Back in 1966 or 1967 I don’t remember the exact year. I had a 63 Tempest with a 389 four barrel with long tube headers and 3 speed on the floor. What an animal it was I was still in high school and used to ride around quite often with the headers open and cheater slicks. If you know anything about that specific year it had a 1 inch thick drive shaft inside of a closed case. I can’t tell you how many drive shafts I went through but it was quite a few! lol 😁
My Uncle Chris RIP, as a kid, Pontiac was all I seen,, 70 Formula, three 62 Tempest, became two.. the scarp build, was built for me, i was 12, my Mom said No!, Uncle Chris kept it for me four more years, My Mom said No, every time it was brought up, When I bring it up now etc. She says sorry... RIP Uncle Chris... I will always want One.. Love you Mom.. Cheers from Southern California 🇺🇸
Mickey T was an innovator and was taken from us way too soon! I don't know if the criminal(s) that murdered Mickey and Trudy were ever caught but, if they're not already there, there's a very hot place waiting for them!
@@CopperAboriginies From what I've read it was simply a nasty feud that engendered the lust for an extreme take down. It is chilling to think that such hatred can lead to murder but even more horrific to know there are guys who without any rancor towards a fellow and his wife can kill them for a price.
Muscle car campy is pretty much correct. Thompson's former business partner, Michael Frank Goodwin, was convicted of 2 counts of murder and sentenced to 2 consecutive life terms in prison. The actual shooters have never been located.
Great video Campy! Amazing how they shoehorned that 421 under the hood! And yes that was when men were men and built stuff without any help from a computer.
@@NoPrivateProperty not with the shitty tires they had back then. It’s like low 10,s hi 9,s today, if not faster. One year later Stan’s 63 Lemans SD 421 ran mid 11,s at 121 mph on still shitty rear tires. Not slow by a long shot! Especially if you understand tires and history
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all us guys comin up after you. This is the kind of knowledge that use to be hand to hand and now thanks to a lot of dedicated fans its getting passed on down the years. Thanks to all the guys who share that horded knowledge with the future generations. You insure this knowledge isn't lost!
I see Mike Salta's license plate frame on the front end of the car. Now that brings back memories from the long-gone Long Beach California Pontiac dealer.
Very cool! My dad worked for a pontiac dealer in the 60's,and I used to go with him on Saturdays and see all the new cars. We would test drive new gto 's and he would slam the gears! Guess that's why I've owned my firebird for 47 years.
I LOVED my 62 Lemans Convertible White w/Blk top, Red interior. Dealer only had the 4 cyl tho. However when I got done with it, I stomped F85 V8s. Amazing what a simple bore, balance and Cold Air intake could do. (All I was able to afford in my youth. LOL) 3 cars I loved. My 47Ford vert w/hot Merc eng, my Lemans and then my 68 Formula S 340. I added CAI to the latter 2 after reading Smokey's advice. It knocked 1.5 sec off the 340's time.
I haven't touched one in decades, but I can still remember the feel AND the smell of those old decals. Back in the 60's, we Southern California kids collected them like others collected baseball cards. I'm STILL waiting for my Duntov cam decal from old Zora (I wrote him personally)... they must gave gotten lost in the mail. 😁😁
Great video. Beautiful car. My first car: a 1962 Tempest LeMans, black exterior/red interior, three-speed floor shift, 195 cu. in. four cylinder. Bought it in 1966. No six cylinder offered in 1962, but they did offer a little sold 215 cu. in. aluminum V-8. The Trophy 195 engine mine had was half of a 389, literally. Mine came well used, with a ton of rust, but on the other hand, it was my first car.
@@musclecarcampy9922 - Only 1% of Tempests bought with the V8 though... and they admitted it was a (1950) Buick engine... In 1970's window monroney showed you paid extra for an Olds Rocket V8... but later your mechanic told you that you had a cheap Chevy V8 !!!
Reminds of my 1962 Olds Jetfire turbo V8 from back in the day, converted from the crappy automatic to a 3 speed T85 manual with Sparkomatic shifter with wooden/steel/wooden shift sandwich knob... th-cam.com/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/w-d-xo.html
Yeah I once found a particularly small aluminum intake manifold with a four barrel plenum and eight ports. It was on a relative’s property where some of our family would store/leave to rot some of our cherished cars,boats, whatever. This intake was in a shed, and from a distance I could see it had four ports on the one side visible. As a teenager with a 2 barrel 302 Torino, I briefly thought it might fit my engine. When I picked it up I realized it was maybe 2/3 the size of a 302 intake. Researched a bit, and my dad said there had been a very small GM aluminum V8, saying it was either a Pontiac or Oldsmobile. In that same pile I picked up a single Shelby valve cover, with the letters raised, with crinkle finish background and Shelby was polished, and it had the same kind of build that the old M/T valve covers had, aluminum and solid, which sealed the gaskets better than the crappy factory stamped steel versions. Nowadays, very valuable and rare pieces. I’m pretty sure this was for a 351 Cleveland, as the size and pattern didn’t match the 302/351 Windsors, but it wasn’t the FE one either. It could have been for the 429 but didn’t have that distinct profile needed to clear the valve train in those big block Fords.
Seeing this car reminds me of the 62 Tempest Lemans I owned while working at the Exxon Station, I boought it for very little money, it had a 326 cu in engine with a 2 barrel carb, the 3 speed transaxle from the 4cyl. engine. I tuned the engine up plugs, points, condenser, dist.cap, plug wires, all settings. rebuild starded,battery,shocks, tires . Cleaned interior up, buff rust off the body and waxed. I had fun driving the Lemans but at 20 to 25 mph you had better be in 3rd gear or damage the trans axle. Had the car for a couple of years , someone offerded me too much $$$, sold the car but I missed the little Pontiac.
This is what we considered quick back in the day . From the slot cars we modified by rewinding electric motors to hot rodding gas engine cars we have come full circle . Old hot rod guys like us have seen and experienced a lot during this time . It’s sad in a way as many young people can’t relate to what we experienced.
When men were men and sheep were scared...Just kidding guys! What a great find! This is what makes the internet great, rare cool cars most of us would never have a chance to see or hear, brought to us by other guys who love cars. Thank you for doing what you do, its immensely appreciated!
puny heads - ha ha ha ha ha ha In 1962 the thought of puny heads did not exist. There is a sweet spot where HP and torque converse. Where is that sweet spot?
@@jackreacher. I disagree. Have you seen the flow numbers on the 62-64 Max Wedge engines? In 62 the 413 Max Wedge got 25% larger ports than the regular B/RB Mopar engines and larger valves to boot. To this day the highest performance aftermarket Mopar wedge heads still use the raised Max Wedge port configuration. The original heads flowed with numbers similar to the modern lower performance Gen 3 Small Block Chevy stuff (LS motors for those with less knowledge). Compare that to the early Super Duty stuff that was only able to flow about the same as regular street Pontiac heads by the late 60's like #62s, #48s, #12s or #13 400 heads. Even the later Pontiac 455 S.D. heads flowed slightly less than the Max Wedge heads. And I agree that torque makes a great street engine and Pontiacs excel at making usable torque, but we're talking race only and there, HP wins.
@@1967davethewave Using two 625 CFM Carters, I count a total of 1250 CFM for the 421 Super duty. However, the 62 max wedge was produced with two 600 CFM Carters which total 1200 cfm. This is not a considerable difference. It seams to me that our argument boils down to terms. You find pride in "Maximum" and mine is found in "super duty". You dig Mopar and I go with the Indian. However, 1962 is the main constraint with the Pontiac winning the national championships. I found the word "puny" to simply identify your overall bias. Win one and "puny" got lucky. Win two and "puny" lacks logical support. Hence, puny ha ha. Puny heads on a national champion is simply brand bashing.
My uncle had a 63' Tempest with a 3 speed manual. Probably a 326. This was in 65' after he graduated HS. I remember he kept showing me a GTO emblem on the grill. I think someone put it there before he bought it. I was only about 9 at the time.☝😏
Love the channel! My father's 69 Firebird 400 was sold new at Salta Pontiac in Long Beach. I know I've seen pics of the original car with the same plate frame, and I was wondering if the owner knows anything about the dealership? After watching the video I found a Nascar race car they sponsored and it makes me wonder if they were a high performance dealer in the area.
Now for the rest of the story , on page 26 of a book by Steve Magnante called " How to build altered wheelbase cars " you will find a picture of the Mickey Thompson car taken at Irwindale in 1966 as raced by Bob Porter . The car , like so many other race cars at the time , had been modified with a straight front axle , Mopar Max Wedge hood scoop , and had the rear end moved forward approximately ten inches . Porter was using the ex Doyle Gammel '32 Ford 3 window to flat tow the '62 back and forth to the track .Now you know what happened to the original car .
@@musclecarcampy9922 the NHRA outlawed the altered wheelbase cars by 1968 , which left bracket racing or street racing , considering how crudely the AWB cars were built I suspect it was probably crushed long ago . The way guys were hunting for the old race cars back in the '80s and '90s you'd think someone would have a clue of it's whereabouts or status . That is why I mentioned the photo in the book, hoping it would jog somebody's memory .
@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 I appreciate that. You would think it would have turned up, but perhaps it was wrecked and parted out. All speculation on my part.
When I was dating my now Wife Of 50 years, I had one if these but it was the Wagon model with a v6 3 on the Tree. I wish I had kept that Car. We had loads of fun in that Car. Good times.
My friend way back when pulled his 455 HO out of his 1971 Trans am and and installed one of these 421's. I thought he was Nuts , Till he took me for a ride 👍 11.7 at the track , WOW street legal too "
Factory Experimental was the class; A was the sub-category. It's the same as Super Stock A (SS/A or Super Stock B Automatic (SS/BA). Everyone says AFX or BFX now, but what is on the car is correct.
In 62 Buick received car of the year from Motor Trend Magazine thanks to ( Buick ) Engineering . In 62 Mickey Thompson’s Buick special with a Buick 215 ( Fireball ) Aluminum V8 went 92 laps at Indy before transmission failed , Dan Gurney was Driver
In 1962 For the Tempest/lemans, they offered a 4cyl (1/2 of the 389 in several HP configurations) AND a 215V8 like the Olds F85. Never offered a 6 CYL!!!! Buick Skylark did but not Pontiac!!
@@musclecarcampy9922 Only because my family lived Bunkey Knudsen's cars for so long. LOL And I owned an extra ordinary 62 Lemans vert myself. It wasnt "normal" when I came to "remanufacture" it. There were ll kinds of "parts" that werent in the Pontiac parts catalog. Didnt have the std dist., pistons were wrong for that HP version,, the hotter cam wasnt in the catalog, and it had a limited slip 2spd trans axle. While I had the engine in rebuild mode I had another Tempest 4 eng because I still had to get to/from work.. IT was a dog compared to mine. At one point it was suggested that my 62 was "like the special 4 Pontiac sent to the NY auto show" which might explain why the dealer was upset with the salesman and tried his best to buy it back.
No one knows where the original car is or what happened to it. People have searched for it for decades and it seems to have vanished. Was not wrecked as far as anyone knows.
I posted on here about the original before but mysteriously my comment disappeared like the tempest! We’ll rest assured the original has not been wrecked or parted out. My BF has owned it since 1984 and although it needs work, it is here and doing well
Fantastic muscle machine! Super fun throw back of a by gone era. I Love old cars and fossil fuel. I’m definitely voting Red! The kackling hyena is death to our American way.
Think he took off in 3rd ....then shifted to second. 3 speeds had a pretty low first gear . With 4.30 :1 rear gears and the big 421 it just chugged away. When he shifted to 2nd the ram's went up 😅
Growing up a teenage car freak(My first car was a 34 ford Crestline 4dr with the Y Block 239 at age 14), Talking about the 3 spd, standard Transmission. Everyone I knew who had a 3spd put a floor shifter in it. Including me. So that odd shift pattern wasn't odd to us at all.
Brother bought a brand new 63 Tempest A 4 cyl four bll 4 speed The trans was in back like modern Corvettes Bout all I can remember about it He shortly traded for a new big ole Bonneville with a V8 Drew more girls that way
The swiss cheese Catalina with the Super Duty 421s were turning 11s back in the day . They said they were still tearing up the drag strips way into the late 60s . The very sad thing and it makes me want to cry is 63 was the last year of the Super Duty . I dont know why the program was canceled can you imagine going down to your dealer in 64 and ordering a brand new GTO with a 421 Superduty ? It would to tore some ass up on the streets nothing would of touched it They could of opened a race program with GTO'S with aluminum front clip aluminum bumpers and a cross drilled frame battery located to the trunk with a set of 4:56 there would of been very few cars touch it So close but all closed down in a few months makes a person sad 🤥
GM officially pulled out of factory support of racing in 1963 both drag and Nascar. Any one competing in a GM car after that was on their own dime. Also, they had a mandate that you couldn't put more than 400 cubic inch in the A body, GTO 389, Chevelle 396, Skylark 400, Olds 442 400. They dropped that requirement in 1970.
@@mitchburk5112 I know that the race program was dumped . I was doing a what if on my post a GTO 421 Super Duty aluminum front clip cross drilled swiss cheese frame easily into mid 10s and you imagine what one of those would of brought on the auction block now if they had survived ? So close and yet so far😕
@@madmanmechanic8847 THat woulda been the most badazzed early muscle ever built. THose A bodys, 4link coil rear were easy to get hooked with minor work.
@@gordocarbo I am sure low 10s would of been easily attained or faster I honestly dont think anything would of touched them except maybe the 427 Ford Thunder bolt and even then would of been damn close
I believe they're stock. The front springs have spacers in them to aid weight transfer. Interestingly, the rear suspension uses stock coil springs for the ladder bars. The shocks also look stock, but are relocated
Cool car but that shifter position is too far forward. At 3:57 you can see him have to lean forward to complete the shift. It also looks like he had to adjust the seat too far forward just so he can reach the shifter. His arms and legs seem bent instead of being in a comfortable driving position.
Owner is pretty tall. That is just the way it is. Also only the second or third time he’d driven it. Just bought it and was getting used to its idiosyncrasies.
Who cares? The entire intent is to get from point A to point B, as quickly as possible. Safety? Highly over-rated. It's called, the "pussification" of America. Get me back to the good ol days.
I read the original article back in the day and it sparked some interest. That said, I always wanted to build a 62 Nova with a 409 engine as a A/FX'er
Back in 1966 or 1967 I don’t remember the exact year. I had a 63 Tempest with a 389 four barrel with long tube headers and 3 speed on the floor. What an animal it was I was still in high school and used to ride around quite often with the headers open and cheater slicks. If you know anything about that specific year it had a 1 inch thick drive shaft inside of a closed case. I can’t tell you how many drive shafts I went through but it was quite a few! lol 😁
Now thats a muscle car . I miss them days . Out loud. 😀
My Uncle Chris RIP, as a kid, Pontiac was all I seen,, 70 Formula, three 62 Tempest, became two.. the scarp build, was built for me, i was 12, my Mom said No!, Uncle Chris kept it for me four more years, My Mom said No, every time it was brought up,
When I bring it up now etc.
She says sorry...
RIP Uncle Chris...
I will always want One..
Love you Mom..
Cheers from Southern California 🇺🇸
Here’s to your Uncle Chris.
Mickey T was an innovator and was taken from us way too soon! I don't know if the criminal(s) that murdered Mickey and Trudy were ever caught but, if they're not already there, there's a very hot place waiting for them!
The man who ordered the hit eventually charged and convicted. Not sure if the actual killers were ever arrested.
Who stood to benefit from those murders in those years o Thompson’s death….
The town of Bradbury, CA has never been the same since.
@@CopperAboriginies From what I've read it was simply a nasty feud that engendered the lust for an extreme take down. It is chilling to think that such hatred can lead to murder but even more horrific to know there are guys who without any rancor towards a fellow and his wife can kill them for a price.
Muscle car campy is pretty much correct. Thompson's former business partner, Michael Frank Goodwin, was convicted of 2 counts of murder and sentenced to 2 consecutive life terms in prison. The actual shooters have never been located.
Great video Campy! Amazing how they shoehorned that 421 under the hood! And yes that was when men were men and built stuff without any help from a computer.
No bigger physically than a 326. Fits pretty nice. The Buick 215 V8 was a factory option.
that is why the best they could do is run 12s........slow
@@NoPrivateProperty not with the shitty tires they had back then. It’s like low 10,s hi 9,s today, if not faster. One year later Stan’s 63 Lemans SD 421 ran mid 11,s at 121 mph on still shitty rear tires. Not slow by a long shot! Especially if you understand tires and history
@@joshbrekke6374 they used to test cars with slicks for magazines. not much difference. not fast by todays standards
and grandma could daily it, 4 spd with manual everything still drive like an ace
Todays kids couldnt drive it around the block without crying lol
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all us guys comin up after you. This is the kind of knowledge that use to be hand to hand and now thanks to a lot of dedicated fans its getting passed on down the years. Thanks to all the guys who share that horded knowledge with the future generations. You insure this knowledge isn't lost!
Thank you so much. I am flattered.
Ensure , 👍
I see Mike Salta's license plate frame on the front end of the car. Now that brings back memories from the long-gone Long Beach California Pontiac dealer.
Classic touch. I believe that was where the real car came from.
What a car!! Great video. Thanks guys.
It is our pleasure.
Very cool! My dad worked for a pontiac dealer in the 60's,and I used to go with him on Saturdays and see all the new cars. We would test drive new gto 's and he would slam the gears! Guess that's why I've owned my firebird for 47 years.
I love 62 tempests.
Such a unknown stylish car.
I’ve wanted to build a hot rod version for years.
I was unaware of MT’s build.
That thing is sweet.
Thanks for watching.
I LOVED my 62 Lemans Convertible White w/Blk top, Red interior. Dealer only had the 4 cyl tho. However when I got done with it, I stomped F85 V8s. Amazing what a simple bore, balance and Cold Air intake could do. (All I was able to afford in my youth. LOL)
3 cars I loved. My 47Ford vert w/hot Merc eng, my Lemans and then my 68 Formula S 340. I added CAI to the latter 2 after reading Smokey's advice. It knocked 1.5 sec off the 340's time.
Used to have a neighbor in Moorpark Ca that named his dog Proffit
Was many yrs before I found out why. Love those 421
Classic.
What a beautiful beast.
Wow, what an awesome piece of history!
Its a replica of the original.
I remember these cars. I'm 71. These were the precursors to funny cars. To 😎 cool. Thanks for the memories 😊
- I'm 76, back then my daily driver was the '62 Jetfire:
th-cam.com/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/w-d-xo.html
Man…hearing this car reminds me of both my big block 65 Coronets!
I haven't touched one in decades, but I can still remember the feel AND the smell of those old decals. Back in the 60's, we Southern California kids collected them like others collected baseball cards. I'm STILL waiting for my Duntov cam decal from old Zora (I wrote him personally)... they must gave gotten lost in the mail. 😁😁
Great video. Beautiful car. My first car: a 1962 Tempest LeMans, black exterior/red interior, three-speed floor shift, 195 cu. in. four cylinder. Bought it in 1966. No six cylinder offered in 1962, but they did offer a little sold 215 cu. in. aluminum V-8. The Trophy 195 engine mine had was half of a 389, literally. Mine came well used, with a ton of rust, but on the other hand, it was my first car.
Funny, that was the Buick V8, but no one complained it was not a Pontiac mill.
It only ran on 4? Number 4? 😎
@@musclecarcampy9922 - Only 1% of Tempests bought with the V8 though... and they admitted it was a (1950) Buick engine...
In 1970's window monroney showed you paid extra for an Olds Rocket V8... but later your mechanic told you that you had a cheap Chevy V8 !!!
Reminds of my 1962 Olds Jetfire turbo V8 from back in the day, converted from the crappy automatic to a 3 speed T85 manual with Sparkomatic shifter with wooden/steel/wooden shift sandwich knob...
th-cam.com/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/w-d-xo.html
Yeah I once found a particularly small aluminum intake manifold with a four barrel plenum and eight ports. It was on a relative’s property where some of our family would store/leave to rot some of our cherished cars,boats, whatever. This intake was in a shed, and from a distance I could see it had four ports on the one side visible. As a teenager with a 2 barrel 302 Torino, I briefly thought it might fit my engine. When I picked it up I realized it was maybe 2/3 the size of a 302 intake. Researched a bit, and my dad said there had been a very small GM aluminum V8, saying it was either a Pontiac or Oldsmobile. In that same pile I picked up a single Shelby valve cover, with the letters raised, with crinkle finish background and Shelby was polished, and it had the same kind of build that the old M/T valve covers had, aluminum and solid, which sealed the gaskets better than the crappy factory stamped steel versions. Nowadays, very valuable and rare pieces. I’m pretty sure this was for a 351 Cleveland, as the size and pattern didn’t match the 302/351 Windsors, but it wasn’t the FE one either. It could have been for the 429 but didn’t have that distinct profile needed to clear the valve train in those big block Fords.
Seeing this car reminds me of the 62 Tempest Lemans I owned while working at the Exxon Station, I boought it for very little money, it had a 326 cu in engine with a 2 barrel carb, the 3 speed transaxle from the 4cyl. engine. I tuned the engine up plugs, points, condenser, dist.cap, plug wires, all settings. rebuild starded,battery,shocks, tires . Cleaned interior up, buff rust off the body and waxed. I had fun driving the Lemans but at 20 to 25 mph you had better be in 3rd gear or damage the trans axle. Had the car for a couple of years , someone offerded me too much $$$, sold the car but I missed the little Pontiac.
Thanks for Sharing... Pretty Amazing Piece of History
Poncho's are in a league of their own. They've always stood apart.
The GM racing ban hurt Pontiac, but without it the GTO never happens.
This is what we considered quick back in the day .
From the slot cars we modified by rewinding electric motors to hot rodding gas engine cars we have come full circle . Old hot rod guys like us have seen and experienced a lot during this time . It’s sad in a way as many young people can’t relate to what we experienced.
Technology has come a long way in 60 years. Imagine using a 60-year-old TV to watch Muscle Car Campy videos. The horror!
Don't forget taping hidden coins over the drive wheels on slot cars.
nice, especially with the accurate 421 SD. I don’t remember Hayden Profit in the Thompson Tempest but definitely in the bubble top ‘62 409.
Hayden switched to Chevrolet after this. Lloyd Cox drove it at the US Nationals.
What an absolutely awesome car!
Thank you.
I like the car and the story even more.
Thank you very much. I appreciate your support.
Super duty old school Pontiac ! WOW , I remember as a kid in upstate N. Y. seeing these cars on Dover Drag strip in Pawling N. Y.
Jim, he got you pinned back pretty good mid-sentence at 9:21. I like how you rolled with and completed your thought after that pull. 😎😎
I try to maintain my professionalism, even with sweat in my eye. LOL.
Nice little GLHS Omni sitting in the garage!
Right? Thanks for watching.
When men were men and sheep were scared...Just kidding guys! What a great find! This is what makes the internet great, rare cool cars most of us would never have a chance to see or hear, brought to us by other guys who love cars. Thank you for doing what you do, its immensely appreciated!
The pleasure is all mine, believe me!
Great video, and great to see my two old friends together again.
It’s almost like the old CSK days, except we’re more mature now. Sort of.
We miss you buddy! Hope our paths cross soon...
Another great find and video. Keep em coming! 'Specially the tin Indians. My favorites.:)
Oh, we have plenty of those to shoot-and not just the usual suspects, either.
Pontiac’s L-88. Rougher - than -sandpaper idle, ferocious disposition.
holy shit what a ride!
Baaaaaad to the bone.
Great to see Don here. Great contributor to the Poncho enthusiasts
We have several pontiacs in our collection. One is a 63 tempest with the 4 cyl and 3 speed transaxle.
Wow, that is choice in every way... Thanks for the review and upload💯
My pleasure!
@@musclecarcampy9922 👍 💪
It's hard to believe how good the 421 S.D. runs with it's puny heads, but it surely does!!!
Guess you never saw the 421 S.D. on a dyno:
th-cam.com/video/gNg569agwiU/w-d-xo.html
puny heads - ha ha ha ha ha ha In 1962 the thought of puny heads did not exist. There is a sweet spot where HP and torque converse. Where is that sweet spot?
@@jackreacher. - As seen here:
th-cam.com/video/gNg569agwiU/w-d-xo.html
@@jackreacher. I disagree. Have you seen the flow numbers on the 62-64 Max Wedge engines? In 62 the 413 Max Wedge got 25% larger ports than the regular B/RB Mopar engines and larger valves to boot. To this day the highest performance aftermarket Mopar wedge heads still use the raised Max Wedge port configuration. The original heads flowed with numbers similar to the modern lower performance Gen 3 Small Block Chevy stuff (LS motors for those with less knowledge). Compare that to the early Super Duty stuff that was only able to flow about the same as regular street Pontiac heads by the late 60's like #62s, #48s, #12s or #13 400 heads. Even the later Pontiac 455 S.D. heads flowed slightly less than the Max Wedge heads. And I agree that torque makes a great street engine and Pontiacs excel at making usable torque, but we're talking race only and there, HP wins.
@@1967davethewave Using two 625 CFM Carters, I count a total of 1250 CFM for the 421 Super duty. However, the 62 max wedge was produced with two 600 CFM Carters which total 1200 cfm. This is not a considerable difference. It seams to me that our argument boils down to terms. You find pride in "Maximum" and mine is found in "super duty". You dig Mopar and I go with the Indian. However, 1962 is the main constraint with the Pontiac winning the national championships. I found the word "puny" to simply identify your overall bias. Win one and "puny" got lucky. Win two and "puny" lacks logical support. Hence, puny ha ha. Puny heads on a national champion is simply brand bashing.
My uncle had a 63' Tempest with a 3 speed manual. Probably a 326. This was in 65' after he graduated HS. I remember he kept showing me a GTO emblem on the grill. I think someone put it there before he bought it. I was only about 9 at the time.☝😏
Beautiful.
Cool car, funny I just saw a documentary on John DeLorean on Netflix on Saturday. Anyway great find well done.
Mickey Thompson was "Mr Pontiac" .His efforts on the salt were a study in Engineering genius.
Absolutely correct.
Love the channel! My father's 69 Firebird 400 was sold new at Salta Pontiac in Long Beach. I know I've seen pics of the original car with the same plate frame, and I was wondering if the owner knows anything about the dealership? After watching the video I found a Nascar race car they sponsored and it makes me wonder if they were a high performance dealer in the area.
They sponsored Mickey Thompson’s racing efforts. Don’t know much about them other than that.
Now for the rest of the story , on page 26 of a book by Steve Magnante called " How to build altered wheelbase cars " you will find a picture of the Mickey Thompson car taken at Irwindale in 1966 as raced by Bob Porter . The car , like so many other race cars at the time , had been modified with a straight front axle , Mopar Max Wedge hood scoop , and had the rear end moved forward approximately ten inches . Porter was using the ex Doyle Gammel '32 Ford 3 window to flat tow the '62 back and forth to the track .Now you know what happened to the original car .
But where is it now? Big mystery.
@@musclecarcampy9922 the NHRA outlawed the altered wheelbase cars by 1968 , which left bracket racing or street racing , considering how crudely the AWB cars were built I suspect it was probably crushed long ago . The way guys were hunting for the old race cars back in the '80s and '90s you'd think someone would have a clue of it's whereabouts or status . That is why I mentioned the photo in the book, hoping it would jog somebody's memory .
@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 I appreciate that. You would think it would have turned up, but perhaps it was wrecked and parted out. All speculation on my part.
I had a 63 Tempest 4cyl it was surprising fast keep up it traffic good. The transmission slowed it down. Slush Box!
This car has no such a problem.
@@musclecarcampy9922 Long as he doesnt start off in 3rd caught that
Awesome car!
i like the color silvery blue lookin
When I was dating my now Wife Of 50 years, I had one if these but it was the Wagon model with a v6 3 on the Tree. I wish I had kept that Car. We had loads of fun in that Car. Good times.
Cool as it gets.
Yessir.
Toward the beginning the white car with "Doug Marion" painted on it...possibly the same on who posts on some vette forum today?
This Doug Marion was the long-time editor of Super Chevy magazine. Not sure if he posts on Corvette forums today, but it would surprise me if he did.
My friend way back when pulled his 455 HO out of his 1971 Trans am and and installed one of these 421's. I thought he was Nuts , Till he took me for a ride 👍
11.7 at the track , WOW street legal too "
I always thought the 421 was the best engine GM ever had
That has to be the nastiest cam. My dad put one like that in his 01 Corvette, he hated it haha Borla exhaust sounded like a F15 flying by
DId he regear the car too? Most dont, and lug the engines on those vettes. Dont know why its not good to do that to an engine
Am I wrong or is the door lettering wrong ? Should not it be A/FX For A factory Experimental
Factory Experimental was the class; A was the sub-category. It's the same as Super Stock A (SS/A or Super Stock B Automatic (SS/BA). Everyone says AFX or BFX now, but what is on the car is correct.
RIP FREMONT RACEWAY
In 62 Buick received car of the year from Motor Trend Magazine thanks to ( Buick ) Engineering . In 62 Mickey Thompson’s Buick special with a Buick 215 ( Fireball ) Aluminum V8 went 92 laps at Indy before transmission failed , Dan Gurney was Driver
I have a few ‘62 s and a 4 spd !
Cool factor : infinity!
From an era when men were men and sandpaper was really rough.
AMen! At 12 they were rebuilding engines not crying about hurt feelings inside thier room.
Most women were way tougher than todays beard/tat crowd.
Where today is the original?
Those three speeds sure do pull nice in second gear - it's just that jump to third...
did he shift into passing gear at 9:00?
He took off in 3rd then shifted to 2nd......come on, guess he's not much of a stick driver. I guess torque of the 421 did mind that rpm drop to 3rd.
The best 421 was the 64 Grand Prix, my dad owned the Black one with White Interior
In 1962 For the Tempest/lemans, they offered a 4cyl (1/2 of the 389 in several HP configurations) AND a 215V8 like the Olds F85. Never offered a 6 CYL!!!! Buick Skylark did but not Pontiac!!
You are correct. I was wrong.
@@musclecarcampy9922 Only because my family lived Bunkey Knudsen's cars for so long. LOL
And I owned an extra ordinary 62 Lemans vert myself. It wasnt "normal" when I came to "remanufacture" it. There were ll kinds of "parts" that werent in the Pontiac parts catalog. Didnt have the std dist., pistons were wrong for that HP version,, the hotter cam wasnt in the catalog, and it had a limited slip 2spd trans axle. While I had the engine in rebuild mode I had another Tempest 4 eng because I still had to get to/from work.. IT was a dog compared to mine. At one point it was suggested that my 62 was "like the special 4 Pontiac sent to the NY auto show" which might explain why the dealer was upset with the salesman and tried his best to buy it back.
@@frederickwise5238 I appreciate you watching.
@@musclecarcampy9922 In my youth I kinda lived cars. At 87, all I can do now is watch from my computer room. LOL
I get the feeling that car just about whupped those guys
What happened to the original car ? Was is wrecked or taken apart ? Or is it tucked away somewhere. ? Great video. Car sounds bad ass.
No one knows where the original car is or what happened to it. People have searched for it for decades and it seems to have vanished. Was not wrecked as far as anyone knows.
Thanks for the info
I posted on here about the original before but mysteriously my comment disappeared like the tempest! We’ll rest assured the original has not been wrecked or parted out. My BF has owned it since 1984 and although it needs work, it is here and doing well
@@heidibradford857 Can you send me some pictures? Would love to see it now. Let me know and I will send you my email address.
@@musclecarcampy9922 I will send you a pic Sunday when I see it again
God that looks idiotically fun!
Love it. Yeah, it is.
Love that thing - I’d burble that all over town.
Very high compression. The price of trade fuel could drive you to the poorhouse. LOL.
Id rather have that than the original. Youd be terrified to drive the original
Fantastic muscle machine! Super fun throw back of a by gone era. I Love old cars and fossil fuel. I’m definitely voting Red! The kackling hyena is death to our American way.
beast!
I was wondering if he was starting out in second gear. Then at 8:58, he found first!
Think he took off in 3rd ....then shifted to second. 3 speeds had a pretty low first gear . With 4.30 :1 rear gears and the big 421 it just chugged away. When he shifted to 2nd the ram's went up 😅
@@Airsally Yep,3rd
Growing up a teenage car freak(My first car was a 34 ford Crestline 4dr with the Y Block 239 at age 14), Talking about the 3 spd, standard Transmission. Everyone I knew who had a 3spd put a floor shifter in it. Including me. So that odd shift pattern wasn't odd to us at all.
I meant 54 Ford...........
GM designed this car for old men and look who’s still driving these cars. Some kids never grow old ! Congratulations on this Beauty!
STICKY THOMPSON, 😉👍🏻
I have been lucky enough to meet so many legends of hot rodding. I only wish I could have met Mickey. He was stolen from us.
Besides the MIGHTY MOPAR BIG BLOCK HEMI these cars were fast!
sweet!
Oh yeah!
Brother bought a brand new 63 Tempest
A 4 cyl four bll 4 speed
The trans was in back like modern Corvettes
Bout all I can remember about it
He shortly traded for a new big ole Bonneville with a V8
Drew more girls that way
That car was a killer
The swiss cheese Catalina with the Super Duty 421s were turning 11s back in the day . They said they were still tearing up the drag strips way into the late 60s . The very sad thing and it makes me want to cry is 63 was the last year of the Super Duty . I dont know why the program was canceled can you imagine going down to your dealer in 64 and ordering a brand new GTO with a 421 Superduty ? It would to tore some ass up on the streets nothing would of touched it They could of opened a race program with GTO'S with aluminum front clip aluminum bumpers and a cross drilled frame battery located to the trunk with a set of 4:56 there would of been very few cars touch it So close but all closed down in a few months makes a person sad 🤥
GM officially pulled out of factory support of racing in 1963 both drag and Nascar. Any one competing in a GM car after that was on their own dime. Also, they had a mandate that you couldn't put more than 400 cubic inch in the A body, GTO 389, Chevelle 396, Skylark 400, Olds 442 400. They dropped that requirement in 1970.
@@mitchburk5112 I know that the race program was dumped . I was doing a what if on my post a GTO 421 Super Duty aluminum front clip cross drilled swiss cheese frame easily into mid 10s and you imagine what one of those would of brought on the auction block now if they had survived ? So close and yet so far😕
@@madmanmechanic8847 THat woulda been the most badazzed early muscle ever built.
THose A bodys, 4link coil rear were easy to get hooked with minor work.
@@gordocarbo I am sure low 10s would of been easily attained or faster I honestly dont think anything would of touched them except maybe the 427 Ford Thunder bolt and even then would of been damn close
Does she have drag shocks on her too?
I believe they're stock. The front springs have spacers in them to aid weight transfer. Interestingly, the rear suspension uses stock coil springs for the ladder bars. The shocks also look stock, but are relocated
@@musclecarcampy9922 - thanks for the info. I love this car!😊
@@Slingudwig Happy to reply. Thank you for tuning in.
My last name is Tempest ,I'm thinking I should own one of these somehow !
Makes sense to me.
@@musclecarcampy9922 I do have a 36pontiac 3 window coupe to play with !
@@dwaynetempest3433 Very nice!
Does the real one still exist?
People have been looking for the original for 50 years. The consensus is it’s gone.
YEs a woman above posted her boyfriend has it still not messed with
Unless memory's failed me (AGAIN!), these had that wacky transaxle "rope" drive, did they not?
Yes, the production cars did, but Mickey Thompson & crew took it out and replaced it with a traditional set-up. All covered in the video.
@@musclecarcampy9922 10 - 4....
Never heard of that can you explain ?
Quite sano..now a thunderbolt match race..?
Find me a T-bolt and I’ll set it up.
The radiator was dumping fluid out the vent hose at 10:20.
Nice 'sleeper'. That Grand Prix engine was no slouch.
My childhood barber had a 421 Tempest / Lemans. He wasn't a car guy, and had no idea what it was...other than it was cheap transportation at the time.
Cool car but that shifter position is too far forward. At 3:57 you can see him have to lean forward to complete the shift. It also looks like he had to adjust the seat too far forward just so he can reach the shifter. His arms and legs seem bent instead of being in a comfortable driving position.
Owner is pretty tall. That is just the way it is. Also only the second or third time he’d driven it. Just bought it and was getting used to its idiosyncrasies.
you never see 62 tempests which is a shame
They were considered disposable cars when new, something you drove until you stepped up to a Catalina or Ventura.
The crimp connections on the regulator are wrong.
Just think what this car could do with modern tires.
117 mph tells the tale. Easy mid-11s.
In 1962 there was no 6cyl option.
You are correct. My bad.
Great car! Owner needs a little seat time to learn the gear pattern. He took off in 2nd then shifted into 1st.
It was literally the first time I ever drove it.
Pontiac had big plans that never got off the ground..
True, but this was all Mickey Thompson.
Your going to tear the clutch out of that thing launching it like that !
Don't pussy foot a tiger . lol😂
Awesome car love early 60s cars im a Ford gut but when it comes to gm PONTIAC IS MY FAVORITE
That's a true bitchin car suparduty say no more hell ya and hold on
He said ladder bars, wrong !
Super Duty power, 60s squeezebox construction, bicycle front tires and not even wearing lapbelts - what could go wrong? 🤣
To be fair, there is a lap belt-LOL.
Who cares? The entire intent is to get from point A to point B, as quickly as possible. Safety? Highly over-rated. It's called, the "pussification" of America. Get me back to the good ol days.
@@musclecarcampy9922 I saw it - installed but not in operation 😁
..at least the throttle didnt stick..
4.30 cogs and a three speed. Talk about sensory overload!
421 SD
I hada 68 firebird 421 3speed stick.
I know where two org ones are. .one in Canada and one in California.