Anyone ever built a 66 Pontiac Station wagon?

[randyc]

Here's the idea I have.   Take the 66 Chevelle wagon I found in my stash and combine with a revell 66 GTO for a GTO wagon.   I saw a similar car in Hot Rod recently.   Was studying a built up GTO with the unbuilt wagon.   And photos of a Tempest wagon on the net.   The wheelbase is pretty close, side by side.  And revell was thoughtful enough to provide MOST of the cut lines one might need.   I think the interior seats and door panels could be carved out easily.   I was thinking of cutting up my GTO since I have recently acquired a diecast 67, but have decided if I try this, I will get a fresh GTO.   the chassi are very similar, could likely use the GTO so engine and all would work. Just depends on which body you use the most of, I would think.   Need the GTO wheel openings at the rear, which would be the hardest part - getting the doors and quarters worked out.   Could use the wagon top and rear of wagon and scribe new door lines and fuel filler in the GTO body.  My scribing is errant sometimes.  Not as clean and pretty as I would like.  

Taillights of wagon are close enough for my purposes.  Use chevelle rear bumper.  

I have no idea if the real wagons were same wheelbase.   But if anything the chevelle kit is a scale inch or two shorter.   Nothing that couldn't be adjusted if using the Chevelle chassis.  I feel like everything else would work pretty close together.  Can't remember how the dash mounts but probably workable if you used the whole front of the interior panels where the dash meets up.  Maybe use front half of interior floor from GTO to have the buckets and console.  Would have to cut the GTO door cards up carefully.   But Tempest wagon photos look like they are just shortened versions of the GTO kit panels.  Same for rear I think.  Would have to cut/swap the upholstery pattern out of rear seat to keep the rounded seat corners of the 4 door wagon. 

My biggest hold up is that I am afraid it will become another project that never gets finished.  I have the skills and tools necessary to do all the work.  Just the motivation sometimes goes away after the excitement of the idea.  

Suggestions? I may pick up a GTO and pencil in some lines to see what idea works best and if I think I can stay motivated long enough to see it through.  I have plenty of projects I have lost interest in.  But so long as I don't cut anything, I can always sell the kits later.  

[Snake45]

Are you trying to do a factory stock Tempest/Lemans 4-door wagon? If so, I don't think the Chevelle taillights/rear end are going to be "close enough." 

It might be more interesting to do a GTO phantom 2-door wagon, like the '64-'65 Chevelle 2D wagons. 

In either case, I think the best way to proceed would be to cut the roof off the Chevelle wagon and try to graft it onto the GTO body. One way or another. This gives you the correct rear fender shape and rear wheel openings, but of course you'll have to rescribe all the door lines except the front of the front one. Then of course you use the complete GTO chassis. 

Sounds like an ambitious project. Good luck with it. 

[TarheelRick]

From a quick search it appears the Chevelle and the GTO both had 115" wheelbases, so that should not cause any problems.

1 hour ago, randyc said:

My biggest hold up is that I am afraid it will become another project that never gets finished.  I have the skills and tools necessary to do all the work.  Just the motivation sometimes goes away after the excitement of the idea. 

I have the same issue, right now I am working on a similar, but reversed build.  I am using the Revell Dodge Magnum SRT8 and building it into a roadster pick-up.  A whole lot less body work than your idea, but still am bogged down.  Of course, at the moment my model area is being taken apart so I can get some basement leakage problems solved.

[djflyer]

is this what you had in mind?  Its supposed to be a mash up of a GTO and a Tempest wagon - resulting 2-door GTO wagon.

I did a '64 GTO-based Ponchomino that used the bed from a '66 El Camino.  I 'm going the do the Chevy version of this and put the Malibu wagon roof on the ElCo body.

Edited December 31, 2018 by djflyer

[espo]

The year model Pontiac you're trying to replicate and if you want a 4 door or a phantom 2 door may depend on how and where you cut the bodies.  One thing to remember if you're going the 4 door body style. The doors on a 4 door are not as wide as a 2 door body style. Because of some of the unique side body shapes I would suggest the Pontiac body and re scribe the door openings. The biggest problem that I think you may have has to do with the tail gate. The Tempest/GTO tail panels are different on the coupe body than the wagon. Use the Chevelle Wagon tail gate and then fabricate the tail light area on the body. I think you could use the GTO rear bumper with little or no changes. If you're wanting to build a 2 door version you wouldn't have to re scribe the doors but you would have to change the side windows. This takes a little planning but I was able to build a very convincing looking 2 door '66 Chevelle Wagon just like the factory '64 & '65 Wagons. I used the '66 El Camino kit for measurements for the door and in this case you would just use the GTO's door lines for a guide. The pillar that is at the back side of the second door on the 4 door is brought forward and the door lines are lined up with the lower body. Look closely at how the side windows and the body meet and you'll see that the area under the back side window is a little higher than in the door area. I extended that line forward and filled the gap with a strip of plastic under the door post so that it ended at the body at the same level as the rear side windows just like the earlier Chevelle Wagons did. I had to shape a few moldings but nothing extensive.    

[djflyer]

11 minutes ago, espo said:

The year model Pontiac you're trying to replicate and if you want a 4 door or a phantom 2 door may depend on how and where you cut the bodies.  One thing to remember if you're going the 4 door body style. The doors on a 4 door are not as wide as a 2 door body style. Because of some of the unique side body shapes I would suggest the Pontiac body and re scribe the door openings. The biggest problem that I think you may have has to do with the tail gate. The Tempest/GTO tail panels are different on the coupe body than the wagon. Use the Chevelle Wagon tail gate and then fabricate the tail light area on the body.  > I think you could use the GTO rear bumper with little or no changes. < If you're wanting to build a 2 door version you wouldn't have to re scribe the doors but you would have to change the side windows. This takes a little planning but I was able to build a very convincing looking 2 door '66 Chevelle Wagon just like the factory '64 & '65 Wagons. I used the '66 El Camino kit for measurements for the door and in this case you would just use the GTO's door lines for a guide. The pillar that is at the back side of the second door on the 4 door is brought forward and the door lines are lined up with the lower body. Look closely at how the side windows and the body meet and you'll see that the area under the back side window is a little higher than in the door area. I extended that line forward and filled the gap with a strip of plastic under the door post so that it ended at the body at the same level as the rear side windows just like the earlier Chevelle Wagons did. I had to shape a few moldings but nothing extensive.    

The issue I had with the '64 GTO was the rear bumper has a v-shape to it following the center line of the body.  So it wouldnt work with either the ElCamino bed or wagon tailgate.  The Chevelle wagon bumper is straight, but the ends are vertical, while the Pontiac has angled ends to the bumper.  Had to cut the GTO bumper ends and splice them on the Chevelle bumper.

 

[espo]

Just now, djflyer said:

The issue I had with the '64 GTO was the rear bumper has a v-shape to it following the center line of the body.  So it wouldnt work with either the ElCamino bed or wagon tailgate.  The Chevelle wagon bumper is straight, but the ends are vertical, while the Pontiac has angled ends to the bumper.  Had to cut the GTO bumper ends and splice them on the Chevelle bumper.

 

Splicing the bumper would be the best way to do the Bumper. Most of what you'll run into is solved using a little Eye Ball Engineering to make everything look right. 

[djflyer]

2 minutes ago, espo said:

Splicing the bumper would be the best way to do the Bumper. Most of what you'll run into is solved using a little Eye Ball Engineering to make everything look right. 

Definitely been using the Eye Ball process on this one.  Part of the goal was to keep the shape of top the Pontiac fenders as it was to maintain the styling - the distinctive downward curve from the door shutline to the taillights.  I didnt want a box grafted on the back end of a GTO.

[Oldcarfan27]

My advice,

Plan for all of your cuts and splices BEFORE you ever touch the saw to either kit! No sense butchering 2 kits without a set of plans.

Measure carefully, consider multiple way to perform the conversion and try to anticipate any unforseen complications. Then when you do start cutting, using the precision of a surgeon, trim carefully, trying to get the parts to match as closely as possible. When the parts match well, only at that point is it time for glue.

Try to minimize sloppy, weak joints. They just lead to grief and too much filling and sanding. Plus, I find it encouraging to see a completed job that doesn't have random splotches all over it from bodywork.

Good luck, shiw us how it's going. 

[Karl Sheffer]

You mean something like this?  I built this from the Revell 66 GTO and a 65 Chevelle wagon, before the 66 Chevelle wagon was released.  I did it as a phantom 2 door wagon.

 

I had to scratchbuild the taillight area to match a Pontiac.  The 66 Chevelle wagon will get you there a little easier.

Here is the link to my Fotki folder which also shows some of the cuts I did.  

https://public.fotki.com/kas1256/models/66-gto-wagon/

 

[Karl Sheffer]

Rear view:

[disabled modeler]

Nice wagons..!  I love wagons of the 60s.   been on a quest to build replicas of ones the family had owned over the years....did a 69 Plymouth 4 door wagon like one we had. Now on Pontiacs id like to build these we had once....59,64,66,68,69,70,72 Bonneville/Safari wagons....70 Lemans wagon with GTO style nose came factory that way.   There are others Id like to make as well.

[randyc]

oh my gosh, thanks for all the replies.   I haven't been on in a couple days.   A LOT to digest here.   YES to the ideas and input most of you gave.   In my case, studying the photos of the 66 wagons, I *think* I woll go with the mostly 66 wagon rear and taillights.  That will have to be studied.  I will NOT cut anything until I have a solid plan.  That way, if I still back out, I have to useable or sellable kits.   I am not new here - been building since '74 mostly.   A gap for a few years in the 80s.  I have built a LOT of projects, box stock and beyond.   So I am familiar with the planning that has to go into a build like this.   But if I have a good plan that works, it may not get so bogged down.   

I do want the 4 door version.   I'm thinking I can tape and trace the 66 sides for the door lines to get them right.   I have worked in graphics for 30 years so I can make reasonbly good cuts with Xacto knife and have a set of scribers to help - will have to be very precise as noted above.  I hate a lumpy scribed cut - ruins the whole effect.  

 

[randyc]

On 12/31/2018 at 10:49 AM, Snake45 said:

Are you trying to do a factory stock Tempest/Lemans 4-door wagon? If so, I don't think the Chevelle taillights/rear end are going to be "close enough." 

It might be more interesting to do a GTO phantom 2-door wagon, like the '64-'65 Chevelle 2D wagons. 

In either case, I think the best way to proceed would be to cut the roof off the Chevelle wagon and try to graft it onto the GTO body. One way or another. This gives you the correct rear fender shape and rear wheel openings, but of course you'll have to rescribe all the door lines except the front of the front one. Then of course you use the complete GTO chassis. 

Sounds like an ambitious project. Good luck with it. 

Here's the photos I was referencing when I was comparing and thinking.   I think the 66 wagon would be workable in this area since it is not going to be a total dead nuts replica of a stock wagon.   Needs to have major styling cues of a wagon and GTO.  I, and you guys, are usually the only ones that see any of my work.  My wife and family see it, but they don't/won't know the difference.

 

  

[Earl Marischal]

On 31/12/2018 at 8:35 PM, djflyer said:

is this what you had in mind?  Its supposed to be a mash up of a GTO and a Tempest wagon - resulting 2-door GTO wagon.

I did a '64 GTO-based Ponchomino that used the bed from a '66 El Camino.  I 'm going the do the Chevy version of this and put the Malibu wagon roof on the ElCo body.

That is one amazing automobile...

I would happily have that on my drive, if it would fit...

steve