Black Beauty: 1967 Pontiac Le Mans
This 1967 Pontiac Le Mans possesses a number of positive attributes, and it has the potential to be a comfortable and potent piece of machinery once it has been returned to a roadworthy state. It needs very little work to whip the body back into shape, so the new owner will be able to firmly focus their attention on the vehicle’s drivetrain. It is also a car that contains some interesting little quirks, so it will be interesting to see just what our readers make of these. The Pontiac is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set a BIN of $8,000 for the Le Mans, and I really have to say thank you to Barn Finder local_sheriff for spotting this great 1960s classic for us.
The Pontiac is finished in Starlight Black, but it isn’t clear whether the paint that it wears is original, or if the vehicle has received a repaint at some point in the past. It actually looks pretty reasonable and is presentable enough to be driven in its current state as a clean survivor. There is one crease in the top, but it isn’t bad and should be pretty easy to address. As for rust, this doesn’t appear to be an issue. The panels appear to be free of problems, while the owner states that the floors, trunk, and the frame are all solid and clean. The trim and chrome all looks good, although it would appear that the Pontiac might be missing a couple of hubcaps. The glass also appears to be free of defects, but the fog-lights mounted in front of the grille are not only not original, but they are just a taste of things to come.
Okay, so before we get onto the condition of the interior in general, I really have to address the elephant in the room. I mentioned some quirks earlier, and we’ve now reached the point where we can assess them. It would seem that someone has been a bit of a gadget addict because I doubt that I’ve ever seen so many things hanging under the dash of any car in my entire life. Some of these items make perfect sense, while others just boggle the mind. The additional gauges are a fairly smart move because that allows the owner to monitor the relative health of what lies under the hood. There is also a switch to control the fog-lights, along with the switch for a power antenna, and a manual choke control. From there, things really go crazy. I can also spot a wiper delay control, an 8-track player, a digital clock, two separate switches to control switching the car’s speakers between the tape player and the radio, a CB radio, and an AM radio and FM converter. These last two items are all the more intriguing when you consider that there is also an aftermarket AM/FM radio/cassette player mounted in the dash where the original radio would have been. My first thought when I saw this lot was to wonder just what the wiring looks like under the dash, and this would be further confused by the aftermarket tachometer that is mounted on the steering column and what appears to be a car alarm. Looking beyond these quirks, there are also aftermarket speakers that have been cut into the door trims, and that is nothing short of a crying shame. This is because the rest of the interior is completely original, and its condition is extremely impressive. The owner has only just removed the factory plastic covers from the seats, so it is no surprise that the upholstery is flawless. The headliner is also perfect, while apart from the previously mentioned radio/cassette player, the dash is original and free of any issues. The only problems that I can pick are some fading of the carpet and dash pad, and some deterioration of the armrests. Those couple of problems will be easy to address, but I suspect that the next owner might need to employ the services of an auto electrician to sort out all of the aftermarket additions.
Lifting the hood of the Le Mans reveals a 326ci V8 engine, coupled to an automatic transmission. This engine should be producing 250hp, which would be enough to propel the Pontiac from 0-60mph in 10.9 seconds. This is the moment where we get to the bad news, because while that motor should be producing 250hp, what it actually produces is nothing. Not only doesn’t the car run, but the engine doesn’t even turn over. This may well have been the catalyst for the car being parked in the first place, but this isn’t clear. Given how clean the rest of the car is, I have to say that I find the sheer quantity of corrosion on the engine to be extremely surprising. It isn’t clear whether the engine might be fit to rebuild, but if I were considering buying the vehicle, I would probably be bracing myself for at least a rebuild, but potentially for an engine change.
If this 1967 Le Mans is as clean and solid as the owner claims, then it would make a pretty respectable project car. The engine issues are a real disappointment, and the next owner would have to decide whether to attempt a rebuild or to simply replace the engine. That would also mean that they might take the opportunity to upgrade the engine and transmission, which could really transform the performance of the car. However, potentially the most interesting (and frustrating) aspect of returning this car to the road would be to sort out all of the aftermarket additions to the interior. Is this something that you would be willing to tackle? Or would you be more inclined to hand the whole mess to an auto electrician and say, “Here, fix this!”
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Comments
This looks ripe for a drivetrain swap. Take out all of that aftermarket junk and the engine. Toss in a nasty, angry, snarling motor and a 4 spd and drive the wheels off of it.
The engine looks bad because of the humidity in Ohio, especially by the lake. I would like to see the floor and frame, because Ohio can give you terrible rust just sitting in a garage !
I actually enjoy a challenge like this, and returning this to as close to original would be the ultimate goal…a bit high on the ask, especially for a rust belt survivor. I’d look this over carefully and try to negotiate it down a bit.
With so many ad-ons and doubtful electrical connections in a 50years+ wiring system IMO there’s only one thing to do – just rip out everything and install a new harness. Trying to understand how any POs have thought, inconsequent use of colors/gauge or struggling with corroded connectors is a waste of time.
It may sound time-consuming (and it is!) but installing a new harness is actually quite self explanatory once you get to it. I have no technical education apart from what I learnt in the army, however I installed a Painless street rod kit in my K5 some years back and knowing what I do now I wouldn’t hesitate to tackle such a job again. At least when we’re talking about a non-AC, non-power everything like this LeMans. Best thing is that you’ll become an expert on your car’s harness ! 😁
Have to agree with Angry Mike, cars even in the garage will sweat in the spring and even if the weather is changing in the fall. Cold steel warmer air and the dehumidifier effect is in play. If all that stuff was working under the dash the owner knew what he was doing. LOL there has to be some disasters in there. See wire nuts in the engine bay, asking too much for this car, sure would look great finished though.
I’m with local-sheriff. Rewire the car. get all the crap out of there and find an AM/FM GM OEM (sorry for all the initials) Radio and put a speaker in the back shelf. Period. Let an auto electrician do it. I have one near me, very good. The downside: The price is too high, i agree about humidity and weather, I lived in the Midwest, this is a hands on inspection, but maybe a good value for less money if the car doesn’t require open heart surgery. Will a 327 fit in this car? How about that and a 5 speed Tremec with a shortened driveshaft? You would be upside down financially but have one heck of a driver. And Vintage Air/Heat. Keep it forever.
Maestro; my point was to encourage people to try doing the wiring in order to save some $ and LEARN – not have some pro do it. I don’t even know what’s up or down on a multimeter so if I could successfully install a harness I’m pretty confident the majority of BF readers would too on such a basic vehicle if they just TRY.
Yes, gearheads have installed SBCs in Pontiacs for decades ( what vehicle has yet NOT…?). Engine mounts would most likely be in different locations. Then you also need a Chev bellhousing transmission+++. It’s doable and being an A-body I’m sure kits are available but it’d be easier to stick with a Pontiac block
I’d look for a junkyard 455 and TH400 combo myself. SBCs are the lazy way out.
Not bad, looks solid. At least you know it had an early owner that cared enough about the car to work on it on the weekends and add all the little “options”. I bought a car once that had a JC Whitney power window conversion on it. Little motors that bolted on top of the window crank shafts. Worked flawlessly. I would try to keep the JC Whitney/Radio Shack options if i bought this. Back then we ordered stuff out of catalogs and we bought stuff from radio shack. So its still “period correct”
It looks like a tempest no body lines on the quarter panels
This car is right up my alley. A nice little project that is not overwhelming and the end result is a classic ride that isn’t a GTO. Nothing against GTO’s, I just like something a little understated.
My 71 Skylark came to me with all sorts of various electrical “upgrades” such as a hidden kill switch and the aforementioned wiper delay amongst other things. I really couldn’t understand the need for the wiper delay since they were slow as molasses to begin with.
As one can imagine the car had a lot of electrical gremlins. Interior lights, dash and gauge lights were inop, door buzzer, blinkers and stop lights worked intermittently…
I took the whole dash apart to restore the paint on it and while in there I ripped out everything non factory, chased down all the short circuits and found a few wires melted together. I repaired the original harness because I was on a budget and I recall a new harness was going to cost me around $600 twenty years ago, which I didn’t have at the time. I don’t regret it since I sold that car ten years ago and the repairs taught me a lot about wiring. I’ve never been intimated by electrical projects in a vehicle since then.
Is the 4 X 4 lumber in the engine compartment included with the deal?
That’s a 2×4.