1959 & 1960 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible Barn Finds! Will They Drive After 30 Years?
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- Опубліковано 17 чер 2024
- We bought these two 1959 and 1960 Pontiac Bonneville Convertibles from a farmer in central Nebraska who had them in his shed for over 30 years. We were able to buy seven old Pontiacs from him. His father bought the cars in the late 80s and early 90s. His son had no recollection of any of the cars running since his father bought them. The 1959 has license plates from 1984 and the 1960 has plates from 1979, which is likely the last time these cars were driven. Both are 389 4 barrel cars with automatic transmissions. The 1960 is a bucket seat car, which is fairly rare. There were 11,426 convertibles made in 1959 and 17,062 made in 1960, making them both fairly rare cars. In this video, I try to get them running and driving for the first time in at least 30 years!
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3hrs... Ok Im game, but im gonna need more pizza and beer.
Just found your channel and for the most part I like what I see. HOWEVER it is a 389 cubic inch V-8 NOT a 5 HP Briggs and Stratton lawnmower engine. It REQUIRES gas to run. You weren't giving it enough gas down it's throat to get a lawnmower to fire up.... especially for how long it has been sitting. I started reviving old cars nearly 40 years ago and have learned that the longer a vehicle has sat the more gas it takes to get it to run again. An old timer who taught me a lot about reviving engines that sat unused for years said the ports dried out and need to get a light coating of gas in them to re-pickle them. Whether he was right or not, I have noticed that it will take more gas to get one running after sitting 30 years than it does on one that had been sitting for 2 years.
Yes sir it takes more gas it's blowing it around the rings into the oil hit it with 24 volts get a spinning faster give her plenty of juice and she'll go woohoo hoo good luck in life everyone
Amen. I was cringing during the start up thinking about all the damage that was being done to the starter and motor.
The extra gas in the cylinders is probably just helping the rings seal. Could achieve the same thing with ATF and it might even help loosen them up again.😊
Where are you located ? Still snow on the ground and no leaves on the trees. It was 91 degrees or so here today. Williamsburg ky
Commented prior to end of video. I see the leaves now.
Some takeaways and "One To Grow Ons". 1. Fill up the carburetor through the vent tubes to keep the wear down on the starter and battery. 2. Remove the old loose dirt and stuffing from the interior while wearing a mask to avoid getting hantavirus( from mouse droppings) or encephalitis(brain swell due to virus that can kill you).3. Old brake linings from cars of this era had asbestos in them. Once it is in your lungs it's deadly...wear a protective mask. Lastly, go ahead and clean off the outside of your newly acquired heap to get the nasties out and keep your workclothes a bit cleaner.
These vehicles were not common even when new. Really cool to see them. I look forward to seeing them restored.
Just found the channel. Love it....cept for the gas part......GIVE IT SUM GAS WHEN TRYING TO START AN ENGINE BEEN SITTING!!!! 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks! Was worried about flooding them, but I was shaking my head at myself when I was editing the video lol
Hi- Good finds. Might be an idea to squirt some marvel mystery oil down the plug holes and give it time to soak, before cranking to prevent breaking rings rusted to the cylinder walls. May save rebuilding the engine. And an oil change with a good oil like penzoil which uses pensylvania oils (or used to anyway) that have superior lubrication abilities. The old oil may have lost its ability to properly lubricate and will be diluted with condensation, meaning water mixed in. I wish you well on the journey!
I appreciate it! The marvel in the cylinders is a great trick. That's freed up many engines for me. And I try to be a stickler on oil too! Everything gets plenty of zinc
Two killer barn-finds and thanks or sharing the journey. They're complete, they run (mostly) and should be easy sells to good homes.
You need to get a power washer
Excellent content. Pure mechanics. Nothing fluffy. Admirable work ethics.
I've subscribed. Thanks 👍
I appreciate it! There's more where this came from
Jealous as! Awesome cars!!!
Thanks! The 59 has turned out to be a great driver.
Nice to see some old Ponchos being saved. Keep the content coming. Really enjoy your channel
Lucky finds take good care of them. Keep them like they are
I appreciate it!
Fill the bowls ffs
Oh man 2 old converts. U win !
Amazing finds for sure awesome video🎉
Thank you much!
Hello from England. I’m an artist but in recent years watched tons of car maintenance videos. This was particularly wonderful and seeing you diligently resolve problems or work arounds to resolve issues. The icing on the cake is the dusty beauty of old machines from an era of esthetic not now seen. Bringing 2 beauties back to life. Wonderful. Cheers John
My dad had a '59 brand new back in the day, it was his pride and joy, but it was gone in '62 for a brand new Grand Prix.
Those Grand Prixs are really cool cars!! I don't have any 64 or earlier GPs yet
Great to see loved the Pontiac's, worked at Executive Pontiac in early to mid 70's my favorites are 59 Bonneville's. Looking forward to upcoming videos 🥰🇺🇲
I really liked the 59....I miss mine
Well done. Nice to see the old gals getting saved and not crushed. Once that happens we all lose.
Love the 59's with those wild fins. Hope you can give these old girls and new lease on life.
Great find on both congratulations
Thank you much!
Born and Raised a Ford guy but I always loved Pontiacs. Always though model for model Pontiacs where better looking than their GM counterparts........until the Aztec.....lol.
I agree with you there! I have a 78 Camaro and Trans Am, and the TA is a lot more fun to look at!
I'd paint it myself very light powder blue ! That's my signature color
that would look good on the 60!
The radios on both cars have tubes so you have leave on it little bit to let it warm up
The bengine isnt making enough vacuum for the brake booster. Run some dea foam down the carb . Loosen the rings.
I'm going to try that! Thank you! Seemed like the booster wasn't working even though it's rebuilt, so that makes sense
Very cool 🤙 I have a 60 hdtp
Sharp cars! I have one as well. It'll be on a future episode
Nice work!
great vid I want both of them !!!!
60 Pontiac is one of y favorites.
The fuel sending unit looks exactly like the one for my '60 Impala. It wouldn't surprise me that GM used the same sending unit for Pontiac- might want to check that out if your gauge doesn't work. If you 'upgrade' to roller bearings by using '62-'66 hubs (spindles are the same, just remove the ball bearing races) you can avoid having to search for the older style ball bearing hub seals, too- found that out working on my buddy's '61 Catalina. Great episode!!
I was thinking the same thing. I’ll bet that workshop manual you have tells you the ohm rage for the sender. I’m sure you can find another sender, either GM or VDO or something that you can replace it with. You may need to swap or modify the arm or something and you may need to move swap it from the new pickup to the original but I’ll bet you can find something you can replace the existing sending unit itself with. It is really nice to have a fuel gauge.
Thank you much! I got lucky that the sender works! That's great to know that spindles are the same. I have some parts cars I can rob them off of.
@@ChiefClassics awesome!! all those senders are essentially is a potentiometer that varies the resistance to ground. If you can get the contacts clean they’ll usually work. A trick I’ve had really good luck with on electronics is to use a little toilet bowl cleaner and toothbrush on the contacts, then rinse them clean with contact cleaner and put a little dielectric grease on to protect them. It eats up the corrosion on copper and brass instantly.
Way cool!
Just started to watch your video on the two bonenviles.
Great video on them glad your going to save them.
My mother had Pontiac she had a convertible 1967 like you have and hers was navy blue
The 60is bomb. So beautiful. I'm not into wings but the 59is sweet too.
Good video. Excellent picking up the two cars. Are you going to rebuild the original carb and put it back on the car. Love the video keep on rocking
Thank you much! I personally won't rebuild it. It likely needs the bushings replaced. But I put the old carb in the trunk so that it doesn't get mixed up with the hundred others laying around. It would be nice to put the original back on, but for the sake of time, the Edelbrock was the easiest option.
You got the hydramatic jetaway 4spd transmission in the 60.
The roto hydramatic (slim Jim) did not come until 1961.
Thanks for the info! I get them confused
Yes back in the day oil filters were sometimes changed every other oil change
It was common practice to change the filter every other oil change back in the day.
That's an interesting fact! Always love to see the 50s and older engines with the aftermarket add-on oil filters
Those Pontiacs are worth restoring back with a new transformation n new upholstery n rechrome the chrome n a new paint job on both of them they're worth the investment yes classics are worth investing into these are made like army tanks. Not the cheap tin they use to build today
Pretty cool to see your messing with old car still man.
Nice heard!!
I’m an impala guy, but these pontiacs share so many similarities it’s crazy.. you do good work sir !!! Where you located out of ???
Thank you much! I'm no pro, but I'm learning! I'm in Nebraska
As a ‘Boomer’ remember when these were shiny and new ! Wow, time passes so quickly.
Your booster needs going through . I had exactly the same problem on my 60 Pontiac . The boosters are very simple when you open them up and when I put mine back together ,, bam instantly had brakes that nearly put me through the window . All you have to do is lightly touch the pedal .
It was rebuilt but another gentleman made mention of that 60 possibly not making enough vacuum to operate it. Honestly the hardest part of this process was trying to figure out how the booster and master went together! That was the first time I've dealt with that style
Nice
My oldest brother had a 59 very much like what you have same color and a drop top, beautiful car. I was about 8 or 9 back then I guess it was 1969/70 that's when my love of Pontiacs was born. unfortunately, he smacked it up he was a little crazy back then, and young so not blaming anyone. if the radiator support and right finder and right grill look a little newer, I found his car!! LOL! only kidding we were living in N.J. at the time. nice to see that you are bringing these beauty's back to life keep up the great work!
I appreciate it! It was tough, but I'm glad they move themselves around now! The 59 turned out to be a great driver
The transmission in both cars is a Dual Coupling 4 Speed Hydramatic. Definitely not a Roto Hydramatic or Slim Jim.
Toyota also uses the pink antifreeze as well. GM usually uses the orange DexCool in their equipment 😊
I agree you need to give it more gas in the float bowel. Also you need to check your fuel pump.
Back to the Future🔥👌✨️
fantastic job enjoy them and just drive the wheels off
Nice cars! My dad has a ‘60 Tri-power wide track convertible same color combo! Actually, exterior looks more like the ‘59 color but it’s hard to tell on a video screen and with all the dust. Keep it up!
Dang that's a hot rod! I have a tri-power setup for it. We'll see if I ever get around to installing it!
@@ChiefClassics you definitely should. It’s just cool to say it has and to see. The original air cleaner hides it though. He puts the original on for shows but runs a triple air cleaner setup normally. He was 16 when they came out and always loved them so he hunted one down a handful of years ago. He ended up finding this one that had been restored by a Pontiac Dealer for their showroom where it spent a number of years.
@@andrewnajarian5994 Dang he got pretty fortunate there! Bet it's a great example of a car. Yeah it's a bummer the stock filters hide all the beauty underneath!
My dad had a 59 Impala he likes his old cars and a 1966 Bonneville it would run like the wind he was never afraid to get down it every vehicle he own he would open that four barrel and rile them horses up under that hood he resting in peace in lowndes county Alabama 😢
Them old school cars bring back old memories my neighbor when we stayed in Detroit Michigan had junk yard he crush so many old cars they are classic now if you can find them ps they were in great shape he just wanted them dollars bills ge is long passed away now
It's alive its alive the okd girl runs pretty smooth
I miss my white 59 star chief!
The 59 check your timing and fire order could be 180 off also check compression or move distributor a little bit
My father talks about a 60 boniville convertible that he use to have with a 389 tri power fastest thing on the road in the day
I cant believe that starter didn't self destruct....you weren't giving one cylinder enough fuel to ignite let alone 8!
Jeff... you're falling victim to thinking in today's terms about yesterday's cars. Adding one hundred thousand miles to a northern climate convertible is likely the wrong assumption. I grew up in this era. and a car that rolled a 5 place odometer over was extremely rare. Three to five years, then trade. My Father would change the oil filter every other oil change, and that was not an unusual example of the thought processes of the time. Tolerances were greater, lubricants were less protective. Even the best maintained cars were burning some oil by the time 40,000 rolled up on the clock. The interstate system was no yet complete or in large scale use, and a 300 mile trip took 8 to 10 hours. The odometers ended at 100,000 for a reason, my friend. Good content, though. Keep going and keep growing. I always love the "wide track" thing, and Pontiac always had some of the best looking machines on the road.
Hey. Um tell me year of black poncho conv. My Mom Had one. Is it like 64 I got a drop top Grand Prix. I like. Didn't pay a dime ,just got a 46 olds running. It's says 55,000. Mikes. I got the 400 running. Yeah turbo 4090trans. Designed By Mr Delorean. Yeah poncho s are cool
Apparently pontiac starters are troopers.
Starting fluid and it will fire right up I'd sure hat you working on my car
Not too bad
I have a 59 with 1406 carb but ran a spacer on carb
That's what I'm going to do from here on out. Found out 1406 needs a little more space for the butterflies
Love your video you know that sixty if brake pedal is that hard
The booster is not working you may have send back but of course check the vacuum on it
I've owned a lot of old Pontiacs and I always run automated plugs they run much better with that brand in them at keast for me anyway
Rotor buton looks new 😮
My parents had a 60 and a 66 Catalina wagons. Brother had a 61 Catalina rag top and a 66 Bonneville rag top with a 421 4 speed and 8 lug wheels
That's some good stuff! Love the 8 lugs. We have a 65 wagon 421HO 4 speed with 8 lugs that will be on a future video
@@ChiefClassics The 65 Bonneville Convertible my brother had with the 421- 4 speed was red with white top and white leather bucket seat interior, reverb radio, dual exhaust with the old Tiger mufflers, and an engine that was built up about as far as it could be and still be streetable. It would put the tires up in smoke better than anything else I have ever seen to this day.
@@ChiefClassics I wish I could get another 66 Catalina wagon.
@@ChiefClassics do you have any information on the 66 Pontiac 389 All Fuel Engine?
@@ChiefClassicsLooking forward to seeing that one, Jeff. Loving the '59 and 60 too.
Fell asleep with UA-cam on. Woke up wondering if this is the first youtube car show thats fixed a car by doing nothing but turning it over for an hour or more straight. Not gonna rewatch to find out but im certain ive never heard anything like that before.
I'll bet I still have a flex tool that fit in that Allen head screw
I have two of them and the dwell meter that me and my dad used to tune up his 98 Oldsmobiles
Glad you said that! I forgot I have one somewhere. Came with bits for tuning carburetors as well
Your suppose to use a dwell meter to set those
They used to make a universal fuel sending unit that you could adjust for homemade tanks and so forth. Don't they make them anymore and wouldn't one of them work in your fuel tank?
Enough going to destroy that starter use some starting fluid
Yes it is a 4 speed hydromatic
My birth year cars
The radioes are tube and never time to warm up when you turn them on
i think you should pull the plugs and put some oil down there
Lookin at you turning the crank on that 389? I'm betting it needs a timing chain kit.....just sayin, that's how I found out mine was worn
You need to back the rockers back off that you tightened up you got the valves open so it has no compression
It needs some timeing too
Put the fender skirts on
Is the choke semi closed.
I’m like give it a good drink. It’s not a weed eater.
You screwed the valves all up twisting on them
Hook up temporary fuel line.
Watching this guy pouring gas into this motor what else did he expect of course when it's not firing where did he think the gas was going ...he is killing this motor and starter sounds like note enough spark
get some starting flude at parts store..
Far 61 to 63 bonneville
Use some starting fluid
Must have a shit load of starters.😮
Sounds like timing
If it,s not even firing does he think the more he turns it over it's going to fix itself it hurt my insides to hear that dry motor turning over and over ,over over fix the problem 1st if it doesn't fire there's an issue did he even adjust or check points I did not se him do that or maybe dry rotted wires
It should have 4 its a 4 speed hydromatic
What's the price for the 60 Bonneville ..?? Thanks
Toyota uses pink AC fluid
Your going to tighten them valves till it has no compression at all why are you doing this when starting fluid will make it run
And of course you need carb gasket
Ps you sound like chris will it start nnkh
Um how about a fuel supply?
Bad booster?
Will you give the poor t h ing some starting fluid with some chain saw gas
Hola desde la argentima quiero uno jeje jeje hermosos autos. Un sueño si uno fuera mio lo dejaría 0km y nunca lo. Vendería por nada ❤❤❤❤❤
What is wrong with you starting fluid and it will run that old starter is going to die if you keep it up it needs more octain when the compression is low