In over my head!
voroshilov
Member Posts: 26
Hello! I am new here...and to cars in general. I've always admired drooling over them and going to car shows, but I just made my first old/unique car purchase.
Excited? Yes.
Problem? Well, the car is very rare. I was only able to find a few like it, and most of that was only photos of ones that sold long ago. I have zero idea what to do. I was told it has some weird engine that they didn't know was ever even sold in the US. I don't even know how to figure out what is wrong with it and no one in town knows how to even begin working on it because it has some sort of bizarre engine. I was wondering if anyone here could give me ANY sort of information or direction on the car about...well...anything. I know nothing about it...It was just love at first sight.
It is a Pontiac Safari Superchick? I think...that's what is on the emblems, anyway. Here are some photos:
Excited? Yes.
Problem? Well, the car is very rare. I was only able to find a few like it, and most of that was only photos of ones that sold long ago. I have zero idea what to do. I was told it has some weird engine that they didn't know was ever even sold in the US. I don't even know how to figure out what is wrong with it and no one in town knows how to even begin working on it because it has some sort of bizarre engine. I was wondering if anyone here could give me ANY sort of information or direction on the car about...well...anything. I know nothing about it...It was just love at first sight.
It is a Pontiac Safari Superchick? I think...that's what is on the emblems, anyway. Here are some photos:
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Although parked in grass can be a bad thing, this car looks pretty clean and straight. Tell us more when you can.
BTW, if it's an American Pontiac (as opposed to Canadian), it would be a V8.
I'd go to some local old-car shows and politely ask folks about anyone they know that might be able to do mechanical work for hire, for you. Let them know that you understand it'll be worked on around more regular-stuff, and don't pester them (the shop or repair guy) too much. I know the feeling you're having; I've had it myself. It would probably be a good idea to buy the factory shop and repair manuals for it (search online) and it might not hurt to search online for a Pontiac club in your area, or maybe the national Pontiac club (I'm assuming there is one).
Again, good luck.
If you go to the "Old Car Manuals Project" site, then "Brochures" there, then "USA", then "1957 Pontiac", you can look through the factory brochure for your car which might give you some info on the car and engine.
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What does it have written about the front wheel?
With the full wheel covers it may be a Super Chief.
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If you look on the firewall there should be a Data Plate. Read off the "style" number and that'll tell us exactly what it is.
I'm still learning stuff about old cars here.
I was TOLD it has some weird, rare engine that only UK ones had??? But I don't know. When I go out there in the next few days I'll be taking someone who knows more than I or the guy who I got it from does about cars.
Thanks for the information, though, it is all very helpful and interesting, so keep it coming! I'm shocked it is 'SuperChief'. Maybe I need to take a reading course, lol!!
That year, there was a 3-model lineup. Chieftain was the low-line model, on a 122" wheelbase, and offered a 2/4-door sedan, 2/4-door hardtop, and 2- and 4-door wagons.
Super Chief was the mid-range series, also on the 122" wb, and offered a 4-door sedan, 2/4-door hardtop, and 4-door wagon. By 1957, 2-door wagons and sedans were considered pretty low-class, and while pretty common in Ford/Chevy/Plymouth priced cars, when you moved up a notch to a the middle-priced market, they were usually restricted to the low-end-models.
Star Chief was the top series, on a 124" wb (but 122" for wagons), and offered a 4-door sedan, convertible, 2/4-door hardtops, and a 4-door wagon, as well as a 2-door "hardtop" wagon that was Pontiac's equivalent of the Chevy Nomad. I put "hardtop" in quotes there because it wasn't a hardtop in the strictest sense of the word...no B-pillar. AFAIK, the only true 2-door hardtop wagon was a Mercury model around 1957-58, called the Villager or something like that.
My guess is that the car above is a Super Chief. It's definitely not a Star Chief, which would have more chrome on it. And since the original poster deciphered it as "Superchick", well, that's closer to "Super Chief" than "Chieftain".
As for production, Pontiac sold 11,356 Chieftain 4-door Safaris, (only 2,934 2-door Safaris), and 14,095 Super Chiefs. The Star Chief Custom Safari 4-door wagon only sold 1,894 units. While the Nomad-type model sold a mere 1,292. I seem to remember something else called a "Transcontinental", but it may have been considered a trim level for the Star Chief 4-door wagon, rather than a separate model, so it wouldn't show a separate production breakout.
Pontiac's only engine size for 1957 was a 347.0 V-8. IIRC, in the Chieftain it was a 2-bbl, and a 4-bbl for the Super Chief and Star Chief. There was also a 290 hp option but I can't remember if it was dual quad or Tri-Power. And then, at the top there was the fuel-injected Bonneville, of which only 630 examples of that $6782 convertible were built.
FWIW, "Super Chief" was a '57-58-only offering. In 1955-56 the lineup was Chieftain 860/Chieftain 870/Star Chief. I think the 2 different Chieftains might have been a holdover from the earlier years, where Pontiac offered a Chieftain 6-cyl and Chieftain 8-cyl.
The Super Chief was on a 122" wb for '57, but for '58 moved to the Star Chief's 124" wb, and dropped its wagon offering.
For 1959, Pontiac shuffled its lineup, calling the low-end Catalina, the mid range was Star Chief, and the Bonneville became a fuller lineup, offering a 4-door wagon, hardtop coupe/sedan, and convertible. Price-wise, it looks like the '59 Star Chief got demoted just a bit, sort of splitting the difference between the '58 Superchief and Star Chief.
That particular V-8 came out for 1955 as a 287.2 CID or something like that. For 1956 it went to a 316 CID, then 347 for '57, and 370 for '58. For 1959 it went to a 389 CID, and then 400 for 1967, and that engine was used through 1978.. It shouldn't be all that hard to work on. Pontiac tended to offer different horsepower ratings for the manual shift versus the automatic in those days, so there were two ratings for the 2-bbl carb, two ratings for the 4-bbl. So that might cause some confusion.
The Canadian Pontiacs were shorter than the US models as well, as they were put on Chevy frames. The body itself was the same as the US model, but they were modified up front, with shorter hoods and fenders, as the modification was made in the area behind the front axle, but ahead of the firewall.
I'm not sure what export Pontiacs would have been called, but I don't think they would have used the same names as in the United States. So if it says "Super Chief" on the front fender, I'd imagine it was originally intended to be a US model, and should have a Pontiac 347 V-8, and not a Chevy engine.
I go to car shows and cruise-ins around my area each summer and see thousands of cars, although many are repeats from the previous year. I don't recall seeing more than 1 1957 Pontiac wagon.
My comments are that the car is in colors that were the popular, typical colors for Pontiacs
during the 50s in the Midwest where I grew up. Nothing pleases me more than seeing cars restored
exactly the way they were and in common colors.
Good luck.
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sure I've seen a 58 Pontiac, wagon or not. Those were overdone styling wise,
but were mild compared to Buick and Oldsmobile in '58.
The '57 taillights reminded me of the 55 and 56 Buick. The slug of chrome
along the side of car in front of the taillight added that rich overuse of real
chrome from back in the day. Chrome equated with power and prestige.
This '58 is a pretty car in typical colors for that year. Does anyone
know what the words are on the fender behind the front wheel?
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That's also where they put the "Tri-Power" badge on cars that are so equipped. I think the '58 Pontiac is fairly attractive for the most part...my only quibble with it is the way the headlights jut out. They give the car a bit of a swollen look, and like it's tired, and has bags under its eyes! But yeah, I agree, much better than a Buick or Olds that year!
Oh, and back in 2011, there was a '55 Pontiac wagon at the GM show in Carlisle PA. I took this pic of it...
I'll probably head out there today or tomorrow to take a lot more photos, under the hood, inside, and out, so I'll be sure to post them. I know approximately ZERO about engines, so this should be a fun learning experience. I think this is what some would refer to as "without a parachute" lol. I'm just a waitress, so it will be a LONG road, but very worth it in the end.
protect the valve seats from wear?
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It's been a long time since I've seen one of these running around and I really like them.
Any good mechanic should be able to work on it. Cars were simple in those days.
I'd been told it had a Hydrostatic transmission - that was the weird thing - whatever that is...but it doesn't, so it is a non-issue. Can you tell I'm a car noob?
As for the transmission, I think they meant "Hydra-Matic". That was a brand name, what GM called the automatic transmission that went into Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, and Cadillacs. Buicks used "DyaFlow", and Chevies used "PowerGlide" (2-speed) or "TurboGlide" (3-speed).
That makes sense, for the transmission. I know ZERO about cars other than where the gas goes, so...I'm about to learn, I guess!! I'm not even sure what the first step is. I think that, until I get the money to have her towed to my house so I can dig deeper, I may go out there and detail the inside...just to see what it will look like.
I see pictures about 2 x 3 inches and heavily tinted toward blue.
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Ok, weird. Hopefully that is better. I did nothing different, lol. Sometimes they would just upload tiny for some reason. I swear, my phone and my laptop plot against me. Sorry about that.
I can understand why "Super Chief" looked like Super Chick when I see the script.
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It even has factory air conditioning which would have been an ultra rare option in 1957!
The compressor belt is missing so it probably doesn't work but someone who knows what they are doing could
probably get it working again.
The radio is missing but if you "google" 1957 Pontiac radio in Ebay chances are you'll find one.
For a lot of work and probably a lot of dollars, you'll have a cool ride!
I will have to google the radio and see what I can find, but I want to see if I can actually get her running before I do any of that. Still doesn't hurt to window shop, though!
$255 NOS (new old stock)
I googled 1957 pontiac radio
There are several other pictures on the page I linked. The body of radio is marked 1956 Pontiac
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I can't tell though, if that's a 2-bbl or 4-bbl carb. The opening looks small-ish to me, but that may not mean anything. I've seen 2-bbls with large throats, and 4-bbls with small throats.
Oh, and after seeing that badge on the fender, I can see how someone could see it as "Super Chick", too!