Ask the Car People.SM


1965-67 Catalina 2+2. Any experts out there? - READ ONLY

35 messages,  Last post on Jan 19, 2002 at 3:00 PM

You are in the Classic Cars - Archived Discussions Forum.

This discussion is ARCHIVED. To reactivate the discussion, post a request in the Lost In The Town Hall... discussion.

What is this discussion about? Pontiac, Coupe

Messages Page 4 of 4

#26 of 35 Metallic blue-green... by andre1969

Oct 19, 2001 (6:03 am)

...I'm not sure exactly what it's called, but I'm sure there were several different shades of it, and they probably called it something different between the divisions, and also from year to year.
 
I think I know the color you're talking about. There's a '66 Olds 88 around the corner from my home for sale, and it's painted kind of a dark turqouise, with a light turquoise cloth interior. I think it's a really nice color.
 
My '67 is a light creamy yellow with a black top and interior, which I think is pretty nice, but I always loved those pastel greens and blues from the 50's and 60's.

#27 of 35 Calling Isellhondas! How comfy are '67 Pontiacs? by parm

Oct 19, 2001 (6:16 pm)

As I know you're a '67 Catalina owner, I'm curious to get your input as to how comfortable the front buckets seats are. I've been considering a '67 Grand Prix convertible with bucket seats (no power). The last car I owned with out multiple seat adjustment was a '77 Trans Am which was very comfortable - though the tilt wheel probably had a lot to with that.
 
Also, do you know if tilt steering columns were available in the '67 Pontiac Catalina/Bonneville/GP? If so, I wonder how feasible it'd be to replace a non-tilt column with a tilt-column.
 
Any input with regard to the seats and tilt column would be appreciated.

#28 of 35 by speedshift

Oct 19, 2001 (7:40 pm)

Tilt was available in the GTO by '67 so it must have been available in the larger Pontiacs by then. It's a bolt-in swap in the goats but the hard part is finding the tilting column. The tilt in my '67 GTO was one of the rarer options. Probably more big Pontiacs were ordered with tilt but more of those cars were crushed and fewer stripped of parts so my guess is that a full-size tilt column is hard to find. Check the Pontiac parts for sale section of Hemmings. Maybe any full-size GM tilt from that era will fit. There are probably column-shift and console-shift tilt columns.
   
There must be a gear that holds the wheel in position and mine seemed to be worn because I could (accidently) move the steering wheel up and down without using the disengaging mechanism--so maybe that's something to look out for.

#29 of 35 Tilt columns... by andre1969

Oct 19, 2001 (8:13 pm)

My '67 Catalina has a tilt column, which I would imagine was very rare on a low-line car like a Catalina. I had a '69 Bonneville too, a much more luxurious car, and it didn't have tilt. I do have the same problem that Speedshift's GTO had, that if you grabbed the wheel hard enough, you could move it without using the disengaging lever. I found this out one day when one of my friends sat behind the wheel, and for some reason was trying to imitate a panic stop and grabbed the wheel real hard, making it drop down a notch or two. I'm sure I could do the same if I really tried, but evidently I have a little more respect for my property than some people. Maybe I should pay him back by asking to drive his '72 Corvette with the 4-on-the-floor. The catch being, I can't drive a stick
 
As for comfort, well, I just have a bench seat, and it's not power, but I think it's very comfortable. It's thickly padded, and gives good leg and back support. It doesn't have head rests though, I don't think they were required until 1969. It's also a very roomy car. Being a convertible, it's not going to have as much room as a hardtop coupe, but even with the top down, there's about as much trunk room as a modern Intrepid or LeSabre, and it's still wide enough for three people in the back. How many modern convertibles can boast that?
 
Three people across up front is a breeze, too. This is something most modern cars, even those with bench seats, just aren't capable of. I don't think any car made today has as much shoulder room. Plus, most modern cars have a dashboard protrusion right in the middle that houses the radio and climate controls. Many modern dashes are fairly low too, which cuts into your foot room.
 
BTW, the '67 Grand Prix is a really sweet car! I think that was the only year they offered the Grand Prix as a convertible.

#30 of 35 by crossedreality

Oct 19, 2001 (9:08 pm)

andre: you can't drive a stick? I never would have guessed. I feel your pain about people treating your property as their own though.

#31 of 35 parm... by isellhondas

Oct 20, 2001 (9:31 am)

Andre is the guy with the 67 Poncho.
 
I once owned a 64 Catalina 2 door HT. It was fairly rare in the fact it had the 421 4bbl with a three speed on the column!
 
It took forever to shift but MAN, was it fast!
 
I also owned a '67 GTO.
 
This was in the mid-seventies.
 
At that time, I guess I thought the seats were comfortable enough. I'm sure the modern cars are much better.
 
Tilt steering was actually a pretty common option on GM cars back then. I remember as a kid seeing a 63 Impala with tilt (first year offered) and I wondered what good that could possibly do.

#32 of 35 by jsylvester

Oct 20, 2001 (10:02 am)

I don't know if this will help, but this website is all classic Pontiac parts. I have no affiliation with them, they just sponsored a Pontiac show up in Norwalk, Ohio over the summer when I was shopping for a Pontiac convertible, so I marked their website.

It might contain some info on the steering column parts. Or you could e-mail them and ask.

http://www.amesperf.com/

#33 of 35 '67 2+2 Experience by cccompson

Jan 18, 2002 (7:53 pm)

Although this discussion seems to have expired, I just stumbled across it and wanted to share some things based on my ownership of a '67 2+2 hardtop from 1978 to 1987.
 
It was an unusual (probably specially ordered) vehicle with a bench seat, 4-speed, 428 HO (376 HP), and posi. Add-on AC had been installed at some point. Black in and out with plain wheel covers.
 
I owned quite a few muscle cars of that era and that 2+2 was as quick as any of them and especially strong at lower speeds. Don't know what the final drive ratio was (probably a 3.55) and it did not have a tachometer. It drove good on the highway but, of course, had little handling ability. The 4 wheel power drum brakes were adequate (and certainly better than the manual drums I had on one '67 GTO which occasionally required two feet!) It had model specific interior door panels which I doubt would ever be available in reproduction.
 
There's one other reason that car was special - my wife and I drove it on our first date on January 6, 1979. I'm lucky to still have her and wish I still had the 2+2!
 
Back to the original question - although they are far rarer than GTOs, they have the same performance at a lower price.

#34 of 35 by speedshift

Jan 18, 2002 (9:48 pm)

Maybe I'm just an old gearhead (okay, I am an old gearhead) but I think full-size four speed cars are great. Maybe it's because the combination is so unexpected. Full size equals cruiser and four speed equals sport. I've had three of them, all Impalas, and would love to have a four speed 2+2. Good performers and with the gauge package that dash is something else.

#35 of 35 One of my dream cars..... by isellhondas

Jan 19, 2002 (3:00 pm)

1965 Catalina 2+2 421 3 2bbls, 376 H.P. Positraction.
 
A/C, power windows, tilt, AM-FM w/reverb, and any other accessories that were available.
 
Yellow, black buckets, 4 speed, red stripe tires.
 
Guess I can dream.....?

Messages Page 4 of 4

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement