64 Tempest Convertible Project
 

Hi all, I posted a picture of the Tempest project several years ago. Short version of the story....the car was my wife's grandmother's car since '64. We received it in '03. Here is a picture of it when towed home from Virginia.

The Tempest was a daily driver for 25 years and racked up about 70k miles by the proverbial little old lady in Virginia. It was repainted once in the 80s in a slightly darker shade than the original Marimba red. I did a lot of resto work on the TA in my avatar in the '05-'07 timeframe, and realized the effort that would be required for the complete restoration the Tempest. Work has conspired to prevent me from spending similar time on the Tempest so off it goes to one of the best guys in the business.

Lot of potential there!

Tom V.

The car as built at the Baltimore plant; Marimba red, red bench seat interior, white top. 215 6 cyl and 2 speed automatic. Options are limited to remote mirror, AM radio, tinted glass, back up lamps, wire wheel covers.

Plans are to keep it mostly stock with a few updates and mods;
front disc brakes with dual master cylinder
power steering
200r4 4 speed automatic trans
3.55:1 final drive

Working on the engine rebuild now. I am looking at a few mods to up the power output of the 215 a little; compression ratio, some port work, and possibly multiple carburetion. I am no Chevy 6 expert so I am doing my research to determine how to generate, ideally, about 225 lb-ft of torque and 200 horsepower.

Nice looking car.

What condition are the seats in?

Sweet little Tempest Custom convert you have there, neat that it has some family history as well.

Love the factory color combo.

Nice to see you're being realistic about the power potential of a warmed-over 215. I would highly suggest stroking it with a 3.53" crank from a Chevy 250, replacing the original 3.25" stroke crank.

You never know, with a sonic check you might be able to take the bore size out from the Pontiac 215 3.750" standard bore size all the way out to Chevy 230/250/292 3.875" standard bore size and use a set of Chevy 250 pistons. If you can do that, no custom pistons needed.

Another option would be to recreate the 'PONTIAC' block letters cast into the side of the block on a common Chevy 250 block using some JB Weld, and keep Grandma's 215 intact and safely tucked under your workbench.

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...e/DSC02214.jpg

If you aren't already aware...
 

...Tom is one of the first guys you might turn to for info;
http://www.langdonsstovebolt.com/

updating more photos on the project....
The body is coming off the frame.....
and there is waaayyy more rust than I expected!

I did not know you could pull the entire body including the front clip off the frame like that. Is there any sag from the fenders to doors and is considered normal to go this route. I ask because I want to do this to my hardtop to detail the frame and engine but am afraid things won't line back up. My first car was a 65 Tempest, loved that little straight six. Nice project.

I didn't notice that about the front end at first.

I'll be interested in seeIng what the crowd says - I can't look at that picture of him with his hand on the core support without thinking "I wouldn't put much weight on that. "

The only weight on the fender mounting points to cowl are the weight of the fenders, hood and rad support. The bumper stays on the frame. Most take the front clip off first for access, but this makes good body and frame pictures.

Anybody want an air-cooled Super Turbine 300 2-speed trans? Free to a good home....

put a OHC sprint motor in it:thumbup: nice car btw

Will keep an eye on this thread. Working on a similar project myself, 64 Lemans ragtop, V8, frame off.

Sorry I have not updated this post in a while, but progress has been steady. Alot of body work! After media blasting the rust was much worse than I expected. I pressed on anyway. Here are some photos of floor replacement....

Looking good.

No project like this one gets done quickly or easily, thanks for the update.

Very nice.

I found a nice solid RH door and L Fender in the desert southwest last spring.

trunk floor was in serious need of replacement. Fortunately Ames sells a suitable replacement....

You're going to great lengths to bring this little beauty back.

Keepin' it in the family takes dedication.....good on ya!

Was that the one piece trunk floor? How was the fit?