1957 Chieftain restomod Build

[64 kiwi boni]

Here is my new project. one 1957 Pontiac Chieftain 2 door hard top

Edited July 24, 2022 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

This car was posted on the foreverpontiac  for- sales page and i contacted the owner in still-water Minnesota, long story short we did the deal and it left Minnesota on march 22 and was shipped to ny then onto a ship and all the way to Taupo New Zealand. It arrived here 22nd July !

i bought the car based on help from frosty's connections and a very nice bloke who lived only 10 minutes away went and kindly provide myself with a 3 page report on what he saw was the good and the bad of the car !

Based on his input i did the deal !

Now that the car is here with me, i can say all the information was bang on !!! thank you Chuck ! you rock my friend ! 

 One big thing was, it was sold to me as a non- runner. i expected that !

i was pleasantly surprised after 20 minutes worth of doing the basics, points, fuel, battery. That in fact not only did it run but with a top up of trans fluid, it drove too!. One very happy Kiwi !!! 

Here some pictures from when I drove up to Auckland to pick it up 

[Wrongway]

Thats justa awesome bro! So the title of this thread is "1957 Chieftain restomod Build", That sounds like your going modern with a lot of this build? Can you tell us what direction your thinking about going or future plans?

[64 kiwi boni]

Just now, Wrongway said:

Thats justa awesome bro! So the title of this thread is "1957 Chieftain restomod Build", That sounds like your going modern with a lot of this build? Can you tell us what direction your thinking about going or future plans?

Glad you asked mate!!

when i went to pick up the car, i stopped at a guys place and bought a complete 1993 c4 corvette front and rear suspension system off him.

i have been in contact with Russel at Nerd rods.... http://www.nerdrods.com/

He Builds kitset tri 5 chevy chassis,and is going to supply me with a modified kit to suit the Pontaic (122inch) wheel base and the vette suspension is going to be part of this set up !

So whole new chassis. modern geometry and handling with a lower ride height !

 now all the way through i am hoping you all will give me your thoughts on the way forward and best ideas too!!

Powering the new frame will be Dwights (oldguy44 )  389 out of his 63 ! he has kindly given me the motor and it is also on its way to NZ. the plan for the motor is to build a 470 stroker with a butler kit, and fuel inject it.

Trans is still up in the air at the moment, as i am thinking of using a 6l80e trans, but haven't found much info on grafting the thing to a bop and a computer kit to make it work properly... you guys may be able to help me out there !

body will stay stock, but add custom interior, electric windows 

i am also going to go Dakota digitals for instrumentation again after using their products in the cortina.

all the glass is chev so i will replace the lot with tinted.

colour is going to be Red with white details.

interior, i am thinking white leather... but that may change.

wrongway, this is my first ideas, some are set, some are up for discussion.

 

[Wrongway]

🤯 justa wow bro! That will be awesome!!! 470 stroker, nice!! I'm excited bro, can't wait to see this project take shape 

Edited July 24, 2022 by Wrongway

[64 kiwi boni]

Here some more pictures of the parts and condition 

This last picture shows the passenger side head light trim missing,,, some where between stillwater Minnasota and Taupo New Zealand, some one wanted more than me ! this part cant fall off ! its screwed in place.🙄

[Wrongway]

Ohh yeahh, you know we like pics . She looks pretty solid bro. Am I seeing the pics right, is the underside of the dash chrome??

I personally think that red and white will look sexy as hell bro! 

[64 kiwi boni]

4 minutes ago, Wrongway said:

Ohh yeahh, you know we like pics . She looks pretty solid bro. Am I seeing the pics right, is the underside of the dash chrome??

yes all chrome. cool aye. glove box, ash tray, side trim, the more chrome the better !!

Edited July 24, 2022 by 64 kiwi boni

[Wrongway]

Thats justa wild man! I love it!

Red roof or white roof?

 

Ohh black is pretty too! 

 

[64 kiwi boni]

I drove it in onto the hoist and here are some pictures of the underside 

Check out the last picture! some bug clearly use to live here!

Now ! when this car came into nz they charged me hundreds of dollars for a Failed bio security check and charged me again to "clean the car "  

Didn't they do a great job!!!!🙄

[64 kiwi boni]

One thing that jumps out at me is the steering wheel ! thats staying... i need to work out how i can modernizes it but keep the horn ring and Pontiac center !

[Frosty]

Kiwi

Congrats mate! This has been a long time coming to this point! 

I will say I am partial to the two-tone red and white combo. I’ve always like the traditional two-tone 50s cars. So if we are not going to call this car Clyde, then maybe we call it Ruby. Although Chief Clyde has an interesting ring to it too.

So is the car, overall, better or worse than what Chuck reported, in your opinion?

When does disassembly begin in earnest? Or are you going to drive it, as is, for awhile?

[Last Indian]

13 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

One thing that jumps out at me is the steering wheel ! thats staying... i need to work out how i can modernizes it but keep the horn ring and Pontiac center !

Way Cool Kiwi! That should keep you busy! 
I could give you some ideas on modding the steering wheel. 
 

How about the name Last Chieftain 😁 JustA crazy thought! I don’t know where it came from. 🤪

[64 kiwi boni]

7 hours ago, Frosty said:

Kiwi

Congrats mate! This has been a long time coming to this point! 

I will say I am partial to the two-tone red and white combo. I’ve always like the traditional two-tone 50s cars. So if we are not going to call this car Clyde, then maybe we call it Ruby. Although Chief Clyde has an interesting ring to it too.

So is the car, overall, better or worse than what Chuck reported, in your opinion?

When does disassembly begin in earnest? Or are you going to drive it, as is, for awhile?

thank you Frosty it has been a long process !!

Chucks report he did for me was very accurate  ! and i am pleased with how close to his report the car is !

over all and now that its running and driving, i feel i got a very good deal for what the car is !

There will be no work starting until the new year, at the earliest, i have an addition to finish, ground works to complete and all before the daughters wedding here at our home next March. AND i need to generate some cash to start collecting all the parts i need, which means more work hours! 

i feel honored to be able to save another Pontiac and this car deserves to live a new life, its so dam cool !!! if i didnt buy it, it very well may have been crushed!!! and i am helping the environment buy reusing this car rather than it going to waste!  

11 minutes ago, Last Indian said:

Way Cool Kiwi! That should keep you busy! 
I could give you some ideas on modding the steering wheel. 
 

How about the name Last Chieftain 😁 JustA crazy thought! I don’t know where it came from. 🤪

Thank you Last indian ! i will take you up on that offer, its such a pretty horn ring ! i justA have to reuse it, 

12 minutes ago, Last Indian said:

How about the name Last Chieftain

hmmmmm "Clyde the last chieftain" 🙄

[Last Indian]

32 minutes ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

hmmmmm "Clyde the last chieftain" 🙄

Or White Buffalo the last Chieftain! The White Buffalo in Lakota (Sioux) is sacred & very rare in nature as well. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m part Blackfoot, which is part of the Sioux nation!

[KiwiStarChief]

Hi there Chris, you lucky devil. I'm pleased you finally made it all work after all the discussion we had. You sure do have a lot of work ahead of you, so perhaps that will keep you out of mischief for a while. 

I wondered about the Corvette suspension you wanted a while ago, so now it all becomes clear. You have now just added one to the Carjam total of 7 by 1. Good on you!

Any questions or info I can provide please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[64 kiwi boni]

3 hours ago, KiwiStarChief said:

Hi there Chris, you lucky devil. I'm pleased you finally made it all work after all the discussion we had. You sure do have a lot of work ahead of you, so perhaps that will keep you out of mischief for a while. 

I wondered about the Corvette suspension you wanted a while ago, so now it all becomes clear. You have now just added one to the Carjam total of 7 by 1. Good on you!

Any questions or info I can provide please don't hesitate to ask.

 

wow ! there is only 7 1957 Pontiac in New Zealand!! 

guess i wont be finding many parts around here then !!! 

 

Thanks Russel, i am super keen to meet you and check out your 57 !!

 i am going to need a few things that are missing like that head light trim and the bullet off the drivers side is missing, i have a hinge on the hood thats buggered, and thats pretty much it at this stage, i do need to replace the chrome around the back window, but thats all chev so its easy to replace(chucks will have that )

i am also for anyone reading this, going to have a lot of spares that i wont be using, like the whole drive train, heater system, steering etc

so it would be nice to think someone can use these parts in the future

[KiwiStarChief]

Chris, re the bonnet hinge, I have a used set that I purchased out of the US a couple of years ago to fix an issue mine had. I even restored one of them, before I found that mine were OK and it was just the springs. I just swapped over the used springs and all fixed. If you are interested let me know.

[64 kiwi boni]

51 minutes ago, KiwiStarChief said:

Chris, re the bonnet hinge, I have a used set that I purchased out of the US a couple of years ago to fix an issue mine had. I even restored one of them, before I found that mine were OK and it was just the springs. I just swapped over the used springs and all fixed. If you are interested let me know.

Yes please Russel !

the drivers side one in my 57 the teeth are gone ! 

[KiwiStarChief]

3 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Yes please Russel ! the drivers side one in my 57 the teeth are gone ! 

Chris, will PM you re the hinges.

 

[Fitzy]

What the...I go to work for 7 days and he's bought ANOTHER car. What were the final words from your missus as she drove off into the sunset?

I like it - so stylish. Those old 50s cars look like they are hewn from a solid billet. I reckon you're gonna be waaaaaay busy from now on. Make sure she's still a goer when we turn up - I wanna be driven around the paddock in it!

[64 kiwi boni]

53 minutes ago, Fitzy said:

What the...I go to work for 7 days and he's bought ANOTHER car. What were the final words from your missus as she drove off into the sunset?

I like it - so stylish. Those old 50s cars look like they are hewn from a solid billet. I reckon you're gonna be waaaaaay busy from now on. Make sure she's still a goer when we turn up - I wanna be driven around the paddock in it!

Now where the hell have you been mate ! 
don’t you have our favourite forum on your. Cell phone ? 
you missed all the fun 

of last Friday , me doing a road trip to Auckland and getting the 57 ! 

This was my super secret for the last god knows how many months !

[64 kiwi boni]

Russel ! Does your 57 have this ???

What is this dial for ???? 

[JUSTA6]

Bonnie  N Clyde

They’re romanticized; they’re reviled. But there’s no arguing with the fact that Bonnie and Clyde are the most famous criminal duo in American history. Everyone’s fascinated by the lives, the way they died, and even what happened to the Bonnie and Clyde car after they died! The intrepid researchers at Way.com started digging around, and this is what they came up with. 

Pop culture loves Bonnie and Clyde. There have been at least three movies, including one starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway and a Netflix movie. There have been numerous pop songs written about Bonnie and Clyde and countless series made.

THE END

[Fitzy]

12 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Russel ! Does your 57 have this ???

What is this dial for ???? 

That controls the hamster in the wheel. In the absence of electronics and turbos, Pontiac fitted an auxiliary 'Power Hamster' next to the engine to provide an additional burst of acceleration when required. The hamster's output was governed by that wheel. Your hamster is long gone, but Ames sells new larger ones that are full of hormones. Ol' Chieffy is gonna fly.

What do you mean I've had too much coffee???