62 Tempest SW

Saw the above on CL . I have not seen it in person. Any owners out there that can help me out as to what to look for when inspecting ? I know it's a weird ride but I like weird .
https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/1962-pontiac-tempest-wagon/6405643509.html

 

I'd be concerned about what the frame, suspension and floors look like. It looks like it has been sitting in that field for a while.

 

That seems like a pretty…..ambitious price.

 

It's also 4.5 hours from me . Hard to drive that far and come home empty .
Thanks

 

I was thinking about half that.

 

Seems more down to Earth than most of the ambitious objects Craiglist has recently offered

 

Price doesn't seem too bad to me. Of course, I've only got two pics to go on...

These were really unique wagons - torque tube driveshaft and rear-mounted transaxle. Swing-axle independent rear suspension (similar to the Corvair's.....)

Here's a link to the brochure:
http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/pontiac/62tem/62tem.html

 

Fact is, if you want to seriously consider it, the can has got to be dragged out and run to a shop to put it up in the air. Without a close inspection by a professional, it's a possibility of being a pig in a poke, no matter what the seller says. But, for such an unusual vehicle, you should at least make the round trip, in order to know if you want to proceed with an inspection, and with that inspection, you'll have some negotiating leverage.

 

I have a pair of 1962 F-85 wagons. Be aware of a few things.:

These cars don't have frames, they are unibody. Rust on the underside is structural.

NO ONE makes any repro sheet metal parts or trim. If the car needs anything, expect to be buying parts cars. A very limited amount of sheet metal crosses over from the Buick and Olds versions, including the doors and rear quarters (61-62 only). FYI, the quarters are only common between the Olds and Pontiac. Buicks are different.

Ames Performance has recently started to carry a limited number of repro parts for the 61-63 Tempests, but mainly for the coupes. I don't know how much of their stock fits the wagons.

Steele Rubber surprisingly sells nearly all of the weatherstripping for these wagons. I was pleasantly surprised.

The Tempest is unique even among the unique Y-body compacts. The suspension, brakes, and steering are unique to the Tempest. The Olds/Buick versions use a 4 x 4.5" wheel bolt pattern. The Tempest uses a unique 5 x 4.5" bolt pattern (the only GM vehicle ever to use that bolt pattern).

The transaxle is a modified Corvair unit. Of course the rest of the driveline is unique to the Tempest.

This is not to discourage you, but to allow you to make an informed decision about the car. Good luck.

 

As I recall, Arnie's was a 63. My brother had a 63 2dr Tempest with a 326. It was fast for what it was. He liked to pull up beside cars on the highway at 50 mph, rev the engine, and pop the clutch. The thing would smoke the tires in 3rd gear. We were going to convert it and I picked up a 421 basket case for him. The mains hadn't been marked and he never did get around to having them line bored and the rods resized. It was still sitting in the hay loft of the barn when Mom sold the farm about 5 years ago. He traded the car off for a 64 GTO with a tripower 389.

 

Too bad that Pontiac Division was hasty in not carrying over the unibodies a while longer, using modern Corvair axles. The tooling was there, as well as the V-8's. What did they have to lose?:

 

More money. It's why they allowed the 215 V8 to be sold off, lock, stock and two smoking barrels.

 

Thanks for all the replies . I think I am going to pass on this little wagon as much as I like weird this one may be over the top .