FranktoidTM No. 14 - Another Real Barn Find!

Just when you thought all the barn finds were gone, BAM!, another one shows up. What makes this one so great is that I was fortunate enough to actually be present during both the "discovery" and the purchase of it. A good friend of mine called to tell me about a potential barn find that he was going to look at and was kind enough to ask me to tag along. Faster then you can say "road trip" I said yes! The car was located in such a far away, remote area that he figured it was either going to be a real find or a total piece of crap. The word "barn" here is a bit ambiguous, as the building was actually made of steel but that's close enough in my book. The car in question is a 1962 Pontiac Bonneville 2 door hardtop. Although this was not a 421 Super Duty car is was ordered with a 389 V-8 rated at 235 horsepower and 402 pound-feet of torque! Pontiac Bonneville's were equipped with the division's highest horsepower rated V-8s, as they were Pontiac's costliest and most luxurious model throughout the 1960s.

Here was our first look at the Bonneville. All original paint and interior and it was still wearing bias ply tires!

The interior was in decent shape for being all original. Check out the original red and clear steering wheel.

The engine was all original and all the accessories were intact. Notice the old school battery!

This is the moment that you realize you want this car.

Here is the Bonneville out in the open and ready to be loaded on the trailer.

This is where you realize it's going to be a tight squeeze. They didn't call it the Pontiac Wide Track for nothing!

I knew it was going to be close, I just didn't realize how close!

Safely loaded with just enough wiggle room, we were ready to hit the road for the long drive home.

On the road with the Pontiac in tow.

We finally arrive at the shop where most of the mechanical restoration will take place.

Now that the Bonneville is securely stored in the shop the fun can really begin! Stay tuned as my friend tears into this Pontiac with wild abandon and discovers some good things along with some stuff that ain't so great. Whoever said this hobby was easy? Not me, that's for sure.