1963 Pontiac Le Mans

LEMANS 2

455 V8

Automatic

263P174886

Clear

Gasoline

1963 PONTIAC LEMANS455 CI V8CUSTOM BUILT SHOW CAR OFFERED FOR SALE IS THE ONE OF A KIND 1963 PONTIAC LEMANS SEEN BELOW. THIS WAS A VERYT EXPENSIVE CUSTOM BUILD THAT INCLUDED FITTING A 1976 455 CI V8 THAT WAS REBUILT BY BY JIM BUTLER TO A 462 CI, REMOVAL OF THE ORIGINAL STYLE TRANSAXLE, 10 BOLT REAR END FROM A 1980 T/A WITH DISC BRAKES, TURBO 350 TRANS WITH TCI 10 INCH 3100 STALL CONVERTER, 410 REAR END GEAR, FRONT END SPINDLES WIT 4 PISTON CALIPERS FROM A 65 VOLVO AND MUCH MORE. HERE IS THE ARTICLE FROM THE MAY 2002 HIGH PERFORMANCE PONTIAC MAGAZINE GIVING THE COMPLETE DETAILS OF HOW AND WHY THIS BUILD HAPPENED: "How can anyone change an original automobile like that?" Hang around the hobby long enough and you're bound to hear purists voice such comments. Usually, car guys know exactly what they're doing, and if modifications are made to a rare original, they often consist of a few aftermarket parts that can easily be removed. But you've also heard about the actions of people like Phil Spector, a music producer who used an equal mix of arrogance and stupidity to buy, and subsequently defile, the first Daytona Cobra coupe built back in 1966. CSX2287 owned 23 international speed record; did he really have to paint the Cobra's conquests onto its doors? But back to Pontiacs. All raving aside, there is a fine line between enhancing and ruining a rare original vehicle when modifying it to the owner's taste. And taste plays a huge role in the survival of the automotive hobby, Pontiac or otherwise. That brings us to this sordid love triangle involving Tempest transaxles, burly big-bore engines, and the Alger family. Dave and Carl are a father and son who do their fair share in keeping the Pontiac movement alive. A representative of every anniversary Trans Am, along with a few low-production T/As, resides in the family garage. But we can understand why the owners of 13 Firebirds might think about building something completely different from the norm. That thought manifested itself at the 1999 POCI national convention. Carl was attending the Buffalo POCI show when he saw an original transaxle Tempest that had been converted to a standard drivetrain. He was inspired, and began a search for the perfect candidate for his own conversion. After looking for a year, he happened to be flipping through a local car trader magazine when an ad for a '63 Tempest piqued his interest. However, he soon realized that something was amiss. "First of all, the photo didn't even match the car," 32-year-old Carl explains. "When I called the guy who was the fourth owner, he told me that it was in good shape, but he had Maaco paint it LeMans Blue, which wasn't even an original color. What was neat was that the Tempest had only been away from the original owner for a few years. Another thing was that it had 326 emblems on the fenders, but was a 4-cylinder. Very interesting, but there wasn't a stitch of rust on the whole thing, so we bought it." Satisfied, Carl and his father Dave brought it home to Lexington, Kentucky in February of 2000, reworked the stock brakes, and drove it for awhile. But the urge to have this 76,000-mile original absolutely perfect was too strong to overcome, and the Algers began to disassemble it. Since the Pontiac was slated for a complete frame-off, the father and son team began disassembly and removed the crossmember. They had previously bought a 326 crossmember for the Tempest, and happened to notice that the two were identical. The disassembly ground to a halt, confused phone calls followed, and they finally learned that their ho-hum 4-banger was an original V8 with factory air and a floor-shifter and console. Collective exclamations followed for what was originally a very rare Tempest, but the lure of big-bore Pontiac power between the Tempest's fenders was too much to ignore, and the work began anew. Lack of a transmission tunnel was the first obstacle faced. Carl cut the floor out of the Tempest and replaced it with a '65 Oldsmobile F85 floor, replete with the factory tunnel. The body was sent out for priming and blocking when the 4-cylinder drivetrain mysteriously pulled a Jimmy Hoffa--Carl was eyeing a 455 lurking in the corner of the garage. The decision was made to ship the monster motor out for a rebuild. He is a mechanic by trade who usually builds his own engines, but 'I wanted to do something really sweet with this one,' young Alger says. Enter Jim Butler. The '76 block was shipped to Jim Butler Performance, where it was punched out to 462 cubic inches. Eagle rods and Ross pistons were connected to a stock reworked crankshaft, and Comp Cams provided a hydraulic bumpstick with .510/.510 lift and 240o/246o at .050 duration. A mysterious set of 1974 cylinder heads reside up top, of which we know only that they sport 2.11/1.77-inch valves and were ported and polished enough to flow 266 cfm on the intake side. The healthy-sounding heads, which are crowned with Harland Sharp 1.65:1 roller rockers, work with the Ross pistons to create a 9.3:1 compression ratio. Feeding the beast is an 800-cfm Quadrajet, which sits atop a Holley Street Dominator intake manifold. Fuel is supplied by a Carter pump, and spark comes by way of MSD's coil and box, with an HEI unit acting as the pickup. The engine combination is said to produce over 600 lbs.-ft. of torque on pump gas! Back at the Alger's, the V8 crossmember was installed along with a pair of motor mounts, then a dummy block went in to measure the engine height. A Turbo-350 transmission with TCI's 10-inch, 3100-stall converter was bolted up to the dummy to get the correct drivetrain measurements. Once done, the torquey 462 was swapped in. The Algers confidently eyed the unique transaxle unit. They knew that removing it would entail pulling the independent rear suspension. And since the transaxle setup was coil sprung the big crossmember that the springs attach to came out as well, and in its place went a 10-bolt housing minus the sway bar from a 1980 T/A, replete with disc brakes. Mopar main leaves were used with this assembly because initial testing with the Firebird leaves had pushed the shackles forward. The 4.10-geared rear was centered, and the shackles were connected to the springs. When the shackles were swung up to the unibody and the spot was marked, Carl used a 2-inch hole saw to cut through it. A 2-inch piece of pipe was welded in flush with the unibody so the rear bushings could be reattached. Carl used the T/A's original shock mounts to make new brackets; then he welded them to the body. After taking measurements, he found that the stock T/A Monroe shocks fit perfectly, so he installed them. Once he was finished, the Tempest was allowed to settle over its new suspension, and Carl and Dave added weight in the trunk to simulate the weight of the removed fuel tank and the gas that it would hold. With the suspension loaded, they noticed that the front spring eyes were hitting the unibody. They marked the offending spots then cut 3-inch squares into each side. Corresponding 3-inch boxes were fabricated to act as hangers, with an eyelet on each side. They were welded into the holes and the spring bushings were put back in. A body bolt went through the eyelet to the spring, and the interference problem was solved. Now, with the drivetrain and new rear suspension installed, the pair figured the driveshaft angle with a protractor. The distance from the transmission to the rear was recorded, and Carl headed down to a truck parts store for a custom 4-inch diameter driveshaft that should have no problem holding up to the 500 horsepower 462. The amalgamated drivetrain was connected with GM yokes and Spicer U-joints. While Carl and Dave were upgrading the front end with spindles and 4-piston calipers from a 1965 Volvo, the body was stripped down to bare metal, prepped, and block sanded all the way down to the floor pans. A custom hue was prepared by the House of Kolor, and the crew at The Lab Autobody in Lexington, Ky. sprayed it on and followed with a clearcoat. Three coats of the base and clear were applied, and wet sanding was performed between each of them. The finishing touch came in the form of ghosted flames emerging from the front wheelwells and gliding across the doors. During the body's re-assembly, father and son were faced with the challenge of creating each fuel and brake line by hand, since the drivetrain and rear end swap rendered the original ones obsolete. A Chevy II gas tank had to be strapped up as well, since the original unit was interfering with the narrower Trans Am suspension. Inside the Tempest, the mint interior was redone with blue tweed and white vinyl bolsters gracing the seats. Matching door panels were created to complete the look, and a full set of gauges keeps tabs on the engine. On the outside, sunlight glints off the refinished chrome pieces, and 15-inch Centerline Aztec rims with BFG 215s up front and 275mm drag radials out back throw a few rays as well. Once the Tempest was finished, it looked better than new, sporting classic lines with modern enhancements. Judges at various car shows seem to agree, since Carl and Dave's '63 has driven away with a first-place trophy in nearly every event since its completion in May 2001. And even though the unusual transaxle system is long gone, the Tempest's legacy is assured with the 455 beating under the hood. The standards are nearly impossible to match when you want to modify a rare original, but in this case, beauty, desire and good taste have all prevailedAS YOU CAN TELL FROM THE ARTICLE THIS WAS A COMPLETE PROFESSIONALLY BUILD. THIS CAR HAS BEEN COMPLETE FOR ABOUT 13 YEARS NOW. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN USED FOR SHOW CAR PURPOSES ONLY WITH MINIMUL MILES ONLY ON PERFECT DAYS. THAT BEING SAID YOU MAY FIND SOME MINOR FLAWS FROM NORMAL USE SUCH AS VERY MINOR ROCK SHIPS OR JUST NORMAL AGING BUT AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PICTURES BELOW THAT WHERE JUST TAKEN THE CAR IS STILL STUNNING. IT RUNS GREAT AND WE JUST HAD THE CARB AND CHOKE REDIALED IN AND FRESH SPARK PLUGS BECUASE THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING FOR AWHILE. IT ACTUALLY GOES DOWN THE ROAD VERY WELL BUT I DO NOT RECOMMEND HIGHWAY DRIVING. THE ONLY THING THAT GETS A LITTLE ANNOYING IS WHEN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SLOW IN FRONT OF YOU BECAUSE THE CAR REALLY JUST WANTS TO GO PLUS IT DOES NOT SHIFT UNTILL YOU HIT 3100 RPMS. THE ONLY OTHER THING YOU WILL NOTICE WITH NORMAL DRIVING IS THEY PUT THE ABSOLUTE BIGGEST TIRES YOU COULD FIT UNDER THE CAR WITH ONLY GOING STRAIGHT IN MIND, IF YOU CUT THE WHEEL ALL THE WAY OR TAKE A CORNER TO FAST YOU WILL GET SOME RUB FROM THE CORRESPONDING WHEEL. THE CAR ALSO COMES WITH A COPY OF THE 2002 HIGH PERFORMANCE PONTIAC MAGAZINE THE CAR WAS FEATURED IN AND THE JBP SHORT BLOCK BLUEPRINT AND ASSEMBLY SHEET WITH ALL THE SPECS FOR THE MOTOR.THIS CAR IS KEPT IN OUR OFFSITE STORAGE SO YOU MUST CONTACT MIKE SPENCER AT 216-571-1956 TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO VIEWGood luck and please view our other auctions!! GILLINGHAM FORD HAS A GREAT REPUTATION OF SELLING RARE AND HARD TO FIND VEHICLES. WE DO OUR BEST TO BUY AND SELL THE FINEST PRODUCT WE CAN. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL, TEXT OR CALL MIKE SPENCER AT 216-571-1956. THIS CAR CAN BE VIEWED BY APPOINTMENT ONLY AND THAT CAN ALSO BE SET UP THROUGH MIKE. THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK BIDDING!BE SURE TO READ THE TERMS OF SALE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LISTING!!GILLINGHAM FORD HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS SINCE 1957. WE HAVE RECIEVED AN A+ RATING FROM THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU, HAVE BEEN AN ACCREDITED BUSINESS WITH THE BBB SINCE 1970 AND WE HAVE ALSO MET ALL OF BBB ONLINE PROGRAM STANDARDS. PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VISIT OUR REVIEW ON THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WEBSITEhttps://www.bbb.org/online/consumer/cks.aspx?id=10909031342Terms of Sale: If you have any questions regarding this vehicle or the terms of this auction, please feel free to contact MIKE SPENCER at 216-571-1956 or E-Mail at MSPENCER@BOBGFORD.COM . All vehicles are sold "AS IS Where IS" with NO warranty, expressed or implied. THERE IS THE BALANCE OF THE FACTORY WARRANTY IF IT STILL APPLIES. We urge all bidders to inspect the vehicle or have someone of their choice and expense inspect the vehicle before bidding. The buyer is responsible for the cost of delivery, I will do my best to assist the buyer any way possible. High bidder must contact MIKE SPENCER at 216-571-1956 within 24 hours from the end of the auction. A non-refundable deposit of $500.00 is due within 48 hours (credit card, certified check). The remaining balance is due within 5 days from the end of the auction. The balance has to be certified funds, cash in person, or bank wire transfer. Credit car maximum is $500. Please do not bid if you cannot meet these terms completely.We are a licensed dealer in the state of Ohio and must transfer titles to new owners according to Ohio law. Ohio residents must pay us all sales tax due. Out of state buyers are responsible for their own taxes in their own state. All buyers must pay to us a document fee of $283.50. THIS IS NOT NEGOTIABLE! We try our best to describe our vehicles accurately, but these are previously owned vehicles and there is always the slight possibility that we might overlook some minor appearance details or paint blemishes or stains. We do our best to list any major defects in appearance or running condition. There may be some small items missing (example: knobs, manuals, key fobs etc.) If I left any information out that may be needed before bidding, please call or E-Mail us.IF YOU WILL BE FINANCING THE VEHICLE YOU MUST HAVE IT IN PLACE BEFORE BIDDING. If you have a zero or negative feedback you must contact us before bidding. I reserve the right to cancel the auction at anytime or for ****ATTENTION****AS OF AUGUST 1 2007 THE STATE OF OHIO HAS REVISED ITS TAX LAWS. IF YOU LIVE AND TITLE THE VEHICLE YOU PURCHASE IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING 7 STATES YOU WILL PAY TO OHIO A MAXIMUM OF 6% TAX ON THE SALE PRICE OF THE VEHICLE YOU PURCHASE.THESE STATES INCLUDE ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, INDIANA, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, AND SOUTH CAROLINA(SOUTH CAROLINA CAP $300).YOUR STATE WILL PROVIDE A TAX CREDIT FOR THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO THE STATE OF OHIO. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING ANY AMOUNT OVER 6% THAT YOU MAY OWE TO YOUR STATE. FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU LIVE IN CALIFORNIA AND YOUR TAX RATE IS 7.25% YOU WILL PAY 6% TO OHIO AND THEN YOU WILL ONLY OWE 1.25% PERCENT TO CALIFORNIA BUYER WILL ALSO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL EXPORT AND SHIPMENT OF VEHICLE.