[elefantrider]

Anyone have one like this? Always thought this was a nice combination.

http://www.mhodistributors.com/1962-pontiac-tempest.jpg

I can't post the image but here is the link.

[triathlonx13]

Nice combo - Was the color a true white of more of a pearl?

.

[mechanickeith]

Color is Cameo Ivory, more along the lines of an egg shell color. I have one exactly like it. I am in the process of putting a new engine in it. Only pic I have of it is here. http://www.phxpoci.com/showcase3.shtml

[elefantrider]

Looks good Keith, even in the small pic. Factory air must be rare.

I too have a '62 cameo ivory but with a nice original light blue interior.

If this board ever lets me post a pic again, I put it up.

[azkeebler]

My '62 convertible was also Cameo with a light blue interior. I have changed the exterior paint to light blue with intentions of making light blue with light blue interior( like center-fold of dealer brochure), but I learned PUI makes the incorrect light blue seat and panels. I'm happy with their color though.Matches the paint in the interior trim.

There was a nice Cameo and red convertible in San Juan Capistrano that was featured in Pontiac High Performance a few years back along with the owners '61 daily driver. If my memory serves me right,his name was Mike Smith, and I thought he was a Pontiac Club president. I wonder where him and them went?

Hey mechanic keith, did you get that cameo from Ralph's in whetsone,az.?I remember hearing Ralph tell me someone from Pheonix picked up twp or three tempests from him.

Sorry for the hi-jack guys

[mechanickeith]

azkeebler, I got 2 from a guy in Tucson. It has been a while. I think his name was Scott. The Cameo was a running car & the 2nd car was a parts car with a bill of sale.

Keith

Seeing the White Lemans w/Red Interior prompted me to join. I used to have one! And a convertible at that (blk top). I guess it really was more of a cameo not true white. I only have one faded black&white photo with a hood ornament I really dont want to look at any more ;-)

I hope you wont hold it against me that I had to settle for a 62 Olds Cutlass convertible when I couldnt find a Tempest ;-)

Got my Lemans on Fri Apr 13, 1962, from Grady Pontiac in Newark Oh,. Drove it for 162,720 mi. Had quite a few special items that Bunkey was pushing in the Pontiac racing program; even tho it was a only a 4 with a 1bbl and 2spd pwrglide, F85s ate my dust ;-)

Gad I miss that car!!!!!!

[elefantrider]

Welcome to the club 62Lemans! Good to hear you had success with the car. 162K miles from new, sounds like you liked it!

What kind of special parts did you have on yours? There was a Super Duty 4bbl intake, carb and big valve head available.

[wytnyt]

ahh the good old cars that moulded more exciting body styles but lost credit themselves
[IMG][/IMG]

Good evening elefantrider,

Let me give some background on the dealership (that I didnt learn about til 1994 as told to me by a Pa. Pontiac dealer). To foster their racing program, Pontiac had to build at least 500 of the cars to claim production model. Then select dealerships were used as outlets around over the countrty for these cars. Grady where I got my car was one of those dealerships and I just lucked out (actually my father and sister also lucked out over a 5 year period at the same dealership).

When I came to rebuild it in 1969 at ~105,000 I found it had a more radical camshaft than described in my manual - was totally unable to order another because the order books did not show the part nbr. It had more lift, more overlap and longer duration on both in/ex than the hotter cam described in the 62 shop manuial. It also had a special distributor and different heads than the manual described. The valves were larger than std.

Early on I also had polished the interior of the carb and made sure there were no overlaps at the gasket/body surfaces for minimum turbulence thru the carb. At one point I made an adapter and put a Stromber 97 on but gas mileage wasnt the best. I went back to the single bbl and 26mpg. Since I was driving 31 mi to work every day it seemed prudent. Another change I made in the mid 60's was a capacitive discharge ign system (points were another hard item to source becaiuse of the dist). And I also added dual 2 1/2"dia Cold Air Intakes. To say I loved that car is an understatement. I cried when I had to let it go in Nov of 71.

Over the past 5 or 6 years since getting on the internet I began looking for a Tempest. Never saw any that met my critical eye ;-)

Then i Oct '07 I became owner of a 1962 Olds F85 Cutlass convertible as part of an estate sale in Ohio (where Im orig from). Not knowing anything about them I began searching for 46 year old info/magazines/books/ads/etc..... Recently while doing research for my Cutlass, I ran across an article about some special things that were done to the 62 Tempest(s) as part of the 'special' modifications Pontiac made to the car they sent to the New York Auto show in the fall of 61 that introduced the new convertible body style. No doubt that accounts for the why and wherefore of the parts in my Lemans (and several others - one such mentioned by mechanickeith a few posts back).

Im in the process of putting this Cutlass in better shape than I found it. It turned 46 yr old this past Jun. Sold by Brant Olds in Pittsburg on Jun 12,1962 to Roy Noble. While it sint a Lemans it looks close enuf for me.

I think youd like the 67 Lemans dash emblem I have put on the Olds dash to honor my old Tempest along with its orig set of keys and fob hung from the mirror instead of fuzzy dice ;-)

I better stop and not take up so much space. Sorry.

I thot I submitted this once ??? Not sure what happened ???

[Cheyenne]

Mine has it

Nice car Cheyenne.

Never done pics here before hope this works.
The single pic I have of my Lemans is only black and white and pretty faded from age. Boy do I regret not having more of my baby (the car not the ex-hood ornamen). This was taken in 1965 in Heath Oh a suburb of Newark.

I carried the A 13 W lisence all the years I lived in Ohio. All of this is makin me cry again.

Heres a pic of my 62 F85/Cutlass (first time with top down after I got it).


And a picture of tributes to the past on its dash.


To my 62 Lemans; a trip on the Mother road to Ca in 61 and back in 62; A hard charging 68 Cuda 340 Formula S and my time with the US Navy Sec Gru on Guam 61/62.

I tried but was unable to find a 1962 Lemans dash emblem. Had to settle for the 67. One of these days Im gonna tackle painting the letters red.

[67SS&99SS]

My mom's belmar red tempest in my sig also has the red interior. its original too. does anyone repop the seat covers? all I really need is one seat bottom. the rest are in good shape.

[elefantrider]

I recently picked up a '63 cameo white with red interior. Great combination. Any other '63s out there in this combo? In years of looking, I have only seen one or two 63s like this.

[TIN TIGR]

my v-8 parts car is white and red..my extra 63 is red/white..both are good looks..

sad the v-8 is soo rusted in spots..

[mechanickeith]

Here are some shots of my 62, white with red interior.
Factory A/C. 4 cyl, Automatic

[stevep]

There was a 62 White/Red conv for sale @ the Connecticut chapter show last week for $5000.00 or BO. It was a tired driver that needed a top and some general attention. Probably call it a weak #3 condition car.

[elefantrider]

Keith, well it would look a lot better with its front teeth back in!

Your paint looks like mine before I polished it. Thought it was hopeless but the shine came back pretty good.

[mechanickeith]

Chris. I had the grill in & car was parked in the driveway. Came home one day after work & my perfect grill was gone & the bent one in the pic was on the ground under the car. At least the thief left me a bent grill that is somewhat repairable. Car has been in the back yard ever since. Paint is original but will get a respray after a few dings are pounded out.

[elefantrider]

Geez Keith, I guess that is what you call compassionate thief??

Looks like my seats have the same faded (burnt) red as yours. Haven't found a way to bring back the shine short of replacing the covers. Still looking for the magic product... they are pretty good other than the faded material.