1959 Pontiac Production numbers

Robert.....yes the manifolds were different. The standard 2bbl manifold had a larger mounting pad, larger throttle openings to accomodate the larger barrels, and the stud holes were spaced further apart. Look at a 59 to 65 Tri-Power manifold on E-Bay and you can readily see the difference between large bore and small bore Rochester 2bbl carbs. The center carb is smaller than the ends. This was basically the same carb as the 420E used......John

I have never seen one. Damn, I never knew they even existed.

I know the center tri power carbs are different but I didn't realize the 420E motor used a different manifold and carb

The woman I bought the car from, called me today. She found the original carburetor and missing door panel in her garage. I am very fortunate to have an almost completely original '59! With the exception of some wearable maintenance items replaced over the years, it is surprisingly intact! She told me that it was rebuilt before she removed it, so we tried to put it on, but it leaks a little and we could not get the squirters to function, so it will get rebuilt in the next few days. I'm excited, no more sputtering of the "borrowed" carburetor.

I came across this site last year and forgot about it.  The production info is limited to Catalina's.  But you'll find a nice diagram showing how to decode your VIN, and some other useful info.

http://www.oldride.com/library/1959_pontiac_catalina.html