[64PublicNuisance]

A few months ago I acquired a 1964 Catalina Ventura. It was a one family car and 98.5% complete but had sat outdoors and needs quite a bit of work.....but it starts and drives and I've gotten most things working as they should. Buy it will be a big project to get it to driver quality.

The person that sold me the car told me there was a similar car not terribly far from his place that looked to have some decent parts on it and he gave me directions to go see it.

The owner wasn't home so I left a note and 4 or 5 days later the owner called and we came to am agreement on price.

She was certain there were 2 engines with the car and I had already seem a long block on the back seat. As it turns out that is the only engine that was with the car but there are most pieces of 2 engines but no cylinder heads or carburetors.

After getting the car home and getting the engine out of the back seat.....I can see that there has been work done to it. It has a new cam and lifters and timing chain as well as lower end bearings and most of the core plugs.

There is a 4bbl intake and all of the tin to complete the build once it's torn down and cleaned up from sitting the last 15yr.

The car does have excellent bumpers and the grille and light surrounds are near perfect. I installed a voltage regulator and battery and everting works even the radio.

It is a 1964 Star Chief 4dr that they bought in the early 1980s. The interior needs work and there is minor rust in the places you would expect.

So it's great to have so many parts available but the car is almost to nice to strip it of everything useful and then scrap the rest.

Here are some photos of the car and I would like to know what the members here think. Is it a common car and not worth the effort or is it unique enough to at least install all of the lower grade parts and make it a driver?

I paid $375 for the Star Chief. Keys work in every lock and it has a clear title .

Any opinions are welcome and appreciated.

[geeteeohguy]

Not a common car. But I recommend storing cars inside, and have found that storing engines on the car seats tends to be rough on the interior of the car.

[GT182]

My folks had a 64 Star Chief 4DR HT. White body with turquois roof and interior. 389 4BBL and 3 speed automatic. Up front was a fully electric bench seat. That was funny in itself as dad was 6'4" and mom was 5'2". We'd leave Massena ,NY for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays after dad got home from driving truck. We'd get to at least Utica, NY and he'd ask her if she'd like to drive. Yep, and they'd switch places. She'd move the seat up as far as she could to reach the pedals and he'd squeeze in on the right side with his knees up into his chin. I had all the room in the backseat to stretch out and sleep. He wouldn't sit back there so he could sleep. He slept up front all hunched over

Of all the Pontiacs I've ridden in, that 64 Star Chief was the most comfortable, sweetest, and prettiest of them all. And your red one is too.

[64PublicNuisance]

Originally Posted by GT182

My folks had a 64 Star Chief 4DR HT. White body with turquois roof and interior. 389 4BBL and 3 speed automatic. Up front was a fully electric bench seat. That was funny in itself as dad was 6'4" and mom was 5'2". We'd leave Massena ,NY for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays after dad got home from driving truck. We'd get to at least Utica, NY and he'd ask her if she'd like to drive. Yep, and they'd switch places. She'd move the seat up as far as she could to reach the pedals and he'd squeeze in on the right side with his knees up into his chin. I had all the room in the backseat to stretch out and sleep. He wouldn't sit back there so he could sleep. He slept up front all hunched over

Of all the Pontiacs I've ridden in, that 64 Star Chief was the most comfortable, sweetest, and prettiest of them all. And your red one is too.

The Star Chief does seems like it would be very comfortable. It's large inside and the postless design has to be nice as a passenger when your watching things go by.

It seems like everything from the front seat forward is the same as the Catalins with the exception of the doors of course. I haven't measured the cabin area but I know the wheel base is 4.1in longer and deck lid itself is a full 6in longer.

This car also has the same powertrian as your family's car. The 389 block was cut on Nov 3, 1963 and the 4bbl intake was cast the day prior on Nov 2, 1963.
I do really like the red but it very thin.....the car is quite solid and complete except the missing engine parts.

I think I'll try to keep it together as much as possible but considering hi-jacking the transmission for the Catalina. It has the klumky RotoHydraMatic and the original purchasers son told me that it breaks flex plates.

The headlight and taillight design on the '64s has to be one of the best of all time. It's just a really classy and sporty car at the same time. It would look great parked with a 1970 Dodge Monaco or Plymouth Sport Fury....other gigantic 'muscle' cars.

It's missing cylinder heads, radiator, flex plate, starter, voltage regulator and carburetor......but that isn't too bad. The previous owner had dual exhaust installed that is still very solid. The receipt was in the glove compartment. 9/9/1999 and cost a whopping $200.........lol.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by 64PublicNuisance

I think I'll try to keep it together as much as possible but considering hi-jacking the transmission for the Catalina. It has the klumky RotoHydraMatic and the original purchasers son told me that it breaks flex plates.

Star Chiefs and Bonnevilles had a larger transmission tunnel to accommodate the bigger Hydramatic transmission used in those cars. I don't know if they'll fit in a Catalina without interference.

[64PublicNuisance]

Upon closer inspection.....I see exactly what you are talking about. I don't know why I never took note of how small the tunnel is in the Catalina....there is atoe of difference but few inches here and there for sure.
The Catalins had the transmission rebuilt less than a year before it got put to the side. I know it shifts into forward and reverse......so fingers crossed it won't give me immediate issues.

Thanks Stuart.....you saved me alot of work had I not realized the difference on my own....and you never know.

It's better for the cars to stay original anyway I guess. Just not looking forward to a klunky transmission. I'm sure they aren't horrible but people don't have much good to say about them it seems.

[Stuart]

They aren't the greatest, but it is critical to get the linkage from the carburetor to the transmission adjusted properly and then it will shift okay.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Well i like that red Star Chief, paint flaws and all.

[GT182]

If I was closer to you out there in the State of Washington I'd be all over you to buy it. Yeah, my GTO would be sold. That's how much I like the 64 Star Chief. I'd say the 64 Star Chief is probably one of the rarest Pontic models out there today.

IIRC, 63 was the year that started the stacked headlights that carried over to the 64, 65, 66, and 67 Pontiacs..... Grand Prix, Tempests, GTOs, and other models for those years. Tho no stacked headlights tho for 64 Tempest and GTO.

[64PublicNuisance]

Originally Posted by GT182

If I was closer to you out there in the State of Washington I'd be all over you to buy it. Yeah, my GTO would be sold. That's how much I like the 64 Star Chief. I'd say the 64 Star Chief is probably one of the rarest Pontic models out there today.

IIRC, 63 was the year that started the stacked headlights that carried over to the 64, 65, 66, and 67 Pontiacs..... Grand Prix, Tempests, GTOs, and other models for those years. Tho no stacked headlights tho for 64 Tempest and GTO.

I don't know a whole lot about Pontiacs but I do know that the stacked headlights were released by Ford and Plymouth in 1965. I think Cadillac may have used them earlier and there were a few others. I had a 1959 International B-120 Pickup that sported stacked quads that looked great. The GTO gets the credit for the most part as it should and the front of these 2 larger Pontiacs look more like a GTO than the GTO looking like them. I remember my favorite Hot Wheel as a boy was a Galaxie with stacked quads. Just something about the design that really speaks to me. I think the long straight body lines are a perfect fit for them and the lower these big Pontiacs sit the headlights look even better. The son of the original purchaser heated the springs up and lowered it not long after he had gotten his driver's license. It was ordered for his Mother in February ofv1964 and they went and picked it up in early May. He remembers going to order the carcwith his parents and brother and said that he remembers his Father being adamant that the car was to have a silver headliner lol. Which I'm sure looked quite sharp.

I hadn't realized that the Star Chief was produced much after 1960. So to know that it's somewhat rare I probably won't take any parts from it at all. I'll find other part for then both and get them on the road.
When the Star Chief can make it halfway to Delaware maybe we can work something out 😉

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by GT182

I'd say the 64 Star Chief is probably one of the rarest Pontic models out there today.

About 26,500 Star Chiefs were built in 1964. So, not really rare, but somewhat lower production when compared to Bonnevilles or Catalinas.