1962 Pontiac Catalina

Coupe

8

Manual

P362P56479

Clear

1962 Pontiac Catalina Granddaddy of them all. In 1962, Pontiac won more NASCAR races than any other maker, placing 1-3-4 at the Daytona 500 with the Catalina/Grand Prix, and dominated the dragstrips with the killer 421 Super Duty dual quad and Tri-Power cars. This 1962 Catalina is nice example of those cars: Tripower 389, four on the floor, power steering, power brakes, air conditioning; 3:42 rear. For 70 pictures of this car, including underside and trunk, try this link: For a video of the Cat idling, try here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpvNvBmheBs&feature=channel&list=UL For a video walk around, try here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOuOlXxOvZI&feature=BFa&list=ULzlKL99neku0 Contact me if you would like the name and phone number of a former mechanic at a Pontiac dealership in the 1960's, who has inspected this car thoroughly and is now a retired judge; he is willing to give potential buyers his frank appraisal of the car. Drive train: The 389 that it came with is long gone and has been replaced by what codes out as a 1963 389. It has been rebuilt. It has a correct 1962-63 Tripower set up with the big black round air cleaner that is correct for these cars. If you decide to switch to the three little chrome air cleaners, make sure you save this original unit; not only do they flow better than the three separate ones, but they are practically impossible to find, and VERY expensive. The sticker on the fan shroud says “421 Tripower” but as I said, it codes as a 389. It is possible that this one has been bored and stroked to 421, because it runs that well, but I suspect the 389 that’s in there is just a particularly good runner. Bellhousing mounted Hi-torque mini starter. Factory manifolds with dual exhaust. So no leaky headers. I believe the transmission is the original Borg Warner T-10 4-speed, but I did not check to see if it is numbers matching as I stopped bothering after noting that the engine was not. The four speed is connected to the bullet- proof Pontiac/Olds big car 3:42 rear end. These rear ends are every bit as good as the Ford 9 inch, but less available, so more expensive.... . Body and paint: the body is remarkably straight and rust free; that’s “Texas” rust free, as opposed to “Michigan” rust free. So fender, rockers, floor pans, trunk, doors, frame, etc. are all good. The paint was very nice when first applied, but has its share of flaws now (mainly spots on the hood and decklid where something (bird doo?) etched the paint. The hood scoop is bolted by about nine studs; I did not cut a hole in the hood. The trim is intact and in mostly good condition. The bumpers are either very nice originals or have been re-chromed. Wheels and tires: Note the Pontiac 8-lug wheels. You are actually seeing the aluminum hub of the brake drum poking through the wheel, which truly is a perimeter “rim.” GM offered only all wheel drum brakes on its big cars in 1962, but at least with Pontiac you could get these neat drums and wheels that could actually slow the thing down. These are painted all black because I like the look. You can paint them back silver if you like. The tires are new BFGs, 255/70 R 15s in back and 225/60 R 15s up front. Obviously, the rims themselves are the after market reproductions; I have some original 14 inchers if you must have them, at extra cost. Interior: the Pontiac cognoscenti will recognize that the tri-color interior in this car is a Bonneville interior. It looks cool, but is not correct. As you can see, the front seat needs some repair. I couldn’t decide whether to redo this in the Bonneville tri-colors, or do a Ventura interior. I will let the new owner decide, but do have sources for new interior door panels etc. The headliner is good. The instruments work, except for the speedometer. It stopped November 2011 and I have not tried to figure out what’s wrong. I have an additional cluster for the next owner, but don’t know if that one works either. (No reason to think it doesn’t, just don’t know). The AC does not work. It is missing some ductwork on the inside. I have a parts car with all the factory AC still in place that you can have as a model/source of parts. Miscellaneous: I always ask sellers what they would do to the car if they were to keep it. On this one, I would deal with the interior; that is, either fix the passenger seat tear, or recover the whole interior. Next, I might have the trunk lid and hood re-sprayed to fix the bird poop scars. At some point the rubber-stripping will need to be replaced; it's pretty old. I also tend to ask "Can I drive it all the way back home?" With this one, I would say "probably," but there's never any guarantee with something this old. The longest distance it has been driven in one go is about 150 miles; it makes about 40 PSI oil pressure at highway speeds, is not too hard on the gas, and ran down I-35 in light traffic at highway speeds showing 2,500 to 3,000 rpm on the tach and about 190 degrees on the temp gauge in the sun and 90 degree ambient air temperature. Why am I selling? Too many things to take care of, and not enough time anymore. (Two kids under three [born since I got this car] and a teen too.) So it would be nice if someone who will take care of it would take it on and baby it. Terms: This car is not perfect (and the price reflects it) but it is quite decent. This is a nice driver, not a show car. However, you won't be saddled with a piece of garbage. The body and frame are very sound, which is hard to come by these days. And it has a well sorted and desirable drive train. So here’s the deal: my life is complicated enough as it is without someone being mad at me over a car. If you win the auction, and you or your inspector decide the car is not as represented before the car leaves my premises, no worries – keep your money and look for another car that’s more to your taste. But I also want closure, so there is absolutely no warranty of any kind on this vehicle, and if purchased and removed from my premises, no returns will be accepted. Please look at all the pictures on the photobucket link, read the description, and call me, Chris, if you still have questions between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. CDT, at 512.426.2809. Thanks and good luck. Chris