Hi there folks, just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I come from Auckland, New Zealand and are the proud owner of a 1957 Pontiac Star Chief, which I imported from the US in 2012. It is a great condition vehicle, although the paintwork does need some work. It has been repowered by a 5.3 LS engine, mated to an electronic 4L60E transmission, which makes it a great cruiser, although some other Pontiac owners have been know to turn up their nose at this "other make" engine. But what the heck, I like it and that's all that counts.

It has a front clip from a  '78 Malibu, which gives it front mounted power steering, disc brakes, and anti-roll bar, and runs on an 18" front/20" rear Coys wheel combo.

It certainly turns heads when driving, and it's great turning up at shows and being the only '57 Star Chief in attendance amongst hoards of '57 Chevy Hardtops.

 

 

 

Good to see some Poncho enthusiasts down under  

 

welcome to FP! awesome car!!!

hi Russel, i see you have changed your wheels ! since your 2016 post,  nice shot of the 57 in the naki 👍

 

You should share your story with the good folk here about your 57 

Edited September 23, 20214 yr by 64 kiwi boni

1 hour ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

hi Russel, i see you have changed your wheels ! since your 2016 post,  nice shot of the 57 in the naki 👍

 

 

I decided a couple of years ago that the blingly chrome wheels it came with from the States didn't fit the look I wanted, which was a "Classic" theme. I replaced them with an 18" aluminium Rallye wheel clone with hubcaps, which to my eye suit the style of car better. 2 years ago I stripped the whole car down to have the few rust spots sorted, and got the car repainted. I also had the front bumper's 9 pieces rechromed (very expensive), replaced all the side glass, and took all the dents out/repolished the stainless trim myself.

Happy with the car now, but always looking to upgrade stuff (as you do) to keep myself busy.

Another Kiwi with a great car? You guys earn too much over there!

Great shot!!!!  The picture came through right side up 😁  Sometimes it seems to be a problem round here from down under.

1 hour ago, Fitzy said:

Another Kiwi with a great car? You guys earn too much over there!

Gees fitzy I think Russel is a mechanic !

he knows what he is doing ! Unlike this plumber guy ! 😜

2 hours ago, KiwiStarChief said:

I decided a couple of years ago that the blingly chrome wheels it came with from the States didn't fit the look I wanted, which was a "Classic" theme. I replaced them with an 18" aluminium Rallye wheel clone with hubcaps, which to my eye suit the style of car better. 2 years ago I stripped the whole car down to have the few rust spots sorted, and got the car repainted. I also had the front bumper's 9 pieces rechromed (very expensive), replaced all the side glass, and took all the dents out/repolished the stainless trim myself.

Happy with the car now, but always looking to upgrade stuff (as you do) to keep myself busy.

Yip certainly agree with you on the wheels 👍👍👍👍👍

rallye wheels win every time for classic look 👍👍👍👍

A mechanic? On this forum? We don't need no smartarse mechanic telling us how to do things properly. We are more than capable of blundering through without any qualified tradesmen offering helpful advice & tips. 

Forgive my caustic humour, Russell. Welcome aboard.

2 hours ago, Fitzy said:

A mechanic? On this forum? We don't need no smartarse mechanic telling us how to do things properly. We are more than capable of blundering through without any qualified tradesmen offering helpful advice & tips. 

Forgive my caustic humour, Russell. Welcome aboard.

 

23 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Gees fitzy I think Russel is a mechanic !

 

Not a mechanic at all, just an enthusiastic car guy for many years. And I would certainly never tell anyone how to do something on their car. That's what wifes are for, isn't it? 

Haha soooo true