1971 Pontiac Catalina

1971 Pontiac Catalina Convertible It's hard to believe that Catalina's great features aren't the proud possession of many more expensive cars. The dramatically convex sides would certainly be welcome. As would the new grille and rugged front bumper. If it's the convertible like the one you see here, there's more good news. The top has a brand new inward folding mechanism that does away with the need for storage compartments at the ends of the seats. We confidently claim the new 1971 Catalina as the value leader among full sized American cars. From the 1971 Pontiac brochure For consignment, a 1971 Pontiac Catalina convertible showing 8,460 miles, but the true miles are unknown. This car has a numbers matching drivetrain. Just as the 60's made notable reductions in general car size, the early 70's saw the opposite with big, long, and heavy cars coming out of Detroit and the Catalina exemplifies this trend. Here's a diamond in the rough with good bones ready for some oceanside cruising!  Exterior This impressive land yacht wears a coat of two stage Emerald Green Metallic over long panels and an extended overhang past the rear axle. The face portrays Pontiac's familiar beak design which extends the center of the grille that comes to a point, capped by the arrowhead of course, and flanked by dual headlights on each side. At the end of the wide, flat, and vented decklid are simple tail lights that vary little from GM's other offerings in this period, here bookended by extended fenders that hint of fins without going all out. 15-inch steel wheels are topped with correct hubcaps and wrapped in 75 series white walls with the thin band of white common in this era. The black canvas top is in good shape, but the glass window is loose and subject to some duct tape repair. Other imperfections include some fading paint around the tail light bezels, orange peel in the paint, and some bubbling on a lower panel.   Interior The car's Ivory interior is where you'll want to target your restoration efforts as it's in need. Much of the inside, beginning with the door panels, could use a recoating or upgrade. We note speakers added to the carpeted kick panel of each door which also have simulated woodgrain inserts on top and electric window switches, some loose. The vinyl on the split bench seat is loose at the corners and mounting points but are otherwise intact and that's mirrored on the rear bench. The header plate over the rear cabin will need some attention in addition to the aged components on the sidewalls. A simple black steering wheel leads to an instrument cluster based in a woodgrain applique backing and includes just a clock and speedometer as the main gauges. Vent sliders to the left and heater and defrost sliders to the right, over an AM/FM/Cassette player and an added triple gauge pod under the dash. Also under the dash is a switch panel with a number of toggles. With the shifter on the column, the floor is wide and open and covered in black loop carpet while the trunk is well used and houses a tonneau cover and spare. Drivetrain It's not pretty, but it has the numbers matching 350ci V8, rated at 250 horsepower and fueled via a 2-barrel carburetor. The bay is driver quality with some obvious age, and the engine is mated to the numbers matching TH350 3-speed automatic transmission sending power to the 10 bolt rear axle. Power brakes are configured as front discs and rear drums.  Undercarriage We hoist the green giant onto the lift and find a used by not overly dirty underside. There's surface rust, oil on the pan, caked on grease, and even some rust through on underside panels, but overall less tired than we expected. The dual exhaust stands out as newer as the pipes run through stainless steel mufflers and exit discreetly before the rear bumper. Suspension is made up of coil springs up front and a 4 link with coil springs in back. Drive-Ability The old girl fired right up and slid into Drive as we rolled t