I found this Mad Max looking beast on craigslist and for some reason I want it. The plan would be to run it mostly as is and amass parts to put some sort of LS and manual trans in it at a later point. Talk me down? Enable me?
I found this Mad Max looking beast on craigslist and for some reason I want it. The plan would be to run it mostly as is and amass parts to put some sort of LS and manual trans in it at a later point. Talk me down? Enable me?
Carpet, Maaco, and a lowering stick away from greatness...or goodness...or okness.
In other words I'd run it, as long as it's not too crusty underneath.
You came to the wrong place if you expect anyone here to try to talk you down from that. 
It’s crying out for circle track style steelies.
Is that a '68 model? If so, there will probably be some 1-year-only parts on it. Most of them are reproduced in the aftermarket, though.
Performance parts are harder to come by compared to the equivalent Chevrolet product, but not hugely prohibitive.
Do it!
Looks rad. Leave the paint as-is.
In reply to pushrod36 :
It's a 69 Custom S, which apparently was a one year only deal- as far as I can tell it's basically a LeMans though.
As long as you don't expect it to be anything it's not, it will keep doing that for the next 40 years, too. I'm with the "look underneath, don't pay too much, and drive the snot out of it" crowd.
Frankly, I would change the fluids, put a set of plugs in it, throw a cheap electonic ignition kit on it, get some circle track steelies as mentioned above, and call it a day. Pull the seats out, clean them, and put a JC Whitney carpet kit in it, if you feel the urge.
350, or OHC 6? I don't see the 6 cylinder badge, so I assume it's a 350. If so, buy a cheap set of headers and put duals on it.
I want the grille and taillights out of it. The '69 Tempest/LeMans/Custom grille and taillights are one-year only and not reproduced and we have a '69 LeMans Sport Coupe (1 of less than 50 with a Pontiac 350 2-barrel and a TH400) that we are restoring.
Old Pontiacs are the best Pontiacs. Do it.
In reply to NickD :
So... would you want to trade some not-correct or damaged ones for them? I could be persuaded to swap some stuff if I bought it...
Yeah, do it. If you can find them, GTO dog dishes look mean.
Do it!
it's an A-body, so it shares all chassis parts with '68-'72 chevelle, cutlass, and skylark. some parts backdate to '64, although the rear axle is 1" narrower on the '64-'67 IIRC. if it's the right price for the condition (or if it's the right condition for the price), and it lights your personal fire, then you should do it. it's a blank canvas waiting for you to put some happy little trees on it.
David S. Wallens said:Yeah, do it. If you can find them, GTO dog dishes look mean.
Agreed. While there was nothing wrong with Rallye II wheels, a '69 GTO on steel wheels with dog dishes always had a street brawler look to them
Cadillac 500ci with 6m .....mad brakes ......17's runnin' 275's minimum.....get on your mark get set GO!!!!!!
Do eeeetttt!!!!
If it were mine I'd paint it (there's patina, and then there's messed up paint...this one is the latter.) Nothing wrong with the 350 Pontiac engine either, it will accept most of the horsepower upgrades people do to 400 or 455 Pontiacs.
As a guy who has owned 3 old Pontiacs, you won't hear any dissuasion from me.
The Pontiac 350 doesn't have quite the easy potential as the chevy, but it will punch. Go for the typical mods if you want, but the long stroke/small bore limits breathing and RPM. They are also a very heavy engine. Fully dressed with accessories you're looking at just over 700lbs
Otherwise, it's an A body, so aftermarket handling bits are a dime a dozen. Brakes from an LS Camaro front will bolt on with a caliper bracket kit from Amazon. Rear axle donor choices are a little slim since many A bodies came with 7.5" rears in the later cars. That one likely has an 8.2" which is plenty.
LS swap kits are plentiful. I'm doing an LS and T56 into my 67 LeMans. Some day. When I'm not working 80 hours a week.
From the pics, it looks decent. Check for rust....big killer. Look around the rear window and trunk, floors and frame area. Other than that, I bet for a small amount of $ and time, you got a runner. The closer to $1000, makes it even better.
I was going to say that LS swapping a 60s Pontiac would be a shame, but then saw it was a 350. LS swap guilt-free. The 389 - 455 were much more fun.
According to my old Chilton manual, 1968 Pontiacs were either 400 or 428 and no 6's listed.
Unfortunatly, I don't have my '69 manual. Seems 350s came along later.
In reply to iceracer :
1) It's a 1969.
2) It's the midsize, not the full size. In the midsize, only GTOs got the 400, and they never got the 428 from the factory. They got the 455 as an option in '70 or '71.
This trim in question is between the Tempest and the LeMans, which makes it a subtle difference at best - it was a replacement for the Tempest Custom. It's also why it got cancelled quickly. Pontiac simplified the line down to the LeMans and the T37 (Tempest replacement) within a year or two.
You'll need to log in to post.
