Florida wagon

Discussion in 'The Welcome Wagon' started by Claudio, Dec 8, 2018.

  1. Claudio

    Claudio Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2018
    Messages:
    74
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    19
    As you can see it has a little rust...... lol
    Plan on fixing the floors and the tailgate.... then...??
     
  2. Claudio

    Claudio Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2018
    Messages:
    74
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    19
    Also need to try and free up the engine.....
    May just put something different in there for now....... since engine is locked up and I don’t know anything about the transmission.....
     
  3. OrthmannJ

    OrthmannJ Always looking for old ford crew cabs

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2009
    Messages:
    16,018
    Likes Received:
    4,410
    Trophy Points:
    833
    Location:
    Yakima Washington
    I see you have the rare backseat Flinstone's option as well as the standard front seat option.
     
  4. 59 wagon man

    59 wagon man Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2011
    Messages:
    1,480
    Likes Received:
    133
    Trophy Points:
    146
    Wagon Garage:
    1
    Location:
    hollywood fl
    it is interesting to see the differences between the chevy and Pontiac though they share similar chassises. I can see the different dash shape and the rear spare tire and gas tank are definitely different as my gas tang is kinda like a shortened horseshoe
     
  5. Grizz

    Grizz Are we there yet???

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2016
    Messages:
    2,410
    Likes Received:
    982
    Trophy Points:
    398
    Wagon Garage:
    1
    Location:
    Nashville, TN
    The pictures are working see?! CE37117C-10DF-47B2-92E8-47726A280744.jpeg
     
  6. OrthmannJ

    OrthmannJ Always looking for old ford crew cabs

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2009
    Messages:
    16,018
    Likes Received:
    4,410
    Trophy Points:
    833
    Location:
    Yakima Washington
    Grizz likes this.
  7. Claudio

    Claudio Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2018
    Messages:
    74
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    19
    My fuel tank is L shaped........
     
  8. Claudio

    Claudio Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2018
    Messages:
    74
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    19
    Ok interior plan is buckets and a center console...
    Looking for a 1960’s Pontiac console..... and bucket seats.....
    Thank you
     
  9. cutlassmike

    cutlassmike nothing is easy, everything is hard.

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2019
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    30
    Trophy Points:
    29
    Location:
    winnipeg MB
    That is a rusty beast.
    Brace the body, pull it off the frame and have it blasted professionally. A pro blaster has 400+ CFM and most home pressure pot blasters are giving 60-100. No repair can be done with that much surface, scale and perforated rust. Blast it and it 59 on rotisserie.jpg 59 front trunk.jpg ponco rear.jpg will be clean white metal and that is the best and only way to attack a project of this size. Hack out the floor and let the blaster at all the covered bits {body braces, inner rockers}. I did not do that but wish I had as I had to drag to body outside 2 more times to hit it with my blaster. With the body braced you can be cruel when cutting out the floor. Air hammer with a chisel.

    My 59 hard top was similar in condition, not quite as bad.

    Brace the body {A to B pillar and B to C, and side to side} and start with the rockers inner and outer. The floor attaches to that. There will be a short inner rocker brace towards the front, I remade mine full length in a C channel fashion out of 14 gauge. Start with the outer rocker weld it in, make and place the inner brace {c channel} and cap it all with the inner rocker {this can be made easily at a sheet metal shop}. Weld through primer is your friend!! Rockers can be made or bought

    With rockers replaced, do the floor. There is NO saving what I see there. Buy a one piece floor pan. It may have to be wiggled in from the bottom up or loaded from the rear. My HT had enough space with no B pillar.
    Salvage any and all of the under floor braces. If this is built on a Chevy platform {they are in Canada, 7000 series Pontiac} than all the braces are available aftermarket.

    With that done the body will have some structure back.

    Look at the body mounts above the rear axle. These are wagon specific. Hopefully they are usable.

    I would gut the rear cargo area and go nuts with a custom floor. Lose the spare tire well and you don't have to worry about the horse shoe tank. Use a 92+ caprice wagon tank.

    Pics are my 59 post surgery. It got new floors, trunk, rockers, quarters one under brace and a toe board.
    The 60 Poncho is one I bought and sold.
     
  10. cutlassmike

    cutlassmike nothing is easy, everything is hard.

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2019
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    30
    Trophy Points:
    29
    Location:
    winnipeg MB
    Oh, Buckets and console don't fit as well as most people think. Look at the steering wheel location. When buckets are put in these cars and centered with the steering wheel buckets end up extremely close to one another.
    60's buckets are extremely spendy too. There is floor brackets that needs to be found and bought too.
    Consider the bench and the fact you can pull your girl close when you drive.:mischeif:
     
  11. cutlassmike

    cutlassmike nothing is easy, everything is hard.

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2019
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    30
    Trophy Points:
    29
    Location:
    winnipeg MB
    Beautiful wagon by the way I have only ever seen one other. Belongs to a local guy up here in Canada. I'm told it was quite the rust best as well when it was found in a field. 60 poncho wagon.jpg
    All these Poncho wagons are very rare and totally worth saving!
    Is yours Chevy chassis or Pontiac specific?
     
  12. cutlassmike

    cutlassmike nothing is easy, everything is hard.

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2019
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    30
    Trophy Points:
    29
    Location:
    winnipeg MB
    Weld up the X frame. It's stitch welded factory. Connect the dots. There is a mod where people get another upper rear control arm and make the rear suspension 4 link. Kinda neat idea. X frame will never be a corner carver but keeping it will retain value to the car.

    Rebuild the factory suspension with polyurethane energy suspension bushings. Same goes for body mounts, polyurethane. IF ITS A CHEVY chassis all this stuff will be read-ally available. Steering is all MOOG parts.

    I used CPP drop spindles and disk brakes for the front. CPP booster and master, In Line Tube stainless brake lines {made for CPP disks}. Drums on the rear are stock stuff as is the E brake.
     
  13. cutlassmike

    cutlassmike nothing is easy, everything is hard.

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2019
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    30
    Trophy Points:
    29
    Location:
    winnipeg MB
    Are you in Manitoba??
     
  14. cutlassmike

    cutlassmike nothing is easy, everything is hard.

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2019
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    30
    Trophy Points:
    29
    Location:
    winnipeg MB
    That car has a old Manitoba {Canada} plate.
    That means you car is MOST LIKELY a Pontiac 7000 series {look it up VIA google}. Canadian Ponchos shared the same chassis and floor pans as the chevy. It was done to lower costs and spur sales up here in the Great White North. USA cars were far different chassis wise with the wide track and such. That is great news for you!
    Go find a 60 {not 59 they are a bit different} Biscayne, belair or Impala parts car or wagon. The chassis should be identical. Floors, toe boards and under bracing sheet metal will be from Classic Industries. every scrap of suspension, steering, fuel, rear end will be supported by various after market suppliers.

    My 60 2 door post car I posted above is the same deal. I am VERY familiar with these cars. How the hell did it float down to Florida??
     
  15. cutlassmike

    cutlassmike nothing is easy, everything is hard.

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2019
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    30
    Trophy Points:
    29
    Location:
    winnipeg MB
    59 under body.jpg chassis 59.jpg

    This under body shot will be very close to what you have. First 3/4 of the car any way. Wagon body will be quite different toward the ass end. all those braces under the floor {EXCEPT for the one-piece brace, right before the rear axle well, that one is 59/convertible specific} are available from Classic Industries. Those braces weld to the bottom of the floor and the inner rocker. That is why the rockers need doing first.
    I had a 1959 2 door Chevy Brookwood wagon project for a spell. It was too far gone for me at the time. I should have saved it. It was worse than yours condition wise.

    Chassis will be a dead nut ringer for what you have. mounting for the bumpers should be the only changes. I used ALL the stock control arms, rear end, steering, drums, cross-members, sway bars {off an actual Impala Bel Air had none} and motor mounts {V8 and straight six mounts are different}. Everything for this chassis is rebuild-able. Note the body mounts, Energy Suspension polyurethane as is all the bushings in the car.
    There is a kit for a guy called ScareBird who makes a disk brake kit for these stock spindles. Uses a bunch of brackets, spacers and bolts to mount a set of 70-80 Camaro disks and metric calipers {might be 70-80 Camaro calipers, I forget}. A great way of being safer and saving cash. WAY cheaper than CPP set up.
     

Share This Page