[SD455DJ]

Here is a local '69 428HO Catalina with less than 30,000 miles all original still. It is owned by the nephews of the original owner, who also bought Dan's 455HO T-37 brand new to race in NHRA stock classes. The Catalina has the TH400 and 3.42 Safety Track rear end, Liberty blue with dark blue vinyl interior. It has the 428 emblems on the front fenders. Dan's Ventura optioned Catalina with the 360 hp 428 also has the fender emblems. Neither have the 428 on the radiator core support.

Dennis

[north]

nice photos, looks sharp with the Rally's and blackwalls. No red lines were offered on 69 big cars.

[SD455DJ]

These polaroids are from 1970 of the 428HO Catalina. So cool!

Here's when it was new in 1969.

Dennis

[north]

Sort of speaking of peaking order (but not really), I found last year an NOS AC Catalina dash woodgrain insert. I finally got up the courage to install it in my white Cat ragtop today. The old one wasn't bad but was sunfaded and the lettering was a bit thin. The scary part is that these inserts are press fit into a groove in the 57 year old fragile dash-pad, to remove the old one you have to yank it out and then cram the new one in hoping you don't crack or rip the old vinyl padding. Being a red dash-pad helped the odds since they seem to stay softer than the more brittle black, blue and green ones. Anyway all went well and it came out beautiful, while I was in there I installed a new center AC vent too.

[north]

Here is the before and after picture.

[north]

I did this last year also on my Bonneville ragtop, after a 15 year hunt I found a Brougham insert for automatic AC (2 holes instead of one). I got lucky that time too, no cracking as the dash-pad was still soft. In both cases I did it outside with the dash pad nice and toasty in the hot sun.