NA - Classic Cars

SoonerAviator said:
Well I know a ton use the auctions to search out buyers for the car. Most don't sell at the auctions, but they'll exchange info and work out a deal later. Otherwise, the online sales are probably just feelers to see who will take the bait on an over priced offer.
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I'm taking the bait! lol

I suppose it might be a side-effect of the age of the sellers? Dunno, but it's disheartening. It's not like there are a lot of 1958 Pontiacs to choose from, and the internet SHOULD be the perfect well to sell these old beauties.
 
What's the best way to find an independent mechanic who can do a pre-buy inspections on a classic car? Is there a "directory" of these guys somewhere?

I have a lead on a good looking car in Troy, MI (Near Detroit), but have NO idea who to call for a pre-buy. What do you guys do?
 
Jay, with a classic you have to pick your poison, there is no perfect 1958 classic unless you have a ton of money to spend.
What are you best at working on? dive trane? body work? electrical? Interior? Find the car that you can handle, enjoy, and not drive yourself crazy chasing issues you can't solve. Rebuilding a engine is a lot cheaper then you probably think. Rust sucks but can be removed, paint can be buffed and made to be presentable. Most suppliers offer from seat covers to full interior kits.
Feel free to send me any reports you get I'll give you my opinion.
I do agree that you need to look at it yourself.
 
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Hmm, I was looking at the Hagerty valuation site: https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/search/Auto/1958/Pontiac It looks like the Bonneville is the star of the show, and any convertible will be kind of spendy. I then popped over to Mecum's site to see how many had been offered at their auction, and it was something like 27 over the last few years. Then I looked into Hemmings, there were something like 60 Pontiacs from the 1951- 1959 model years, as opposed to, say, 573 Fords for example. So, it looks like you're looking for a somewhat uncommon car, and you may be in for a bit of a search.

Now, are you sure you want a '58 Pontiac, and only a '58 Pontiac? There are lots of other interesting cars in that vintage that can be had for not too much money. One thing I've noticed is that it's pretty common for someone to buy a car, keep it for a few years, then sell it and get something different. Maybe something else will catch your eye, you've got to go out and see them in person. Mecum has an auction in Houston the middle of next month, and you've got an airplane that can get you there quickly. Admission is $30, and there should be at least 1000 cars there.

I was born in 1957, but if I were looking for a classic car it would be from the late 30's, for some reason they just appeal to me. If you look around, you may find something that you like even better. If you don't, well, that just gives you more motivation to look.
 
Maybe a '58 Nomad or Ford Fairlane/Skyline? I'll be honest, I'm not much on most pre-60's classics aside from the 50's t-bird/Corvette and maybe a few 30's Ford roadsters. I appreciate them, but the designs just don't do it for me.

I think my all-time favorite is the '67 GTO.


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tecprotb said:
Jay, with a classic you have to pick your poison, there is no perfect 1958 classic unless you have a ton of money to spend.
What are you best at working on? dive trane? body work? electrical? Interior? Find the car that you can handle, enjoy, and not drive yourself crazy chasing issues you can't solve. Rebuilding a engine is a lot cheaper then you probably think. Rust sucks but can be removed, paint can be buffed and made to be presentable. Most suppliers offer from seat covers to full interior kits.
Feel free to send me any reports you get I'll give you my opinion.
I do agree that you need to look at it yourself.
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I am not being picky. In fact, I'm trying to stay in the $15K range, because I don't want a perfect car. I want something that I can fix up over the next few years, as time permits -- but still drive it in the Fourth of July parade in the meantime.

As for skills, I have no specific experience working on cars. But I had none working on airplanes 18 years ago either, and I never renovated a hotel until 2002, but now I've done two of them. I tend to learn quickly and am never afraid of hard work or getting my hands dirty. In fact, I enjoy it.
 
FormerHangie said:
Hmm, I was looking at the Hagerty valuation site: https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/search/Auto/1958/Pontiac It looks like the Bonneville is the star of the show, and any convertible will be kind of spendy. I then popped over to Mecum's site to see how many had been offered at their auction, and it was something like 27 over the last few years. Then I looked into Hemmings, there were something like 60 Pontiacs from the 1951- 1959 model years, as opposed to, say, 573 Fords for example. So, it looks like you're looking for a somewhat uncommon car, and you may be in for a bit of a search.

Now, are you sure you want a '58 Pontiac, and only a '58 Pontiac? There are lots of other interesting cars in that vintage that can be had for not too much money. One thing I've noticed is that it's pretty common for someone to buy a car, keep it for a few years, then sell it and get something different. Maybe something else will catch your eye, you've got to go out and see them in person. Mecum has an auction in Houston the middle of next month, and you've got an airplane that can get you there quickly. Admission is $30, and there should be at least 1000 cars there.

I was born in 1957, but if I were looking for a classic car it would be from the late 30's, for some reason they just appeal to me. If you look around, you may find something that you like even better. If you don't, well, that just gives you more motivation to look.
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I have expanded my search outside of the 1958 model year. I'm looking at a '52 right now, under the presumption that my dad would not have been driving a brand, new car the year I was born anyway.

Unfortunately, my older sisters have proven to be absolutely useless in determining what, exactly, he WAS driving in 1958. Why do girls NEVER remember car stuff? lol All they remember is "Pontiac".

Since he was fairly frugal at that point (three kids, a stay at home wife, etc.) I'm guessing a "Chieftain", or "Super Chief" or "Star Chief". Certainly not a "Bonneville" although he owned those in later years. The first car I remember him owning was a '63ish Star Chief, with (gasp!) electric windows -- which I promptly rolled up on his finger. And apparently they had not invented "auto reverse" yet.

Hey, I was four. Give me a break. :)
 
SoonerAviator said:
Maybe a '58 Nomad or Ford Fairlane/Skyline? I'll be honest, I'm not much on most pre-60's classics aside from the 50's t-bird/Corvette and maybe a few 30's Ford roadsters. I appreciate them, but the designs just don't do it for me.

I think my all-time favorite is the '67 GTO.


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Yeah, I like the Chevys and Fords, but this is a sentimental journey for me, not logical and certainly not an "investment".

One does not buy a mid-50s Pontiac because it makes "sense".
 
I kept old cars at the airport for customers to drive when they were in town for work. I had a very original 59 Newyorker that people got a real kick out of. We used the 57 Chevy Wagon, a 64 Imperial, and a 68 Mustang for our loaner pool. We would always go out and give people dual on the old push button automatic in the Chryslers before they hit the road. Great old cars but they always need maintenance.
 
Remember when most engines were blowing blue smoke by 75k miles? (or less)

I have over 200k on my 02 Chevy (farm) truck and it doesn't use a drop of oil. And I've worked that little 4.8 L hard over the years.
 
timwinters said:
Remember when most engines were blowing blue smoke by 75k miles? (or less)

I have over 200k on my 02 Chevy (farm) truck and it doesn't use a drop of oil. And I've worked that little 4.8 L hard over the years.
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I remember when cars were trash at 60,000 miles. 100,000 was very rare.

Now? Cars are just broken it at 60,000. My truck has 130K, my daughter's car has 140K, and going strong. Basically, I only sell when I get tired of them, or they start to rust.

But that's modern cars. I'm looking for a classic car to play with, not as a daily driver.
 
I put 250,000 miles on my 1987 Celebrity and then gave it to my son. He put another 25k on it. It was a rust bucket and the air conditioning died but otherwise it was very reliable, using only tires, batteries, a couple starters and alternators.
 
timwinters said:
Remember when most engines were blowing blue smoke by 75k miles? (or less)

I have over 200k on my 02 Chevy (farm) truck and it doesn't use a drop of oil. And I've worked that little 4.8 L hard over the years.
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Get yourself a GM with the DOD system, that'll help you get reacquainted with the blue smoke/oil consumption again, lol!
 
kmead said:
I kept old cars at the airport for customers to drive when they were in town for work.
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In 1972 I borrowed my dad's C-150E to take a young lady on a picnic in the Danish tourist community of Solvang, north of Santa Barbara. We landed at Santa Ynez Airport and rented a car for the three-mile drive to Solvang. In those days the FBO at Santa Ynez had a fleet of rental cars -- all 1958 Chevys, and all $5/day. (PS: The young lady is still flying with me.)

19720923_01.jpg
 
Pilawt said:
In 1972 I borrowed my dad's C-150E to take a young lady on a picnic in the Danish tourist community of Solvang, north of Santa Barbara. We landed at Santa Ynez Airport and rented a car for the three-mile drive to Solvang. In those days the FBO at Santa Ynez had a fleet of rental cars -- all 1958 Chevys, and all $5/day. (PS: The young lady is still flying with me.)

19720923_01.jpg
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That is awesome. And those are the cars I'm looking for!

Looks like I might make an offer on a '52 Chieftain tomorrow. Got a good report from the mechanic I hired to do the prebuy. Now, to see if they are ready to deal.
 
Looks pretty sweet, congrats! Always thought the light up chieftain was a cool feature.


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Wow, amazing thread. Congrats, Jay. James_Dean, wow the Rebel with the Cars. Incredible collection and stories. Kudos all!
 
Sweet, Jay. Car shipping is remarkably reasonable, in most cases. You should be able to get it down close for under a grand.

I'd only ask you one favor - please consider finding a set of factory wheels and caps to replace those aluminum wheels. They are a non sequitur.
 
SCCutler said:
Sweet, Jay. Car shipping is remarkably reasonable, in most cases. You should be able to get it down close for under a grand.

I'd only ask you one favor - please consider finding a set of factory wheels and caps to replace those aluminum wheels. They are a non sequitur.
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lol As you know from my Facebook page, the very FIRST thing I intend to do is get rid of those silly mag wheels! lol

I've found tons of parts available on line -- including original hub caps.

 
Congrats Jay, it's going to be a cool ride. Plus Streetside is a good group to work with, they don't take in junk so you know your getting above average classic.
 
Wow! A straight 8. My Dad had a Buick with a straight 8 and he said the torque that thing put out was amazing. Not a lot of RPM (certainly by todays standards) but loads of torque. That thing looks very nice. Not concours level but mostly very clean and original (other than the wheels of course).

Hope you enjoy it!
John
 
Hydramatic or 3-speed?
 
James_Dean said:
View attachment 44494

Our county is consolidating two smaller airports and is building a new regional airport that is about four miles from where our shop is at. We're starting with 17/35 which should be paved in 2017 and fully operational in 2018. A pretty good story compared to what many other airports are going through.
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You got dibs on any of those big hangars yet?
 
Good looking car, is it at the Atlanta location? They are about a mile from my store, good folks!
 
Jay Honeck said:
Yeah, I like the Chevys and Fords, but this is a sentimental journey for me, not logical and certainly not an "investment".

One does not buy an AIRPLANE because it makes "sense".
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FTFY! :)
 
N747JB said:
Good looking car, is it at the Atlanta location? They are about a mile from my store, good folks!
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Nope, it's in Charlotte, NC. Finding a shipper to the Coastal Bend of Texas is becoming interesting. And expensive!
 
jsstevens said:
Wow! A straight 8. My Dad had a Buick with a straight 8 and he said the torque that thing put out was amazing. Not a lot of RPM (certainly by todays standards) but loads of torque. That thing looks very nice. Not concours level but mostly very clean and original (other than the wheels of course).

Hope you enjoy it!
John
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Usually peak HP was around 3,500-3800rpms, instead of upper 5K/low-6Ks like today's breed.
 
So with the car being delivered Monday, I'm starting to think about support groups like AOPA and EAA, but for classic cars.

Can anyone recommend (or warn me against) any particular class car organizations?
 
I have a 67 GTO and have never had good luck with the local pontiac club, maybe you will have better luck with one out of San Antonio or nearby.
If you can make it to a C&C (cars and coffee) it will be your best chance to meet owners of cars like yours. I know Austin and Houston have a C&C not sure about San Antonio.
BTW I noticed you are still using a 6 volt system, you will want to stock up on 6 volt bulbs, I'm not sure if the local auto stores will carry them.
A good source for parts is OPG, Original parts group.
 
tecprotb said:
I have a 67 GTO and have never had good luck with the local pontiac club, maybe you will have better luck with one out of San Antonio or nearby.
If you can make it to a C&C (cars and coffee) it will be your best chance to meet owners of cars like yours. I know Austin and Houston have a C&C not sure about San Antonio.
BTW I noticed you are still using a 6 volt system, you will want to stock up on 6 volt bulbs, I'm not sure if the local auto stores will carry them.
A good source for parts is OPG, Original parts group.
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Good advice, thanks.

Is there a national club worth joining? Sort of an "AOPA" for classic cars?
 
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