It's interesting to see how many old Ponchos came within inches of being turned into scrap. Fred Paget's 1968 Parisienne is one such vehicle. Luckily Fred is a wise fellow who had the foresight to see what a great car it could be. It's been 31 years since Fred rescued this car from the crusher and with the help of a 2+2 that was well beyond saving, he has transformed it into the beautiful car you see here. Let's find out more about this Parisienne from Fred:
First, a disclosure so no one gets misled here.
This car is not an original factory built 2+2. It is a combination of parts
from several cars, one of which was an original 2+2. More on that later.
My car was, originally sold at the former Ron May Pontiac - Buick
dealership at 147 Prince Street, Sydney, NS and was put in service on Oct.
04, 1968.
The first owner didn't waste much time getting to Alberta. He resold it to
a gent in Medicine Hat on Feb. 24, 1969. The warranty transfer was
completed at the former Jack Stephenson Pontiac - Buick located at 1450
Trans Canada Hwy., at which time a new "Protect-o-plate" was issued.
The second owner kept the car until sometime in the 1970s when he gave it
to his daughter who in turn sold it to my brother in Calgary on Feb. 27,
1981 for the princely sum of $750.00. The odometer reading at that time was
133,900 miles.
Brother kept the car until 1986 and since he had bought a Honda Prelude, [
of all things ] he asked me if I wanted the Pontiac. If not, he said he
would send it to the crusher since he was unable to sell it. Consequently,
for the sum of $1.00 to make it legal, I became the next owner (some days
I have wished I had never agreed to take it).
The car in its original form came in Palomino Ivory, not a very popular
color it seems. Alberta Registries called it "green". The interior was, as
close as we could guess Ivy Gold.
Options included the 275 hp 327 engine mated to a TH 400 auto trans with a
3.08 open rear end. Probably single exhaust also. Other options were PS,
belts, full wheel discs and fender skirts. There was also an aftermarket AC
unit on it when I got it. It had a compressor the size of a one-lunger
motorbike engine on it that likely took ten HP away from the engine.
I didn't do anything with the car until 1992 at which time I decided to
rebuild the engine. It was pretty tired by then with around 162,000 miles
on the clock.
Had the block tanked, magnafluxed, bored with new pistons fitted, deck
surface cleanup planed, crank turned, new oil pump, cam and lifters, timing
chain and gears. Heads were in bad shape so reassembled with a good set off
a '71 pickup just to get it running.
It sat until '97 while I hunted for a good left quarter panel to replace
the rusted original.I discovered around that time just what orphans
Canadian Pontiac's really are when it comes to finding body parts. Finally
found a good one in a North Dakota junkyard on a Parisienne from
Saskatchewan. How's that for chasing your tail?
Finally got a painter pal to throw a quick paint job on it in 2000 and got
to drive it after owning it for 14 years! As an aside there was no recorded
formula for the paint since it was originally lead based. I contacted
Dupont and they graciously concocted a recipe that was almost perfect.
I found the 2+2 while on a job up in the Peace Country in 2002. It was
forlornly sitting by the road in front of a farmer's place so I asked him
if it was for sale and it was. I gave him $500.00 and towed it home on
Christmas eve - my present to myself.
I figured out pretty quickly that this old dog was never going chasing
rabbits again. It was completely rusted out; frame, body, and all. The
good news was the parts which made it a 2+2 were all there except for a
couple of wheel discs.
It was pretty bare of options beyond the 2+2 with only a 327 (which didn't
run), TH 400, AM, PS, PB, and lots of dead mice.
Now I don't know what other guys would do, but I took all of those parts, refurbished, and re-upholstered them, and added them all to my car. You might say "clone" or "Tribute", but I just regard them as "an owner installed option" and in doing so there is one old 2+2 that is still around (and it has more options than the original).
I had the heads from the 2+2 rebuilt with new bronze guides, springs, and hardened seats two years ago and gave her a real good going over. I also had her repainted last year. The present odometer reading is 165,074 miles.
And that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Hope you guys and gals like the results. To any pilots out there; this build was really "From the Ground Up"!
Thanks to Todd for allowing me to tell my story and for featuring my car. It is an honor!
63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
Great transformation and restoration! What a beaut.
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
This story and restoration is what the old car hobby is supposed to be about. Saving cars using special optional parts correctly on a good restorable project car from a car headed to the scrap yard. Congratulations saving more Canadian history.
This story and restoration is what the old car hobby is supposed to be about. Saving cars using special optional parts correctly on a good restorable project car from a car headed to the scrap yard. Congratulations saving more Canadian history.
Al
Exactly. There are those who turn up their noses at the mention of the word "clone". Every time I look at this car at the top of the page today, I don't think "clone", I think "60's Pontiacs have some of the most beautiful lines of any car ever made".
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars (now converted to a "factory" 4 speed)
To all you guys and gal [thanks, Wild Cherry] who have made such kind comments about my old girl, thank you ever so much. I appreciate them very much. There were periods, long ones when I thought I would never get the car built and back on the Queen's Highway. For a long time it was just a shelf for me and my Buds to set our beer on but, anyone who attempts to do that now had better be ready to defend themselves.
I tried to build the car as close to the way it would have come from the factory if I had ordered it back then. In 1968 I could afford a Malibu [which I bought] but not a dressed 2+2 Parisienne so, this is my car I would have had, only 50 years later. Also it is a pretty good illustration of what an unmodified power train looked like just for comparison sake. [except for the truck air filter]
Just as you all know, these cars are never really finished. I still have a few things to tweak here and there but, all things considered, I'm pretty satisfied that all the hours spent on it were worth it when I read your kind comments. It's just one of many cool and beautiful cars that the members of this site own and showcase here. [ Shout out here to all you '68 Parisienne owners ] Keep 'em coming folks - lets see more example of the had work and dedication of all the members here,
Once again, thanks to Todd for the hours of his precious time to provide and maintain this site.