Showing posts with label 1960 Pontiac Catalina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1960 Pontiac Catalina. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Classic 1960 Pontiac Catalina Restoration

So this is my car...my beautiful sky blue 2 door 1960 Pontiac Catalina. Isn't she a beaut?


I have had this dream machine for a couple of years and purchased it as is which is original with a newer but very tired interior. While I know a lot of car collectors and customisers I am more of a traditionalist and get very excited about original features and design elements.


I had been planning to restore the interior of my car and had accumulated quite a bit of information including this incredible promotional video.

The current upholstery can be seen in these images below on the front bench seat. I will also change the elements of the dashboard paint. The speaker system was tucked into the glove compartment and four speakers were sitting underneath the front seats - let's just say the heavy bass was quite the experience.

All of the springs and padding had completely eroded or broken which made you feel like you were sitting on the floor while driving.

I soon found that SMS Fabrics could supply my original door trims and replace almost the entire interior. They are great to deal with and if you have any trouble finding what you are after just send them an email they offer sample swatches and were very helpful. My car already had new navy carpets, roof, and boot linings, so I chose to keep those. SMS was a great company to deal with and I purchased a stunning woven fabric, two different shades of blue vinyl, three embossed panels for the seats, door handle pads, and the parcel shelf. Every item was made to order and delivery was staggered but well worth the wait.
Two tone heat embossed door panels 
All seals and finishes are being replaced and the mechanisms serviced.

I am so happy with the team that is working on this stay tuned as there will be a follow-up blog and video soon, so if you haven't already please subscribe to my youtube channel here.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Cars Art and Media Coverage

Launching into 2015 I thought I would recap 2014 events and media coverage I have enjoyed.

Meguiars MotorEx 2014 was held in Melbourne for the first time and after a few years on the car show circuit this was an entirely new experience to behold. Part carnival part high end fetishist hard core car obsessed fest. The event was incredible.

The Pink 1960 Dodge a Zocchi custom was a huge hit and took out a 2014 3M Street Elite award and was featured in Cruzin Magazine. The first Zocchi in Australia and had only arrived a few months earlier. There is a great little interview at time mark 12.30 on this one hour special featured on SPEED channelDetails of the car can be viewed here with a great article written by Paul Vanzella - the very proud owner.

More recently Paul and I were interviewed for a mini series called Garage Dreams covering car culture in Australia and the  United States.

My 1960 Pontiac Catalina continues to be a pleasure to own and delights me every time I am in it or simply view it. 2014 I took it to The Kustom Nationals in Phillip Island and loved not only the event but the pleasure of taking it on the racetrack.