[Ben M.]

So I'm in negotiations with a guy on a 1955 Starchief... Personally I love the '55-58 era cars, but being born about 25-30 years too late for them I've not much experience outside working on a few '55 Chevies. I know the brakes aren't stellar and they ride much differently than a modern 70's or even a 60's car - the oldest I've worked on and driven regularly is 1967 Pontiacs.

The guy says he's had it for about 2 years and drives it everywhere except for when it snows. Says it has the original paint which looks pretty presentable to me. It doesn't look like it's been completely stripped for a "restoration" that someone then got bored with and quickly thrown back together like so many other 50's cars you see.

Has the 287 Pontiac engine and 4 speed hydromatic - not horrid like a Slim Jim I believe, but still one heavy mother and an archaic transmission design. He says he's driven it everywhere and up to 100MPH with no issues. All of the glass looks good and not cracked or broken. All of the trim appears to be there (except part of the rear window trim) and not be all pitted and broken - which is where the major bucks on a 50's car restoration comes into play if it is. Interior is mostly original and not wasted, seat looks worn and the door panels obviously aren't original. He says all of the lights and dash gauges work, another plus to me. It has been converted to an alternator from the generator which is another bonus. It has power steering and power brakes he says. I asked about the floors and he says they had some patches put in but are sealed up now with no rust, trunk floor and body hasn't had any work that he can tell on other than the driver's door was repainted last year when someone backed into it at work. He says it doesn't leak water in the rain either. Firewall heater core is plugged up and the tubing to the underseat heater is missing so he hasn't checked that out yet either (I presume it will all need replacing).

Big drawback is it's a 4 door. And it's not a '55-57 Chevy where all the money is at. I'm not sure we'll necessarily agree on value\price either, hence asking here about it. I'm thinking since it's a 4 door it's definitely lower in value but having everything together and being a decent driver needing no major repairs is definitely worth something. I know modern Pontiac engines and transmissions don't retrofit without serious work either. Those kingpin suspensions and ball bearing drums are not exactly skills that the average shop possesses to repair anymore either. Keep in mind I've just seen pictures, haven't actually seen it in person.

I don't know, I really have wanted a '50s Pontiac but my knowledge on them outside of the major obvious things is limited. It would probably get tons of attention and be fun to drive. And even better is it doesn't look molested, having original paint and glass and trim compared to the ratty pieces of junk you usually see. If I wanted to find a '50s car, I'd want one that is similar to the barn find in the thread down the way, a nice cruiser that hasn't been trashed or torn apart or is missing every piece of chrome or needing complete metal work. You guys know these cars better than me, so let me know if I'm off the mark on value and anything I should really be concerned about or if I should just walk on by.

[pknopp]

Value as in not real high is correct. Don't take that as it not being a worthy car. For a driver it might be a good purchase. As you note, cheaper to get into than a Chevy.

Power Steering and Power brakes aren't real common on mid 50's cars of this type so there is that. The car will stop fine in normal traffic. Drum brakes work just fine except for when they get hot. In normal driving they generally don't have a problem. Disc brakes swaps aren't difficult or all that expensive though. A bracket and mostly off the shelf parts.

No, swapping in a 350 is not a bolt in job. Make sure the driveline is good. You can get Pontiac engines affordably but they aren't found as easy.

All depends on $$$$

[lalautze]

As the owner of a 1954 Star Chief sedan and a 1956 Chieftain 4-Door wagon - these cars do get a lot of attention on the road and at shows. Some parts can be a little hard to come by but don't let that discourage you. My wife and I put 2500 miles on each car this last year - we enjoy driving them for tours or just to get away for the weekend. It is a different experience driving these cars compared to a modern day vehicle but they are safe. There is nothing wrong with the original drivetrain as long as it is good working order.

Your are correct in the fact that two-door cars seem to be more desirable however we do not find four-door cars to be a drawback, it is easier to access the rear seat whether we have friends riding or just grabbing stuff for the road trip. If it also means that the car is a little cheaper to purchase even better.

It comes down to what are you looking for in the car and how much you want to spend. Sounds like you found a "driver" that could be enjoyed as is with some mechanical upkeep and a little TLC.

[Ben M.]

Thanks for the info guys. Still got some time to think it over, think I'll look in the archives of this forum to get some ideas and find pictures.

[b-man]

A clean 1955 4-door is a fine car, buy it.

Back when they were all over the place you could get 2-door cars in good original condition for a decent price. Now the asking prices for 2-door cars are pretty high. Used to be nobody wanted a 4-door.

Now that old cars are seldom seen on out the road a 4-door seems much more attractive. Just the fact that it's a survivor from the good ol' days and has 2-tone paint, chrome bumpers and trim makes it an eye-catcher.

Buy it, they're getting harder to find in good shape and not needing a complete rebuild/resto to enjoy.

[694.1]

I am a very similar boat right now as well. It sounds like you have the bases covered, I feel that a very strong body/chassis is critical as "rust never sleeps".
Good thing about a 4 door is that the initial investment is modest & you can drive the wheels off and not worry about it.
1st step: Good inspection.
2nd step: Buy!

[Ben M.]

Thanks for the input (including PMs). Wife likes the car too & agrees it's cool. Talked to a guy who knows the owner & the car & while he wasn't intimately familiar with it he did reassure me most of what I've been told is true & that it's driven regularly everywhere (very important). Now we're just waiting on more photos, an inspection, & to see if we can agree on a value (may do some horse trading as part of the deal).

[Rocky 389]

I have to disagree on a few points you brought up. The engine swap situation is pretty good with these 50s Pontiacs. Any Pontiac engine through 1960 will bolt in to your car. The only machine work involved is a slight grinding on the crank flange to get the front half of the fluid coupling to seat against the flange...takes about 3 minutes with a simple 4" hand-held grinder.
Every year from 55 to 59 the displacement of those engines grew.
55 has 287 cu in
56 has 316 cu in
57 has 347 cu in
58 has 370 cu in
59 and 60 were 389 cu in.
Everything is available for them, 389s having the best parts availability .
Damn, man! You can bolt in a 389! This is just as easy as chevy parts.
That 4 speed hydro is a pretty stout transmission. I've run a lot of them through the years and the transmissions that replaced them starting in 56 are not nearly as good as a slant-pan hydro. Yeah, they don't shift quite as smooth as a dyna flow or powerglide but they last a lot longer and give far better performance.
I'm told later pontiac roller front wheel bearings [or maybe it's mid-50s chevy pickup bearings] will swap over to replace the ball bearings. Not sure on that but someone here will know. I've had fair luck with the roller bearings as long as they're replaced as assemblies, meaning the race has to be replaced with the bearing...no mix and match. I found out the hard way.
I also found out you cannot have 6 adults in a 56 Pontiac and creep down a really long, steep hill in low gear, expecting the drum brakes not to fade after 5 minutes...but if used sanely, they'll stop the car when you need them.
I'm not personally a fan of 4 door star chiefs but as hard as the 2 door chieftains are getting to find, I'd almost go for one if it was cheap. Good luck, these are great cars. I've had 11 55-57 Pontiacs. Not one with a chevy 350.

[Bill Hanlon]

Originally Posted by Rocky 389

I'm told later pontiac roller front wheel bearings [or maybe it's mid-50s chevy pickup bearings] will swap over to replace the ball bearings.

Not the mid-50s Chevy pickup bearings which were also ball bearings. 55 Pontiac uses 909060/909001 inner/outer ball bearings. 909001R (roller) bearings are available on the web for $15.20 on the web. Search for "909001 roller". This is a drop in roller replacement. I'm not able to find a roller replacement for the 909060 right now.

[Bill Eveland]

That 1/2 ton Gm truck/ Pontiac wheel bearing conversion only applies to 37-54 Pontiacs.