1966 Pontiac LeMans 2 doors wagon Phantom custom
0
Mods
Half of the car... The whole roof basically.
Original 326 2bbl engine (europe - expensive gas) and 700r4.
Custom rated springs.
... And just about 22 million other things !
Original 326 2bbl engine (europe - expensive gas) and 700r4.
Custom rated springs.
... And just about 22 million other things !
Build story
Hi all, Virgile from Belgium. 34 years old. Crazy about cars. Always been.
One day in 2014 I bought a nice 1966 LeMans that needed restoration. Nothing crazy. This car was sold new in Belgium thus with a special vin number. But I had no time and space at that time, so it just had to wait for me.
Then On day in 2018, an ad popped up locally with a 1966 GTO, sold new in Belgium too, 389 tri power 4 speed... Oh lord ! all the good stuff... Problem was : It had been converted as a hearse in the 70's. And it was ROUGH as hell !!! You could see through the roof. It had been left outside for more than a decade. Belgium is wet. Very wet.
So of course, I bought it.
The plan was to use the LeMans Body, to restore the GTO back to original.
So I gathered all the good parts on one side, and all the bad parts on the other.
I was ready to put an AD to sell all the bad parts (Lemans drivetrain with hearse body and Lemans title/paperwork) but I kind of felt this car had something. It had something that made it impossible for me to sell.
.... I always loved 2 doors wagon. I kind of knew a bit how to do stuff with metal....
And then the vision came. I knew what I wanted to do with this car.
I drew it (it tooks several weeks to figure out exactly the right lines, with such an overhang on the back that was tough !) eventhough I NEVER drew or make a car design before. This was a real first for me.
From day 1, the vision was clear : Make a car that people who are not too familiar with Pontiac would beleive it is a factory car. Make it look as OEM as possible. Get inside the head of the 60's designers.
Make it a Phantom.
Sober, with smooth flowing lines. Nothing too daring, but including visual elements like the recessed rear window that would also remind of the coupe. And since I'm from Europe, add a bit of an European shooting brake flavor to it, with a dropping roofline.
SO... for the following 5 years, I pursued that vision... And trust me I got filthy.
Starting with the usual rust repair, to the drivetrain rebuilt, to scraping ALL the existing roof from the hearse, to building the new roof and not liking it, then starting all over again, then building the liftgate and all interior parts, the trims... I also prepped and painted it myself. I did the final interior myself. All the electrical, ........
Glasses were custom made for the car. Designed the car so the glasses could be flat. Cheaper. Of course they are tempered. I don't want to die.
Absoluetly no one else than me, worked on it.
.... It is not perfect at all, it has too much body filler. But I'm proud.
LMLR stands for LeMans Long Roof. Simply. I had to give it a name. Create her own identity.
Now I have to stop here, because Dinner's ready, and we all know we risk our lives if we don't show up directly when wife's dinner's ready, right ?
Cheers from Belgium.
To everyone in the world reading this: you are welcome to come and see the car.
Virgile gustin.
One day in 2014 I bought a nice 1966 LeMans that needed restoration. Nothing crazy. This car was sold new in Belgium thus with a special vin number. But I had no time and space at that time, so it just had to wait for me.
Then On day in 2018, an ad popped up locally with a 1966 GTO, sold new in Belgium too, 389 tri power 4 speed... Oh lord ! all the good stuff... Problem was : It had been converted as a hearse in the 70's. And it was ROUGH as hell !!! You could see through the roof. It had been left outside for more than a decade. Belgium is wet. Very wet.
So of course, I bought it.
The plan was to use the LeMans Body, to restore the GTO back to original.
So I gathered all the good parts on one side, and all the bad parts on the other.
I was ready to put an AD to sell all the bad parts (Lemans drivetrain with hearse body and Lemans title/paperwork) but I kind of felt this car had something. It had something that made it impossible for me to sell.
.... I always loved 2 doors wagon. I kind of knew a bit how to do stuff with metal....
And then the vision came. I knew what I wanted to do with this car.
I drew it (it tooks several weeks to figure out exactly the right lines, with such an overhang on the back that was tough !) eventhough I NEVER drew or make a car design before. This was a real first for me.
From day 1, the vision was clear : Make a car that people who are not too familiar with Pontiac would beleive it is a factory car. Make it look as OEM as possible. Get inside the head of the 60's designers.
Make it a Phantom.
Sober, with smooth flowing lines. Nothing too daring, but including visual elements like the recessed rear window that would also remind of the coupe. And since I'm from Europe, add a bit of an European shooting brake flavor to it, with a dropping roofline.
SO... for the following 5 years, I pursued that vision... And trust me I got filthy.
Starting with the usual rust repair, to the drivetrain rebuilt, to scraping ALL the existing roof from the hearse, to building the new roof and not liking it, then starting all over again, then building the liftgate and all interior parts, the trims... I also prepped and painted it myself. I did the final interior myself. All the electrical, ........
Glasses were custom made for the car. Designed the car so the glasses could be flat. Cheaper. Of course they are tempered. I don't want to die.
Absoluetly no one else than me, worked on it.
.... It is not perfect at all, it has too much body filler. But I'm proud.
LMLR stands for LeMans Long Roof. Simply. I had to give it a name. Create her own identity.
Now I have to stop here, because Dinner's ready, and we all know we risk our lives if we don't show up directly when wife's dinner's ready, right ?
Cheers from Belgium.
To everyone in the world reading this: you are welcome to come and see the car.
Virgile gustin.