KiwiStarChief

Hi Chris, there are 3 Star Chiefs in total listed on Carjam. Mine, a four door white and maroon Hardtop that I have seen up North, and one other not seen.

Lovely looking car. Good luck with selling it!

Nice pile of pics thanks Chris. Saves me the gas by not driving down to see them!

↑↑↑↑↑ What Wrongway said. This is going to be very exciting.

Found an article on the car here.....https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/epic-revival-gms-50-millionth-car-rides-again/?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=MED_UN_NA_EML_UN_UN_WeekendRoadTrip&hashed_email=9e2ca2aab72298ce888971b0d076474548c8f5f6584e5d3279fbf346e1c3ad73&dtm_em=9e2ca2aab72298ce888971b0d076474548c8f5f6584e5d3279fbf346e1c3ad73

I just read an article on this car in either Hemmings or Old Car Weekly (I think), and it is a recreation of the original 50m '1955 Chevy. The story was that the original was lost many years ago, and this person traced it to a bunch of rusty pieces in a field, which couldn't ne restored. The recreation was built using a new '55 body from Real Deal Steel (again I think; failing memory) and faithfully recreated from what records could be found. All the metal fittings, pipes, lines etc. were gold plated at a cost of US$100,000, so it is a big bucket recreation, for sure.

Finally some action on the '57! I have been hanging out for an update of some sort.

Great Christmas pics there Chris. Just as well they have nuclear power stations to keep all those displays going!

Hey Chris, last time we were in NY, we did the Statue of LIberty, Empire State Building, and 9/11 Memorial. All touristy, but worth seeing in my opinion. EDIT: And of course we went to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), which is probably one for Mrs. KiwiBoni, but I really enjoyed it as well.

Thought you might be interested in reading about this Trans Am. Unfortunately it's not Poncho powered any more, but it still looks like one if you squint a little bit! And here is the link if you want to check it out. Pretty cool, for sure. https://engineswapdepot.com/?p=108002

Hey Chris, there's plenty for sale on ebay at the moment. Hope this link works. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=1957+pontiac+headlight&_sacat=6000&LH_TitleDesc=0&_odkw=1957+pontiac+headlamp+surround&_osacat=6000

Chris, I just read your comment on TM, and go on, you can build more space!

I just saw that come up on TM. It is a nice looking car, but once again only one garage space that's taken up by the '57. And to be honest, I'm not a great fan of the look of the 1955/56 Ponchos.

That could be a very cool car, but certainly not for me with only 2 car garage space. A fair bit of interest from the questions, but no one bidding.

Chris, I had a look at the Carjam report, and it is a NZ new vehicle, listed as a 1956 registration. It is probably a similar situation to the '56 Chev's that were sold new in NZ, in that they came from Canada which was where all RHD Fords and Chevs originated. The Canadian '57 Pontiacs were all built on Chev frames, and as with the '57 Chevs sold here new, all had the '56 dashboards.

Hey Guys, this '57 Pontiac popped up on our local car sales website Trade Me, for sale at NZ$25k. It has been converted to a utility, and requires a ton of work to get on the road, along with recertifying. Anyone brave enough to take it on; how about you Chris? Not me, that's for sure. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/pontiac/listing/4352654914?tm=email&et=45&mt=C0008284-DDAE-4C91-B27F-75F14DC5AF9A&bof=l6fEvG5r

Lots of nice rides there, so thanks for posting. Novel hood opening on the XM? Falcon wagon; never seen anything like that.

Welcome to the forum. Great looking truck, and I especially like the (Buick?) teeth grille.

All good advice for sure, but as you say above "your Pontiac is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay". Good reading though, and thanks for your insight.

Ah. So it was you who won the $33m jackpot last week! Care to share?

Hi Dave, the front clip from the Malibu was grafted to the car in the US before I purchased it in 2012, so I don't know the process. However, this was an often done modification back in the late 20th century, before all the aftermarket front suspension and replacement chassis stuff began appearing. Basically, the original chassis is cut off in front of the firewall, and the replacement welded in it's place. Apart from making sure everything is square and lined up, the biggest problem was constructing someway to mount all the original front sheet metal and bumpers on the newer front chassis. Thanks for the compliment on the car, as it has been a 10 year project for me to get it to this stage.

Hi Dave, sorry but can't answer your question about lowering the front, but just wanted to comment that they sure do look a lot cooler sitting closer to the ground. My own '57 has lowering blocks in the back, but the front has a clip off a 1978 Chev Malibu which gives disc brakes, power steering, front anti-roll bar, and of course ball joints. Hope you get a response from somebody else to your query.

Thanks for the pics. Some nice cars there for sure. have been to Cooly Rocks a couple of times, and really enjoyed the vibe.

No I haven't seen this before. Mine was obviously swapped out in the US for a top hinged pedal when the LS was installed, as the original looks to be a bottom hinged one. I just got a reply back from Desert Valley Auto Parts, and they have one, but want US$125 for it, so by the time I convert to NZ$ and add freight I'm looking at probably NZ$250. I don't want one that much! On another subject, I just found out that we know somebody famous on this forum, who got published in the latest NZ Hot Rod magazine. Perhaps we could get signed copies of this from him?

Chris, thanks for that pic, it looks so cool. I will try and track something down, but at the moment there is nothing showing on ebay. I have contacted a couple of specialists in the US, namely California Pontiac Restoration and Pontiac Heaven, so will see if they come back. There is still rare stuff out there, as I managed to source a couple of years ago the cast chrome armrest base from Desert Valley Auto Parts (I think) as the Star Chief only had a drivers armrest. A couple have since come up on ebay as well.