Does this classic Pontiac need a frame off restoration, or should you just get it running and enjoy it?
Lately, with Rock or Restore, we've been getting away from our roots. Most of the cars we've picked have needed very serious restorations to be roadworthy again, so it makes the answer to the "Rock or Restore" question pretty obvious.
We found this 1962 Pontiac Bonneville right here on Motorious. It's being sold by Street Dreams in Fredricksburg, Texas for $13,950.
According to the ad, this Bonneville has spent many years in storage, patiently awaiting a restoration. Unfortunately, the owner lost their storage, and now the car must find a new home. It's a well-worn story that we've heard countless times before.
There's a lot to like about this classic Bonneville. The early 1960s Pontiacs are handsome looking cars, and this Bonneville is no exception. The rosy silver paint is set off nicely by the eight-lug wheels, although one tire refuses to hold air. We'd replace the tires anyway.
The chrome looks good, and while the ad does advise that there is some body rust, the car looks pretty good overall. The photos make the color look like a handsome rosy silver.
Of course, you don't need us to tell you how beautiful classic American hardtops look. There's just something about the way they look with the windows down, with no visible B-pillar. It gets us all tingly.
The interior is in surprisingly good shape, with minor wear and tear, like a torn driver's seat cushion. Like the rest of the car, it appears to be in clean original shape, with the sort of things you'd expect to see on an old car with 40,000 or so miles. It's not bad, but its not perfect, either.
Under the hood, you'll find the legendary 389 cubic inch Pontiac V8. That engine would go on to launch the GTO into the muscle car history books just a couple short years after this Bonneville was built.
We'd like to get some fresh rubber on this thing, bleed the brakes, and see what it takes to get it to start again. It may just need a fresh battery, some fresh gas, and some cleaning.
Either way, we'd probably leave it mostly original, unless we noticed the minor rust getting worse. This stately Bonneville has survived this long, and we'd want to keep it around as long as possible, especially in close to original condition.
