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We got hooked on old
cars quite by chance when a friend offered us her low mileage 68 Dodge
Dart, 2 door Hard Top. The next few years, we enjoyed car shows and touring
with the Dart, but lurking in the back of my mind was a vision of an older
vehicle- no particular model, make, or year – just something different.
While glancing through the Sept. 89 issue of the Old Car Trader an
ad seemed to jump right out at me. A 1948 Pontiac COUPE!
I had always been partial to coupes, but with a family, they just
were not practical. Now with only the two of us, it opened up a whole new
‘kettle of fish’.
Sitting back & thinking about the car shows we had attended, I
realized that I had never seen any Pontiacs. I guess the reputation of them
being ‘an old mans’ car’ never made them desirable, besides, the fact
that the post war years’ cars were never too popular. For now all I could
do was mull it over for a while.
When the October issue of Old Car Trader became available, I made my
usual donation to the vendor, and that evening, while leafing through it,
much to my delight, the coupe was still available.
At this time I decided to bring the wife on board to express her
views. We tossed it around for a while, and then decided to make more
inquires about it. A phone call revealed that the car was in Deep River,
Ont.-100 plus miles away, and still for sale.
The owner answered my queries and I told him I would think it over.
Still not totally committed to purchasing it, we felt however, that the
drive to Deep River would make a nice outing –besides the Dairy served
delicious ice cream, and I knew of a nice restaurant.
Phoning the following week, we made arrangements to see the car on
Saturday, only if the weather held, as it was now into Nov. & anything
could blow up. Saturday morning found our daughter, son-in-law and
ourselves on the road to Deep River. Arriving in town, and following the
directions, we encountered no problems finding the coupe, which was parked
in the driveway. After the introductions were completed, it was time to
inspect the Pontiac.
A fresh coat of blue paint had been applied -- not perfect, but
quite good. The chrome was
original and showed its’ age but was still presentable. The interior had
been replaced at some time and showed some usage, but still not too bad.
The tires were not new, but still had plenty of thread, while the
speedometer read 91985 miles. The engine started readily, but puffed out a
bit of blue smoke, as expected with that number of miles on it.
Along with our son-in-law, we took off for a test drive to see how
it handled. We then found an empty parking lot that gave us a chance to
really look it over. Sliding underneath, we found the frame in good
condition, showing no sign of cracks or damage. The floor and trunk were
basically rust free. The back fenders had been replaced, but we found a
heavy coating of roofing cement on the front fenders indicating some metal
patching had been done. Inside the trunk we found some amateur metal work,
where the back fenders were attached, and assumed the ‘rust bug’ had
been at work. Our conclusion was that the 40 plus year old car wasn’t in
all that bad a shape.
Returning to the owners’ home, the real fun began. He wanted one
price- I offered him another. After a bit of dickering, and the inducement
of cash, the car was mine. The paper work finalized, and with the
son-in-law driving the Chevy, we drove it home.
In the spring of 1990, I decided the motor had priority, so it was
pulled out and sent off to a rebuilding specialist. New rings, valves,
pistons, a rebore with all the goodies for a complete rebuild.
From 1990, we drove the coupe – as is- partaking in parades,
shows, tours, rides for seniors, Air force Days, etc. – just enjoying the
car.
In May 1995, after completing a 150 mile tour with the club, we
returned home, and the thought hit me. Mr. Chretien had deemed my job was
no longer required in his ‘down sized government’ and I was retired.
With lots of time on my hands, what better time to do what I had bought the
coupe for – a frame off restoration!
The next day the fun began!!!
(P.S. the quotation “lots of time on my hands” was a false
statement as I found out. It took 5 years to get the coupe back on the
road.)
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