New member - will need lots of help

[Untalented_Amateur]

Good morning all, 

Well maybe a mid-life crisis scenario, but last night I bought a 62 Bonneville 4dr, with the plan restore it as best I can. Completely out of my comfort zone, love cars, but no nothing about anything, hence the will need lot's of help. Seems a pretty solid car (had the wife's cousin check it out), some minor rust, but all there including, engine and drive train, body panels, interior, trim.

Have decided to nickname it lucky, lucky to find it, lucky to get it on the not so great trailer, and lucky to make it back to the storage location without it falling off said trailer. 

Obviously will know more once it is down to bare metal, but the trunk lid and hood may need replacing, can't find much on replacements for the Bonneville, but the 62 Catalina looks very similar to my untrained eye, am I correct?

Many thanks in advance!! 

[Ringo64]

We're happy to help you in your journey with your Bonnie! First things first though, got any pics of the Bonnie? We ❤ pics here  

[Untalented_Amateur]

No laughing!!

[Ringo64]

Wouldn't laugh. Looks like you got some work cut out for you on the body. Are you going for showroom quality or other plans?

[Untalented_Amateur]

I have lot's of ideas, hopefully not too ambitious. 

But overall, no not going for showroom, mainly because I don't think I have the skills, so I am thinking restomod to a standard I am happy with, an then just a weekend cruiser with the family, local car meets...... 

[Ringo64]

Long as it meets your want/desire, that's all that matters.

[JUSTA6]

Only LAUGHING cause I found myself drooling on the key board.!!  Great find.  Welcome to the site.  Chat it up with us in the forum.

[Untalented_Amateur]

Thanks for the welcome, it was funny the two guys who helped me pick up are GTO, Camaro and Charger guys, and they were kinda looking sideways at 'Lucky' as I have named her, then while I was at Home Depot trying to pick up some 2x8s to replace the ramps we had bent trying to get it on the trailer.... 4 people stopped to ask about it..... I think it is a cool looking car, hopefully I can do it justice. 

But on my original question do you know is the 62 Catalina hood and trunk lid fit the 62 Bonneville?

[64 kiwi boni]

4 hours ago, Untalented_Amateur said:

No laughing!!

way cool project 👍

way cool project !!! 👍 what engine  /trans ??

Edited May 6, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni

[Untalented_Amateur]

trans not sure, but it has the original 6.4L V8. it's not running right now, not sure if I want to try and get it refurbed and updated, or go for a new crate motor. 

[JUSTA6]

1 hour ago, Untalented_Amateur said:

trans not sure, but it has the original 6.4L V8. it's not running right now, not sure if I want to try and get it refurbed and updated, or go for a new crate motor. 

Not quite that simple and no matter what $$$.  62 will probably be Glide trans and the starter is mounted to the trans.  Not a bad option to rebuild the motor.  Crate motor will include a price with a whole new trans.  See where your starter is mounted, should be on driver side.

[Fitzy]

Fresh meat for the grinder. Welcome aboard. Now, empty your wallet, devote the house into a parts storage area and divorce your wife. You are simply doing now what is going to happen in the near future! You are doomed financially and emotionally, but it's gonna be heaps of fun. That ol' girl is gonna look great once you get your teeth into it.

[64 kiwi boni]

1 hour ago, Fitzy said:

Fresh meat for the grinder. Welcome aboard. Now, empty your wallet, devote the house into a parts storage area and divorce your wife. You are simply doing now what is going to happen in the near future! You are doomed financially and emotionally, but it's gonna be heaps of fun. That ol' girl is gonna look great once you get your teeth into it.

Nah nah fitzy 

don’t divorce the wife , simple don’t tell her what your doing, 

she will most likely love the piece n quiet 

while your out under the car for hours n hours covered in dirt , bleeding from every knuckle , hair full of debri from the undercarriage , muck in your eyes n ears !!! Oh so much fun !!! ... and it’s the best feeling!! 

[64 kiwi boni]

13 hours ago, Untalented_Amateur said:

But on my original question do you know is the 62 Catalina hood and trunk lid fit the 62 Bonneville?

frosty may know if the catalina is the same ... i think it should be being a wide tracker????

[Fitzy]

You're a sick man Kiwi, but you speak the truth.

As you know, I'm going to stop fulltime work August 2022 and when I told my missus, she couldn't hide the horror of the thought of me being home 24/7. So I approached my site manager and asked about working perhaps 3 days a week remotely after next August, and he was happy with that. I told her and the wave of relief washed over her. Jeezus, I mean she keeps coming home, right? I'm pretty sure I'm not the beer swilling sex mad pig that she imagines.

[64 kiwi boni]

4 minutes ago, Fitzy said:

You're a sick man Kiwi, but you speak the truth.

As you know, I'm going to stop fulltime work August 2022 and when I told my missus, she couldn't hide the horror of the thought of me being home 24/7. So I approached my site manager and asked about working perhaps 3 days a week remotely after next August, and he was happy with that. I told her and the wave of relief washed over her. Jeezus, I mean she keeps coming home, right? I'm pretty sure I'm not the beer swilling sex mad pig that she imagines.

haahahahha mate ! why does it seam all woman are the same ???? are we really that bad hahahaha

[Fitzy]

Oh, and to Untalented Amateur, your car looks only slightly worse than the bucket of bolts I picked up and after pouring tens of thousands of dollars into it, it is now a mechanically better bucket of bolts. Your journey has only just started. Grab a beer, walk around the car and let your imagination take over. Look at it from all angles (glug, glug, glug) now sit inside it and smell the rich perfume of water ingress and mouldy vinyl (glug, glug, glug) now grasp the steering wheel and imagine a mountain of supercharger poking out of the hood (glug, glug, glug.)

It's now midnight,  your wife is on Tinder looking for alternatives, you're out of beer and you have to work in the morning.

Welcome to our murky world!

[64 kiwi boni]

1 minute ago, Fitzy said:

Oh, and to Untalented Amateur, your car looks only slightly worse than the bucket of bolts I picked up and after pouring tens of thousands of dollars into it, it is now a mechanically better bucket of bolts. Your journey has only just started. Grab a beer, walk around the car and let your imagination take over. Look at it from all angles (glug, glug, glug) now sit inside it and smell the rich perfume of water ingress and mouldy vinyl (glug, glug, glug) now grasp the steering wheel and imagine a mountain of supercharger poking out of the hood (glug, glug, glug.)

It's now midnight,  your wife is on Tinder looking for alternatives, you're out of beer and you have to work in the morning.

Welcome to our murky world!

life of a happy man!!!

[Frosty]

20 hours ago, Untalented_Amateur said:

No laughing!!

Awesome looking project UA. We will be happy to guide you along the way. Just ask.

First suggestion I have is to purchase - either in paper or electronic form - a '62 Pontiac shop manual for your car. It has illustrations, assembly/disassembly instructions, wiring diagrams galore. It is money well spent. It will be your bible for restoring this car. You should be able to purchase them off the internet or at swap meets. If you need a suggestion, let me know.

Second suggestion, start looking online for catalog houses that carry parts for Bonnevilles and Catalinas like Original Parts Group, Inc (OPGI), Ames Performance, etc. They will become many of your sources for new parts. You will also use the likes of SummitRacing, Jegs, Eastwood, and Speedway for more common parts and tools.

Start talking to your car buddies - are there Pontiac clubs or enthusiasts in your area that you can network with? Pontiac swap meets or car shows in your area that might help you get needed parts?

Talk to your buddies about reputable shops that can do the work that you can't or won't do - such as engine machine shop / metal and rust repair / body and paint work / upholstery / etc.

18 hours ago, Untalented_Amateur said:

But on my original question do you know is the 62 Catalina hood and trunk lid fit the 62 Bonneville?

Yes the Catalina hood will fit. The Catalina was the base level full size car for Pontiac in 1962. The Bonneville was the top of the line full size car. They are essentially the same car except for key trim pieces and certain options.

[JUSTA6]

So who's the new member, and who needs more help???

[Frosty]

The answer to that question requires a qualified psychiatrist.

Edited May 7, 2021 by Frosty

[JUSTA6]

10 minutes ago, Frosty said:

The answer to that question requires a qualified psychiatrist.

[Untalented_Amateur]

Wow.... only joined yesterday and already a wealth of knowledge, doom and marital advise.... now I am really scared!!! I thought I had made a good choice with the bucket of bolts!!! not so sure now!!

I am a very cautious and thoughtful person, so I have been considering this and researching for months and months and...... months!!! My google search is full of companies, engines, parts, carpets, suspension, brakes, paint, wheels.......... I spend every evening watching Bitchin Rides, Texas Metal, Iron Resurrection...... ( i work away from home). 

Anyway having taken the leap... no turning back now!! So you lot better prepare yourself for a bunch of dumb questions!! 

I am a (Brit) in Houston, any suggestions on the Pontiac owners or swap meets? 

 

[JUSTA6]

Like it or not your part of the family now.  There are no dumb questions. Keep us up with whats going on and chat it up in the forum.

[Fitzy]

Frosty's right about the repair manual: FYI I got mine through Faxon Literature. They are a direct reprint of the original GM issued manuals.

Ames Performance is great for authentically reproduced hard to find stuff, and general stuff. Rockauto & Speedway Motors are just two of many reputable generic parts houses. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say beware of places like Summit & OPGI: nothing wrong with them at all, but if you are chasing bits that are model specific, those guys are trained to sell stuff, not get their facts straight. I had a shitload of trouble getting reimbursed for wrong parts that were incorrectly advertised on their site. They came to the party in the end and kudos to them for that, but the fact remains that the site info was wrong. 

Oh, and make sure you've got beers in the fridge. When you can't get that rusty bolt undone, or you get grit in your eyes, or that irreplaceable part that you've been so careful with disintegrates when you touch it,  you'll need to step back, take a deep breath and think about things. And keep us posted. As all the guys have said, everyone is eager to help, there's a heap of knowledge here and we all love pics. You'll also have to put up with my Doomsday remarks, but they're only there in the hope of making someone laugh. Believe it or not, I'm actually happy & well adjusted... 

Yeah, okay everyone, stop laughing.