Great Resto Candidate Must Go: 1966 Pontiac Bonneville






















Today at the Gildea/Lynch property was a bit somber; another car was sold from our collection: a 1965 Rambler American 330 four-door sedan. Sold to two guys from northern Kentucky, seeing the Rambler go was a bittersweet sight; my family had hoped to build up the car as a daily driver, but that never happened. On the other side of the coin, however, I'm glad somebody will actually give the car the proper attention it deserves. Having said that, I now need a new project car, and vintage Pontiac cars have caught my fancy recently. A bit out of my price range but still cool nonetheless is this 1966 Pontiac Bonneville two-door hardtop, which already has the appearance of a street-racing bruiser. Find it here on Craigslist in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with an asking price of $5,800.


















After a full redesign in 1965, Pontiac's Bonneville continued with minimal changes for 1966. The Bonneville was the top-trim for Pontiac's full-size lineup for the 1966 model year. This Bonneville is a two-door hardtop model, and is one of 42,004 cars built for 1966. Resplendent in Montero Red, there is a bit of rust on the rocker panels and on the lower edges of the fenders, but otherwise the car is fairly solid. The dual mirrors and Torque-Thrust wheels make for an aggressive look, as does the Montero Red paint. I would repair and or replace any rusty metal, repaint the car in its factory color, source the chrome headlight surrounds, and wrap the Torque-Thrusts in bias-look radial tires.





















Taking a peek under the hood, you'll notice a 389 four-barrel V8 residing in the engine bay. The 389 came in two forms: in 325 horsepower and 333 horsepower form. Backed by the three-speed TH-400 automatic, this Bonneville's drivetrain recently had been inspected top to bottom and is said to run and drive perfectly. I would detail the drivetrain and drive this car with gusto, laying down the occasional burnout on the asphalt roads.





















In my personal opinion, Pontiac made the best looking interiors in terms of 1960s muscle cars. Inside, a black bench seat and column shift interior highlights this Pontiac Bonneville. There is a slight rip in the front seat, and unfortunately a picture of the back seat is not provided. Otherwise, the interior presents very well, and I love the woodgrain gauge surround that contrasts nicely with the black vinyl interior. I would fix the rip and detail and clean up the interior. Overall, this Pontiac Bonneville has a lot of potential, and if bought for the right price would make for a nice cruise night and car show attendee. Waht are your thoughts on this driveable 1966 Pontiac Bonneville two-door hardtop project?
Location: West Chester, PA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ghost in the Machine: 1996 Callaway Supernatural 450 C9 Impala SS

Image
After my brother briefly drove my dad's 455-equipped 1975 Trans Am and found out how terrible it was on gas, he switched to a 1995 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 decked out to look like an Impala SS. Furthermore, my dad worked at a junkyard where the owner has a 1995 Callaway C9 sitting in his yard, albeit rotting away. To summarize, I've been a huge fan of 1994-1996 Impala SSs for a long time now, especially ones modified by Callaway. This 1996 Impala SS is not only a Callaway C9, it's also been upgraded to a Supernatural 450 model. Find it here on Hemmings in Leesburg, Virginia, with an asking price of $50,000 obo. After getting his start as a driving instructor for Bob Bondurant's driving school in 1973, Reeves Callaway got his start in modifying cars by making turbocharger kits for BMW through Car and Driver's Don Sherman. After Sherman told Callaway that he had neither the manpower nor the equipment to build the turbos, Callaway founded C...
Read more

T-Topped G-Body: 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix

Image
One of the coolest options that I hope will return to production one day are T-tops. Last used in the early 2000s, T-tops were the practical and economic way to enjoy the great outdoors while driving without the fuss and worries of the convertible. It would be really cool to see a new six-gen Camaro or Mustang (heck, even the Challenger would look cool) to feature T-tops from the factory, but until then, take the wildcard route and buy this needy 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix. Find it here on Craigslist in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with an asking price of $1,595. After a full redesign in 1978, Pontiac's G-body Grand Prix was given a major facelift in 1981. The sheetmetal was given a more aerodynamic design, the tail section was revised, and a new grille was fitted. This 1981 Grand Prix is a LJ model, and is one of 46,842 cars built for the year. Painted a two-tone blue, the grille is cracked, the landau roof needs replacing, the bumper...
Read more

Mint Baja: 1991 Chevrolet S10 4X4

Image
There are certain vehicles that one rarely sees in nice, unmolested condition out on the road. Finding one for sale, however, is like trying to find the proverbial needle-in-the-haystack. One of those vehicles is the Chevrolet S10, especially 1982 to 1993 versions. An even harder version of the S10 to find is the Baja appearance package, which is a rare sight in any condition, let alone one as clean as this truck is. Find it here on Craigslist in Dallas, PA, for $13,750. Introduced in 1988, the Baja was an appearance option that was available on any S10 that had four-wheel drive. Available in Midnight Black, Apple Red and Frost White, the Baja option included  a roll bar with off-road lights, a front tubular grille guard with fog lights, a tubular rear bumper, an under-body shield package (transfer case shield, front differential shield, fuel tank shield, oil pan/steering linkage shields), a suspension package, a Chevrolet windshield ...
Read more