My 1963 and 1964 Parisienne's

[SECTION25]

Hi all,

Hope you're all well. Apologies if this is the incorrect section for this post

I have a 1963 Parisienne that has been off the road for the entire time I have owned the car, which is probably about 10 years now.

I've read the wiki page and some others that suggest that these cars were built in Canada, and exported to Australia, where some final assembly took place. Drivetrain is apparently Chevrolet

I have acquired some parts over the years, as follows;

307 SBC
Powerglide
Tailshaft with new universal joints and centre bearing
Quadrajet
Already in the car is a dual exhaust from headers back.

Missing from the car is;

Radiator
Fans
Power steering system (I think I have the pump)
Shifter on the column
Various parts of things such as accelerator pedal linkage, etc

You will have to bear with me as although I understand cars in theory, I have little practical experience with such things

Photos of the car will be forthcoming

I also found a website to help me decode the VIN. Does anyone know where I can find the VIN on this car?

I also probably have access to my brothers 64 if all goes well.

I was thinking something along the lines of;

Gunmetal grey or champagne metallic paint
No badges or trim on the side of the car
Setting the re-chromed bumpers closer to the bodywork
Upgrading the suspension (airbags?)
Lowering the car (setting the body closer to the frame? drop spindles?)
Simple interior (vinyl floor, perhaps buckets in the front over the rear bench)
LED taillights
Upgraded headlights
New weather seals on the doors, also for the windows

This would be phase one of the build. I would then plan to drive this around on the weekends before moving into more serious mechanical upgrades

Upgraded braking system (front and rear disks, updated booster, brake line upgrade etc)
Air conditioning
New/rebuilt engine
4 speed automatic
Power windows
Sound deadening and sound system

I plan to create a few different posts for these sub components, but if anyone has anything to add at this stage, it would be greatly appreciated

So to get this car running, I believe I need the following

Power steering system complete. What do I need? Pump? What else is involved? I can turn the wheels manually so I figure the steering rack is in there.
Ignition barrel - don't have one of these, any idea where I can get one?
Column shifter - I'd like to run an electronic one, can these be purchased and adapted to both Powerglide and TH400R4?
Accelerator pedal - Can Quadrajet be easily adapted to use a cable accelerator?
Transmission kickdown? - I don't understand how these work, can someone explain it to me?
Things like vacuum hoses? Again I don't know how this works
Radiator - Can I simply acquire one of these now and run it fanless (just whilst moving it back and forth once I get it moving around) and have it be suitable for my current transmissions and the 700R4 in the future?

I think this is enough questions for now!

Thank you for your time

[Ringo64]

 

[SECTION25]

Hi all, here's some photos of my car in its current condition

[Frosty]

On 1/31/2016 at 6:01 AM, SECTION25 said:

Hi all,

Hope you're all well. Apologies if this is the incorrect section for this post

I have a 1963 Parisienne that has been off the road for the entire time I have owned the car, which is probably about 10 years now.

I've read the wiki page and some others that suggest that these cars were built in Canada, and exported to Australia, where some final assembly took place. Drivetrain is apparently Chevrolet

I have acquired some parts over the years, as follows;

307 SBC
Powerglide
Tailshaft with new universal joints and centre bearing
Quadrajet
Already in the car is a dual exhaust from headers back.

Missing from the car is;

Radiator
Fans
Power steering system (I think I have the pump)
Shifter on the column
Various parts of things such as accelerator pedal linkage, etc

You will have to bear with me as although I understand cars in theory, I have little practical experience with such things

Photos of the car will be forthcoming

I also found a website to help me decode the VIN. Does anyone know where I can find the VIN on this car?

I also probably have access to my brothers 64 if all goes well.

I was thinking something along the lines of;

Gunmetal grey or champagne metallic paint
No badges or trim on the side of the car
Setting the re-chromed bumpers closer to the bodywork
Upgrading the suspension (airbags?)
Lowering the car (setting the body closer to the frame? drop spindles?)
Simple interior (vinyl floor, perhaps buckets in the front over the rear bench)
LED taillights
Upgraded headlights
New weather seals on the doors, also for the windows

This would be phase one of the build. I would then plan to drive this around on the weekends before moving into more serious mechanical upgrades

Upgraded braking system (front and rear disks, updated booster, brake line upgrade etc)
Air conditioning
New/rebuilt engine
4 speed automatic
Power windows
Sound deadening and sound system

I plan to create a few different posts for these sub components, but if anyone has anything to add at this stage, it would be greatly appreciated

So to get this car running, I believe I need the following

Power steering system complete. What do I need? Pump? What else is involved? I can turn the wheels manually so I figure the steering rack is in there.
Ignition barrel - don't have one of these, any idea where I can get one?
Column shifter - I'd like to run an electronic one, can these be purchased and adapted to both Powerglide and TH400R4?
Accelerator pedal - Can Quadrajet be easily adapted to use a cable accelerator?
Transmission kickdown? - I don't understand how these work, can someone explain it to me?
Things like vacuum hoses? Again I don't know how this works
Radiator - Can I simply acquire one of these now and run it fanless (just whilst moving it back and forth once I get it moving around) and have it be suitable for my current transmissions and the 700R4 in the future?

I think this is enough questions for now!

Thank you for your time

Welcome to FP Section25. 

You have the start of a great project my friend, take your time

I will try to answer your questions a few at time. Let's start with the basics, you have a '63 Pariseinne, which means this car was probably built in Canada and then converted to right hand drive once it got to Australia. So that most like means that you have a Chevy drivetrain, suspension, chassis one a Pontiac body. I didn't see any pictures of the engine compartment, but that would be consistent with Canadian built Pontiacs of the day.

 

So you will want to get a radiator, ignition/distributor parts, power steering pump, transmission kickdown cable, brackets, etc., that are consistent with a '63 Chevy Impala (in the US) with a small block Chevy V8 (not the 348/409).

Rubber vacuum lines are used to distribute some of the vacuum created by the pistons on the intake stroke. It is used to advanced the distributor based on engine speed, power assist for power front disc brakes (connects to the brake boaster), connects to the PCV valve (if your car as one).

There are modern electronic shift kits that allow you to shift the transmission electronically. You can find it in most hot rod catalogs.

You need some sort of fan to work with your radiator. It can be electrically driven like most modern cars are today, off a water temperature sensor and some power leads, or the regular stock water pump attached fan will work. You need some sort of fan to cool the water, especially when the car is idling or running at high speed for a long period of time.

How is that for starters?

Pictures of your engine bay will help a lot too.

 

[JUSTA6]

Yep...U have a project.  Your right hand driver is very cool.

[SECTION25]

Hi guys, see some more pics

 

Sorry for the orientation of some of the pictures.

 

Also I have been told the engine is a 307cu. It's not the original engine

[Frosty]

Thanks for sharing.

You definitely have a small block Chevy V8 engine. So parts should be rather plentiful. You have power brakes but a single master cylinder. I can tell from you brake booster. I am not certain that you car was equipped with power steering. If not, then you will have to replace the the steering rack with a power unit one, order hoses, a pump, and a bracket for the engine since I don't see any power steering pump bracket on you motor unless it's in the trunk.

[SECTION25]

I think I have a power steering pump... There is a lot of stuff in the trunk (boot for us Aussies)

I will try to get a photo of it in the next couple of days.... thanks!

 

I'm going to try to wheel it out into the sunlight and get some decent photos of it next week... then we will really know what we're dealing with!

[Frosty]

Sounds like a plan!

Another thing I would highly recommend looking to purchase online is an original GM shop manual for your car so you know how to disassemble and reassemble the car. It might not include the right hand drive specifics but everything else should be covered.

I never get over the boot and the bonnet stuff either. I have UK relatives.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Frosty

[SECTION25]

Here's my brothers car, sadly it's not in this condition any more, but I am hoping if this project goes well I can save this one too

[skody54]

Just a heads up, a Canadian Pontiac has a Chevy drivetrain and chassis so source the radiator and suspension items for that. The frame is (i think) 5.63 narrower than the 'Wide Track'.

Good Luck.

BTW - that last photo is a '64.

[Frosty]

17 hours ago, skody54 said:

Just a heads up, a Canadian Pontiac has a Chevy drivetrain and chassis so source the radiator and suspension items for that. The frame is (i think) 5.63 narrower than the 'Wide Track'.

Good Luck.

BTW - that last photo is a '64.

This is true. So chassis and engine components, in most cases, can be cross referenced to the Chevy Impala. However, body sheet metal and interior are often unique to Pontiac/GM of Canada.