Bill Kautz'1964 Pontiac Catalina
I purchased my '64 Pontiac Catalina in 1991 from the second owner of
the car. It had about 69,500 original miles on it. Although there
were approximately 75,000 of the '64 Catalina 2 door hardtops
produced, mine is pretty rare. It has the optional "Ventura"
interior. It also has the optional 389 HO engine rated at 306 HP
with 420 lb/ft of torque (a.k.a. “grunt”)!
What really makes this car unique is the factory 4-speed Muncie
transmission. As far as I've been able to find out, there were
less than 100 of this model produced with a 4-speed tranny, maybe less
than 50. Before the car was delivered to the original owner, the dealer
installed a Hurst shifter. For some reason, the original
owner didn't have a positraction rear installed. That makes a
quick getaway from a red light in 1st gear very difficult.
There is so much torque that 2nd gear-starts uphill can be easily
accomplished, 3rd gear-starts on flat roads are fairly easy without
playing with the clutch, and I've started the car downhill in 4th!
2nd gear-starts will still break the rear tire loose!
Another rare feature of the car is the interior. With the exception
of the package tray behind the rear seat and the front arm rests,
the interior is the factory original, from the headliner to
the carpets and it is still in very good condition.
I've added some very mild custom touches to the car over the years.
I had pinstriping put on by Tom Lane about 10 years ago. It's
all hand done, not decals, and shows the true artistry of an old
school pinstriper. I also installed 4 blue dots in the tail lights,
'64 Grand Prix fog lights in front of the grill, chrome valve
covers and a chrome alternator, installed a high voltage coil,
Mallory "Uni-Lite" distributor, and Split-Fire spark plugs. I also
replaced the original AM radio with an AM/FM/Cassete from
"Custom Autosound". I retained the two original speakers,
one in the top of the dash and one in the rear package tray
with the original old time "reverb" box.
In 1995, I had the engine completely rebuilt, balanced, and blueprinted.
Right now, I have the heads off and I am in the process of
replacing the valves due to an oversight on my part! I've driven
the car as far as Indianapolis and back in a 3 day period with no
problems except a dent in my wallet for the gasoline! As with
most old cars, it's a constant "work in progress", but it's
definitely not a "trailer queen", as I will drive it anywhere
just for fun!
Wild Bill
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