The Long Road... 74 Bonneville
 

I have a new thread idea here...

Machine: 1974 Bonneville 4dr Sedan, 455. Stock. Owned since 2011, and long ago amortized her debt to zero. Driven 45,000 miles in the ensuing 12 years, and currently sitting at approximately 135,000 miles. At the end of this journey, she should have close to 200,000, at which point I will retire her from this weekly use.

Mission: Maximum of 17 years remaining until I fully retire, and planning to use Bonne for weekly transport to/from the airport until that day. Approximately 3000-5000 miles/year usage for another 50,000 or so to go by retirement day. Occasionally a road trip thrown in along the way, but primary duty is transport to/from work.

Method: Update this thread as needed, based on the repairs and upgrades that arise out of this regular usage. The goal is to keep Bonne as close to original in look/operation/function while maintaining a high degree of regular reliability. She will be operated from rush hour traffic, to light cruising. Hot Phoenix summer days, to cooler winter days. No snow anticipated, but rain or shine otherwise.

Any interest? Please vote in the attached poll so I know whether or not to continue with this idea. Thanks in advance!

I've attached a couple of pictures of Bonne both when purchased (2011), and how she looks today (2023).

I like it!!! I once had a 64 Bonneville 4 door hard top...

I like it possibly because it's one of the "lost sole" big Pontiacs. One of the last of the truly big Pontiacs. Seems to me like the designers didn't have the best direction as far as the classic awesome Pontiacs of 60's.

I like it because it has a 455. I know in its stock form, it's not the powerhouse it should be, but wouldn't take much to pep it up!!!

Those cars ride and drive sooo nice!!! The looks you get have to be hilarious!!!

Keep it going, preserve it!!! It's a unique ride, right now!!!
The Rally II's look great!!!

Taken proper care of those cars can easily go 150,000 miles. I had a 76 Safari SW with a 455 that went to the scrap yard with all the drivetrain functioning perfectly. Rust is what killed the car ultimately.

I did have to put a T 400 in it at way over 100,000, but that was the only major component that I had to replace during my ownership.

It’s nothing but a big ol’ heap.

I voted yes. ;)

I had a white 74 ,455 Granville 2 dr. After 5 yrs of steady daily use year round,Approx 120k rusted out frame in rear. Good winter car,plus comfortable. Trans was bad when I bought it,$150.00,rebuilt trans. I kept engine and trans still ran very well. Mpg wasnt great about 13,dont remember burning oil.

I'm in agreement with the previous posts. Keep her going. It's a reminder of Pontiacs of the 1950's and '60's. Looking forward to your posts on your '74.

I drove a '71 Catalina for many years so I'm partial to that generation of full size Pontiacs. One thing you'll need to do in your sunny climate is try to protect the interior - the dash can crack and the upholstery will break down from the UV rays. If that's a vinyl roof (I can't tell in the picture if it's vinyl or paint) it will suffer from the sun as well. In wetter climates, water gets under the vinyl through cracks and rusts out the roof.

edit: I see in the interior pic that your car has the optional full gauge package, instead of idiot lights. That's a rare and desirable option.

Have you replaced the timing chain? Did you install duals to improve the gas mileage? It's a '74 so it has a cold air duct to the air cleaner, very god for MPG.

It's wicked, I love it.

Seems to be a fair amount of interest in this idea, so I will work to keep this thread updated as I go...

A little back story on Bonne. She sold new in Spokane, and lived in southern Idaho until the year before I bought her, so she's been west coast all her life. Virtually rust free. My suspicion is the original owner passed and the family donated the car to a church auction. The gentlemen I bought the car from purchased it through that auction, but didn't know how to work on her. He realized he was in over his head pretty fast, and that's where I came in. A local Craigslist ad back in 2011, and $1100 later, she was mine.

I reached out to the original owner at one point (found an old registration in the glove box), but no response and a "Return to sender" on my letter. Hence my assumption about the original owner passing. Whoever it was, they took very good car of Bonne. I view myself as her new caretaker.

To answer a couple questions you guys have asked or mentioned...

1. When I bought her, someone had already put a long block in. Unknown as to why, but it was sometime before 90,000 miles when I purchased her. The 455 currently in the car is a 72, with 73 4X heads, so functionally the same as original. The timing chain has been replaced as I checked that fairly quickly after purchase.

2. Yes, I did install true duals. The original single was barely hanging on, so the entire system was replaced early on, 12 or so years ago. Nice improvement!

3. The top is a painted roof (two tone). The interior is also largely deteriorated due to the sun, but I have plans to reupholster it in the near future. I pulled the original front bench last year and installed a junkyard bench with fold down center console from an Olds Delta 88. Having that armrest is a nice improvement, and I will reupholster everything to match soon.

4. The factory Rally gauges were an upgrade I did probably 10 years ago. It also comes with the clock and a trip odometer on the Speedo side as a bonus. Really nice improvement there as well, though the temp gauge has recently stopped working. That will be one of the first things to get to.

I grew up behind the wheel of Dad & Mom's 74 Catalina, so I feel like a kid every time I drive her. :)

Your "adjustable pedals" are on the short list for install too, Bob. My wife will appreciate that option, and so will my knees if I have to sit on the passenger side occasionally. :D

13mpg is almost identical to what I get too. ;)

Mileage: 136,000

Couple of projects on Bonne this past week.

First.

I have never been a big fan of the 'waffle-iron' grill on the 74 Bonne/Grandville. I have always preferred the look of the horizontal slats in the 74 Catalina grills. I think they compliment the long straight line of the front bumper and make the car appear a little lower and wider. Personal preference.

A few years ago, I picked up a set of Catalina grills on eBay, and finally decided it was time. Not only did I install the grills, but I also put in a 455 emblem. I like that look from 71-72 range and thought it added a touch to the front of the car.

Second.

Years ago, my brother was driving Bonne when a Mercedes decided to pull out in front. Bonne put the Benz on a flat truck, then drove herself home. Heh.

While the accident damage (fender, headlight bucket, etc) was repaired after the accident, one thing was still nagging at me. If you look closely in the first picture, you'll see that the bumper was sitting high on the right side of the car.

A couple days ago, I took a trip to Desert Valley Auto Parts and found a 74 Grandville with a nearly perfect front bumper. After getting the bumper home, removing the bumper-ettes (not a fan of that look either) and giving a little steel wool polish, it was ready for install.

Finally, the silly front bumper is straight and shining like a new dime! I'm very pleased with the new front end look, and most importantly, my OCD is happy.

Bonne forward! :)

I had a 65 bonneville 4 dr. I relate. cool ride the 74,s were still good. I have a 74 TA. I vote yes but its closed. :)

Great Thread!! reminds me of my 74Grandville. it was the car that got me into the hobby.

I like that ride. Know a guy that had the same idea with a 70 BB Impala . Drives it everywhere until our bad weather hits. Had the 700R4 built /Ehaust done , custom aluminum rad AC and other smart upgrades . Car is always kept spotless . The idea was like yours to keep it stock looking but make it bulletproof. As mentioned…. Lots of looks

Great thread and great car.

it's amazing how good the Rally 2's look.

Drive Bonne Drive

I regularly drive my 72 LeMans 455 long distance. Last summer it was getting 9mpg. Not ideal. This summer after using an air fuel gauge to get the carb tuned and installing an OD transmission on top of a 2.7_ rear axle it's getting 17.5mph highway.

If you can swing it a 700r4 will make a big difference. At 2000rpm I'm at 78mph.

If you're mechanical at all the rebuild process can be done at home.

Thanks Gents. It's a fun adventure with Bonne. :thumbup:

Matthew, thanks for the thought, but I'm going to stay with the TH400. OD isn't really needed with the 2.93 rear with my usage, and I don't want to give up the strength of the beefier TH400 vs the 700R4. If I were to upgrade, it would be a 4L80 or maybe a Gear Vendors, but either of those options would be a $40 saddle on a $10 horse. Heh.

And speaking of the Turbo 400, I've had an interesting one with her lately...

A while back, the speedometer stopped. I was hoping for an easy broken speedometer cable, but it was actually the speedo drive gear on the trans tail shaft that had come loose from its clip. Odd.

I pulled the tail housing, reinstalled the clip, and down the road I went. For about 1000 miles. Repeat.

Hmmm... :confused:

Out of curiosity, I ordered a new drive gear and clip, then pulled things apart again today. As I looked at each piece in detail, I realized what I think is the problem. The pics tell the story, but essentially, it seems the original drive gear (tan) has 'swollen' somewhat (about 0.025" ID and seems a touch wider too) causing it to not sit snugly over the tail shaft. Given the right set of circumstances, it twice popped loose from its retaining clip and spun away from the driven gear.

Today, I installed the new drive gear (green) and clip, and now it's nice and snug. I think I've solved the problem and don't anticipate any further issues. This was an odd one to me, but an easy fix once I realized what was going on. :)

Mileage: 136,500

Another fun project completed today on Bonne. Finally got the pair of factory 'adjustable pedals' installed.

A little clean up and Krylon overhaul followed by some white lithium grease, and they're working fine. I've attached a couple of pictures alongside the non-adjustable pedals for comparison.

It's a fairly elegant design. They operate using a speedo cable from the lever under the dash to a worm gear @ the brake pedal, then another cable out the back of that worm to the accelerator pedal worm gear. The lever has mini serrations in the groove providing nearly infinite adjustment along a 4" travel.

Now my 5'2" wife can drive Bonne, and my knees aren't in the dash sitting on the passenger side. For a fixed bench seat car, this has to be one of the smartest ideas they had in 74. I'm surprised it didn't come out sooner. Ingenious for its time!

Not sure why the portrait pics are sideways or how to turn them, but you get the idea.

:)

After a few days fussing around with a junkyard tilt, an old spare column in need of complete rebuild, and a fair amount of scratching my head, I finally pieced together one complete, solid tilt assembly.

Mechanically, I was able to clean, paint and rebuild all of the parts needed, but I also put in a new ignition lock cylinder and all of the electrical components (turn signal assembly, cancel cam, ignition switch and neutral safety switch).

Been a long time coming, but since I had such fun recently with the adjustable pedals and was already under the dash, the time seemed right to tackle the tilt rebuild & install. Another extremely useful addition for Bonne's regular driving duties.

Also, my factory air cleaner assembly came back from powder coat last week too. I freshened up or replaced all of the misc pieces, then after install, I was reminded how once you make one piece look nice, everything else needs attention. Heh. ;)

More projects and refinements to come.

:)