TJS Cool 63 Pontiac Catalina and Lemans!

[Xplantdad]

The 63 Lemans was bought sight unseen from a Polaroid pic from Hastings Nebraska about 13 years ago.a 4 cyl auto,saddle bronze white top car with 26K mile original trans axle car.Put a scratch and shoot one color paint job on it.My kids drove it to high school while I gathered all the parts to build my SD clone.Built the 421 motor with all the correct SD parts,heads,intake dist balancer etc.When I had EVERYTHING to do the deal I put it in a friends shop.10 days later drove out a 421 tremec 5 speed solid rear car and have never looked back.Car weighs 3640 with me in it and runs 12.20 at 112.

The 63 Cat was built from a 2 bbl 389 auto car by a friend in SoCal to a 421 4 speed console bucket seat car.He was done with the car and I bought it.I put the 15in steel wheels with poverty caps on it.Changed the intake to a tripower,then dual quads and now a single 4 and will be going back to the factory tunnel ram 2-4s like on the Lemans.I redid the interior with the correct pattern blk Ventura bucket seat from SMS.Car is a great driver,power steering power brakes AM/FM radio etc.

Tom


<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Tempest</span></span>

[Xplantdad]

<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Catalina</span></span>

[John Brown]

Nice pair.

[markjohnson]

That '63 Catalina is really pushin' my buttons! Tom, I've always liked your taste in these early Ponchos and I enjoy reading your posts from back in the day over on performanceyears.com. I absolutely love the early '60's Pontiacs and if I were a racer back in the early Sixites, I would have chosen a Catalina over any of the Chevy's because the Pontiacs were much superior cars. Where the Biscayne, Bel Air and Impalas had an X-Type frame, two-piece driveshaft, and a 3-link rear suspension and infamous puny 8.2 rear axle, the Pontiacs came with conventional perimeter framerails, one-piece driveshaft and a factory 4-link attached to an almost bulletproof 9.3 ring gear rear axle! Nicer interiors too. Not to hi-jack your thread but here's a photo of my father's '61 Catalina that was a factory 389-348 HP, 4-Speed car converted to a SD421 very early in it's life. My father mostly raced 409's but when this particular Catalina came up for sale, it was just too cool to pass up! By the way, that's also my mother's '69 GTX Convertible in the background!

[markjohnson]

Whoops, photo didn't pop up. Here's another try.

[Tenney]

Two cool! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img] [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

[92646]

When ever I go to one of the local car shows in Orange county, I always hope that Tom will bring out one of his cars. Every one of them holds my attention for hours while I look over all the little details that are done so well. Tom has brought out some real exotic Pontiacs with ram air motors, SD motors and aluminum Pontiac/Mickey Thompson blocks. I think I remember a 69 Trans Am with a ram air 5 motor at one time but I could be wrong. I could only imagine the collection of parts and cars he has hiden somewhere.

[mockingbird812]

Ewwwwww! I like 'em both. But, that &quot;Cat&quot; just looks so right and so sinister. Nice job Tom! Thanks for sharing your babies with us!

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]


<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-size: 20pt"> <span style="color: #FF0000">NICE TO SEE SOME NEW BLOOD IN THE MEMBERS RIDES - KEEP 'EM COMING FOLKS!!!</span> </span> </span> </span></span>
[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/[/img] [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/[/img] [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/[/img]

[tjs44]

anyone when in town is invited to the house,and is also invited to drive any of the cars.Always avail to drive one to Doughnut derilics sat AM if im in town,more than once someone has takin me up on it and drove one with me down to HB.I still have a 69 T/A but a clone with a short deck RA V engine.Was on the cover of Hemmings muscle machine in may of this year.Thanks everyone.Tom

[m22mike]

Cool car's Tom.. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]
Is that the Tempest I might have seen at the Donught Shop in HB last time I was out in 08 maybe ??

Mike