It’s not often that a project car comes this close to the finish line, only to be offered up for someone else to complete. That’s the story with this 1967 Pontiac Tempest Convertible, listed here on craigslist in Rhode Island. It comes with a freshly rebuilt 455 V8, a 4-speed Muncie, and nearly all the major restoration work already done. The seller reports just 1,200 miles on the engine, and claims the car now only needs paint and the interior reinstalled. For anyone who’s ever wanted a big-power Pontiac drop-top, this might be the best shortcut available. Thanks for the tip Curvette!
At first glance, this Tempest looks remarkably solid. The seller notes the body is 95 percent complete, with no visible rot and all major metal repairs already finished, including new floors and a trunk pan. The car is said to need only block sanding before paint. That’s a rare place to be for any mid-’60s Pontiac project, where bodywork and rust repair usually eat up the lion’s share of a restoration budget.
Under the hood, things get even more serious. The 455 has been bored .030 over and fitted with Ross Racing pistons, 6X heads, stainless Ferrera valves, and a big Crane cam. Breathing comes courtesy of Doug Thorley ceramic-coated headers, an Edelbrock intake, and a Demon 750 carb. An MSD ignition handles spark. The combination is tied to a Muncie 4-speed and a 3-inch stainless exhaust with an X-pipe. That’s serious firepower in a Tempest convertible, something that should make for one very fun summer cruiser.
The interior has been stripped in preparation for paint, but all the parts are included to finish it. The seller lists new door cards, carpet, sill plates, and a custom dash with Autometer gauges. There’s even a new tonneau cover. With everything boxed and ready, reassembly looks straightforward once the car is in paint.
Beyond the drivetrain, the car has also been updated with performance hardware. A QA1 adjustable coilover suspension has been installed along with a Wilwood disc brake conversion, giving it the stopping power and handling to match its engine upgrades. Add in a new hood, hinges, and a pile of extra parts, and this Tempest is poised to be a finished muscle car in the right hands.
If you’ve ever dreamed of skipping the endless welding and grinding stages of a restoration and jumping straight to final paint and assembly, this Pontiac looks like a golden ticket. With all the hard (and expensive) work completed, would you take on this nearly-finished project—or do you prefer starting from scratch?
Very nice car done right up to this point. One of the nicer looking Pontiacs of the era.
I can picture the Pont in Candy Apple red. Nice black interior with Crager SS or 390 street pro wheels. Tires either raised letters or red lines. The price is right. And this ride would be sweet looking. That 455 is a killer beast!! I hope the right person buys this and do it right. 🐻🇺🇸
BARGAIN! By any measure, cash, time, effort….
And after getting this thing painted and the interior reassembled, the owner won’t be too old to enjoy it.
Sweet looking GTO!
Was this listed here before? The red angel eyes lights look familiar.
Shweet. GLWTS!
Other comments saying the price is right. Problem is I’m not seeing a price in this write up? This seems to be the normal on here. Hard to sell something without a price! Peace!
No it’s not normal for most of the writers. $27500 OBO
I have always wondered why spend all the time and money on the engine and not replace the cast iron connecting rods (Pontiac engine weak point) with forged connecting rods? I have found that the Poncho engines really start to scream and it’s time to shift. I sold so many factory 400 connecting rods in the early ’70s that I still remember the part number! (Over 50 years ago!) Nice car that has not been converted to a GTO clone!
The connecting rods weren’t mentioned in the ad, if interested it’s best to message the seller and find out if they are still OE or upgraded with aftermarket.
Steve R
Great price if only it was a hardtop. I have always been afraid of turning a convertible upside down.
BWAHAHAHA!! Ragtops are harder to flit than hardtops ~ lower center of gravity. Plus this one has upgraded suspension for better handling.
A baby clone, they have the GTO parking lights in the grill and the hood all ready for the new emblems. I have a 66 convertible with the 389 and think that the 66-67 body styles were the best
With no interior pics, should I guess by the one shot through the windshield, that the interior might be all black?
I think the interior is in a box.
Nice start for someone who is more worried about someone else having a faster car then they are about gas mileage. I wonder why he went with a 4 spd rather than going with a 5 or 6 spd ~ something with overdrive might help you get all the way up to 10 MPG.
My guess, and it’s only a guess, is that the 4-speed was a known commodity and mounts, bellhousings, speedometer gears posed no mysteries. A trick in the 60’s was to order up a wide-ratio 4-speed with a ‘tall’ differential ratio.
Yeah I remember, but it isn’t the 60s any more/ A ZF 6 spd would not be a hard to do swap and would handle the power.
Sometimes you just run out of money and you use what you have. And/or you have to sell the car. Been there done that.
Didn’t want the “T” shirt nor the souvenir coffee mug.