Wouldn't it be nice if all...
Wouldn't it be nice if all trunks looked this clean after 45 years?
The '80s
As Terry matured, he found himself in the market for other acquisitions. "I became a homeowner in 1985 and needed money for improvements," he recalls. "George called one day, and I told him that I had been thinking of selling the Catalina. We agreed upon a price, and I sold it. I've regretted selling it ever since." All the components Terry received when purchasing the Catalina went with it. Among them were the original exhaust manifolds and damaged limited-slip carrier with 4.30:1 gears.
Getting the Catalina as close to original as possible was high on George's priority list. "I bought the Catalina because it was such an original survivor," he says. "The paint held up very well. I did have a few areas touched up, but it was still mostly original. I don't think the engine has ever been out either. I had to install many of the correct '62 Super-Duty pieces that were gone though."
George replaced the No. 980 heads with a pair of No. 127s, and reinstalled the original exhaust manifolds, 4.30 gears, and a factory-type exhaust system. He also found that, like the carburetors, the original intake manifold was missing. So he installed a No. 9970319 intake and Nos. 3433S (front) and 3435S (rear) Super-Duty carburetors, along with a No. 1110976 dual-point distributor without vacuum advance, the correct Super-Duty valve covers, and a set of heavy-duty 15-inch steel wheels.
The '90s
The only time George displayed the Catalina was at the '90 POCI Western Regionals in Ventura, California, and though Pete hadn't seen the Catalina for years, he immediately wondered if George's Super Duty was the same car he once owned. "I knew George, and when I saw the car at the show, it quickly occurred to me that this could be my old car," says Pete. "I looked through the rear window and couldn't believe it. There were the two holes I drilled to mount my Riverside Pontiacs placard onto the package tray."
The Catalina's interior is...
The Catalina's interior is all business. Notice the lack of a radio and ventilation controls. The Hurst shifter rows the four-speed transmission through the gears. The knob just right of the steering column is for the manual choke. The owner reports that this Super-Duty Catalina is one of 20 such cars equipped with bucket seats. Just how many were covered in the Aqua-colored cloth-and-vinyl combination is certainly a low single-digit number.
The Next Millennium
In 2004, George relocated from Hanford to Rockford, Michigan, and in came a new owner for the Catalina. Mike Marsh was at George's home collecting parts for a friend when George told him about the move and the cars he was selling. "We walked into a building where George stored his cars. I saw the Catalina up against the wall, and immediately fell in love with it," says Mike. "We negotiated a price and I bought it." With it came a pair of cast-aluminum Super-Duty exhaust manifolds and many of the parts that had trailed it over the years.
The Catalina had sat for quite some time, so Mike quickly gave it a thorough detailing once home. "I had to be very careful because it's so original. I washed the body, scrubbed the carpet, and cleaned the engine compartment. I also added a correct reproduction battery and set of Coker tires, but that's all I've had to do," he says.
Regarding what he finds most appealing about his Catalina's styling, Mike says, "It's just a beautiful body style. I love the overall appearance, especially the taillights. In fact, I originally ordered a '62 Catalina with a 389ci, Tri-Power, and a four-speed, but I got married instead. My wife later told me that I could buy a '62 someday because she owed that to me, and when George showed me this car, I had to have it. Now it sits next to my '58 Bonneville convertible."
The road to Mike's garage wasn't always easy for the Catalina, but it survived unscathed over the years. Today it leads a life of leisure, totaling about 100 miles per year driving to local shows. In addition to home-state appearances at the '05 POCI Western Regionals in Pine Lake and the '06 POCI National Convention in Ontario, Mike and the Catalina recently ventured 4,000 miles round trip for the 24th Annual Pontiac-GMC-Oakland show in Gretna, Nebraska. "It always seems to bring home some type of award," says Mike. "And it's definitely a crowd pleaser."
Conclusion
For Mike, there seems to be few greater thrills than driving his Super-Duty Catalina. "I love the sound of the open collectors," he says, "The car launches hard and it performs as well. It's just a fun car." He admits, however, that he doesn't presently have plans for future project vehicles, adding "I certainly don't have any plans to modify this one either." He best summarized his love affair with the Super-Duty Catalina in one simple sentence: "I just want to enjoy preserving this piece of Pontiac history."
Mike, we couldn't have said it any better.
Special thanks to Pete McCarthy for his technical input.