I flaunt my strange vehicle addiction regularly, but there is one forum member on BangShift that has even more questionable tastes in cars than I do, and I know this for a solid fact, because I’ve known him via the Internet longer than BangShift has been around. He runs under the name “Mater” here, but long ago we met on Farley’s Page (a Dodge Diplomat fan page/forum) and from the get-go, he’s had a way with cars. We both have had GM W-bodies, though he tends to stick to supercharged Pontiacs while I had a blown Regal and a V8 Monte Carlo. We’ve both had Chrysler M-bodies. I moved on to rear-wheel-drive Chrysler J-bodies, he moved onto to Chrysler FWD J-bodies…translated out of Mopar dork-speak, that’s the late 1980s LeBaron convertible body style. And now, years after I sold my 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle (which, incidentally, he almost bought), we both have now owned Colonnade-era GM A-bodies, because Mater recently rescued this 1975 Pontiac Grand Am.
He wasn’t going for the Pontiac at first…he was instead chasing a G-body El Camino with a stick shift when that deal went sour, but somehow he got turned onto this 455-equipped Poncho that he’s known about for years. Is it rough? Oh, brother…that’s an understatement. Just look at it…originally dark green with a white top, the Pontiac looks like the stunt car for Joe Dirt, all the way down to it’s American Racing “Gambler” wheels. And the inside is just as bad, needing a scrub down that will take a couple of days and a few cans of Lysol. But it is a “big block” Pontiac (yeah, we know, engine blocks and all…) and I’ll personally attest to Mater’s ability to polish diamonds that were sitting in the rough for years. Luckily, most of the missing bits you don’t see in the photos were in the car, so once he finishes disinfecting the Grand Am, his project becomes a giant model kit, supplemented with some late-model suspension bits and upgraded brakes. Not a bad way to go, if you ask us! The only thing we’d suggest: one body color that isn’t primer. May we suggest Brewster Green?
BangShift Project Thread: 1975 Grand Am 455…the Pissed Off GrandMA
That is one car that will be in my driveway before I die. I remember back in 1974 seeing a 1973 Grand Am 4-door with a 4 speed! Only seen 2 other in the past 40 years.
it will probably be multi-colored for a wile
i was thinking white though once i finally decide to paint it or it’s original color of dark forest green metallic
also he is not joking this is probably the most “normal” car i have gotten and it;s still unusual do tot he 455 and moonroof both where on this car form the factory
Good luck with the car!
Paint it back to original color and maybe some suspension work/ wheels and tires. That would be my goals since 455 would provide plenty of go power!
For it was told that The Road Warrior would come forth from the wastes and claim his new chariot. He would paint it black, bring forth the power of all the gods from its engine, he would put fearsome weapons of destruction all over it – then return to whence he came to smite his enemies…
I had a 1974 Grand Am , for eight years, which I bought in 1977, and I regret ever selling it , they were great, and mostly unknown cars back then , people were always saying the same thing ” I never knew that Pontiac made that “. The best thing about the car was that it had the interior from a Grand Prix and the running gear from a GTO , great combo, and really fast , mine had the 400 cu. in. and power everything, I really miss that car …….
with out joining another forum to get expelled from:
The 98-2002 PBR Aussie F-car rear brakes fit those wheels if:
You Take a Grinder to them. I clearance-d off less then 1/8th of a inch when I did my 89 GMC Jimmy conversion using parts from a 98-2002 Camaro rear end.
I used GM FWD front brake flex hoses that take regular brake line fittings not the special Camaro metric fittings. That is important as no one made a standard to that size metric adapter. I also used a Jegs adjustable proportioning valve. I used GM FWD flex line to body shell tabs and welded them to my 7.5 10 bolt axle tubes.
S-10’s snap in wheel cylinders means having to cut down the axle brake flanges and cant the angle slightly.
I used red spray paint as a witness coating. grind, paint, install wheel, rotate, repete as needed.