59 Catalina 4 DR in Oregon

This my 1959 Pontiac Catalina I just bought. This very car was purchased new 1959 by my Great-Grandfather, who drove it until he passed away in 1984. The car has had 2 other owners since then, one of them was an actor here in Portland, Ore. He registered the car in the local actors union and rented it to several productions filmed here. It was in the film "Dead By Sunset" with Ken Olin. Two Television series'; "Nowhere Man" and "Under Suspicion". The car has been sitting for the last 8 years or so in the driveway of the lady I bought it from. About a year and a half ago I sent her a letter explaining the family history of the car and asking if she ever wanted to sell it, to let me know. She finally called after listing it on Craigslist (She could not find my letter and was hoping I would see it, which I did). $1800.00 later, I have Grandpa "Jig" 's Pontiac Catalina back after 25 years! It is in surprisingly good shape for being outside in the Portland rain for the last 25 years! (Grandpa Jig kept it in the garage since new although he drove it everywhere) I located a carburetor and managed to get it running and it sounds really good considering it had no carb, was missing a spark plug and was pretty much neglected for many years. The fuel tank and sending unit or questionable, but may be salvagable, we'll see.

Congrats and Welcome!

My grandfather was the original owner of my wagon, but luckily it didn't change any hands between his ownership and mine.

Post some pics for us!

Thanks for props! [img]https://i.servimg.com/u/f68/15/28/2] [url=https://servimg.com/view/15282198/8]1/98/th/3n13m812.jpg[/img][/url

The car was re-painted the original color I think in the late 1980's. There is very little rust surprisingly! The dent on the right rear fender is from a cast iron claw foot tub that rolled down the hill from the neighbors where the car was parked for many years. When I tried to get the car running, the starter would barely turn over the engine. After checking the engine, to be sure it was not seized, out the starter came. I took it apart and the brushes were comepletely worn down to the mounting arms. I checked the codes stamped on the housing and after speaking to the previous owner, I determined it to be the original starter!! The engine and transmission have never been out of the car. The fuel tank was dirty inside and had red hand written numbers on it dated 11-8-58. My Brother-in-law owns a company that rebuilds water pumps, so naturally I had him rebuild mine with a new shaft and seal. For the most part, the car is mostly intact, and just needs a little TLC to be back on the road. I wil post more pics when I get them uploaded from the camera. It does run, but needs some more tinkering to be roadworthy. It even has the original license plates from 1959!

Wow, sounds like a sweet car and having family history just makes it that much cooler!

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your "new" car!

The Blue Bomber is coming along very nicely! I was able to rotoblast the wheels and get the correct paint . I got her some new tires. I am happy to announce that I have put over 750 miles on her since I got her running and registered. She has the perpetual "Special Interest" parade tags, so I will never have to register her again as long as I own her (which will be forever!!). I only had to pay the $77.00 title transfer fee, since the previous owner got the perpetual tags many years ago and she still has the original 1959 plates. I found some vintage metal "59" year tags for the plates. I don't really want to replace things on such an original car, but the front bumper is too far gone to try and restore, so I did manage to find a near perfect original to put back some shine on the front!

More pics of the '59.... https://i.servimg.com/u/f38/15/28/21/98/img_2015.jpg

Damn that thing is SWEET! I love that color

Beautiful - is it a 2brl/hydromatic like mine ?

Beautiful!

Love that color! I was tempted to paint the wagon that color blue, but it would clash with the copper colored interior. I'm also one of those weirdos that prefers the look of a 4 door over a 2 door, so that squeaks a few more brownie points in my book

I think it depends on the car. I think the 2 dr sedans look better than the 2 dr hard tops and i think the 4 door sedans look almost as good as the 2 doors but still better than the hard tops.

But say 58-60 Lincolns. I wouldn't settle for a 2 door, I would have to get a 4 door HT.

Well, I'm biased towards 4 doors for the cool factor, but I would have taken either of them if that's what my Grandpa's was , be it a 2, 4 door, SD, HT or wagon. I have had Kustom cars and trucks of many types over the years, but nothing has garnered as much attention and thumbs up as the Catalina. Christian- Yes, my '59 is a 2BBL and Hydramatic with 113,300 original miles on the original drivetrain, including..get this..the original shocks!

Are those shocks really still working - if so it is almost a miracle - amazing !.

Amazingly..yes! They don't bounce or float! I was astonished to find that they are original, considering their age. They are the correct gray color and have a delco sticker right on them. The rubber bushings do show their "vintage" wear, but still intact. The previous owner told me they did not replace them with NOS parts, since there was nothing wrong with them. I am on the hunt for a winshield wiper motor though, since the one on the car has succumbed to water seeping inside from sitting. The motor is frozen and the seals on the top where the arms connect is detiorated beyond repair and I had to drill the screw heads out to remove the motor assembly. So far this is the only thing I have not been able to rebuild...yet. I may try to take it apart and refurbish it.

I've seen those motors on e-bay from time to time - as long as you can do with the one speed version they are not that expensive...
As far as i regall (from the listings) they are used in many GM's of that era..

Thanks Christian! I have seen the ones on ebay. I am going to a guy here today who has a 2 story Quonset Hut filled with vintage GM parts (quite literally, he has little trails going in every direction). I might get lucky and find some parts to rebuild mine. I want to rebuild it because i want to keep the car as original and correct as I can. The motors I have found that are available don't look anything like the original and the mounting holes are not the same. I am a fabricator and modify parts all the time, but not on this car, It's just too special and rare to start modifying things.

I see your point - i try to keep it original as well. I just paid 100$ for a nos armature, so that i can reinstall my original DC generator. I had a 'modern' alternator in it because the armature shorted out last year.
I also enjoy rebuilding, rather than replacing, when possible.
I did a few things though, such as pertronix ignition and airlifts at the rear. Those small things that makes it more usable. I always save the old parts though, so that it is always possible to go back.

The the shocks look twisted? I believe those were the originals.

Yes, the shocks do have the twisted shape to the bottom portion and they are the correct medium grey color with the Delco sticker on them.

By the way Christian-The armature in the GM starters and Generators are exactly the same in every dimension. The only difference is the generator shaft has threads on the end for the pulley and nut, the starters do not. I have machined/ tapped threads on a starter shaft for use in a generator in the past, since starters are more plentiful than generators! They work just fine......If I recall, the die used was 1/2"-16 or 28 TPI..it's been so long ago (15 or 20 years!) ...I could be wrong. Man, I've been around cars so long, I sometimes forget the things I've done years ago..then it just comes back to me. I rebuilt my first Small Block Chevy when I was about 12 or 13..I still have that motor in my '78 Chevy Blazer and I have never had to do anything to it...it still runs, albeit a little tired, but it still runs great!

Then mine had the original shocks on it also. When I took them out I could push them in with one finger and hold them upside down and they would extend. haha Completely shot.

Cool info with the armature, thanks - i'll keep that in mind. Unfortunatly starters are also not plentiful around here...