1951 Pontiac Chieftain

I bought a 51 Pontiac Chieftain back in February of 2013 this is what it looked like when I bought it. The previous owner put chrome wheels on it so he could just drive it around. The car is completed all the way down to the paperwork from the dealer. The car runs great it doesn't smoke or burn oil it just needed some work to get it back road worthy again.

Nice looking car. Seems to be all there and in pretty good condition. Will be a nice driver. Welcome to the forum. Keep us posted on your progress.

Thanks this is what the car looked like for awhile sitting on jack stands And how I spent alot of Friday nights working on it.

I pulled the front and rear end apart to replace the wheel cylinders and brake shoes. And to also replace the leaf spring bushings and shackles. To be 62 years old I'm surprised at how good of a shape the old car is in!

very nice find, pontiac wasn't lying when they advertise these as being built to last 100,000 miles.

charles l. coker

1953 pontiac tech advisor

tech advisor coordinator

poci

Nice looking car indeed! Good luck with the project!

Great words from Charles...Pontiac wasn't lying about the 100,000 miles, if they would only know that a lot of those cars are still on the road today, price most likely would have been three times of that what they used to sell them for! :cool:

Seeing the pictures of your car reminded me of a time around the very early nineteen sixties when my uncle's neighbor had a Pontiac very much like yours, it was light gray with a darker gray top, sitting in his backyard for use as a parts car (it wasn't illegal back then) for his daily driven aqua blue Pontiac of similar vintage. All that was missing that I could see were both headlight bulbs. As a young lad, when my parents were visiting the relatives, I would spend the entire time playing in the neighbor's parts car. My dad wasn't sure if I had permission to play there, so at some point, when he saw the neighbor, he asked if it was okay. The neighbor verified that I had permission, and told my dad that if he needed or wanted any parts, that he was welcome to them. My dad seized the opportunity and, borrowing a wrench from my uncle, removed the hood ornament. When we returned back home, he mounted the hood ornament on the front of my pedal tractor, which was a perfect fit and looked really cool. Now, whenever I attend a car show and see an early fifties Pontiac with that hood ornament, I remember my pedal tractor and, conversely, when I see a pedal tractor at a flea market or swap meet, I think of that old Pontiac.

Seeing the pictures of your car reminded me of a time around the very early nineteen sixties when my uncle's neighbor had a Pontiac very much like yours, it was light gray with a darker gray top, sitting in his backyard for use as a parts car (it wasn't illegal back then) for his daily driven aqua blue Pontiac of similar vintage. All that was missing that I could see were both headlight bulbs. As a young lad, when my parents were visiting the relatives, I would spend the entire time playing in the neighbor's parts car. My dad wasn't sure if I had permission to play there, so at some point, when he saw the neighbor, he asked if it was okay. The neighbor verified that I had permission, and told my dad that if he needed or wanted any parts, that he was welcome to them. My dad seized the opportunity and, borrowing a wrench from my uncle, removed the hood ornament. When we returned back home, he mounted the hood ornament on the front of my pedal tractor, which was a perfect fit and looked really cool. Now, whenever I attend a car show and see an early fifties Pontiac with that hood ornament, I remember my pedal tractor and, conversely, when I see a pedal tractor at a flea market or swap meet, I think of that old Pontiac.

what a cool story larry, thanks for sharing, any pictures of the pedal tractor and the hood ornament ??

Sorry, I wish I had some pictures, but this was way before digital cameras. As usual, I had fallen in love with that car, and I do recall fantasizing about what I would've done if I owned the car. I'd paint it gloss black with a red top, wide white walls with red rims and '57 Plymouth style hubcaps with white mud flaps all the way around. (Remember, this was early sixties). Dual exhaust with chrome tips, Kitty cat in the rear window with blinking eyes tied to the directionals, red and white tuck and roll upholstery ........oops, here I go again!

Larry,

Nice save, and it shows that it is possible to join the hobby in today/s economy. I have a nice set of full wheel covers for this. Will sell cheap. Email me to prs518@Live.com, if you want pics or are interested.

Thanks for the complements no back to the work on the car. After driving it on the wheels the previous owner put on it I decided it was time to put the factory wheels and hub caps back on it.

the rear of the car looks to be sitting higher now.

Yeah it had air shocks on it so the aftermarket wheel could fit in the fender wells.

Hey Guest 51Pontiac, any updates since 2015?

I just rescued a 51 Chieftain the same as yours and am in the process of getting it road ready. Would be interested to get your advice. 

51Pontiac_TheCat,scroll down to the Pontiac forum.There is a lot to look at there.Also,there are plenty of older threads in this forum to see.