Vehicle sighting - 1960 Impala

[Number_35]

This one looks like an unrestored survivor. I should have asked if I could peep under the hood. I would bet that the "PRNDL" is hooked up to a 283, although the absence of V8 badging may mean that an inline-6 was used. Not sure when Chevy started putting displacement badges on the front fenders.

 

[skyactiv]

Does anyone notice the trees have no leafs?

 

[Chris142]

Didn't gm do weird things with the Canadian cars? Pontiac engines in chevies and such?

 

[Malo83]

348 dual quad W engine

 

[GSCJR]

Originally Posted by skyactiv
Does anyone notice the trees have no leafs?


Yup! The Leafs are usually on the grounds of golf courses by now.

 

[Number_35]

Originally Posted by skyactiv
Does anyone notice the trees have no leafs?
This past week has been good - the city is finally greening up. The photos are from May 7th, which still makes it a late Spring here.

Originally Posted by GSCJR
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Does anyone notice the trees have no leafs?
Yup! The Leafs are usually on the grounds of golf courses by now.
Nice! Unfortunately the Jets lasted no longer this year.


Originally Posted by Chris142
Didn't gm do weird things with the Canadian cars? Pontiac engines in chevies and such?
Chevy engines in Pontiacs were common - the 327, for example, had a "Turbofire" decal on Chevy air cleaner lids. On Pontiacs the decal said "Astroflash". Same engine as far as I know - both the legendary SBC.

The full-size Pontiacs had different trim levels here - from cheapest to poshest, we had Stratochief, Laurentian, Parisienne, and Grand Parisienne. There was a really loaded model in the US called the Executive which we didn't get here. I think the Catalina was a full-size in the US, but was an intermediate here, perhaps a Malibu equivalent. (But I could be mistaken - if anyone can clear this up for me, please jump in!)

Originally Posted by Malo83
348 dual quad W engine

The 1st of the Chevy big blocks, right? Later to be bored and stroked out to 396 and 427? I'll to go back and ask about the engine.

 

[Trav]

That's not a dual quad W engine its a 4bbl or 2 bbl they did come with 6 pack option, the air cleaner in that pic is way too small for the 6 pack. The 409 2x4bbl option, not sure if RPO 6 pack was available on the 409 or not.

 

[Squirrelee]

The chrome "V" under the Chevy logo on the trunk lid, and the gold "V" under the Chevy logo on the grille emblem indicate a 283. Crossed flags in place of the Chevy logo would be the 348, no "V" and just a Chevy logo is the 6 cyl.

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted by Number_35
... The full-size Pontiacs had different trim levels here - from cheapest to poshest, we had Stratochief, Laurentian, Parisienne, and Grand Parisienne. ... I think the Catalina was a full-size in the US, but was an intermediate here, perhaps a Malibu equivalent. (But I could be mistaken - if anyone can clear this up for me, please jump in!) ...
Yes, Catalinas were big in the US, for many years. I don't know enough about the Canadian versions to comment, but I know there was no Malibu (or equivalent Pontiac intermediate) as early as 1960. They arrived with the '64 model year. I occasionally see a restored circa '64 Chevelle (Malibu) parked at a park near here. Funny how it looks longer than they did back then.

Some US Pontiacs recycled the Parisienne name in the 1970s.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by Number_35
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Does anyone notice the trees have no leafs?
This past week has been good - the city is finally greening up. The photos are from May 7th, which still makes it a late Spring here.

Originally Posted by GSCJR
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Does anyone notice the trees have no leafs?
Yup! The Leafs are usually on the grounds of golf courses by now.
Nice! Unfortunately the Jets lasted no longer this year.


Originally Posted by Chris142
Didn't gm do weird things with the Canadian cars? Pontiac engines in chevies and such?
Chevy engines in Pontiacs were common - the 327, for example, had a "Turbofire" decal on Chevy air cleaner lids. On Pontiacs the decal said "Astroflash". Same engine as far as I know - both the legendary SBC.

The full-size Pontiacs had different trim levels here - from cheapest to poshest, we had Stratochief, Laurentian, Parisienne, and Grand Parisienne. There was a really loaded model in the US called the Executive which we didn't get here. I think the Catalina was a full-size in the US, but was an intermediate here, perhaps a Malibu equivalent. (But I could be mistaken - if anyone can clear this up for me, please jump in!)

Originally Posted by Malo83
348 dual quad W engine

The 1st of the Chevy big blocks, right? Later to be bored and stroked out to 396 and 427? I'll to go back and ask about the engine.

The W engine is completely different that the 396,427,454.

 

[vw7674]

Dual exhaust on it so probably not a straight six. : )

 

[GZRider]

Still looks good, man those old Impala's had character. Although all things being equal I'd rather have a 55 210 or the 66-67 Impala.

 

[Chris142]

Double post

 

[Malo83]

Originally Posted by Trav
That's not a dual quad W engine its a 4bbl or 2 bbl they did come with 6 pack option, the air cleaner in that pic is way too small for the 6 pack. The 409 2x4bbl option, not sure if RPO 6 pack was available on the 409 or not.

True that, 4bbl

 

[user52165]

QUOTE: "I would bet that the "PRNDL" is hooked up to a 283,"

I could swear that GM, at least, used "PNDLR" on their shift columns in 1950's and 1960's until ...............? With R on the end.

Hard to read the pic but it looks like PRND...

At least in the USA?

It was standardized later (NTHSA?) to current PRNDL.

Comments?

 

[joekingcorvette]

Very nice survivor car. It looks like its missing one of the antennas on the back. It's a hardtop and has the right colors/ white with a red interior is always a winner. I always like the back windows on those and the amount of visibility with the hardtop.

 

[Lapham3]

I've always liked the Pontiac line and one I had was a '65 Grand Prix that shared the same frame and body as the Catalina. It was a very nice car...until my young wife ran it into a telephone pole. There was a long list of available engines and horsepower options in those years. Mine was the lower 338 hp 421 with a Carter AFB. The base engine was a 389-325 hp with the the Carter 4bl in the GP. Catalina base was the 389 2bl. The 'top dog' in both was a 376 hp 421 tri-power. The Pontiacs had a perimeter frame while the Chevs had the X frame. I really can't feature the SBC in those heavy Pontiacs. In Minnesota it wasn't rare to see those Canadian cars around.

 

[Randy_R]

Remember the wide track Pontiac? The Canadian version was on a Chevrolet chassis and the wheels were tucked in. Very strange looking. I used to see one during hockey season in the Chicago suburbs.

 

[Number_35]

Originally Posted by Squirrelee
The chrome "V" under the Chevy logo on the trunk lid, and the gold "V" under the Chevy logo on the grille emblem indicate a 283. Crossed flags in place of the Chevy logo would be the 348, no "V" and just a Chevy logo is the 6 cyl.
Excellent information, thank you!

 

[Number_35]

Originally Posted by Chris142
The W engine is completely different that the 396,427,454.
Would the next-up W engine be the 409?