1963 Pontiac Le Mans

Coupe

421

Manual

Clear

Gasoline

Up for bid is this nostalgic 1963 Pontiac Tempest Lemans Super Duty Tribute. Back in December 1962, twelve 1963 Pontiac Lemans cars were built to compete in the NHRA Factory Experimental Class. They were all painted white with blue interior, had aluminum fenders and bumpers, Plexiglas windshields, and fitted with the powerful 421 engine with dual carbs. They were 300-400 pounds lighter than the larger Catalinas making for very potent and fast quarter mile times. Today, these original cars are bringing $450-500K dollars at auction. This car up for bid has many characteristics of the original cars. Originally a 326 V8, it now has a 421 date coded engine from 1965. It was bored 030 over, has stock D port heads, and a Lunati Voodoo high lift hydraulic cam. It has an aluminum Offenhauser intake manifold with two Carter 400 CFM carbs. There are about 50 miles on the engine. The car has been converted from a rear transmission to a conventional rear from a 1957-58 big car Pontiac. It has a heavy duty indestructible ladder bar suspension (see the pictures). The gear ratio is 3.42. I replaced the 4.30 gear to make it friendlier for freeway driving. The transmission is an M21 Muncie 4 speed that is rowed by a Hurst shifter. It has manual drum brakes all the way around like the original cars had. The paint is 6 years old and not perfect. It has some nicks and a couple of spots where the paint has some cracking and a few bubbles. There are a few stress cracks. It still looks very good however. Before it was painted, the car received a rust prevention treatment. This car is all steel with none of the aluminum pieces that the original cars had. The hood scoop is correct as well as all of the badging. The car wears Hurst Cheater slicks on the back wheels which were customized out of California with 8 inch rims. The front tires are bias ply skinnies. The interior is painted with the correct contrasting blue paint codes as the original super duty cars. It is radio and heater delete giving the car the barren looking dash that many drag cars had in the early 60s. The under dash oil pressure and temperature gauges are Stewart Warner period correct and both work. The seats, door panels, headliner, and carpet are nearly new. There is a pencil tip size hole on the driver’s seat on the side near the seat belt connection where a wire spring had poked through. It is hard to notice unless you really look for it (see picture). The car has new front and rear window rubber gaskets. There is a slight wiper arm scratch on the front windshield. All lights and wipers work. The gas gauge works sporadically. The car has ceramic coated headers with exhaust dumps coming out the sides similar to the original super duty cars. They can be manually uncapped for more power and incredible (loud) sound. There are exhaust pipes that run back to race bullet mufflers and downturns just under the rear axle. The car sounds incredible (check the video below). I remember driving through a Walmart parking lot and many of the car alarms going off from the rumble of this car. Recently, while driving the car through my neighborhood the harmonic balancer backed off of the crank and broke the timing chain (I did not torque the balancer properly). I replaced the harmonic balancer, timing chain, crank and cam sprockets and a couple of bent valves. It runs strong and has 65 lbs. of oil pressure. I have been honest in my presentation of this car including pictures of the areas that need attention. It is very unique and a one of a kind nostalgic tribute of a 1960s street/drag racer and is greatly appreciated by all who see it. Here is a link to a video of the car https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntOsa3rKs7E On Apr-29-17 at 17:12:24 PDT, seller added the following information: The engine block code for this 1965 421 engine is YH. On May-01-17 at 20:21:42 PDT, seller added the following information: Engine was purchased from Ken Hand's brother in Dallas. It is a 1965 block code 'YH'. I believe it has the original rods. Not sure about the pistons but believe they are stock. Engine is bored 030 over. Engine is balanced, block was cleaned and honed and line bored. Crank is 020 grind. Heads are Pontiac #62 with 72 cc chambers, 2.11/1.77 valves,and have 3/8 screw-in studs with Comp Cams 988-16 high performance springs and poly locks. Cam is Lunati Voodoo Hydraulic (Adv Dur 284/292, duration at .050 is 241/249, gross valve lift .527/.548, LSA/ICL 110/106). Compression is believed to be 10-10.25:1. Rearend is 3.42 posi.On May-03-17 at 14:47:14 PDT, seller added the following information: The casting number on the engine block is 9778791 and the block has the transfer lug on the back. This car has a hydraulic clutch in it as a mechanical linkage was difficult due to the header configuration. It works perfectly. Additionally, the aluminum intake is an Offenhauser dual quad.