Pontiac Frustration

[ALLFAITH]

I have been looking for a restored Pontiac (68-70 GTO, 67-69 Firebird-prefer 'vert or 70-73 TA or Formula) for over a year.

Biggest priority is I want a restored car No clones--numbers matching unimportant--Want a mint show car body and car so I can then add my own PT touches (have bult motor, tranny suspension all new awaiting the right car).

Prefer a Manual tranny but not critical.

Have looked at so much overpriced and misrepresented junk. So frustrated I am even considering to sell my stroker motor and PT parts at discount and give up :(

Open to done PT cars but I am picky on the quality of cars and mods. I have some real nice cars so IMO I need to at least equal the quality of these cars. Willing to buy now at very fair market prices.

Hoping somebody can lead me in the right direction understanding it is a heck of a lot easier to buy a Camaro than a Pontiac.


Thanks in advance,


Brad

[tones2SS]

Yes, it is A LOT easier to find a Camaro than it would be a Pontiac.
But, can I ask you why cannot the car be a clone? Especially if you are going to mod it and do the pro-touring treatment? You may actually save yourself some money in the long run if you purchase something that is a clone and could haggle with the seller to drop his/her price. With those savings on buying a clone, you have more money to spend on your mods.
Good luck in search.:thumbsup: :cheers:

[critter]

If it were easy, everyone would do it. That's what makes you different, by going with a soon to be deceased brand. Have you been asking on Performance Years or Trans Am Country?

http://www.transamcountry.com

http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/

[ALLFAITH]

Yes I have asked on PY and check all the TA boards. I go to tons are car events, many 6-10 hours away from home too :)

I know the clone thing makes more sense, but I want the real thing. Have owned many clones (shelby) over the years, but want a real car to start with even though economically it is silly. Just a personal feeling.

Brad

[OLDFLM]

PY's 70-73 Firebird/Trans Am forum posts many cars for sale that this select crew of enthusiasts keeps an eye out for... I'd also recommend you contact SW [[email protected]] here on the Lat-g boards and also Lloyd Coulson [[email protected]] off of PY's forums. Both of these gentlemen are very well networked in high end/high quality cars like you are looking for... Mark Haynes [[email protected]] is a good friend also; he's a mod on TAC and may be able to network some better leads for you... HTH!
V/R,
Ty :lateral:

[Vegas69]

I have been looking for a restored Pontiac (68-70 GTO, 67-69 Firebird-prefer 'vert or 70-73 TA or Formula) for over a year.

Biggest priority is I want a restored car No clones--numbers matching unimportant--Want a mint show car body and car so I can then add my own PT touches (have bult motor, tranny suspension all new awaiting the right car).

Prefer a Manual tranny but not critical.

Have looked at so much overpriced and misrepresented junk. So frustrated I am even considering to sell my stroker motor and PT parts at discount and give up :(

Open to done PT cars but I am picky on the quality of cars and mods. I have some real nice cars so IMO I need to at least equal the quality of these cars. Willing to buy now at very fair market prices.

Hoping somebody can lead me in the right direction understanding it is a heck of a lot easier to buy a Camaro than a Pontiac.


Thanks in advance,


Brad


Not living up to your handle very well.:D

[Josh69]

I built my own car completely, except for the paintjob, so I have no-one to criticize except myself for how well or how poorly certain aspects turned out. It sounds like that may be your best bet.

The problem/beauty with Pontiacs is, as you are finding out, there is no way to 'clone' a car when the PHS can verify anything. So the cars that really are collectible, have a matching price tag. You may find a decent restoration for a lesser car, but many times people don't put in the necessary effort to do one correctly. The top notch resto's are going to be R/A cars, 400's, HO's, convertibles, etc, and they don't give them away. Pontiac enthusiasts are a pretty particular bunch. I personally think you need to reconsider what your objectives are and see if you can ease your way over that hump.

Also, bear in mind that the color of a restored car you want to 'afford', considering what you want to do to it will affect your overall happiness. You can find a lot better deal on a Verdoro Green car than you will on an Orbit Orange or Carousel Red, Starlight Black, Palladium Silver, etc. If you start with a clone or a solid car that needs paint, you'll have much more freedom to build your dream car. That's just me though...I had a blue/green with white vinyl top '350' car to start with. Now it's black with parchment interior....stunning and unique, and I'll never see another one like it. It wasn't desirable to start with, but the traditionalists still ignore me at shows....I guess they don't like being upstaged by a punk in a hot rod given their half assed restorations are typically pretty, well, typical.

[Desert68]

Have you checked Hemmings?

http://www.hemmings.com/

Another thought would be Pontiac-Oakland Club International.

http://www.poci.org/

You might need to join POCI to get access to member classifieds.

It takes me some time to scour through Hemmings, but that's me. Maybe grab a hardcopy and start flipping through it. While you will find people everywhere that think their cars are worth stupid $$$, my opinion is you'd be more likely to find more serious and reasonable collectors in Hemmings and POCI. Good luck with the search.

[ALLFAITH]

Thanks guys for the encouragement.

OLDFLM--sending you a PM

I actually would love a Vedero Green car :) I sold my 69 RA3 Judge bc I didn't want to cut it up.--big mistake at this point-never had an idea it would be so hard to replace.

Brad

[Josh69]

Thanks guys for the encouragement.

OLDFLM--sending you a PM

I actually would love a Vedero Green car :) I sold my 69 RA3 Judge bc I didn't want to cut it up.--big mistake at this point-never had an idea it would be so hard to replace.

Brad

I will say, a Verdero Green Judge is pretty tasty, especially one I saw with the lime colored Judge stripes...very unique. Good luck in your search! I gave up on finding something nice at a fair price, hauled my junker out of the barn and starting cutting! :willy:

[Desert68]

I will say, a Verdero Green Judge is pretty tasty, especially one I saw with the lime colored Judge stripes...very unique. Good luck in your search! I gave up on finding something nice at a fair price, hauled my junker out of the barn and starting cutting! :willy:

Quick sidebar - not trying to hijack the thread. The car in your sig, yes? It caught my eye - any pictures?

[Josh69]

Quick sidebar - not trying to hijack the thread. The car in your sig, yes? It caught my eye - any pictures?

Yeah, I'll update my build thread, it's like 2 years old! ROFL. I lost my laptop with the good pics, so I have to have my buddy that took them send me new files. I'll post up some crappy cell phone pics of my progress.

Maybe we'll help ALLFAITH with some motivation to continue his search! HEHE!!

[ALLFAITH]

My search will continue-just so frustrated.
My talents don't go as far as you for sure Josh. I am a bolt-in kind of guy and then hire an expert when I screw up or need one

Brad

[youthpastor]

My search will continue-just so frustrated.
My talents don't go as far as you for sure Josh. I am a bolt-in kind of guy and then hire an expert when I screw up or need one

Brad

I can build the car you want- I would build one with a PT style in mind from the onset instead of modifying a restoration. Good luck- Chris

[BanditDave]

Check Craigslist in NJ, north, Central and south. There is a '73 Formula in Riverside for $6995 and a '70 Espirit with a Formula hood in Delran, NJ for $6500.

They are out there...keep searching.

Dave

[sledge33]

i have a pretty nice firebird,455 auto slick black paint mini tubbed 4 link.its on ebay right now.pretty nice car for the money.ad #280361826158

[SixtyAte]

Give up! Post all the parts for me! :thumbsup:

[tones2SS]

I built my own car completely, except for the paintjob, so I have no-one to criticize except myself for how well or how poorly certain aspects turned out. It sounds like that may be your best bet.

The problem/beauty with Pontiacs is, as you are finding out, there is no way to 'clone' a car when the PHS can verify anything. So the cars that really are collectible, have a matching price tag. You may find a decent restoration for a lesser car, but many times people don't put in the necessary effort to do one correctly. The top notch resto's are going to be R/A cars, 400's, HO's, convertibles, etc, and they don't give them away. Pontiac enthusiasts are a pretty particular bunch. I personally think you need to reconsider what your objectives are and see if you can ease your way over that hump.

Also, bear in mind that the color of a restored car you want to 'afford', considering what you want to do to it will affect your overall happiness. You can find a lot better deal on a Verdoro Green car than you will on an Orbit Orange or Carousel Red, Starlight Black, Palladium Silver, etc. If you start with a clone or a solid car that needs paint, you'll have much more freedom to build your dream car. That's just me though...I had a blue/green with white vinyl top '350' car to start with. Now it's black with parchment interior....stunning and unique, and I'll never see another one like it. It wasn't desirable to start with, but the traditionalists still ignore me at shows....I guess they don't like being upstaged by a punk in a hot rod given their half assed restorations are typically pretty, well, typical.

Very well said Josh.
I saw a MINT condition black '71 GTO at the Summer Nats in Worcester, MA. That car was nasty!! How many of those do you see?? Not many.
I LOVE THIS RIGHT HERE: "It wasn't desirable to start with, but the traditionalists still ignore me at shows....I guess they don't like being upstaged by a punk in a hot rod given their half assed restorations are typically pretty, well, typical."
How very true my man. How very true.:thumbsup: :cheers:

[Kendall Burleson]

Josh you hit nail on the head!

[Lenie]

Hmmm, Pontiac dreams :soapbox: , never give up on your dreams..... It becomes to easy to do the next time things get a little tough. Best of luck to you.

FOWLPLAY

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/3406/dsc00040ybh.jpg (http://img261.imageshack.us/i/dsc00040ybh.jpg/)

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/9830/dsc00096v.jpg (http://img231.imageshack.us/i/dsc00096v.jpg/)

[Josh69]

My search will continue-just so frustrated.
My talents don't go as far as you for sure Josh. I am a bolt-in kind of guy and then hire an expert when I screw up or need one

Brad

Trust me, I'm far from an expert, and am too a 'bolt-on' type of guy. My car is all bolt on stuff and much of it was 1st timer. I consider myself to have a lot of natural ability, and I've been reading car magazines cover to cover since I was five...but I'm an accountant by trade! I've found that most of it is common sense, and having guys like Frank on this forum that I trust to call and get the info I need if I stumble. I didn't even mini-tub it because I can't weld. But with careful planning, I put the narrowed Moser in there with custom offset TTII's. I have the look I wanted, without the additional expense. I gave it my own flavor, but it's far from a difficult build. My dad's neighbor did all the hard work on the body. I helped, and I did alot of the sanding, sandblasting, and 'b!tch' work, but he handled the welder and patchwork, etc. I wish I had done more, but I plan on buying a welder and figuring it out for the next one. In any case, figuring out the wiring, plumbing the brakes, fuel lines, rebuilding/replacing the suspension...that's all straighforward stuff when it comes right down to it!

With that said, I do think you have a good plan though....if I had it to do over again, it'd be alot easier to start with a car that doesn't need all the sheetmetal and paintwork...and it sure would've gone faster. I hope you find what you're looking for, I'm excited to see more PT Poncho's!! :captain: