1950 Pontiac Chieftain/Streamliner

[Guest Deroct53]

All,

 

I recently acquired a 1950 Pontiac. I am looking for some insight on what model it is and what is out there for restoration. It is my girlfriends grandfathers car and would be incredible to restore it as original as possible. Also my own grandfather was a mechanic and classic car fanatic which would be nice to see his face knowing his grandson restored a classic car. Attached are some pictures. What I know- 1950 Pontiac, 6 cylinder. Best of my knowledge- either a Chieftain or Streamliner (I believe it is a Streamliner), base, Bershire green exterior, grey two tone interior. The questions I have are- where can I find new floor pans? Are there new bumpers available or is it best to fabricate the originals and have them re-chromed? Are there any parts out there available for these vehicles? And if so where? 

[GARY F]

it looks like a solid car. bumpers get rechromed. the floor pan you might have to make unless you find a slavage yard in Hemmings that has old pontiacs which there are.  if you join POCI you get there monthly mag. that has parts for sale also there are specialist for all pontiac years that you can tap for info.

[Bleach]

There might be some good info here: http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/64820/

[unimogjohn]

You are probably looking at about $30 to 35K to do a restoration back to driver quality.  If you decided to do a frame off I would budget $60K.  And this is doing a lot of the work yourself.  You have to be prepared financially to do the car before you start, or it may only live in boxes when you get tired of it or run out of time, money and steam to finish it.  I have seen so many cars started and not finished, and they they just left to rust or rot, or go to the junkyard in the sky.  Just my honest opinion.  Good luck on what you decide to do.  

Edited April 28, 2016 by unimogjohn
original estimates were to low (see edit history)

[keiser31]

The script on the left front fender shows the model.

[D Yaros]

3 hours ago, keiser31 said:

The script on the left front fender shows the model.

 

Looks like a Silver Streak to me?

 

 

Google seems to think there are a lot of sources for parts for it?  Google search -

[keiser31]

Yes, it does.

[lalautze]

You have a Pontiac Chieftain.  There should be a tag on the firewall/cowl which would list the model, trim, and color numbers.  You will need Pontiac manuals to decode or post the information online for others to decode for you.

 

No one make new bumpers, either you will need to search out used bumpers or repair the ones you have.  Also I don't think you will find new floor pans specific to the Pontiac but you may be able to make Chevrolet pans fit.  There are people out there that have had to deal with this, I have not.  Most mechanical parts are not too hard find but the Pontiac specific trim can be a challenge if you need to replace anything.

 

There are a few clubs dedicated to the older Pontiacs: the Oakland-Pontiac Worldwide Region of AACA http://www.oaklandpontiacworldwide.com and the Early Times Chapter of POCI (Pontiac Oakland Club International) http://www.earlytimeschapter.org

 

If you are in need of some specific information let me know as I have some reference books that would apply.

[Guest Deroct53]

Thank you all for your insight so far. This has been a lot of help. The car runs, and drives fine, needs some TLC. Only a couple spots are rusted through (passenger door, rear bumper) that need to be fabbed. Paint. Polish and rechrome $$$. All new interior $$$$ (minus the dash). And a new passenger side floor pan (not sure if they others need to be replaced yet or not).

[Yellowriv]

All, I can add to the excellent advice here is to hasten slowly and DON'T pull it apart, that has been death to so many old cars, as Unimogjohn says. My advice? Dont paint it. Neutralise the door rust, fix the floor, replace the rear bar with one that isnt rechromed so it looks consistent with the rest of the car. Clean it up, put some tyres on it and get it driving nicely. Then, stand back and think about where to next.

At least this way, if you change your mind, you will have something to sell and you won't have over capitalised, much.....

 

John

[Guest jnr49]

looks like a good start as its all complete and a nice car overall with lots of potential whether you go all out with the build or just fix it up just to drive like yellowriv said.

Your at a better start them myself as i brought my pontiac fastback in bits, body off chasiss etc.

Good luck with it all, at least its easier to find parts in your own backyard, very hard to find anything here.

[Spinneyhill]

It seems to me there are two ways to restore a car. One is to completely dismantle and start at the bottom. This can be very disheartening as you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel for a very long time. You must be strong minded to do this. I think this is where many restorations go astray. You also need deep pockets.

 

The other is to take off a piece, fix it and put it back. Then do another piece. And so on. You also need to be strong with this method, else you just keep taking off pieces and don't finish any of them. This way you can do a little as time and finances permit and the car stays more or less in one piece.

 

Either way you really need to keep focused. In my opinion, it is easiest if you are "tidying" a running car. You get some gratification as you go along, being able to drive it at least intermittently while working on it. It is also good if you are a novice like me. You learn about one piece and job at a time rather than being swamped with what there is to do.

 

Oh, most importantly, take lots and lots of photographs. You will NOT remember how it came apart.