After 12 years of owning a Lemans, Bobby had a coming together with an oblivious driver more interested in the french fries in their passenger seat. The Pontiac got pushed off the road and eventually into the side of a house. Needless to say, the Lemans was no more.
Nearly every panel on the car was smashed and the frame was bent, but—testament to the Pontiac’s strength—he escaped untouched. Shaken but undeterred, he and his friends drove from Long Island to Indiana for a decent replacement a few days later.
Thirty-two hours later, he’d totally stripped the old car; keeping everything from it except the shell and frame. He sandblasted the new frame, then boxed out the frame and welded in a few gussets for strength.
Wisely, Bobby decided to bring the Lemans up to modern muscle car standards by a significant retrofitting with CPP tubular front control arms, a UMI 1 ⅜” front sway bar, and KYB shocks with lowering springs. In the rear, he went for UMI tubular rear arms, 1” sway bar with KYB shocks and Eibach lowering springs.
Brakes are the Rite Stuff 4-wheel disc brakes with stainless lines. The engine was changed from the original 326 to a 400 with Edelbrock 72cc heads, an RPM intake, a Comp cam, forged pistons, roller rockers, a MSD distributor as well as their ignition and a Mildon oil pan. The Monster Transmission 700R4 sends power back to a ‘68 12-bolt with a Detroit Locker and 3.73 gears.
With wiring kits available and some good friends to help, the engine was a surprisingly simple part of the project. The challenge was sorting out the bent and rusted body. Someone had installed air conditioning in a car that never came with it, so the firewall was hacked up roughly. Bobby added a driver/passenger floor pan and a smattering of patches across the the wheel wells and quarter panels. Even a complete trunk kit was needed. Fortunately, Bobby’s got a few capable friends who could help him with the welding as this was his first time.
Confident from the surprising ease with which he wielded a welding torch, he grabbed another Lemans hood at a swap meet and welded GTO’s scoop to it. Soon thereafter—nearly three years of welding and patching done—he finally coated the Lemans in a couple coats of Mayan Bronze Metallic, a late-model Acura color.
That prompted him to lay down a layer of Dynamat, install the headliner, scour up a few pieces of wood trim, and give his car a warm, cozy ambiance for beachfront cruising.
After a long period spent searching, he found the shoes he wanted for a reasonable price. The Vision 142 rims measure 18×8.5” and fill the wheel wells well. There’s no reason that stunning footwear needs to cost a fortune—Bobby bought this set of subtle five-spokes for a little more than $500!
Bobby’s beauty is nearly ready—though some overheating issues have kept him from enjoying this completely on muggy July afternoons. A Mark VIII radiator kit and some header wrapping should help.
To keep tabs on this sleek and tasteful project, you can follow Bobby’s build thread here.
