1976 Pontiac Bonneville Two-Door Hardtop - NO RESERVE
1976 Pontiac Bonneville Burgundy/White Description:
A new opportunity has come along so I need to sell my '76 Pontiac Bonneville QUICKLY. This 2-door hardtop was special ordered through Chieftain Pontiac in Lutherville, MD with very few options for a top of the line car. Four extra-cost options were ordered; AM/FM radio, body side moldings, white wall tires and tinted glass. Nothing else. I have the PHS documentation to prove it. Apparently the lack of air conditioning got to the original owner because an under-dash air conditioner was installed when the car was a year old. The unit spins but does not cool and needs a new drier at the very least.
The 170-horsepower, 400 cubic-inch 2-barrel engine runs smoothly and the Turbo 400 transmission goes through the gears properly. I replaced a bunch of vacuum hoses and a leaky valve cover gasket to get it running good. I recently replaced the spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor, air filter, fuel filter and set the ignition timing. I replaced the brake master cylinder and the passenger's side brake caliper after the bleeder screw broke off. I had the rear brakes serviced with new wheel cylinders and hardware so the car stops well.
A previous owner replaced the original radiator with a modern aluminum core/plastic tank unit that seems to work fine. Mechanically, the car is in good shape. It drives well, stops good and doesn't make any odd noises. The guy I bought it from advertised it as having very low miles, but I have my doubts so I can't swear to the actual miles on the car. The odometer reads 23,000 or so and it is a safe assumption that it is 123,000. If I was going to keep it, I would want to go through the suspension and steering bushings as they are looking tired. I put a new pressure hose on the power steering but the reservoir seal weeps a little so that will need mending at some point.
The interior was special ordered with option code 98V which gave the car an all burgundy interior with white seats. The seats are in okay shape. The rear seat has a split in one of the seams and the front seat is worn on some of the piping. I recently replaced the front bench seat with a pair of bucket seats out of a '76 Grand Prix, the driver's side being power. The buckets are in fair condition and ought to be recovered. They are serviceable for now. I'll include the original bench if you want it. The dash pad is cracked and the instrument cluster panel has add-on gauges that the original owner drilled holes to mount. Since the panel was already ruined, I didn't feel too bad about installing an aftermarket AM/FM/CD stereo. The original AM/FM did not work anyway. I also added rear speakers under the package tray. The speakers can't be seen from the outside but sound great. The headliner, door panels, quarter trim and carpeting are in very good condition. I replaced the dome light covers with NOS units since the originals were wrecked. The gas gauge doesn't read quite right and likely needs a new sending unit. They are available for about $75 from places like OPGI. I installed a vintage aftermarket wood-rimmed steering wheel which is beautiful, but I will include the original wheel with the car.
The car was Ziebarted when it was new and so the car is pretty much rust free. The lower front fenders are the only place on the body that are rusted. Because the car does not have a vinyl top, the roof is solid. There are a few small dings and the leading edge of the hood is dented in the center. There is some surface rust where the 42-year old original paint has worn off, all easily fixable. The paint on the hood is badly checked as you might expect on a car of this vintage. The driver's side front fender had a less than professional repair done to the front corner and will need to be redone. The rear bumper is pushed in on the passenger's side. A new bumper mount will fix that. The floors and trunk pan are solid. The original owner glued carpeting down to the trunk floor so for originality, you are going to want to pull that out. The car is currently rolling on Pontiac Rally II wheels with brand new tires that have less than 400 miles on them. I still have the original wheel covers and they will go with the car. I will also include the original paperwork, the PHS documents and factory shop and body manuals.
This is an honest old car that can be used as is, driven while restoring, or would make a neat winter project. All of the lights work. The heater works. The engine starts easily and usually on the first twist of the key.
This vehicle is for sale locally so I reserve the right to end this auction early.
