November 17, 200718 yr Coolness... but... please don't tell me it has an Olds 5.7 diesel (which was available in G bodies, although I don't think it was in the El Camino.)
November 17, 200718 yr Here's his next project! - Pontiac - RWD - Manual Trans - Wagon eBay link And they said the Chevette was bad, I think that car was worse.
November 17, 200718 yr Coolness... but... please don't tell me it has an Olds 5.7 diesel (which was available in G bodies, although I don't think it was in the El Camino.) Actually, it was.
November 17, 200718 yr I spy a '77 Chevelle/El Camino in one of those pics. Good eye! But I think it is a '76. This little wagon could be a cool project.
November 17, 200718 yr Cool. I always liked matte black on a car... how Dodge applies it on the Charger!
November 17, 200718 yr About two weeks ago I watched TIN MEN, as I do every so often to drool at all the Cadillacs in the movie. esp. Danny DeVito's '62 CDV, the hardtop, cooler version of the Banana Boat. I have decided that my ultimate daily driver idea would be a MB turbodiesel inline-six with a manual transmission in a '61 Coupe deVille (white interior of course) with a pastel exterior color. That and the '59 Buick would be the last two Post-War cars I'd ever need.
November 17, 200718 yr Damn.... that Sunbird Safari would look awsome nestled between the Datsun & Mercedes. Looooooooooove it!
November 17, 200718 yr You know, I don't remember Pontiac using the Sunbird name on this car - I remember it as an Astre.
November 17, 200718 yr The Sunbird was based on the Monza, the Astre was based on the Vega. Which is why the Sunbird name on this bodystyle (and front-end style) puzzles me. Must have been a transition year.
November 17, 200718 yr I was wondering that, too. I thought the Pontiac version of the Vega was the Astre. I thought the Sunbird was along the lines of the Monza, Skylark, and Starfire.
November 17, 200718 yr Which is why the Sunbird name on this bodystyle (and front-end style) puzzles me. Must have been a transition year. You are correct sir! I pulled my book off the shelf (Standard catalog of Pontiac 1926-1995). It shows 1977 as the last year for the Astre coupe and hatchback. It appears that the wagon got folded into the Sunbird line for 1978. There's a caption in the 1979 section under a photo stating the name as "Sunbird Astre Safari station wagon". Appears to have been dropped in 1980.
November 17, 200718 yr You are correct sir! I pulled my book off the shelf (Standard catalog of Pontiac 1926-1995). It shows 1977 as the last year for the Astre coupe and hatchback. It appears that the wagon got folded into the Sunbird line for 1978. There's a caption in the 1979 section under a photo stating the name as "Sunbird Astre Safari station wagon". Appears to have been dropped in 1980. Makes sense as I never saw one of these with the Sunbird snout.
November 17, 200718 yr Camino, how can you tell that's a '76? I cannot tell which grille mesh it has... was the bowtie in the grille only on '76s... hmmm... I think I just answered my own question. My H/T-body memory is fuzzy. I did remember they put the Sunbird name on the T-body Vega-based wagon after the Astre name went kaput... but did they put the Monza name on Chevy's T-body wagon after Vega died in 1977?
November 17, 200718 yr Camino, how can you tell that's a '76? I cannot tell which grille mesh it has... was the bowtie in the grille only on '76s... hmmm... I think I just answered my own question. My H/T-body memory is fuzzy. I did remember they put the Sunbird name on the T-body Vega-based wagon after the Astre name went kaput... but did they put the Monza name on Chevy's T-body wagon after Vega died in 1977? It's a '76 because it has a mesh grille, the '77 has slats. Yes, they put the Monza name on the wagon and it got the cheapo, round headlight, Monza nose.
November 17, 200718 yr Well, I was using the word "mesh" in general terms, yeah, there was a crosshatch mesh on the 76s and vertical bars on the '77s, for the Classic trim level, at least. Didn't they still have a base model El Camino, at least in '76, with the round headlight front end and grille of the base, non Classic Malibu? Was there a bowtie in the center of both '76 and '77 models? I thought the bowtie was omitted on 77s, at least on the Malibu... I am relying on memory.
November 18, 200718 yr You have it right, Ocn. Here are the grilles on my '77s: No base models here. :AH-HA_wink:
November 18, 200718 yr hey camino... your getting me to start to like mid 70's A Bodies! yours look good... btw, i want your shop
November 18, 200718 yr hey camino... your getting me to start to like mid 70's A Bodies! yours look good... btw, i want your shop Haha! It took me decades to warm-up to them myself! Now, I really like them. As for the shop, once I add heat and some real lights, it will be my true heaven. :AH-HA_wink:
November 18, 200718 yr im starting to warm up to a lot of oddball late 70's cars that i never liked before... i want a 78 malibu pretty badly, but ive been getting a bit of a monza fettish lately.... one of those "its so ugly its cool" things...
November 18, 200718 yr im starting to warm up to a lot of oddball late 70's cars that i never liked before... i want a 78 malibu pretty badly, but ive been getting a bit of a monza fettish lately.... one of those "its so ugly its cool" things... I've always liked the Monza - it would make a great drag car. In fact, it was a common choice for NHRA Pro Stock back then.
November 18, 200718 yr My idear of a Monza hatchback project would include a stock body and interior, canyon carver suspension with maybe 16" rims (if they fit where 13's normally reside), and perhaps an '08 CTS 3.6L DI/manual six speed drivetrain.
November 18, 200718 yr My idear of a Monza hatchback project would include a stock body and interior, canyon carver suspension with maybe 16" rims (if they fit where 13's normally reside), and perhaps an '08 CTS 3.6L DI/manual six speed drivetrain. Nice recipe.
November 18, 200718 yr My idear of a Monza hatchback project would include a stock body and interior, canyon carver suspension with maybe 16" rims (if they fit where 13's normally reside), and perhaps an '08 CTS 3.6L DI/manual six speed drivetrain. I would tweak that to start with a Pontiac Sunbird Formula...
November 18, 200718 yr I would tweak that to start with a Pontiac Sunbird Formula... Nice A body in the background!
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