61 to 63 Tempests

[Ropeshaft]

I am a big fan of the 61 to 63 Pontiac Tempest and LeMans. I know many have been converted but I still like the stock transaxle and independent rear suspension. My first car as a kid was a 63 LeMans convertible with a 326 3-speed. I had lots of fun with that car. I've had four of them in the past 12 years and attached is a picture of my current one. It will hold its own in a show but my real passion is making miles. My mileage total last year was 4,400 miles. Next week we are taking it on a 1,000 mile trip. Fun stuff!

[Poncho Villa]

Hey Ropeshaft,
Nice convertable. Does this current car have the 3 speed manual tranny like your first one did? Can you post more pics?

[Ropeshaft]

This one is a 326 automatic with power steering. The first one I picked up with restoration in mind over 12 years ago did have a 3-speed like my original one did. This is actually my 4th one and definitely a keeper. We just returned from a 1,000 mile round trip to the Little Indians Pow Wow in Frankenmuth, MI. It was a fun ride.

[Poncho Villa]

Beauty! That white upholstery with the red paint really sets it off. There is one on Ebay right now for the second listing. It has the 3 speed. It has the black interior and top tho. I would hate to peel my skin back off the seat on a hot sunny day. The white seats would be more user friendly. I am glad to hear that yours isn't just a garage queen.

[Ropeshaft]

Nope. No garage or trailer queen for me. If I can't drive it, I don't want it.

[Larry_Rarus]

Hello again Keith. It's always a pleasure to see your car. I agree with you and Poncho Villa about trailer queens. Cars were made to be driven. To that end, I drive my '62 between 80 and 100 miles per day during the week. (When the weather gets into the 90s like now in the dog days of August, well, I must admit I drive my air-conditioned pick-up.) I've put about 7,000 miles on the Le Mans in four or five months. I'm always delighted when I'm behind the wheel. Sure, it doesn't handle like a modern machine and you have to be careful when exiting the highway with skinny tires on twisting off-ramps. That independent rear suspension can provide chills and thrills if you're not careful. I guess that's part of the fun. A guy I work with has a Porsche Carrera and I always remind him that I can have as much fun in my car at 35MPH as he can in his at 150MPH, and I won't be getting arrested. I am delighted with the reliability of the car. I did a decent amount of work to the drivetrain (preserving all the original ropeshaft stuff) over the winter and I'm reaping the reward. The one-barrel Indy-4 runs like a top and seems to be as reliable as an anvil. The icing on the cake is that the car rides like a much larger vehicle.

[Ropeshaft]

Hello to you Larry. Yes, you are definitely a "mileage maker." You are in the same league with Mechanic Keith of Phoenix. He drives his 61 Tempest coupe every day and in Phoenix, that means year round. Of course, I was just in Phoenix two weeks ago and it was 118 degrees the day I left. I think I might have opted for an air conditioned alternative that day myself.

[super]

1/8 and 1/4-mile driver. Don't rack up the miles as your beautiful street drivers do, but had tons of fun being around this era of car.

The '63 Tempest is one of my all-time favorite cars produced by Pontiac. This Tempest carried the famous 421 Super Duty and aluminum frontend.