1969 Pontiac Bonneville Project

[Scott]

So yesterday I bought my dad's 1969 Pontiac Bonneville. I know for a fact that it use to run and be in mint condition. We have had it since 1995 and it went to a Pontiac only mechanic who full rebuilt the 428 7L engine. It is pushing about 600 torque, which is very important on a car this big.
Well today I change my first spark plugs (NGK) and I have a huge list of whats needs to be fixed. Luckily, the body only has a few minor rust areas which I will eventually get a re-spray on, and the engine only has 25K on it, but the interior, top, and floor boards are the major areas of fixing right now. I have videos that I will eventually post of todays runs. The first run is horrible because I didn't change the plugs yet and the second one had a huge puff of black smoke come out of the tail pipes because it has been sitting so long that it needs a well needed oil change. I don't plan on finishing this next month. I want to keep my savings just incase something goes wrong with the Galant or another issue in my life happens, so I am trying to play it safe whiles I slowly get what I need for it.








More pictures and videos to come as we get more work going.

[foxbrand]

Oh, NICE!!

[Scott]

Thanks, I can't wait to post up the videos

[m-rod]

I can't wait to hear the awesome sound from that big block Pontiac.

[Scott]

Well, I thought I would be able to save videos off of facebook, but I have to wait til I'm on my girls laptop again. The camera makes it sound really muffled because I was way to close for how loud it is. Although it sounded horrible, I'm going to post the first start up that I tried, which I have never actually done before, and then I'll post the vid of my dad keeping it going.

[m-rod]

I just thought I would mention too, if you end up needing any misc engine parts, let me know. I still have plenty of random engine parts sitting around.

[Scott]

Thanks for the info and offer, here is your video. I can't figure out how to get it to play without needing to go to my photobucket

[blue8g]

photobucket always makes you do that with videos iirc

[Scott]

Well its annoying lol

[Scott]

My newest update: My girlfriend and I finally figured out how to get the radiator cap off. My galant it just twists and you line it up and it comes out. The Bonneville had a very rusty cap and she pushed it down after I turned it and it poped off lol. My dad suggested 2 gallons of antifreeze but it barely took half gallon before going out the overflow tube. I think I should drain it all first and refill the whole thing since its been sitting so long. I also pulled some of the carpet and the carpet my dad put in the first time was two pieces over lapping. I haven't been able to find any kind of manuals that have every bolt of where what is in the interior. I guess I'm just going to start searching my self within the car and figure out how to pull out the whole interior. But that won't happen for another week or two. Theres a few personal reasons about why I can't get to it.

The second update is: even with the 8 plugs, I can't get the car to run without my dad being around to do it right. Part of the issue is a completely dead battery but I just need to get use to pumping the gas he said. But I'm not sure why it won't idle by it self yet. Hopefully once I do an oil change and other necessary things for a car that sat so long it will get back to normal.

[m-rod]

The oil change shouldn't make it run any better. Smoother yes, but as far as staying running at idle, no. I would probably start by rebuilding the carb. It's probably a QuadraJet, and I imagine the rebuild kit shouldn't be much more than about $30. They aren't too bad to rebuild either. Just make sure you have some time set aside where you can arrange all the parts without them being disturbed. Otherwise adjust the distributor and see if your timing is adjusted correctly.

[foxbrand]

On that note with m-rod, what kind of tappets does the Pontiac have? If they are solids, you need to adjust them, if they can be adjusted, however, because the engine is so old, you should put in ZDP, zinc additives, it was regular for oil at the time the engine was built to have zinc, a friend of mine has an Escort ZX2, he has flat tappets, which is also possible that you might have.

[Scott]

The oil change shouldn't make it run any better. Smoother yes, but as far as staying running at idle, no. I would probably start by rebuilding the carb. It's probably a QuadraJet, and I imagine the rebuild kit shouldn't be much more than about $30. They aren't too bad to rebuild either. Just make sure you have some time set aside where you can arrange all the parts without them being disturbed. Otherwise adjust the distributor and see if your timing is adjusted correctly.

It is very possible that it is the timing because, and PLEASE correct me if I am wrong, the cap that has all of the spark plug wires in the back of the engine was somehow loose and my dad thinks it knocked the timing out of place.

On a side not, I'm thinking of these wheels for it in the future, but I was hoping to find a 16" and not a 17". 17's seem to be too big on older cars.



edit: I found them in 15's not but 16's. Any input would be appreciated.

[Scott]

On that note with m-rod, what kind of tappets does the Pontiac have? If they are solids, you need to adjust them, if they can be adjusted, however, because the engine is so old, you should put in ZDP, zinc additives, it was regular for oil at the time the engine was built to have zinc, a friend of mine has an Escort ZX2, he has flat tappets, which is also possible that you might have.

To be honest with you, I'm not sure. Until my dad let it sit and couldn't afford to run it, it ran perfectly and was just about 100% restored. I never heard him say anything about additives for the oil. That will be something I will look into though.

[m-rod]

yes the rotation of the distributor adjusts the ignition timing.

[Scott]

Alright well that is one issue that I know is the main reason then. Now I'm more worried about the rust and how to clean it or get rid of it mostly without a full sandblasting like Ray had suggested. It is something that my buddies grandfather doesn't think is completely necessary but I don't want to weld the floor boards only without cleaning up the rust around it. Is there any type of solution that can take up the rust and help prevent more?

[foxbrand]

grinding off the rust is one solution, you can also try reverse electrolisis, but either grinding, media blasting or sand blasting would be a bet, to prevent rust immediatly afterward, spray it down with engine enamal, you can buy this at any auto store, if possible, get the stuff that goes on the exhaust, it will protect the floor boards better because it is designed to be outside of the engine bay, just let it dry then you have to get heat on it imediatly so it hardens

[Scott]

Thanks for the advice. Anyone have any opinions on the wheels? I know wheels are a bit early but why not right?

[foxbrand]

Well, are you going for a restored look or for a more modern thing? Are you going to put on drag radials?

[Scott]

No its going to be street legal, but I'm going for more of the oldschool look, but not stock. There are certain parts on the car already that are 100% custom. The hideaway lights grill is custom fit from a 68 grand prix and no bonneville to my knowledge had an auto tranny with bucket seats and an actual center console. Also the bolt pattern on the wheels are 5x5 with a 5x4.75 spacer on it.

[foxbrand]

The reason why I asked about the drag radial thing is that a lot of muscle cars that are around where I live tend to have them, there are street legal drag radials, BF Goodrich makes some, though Mickey Thomason (a friend of mine's dad has a pump gas/street legal built Grand National with them, turns low 11's) and Nitto makes some that are relitively affordable and street legal

[Scott]

I haven't thought about it because although this beast has power, I don't plan to use it for any of its power. Its going to be my summer cruise car and just enjoy owning a restored old car. Plus there was no way I could let my dad sell it to some dimwit who would just screw it up. I know everyone has different tastes, but I'm doing a lot of the old school looks along with a small mix of now. I just wish I had photoshop to try to show a little bit of how I actually want to finish this. Some older cars has interiors that were the same color as the car. A lot of the bonnevilles had the blue paint and blue interior. I'm not going that far to have a baby blue interior to match it, but I was thinking of a white interior with a blue mix. But it is complicated to explain without photoshop.

[foxbrand]

A blue/white mix woudl look incredible with the leather

[Scott]

I wasn't so sure, but if you imagine the galant seats, it would by like the butt and back would be the blue and around it including the head would be white. It will be all leather and my girlfriends grandmother is a seamstress so it will be very easy to do. My only issue is the carpet. I don't want to kill the look of the overall interior with a black carpet, but a light blue or white carpet is just not a realistic idea with my girlfriends drive way (where the car will always be) has the smallest rocks in the world. They love to inbed into the carpet to where you just can't get them out. that is my only issue. But the other issue would be the dash/door pannels. They will follow the same pattern as the seats, but I just think that would be over kill. I'm not sure, I'm still trying to plan it out in my head.

[Scott]

Oh and my stock bolt pattern is 5x5 or 5x127 and the wheels i posted before I found in this size! I can take the wheel spacer off the car and ride normal

[Scott]

Started sanding the trunk today. The only reason the trunk has rust is because the trunk seal was extremely old, water sat in it, rusted a hole in the metal under it, and now its the trunk. I'm going to hand sand it out, use a rust lifter/cleaner/sealer that I was suggested to use, then paint it black. I'm going to run the inside with a trunk liner too to make it even more "clean" looking. I was told by a guy that is a professional car restore-er that the few holes that are in the trunk can be sealed with a liquid steel. It would be much cheaper to do since the trunk really isn't bad enough to need a sand blasting. I'm thinking of doing a trunk lining that is the same color as the car with a pontiac symbol in the center, like those who have done the mitsu symbol. But I dont want to get too crazy, but I don't want it to be too plain either. Just testing some ideas.

[Scott]

My cousin is working on some photoshops for me to post here for opinions. Once they are done, I'll post them up

[Scott]

Got the whole trunk sanded inside today. Once I get my camera back, I'll upload before and after pictures. Going to spray it black with some rustolium and make a custom trunk liner or find someone who makes them. Either way, it will be easier to have a trunk liner inside of it so that stuff in the trunk won't fall out of the side holes (which were factory that way).

[Scott]

These rims are on the way OUT as soon as I purchase new ones towards the end of the work, so next spring or summer.



The engine after I bought the new Valve Cover Breather Cap and just sprayed SOME degreaser and wiped in down.


Starting the trunk




Just using rust removal for the trunk along with another product, once I find it, that the guy that restores cars for a living recommended.


You should have seen how nasty rotted the trunk seal was. There was some holes under it which will be filled in prior to installing the new seal. For now, we got the car to run off time long enough to drive it into the garage. That is where it will stay until 1 of 2 things. The floor, top, and interior are done, or my dad moves.

[Scott]

Videos are slowly uploading. I am sorry, I don't have the best camera so PLEASE don't judge it completely by the sound. The camera screwed it up so bad compared to what it really sounds like.

After fixing the timing, it idles by it self all day now. Let it run for a good 20-30 min today for the first time in a while