[TIN TIGR]

30 years ago i found a v-8 63 lemans sitting in a field near my home..it had rusted thru the floor, and roof pillar..mice were living in the headliner..i tried to buy it for parts, but the fellow thought it was gold..collectors piece

i towed it home the other day..it had been sold to a dealer, and i got it from him..it was pretty complete, what wasnt rotted away..

it has some parts i dont ever remember seeing..the radiator has a steel shroud, with rubber flaps..it seems to be some sort of crossflow..in top, across, down across, out to motor..the alternator mount is pretty complex, and has a arm that seems to prevent the belt from coming off..it has power steering..and the complete 326 runs..

how do you id if these cars have posi?..is there a place that can give me the build sheet by vin number like gto's..

[mechanickeith]

Factory A/C cars have a sheet metal fan shroud with a 6 blade fan. I have never seen a posi in the 61-63 Tempest's. I know there is a 2 & 4 spider gear assembly in the diff. 2 spider gear is for 4 cyl automatic & 4 gear spider is for all others. On the very bottom of the right side of the diff case is a flat spot that has a letter stamped there. This is the axle ratio code. This is not allways correct. The only way to tell for sure is to pull it apart, count the gears & do the math. 63's were available with a rear ratio of 2.53 all the way to 3.90!! PHS should have everything you need for info by vin #. www.phs-online.com

Keith

[stevep]

If you watch "My Cousin Vinny", Mona Lisa Vito said that the 63 Tempest had posi traction!
She also said that the car had 14" wheels too. So maybe she wasn't an expert after all.

[TIN TIGR]

so no posi was available?..or are they just super rare?

[63Banshee]

Originally Posted by stevep

If you watch "My Cousin Vinny", Mona Lisa Vito said that the 63 Tempest had posi traction!
She also said that the car had 14" wheels too. So maybe she wasn't an expert after all.

Don't you be bust'n on my woman!

[mechanickeith]

I have never seen a posi in a 61-63 & nothing in any tech manual I have mentions a posi. I don't know what was put in the 63 SD diffs, maybe a spool in the Sd cars.

What was mentioned in MY cousin Vinney was "Michelin G78-14 tires". All 61-63 had 15" wheels. I know a 14" was available as a dealer installed option but I have never come across a set of those either.

Keith

[TempestFugit]

I could be wrong but I think it was available... not sure how when where or why but I think so..

Input Tom !?

[hootsk]

Vinny Gambini: Ms. Vito, it has been argued by me, the defense, that two sets of guys met up at the Sac-O-Suds, at the same time, driving identical metallic mint green 1964 Buick Skylark convertibles. Now, can you tell us by what you see in this picture, if the defense's case holds water?
[Lisa examines the picture]
Vinny Gambini: Ms. Vito, please answer the question: does the defense's case hold water?
Mona Lisa Vito: No! The defense is wrong!
Vinny Gambini: Are you sure?
Mona Lisa Vito: I'm positive.
Vinny Gambini: How could you be so sure?
Mona Lisa Vito: Because there is no way that these tire marks were made by a '64 Buick Skylark convertible. These marks were made by a 1963 Pontiac Tempest.
D.A. Jim Trotter: Objection, Your Honor! Can we clarify to the court whether the witness is stating opinion or fact?
Judge Chamberlain Haller: This is your opinion?
Mona Lisa Vito: It's a fact!
Vinny Gambini: I find it hard to believe that this kind of information could be ascertained simply by looking at a picture!
Mona Lisa Vito: Would you like me to explain?
Vinny Gambini: I would love to hear this!
Judge Chamberlain Haller: So would I.
Mona Lisa Vito: The car that made these two, equal-length tire marks had positraction. You can't make those marks without positraction, which was not available on the '64 Buick Skylark!
Vinny Gambini: And why not? What is positraction?
Mona Lisa Vito: It's a limited slip differential which distributes power equally to both the right and left tires. The '64 Skylark had a regular differential, which, anyone who's been stuck in the mud in Alabama knows, you step on the gas, one tire spins, the other tire does nothing.
[the jury members nod, with murmurs of "yes," "that's right," etc]
Vinny Gambini: Is that it?
Mona Lisa Vito: No, there's more! You see? When the left tire mark goes up on the curb and the right tire mark stays flat and even? Well, the '64 Skylark had a solid rear axle, so when the left tire would go up on the curb, the right tire would tilt out and ride along its edge. But that didn't happen here. The tire mark stayed flat and even. This car had an independent rear suspension. Now, in the '60's, there were only two other cars made in America that had positraction, and independent rear suspension, and enough power to make these marks. One was the Corvette, which could never be confused with the Buick Skylark. The other had the same body length, height, width, weight, wheel base, and wheel track as the '64 Skylark, and that was the 1963 Pontiac Tempest.
Vinny Gambini: And because both cars were made by GM, were both cars available in metallic mint green paint?
Mona Lisa Vito: They were!
Vinny Gambini: Thank you, Ms. Vito. No more questions. Thank you very, very much.
[kissing her hands]
Vinny Gambini: You've been a lovely, lovely witness.
Vinny Gambini: Mr. Wilbur, how'd you like Ms. Vito's testimony?
George Wilbur: Very impressive.
Vinny Gambini: She's cute too, huh?
George Wilbur: Yes, very.
[laughter]
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Mr. Gambini...
Vinny Gambini: Sorry, Your Honor.
Vinny Gambini: Sheriff Farley, uh... what'd you find out?
Sheriff Dean Farley: On a hunch, I took it upon myself to check out if there was any information on a '63 Pontiac Tempest stolen or abandoned recently. This computer readout confirms that two boys, who fit the defendants' description, were arrested two days ago by Sheriff Tillman in Jasper County, Georgia, for driving a stolen metallic mint green 1963 Pontiac Tempest, with a white convertible top, Michelin Model XGV tires, size 75-R-14.

[Gach]

She was just on Jay Leno...she's hot ! Nice little Italian girl

[tom s]

there is no info on a posi for 61-63 tempests.Tom

[importsmasher]

My 62 factory service manual does not even mention a posi. There is no separate section for the posi, like there is in my 66 GTO service manual.
Importsmasher

[TIN TIGR]

well if nobody has ever seen one, i guess they dont exist...which gives me an idea...

[mechanickeith]

Allready ahead of ya TinTigr!!!