Dave's 1969 427 Pontiac Laurentian

[Note:  This car received a full frame-off restoration since this page was created, and has been restored to an all-stock condition]

No, that 427 is not a typo!  In Canada, the full-size Pontiacs were built on the Chevrolet chassis, which meant they received Chevrolet Mark IV big blocks, though they were badged as "Pontiac Astro Jet" engines instead of "Chevrolet Turbo Jet" as you would find in an Impala.  It also meant that the Canadian cars were significantly shorter and lighter than their American counterparts.  You can find more info on the 1969 Pontiac B-Body Homepage.

Pontiac Canada's answer to the Impala SS 427 was the Pontiac 427 2+2.  While the 2+2 had been discontinued in US a few years earlier, the nameplate lived on in Canada.  While bucket seats were (uncommonly) available in the US Bonneville, the interior components for the Canadian 2+2 are straight from the Impala SS.  You'll also note that the rallaye wheels are the Corvette style, though they do not have the "Chevrolet Motor Division" script, of course.

I'm converting the car over to a JL-8 four wheel disc setup, which of course wasn't available outside of the Corvette and Camaro in '69.  This setup uses original front rotors and calipers, but Eldorado parts combined with Firebird rotors (to get the right bolt pattern) in the rear.  This also requires the addition of a dual-diaphragm power booster and a special four wheel disc master cylinder.  I also went through and replaced all of the bushings with new polygraphite pieces, added adjustable drag shocks, replaced most of the nuts and bolts with new grade 8 hardware, and sandblasted and painted the various suspension pieces.

The old big block sits under my workbench, while a GM ZZ502 holds its place.  Of course aluminum heads weren't available in '69, so no one will be fooled, but then again, I'm not really trying.  After all, all of these cars except the 390hp edition had a 2" single exhaust, so I'll leave originality to the NCRS guys.

Also see my Interior Work Page

My Dad bought the car in 1970, and each year we'd take a photo as we put the new plates on.  I missing the 1970 photo, and I'll spare you to agony of the teenage years...

1971	1972	1973

1974	1975	1976

30 years later, I carry on the tradition with my son, with the same car.  Although I'm now in the US, the car has still has the same 116 plate number (originally in Saskatchewan, now in Washington) since it was new.

1999	2000	2001

You can also check out my other cars, if you're desperate for entertainment.