It's HOME!

[majspud]

22 months apart (literally). A couple of little things still, but WHO CARES!

3/4 tank up when I got home; 14.52 gal/172miles - 11.85mpg. Far above the expected 9mpg.

t

 

[MAPMFF.]

Very nice!!!

 

[slap shot]

Sweet, now stop backing up into people

 

[radioman]

55 Oakland?

 

[mchncbill]

Hot damn.

 

[majspud]

1955 Pontiac Star Chief Custom Catalina. Pontiac's version of the Chevy Bel Air; they share the doors and roof. Better engine and transmission than the Chevy; so much so people took the engine and junked the cars as time went by. The difference between the Pontiac and the Chevy today is for the Chevy you buy the parts, and for the Pontiac you make the parts.

Hence the 22 months.

t

 

[Picton]

Excellent! It's been a long and winding road.

 

[radioman]

1955 Pontiac Star Chief Custom Catalina. Pontiac's version of the Chevy Bel Air; they share the doors and roof. Better engine and transmission than the Chevy; so much so people took the engine and junked the cars as time went by. The difference between the Pontiac and the Chevy today is for the Chevy you buy the parts, and for the Pontiac you make the parts.

Hence the 22 months.

t

I knew it was a 55! The Oakland thing was a joke for the old time Pontiac guys.

Was 55 the start of the modern Pontiac V-8's? What was the displacement?

 

[K98]

Must be a blast to parallel park. Careful of those white walls. Very nice!

 

[mac1911]

I don't get it. Where's the mount for the MaDuce?

 

[bgoum]

Very nice!

 

[Gidge]

Beautiful ! Congratulations !

 

[majspud]

I don't get it. Where's the mount for the MaDuce?

They're hidden in the bulbous fenders. See the little eyebrows over the headlights? They flip up to fire.

T

 

[majspud]

Lots of pictures this morning. Unfortunately the sun poked over the house at the end, spoiling a couple.

Need to have keys made as son stole every key in the house to try to pick the Master combination lock on his closet where the XBox is. We never found my second set of keys with the '55 Half Dollar on the ring, but he did still have the nail clipper (why?)

Trunk needs detailing. Previous owner carpeted it; should be bare metal with Mist White. It will take forever to remove all the tack glue. I may have cardboard panels made to cover it, as they started in '58.

t

 

[majspud]

Second set.

t

 

[majspud]

The third.

t

 

[massgun]

Beautiful car! I love the upholstery, is that a stock style or custom? Factory air, that must have been rare (dealer installed?).

 

[Parker Duofold]

Nice car for sure.

I had a 1955 Mercury Monterey 2 door HT from about 1999 to 2005. It went to another owner in the divorce. It had under 35K original miles. Great cruiser. It was like this in this color: https://www.schmitt.com/inventory/ds-1955-mercury-monterey-2-door-hardtop/

 

[majspud]

Here's the information page from my story board. Car is to be reappraised following the brand new engine and rebuilt generator.

Fire Gold on Mist White (correct), Copper on Ivory leather interior (correct), and dealer installed air conditioning ($550 - $5,042.41 today; 20% the cost of the car).

HISTORY
'Dollar for dollar, you can't beat a Pontiac' was the advertising jingle that represented Pontiac's steadfast reputation for reliability and quality in the 1950's. Produced by General Motor's Pontiac division, the Star Chief was the prestigious top of the line model introduced in 1954. Before the introduction of the new premiere model, all Pontiacs rode on the modest Chevrolet wheelbase. Now riding on a 124-inch wheelbase, the Star Chief was available in Deluxe and the more expensive Custom trim. In 1954 Pontiac introduced air conditioning, a first for this price bracket, their first V8 in 1955, and seatbelts as an option in 1956.

• Original MSRP: $2,499 (about $3,143 as optioned)
• Shipping weight: 3,676 pounds w/Hydra-Matic transmission
• Star Chief production total: 99,629 2-door Custom Catalinas (also 19,762 convertibles, 44,800 4-door sedans, 35,153 4-door custom sedans, and 3,760 custom station wagons)
• Car had undergone a partial frame-on restoration by the previous owner
• A comprehensive and exhaustive 22-month mechanical restoration was performed by Xtreme Restorations of North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Appraised at $64,000 *

V.I.N. Code Information: K855H15227

K: Built at the Kansas City, Kansas plant
8: 28 series - 124” wheelbase (183.5” frame length)
55: 1955
H: Hydra-Matic transmission
15227: 14,227th production car with the Hydra-Matic transmission (90.6% of production)

Fisher Body Data Plate:
STYLE No: 55-2837SD (1955, 28 series 124” wheel base, 37SD: Catalina Coupe Custom)
BODY No: BK 6140 (Kansas City body production number 6140)
TRIM No: 272 (Ivory and Copper genuine leather)
PAINT No: 61 (Fire Gold on White Mist with Fire Gold wheels)
TOP: Ø (for convertibles)
ACC: Ø (factory). Options (*) and accessories from list (below right): *Hydra-Matic transmission and *Vogue Two-Tone Paint; also Power Pack Rochester four barrel carburetor, power steering and brakes, dual antennas, and dealer installed ‘Pontiac’ air conditioning. As a Custom Catalina, the car has nearly every accessory listed under the Basic, Convenience, Appearance, Comfort, and Protection Groups: under-seat heater and defroster, direction signal, radio and antenna, rear deck speaker, back up lamps, tilting rear view non-glare mirror, oil bath and air cleaner, full flow oil filter, glove compartment lamp, mirror visor vanity, luggage compartment lamp, ash tray lamp, instrument panel courtesy lamp, hand-brake signal, under-hood and trouble lamp, outside rear view mirror (pair), lighted hood ornament, no-mar fuel door guard, windshield washers, latex foam seat cushions, E-Z eye tinted safety glass, front bumper grille guard, and bumper wing guards.

*The car has almost every option available in 1955*

 

[greencobra]

beautiful! love that vintage litter bag, too. but seriously bro, and call me corny, no fuzzy dice?

 

[majspud]

I have a set of black ones, but I want to find a set of white ones.

t

 

[greencobra]

........but I want to find a set of white ones.

t

nice, would be my choice also. you're exonerated.

 

[W.E.C]

Congratulations, that is the finest 55 I've ever seen.


the 4 bbl carb for that year is so rare, and the hood ornament with the amber nose is
So cool.

unbelievably pricey original sticker, nice choice to restore.

 

[Mountain]

Wow, congrats- absolutely beautiful!

 

[majspud]

Congratulations, that is the finest 55 I've ever seen.


the 4 bbl carb for that year is so rare, and the hood ornament with the amber nose is
So cool.

unbelievably pricey original sticker, nice choice to restore.

So rare on the carburetor is right - the "Power Pack" option adds 20% to the car's value according to NADA.

t

 

[413dan]

wow, that looks beautiful. must be nice to have her parked back in your garage!

 

[majspud]

Country Setting; I live on a dirt spur off the main road.

t

 

[zsuperbee]

Very nice, hope to see at a show soon.

 

[majspud]

Very nice, hope to see at a show soon.

Tomorrow if it doesn't rain, but definitely Marshfield Fair on Labor Day.

t

 

[majspud]

It's officially a QUEST. I've found black dice, green dice, and pink dice but not WHITE dice.

Proof of my black dice from the last antique.

t