Pontiac Chieftain Reviews

Well gee guys, this car is 54 years old. I bought it from a man that had it stored in a barn for some ten years or so.

Put a new battery and a set of tires on it. Poured some gas in the carb and she fired right up. Had to replace the head gaskets, which gave me a chance to look inside the motor. No ring groves, put new points and an alternator for convenience.

The interior is all original and beginning to show her age a little. I am in the process of prepping her for a new paint job and maybe a replacement interior, as original as possible of course.

This old girl runs and drives like cars were designed to way back when. Wish I could live long enough to see how the current junk Detroit is producing now will look in 54 years.

I am proud to be able to bring this nice old gal back to life, and make her all pretty again.

The engine was rebuilt due to mild oil consumption and mild smoking at 150,000 miles.

The rear differential was replaced at about the same time due to a slight roar from the gearing.

Other than the above mentioned items the car has been a fantastic car. It has had several brake jobs, tune-ups, hoses, etc., but little else. The original 4-speed hydramatic has never been touched and still shifts as good as new.

The car has been painted twice in its 53 year history, and is currently the factory original turquoise and white two-tone.

This car was almost new when purchased and has been in our family ever since. I basically grew up with the car, and drove it when I was in high school (I'm now 60). The car was an incredibly rugged, well built car and took a lot of abuse in stride in my teen years. The car had seat covers installed immediately upon purchasing it, and the original upholstery is still perfect. Grease was injected into the rocker panel areas to inhibit rust, and the car is totally rust free.

Upon my father's death the car was passed on to another relative, and it underwent a cosmetic restoration and is currently given a very leisurely existence, being used in parades and shows, and making a very brief appearance in one movie. It was driven daily as my father's main means of transportation until 1988.

It is a 4-door sedan and has manual windows, no air and no power steering or brakes (and yes, it is a bear to parallel park with manual steering!!) It did (and still does) 0-60 in a leisurely 9 seconds and will still bury the red line speedometer on 120.