Per Ad: 1955 pontiac safari from wyoming brought it back about 8 years ago. I have to many projects and I have decided to sell it. The car does not run and need a full rebuild. http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/4475687745.html More Pics with ad.
Nice looking wagon. I have a 55' also and was hoping to start a rebuild a few months back. What size engine is it right now, and do you have any other spare parts you would want to sell? Thanks Brandon
Sorry Brandon, This isn't my car, just one I found on Craigslist. Good luck with your rebuild though. Looking forward to hearing about it while you do it.
Brandon - doing a Safari certainly has its trials and tribulations - but the outcomes can be awesome. I have a friend with a '55 and he has updated the engine and transmission to later Pontiac 350 engine/trans combo. Disc brakes on the front, other than that pretty much stock. On my '57 because it was a total when I bought it I made a lot of changes to it. Clipped the front end with a '76 Trans Am including the good disc brakes. We tow vintage Airstream trailers so installed a Pontiac 455, originally a T400 but now a 700R4, for now stock rearend but will swap in a Chrysler 8-3/4 rear this year with discs on that.
Saf57, I have been doing a lot of research for the past few years for general information on engine and compatibility with parts. Right now mine has a 389 from a 59 or 60 pontiac. Not sure on the trans. but guessing original. It had a 389 with 3 dueces and high rise intake/ valve covers, when my father originally purchased it. How easy is the disk brake swap? I wanted to do a full on resto. but after seeing a few local car shows, I think Im just going to get the engine fired up and minor body work/ new tires and just drive it for a while. It hasn't seen the light of day in 9 years and I want to have a sunday cruiser. Do you happen to know how many 55' safari's are left? I tried to find the number online but have had no luck. Thanks in advance. Brandon
Brandon - great idea on getting the wagon on the road. You can sort it out while playing and enjoying it. That is a great engine you have - we had a 389 out of a '64 GTO with tri-power for several years and loved it but needed the 455's higher torque for towing. My disc were part of the clip/trans am swap - but there are kits readily available for your car which is the same as Oldsmobile. Cost is typically in the $500 range. I do not have any survivor numbers, but they are always suspect anyway. No one knows how many are squirreled away in barns and collections to put a true number to it. With '57's the usual number quoted is 75 and I know there are more likely double that given what I see posted on the internet. The thing is having a car you don't use is harder on it than driving it. They rot and seize up, they were made for driving. They get scrapes and bumps, they need work from time to time, but that is just the way cars are built. No matter the current condition it is rare, they are pretty cars in almost any shape, yours has family history, it deserves to be used often and enjoyed by you and those who appreciate them.
Thanks for the information, and motivation to help me get this going sooner. Ive been saying for 9 years I was going to get it running and now it seems I finally will. I came across another thread someone posted on here about a 55' 4 door that is a project at Stromberg carbs. I contacted them to get a little info on some of the work they did on theirs, detailing/ cleaning the paint and chrome and leaving the patina look. Hopefully when I get some free time I can roll her outside, give her a wash and post some pics. Thanks again. Brandon
