[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Simple Man

Not Pontiac, but a man in Las Vegas wanted a half ton truck, with V8, and granny gear 4 speed. The big 3 didn't offer anything. He went to the Studebaker dealer, they said no, but then the GM said "let me make a call". He called the factory, they said "sure, we'll build that". So they built two. The man who ordered it still owned it a few years ago. The other one went to the dealer, it's long missing.

What year was that? I have a 1966 Ford F-100 half ton with a V8 and heavy duty four speed, at least in that time period it wasn't an unusual configuration for any of the manufacturers.

[Don Keefe]

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

How about that '60(?) you found in the boneyard?

You know..... The one you could have saved and didn't.

God knows, I tried...

[einstein]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

Sure, glad to. Original owner word-of-mouth, for what the Dealership told him as he described went through to special order the 69 Bird, after tough negotiations to order a Trams-Am. Original owner also said his 69 Was the last F-body off the line. I cannot verify the truthfulness of those original statements that were made to me. All other aspects of the car were verified, includng all receipts, window sticker, protecto, etc including the dealership discussion notes.

Never heard of comanche firebirds until this Thread. Looks like i'm outta touch with the deep research done on the 1st Gen Leather F-bodies.

Sales guys and other dealership folks are surely the best informed people on the planet and would NEVER tell tall tales about the cars they sell.

Last off the line is quite a claim! I recall the last cars built were possibly November of '69. Is that when the car was built? Do you have copies of all that documentation and the PHS invoice?

[Chief of the 60's]

The problem is that today everyone takes what they get, so that's what they are used to.

Back then, car dealers and manufacturers were like Burger King...…. Have It Your Way!

[U47]

1959 Pontiac Catalina hardtop coupe,
420-A 389, 4 bolt main , 886 cam, X stamp to the left of center cylinder head bolt and a O stamped on the rt side ( 10.5 compression) Tri-Power.
4 speed HD Super Hydramatic with outside oil cooler. H-D manual trans radiator.
P/S and P/B
3.08 Safety Track
Tri-bar spinner super deluxe hub caps
WW 8.50 UniRoyal tires
Sunset Glow exterior paint a Bonneville/Starchief color Catalina script
Back up lights.
Tri-Power delete script.

Interior; Tri-Tone blue leather Bonneville bench seats and Bonneville door cards. Radio speaker in the center-upper- rear seatback
Super Deluxe radio, ft. and rear speakers with switch front- rear or both.
Dash; Dark blue- non padded and all the custom Catalina chrome/stainless and Catalina medallion script called instrument panel custom trim.
Headliner, Bonneville and rt and left side dome lamps. "A" and "C pillars and connecting trim brightwork instead of painted trim
Window and door pulls=Bonneville style.
Carpet lurex dark blue with silver thread.

In the trunk on delivery 3.90 Posi and 4.10 Posi third members
Isky E-2 camshaft and set of solid lifters.

Next to the firewall data plate and just to the rt. of it is the oval S/O Tag ( special order tag)

The car was built in Michigan because of the hand built NASCAR engine and was railed out to A.E. England Pontiac, Hollywood Ca. Not a South Gate car.
A.E. England was totally unawares of the order until the car got there.
The car was ordered out of the Los Angeles Zone office for my Dad.

Apparently there was quite a bit of pushback for a car with this trim level and as you know Ventura came for 60 and 61 which turned itself into Pontiac Grand Prix in 62.

My dad raced it 59-60 in AS/A, I started racing it in 1965 in FS/A until 68, I sold it in Dec 1968 and in 1978 I decided to locate it and restore it but found out it had been shredded three months before I started looking.

[Simple Man]

Originally Posted by Stuart

What year was that? I have a 1966 Ford F-100 half ton with a V8 and heavy duty four speed, at least in that time period it wasn't an unusual configuration for any of the manufacturers.

Mid 50's. I believe 1955

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

The problem is that today everyone takes what they get, so that's what they are used to.

Back then, car dealers and manufacturers were like Burger King...…. Have It Your Way!

The factory accessories option book for 1966 had one of my favorite advertising lines of all time in it. It said "An option list as long as your arm and twice as hairy"! I love that. They weren't kidding either.

[GT182]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

The factory accessories option book for 1966 had one of my favorite advertising lines of all time in it. It said "An option list as long as your arm and twice as hairy"! I love that. They weren't kidding either.

Yeah but the 8 lug wheels option on the 66 GTO never happened.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by GT182

Yeah but the 8 lug wheels option on the 66 GTO never happened.

I thought I remembered reading somewhere years ago where a couple of those wheels escaped into the wild and were in private hands, but I could be wrong.

[Teej]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

I owned and enjoyed a 421 HO 1966 Catalina 9 passenger station wagon. Pontiac factory literature shows the HO engine NOT being available in a Catalina wagon and NOT being available with AC.

As other have said, I believe certain dealers probably had more pull than others. Maybe just because of the volume they turned over or whatever.

When my wagon was ordered, (Lester Goodson Pontiac out of Houston TX. Built in the Arlington Plant, code R) I'm guessing that wasn't one of the dealers, because he seemed to get everything else on it, just not the HO.

Do you still have any paperwork on that wagon that would have the VIN? I'd be curious as to what the PHS would say on it.

[Half-Inch Stud]

The OHC8 421 TriPower 66 Gran Prix owned by Malcon McKellar ought to get a proper mention;

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Teej

As other have said, I believe certain dealers probably had more pull than others. Maybe just because of the volume they turned over or whatever.

When my wagon was ordered, (Lester Goodson Pontiac out of Houston TX. Built in the Arlington Plant, code R) I'm guessing that wasn't one of the dealers, because he seemed to get everything else on it, just not the HO.

Do you still have any paperwork on that wagon that would have the VIN? I'd be curious as to what the PHS would say on it.

I doubt I have anything that would show the VIN. Bought the car in the early 1980's for $735.00 right as the original owner was trading it in at a Toyota dealer. Dealer had no idea what it was and I am sure assumed the tri-power was something added by the owner as a joke. I have allot of snapshots of it but not scanned. I need to get some of the good ones scanned. Back in those days looking at the engine letter code and the head code were all that was commonly done. Other than the obvious long branch exhaust manifolds. Owned it 16 or so years, drove it about 130K miles. It weighed 5050 lbs on the scale at a drag race and ran a 14.61@100.67 mph. Towed a 19ft. Sea Ray with it and a single car open trailer too. Great car. I wish I would have been smart enough to take a pic of the VIN and trim tag back then, but it was not common to do in that time frame unfortunately. Engine code was YK, 093 heads, 068 camshaft. 4-bolt main 421. I verified all that when I rebuilt the engine shortly after buying it.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Originally Posted by einstein

Sales guys and other dealership folks are surely the best informed people on the planet and would NEVER tell tall tales about the cars they sell.

Last off the line is quite a claim! I recall the last cars built were possibly November of '69. Is that when the car was built? Do you have copies of all that documentation and the PHS invoice?

Original buyer had long stories about a Strike, and the delivery was late 70 or early 71, way after the 69 car period, and i rhink the 1970 models were on the lot, he insisted his 69 Sprint Bird was a 70 1/2 because of the delay. otherwise i forget the build date and delivery date. All the sales docs are in a folder, which the last buyer has.

[Region Warrior]

Cars for race teams where pulled off assembly line and sent to another facility for customizing.
Still a factory car though.

[Old Goat Racer]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Do you happen to remember if the block had the transfer lug still on it? I have heard that the lug was machined off in situations like this when a large main bearing block was substituted on the assembly line. Although that really doesn't make much sense.

Sorry. I didn't know what a "lug" was back then. The block eventually broke the three center main caps between the inner and outer bolts so I scrapped it.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

The OHC8 421 TriPower 66 Gran Prix owned by Malcon McKellar ought to get a proper mention;

'63 Grand Prix.

Or - how bout the fact that they gave the engine to him as a retirement gift?

I didn't even get an email when I retired.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Region Warrior

Cars for race teams where pulled off assembly line and sent to another facility for customizing.
Still a factory car though.

Or - pulled off the line and sent over to the Pontiac Engineering garage for customizing.

K

[Formulabruce]

Few thoughts from Pontiac Dealership, Chevy Dealership, and Assy Plant in Norwood.
On interiors.
Order sheets at Dealerships had a " check box" and in the 70's was bottom right. This allows to order " AGAINST" the recommended colors and contrasts.
This same box was also used to go Against the Factory Exterior color contrasts including verring off the road on stripe colors.
Some things happened in middle of production with NO changes to an order form.
One is shoulder belts. The DOT. mandated laws, or rules by Calendar years, not Model years. In many GM cars shoulder straps did Not show till mandatory in Jan 1. 1968.
One thing not mentioned yet is "BRASS HAT" cars.
There were many loaded cars built through the 60's and 70's as zone cars for zone managers to take to Dealerships to show off options. I set up a few such cars for zone managers at the receiving dealership.
Customers would and could order all sorts of things if the dealership was in a great financial situation with GM.
All this was to make money and sell cars. NOT to build a legacy.
We sold k-5 Blazers and Jimmy's WITHOUT a passenger seat, rubber mats, No back seat, and only a spare steel rim mounted out back. .
Also Pontiac was working with ASC since in the early 70' s. I was never surprised to see a 73 or newer car with a sunroof. Factory? Well it came in on a transport with other new ones.
Pontiac management and the Dealer sales guys would do almost Anything, or try to order almost Anything to sell cars.
Being a dealer that ordered and received State car orders, I saw a lot of " COPO" cars and trucks. That is a book on itself of oddities like Luxury Lemans with vinyl seats and rubber mat.. and baby moon's.

[Formulabruce]

I have a Friend with a '69 that is NEWER than his buddies 1970 ..
They made 2010 Pontiacs in 2009. In the USA.. Then went back and made more 2009 in same model !!
Yes there are 2009 Pontiacs that are NEWER than 2010 models.
You could order a 2006- 2009 Solstice with a hard top and big brakes...

[Half-Inch Stud]

Originally Posted by Formulabruce

Few thoughts from Pontiac Dealership, Chevy Dealership, and Assy Plant in Norwood. On interiors..... All this was to make money and sell cars. NOT to build a legacy. We sold k-5 Blazers and Jimmy's WITHOUT a passenger seat, rubber mats, No back seat, and only a spare steel rim mounted out back.....

That read soo random, but i get it. Reminds me of a junkyard car; 1968 TEMPEST with factory vinyl floor instead of carpet. No dash woodgrain either. Column shift no console. Possibly a zero-option car. How rare was that?