · Veteran Member

Thanks, Lee, all is well.

Glad that you were able to use at least a bit of the metal!

ZigZag · Addicted!

Amazing work on your 51! I especially enjoyed the detailed journal and all the photos of your progress.

Looking forward to seeing your work on the Pathfinder. The floors and rockers on my 64 Safari need lots work, so I am eagerly anticipating your updates for inspiration!

Tempest · Veteran Member

Hi Guys

Work continues on the floor braces. Thanks to 61ragtop, I was able to get a floor from a 58 Chev 2 door,(he did most of the work) and the pic shows the braces and the good sections of the floor. (pic is AFTER I removed the Pass. side braces)

After looking over the mess I had, I decided to remove the end of the 1st brace (12 inches or so) and remove what was left of the 2nd brace and the seat brace that attached them. (the 2nd brace ends at the Trans hump)

the front brace had a U shaped piece of steel in it for strength, so I went to the local MetalSupermarket, picked up a 1 x 2 tube and cut it, and drilled 2 holes for plug welds, and inserted it into the the cut end on the car.

The floor braces from the Chev came in handy, as I cut off the brace, and after removing some spot welds, was able to position the 'new' braces' in place with a scissors jack (see pic)

Here are some pics of the 'new' braces welded in and ready for some floor pans

I hope the pics help

ZigZag - these X Frame cars are new to me, but I am learning that the rocker panels are integral to the strength of these cars. The signature pic of your 64 looks cool (do I see Pontiac snowflake wheels? nice)

Tempest · Veteran Member

The braces seem OK, now it's time to start to put a floor in.

I started with replacing the rotted toe board on the Pass. side.

I folded the replacement metal to make it look factory, and so I will have an edge to work with to weld the floors pans to.

Looks like I will be trying to make my floors, as the replacement floors that are available look really cheap, and are too small to cover all the rust on this car.

Tempest · Veteran Member

I patched the toe board before I did the rockers, as I did not have the new rockers yet. It is now time to make the floor pan.

I purchased some sheet metal from the local Metal Supermarket, used a cheap Princess Auto bead roller to mimic the factory floors, Then I sliced and diced the floor under the seat to resemble the factory floor.

I am trying to make the the seams be located over the floor braces, so you wont see them from below, but the edges along the trans tunnel I have no choice.

Overall I am pleased, and now its time to start the rear footwell.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Love what you're doing!

Keep up the good work and for sure keep posting updates!

Tempest · Veteran Member

Thanks 4speed427

Work continues on the passenger side floor, but now working on the rear footwell and under the seat.

I made a floor pan, and the noticed that the metal under the seat welds to the crossmember, and the footwell piece welds on top of that, so I've been replacing metal on wheel well and moving forward.

more to follow

Tempest · Veteran Member

Time for an update,

The footwell for the rear was welded on TOP of the sheet metal that goes under the rear seat, so I decided to replace that before the footwell, then the wheel well was rusted, so I replaced that, then the piece under the seat.

what I started with (same pic as last post)

new support piece for the rear seat bolts. (made similar to original)

new metal piece installed, and note patch on wheel well

view from below (seat plate)

rear footwell piece positioned for install, but needs trimming

1 piece at a time............

Tempest · Veteran Member

Well, I finished up the passenger side floor on the weekend and turned the car around so I could start on the Drivers side.

Here are some pics of the Pass side. With some Tremclad paint and some seam sealer, should be OK.

Next, the drivers side

DonSSDD · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

You work fast, good job.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Tempest wrote:

Well, I finished up the passenger side floor on the weekend and turned the car around so I could start on the Drivers side.

Here are some pics of the Pass side. With some Tremclad paint and some seam sealer, should be OK.

Next, the drivers side

Wow. Your dedication is amazing and it's great having these updates.

Tempest · Veteran Member

Thanks Guys,

I brought the car home in late October and have been working away at it when I can.

1 piece at a time.