Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Of course you could always cheat and have the best of both worlds by simply buying an old Pontiac from north of the 49th.
All the Ponchos made in Canada came with Chev drivetrains starting way back in the early 50's. This way you'd get the parts availability of Chevrolet and the sheet metal & interior of a Pontiac all wrapped up in a (documented) stock package straight from the factory. Add to this the mystique of a Pontiac badged as a Strato Chief, Laurentian or Parisienne and you'll have everybody guessing. You can pretty much guarantee that you'd be the only one in town with a ride like it.
Check out this sweet little 1964 Pontiac Parisienne Safari that sold just over a year ago (scroll down to the 6th post for the pics). It was an original 327 4 speed machine:
One of the guys (Stan) from our club has a couple of old Tin Indian wagons that are definitely build quality with minimal rust, his prices are where they should be as well:
This is certainly the way to go if you want a rare ride that won't break the bank.
Ron
...
Hmm Chevy running gear without the condemning looks of the Pontiac faithful. I am cruising craigslist now. I cant buy until after the first of the year.
I don't know why but in Canada it's Kijiji that seems to have cornered the vintage car ads; moreso than craigslist - check the various Kijiji sites regularly and you'll find untold numbers of gems there. The best sites would be from towns/cities in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as these are out of the rust belt.
Here's an example - this one out of Calgary, Alberta:
I don't know why but in Canada it's Kijiji that seems to have cornered the vintage car ads; moreso than craigslist - check the various Kijiji sites regularly and you'll find untold numbers of gems there. The best sites would be from towns/cities in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as these are out of the rust belt.
Here's an example - this one out of Calgary, Alberta:
Pick up a copy of Hemmings Motor News and you will see all sorts of parts vendors for old GM cars. It's true that Pontiac cars don't have as good support as Chevy, but you can generally find what you need. Many wear parts for early 60's Pontiac and Chevy are interchangable (ignition parts, alternator/generator, etc.)
I have to offer another vote against an engine swap - would ruin the collector value of the car, remove a good bit of it's charachter, would take a lot of work to do right, and what's the point?
Squidlo, it really isn't difficult to import a vintage vehicle into the US from Canada, and the link motormaker gave you is an excellent place to start. A woman I know imported a propane powered Ford 1/2 ton into the US from Canada and there wasn't much involved - certainly nothing that would qualify as a pain in the ass. Her F-150 was a lot newer than the Ponchos you're looking at too (10 year old truck). Vintage vehicles encounter even less red tape from US Customs than hers ride did and she had it handled in just over an hour at the border.
All great info so far! The car I will be buying will be a weekend driver not a daily driver. Cost of repairs and operation are not a concern. Once I have it the way I want it I doubt I would put much north of 50,000 miles on it. Both of my current vehicles have less than 60k.
I had forgotten about Hemmings Motor News. The importing of a car from Canada sounds like it could be doable. They don't seem to love their junk as much as people do here.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
