I'm looking at a Canadian 52 Pontiac 2 door sedan. It was painted 15+ years ago. Using a fridge magnet, it appears to have bondo in the lower doors, rear quarters, and the inner/outer rockers need replacement. The floors have been fiberglassed and the trunk has flat steel riveted in. Some of the body mounts are rotten as well. But it's a complete car(6 cylinder not stuck) with decent chrome and was running and safetied in 2016. The asking price is $2500 but I think the seller will go lower. My big concern is in regardss to availability of replacemnt sheet metal. Especially the floors, mounts, and trunk. Will 49-54 Chevy panels work on it? At the price, should I snap it up? Just not real familar with these early 50's models.
i would think the panels for chev and canpont are quite different body mounts are pricey,i think there are alot of them 4 each side between the wheels fair price a flatty?
-- Edited by timbuk on Wednesday 14th of September 2022 09:36:34 AM
The car was owned by the father of the seller for decades. He passed and the son doesn't have time or interest in it. It is a flathead 6 that turns over. It was on the road and safetied in 2016 shortly before his father passed. Not sure but I think the seller said it was turning over last year but wouldn't fire. I'm assuming bad gas after sitting so long. The head has E 18 2 cast into it at the front of the head, so I assume that means May 18 1952. I was hoping that like the 1957 Canadian Pontiac I own, the 52 was based on the 52 Chevy frame, floor pans etc. being built at the Oshawa plant. The frame looks great.
I'm going back for a second look Thursday evening with a buddy that does bodywork to get his opinion. From 10 feet, it looks decent. There is some rust stains on the material around the rear quarter glass frames as well as the roof interior light. My concern is what's underneath the paint with the magnet not sticking in multiple areas along the bottom 6 inches of the car. As well as most of the floor being fiberglass on both sides and the trunk being flat stock riveted in. Panel replacement isn't an issue. I'm just concerned whether replacement panels can be obtained. If I bought it, it likely would be a custom hot rod with updated drivetrain. The chrome on the front lip of the hood that extends onto the fenders needs rechroming but the rest of the chrome looks decent and is straight.
I don't knoww the market on these cars to know if 2500 is reasonable or if I need to be around 1800-2000. Or how hard finding panels will be. I'm trying to research but time isn't on my side. He wants to post it for sale locally so I have to give him an answer probably by tomorrow night.
-- Edited by Pheadrus on Wednesday 14th of September 2022 04:16:38 PM
Yes if its a Canadian built car its got a Chevy frame under it with a Pontiac engine. The US cars have round taillights and the Canadian car will have the same taillights as the same year Chevy. 1951/52 Chevrolet body parts should work.
I went and looked at it again Thursday. I can buy it for 2K. It looks good in the pics but it has a lot of bondo in the bottom 6 inches and I'm leary about whats under the paint. It has the Chevy tail lights so Chevy sheet metal will work from what I can gather. But it needs a floor pan, rockers, trunk pan, patch pans along the bottom 6 inches of most of it. Plus the doors have some potentially serious issues being out of line with the rest of the body. I'm leaning towards passing on it. I still have a 57 Pathfinder Business Coupe, 73 Ventura Sprint, 80 Turbo Trans Am SE, and others I have to get to first.
