Hey guys, i know this isn't a chevelle question, but at least it has to do with an A body. today i went to look at a 71 Pontiac Tempest T-37, it was a 350 4 speed car, but now it supposedly has a 400 4bbl motor. anyways, the car needs rear quarters, has the typical rear window rust, needs trunk pan, and also front fender, the front nose piece might be saveable, but i doubt it. the frame looks good, it has manual steering/brakes (drum). it runs good, when i went to look at it today it had been sitting for 2+months and i tossed in a bettery and it fired right up with no smoke. it will need the interior re done, and it needs a spindle on the drivers side (keeps eating wheel bearings) all the glass is good. what do you guys think its worth? the guy is asking 1000 for it but i talked to his buddy and he said the guy wants to really get $800. what do you guys think its worth?
thanks,
chris

Pontiac's are kind of a niche car. You might try over at www.performanceyears.com it is free to sign up there too.

I'd probably throw him $500 and if he passes give him my phone number and say, "call me when you want to get rid of her."

Sounds like a pretty neat car. I would probably even just crumble and give the guy the $800 he wants and fix the things it needs to be driveable.

Those T-37 400/4 speed cars were on the same formula of the early GTO's. Big cubes, 4 speed and low options :thumbsup:

I would make it safe to drive and burn the rubber off the tires.

Joe

My neighbor used to have a '72 Lemans GT that he bought from the original owner in '89. It was a stripped car with manual steering & drum brakes, but it did have the all-important 400 4-barrel (big valve!), a factory Super T-10 with a Hurst shifter, and a 3.55 Safe-T-Track axle. It had original paint when he bought it, and get this, the original owner had all-vinyl seat covers upholstered over top of the original cloth when the car was brand new and also bought a complete decal set for it when new. It still had the factory side splitter exhaust tips on it (it still has them on it today with the new owner). The car had never seen road salt (bought new November '71 and placed into winter storage within a week or 2.) I helped him install a used but excellent '72 GTO dash tach in it. I think the neighbor got $10G Canadian for it 3 or 4 years ago when he sold it to his friend. It was very clean, straight and original then except for paint, tires & exhaust. It still has the original rad hoses and clamps on it today!


The T-37 and other Lemans used a Saginaw 4-speed behind the 350 V8. We expected the trans to be a Muncie behind the 400 but it was definitely an all-original BW ST10. I defintely wanted that car myself but I already had my '67 Chevelle in the garage (I can't see myself parting with it!)

The 3-speeds behind the 350 were Saginaws unless you got a Hurst-shifted floor shift (GT-37 only) in which case you got the Dearborn H.D. 3-speed (they were a good, tough transmission).

was taking a walk around a new honey hole salvage yard. looked at a 1970 lemans sport. this car was in VERY good shape all the floors were great and trunk and quarters were good. all i saw rusted was the back glass body panel. have thought about going back and buy the pontiac. good luck with your decision

Our '72 Lemans Sport came with the 400, Muncie 4 speed, tach gauges and most of the good GTO options. With a slightly warmed over '70 455, it is a great car to drive. The Muncie is original as is the 3:55 posi 12 bolt rearend. The back window filler panel is actually quite easy to replace. These cars can make an excellent low cost alternative to the much higher priced Chevelles. I'd pick it up if I were you.

Well, i offered him 500 cash for it and he turned it down, and fed me some bull sh** about how 2 guys came to look at it after i did and said they were both kicking tires for it for $1000, but i drove by his house today and what do you know its still there. i'll keep an eye on it and come back with 600-700 when it hasn't sold. then if he still won't take it i think i'll just give him the 800 he's lookin for.
thanks for all the input,
-Chris

When you think about it, an extra 300 bucks to buy the thing isn't much compared to what you'll end up sinking into it anyway!

good point webfoot, but im trying to talk him down a little to offset the back fees on the registration and transfer fees.

He's already pitted you against imaginary buyers. If you come back offering more, he'll see that he's got you. Show him ca$h instead, if he doesn't bite only then do you grudgingly cough up some extra bucks.

Don't but it

Even if he drops the price to a dollar

That's all I got to say

i've decided i don't want to pay him more than $500 for it after really looking at it harder, i like the car but its not worth what he wants. he is under the impression that its a GT-37 not a T-37 so he thinks its worth tons, but it doesn't have the factory hood pins, nor does it look like it ever had them, also it has a saginaw tranny in it and if it was a GT-37 it should have a Dearborn HD 3 speed in it and he claims its the original transmission, it also only has T-37 emblems on it. i'll keep an eye on it and after it sits for a while longer i have a feelin he'll give in because he doesn't know much about it and is a F**D guy.

Well. I can tell you one thing. Since you would be into it for a spindle replacement, you might as well go with discs. You would then be into it for another couple of hundred bucks minimum. Unles you just replace the one side with another drum brake spindle. Thats still more money spent.

well, the car is still there, but i think im going to pass on it. i found a guy local who has a one owner 68 GTO that needs less body work and is almost complete, (missing short block) it needs paint, rear window rust fixed, and 1/4 lips fixed, but it has almost everything and he only wants $1500. it even has a/c and p/s and p/b! its was originally a 400/th400 car, and it has the original console/ His&Hers shifter along with the original TH400 sitting in the back seat. from what i gather from him, his wife wants it gone pretty bad he seemed to push across that the price was very negotiable. so i'll keep you guys posted on what happens, monday im making him an offer after i check on the paper work so i can make sure it has dropped of the computer and there are no back fees. thanks for all the input.
-Chris

I would so much rather have a '68 GTO than a '71 Tempest. Sounds like a good starter, good luck.

Thomas

me too, and this GTO is in way better shape than that T-37 aside from the fact that it has no motor, but the GTO has way more potential and is a way better looking car.