Fitzy

Thanks Frosty - looks like silver finish is factory but with a chrome perimeter which is exactly how mine is. This'll make you laugh. I decided to have a look at my front parking lights, so undid the 2 screws and as I was putting the screws somewhere safe, the lens fell out and hit the concrete floor immediately disintegrating into a thousand little pieces of 55 year old sun affected plastic. I uttered some choice words whilst idly wondering how much glue I'd need to save it. Ames can supply new lenses, so I've added them to my ever expanding shopping list. Honestly, what else would I be doing with my life if I wasn't playing with my car? Getting out and meeting people? Volunteering? Saving the planet?

Hey All, so I'm removing the silver paint that the previous owner had painted the front bumper with to hide some rust spots, and now that most of it's removed (tough job, but bumper looks heaps better, even with a few rusty patches) and noticed some chrome on my grille that seems to have come through the factory silver paint due to weathering. My question is: is the factory finish on a 65 GP grille supposed to be silver or chrome? I've dug up a few photos and it looks like silver is factory. I need a GP owner or knowledgeable Pontiac freak to enlighten me. Keep up the great site. I thought I was a petrolhead until I trawled through some stuff here. You guys have got it bad!

Nice. That looks great. I guess I'll stick to what I now have. Once the apertures are filled with chrome tips, no-one will ever know that I hacked that bumper with an angle grinder.

I apprehensively modified my 65 GP rear bumper to accommodate the new larger pipes that will eventually be installed. The result looks great (I reckon it should have left the factory like that) but I'm keen to know if the GTOs or any other model from that vintage have a similar factory setup. I want mine to look as 'factory' as possible, so using a GTO or similar as a template will help. Here's a pic...

Thanks Two Lane. Somewhat embarrassingly, I actually own that same shop manual and have already read those pages that you kindly posted! I'm on a road trip at the moment and was reading up on the conversion on a Mustang site-clearly Ford use a power ram to take care of the effort. I'm gonna drain the fluid from my box and see how she goes!

Thanks for your comments everyone-don't be miffed if I haven't responded to you - I'm still trying to work out how to navigate the site and actually post things.

Hi Frosty-thanks very much for the info. You know, I reckon I might get by with simply disconnecting the hoses, removing the pump, expelling all the fluid and hey presto, Armstrong steering. I need to get under the thing and see if there's a ram that does all the work, or if the fluid going to the box is the main driver. Without the ram, I reckon I can disable the rest and put up with the heavy steering. I must admit here that I love all sorts of cars, but this is my first US GM experience, so I'm learning as I go.

Thanks Stewy-I'm very fussy when it comes to cars and I always loved the 'stacked headlight' Ponchos, in particular 65 & 66 models. When I learnt about the existence of a 2 door hardtop version (was originally looking at a 4 door Parisienne or Bonneville) I thought I'd never find one. A couple of weeks later, I saw this one advertised. I considered it to be a sign, so without any hesitation I bought it, after asking dozens of questions and requesting dozens of photos of course. Even though it's just beginning it's resoration journey and can't be driven yet, I just love looking at it-it looks good just sitting there!

All I've done is strip the trashed interior and am assessing what rust repairs are needed. I made only one modification and that was to create exhaust cutouts in the rear bumper. It was with much apprehension that I tool to my classic car bumper with an angle grinder, but I did a careful job and I reckon that's how the car should have left the factory. What's the point having a factory installed twin exhaust and not advertising the fact? I will eventually instal a set of headers and 2.5" pipes and will exit the pipes only slightly, keeping the look sporty, but subtle. That will be the ONLY modification. I'm fussy about keeping things original and the remainder of the car will retain as much of it's patina as possible. The saying goes that a car is only original once, so it'll remain rough around the edges - just the way I like it.

So, here it is. Assembled in Southgate CA, found in northern part of the state. Totally untouched and now it's here in north Queensland. The Qld Pontiac Car Club tells me that 2 came to Oz brand new back in '65 and were converted to right hand drive, so they're a rarity here. For anyone who's interested, we had a selection of locally produced Holdens, Falcons and Valiants, with a sprinkling of locally assembled Impalas, Galaxies and Phoenixes, but anything else too exotic for us had to be privately imported. We survived on a diet of 6 cylinder 4 door sedans and wagons which led to the development of some Australian muscle cars, all highly collectable now, but we never had much access to the sort of stylish over the top classics that you guys took for granted! Anyway, over the years a lot of US classics have been imported and command big dollars. AUS$20k might get you a project like mine, but it's getting tougher. Australia insists that all asbestos is removed before the car is allowed to enter the country, so mine had the headlining removed and the brake shoes and exhaust gaskets had to be replaced before an asbestos clearance was issued.

Hi Guys, I want to instal a manual steering box in my 65 GP. Was there only one type (standard 20:1 ratio is fine.) I have read that there are 2 types of steering column shaft and the box has to match the shaft. Also, if anyone knows where I can source a box from - due to my location on the other side of the world I don't want to have to provide a donor box as a changeover due to the horrendous postage involved, so a secondhander from a dismantler or someone's collection would do.

Will send some through later- she's a 'survivor,' I'm suspecting it was a barn find what with the tufts of grass & hay everywhere and the radio full of mouse poo! Absolutely untouched and with minimal rust only.

Hi Everyone, just joined up coz I'm looking for answers to PLENTY of questions regarding my 65 Grand Prix. Imported to Australia from CA, I'm just beginning it's resto. Anyway, good to be amongst fellow car mad maniacs.