59' Wagon

https://s935.photobucket.com/albums/ad191/Pontiac-59/SafariRod%20-%20The%20Prairie%20Schooner/

Here's my Prairie Schooner...picked up this beast just 30 miles from home from the original owners daughter in 2006. The car was bought new in Edmonton (45 miles from my house) so thats pretty neat. Bought the car as you see it on the trailer for $2300...not complete but the condition was AMAZING and there was NO body work done to it. I thought this was the only car like this around and that is why it grabbed my eye in a back alley while I helped a friend shingle his roof. Turns out that through a complete random cold call on parts at a place that I actually didn't think would even know what a 59' looked like, the guy knew another guy that had one, and wanted to sell it. The parts car had no engine, which suited me fine, but did have just about every part I needed to finish mine, as well as some NOS chrome kits, tail lights, headlight surrounds and MORE. I was PUMPED!!!!!! Since 06' we've had the car at several different shops but hadn't found "THE guy" until last year about this time. We got in contact with a guy near here that was as excited as we were to see the finished product and that proved to be a Godsend! The car came with a V6 but we have since dropped in a Nailhead from a 69' Buick...the car has about 70,000 miles and the engine had 69,000 so that was pretty cool how that worked out. Added power steering and brakes, have (and am anxious to get on!!) 18 and 20" Coy's wheels with spacers. Just last week I got the car back from paint, it's now got a brand new windshield, and is currently being upholstered by a local guy. Should be posting some finished pics in a couple weeks! Once I get the car home I need to do the timing, new distributor, get the exhaust done and do some work on or replace the carb and then she should be ready for summer cruisin'! It's been a long time coming but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel at last! Pretty cool to find a site like this with others as intrigued by the 59' as I am I'm currently looking from some of the front end chrome if anyone has or knows of any...

glad to see another canadian!! thats an awesome wagon!! Is it a canadian or american 59? You should also check out canadianponcho , great bunch of guys on there also.

http://canadianponcho.activeboard.com/index.spark?aBID=118110&p=1

Hey, the wagon looks great! Hope to see some more progress pics when you can. I'm nearing completion on my 59 wagon (US car) as well, if I could just figure out how to post pictures!

Damn, $2300 is a bad ass deal. I'd love to find me a wagon. That thing is too cool!

Which nailhead is it? Surely it's not a 69 nailhead...

Hello again guys...this is a Canadian car, one owner until I found it in a back alley. Pretty sweet to find it so close to home. The engine is a 340 Nailhead from a 69' Buick...I don't know a whole lot about these engines but I just happened upon it and its a great runner and something unique so we snapped it up and threw it in. Starchief-59' do you know much about it?

Show us some pics of the motor. They never made a 340 nail head and they killed the nailhead in 66.

Buick did have a 340 non nailhead V8 in 65?-maybe until 69.

At least it's not a small block chevy

That's a damn sweet car. '59 GM wagons are some of my favorite cars

Hmmm...there has been some confusion around this engine...it did come from a 69' Buick but perhaps it wasn't the original engine. From what I can find online, the Buick 400' was a 340hp engine...not sure if thats where that number came from? Have a look at see what you can tell me. Unfortunately this is the only pic I have of the engine right now and the car isn't here right now. Anyway wisdom or light you could shed on this would be much appreciated!

https://2img.net/h/i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad191/Pontiac-59/SafariRod%20-%20The%20Prairie%20Schooner/photo.jpg

markymark wrote:

Hey, the wagon looks great! Hope to see some more progress pics when you can. I'm nearing completion on my 59 wagon (US car) as well, if I could just figure out how to post pictures!

Cool markymark, we head down to Osoyoos every August for a week and I'm hoping to take the Schooner this year if I can get my wife and 3 girls on board If we do I'd love to stop and see what you've got, we usually spend the night in Vernon on the way

It's definitely not a nailhead, other than that I can't say for sure.

From what I remember the 400s and 430s had different valve covers but the small blocks and 455s had similar valve covers. I'm not exactly sure what it is but someone should be able to ID it.

Here is the 300 that was in my 67 Skylark


And here is the '67 big block 430 I was going to put in it.

SafariRod, that'd be awesome, just email me-were only a kilometer of the highway you'd be taking. Hey, I grew up in Sherwood Park in the 70/80's -good memories of that area and my old 55 Chev!

Cool lookin' wagon. Can't wait to see finished pictures! Not quite sure about the 20's though, but that's just me and my crusty nature when it comes to classic cars......

I've never been a fan of big wheels on old cars either. It just doesn't look right to me

Did you find anything out about that motor?

How are you lowering the car Safarirod? Im assuming you are from the concept pic you had posted. Disc brakes? Alot of your mods should be easy seeing its a Chevy undercarriage.

He should be able to get drop spindles for it

well, looks like the engine is a 340 from what I have been able to surmise...should be better than the little guy that was in the car from new at any rate. As far as the wheels...COME ON guys!! Don't judge em' til they're on I can certainly appreciate the classic look but I think this thing is going to look pretty good with the big wheels. Not sure what I'll do yet for lowering, might end up putting it on air at some point but I think we'll just get her rollin' for this summer as is and then decide if and when to pour more money to it. I could also get drop spindles as well but I think air might be more fun to do.

Hey, hows the schooner coming along?

Hey Mark, coming along GREAT! Took it for the the first tool around the block tonight actually. Tues she's going in for exhaust...inspection on Wed and then she should be registered unless they give me grief on the inspection I guess. So awesome to rip around in it tonight...I'm so pumped!

Nice!! The wheels looks awesome-the big wheels help fill out those huge wells, especially on the canadian models. Are you BC bound with it?

Hey Markymark...thanks for the compliment, I agree the wheels make that car look a lot more like a hot rod than a family wagon. Car is currently getting all new brake cylinders and balls joints, fixing a rad leak etc....we flew out to BC this morning for a wedding and won't be making our annual trip to Osoyoos this year unfortunately Maybe next year we'll make the voyage but this year we just weren't quite ready. So fun to have it on the road though! Hows your sons car coming along??

Too bad ! My sons car has been stalled for the summer-too much to do around the farm including my daughters wedding! Its our winter project. We did however pick up a rebuilt 283 out of a 59 Corvette, which we'll be mating to a 700r-so just collecting stuff for now I guess.
I guess some other year. I hopefully will have more pics of my car up soon-seats have just been done!

Damn that looks good