Tag Archives: Pontiac

Project Pontiac 1949 Silver Streak Delivery Van

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I have a co-worker who from time to time has mentioned his Pontiac project and we’ve ‘bench restored’ a few times.  But I’d never actually saw this car , nearly a picture.  But thanks to our first real rain here in Southern AZ since last year I think, and the fact that we don’t do our monsoon season any other way than “harsh”  my  co-worker’s (we’ll call him ‘Mike’…’cause that’s actually his name) neighbor had a tree that suffered enough wind damage it and to be taken down.  So Mike had to move the car, parked it behind his daily driver.  Got up this morning and decied..heck, I’ll drive it to work.

And that’s how I got the pic of the 1949 Pontiac Silver Streak Delivery Van, all original  and get this…..his family is the only owner the beauty every had.  His grand father purchased it new.  More to come on this one but here are some pics.

1949 Pontiac Delivery Van

 

Back Side of the '49 Silver Streak Delivery Van Pontiac style.

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Engine Mini-Series – Pontiac’s 326 Prt 1

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Even while operating within the huge conglomerate that is (was)  GM, the divisions all strived to retain some semblance of their earlier identity or develop a separate identity. Even with continued mounting to conform (within reason) to use standard tooling and
engines parts out of the GM bins they strove to be unique.

The Pontiac division made this effort “job one” with slightly different body parts and paint schemes (Trans Am paint schemes).  What I think made them standout was the effort to stuff unique power plants in their offerings’ engine bays.

With this in mind, I selected Pontiac’s 326 CID engine.  This short production run engine had some special Detroit steel wrapped around it. But we’ll get to its uses and an interesting note about its purpose as related to circumventing a rule or two.

The 326 (restored)

This engine came about as a need to replace Pontiac’s aluminum 215 V8 engine. (It was actually built by Buick.) It was expensive to
build and not well received by the public, most just couldn’t get over the aluminum part and worried about durability and even about the ability for it to
say lubricated and whether coolant would eat way at the aluminum.  Of course we not differently now where aluminum is desired in many, especially with heads.

The 215 Aluminum (Buick built)

Coming up how –  Pontiac used the 326 –  a unique dealer trick that put this engine between the fenders of famous car and the difference between a 326 and a 327.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

Pontiac V8 engine

Pontiac 326 engine in 1967 Firebird