.....but someone's gotta do it. Some unpleasant but necessary work needs to be done to prepare for the drivetrain swap.
Since the weather's been extra nice (in the mid-80s) the last few days I took the opportunity to do some more badly-needed garage cleaning and remove the interior from the Tempest.
Junk in the trunk. Most of the parts I've collected so far are crammed in the trunk until I have a better place to put them.
A good used '66 8.2" 3.36 posi rear has been put aside for this project, already scrubbed down with a wire brush and some Simple Green. Two coats of POR-15 semi-gloss black, urethane upper bushings, and some better-fitting brake lines are all it needs. A new charge of GM #1052271 80W-90 axle lubricant and a 4oz bottle of GM #1052358 limited slip axle lubricant additive will be added as well.
Note to self:
Do not hammer it too hard out of the hole with this rear end!
This is the farthest the Tempest has ventured out of the garage in years, just far enough to get the driver's door open to access the front seat bolts. It pushes back inside pretty easily, the driveway slope isn't too severe at this point. The original black CA plates just add to the charm of this once thrifty little beauty.
A shot of the
original 140 HP 215 straight six that came in this car, it's
identical to the 230 Chevy six other than having a smaller bore size (3.750" vs 3.875" for the 230) and having 'PONTIAC' cast into both sides of the block. So yes the little Tempest originally came with a
'corporate' engine of sorts.
The same engine was used for the '65 A-body as the standard engine as well, both the Lemans and Tempest rolled off the assembly line with one of these if you didn't ask for the 326 V8. It's getting a
'corporate' engine again that will get even better gas mileage and have about
4 times the power.
A look inside before the teardown. The seats are in need of attention, especially the front bench. A nice blue indian blanket (already removed here) made the front bench liveable in the past, but now it's time for a decent upholstery job. All of the upholstery pictured is the original issue for this '64 Tempest.
A shot of the original rubber floor mats that came in the low-line Tempest. Easy to clean off with a sponge and soapy water, I kind of prefer these rubber mats to carpet in a daily driver.
What I now have to deal with
: Removal of all the old sound deadener and some minor (I hope) rust repair. I do see a few holes that have started under the driver's foot area and one just behind the passenger side of the front bench where it bolts down. All of the bolts holding the seat belts and front seat down came out easily.
A look at the dash and front floors. Note the original cardboard sun visors that don't attach and pivot off of the rear view mirror, there's no day-night mirror on this base model. Simple and inexpensive, but still a lot of car for the money back in '64.
Seats stashed until I can get them to an upholstery shop.
Junk now out of the trunk. I have a '66 VW Type II pickup stashed in the garage, it makes a perfect work bench or storage spot. The completely flat bed on this little one-ton truck is 5' 6" wide and 8' 10" long. The 'covered wagon' canvas top is a unique factory option on this truck.
