Rare Wagon?

Kinda like a 64 Plymouth wagon, Fury or otherwise, wasn't real "Rare".

I've only ever seen one other one in the flesh.

 

7404 is pretty rare. A '56 Chevy Nomad is considered rare and they made 8103 of them.

Of the 7404 made, I bet there is less than 1000 left on the road.

Bill

 

I bet there is less than that! These were entry-level workhorses that shared very little with other GM cars, and were probably used up, rusted or wrecked and just thrown away at a fairly rapid rate. And it has been 50 years! When was the last time any of us saw one? The first model year? I would bet hen's teeth are more plentiful!

David

 

MANY OF YOU HAVE SUCH HIGH STANDARDS!! Honestly, that car looks pretty good for 50 years. You're lucky you even have a chance at a nice Classic like this. Here, we got nothin unless you count rusted 80s cars-if that.

 

Same here, class. That car is savable and, for SURE, has good parts on it. If that car spent this much time in WI it would be invisible.

 

A few pictures to motivate you.

 

I agree. This looks to be a very restorable wagon. :2_thumbs_up_-_anima

David

 

Just so we're all on the same page, the Tempest IS a transaxle car. The transaxle is a derivative of the Corvair transaxle, with the input shaft at the other end. The available engines were the 194.5 (exactly half a 389) slant four in all three years, the Buick version of the 215 for 61-62, and the Pontiac 326 in 1963.

These are unibody cars and don't have a frame. There is a suspension crossmember in the front that bolts to the unibody with rubber isolators. The RWD Buick and Olds versions (I've got a 62 F-85 wagon) share a lot of parts, but the Tempest is unique from those two in a lot of mechanical areas. The steering, for example, is different. Much of the sheet metal is common for 1961-62 for all three models. Repro parts are virtually non-existent. Steele DOES sell the complete weatherstripping (including the tailgate weatherstrip), however. I can only imagine the reason these are available is because they are common with the Corvair.

It's a very cool car. You never see them. As I noted, a Pontiac V8 bolts right in.

 

I always thought these wagons had some commonality with the Corvair wagon, due to their similar appearance in the greenhouse, but I never saw anything that confirmed it. Thanks, Joe, for solving a mystery.

Is the rear door side glass and quarter glass actually the same?

 

Well, I can see I'm in the minority here, but I yam what I yam: I drooled reading this, picturing a basic 2" X 4" frame, dropped tube axle on coilovers and '57 Pontiac 4.11 rear on parallel leafs, breathed on 455 Pontiac/4-speed combo. A couple of small bucket seats and a basic 4-point rollbar: done. Leave the body as is and enjoy a lightweight, fast, cheap, cool, fun longroof. I'm a Pontiac guy and always wanted to do a street/strip Tempest wagon. Does it show? Heh, heh - guess I got a little excited. Maybe I'll find one like this some day...

 

Don't know if you're old enough to remember Arnie 'The Farmer' Beswick's drag wagon, 'The Grocery Getter', based on a '63 LeMans wagon




http://www.grocerygetterwagon.com/

http://www.ase.com/Template.cfm?Sec...tManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=4990

 

Sure. That was one in a series - I think the first one was called "Mrs. B's Grocery Getter". I've even had a couple brushes with Arnie "The Farmer" at the races,but sadly haven't gotten to know him.
But I don't want to hijack this thread Krash, just wanted to throw out one more way to skin this cat, that's all...

 

The only real issue would be sheet metal and interior stuff. The 4 cylinder is a great motor. They make camshafts for performance and the beauty thing is that a lot of new Pontiac v8 cylinder heads fit that engine. There are guys who race those 4 bangers!!!! That is in great shape for sitting. Almost better condition than my Tempest when I bought it!!

 

wagon

your wagon looks good