1964 Pontiac Catalina

1964 Pontiac Catalina Sport Coupe  What started off as a trim level in the 50's, ended up being a stand alone model beginning in 1960 when Pontiacs famous split grille would first appear.  The 1960's Catalina served as the basis for the Grand Prix which in turn, inspired the GTO from the LeMans.  For consignment, a 1964 Pontiac Catalina Sport Coupe with a title-verified 42,334 actual miles.  New tires, a new fuel pump, a new carburetor are recent additions according to our consignor and this is a full sized Pontiac you don't often see.   Exterior Our car is in Cameo White which covers the car end to end and on the hardtop which is delineated with interesting C-pillar trim that almost gives it the look of an accessory hardtop, but it's fully attached.  The Pontiac nose is lined with the grille strakes that curve from extended headlights to the center, all underlined by a chrome bumper sculpted to the lower light of the horizontal pair.  Equal proportions of the hood, cabin, and rear create a handsome profile connected by a dead straight shoulder line and right angles forming perfectly vertical fascias front and rear.  Decent chrome covers the rear bumper which is shaped to accept the big vertical taillights and the square tail is intersected by a Pontiac branded band of trim.  Rectangle exhaust tips keep the squarish theme, and the rear window and C-pillars narrow within the shoulder line where wide flat berms are a fitting place to rest your non-steering arm.  14-inch Cragar mag wheels are on the car and looking a bit tired, but they are wearing 235/60R14 tires with a late 2023 date code.  Imperfections include rust and repairs on the door and near the rocker and on the sill as well as some bubbling in other areas.  Interior Varying shades of blue vinyl cover the door panels and both are in need of restoration.  The split bench seat is patterned tri-colored vinyl and is torn badly on the driver's side with smaller tears on the passenger side.  If you need inspiration to redo them, simply look at the back bench which is in very good condition and wears the Pontiac arrowhead on each side.  Blue and clear plastic are mere remnants of their cool design on the steering wheel which will need to be replaced or completely rebuilt.  It shares a narrow column with a shifter that is rod shaped and minimalistic while the dash is also a simple compilation of gauges, buttons, and an AM/FM/Cassette radio.  The metal backed dash moving right is finned over a blue metal glove box and lower panel with spots of rust near the hardware.  Blue loop carpet covers the floor and does not look bad while the headliner and visors will need complete restoration.  The trunk is in driver condition with an old period mat and a spare tire.  Drivetrain Open the big hood to find plenty of space around the 400ci V8 from circa 1976, an Edelbrock intake, new carburetor, and Erson chrome valve covers.  A TH350 3-speed automatic transmission sends power to the 3.23 gears in back while power drum brakes slow things down on all four wheels.   Undercarriage Strictly driver quality underneath with its fair share of surface rust, but generally clean and free of debris save for some grime around the rear differential and front steering components.  The rear differential is also where we find some residual oil but no active drips.  The inner rocker panel and door bottoms have some advanced surface rust that would likely be mitigated with some encapsulator.  Coil springs live up front and out back where it is mated with the 4-link suspension system.  Dual exhaust flows into glasspack style mufflers before exiting out back.   Drive-Ability This diamond in the rough is a cool looking car.  We see our share of GTO's, LeMans, and Grand Prix but Catalina's are rare visitors.  There's a miss in the engine so we kept our ride short and, in that time, noted the following items that will need attention during the repair or re