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ClassicPontiacs.com
Classic of the Month
October, 2004
Owned by Barrett at
“I woke up one Sunday morning in April 1990 with the idea that I was going to buy a convertible with my tax return money. And sure enough, by the end of the day this car was sitting in my driveway.
It was bought new as a 72 leftover in late 72 by a man doing some carpentry work on the Balsh Pontiac showroom in East Windsor, CT (he said it didn’t sell because it didn’t have AC). He drove it until 79, and traded it in at 125K on a 79 Coupe Deville in Springfield, MA.
The car then was wholesaled on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. Where it went from there isn’t so clear, but the guy I bought it from picked it up in the mid 80’s with a blown motor with 175+/- on the clock. He put in the current engine, restored the body, recovered the seats, and drove it for a few years.
I picked it up in 1990 with 235K in pretty much the same condition you see here. PHS documentation shows the vehicle to have been originally equipped with power windows, tilt wheel, rallye wheels and whitewall tires, tinted windshield, AM-FM radio, clock and bumper guards. It retains the original color scheme, Shadow Gold exterior and Dark/Light Covert interior. The tires are Dunlop Elite 255-70-R15; the 455 is a YC code motor with 7M5 heads; the 400 in the car is a Y4 motor with 4x heads.
I have the correct 455 for the car, but the current 73 400 runs so well I haven’t had the heart to retire it. I don’t know how many miles are on it, but it finally rounded a cam lobe a couple years ago. Not having the time to do all the machine work on the 455, I dropped in a 068 cam and gearset, cleaned up the 6X heads, added an HEI distributor and the Q-Jet and intake from the 455. Runs great!
The 455 came from a complete other 72 G-Ville convertible I picked up for parts. It was so rusty it broke up on the flatbed, but yielded a trove of parts, including power locks, 3:23 safe-t-trac, complete tinted glass, retractable underhood lamp, low fuel and washer fluid gauge package and a rare shoulder belt option. Not to mention all the spare parts I could store.
I have also scavenged countless other B and C Bodies for parts,
and come up with:
71 Sedan Deville – Tri note horns
73 Catalina – clutch fan setup
78 Caprice – coolant overflow tank
72 Catalina – addl. fender brace
72 Bonneville – full gauge package
71 Eldorado – fiberglass convertible. top parade boot
71 Delta 88 – power trunk release
73 Custom Cruiser – 1.25 inch front sway bar
70 GTO – dual snorkel air cleaner
69 Delta 98 – trunk carpet and tire cover
71 Bonneville – louvered rocker moldings
71 Centurian – floor pan and crossmember assembly
The golden days of E-Bay provided NOS grilles, bezels and emblem, front and rear parklamps and bezels, front bumper, front and rear strips and guards, door handles and hinges, parking brake cables, quarter window rollers, top motor cables and CV joint rebuild kits.
The car was on Martha’s Vinyard during Hurricane Bob, which took the original tan convertible top with it. I replaced it with a black top, and replaced the header bow, latches, 2nd bow pivots and rail bushings at that time. Ask me anything about scissor tops, I’m a reluctant expert now. I go through guide cables as often as I change the oil.
A young lady who was learning how to drive sideswiped the driver’s side in 1995, the entire side was straightened and painted, Desert Valley Auto Parts provided the moldings and emblems. The passenger side hasn’t been touched for 20 years or more.
The aftermarket provided an Addco rear sway bar, Monroe gas shocks (coilover rear), dual Walker Turbo mufflers, Dunlop Elite 255-65-R15 tires and polyurethane stabilizer bar and link bushings.
I have the original AM-FM radio, but I have an Alpine cassette deck installed for the time being. I also have the dual speaker stereo upper dash panel for the next audio scheme.
I bought this car to be a driver, and I very rarely show it. Although not too practical, I still drive it to work 2-3 days a week in the spring, summer and fall. It has a great ride, and pretty good pickup with the cam and 4bbl. The sway bars and suspension mods keep it plenty flat while cornering at speed, but I find the 255 tires roll over a bit on the 6 inch rims. I’ll probably go back to 235’s in time.
Despite the scissor top, the 71 – 76 B and C bodies were great vehicles. Nimble for their size, stable at speed, good brakes, relatively rust resistant and generally built with an engine that would pull the bulk. Still cheap, and you could do a lot worse.”
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