[justintiime]

A couple months back I purchased my 64 Safari. I found it in Chicago. It was listed on eBay. The pictures weren't very good but the seller (zero feedback) said that it was in really good shape. Rumor has it they bought the car for only $1500! This car was parked in a garage since 1997. Here are the pictures listed on eBay







I saw evidence of some rust, but not much. Given its age and location, it actually looked pretty good! I then asked for some under carriage shots, I figured this would make or break the deal. This is what I got





Again, not too good, but good enough. We agreed on a price that was below the reserve, and I sent a deposit. I then tried calling them for the next two days, with no answer. The weird thing is that they never removed the auction, so I started to worry. I decided to "buy it now" to ensure it was mine. They can deal with paying the fees. So I hit Buy it Now, and within 5 minutes the seller called me. Funny how that works.

"So I see you really wanted the car!" Yeah, no kidding lol So I made arrangements to go up there the next week. I was like a kid waiting for Christmas!

So, I loaded up my Tundra with a uhaul auto transport and went from Roanoke, VA to Naperville, IL. Roughly a 12 hour trip before stops and traffic. I left very early on a Friday morning, met with a business contact for dinner, stumbled to my hotel and passed out about 11pm. I had been up about 22 hours. In the blink of an eye my alarm went off and I had NO trouble waking up! I even skipped my coffee which is a feat in itself.

I drove 15 minutes to see the car. It was in a nice subdivision, and as I took my final right hand turn, I saw it in the driveway. This is what I saw







It was still obstructed by brush. I looked it over best I could. it started right up, with a HORRIBLE noise. I thought it was valvetrain, but thank god it was only the heat riser valve on the passenger exhaust manifold! We all piled in the car to go to a local garage. I made it very clear I wanted to inspect the undercarriage for rust.

Here we go! The two in front were co-owners. They had been friends 20+ years and they bickered like they were married LOL


The car rode fine. it was sweet crusing in the back seat with all the windows down. It drove nice and quiet, but had a weird vibration at slow speeds.

At the garage, I took these photos real quick while the owners told the shop owner we were here. It was the first good look I got at the wagon. All the chrome was real nice, the interior was real nice too. This wagon had the 2 options that I really really wanted:

-A Roof Rack. You can see its in remarkable shape.
-Rear facing 3rd seat













Look at that steering wheel....its almost perfect!


Here it is on the lift, and the ugly undercarriage






Its crunchy, but not too bad. Just surface rust. No rot, and the floors looked perfect! We drove the car back to the owners house. This time it was my turn to drive it, so exciting! Again it drove fine, I loved it! The only thing was that shudder/vibration. I thought it may have been the posi in the axle, but I found out it doesn't have a posi. I replaced some bad u joints and its still there. Did a little more driving, and the shudder goes away in neutral or low gear. Great, something is wrong with this 2 speed "Slim Jim" transmission that I've heard nothing good about. No worries, I have a good TH400 at home. Other things the car needed were 2 front fenders, and a passenger rear door. They had some rust.

So, we load up the car and I start my trek home! The way home will be split into 2 days, much easier.

I drove until early that afternoon and stopped in Pontiac, IL. I love visiting my friends Tim and Penny Dye. They run the Pontiac Museum....chock full of Pontiac cars and memorabilia!



Inside, I had to visit my absolute favorite display. Its the only display that I haven't seen change in the 4 years I've been going. Wonder why I like it?











Here we are, ready to hit the road again



Gas time!


I left about 2:30 in the afternoon to continue my trek towards Ohio, when this nasty storm popped out of nowhere.



I stopped at a gas station and a truck walked in very shaken, telling me to "get cover. Park that Pontiac in a car wash, and let that Toyota hang out the front...you can replace he truck". This had me a little concerned.

Well, this doesn't look good.


yup its pretty bad. People were literally driving up the ramps under the overpass to get out of the ridiculous hail


I found a parking lot to pull into. This was one of the worst storms I'd been in. Almost no visibility. Listen to that hail pounding the truck!

http://vid60.photobucket.com/albums/...pswgdwlryd.mp4

I waited about 30 minutes and it finally passed. I drove a few more hours and found a hotel in Ohio for the night.

I stopped at a friends house in Ohio the next morning. he buys and sells a ton of Pontiac parts and has a cool collection of cars. After talking with him a bit, I purchased some parts

A good passenger fender with no rust on the bottom


And a replacement steering column for floor shift


Not pictured, is an NOS rear passenger door. I couldn't believe it! I snatched that up quick lol

After I left Johns, I drove the rest of the way home. I got home late that sunday. It was a LONG 3 days on the road, but so worth it

When I got the car home, I brought it to a body shop to get an estimate for a repaint, then I brought it to a garage for:

- tune up
-wheel cylinders
-diagnose possible bad transission

I also had the gas tank sent out to be reconditioned. It had some pinholes. I sent it to a "Gas-Tank Renu" franchise. They coat the inside and outside with what looks like an undercoating


I also had the fuel sender rebuilt, since the gauge didn't work.

I got the car back running better than it had been, and a confirmation of a bad transmission. In the meantime, my new VA License plates came in





Hey guys! New member here, sorta. Been "lurking" awhile for info.

A couple months back I purchased my 64 Safari. I found it in Chicago. It was listed on eBay. The pictures weren't very good but the seller (zero feedback) said that it was in really good shape. Rumor has it they bought the car for only $1500! This car was parked in a garage since 1997. Here are the pictures listed on eBay







I saw evidence of some rust, but not much. Given its age and location, it actually looked pretty good! I then asked for some under carriage shots, I figured this would make or break the deal. This is what I got





Again, not too good, but good enough. We agreed on a price that was below the reserve, and I sent a deposit. I then tried calling them for the next two days, with no answer. The weird thing is that they never removed the auction, so I started to worry. I decided to "buy it now" to ensure it was mine. They can deal with paying the fees. So I hit Buy it Now, and within 5 minutes the seller called me. Funny how that works.

"So I see you really wanted the car!" Yeah, no kidding lol So I made arrangements to go up there the next week. I was like a kid waiting for Christmas!

So, I loaded up my Tundra with a uhaul auto transport and went from Roanoke, VA to Naperville, IL. Roughly a 12 hour trip before stops and traffic. I left very early on a Friday morning, met with a business contact for dinner, stumbled to my hotel and passed out about 11pm. I had been up about 22 hours. In the blink of an eye my alarm went off and I had NO trouble waking up! I even skipped my coffee which is a feat in itself.

I drove 15 minutes to see the car. It was in a nice subdivision, and as I took my final right hand turn, I saw it in the driveway. This is what I saw







It was still obstructed by brush. I looked it over best I could. it started right up, with a HORRIBLE noise. I thought it was valvetrain, but thank god it was only the heat riser valve on the passenger exhaust manifold! We all piled in the car to go to a local garage. I made it very clear I wanted to inspect the undercarriage for rust.

Here we go! The two in front were co-owners. They had been friends 20+ years and they bickered like they were married LOL


The car rode fine. it was sweet crusing in the back seat with all the windows down. It drove nice and quiet, but had a weird vibration at slow speeds.

At the garage, I took these photos real quick while the owners told the shop owner we were here. It was the first good look I got at the wagon. All the chrome was real nice, the interior was real nice too. This wagon had the 2 options that I really really wanted:

-A Roof Rack. You can see its in remarkable shape.
-Rear facing 3rd seat













Look at that steering wheel....its almost perfect!


Here it is on the lift, and the ugly undercarriage






Its crunchy, but not too bad. Just surface rust. No rot, and the floors looked perfect! We drove the car back to the owners house. This time it was my turn to drive it, so exciting! Again it drove fine, I loved it! The only thing was that shudder/vibration. I thought it may have been the posi in the axle, but I found out it doesn't have a posi. I replaced some bad u joints and its still there. Did a little more driving, and the shudder goes away in neutral or low gear. Great, something is wrong with this 2 speed "Slim Jim" transmission that I've heard nothing good about. No worries, I have a good TH400 at home. Other things the car needed were 2 front fenders, and a passenger rear door. They had some rust.

So, we load up the car and I start my trek home! The way home will be split into 2 days, much easier.

I drove until early that afternoon and stopped in Pontiac, IL. I love visiting my friends Tim and Penny Dye. They run the Pontiac Museum....chock full of Pontiac cars and memorabilia!



Inside, I had to visit my absolute favorite display. Its the only display that I haven't seen change in the 4 years I've been going. Wonder why I like it?











Here we are, ready to hit the road again



Gas time!


I left about 2:30 in the afternoon to continue my trek towards Ohio, when this nasty storm popped out of nowhere.



I stopped at a gas station and a truck walked in very shaken, telling me to "get cover. Park that Pontiac in a car wash, and let that Toyota hang out the front...you can replace he truck". This had me a little concerned.

Well, this doesn't look good.


yup its pretty bad. People were literally driving up the ramps under the overpass to get out of the ridiculous hail


I found a parking lot to pull into. This was one of the worst storms I'd been in. Almost no visibility. Listen to that hail pounding the truck!

http://vid60.photobucket.com/albums/...pswgdwlryd.mp4

I waited about 30 minutes and it finally passed. I drove a few more hours and found a hotel in Ohio for the night.

I stopped at a friends house in Ohio the next morning. he buys and sells a ton of Pontiac parts and has a cool collection of cars. After talking with him a bit, I purchased some parts

A good passenger fender with no rust on the bottom


And a replacement steering column for floor shift


Not pictured, is an NOS rear passenger door. I couldn't believe it! I snatched that up quick lol

After I left Johns, I drove the rest of the way home. I got home late that sunday. It was a LONG 3 days on the road, but so worth it

When I got the car home, I brought it to a body shop to get an estimate for a repaint, then I brought it to a garage for:

- tune up
-wheel cylinders
-diagnose possible bad transission

I also had the gas tank sent out to be reconditioned. It had some pinholes. I sent it to a "Gas-Tank Renu" franchise. They coat the inside and outside with what looks like an undercoating


I also had the fuel sender rebuilt, since the gauge didn't work.

I got the car back running better than it had been, and a confirmation of a bad transmission. In the meantime, my new VA License plates came in



I hired a mobile sandblaster to do the nasty job of cleaning the undercarriage.



He did it in the back lot of the body shop, so when he was done, the body shop could immediately seal it.

Primed:








And "chip coated"








So, my main concern was now taken care of. I brought it to my shop for the first time, and got some better picture





























I have been searching online for a LONG time for a 4 speed swap for my wagon. What would be cooler than rowing gears in this grocery getter?? When the lowest price I found for a used setup was $2500 plus shipping, I began thinking of other alternatives. That is when I got a lead from a local Pontiac-Oakland Club (POCI) Member about a 64 catalina he heard of years ago. Lo and behold, look what I bought!

a 64 Catalina with a 4 speed and a posi! The price was only $2k! Its rusty, but has everything I need. 4 speed swap, posi, and even a NEW radiator that will need to go in my wagon Once I take what I need, I will try to sell the car or part it out. If I can get my money back out of it that would be amazing!







So fast foward to today. Both cars have been dropped off at a garage for the 4 speed swap. I've also ordered a TON of parts today to go on.

-4 wheel disc brake swap
-FAST EZ-EFI 2.0 fuel injected setup
-068 Pontiac Cam, springs, and lifters
-Weatherstripping
-Timing gears
-assorted paint
-motor mounts
-log branch high flow manifolds

Plans is to pull the motor and trans at the same time. I will do my best to detail the engine bay, and paint the motor Pontiac blue. Once it goes in with the new exhaust manifolds, and the 4 speed is swapped in, I will bring the car to an exhaust shop for true dual exhaust. Once that is done, I will do the EFI swap with my buddy David. I'll post in progress pictures as I can.

I have a deadline of the end of december to have all mechanical work done. January 1st the car is going in for a complete repaint. I'm torn between dark metallic forest green, or dark metallic gunmetal grey. I will be deleting the body line chrome, rocker panel chrome, and likely the window trim. It will all be body colored.

While it is stripped down for paint, I plan on installing air ride, and some nice 18" american racing wheels.

I'm more excited about this car than any other build I have done, and I'm glad I get to share it WHEW that was a lot of typing

[Stuart]

Nice car, that interior is amazing. Personally, I'd think twice about deleting the chrome and the 18" wheels...16" would be okay or maybe 17" at the outside, but 18" is just too big for the style of these old cars.

[justintiime]

Originally Posted by Stuart

Nice car, that interior is amazing. Personally, I'd think twice about deleting the chrome and the 18" wheels...16" would be okay or maybe 17" at the outside, but 18" is just too big for the style of these old cars.

I've already made up my mind on the chrome. I could be swayed on the wheels, I just have to find some examples. I haven't looked too hard yet.

[Lightfoot]

Welcome to the forums and great first post.
Good job getting all those documentary pictures posted up.
Maybe a moderator can edit out the replicated ones.
You may want to start your build thread in the 62-66 Big Pontiac TECH section.

I've been to the Pontiac Oakland museum 3 different times since 2012 and I like the '64 Safari display alot also. Before I got to that part of your post, I thought the wagon you bought may have came frome there. LOL
Happy for you to find such a good example of what you were searching for and be able to negotiate a deal with the eBay seller. Also, I'm glad everything went well on your journey to Illinois and back.

{edit} What weekend were you in IL? I was out there June 13-21.
I have a neice that lives in Naperville, and my sister lives 28 miles north of Pontiac IL. I live in the northeast now, so unfortunately I don't get to visit her as often as I used to.

[Jagtec1]

Very nice! I'm partial to '64 wagons!

[Lightfoot]

Justin, are you sure the trans in your wagon is not a hydromatic?
I see three forward ranges on the shift indicator.

[cuz68]

That is a very good looking wagon, Welcome to PY, When you get the time you need to post some pics of it.

[Alf ista]

Sweet ride!

[justintiime]

I just noticed the duplicate pictures and story. Sorry, I had everything all typed out as 1 long post. I was told to truncate it down to 30 pictures or less, so I was cutting copying and pasting everything into a few posts. Apparently I was getting a little frost eyed after all the typing.

What gives....we cant edit our own posts on here?

[hurryinhoosier62]

Welcome to the forum and to the Darkside. Great looking Cat!

[johnta1]

What gives....we cant edit our own posts on here?

There is a time limit, maybe 15 minutes?

Very cool write-up!

Congrats on the new wagon.

[GTOWAGON]

Nice wagon wagons are kool

[Txbobcat]

I would be proud to drive it as is.

[justintiime]

Originally Posted by Txbobcat

I would be proud to drive it as is.

I contemplated that, but I have a vision, and my OCD wont stop until it's complete

[David Jones]

Originally Posted by justintiime

I contemplated that, but I have a vision, and my OCD wont stop until it's complete

I'm liking the vision.

[Simple Man]

Nice ride!

[Ben M.]

Beautiful car. 4 speed wagon all the way! You did the smart thing and bought a car with good interior and body ;-)

[2manyT/A'S]

Originally Posted by Txbobcat

I would be proud to drive it as is.

Me TOO!

Awesome car......I wouldn't change ANYTHING...

JMO...it's such an GREAT original car.......once you "pimp it out"....it's....well....er.......just another one....that WAS cool....

[justintiime]

It will still be COOL, just MY version of cool

[GT182]

Welcome to PY. That's a great looking 64 Safari. A 4 speed in it will be great fun.

64 is the second year of Pontiac that I'm partial to. The first car I ever drove and got my license with was a 64 Star Chief.