Howdy All!

New to the forum and you guys have already helped! I got a 1969 Pontiac Catalina, base model 2 door hard top with a 400 2 barrel and a 400T transmission. This car belonged to my father in law who passed away on his 50th birthday 12 years ago. It has been sitting ever since. I finally dragged it home to start this project. All numbers match and his goal was to keep it all original so I figured I better do the same. My goal is to make it a weekend warrior. Something I can take the family in on trips and shows. I am really excited about this project it will be my first restoration. My plan is to start with motor, tranny and drive train then interior and then the body. We will see how it goes! Any tips or tricks would be much appreciated.

Catalina Jones

Looks like that Cat has some good bones. Needs some TLC but should be a looker, I'm sure.

welcome

should be a lot of fun to build, certainly looks in tidy condition except for that little scratch on the fender

did you score your replacement fender ?

Not yet. I did find the chrome bumper and grill at Easy Jack Salvage though!

Here are some tips.....

Bag, tag, and properly store everything, even if you don't plan to re-use it. It will serve as reference.

Take TONS of photos as you disassemble things. Keep your photos as organized on your PC as you do organizing your parts. It will help at re-assembly time.

Get a Pontiac shop manual for your car - either electronically or paper. The exploded views of sub-assemblies is worth it alone.

Know your limits. Do the work you are confident you can do yourself. Let professionals do what's left.

Be realistic with your time and budget. Re-assembly is a lot longer than disassembly. Everything seems to take 3 times more time to do that you planned, even simple things

Sadly '69 is a one year wonder. Don't be surprised that some parts are unique to just your '69 and you have to look longer and pay way more money for those one or two unique parts..

Roger That. Would like to get a book. I got the downloaded version. I need to get some ziplocks. I kinda like the one hit wonder of this 69 but you are correct on parts availability. Feeling pretty confident on most things (not doing a frame off restoration) but definitely sending transmission to the pros. Not a fan of drum brakes and this one got 4 of them. So should be good at it by the forth one ha. One question I have is how to make distributor better without looking like an aftermarket part?

Nice starting vehicle, like Frosty said. Take many,many many many pictures. Even on things you think you will remember. As time passes, so does your memory. Good luck,and if you need info. this could be your place to go. Lots of knowledge here.

Hello,

Welcome to the group and I love that body style. Don't knock the drum brakes too much. With my one year later version of car, I have been pleasantly surprised at their performance though I have not gone far enough or fast enough yet to really heat 'em up on test drives.

Ask any question you want. Somebody around here knows the answer or might have a source for used parts. Again, welcome.

Rick

On 10/1/2025 at 1:38 PM, 64 kiwi boni said:

welcome

should be a lot of fun to build, certainly looks in tidy condition except for that little scratch on the fender

did you score your replacement fender ?

I think I can just buff it out!

4 hours ago, Catalina Jones said:

I think I can just buff it out!

Yeah it’s a tiny blemish

If you’re not doing a repaint … maybe hammer it out and save the rest of the fender and its paint … touch of primer and jobs done ✅

Cool part about our cars … they are made out of real steel !!! It’s soooo malleable !

On 10/2/2025 at 12:15 AM, Catalina Jones said:

Roger That. Would like to get a book. I got the downloaded version. I need to get some ziplocks. I kinda like the one hit wonder of this 69 but you are correct on parts availability. Feeling pretty confident on most things (not doing a frame off restoration) but definitely sending transmission to the pros. Not a fan of drum brakes and this one got 4 of them. So should be good at it by the forth one ha. One question I have is how to make distributor better without looking like an aftermarket part?

Not just ziplocks - totes, lots of plastic parts totes! If you don't have them already - parts shelves too! Keep things neat and organized.

Right on. Will do. Didn’t think about storage. And it’s going to be important because my garage is a storage unit. lol Got permission to set up work bench and storage rack if I can keep the tweekers out!

Got some more pics today. Definitely doing a paint job when finished with motor and interior. Love this color!

Most of the rust I have found is in the bottom of trunk. Doesn’t look like it ate all the way through but will find out when I clean her up! Still looking for finder but getting ready to drop fuel tank and clean out the fuel system.

Appreciate you guys

Catalina Jones

Well my book came in. Haven’t had a lot of time to mess with car but did have some questions.

To keep her original, she’s got single exhaust but boy do I wanna put dual exhaust on it. What are you guys think?

I do have original power brakes, but everything I’ve looked at has a bigger booster on. It didn’t know if that’s a good route to go or just stick with what I got.

I also want the ignition to work more efficiently because I do wanna take it on the highway what do you guys think of the small cap HEI distributor or should I go with Pertronix igniter?

Another question what are your thoughts on inline fuel pump and should I put an inline fuel filter in as well

Last one for this post. How much rewiring should I do? Most of it looks good. Shoot even the trunk light still works But it is old

I appreciate any thoughts and suggestions! I got a pic with her top off and brake booster. I heard you guys liked pics

Your new friend

Catalina Jones

Very few cars are totally stock. Even fewer shows for such cars. Make it yours, make it safe! Welcome to FP your new obsession. Thankz for the pic's! Talk with ya in the forum.

Hey Cat, welcome bro! As Justa said, make it safe, that's the most important thing, after that make it yours bro. Something that takes your breath way every time you look at her, something that when you look at her, she makes you smile and say yeah, I built that. As far as HEI and Pertronix goes, I am running a large cap (looked smaller in the picture lol) HEI from Pertronix. Less than 50mi on the distributor and maybe a total 100 starts at most when I had to replace the module. After a LOT of help from the guys on this form trying to help figure out what the problem was, I contacted customer service. They were horrible with me, and of course it they said it couldn't be the module. $65 and a new module later and she started back up. If you do decide to go that route, I would advise the small cap for sure though bro, my cap is so big that even after "dishing" in the firewall she's still very tight. I know a couple of the guys are running other Pertronix ignition parts so maybe they will chime in. I am also running an inline Holly fuel pump with an inline glass fuel filter between the tank and pump and an inline glass fuel filter after the regulator before the carb. I always use an inline fuel filter before the carb but that's justa me bro.

Good luck and have fun!

Cat - Justa is right, it's your car, you do what you and your wallet tell you to do. Unless you are planning on making this a concours correct - 100+ points judged trailer queen, do what makes sense for both your safety and enjoyment.

So if you think your master cylinder and brake booster are shot and need replacing, do it! No one wants unsafe or unreliable brakes! Front disc brake conversion? Do it! Rear disc conversion? Do it! Upgrade to 15" Wilwood or Baer brakes? Do it! My point is, upgrading safety stuff like brakes, seat belts, etc. is never a bad thing.

Want to ditch the painted valve covers and original air cleaner for some blingy chrome ones? Do it!

One big recommendation though. Replace all original rubber hoses in the car. Anything that comes in contact with fuel, fuel vapors, or exhaust gases need to be replaced for safety reasons. These cars were built when leaded fuel was available. Today, we have unleaded fuel and ethanol in our gas. So time, UV light, dirt and grim will wear down the old rubber hoses from the outside. Ethanol breaks down old hoses from the inside too, which can lead to a vehicle fire.

New modern fuel hose is formulated to withstand today's modern fuels and won't break down (from the inside at least). So all rubber hose from front to back (including the fuel tank) should be replaced for safety reasons. Today concours judges recognize that this is a safety item and they don't deduct points for this, it's like carrying a fire extinguisher. Also you can get correctly stamped (if that is your thing) modern hoses these days.

Edited October 22, 2025Oct 22 by Frosty

Dual exhaust! with electric cutouts for even more fun! And what they said

Okay - my turn. I did the unthinkable and actually cut 2 reliefs for my twin pipes as the GPs had them hidden behind the bumper - I reckon it now looks the way the factory should have made it. All V8s should have twin exhaust, I think.

My car came with factory power drums and after a mild brake rebuild they work perfectly. How many panic stops from 70mph do you intend performing?

I went all out and fitted full MSD ignition - best thing ever.

I think mild sensible mods are the way to go. They maintain the car's originality but introduce some modern standards. Brakes, front end & steering are critical as far as safety and pleasant driving go.

Oh and one more thing...chuck in a Butler 462 stroker. That'll show the plebs who's boss.