1960 Pontiac Ventura

tripower

tripower

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
DonSSDD said:
Did you get your new interior yet? Who makes them for Pontiac?

Tomorrow is a week since you last posted.......................

Don
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Don, I have had the the interior sense June of last year its all ready to go. The material for the seats I bought from SMS and had a local upholstery shop do the front seat and top panel of the back seat. I also had SMS make the top panels with the emblem for both front and back seat and they made my door panels as well.
http://www.smsautofabrics.com/
I have been working on small stuff like bumper brackets, jack, vacuum can, power brake vacuum line, wiper motor transmission and, a few other things sandblasting and painting. I am waiting for a order from Ames and one from Amazon that will be here the end of the week then I can fire the engine, break in the cam. Once that is out of the way the body goes on.
 
DonSSDD

DonSSDD

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Supporting Member 2
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars...ne/1139210171?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

All Chevy underneath Dan, much easier project than a US Pontiac, you could have a 348 4 speed 60 vert, ready pretty quick. CDN$10,000, that about $US$6500.

$_27.JPG
 
Tom Kochtanek

Tom Kochtanek

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 13
Dan:

How would you compare the cost to do the interior on an early 60s Pontiac versus doing the same for an early 60s Chevrolet? I recall Tommy noting that it can get expensive quickly. Reason I ask is that at some point I need to get back on my 1961 Bonneville project :). It's back on the list after I finish the '62 convert and the '61 Belair sport coupe. That's a ways off, but I hope to nibble a bit more on the body in 2016 and I generally "stock pile" certain parts in advance. I'm not as fast as you guys, but I have incentives to get certain projects back on track :).

Cheers!
TomK
 
Tom Kochtanek

Tom Kochtanek

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 13
Just when I post my personal sequence of challenges, Don goes and posts a very desirable opportunity (I like converts and don't have but one) that has the potential to upset the apple cart and set my healthy ADD in motion :) :) :).

TomK
 
DonSSDD

DonSSDD

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Tom Kochtanek said:
Just when I post my personal sequence of challenges, Don goes and posts a very desirable opportunity (I like converts and don't have but one) that has the potential to upset the apple cart and set my healthy ADD in motion :) :) :).

TomK
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Glad to help with your medical issue Tom. Dan should have this ready for you by summer?:D
 
real61ss

real61ss

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Supporting Member 8
The interior in my 61 Ventura cost me about $6500 whereas my 61 Impala SS was under $3k. Harry Samuals was the only source for complete Pontiac interior packages and he retired last year. SMS is a good source for the material but I would not bother with them for any thing like door panels or other finished items. One thing that may have run the cost of my interior up in the blue car was the bucket seats, Samuals had a shop in Ca. making the seat covers and door panels and they didn't have patterns for the Pontiac bucket seats so I had to send them one of my seats to make a pattern by. And then, those beautiful Pontiac steering wheels.....1400 dollars to recast one but damn they are pretty.
 
tripower

tripower

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Tom Kochtanek said:
Dan:

How would you compare the cost to do the interior on an early 60s Pontiac versus doing the same for an early 60s Chevrolet? I recall Tommy noting that it can get expensive quickly. Reason I ask is that at some point I need to get back on my 1961 Bonneville project :). It's back on the list after I finish the '62 convert and the '61 Belair sport coupe. That's a ways off, but I hope to nibble a bit more on the body in 2016 and I generally "stock pile" certain parts in advance. I'm not as fast as you guys, but I have incentives to get certain projects back on track :).

Cheers!
TomK
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Tom, I have just over 2400.00 for the whole interior I replaced all of the material on the front seat cushion and everything on the backrest and new top panel with emblem but reused the backs because they were mint. On the back seat I only replaced the top panel with emblem. Then new carpet and headliner from Ames. Of course that does not include any of the paint work on dash or garnish moldings.
 
tripower

tripower

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
real61ss said:
The interior in my 61 Ventura cost me about $6500 whereas my 61 Impala SS was under $3k. Harry Samuals was the only source for complete Pontiac interior packages and he retired last year. SMS is a good source for the material but I would not bother with them for any thing like door panels or other finished items. One thing that may have run the cost of my interior up in the blue car was the bucket seats, Samuals had a shop in Ca. making the seat covers and door panels and they didn't have patterns for the Pontiac bucket seats so I had to send them one of my seats to make a pattern by. And then, those beautiful Pontiac steering wheels.....1400 dollars to recast one but damn they are pretty.
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Tommy,
The reason Harry Samuals retired is the operation he was using to make the Pontiac interiors moved to Mexico and for some reason he can't get the materials across the border, at least that is the story he told me. As to SMS there is no other source for door panels. I didn't have any other choice. I was leery about using SMS for the door panels because of their history of never being on time but I figured I was only about three hours away so if I had to I could make the drive. In the end they came through on time exactly when they said they would but I will add I talked with the owner prior to placing my order and managed an quicker delivery time. The panels are absolutely beautiful and line up perfect. I would defiantly use SMS again but would make all arrangements with the owner.
 
real61ss

real61ss

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 8
Dan,
I'm glad your experience with SMS worked out. The door panels that they made for me arrived on time but did not fit at all, my upholstery shop had to remake them. As for Harry, he is well into his eighties now so I think that also had a bearing on his retirement. You are lucky too in that I think you said your steering wheel was in good shape. Can you tell if the clear part of your steering wheel is tinted the color of your interior? I bought a steering wheel core for my 60 Ventura and plan to have it recast, the people at Quality Restorations have recast 3 wheels for me and they are beautiful but they will not tint them. I have located a shop in North Carolina that also restores the wheels and they will add the tint if you want it. I'm just trying to decide if they should be tinted. To me most of them just have a yellowed look and I don't want that.
 
real61ss

real61ss

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 8
tripower said:
My wheel has the yellow look, which I think is from ageing and not tint.
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Dan,
I think you are correct. Some people claim they were tinted but the original wheel in my blue Ventura had a yellow look that I believe was from age, I couldn't see any blue look to it.
 
Tom Kochtanek

Tom Kochtanek

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 13
I think I have the answer to my question about whether this fellow is interested in parting with his 1960 Ventura:
IMG_4758.JPG
A few months back I had left my number on the car (it was in the open field with no fencing). No call back. I was by there again a few days ago and snapped this photo.

Another one could be rusting into oblivion, as it sits on four flats two of which are shredded as if it's been there some time....

Drat!

TomK
 
tripower

tripower

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
I remeber the first shots Tom, no fence or beware of dog sign. What a shame to let that car sit like that....:doh
 
Blk61409

Blk61409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 9
Quick Pontiac question. I had a friend back in about 61 or so that had a great looking Silver 58 Bonneville Tripower and a 4 speed. Being a Chevy guy I never thought about the 4 speed, but did Pont put 4 speeds in back then?
 
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