[Torquewar]

Nice work , time consuming but great addition to the overall project. The details make a difference.

[Gator67]

Enjoying this thread Todd!

[Mister Pontiac]

Mileage: 140,000

It's been a busy few months, but I finally got a little work done on Bonne this past week. Been driving her a lot, and she was in need of brakes, so I started there.

The rear shoes were almost gone, and the wheel cylinders had developed a little corrosion, so I decided to replace all.

The front pads still had some life left, but the left side had one pad with a section broken and missing, so I replaced all of them while I was at it. Fresh as a daisy now, she should be braking fine for another 40k or so.

I finished off with a full fluid flush by gravity bleed, and she'll throw you into the windshield now if you mash the horizontal pedal.

The gas pump photo is simply a reminder to me how I purchased Bonne for a mere $1100 back in 2011. That means I keep buying her all over again every 2500 miles or so with today's 91 Octane price. Wow!

Up next is Air Conditioning service. The VIR developed a leak last fall, and slowly let all of the coveted R12 escape. For the same reason, I just haven't had time to get to it, but I did finally order up a rebuilt VIR unit. I'm hoping to get that installed in the next week or two and refill the system before the hot weather really settles in.

Otherwise, Bonne just keeps rolling, and I appreciate her more and more every day.

[Mister Pontiac]

Momentum!

Got the VIR swapped out, and the system vacuumed down and recharged yesterday afternoon. She's blowing cold again, and I'm happy.

More projects on the horizon, but can't keep her down for too long. I need her running and driving, so I acquire what I need, get everything ready, then take her down for a day or two to get things done.

Bonne onward!

[kingbuzzo]

With these gas prices mine will end up being yard art... 😑

[1965gp]

This is a great thread

[grivera]

Love the land yacht! You’ll soon need a go-fund me account for fuel!!

[VCho455]

Great thread! I love daily driving vintage vehicles, I'm looking forward to more BIG Pontiaction.

Keep your eyes pealed for a used Gearvendor. I paid $600 for the one in my Burban and it came with a transmission. I've bought 3 others over the years and never paid more than $1200 for one.

I agree the grille swap was a great upgrade.

[Mister Pontiac]

Mileage: 142,500

It's been a minute since I've updated you all on Bonne, and unfortunately I have some bad news to share...

It happened on a hot Phoenix day last summer when she blew a head gasket.

I've been able to limp her along for several months with a can of Barr's Leak, however that band aid has finally failed too. It's time for surgery.

But never fear! Bonne will run & live again, and soon. I have a 20,000 mile D port 455 coming out of my 72 GT shortly that will be going into Bonne. (More on the why in the 72 LeMans GT thread in the 70-72 section)

So what happened? The short answer is, I inadvertently overheated her and that wounded her. It was innocent enough, but by the time I heard her pinging and got her stopped, the damage was done. Not catastrophic, but hurt nonetheless.

One bit of good news is that the 455 currently in Bonne is not the original engine. Someone had dropped in this long block at some point before I bought her back in 2011. She was running just fine, and I have put nearly 50,000 miles on this long block, so it's not like I didn't get my nickel out of it. Seems wrong to say, but it's kind of no harm, no foul. One day I plan to find a correct 74 vintage 455 for her anyway. This is just another chapter in Bonne's adventure.

Of course I will repair the 455 I'm about to pull, but the quick answer is to simply swap in the other solid running 455 I have for the time being. A buddy of mine tells me I'm playing checkers with 455's around here, and he's not wrong.

Tonight, my step-son helped me get the hood off of Bonne, so I hope to start letting the bolts fly tomorrow. But with my busy work schedule, it's going to take me some time to get this swap completed.

I'll update as I get her back on the road and back to her airport commuting duties.

Bonne onward!

[Half-Inch Stud]

Plan is good. Plan on maint before failure:
Battery swap, clamp cleaning, Alternator rebuild.
Water pump rebuild/replace?replace the 2 rubber Pump inlets.
Fuel filter. Carb wipedown.
Dizzy rotor, cap with brass posts, plugwire gasoline wipedown & check resistane. Plug inspect&clean; gap to 0.045".
Vacuum carpet, dash as needed.
Check fluid levels; oil, coolant overflow bottle, wiper bottle, trans level color smell.