1957 PONTIAC STAR CHIEF 2DR COUPE with 400ci ENGINE and TRI-POWER

1957 Pontiac Other Description

57 PONTIAC STAR CHIEF 2-DOOR HARDTOP COUPE

This ’57 Pontiac belonged to my dad, a US Marine who died two years ago. It’s being sold to help raise some $$$ for my stepmom to pay bills. My dad didn't have money or insurance and left some debt. He was always a Pontiac guy at heart.

The car is good for the right person who desires to give it the TLC that it deserves. It has all of the components to make it a great cruiser or hotrod. Before my dad died, I got to drive him around for short errands to the Amish fruit market or the hardware store for supplies. It was kind of like driving Miss Daisy, but some really great memories that I will cherish forever. We would love to see it go to a loving home and brought up to its full potential. We would really like to keep it and make it into a cherished ride, but with two boys in college at the same time, that just isn't in the cards for us at this time.

It includes:

·Engine: 400 V8

·Pontiac Tri-Power Intake and Carbs

·2-door Coupe Hardtop (no “B” pillar when windows are rolled down)

·Electric Fuel Pump and Summit Racing regulator

·3spd 350 Turbo Automatic Transmission

·Custom dual exhaust to rear bumper

·Chrome tailpipes

·Lowered Rear Suspension

·Shaved door handles – remote electric door release with emergency open feature under the hood

·Shaved front hood

·Dual “A” pillar search lights

·Some paint complete (black with white side stripe)

·New rear light / fin inserts

·A pile of chrome side molding

·A "continental-style" spare tire cover

Here are some things it needs:

·Interior completion

·Transmission rear seal (car has been sitting)

·Steering is loose

·Gaskets and hoses replaced

·Brakes are super touchy from sitting

·Rear chrome bumper cones

·Finish painting body

Here are a few notes:

·Rear wheel studs are reverse-thread (!) on this year car (one is missing). A new set of right-handed studs is in the glove box ready to be installed.

·Speedometer reads about double actual speed

·Odometer and gas gauge are not accurate

·Odometer reads 76K but actual is unknown.

·A stack of chrome side molding included.

CONDITION: BODY

My dad was working on restoring the car a little at a time. He had it lowered giving it a cool boulevard-cruiser stance. The door handles were shaved and if you look at a picture of a 57 Star Chief, you'll see that he also had thechrome circle on the front of the hood shaved. New inserts in the taillight fins. Recently, a quality rebuilder looked the car over from top to bottom and reported that the car is very solid, especially considering that it isalmost 60 years old! The interior had not been worked onyet, so it needs completely restored (no carpet, small hole in the floor, seats have original cracks, and so on). The body is quite solid, and some of the car is still in black primer. Even though some of the paint was completed, it will need full paint to match. The stainless chrome that is on the car looks great, but the steel chrome around the windows is pitted. Body is very solid and looks good, but isn't perfect as you would expect with a "pre-restoration" vehicle.

CONDITION: ENGINE ANDDRIVE TRAIN

The engine is a 400ci Pontiac V8. Condition of engine internals is unknown. If you are considering a restoration, you would be pulling the engine to inspect and tighten up the seals anyhow (I see a few oil drips). The oil and filter were recently changed. The car satinthe garage as my dad got too ill to drive. In his final months, I got it running again for him. It has a highly desirable tri-power intake and three carbs. He doesn't have the electric chole hooked up so it currently has to be warmed up manually.The exhaust soundsgood and strong but not obnoxious. The transmission works fine butwill need new seals. Tires have lots of tread from not many miles but they show signs of dry-rotting from sitting. There is an "emergency" electric door release under the hood, and since you can open these old hoods from outside the car, you always have a way to get in. The doors open with solenoids from the key ring remote (the remote needs new batteries, but it worked fine before they died). The steering gearbox seems very loose, meaning you have to move the steering wheel quite a bit in the turns before it starts turning the car. It will need rebuilt or replaced. The brakes were fine when we were driving dad around last summer, but they've gotten super-grabby from sitting too much and therefore need attention.

CONDITION: SUMMARY

This car could go one of at least two ways. For little money, someone with the right mechanical skills could fix a few things, such as the steering box, and restore the interior and have a decent little 57 in solid pre-restoration condition. Or, if you have the know-how to take it from current condition to ultra-sweet ride - seems like resto-mod would be the thing. Although we have driven it aroundsome, even recently, it is not currently in roadable condition without some work. It can be started and driven onto a trailer for hauling, or it could be driven a very short distance for inspection, but it would not be a good idea to go any further until it has been inspected by a mechanic.

DISCLAIMER: AS WITH MOST COLLECTOR-TYPE CARS, THIS CAR IS BEING SOLD AS-IS, WHERE-IS WITH NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING SUITABILITY FOR INTENDED PURPOSE. IT IS THE BUYER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO PERFORMTHEIR DUE DILLIGENCE, INSPECTIONS, RESEARCH, AND ASK ANY QUESTIONS PRIOR TO THE SALE.

I will try to answer any questions you may have about this fun car, and we want to disclose anything known about the condition. However, my dad knew the most about it and he is gone now. So please don’t make ANY assumptions. If it isn’t covered in this ad, or you don’t ask about it, assume that it isn’t part of the sale. It is your complete and total responsibility to determine if the car is what you want. We would very much prefer that you find a way to look at the car in-person so we feel confident that you know exactly what you are buying. If you need specific pictures or videos of something or have more questions, please ask!

LOCATION / TERMS:

The car is located in Central Ohio, northeast of Columbus. Payment after successful auction end is $500 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit within 48 hours through cash or PayPal. Full payment can then be made through cash or bank wire transfer within 7 business days. Buyer is responsible for all shipping costs and arrangements plus taxes or other fees or costs they incur as a result of the transfer. We will assist in any way we can.

OFFERS:

We will entertain reasonable offers. This car is worth the asking price and thegoalis to raise money for my dad's widow, my stepmom. So we don't want to wholesale it and this isn't a distress sale. So don't insult us with bottom-feeder offers. But we would also like to get it sold and into the hands of someone who will appreciate it. With all that said, please make reasonable offers.

Ok, we’ve tried to list the condition as honestly as possible including most but probably not all defects, but there could be more that we don’t know about. On the good side, it is a handsome car and you feel kind of special cruising around in it. It wouldn’t take much to get it into peak condition. The Pontiac Tri-Power intake and carbs are, of course, highly desirable and worth selling alone, so we are considering selling that separately. Wesaw a beautifully restored 57 Star Chief ragtop for $60,000! (Google “goodguysclassifieds 1957_Pontiac_Star_Chief” to see it). Not saying this one is worth that much, but it is a special car. They certainly aren’t making any more of them, and it’s worth someone’s time to get it to completion. Are you the right person for this car?

Please feel free to contact me with questions. We will accept offers as longs as they are reasonable. The goal here is to raise money for my dad’s widow. Good luck and happy bidding!

NOTE: This car is being offered for sale locally as well, so I reserve the right to end this auction early according to eBay rules if it should sell locally prior to receiving a bid.