Talk me out of it.

Tomorrow I am supposed to go look at a pontiac lemans wagon with a 265 v8 pontiac motor in it.  I am told it has frame rust, but not to what extent.  the body and inside look clean in the pics (well, minor rust).  The price seems fair for a 35 yr old car.  If I were to get it, it would get a series of upgrades to the suspension so it can actually be an enjoyable drive, swap in a larger pontiac motor (or possibly, but unlikely, an LS) and go overdrive on the trans.  Nothing looks terribly expensive to replace/upgrade except keeping a pontiac motor in it.

So group of gearheads, talk me out (or in) to it!

Make sure that frame rust isn't "frame gone", and the floors too.

Other than that, bring cash.

Looking forward to the build thread. 

GRM Enabling enabled

With the 265 I assume it's a G-body from 1980 or 1981, like this?  (bonus points if it also has the woodgrain)

There's a lot of support for GM G bodies these days as far as suspension and brake upgrades go.  the LS engine is certainly a good option but on the other hand a larger Pontiac engine should drop right in, and while a 400 or especially a 455 may be expensive to find these days even a 350 would liven it right up.

The frame rust will be a big concern and expensive to fix, particularly if you don't have the ability and tools to do the repairs yourself.

In reply to stuart in mn :

Close, right color but this one doesn't have woodgrain and has the quad headlights.

I did a little searching around me and found a 389 for about 500.  So that sounds like a good candidate, though I'll probably swap transmissions first to give it some more cruisability. 

The frame rust does have me concerned, but frame pieces are available and I do have some connections that may let it get done reasonably.

I don't want to talk you out of it, but I do want to be sure you remember that these are the GM cars whose rear door windows are fixed & stationary.  The only think you get to do is open the tiny little quarter windows, which work like old-school vents.  If you intend to travel with claustrophobes, this may be an issue for you, which is why I mention it.  If nobody cares, well, rock on.

In reply to Stealthtercel :

I remember the stupidity that was the GM g-body rear windows.  I had an 84 Gutless before I got my license.  I'm not too worried as my kids are teens and this will be a strictly fun car not a DD.  It does have A/C in it, doubt it works, but the pieces are there at least.  Manual windows up front :-/

After the Monte SS, the 4 headlight LeMans was my favorite G Body.  I couldn’t tell you the last time I saw one though.

well, it looks like it's falling through.  I did more research on the replacement frame rail and the guy who made them is no longer doing them for the wagon/elky.  I also talked to the guy some more and he doesn't want to negotiate price or let me have an open title.  I guess I'll continue the hunt for a midsize GM car that's reasonably priced and not ugly.

Wall-e said:

After the Monte SS, the 4 headlight LeMans was my favorite G Body.  I couldn’t tell you the last time I saw one though.

 

Jeez....talk about a unicorn!  I haven't seen one of those since......well, since they were new! 

the wagon had the cool looking nose Slighty Sloped and down here in Ga frames are out there.  I have a 455 that needs a complete rebuild as in was running but left outside  It's in a 76 T/A black w/Gold Bird and if you have 20 grand you could make it new but the Bird came with a 400 + a few other Issues But it is what you use to make a Bandit. 

Funny that pic of the wagon isn't the one I was thinking of.

This is the one I was supposed to look at.

 that is the nose I am thinking of.

Brian said:

In reply to stuart in mn :

Close, right color but this one doesn't have woodgrain and has the quad headlights.

I did a little searching around me and found a 389 for about 500.  So that sounds like a good candidate, though I'll probably swap transmissions first to give it some more cruisability. 

The frame rust does have me concerned, but frame pieces are available and I do have some connections that may let it get done reasonably.

I know the deal fell through on the car but for future reference - a 389 may or may not work depending on the year.  If it is a 1965 or 1966, it has the modern transmission bolt pattern and a block mounted starter, so will hook up to modern transmissions.  1964 may or may not work, it was a transition year for the block pattern and used a transmission mounted starter; 1963 and earlier won't work without an expensive adapter plate.  A 400 from 1967 or newer would be the best choice of course.

DO IT.....soon now whenever!!!! the powertrain issues are mere consequence.....stand back and  absorb the greatness of the forthcoming  trend(revitalized by you and others) in Americana....voila the Station Wagon.......my formative years were spent in a 1963 dodge dart wagon...........slant six three on the tree  WOOHOOOO 

In reply to 759NRNG :

I see it now dressed in Ramcharger Paint.

If it has frame rot, you probably dodged a bullet. 

That said, I LOVE the late 70's A/G Body Pontiacs. That Lemans/Safari nose is a looker. My personal favorite? The Grand Am. 

I've always wanted one of these. I haven't seen one around here in at least 15 years. 

And on the engine swap-ability of the 265, Stick with the Pontiac 350-455. Personally, I'd build a 474 stroker using a 400 block and a stroker rotating assembly. I'd dress it up so it looks absolutely bone stock! 

It almost worked.  I got an 80 malibu sedan instead.  I'll start a build thread  as soon as I figure out where to host pics.

Pontiac made a 265?  I thought the smallest they went after the 1950s was the 301.

Off to Google!  Small displacement small blocks are interesting for some reason.

In reply to Knurled :

Yes they  made it in 80 and 81 only