Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1970 (phs Authenticated) Pontiac Grand Prix Sj 455 Ho, 43,424 Original Miles on 2040-cars

Year:1970 Mileage:43424
Location:

Aliso Viejo, California, United States

Aliso Viejo, California, United States
Advertising:

1970 (PHS authenticated) Pontiac Grand Prix SJ 455 HO, 43,424 original miles.

Purchased by me from an 83 year old woman in June of 2003.

I’ve shown it many times and am a stickler for originality, but veered off on this one.  It was just too much fun to drive. Well, I pushed her too hard and blew the engine, but not so bad that I was able to drive it to the mechanic. The block is the original block and the transmission and rear end are assumed original as well, so I’m 99% certain it is numbers matching car.

I took the car to a hot rod / drag strip rebuilder and told him to put all the after market go fast(er) stuff into it, with the limit look original (e.g. Edelbrok stampings) be filed off or filled in.  The engine was to look as close to stock as possible. The exhaust was replaced with a high performance system and sounds the part without being obnoxious. The car is running on synthetic oil.

The car does not idle smoothly due to the aggressive cam lobes installed (for GO FAST), but immediately runs smooth as silk as soon as any gas is applied.  After 3 years in storage, a tune up would probably help it idle a little smoother, but it will never idle smooth (by design). She’s a sleeper!

$11,264.79 later, if it was fun to drive, now it’s almost scary! I have not had it dynode, but the mechanic guarantees me a minimum of 500 horses.

I’ve stored it for the last 3 year, in A/C, Heated, climate controlled garage.

All it took to recommision it was a new battery (August 2014). A/C flushed and recharged (August 2014), no parts needed, hoses need to be resnugged. It blows ICE COLD.

Protecto-Plate and original build sheet (in scorched condition), PHS reproduction window sticker reproduction and other PHS documentation included.

Equipped with driver’s power seat, passenger’s is manual. Tilt steering wheel. Soft ray tinted windshield, but the rest of the windows have been tinted by the previous (1st) owner. Correct T3 Headlamps. Cornering lights function. All Power windows work. Has original rally wheels with beauty rings. AM radio & Rally clock (both not working). Funny yesterday, someone asked me if I’ve checked the fuses. I have not. So could be a very easy fix, or not. Just never bothered me.

I have added NOS door edge guards and a period correct passenger side rear view mirror, driver’s side is remote control. Current tires purchased, June 2004, mileage 40,772. So less than 3k on the tires.

Additional Interesting History and description of the car’s condition

This SJ final assembly point was Fremont California & Sold new in San Diego as a 50th birthday present to a woman that would have nothing to-do with muscle cars. So, her husband snuck this one in on her; accounting for the low mileage. It was just too much car for her, at 500 lbs feet of torque off the assembly line. When the original owners retired they moved to Las Vegas, so the car has always been in a dry environment, free of salt. Then I brought it back to Orange County (Southern) California.

At some point before I purchased the car was freshened, repainted original Granada Gold, and White vinyl top replaced (with incorrect grain pattern that was & is easier to keep clean).

The interior is nearly flawless: Original seat covers, carpet may or my not be original, but with so low mileage, I assume it is. No cracks on the dash. The shifter surround’s crackle paint was pealing, typical for this car; but I had it blasted, re-chromed and refinished and looks brand new ($500.00). The headliner is flawless, hold that the trim has pulled back slightly at the top of the passenger’s side rear (top) window trim.

There is a scuff on the on the side of the drivers side rear bumper. No deformation.

Rust? Not atypical of a car of this era, there is slight bubbling under the vinyl top, at the lower corners of the rear window. And oddly enough, there is one 1 inch bubble on the drivers side fender. That’s it.

Paint is near show quality, but at some point, someone got a bit aggressive polishing the passenger’s side quarter panel, just behind the wheel. Also, to nit pic, there are some drip stains just behind the driver’s door from when the engine was being rebuilt/upgraded stored indoors below another car.  When I saw this, I immediately had the car towed 20 miles back to my climate controlled garage for storage until the engine was completed.

Notes, she was 50 in 1971, so was 82 in 2003, when I purchased the car. Meaning it averaged only 1,300 miles per year. This is the car from the little old lady from Pasadena.

 Bringing a car back to concourse condition is a very costly adventure. As my hard head has now experienced with 3 cars.  Total investment in this car by me exceeds $27,000.00. So I’ve taken the hit. If you want a concourse car, this car needs very little. If you want a driver, local show car, etc. This is it. (not to worry, I do not expect to recoup my investment) Reserve is reasonable as I’ve been watching Grand Prixs on Ebay. Haggerty Insurance agreed value, $18k, and my reserve is well below that.

Happy bidding and GOOD LUCK.

Auto Services in California

Zenith Wire Wheel Co ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Wheels, Tire Dealers
Address: 818 Cristich Ln, Brookdale
Phone: (831) 425-7770

Yucca Auto Body ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Truck Body Repair & Painting
Address: 56132 29 Palms Hwy, Pioneertown
Phone: (760) 365-9410

World Famous 4x4 ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Restoration-Antique & Classic
Address: 75 E Palm Ave, Alhambra
Phone: (818) 816-0121

Woody`s & Auto Body ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Truck Body Repair & Painting
Address: 22920 Lockness Ave, East-Rancho-Dominguez
Phone: (310) 784-3820

Williams Auto Care Center ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Inspection Stations & Services, Auto Oil & Lube
Address: 18380 Highway 12, Sonoma
Phone: (707) 996-1056

Wheels N Motion ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Tire Dealers
Address: 961 E Holt Ave, Chino
Phone: (909) 622-1232

Auto blog

GM replacing passenger airbags in over 243,000 Pontiac Vibes

Sat, Jun 20 2015

General Motors is repairing over 243,000 additional examples of the 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe in the US and Canada to replace their Takata-supplied passenger-side airbag inflators. The company has no reports of irregular deployments in the models, though. These aren't actually newly included vehicles in the massive safety campaign. As a twin to the Toyota Matrix, the Vibe was already included in Toyota's figures, but as Pontiac-branded vehicles, GM dealers are taking care of these replacements. They have been covered as part of the Takata campaign in the past. Toyota expanded its own Takata recall to passenger-side components for 1.365 million vehicles on June 16. Earlier, General Motors also issued a campaign for 330,198 examples of the 2007 and 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, 3500HD, GMC Sierra 2500HD, and 3500HD pickups to replace their passenger-side parts. After exposure to moisture, it's possible for these inflators to ignite too quickly in an accident and spray shrapnel at occupants. GM Statement The Vibes are included in two Toyota recall campaigns - one for high absolute humidity (HAH) areas and one for non-HAH areas. Both are considered national recalls even though only vehicles in certain HAH states and territories are in the recall. Total Pontiac Vibe passenger air bag numbers for MY 2003-2007 (U.S. and Canada only): High Absolute Humidity 89,719 Non High Absolute Humidity areas 252,685 These are the totals, which include about 99,000 previously recalled. GM knows of no field issues - irregular deployments - with these air bag inflators.

Junkyard Gem: 2007 Saturn Sky

Sat, Jun 26 2021

The Pontiac Division didn't have long to live when the Solstice first appeared in 2005 as a 2006 model, and Saturn's head was inching toward the chopping block at about the same rate. Still, optimism reigned — at least, it did until the global economy fell apart — and so Saturn Dealers got a rebadged version of the Solstice to sell: the Sky. Available for just the 2007 through 2010 model years, slightly more than 34,000 Skies rolled out of showrooms before the doors were nailed shut. Here's one of those rare cars, found in a Denver-area self-service yard a few weeks ago. I've found a handful of discarded Solstices in car graveyards during the past few years, mostly with crash damage. This Sky endured a medium-hard impact in the right front corner, which sent it to this place. The 177-horsepower, 2.4-liter Ecotec still resides under the battered hood. The Sky Redline version had a turbocharged engine rated at 260 horses; we can assume that such an engine would be yanked and purchased by the first junkyard shopper that realized what it was. The base transmission in the Sky was an Aisin five-speed manual, but this car has the optional five-speed automatic.  The Sky had its own nose and some different badging, but otherwise didn't differ much from the Solstice.  For the South Korean market, the Sky got Daewoo G2X badges and was advertised as the ideal vehicle for high-speed chases through Seoul traffic. The same car went to Europe as the Opel GT. Sadly, GM ran out of money to make right-hand-drive Skies, so we never got to witness Holden or Vauxhall versions. Here's Bob Lutz describing the new Sky. Lutz really hated car names molded into plastic bumper covers, so he takes great care here to describe the genuine glued-on emblems. Related Video:

Junkyard Gem: 1987 Pontiac Safari Station Wagon

Tue, Aug 9 2016

During the 1960s and 1970s, station wagons based on full-sized Detroit sedans were the default family haulers, and many of those Kingswood Estates and Country Squires and Ambassadors came with unapologetically phony woodgrain-printed exterior paneling and trim. By the late 1980s, however, few were snapping up such wagons, making this '87 Safari that I spotted in a Denver yard an interesting find. Power for this wagon came from a 307-cubic-inch Oldsmobile V8 making 140 horsepower. General Motors used this engine in Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Chevrolets, Pontiacs, and Cadillacs, finally discontinuing production for the 1990 model year. Was the "wood" convincing, even when new? Of course not, but it was a cherished American tradition. Related Video: Featured Gallery 1987 Pontiac Safari station wagon in Colorado junkyard View 18 Photos Auto News Pontiac station wagon