1974 Pontiac Grand Am Muncie 4 Speed 4 door
1974 Pontiac Grand Am Collonade Description
1974 Grand Am 4 door Muncie 4 speed
Cash payment accepted in ChicagoTo purchase
Here is a chance to own a very cool, unique, collectible car at a very affordable price.
A little history:
On November 5th, 1973, Lt Colonel William B. Daum went into Culliver Motors, a Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and GMC dealer in Sierra Vista, AZ and ordered a brand new 1974 Grand Am 4 door Colonnade hardtop. He ordered it with some very unusual and very specific options as follows:
400 4bbl (the standard engine was a 400 2bbl, the upgrade was a $46.00 option)
4 speed transmission (a $46.00 credit and only available with the 400 4bbl, so it was more or less a free upgrade)
Honeycomb wheels
Tilt wheel
AM radio
Cornering lamps
Dual exhaust
Unitized ignition
Sport mirrors, LH remote
Lamp group
Tachometer
H/D cooling
H/D air cleaner
Space-saver spare
Undercoat
No A/C, and non-tinted windows (not even the windshield) on a car in Arizona!
The color he chose was Limefire Green with a green interior (career Army), so it is possibly a one-of-one Grand Am with these particular options and colors.
The car was delivered without the HEI (unitized, perhaps not available at the time?) ignition and the space-saver spare, but with all other specified options. It spent it's whole life in AZ/NM. The G/A is complete and running, the only non-original parts on the car are the carburetor, distributor (now an HEI), and the AM radio (and the dash panel was cut for an AM/FM CD radio). There were only 3122 Grand Am 4dr sedans built in 1974, and only 833 A-bodies (LeMans, Luxury LeMans and Grand Ams) were built with manual transmissions (which, by the way, was the last year you could order a 400 4spd in a Pontiac A-body), so there can't be many 4dr 4spds.. Speculation is less than 50, maybe fewer than 25, so how many could have survived? I have seen 2 other 1974 4 door 4 speeds, both were Ascot Silver. One was very rusty, and it's manual transmission parts (pedals, trans., console, shifter) were used on Imran Chaudary's beautiful 1973 GTO SD-455 "if only" car. All in all, this is a very low-production Grand Am. Being an early production car, it has the Muncie M20 4spd and correct Inland shifter.
The original owner passed away in 2011 at the age of 91.
The car:
The car is rust-free but does have a small (about 1"x2") spot in the driver's floorboard from, probably from the (now replaced) windshield seal. There is NO rust in either the front or rear window channels. The only other rust I have found on the car is some scale at the windshield/dash area and it doesn't look significant to me.
Newer parts, etc.: P/S pressure hose, recored the radiato, added the correct power leads for the HEI and tachometer (tach is not currently working), resealed both the windshield and rear window, rebuilt 78 Quadrajet with electric choke, a later, but nicer, dash faceplate on it (original included), replaced the headlight switch and it comes with a nice set of black seatbelts too (the originals were so fried from the AZ sun. they were in tatters and most of the buckles were broken too. The black seatbelts are correct even though the interior is green, color keyed belts were an extra cost option.
Included with the car is the written order sheet from Culliver Motors, the window sticker, owners manuals and warranty folders. Just got a set of NOS green GM floormats for the car. The numbers match, and aside from the original carb, distributor, and radio, which are no longer with the car, is complete. Finding a good, original, unrestored 1974 Grand Am is difficult enough, but a 4 speed 4 door with documentation and original paperwork would be something like finding a needle in a haystack.
This car deserves to be restored! The Grand Am runs and drives well, is 99% complete, the only panel that will need replaced is the urethane nose (no sheetmetal is needed), and is a great restoration candidate. The car comes with a MotoRealm replacment fiberglass nose (they are high quality and the only aftermarket replacement nose available).
The good:
The body, top to bottom, aside from the previously mentioned spot on the floor, is rust-free. The chrome (bumpers, headlight bezels, etc.) is in excellent condition. It is in very good original condition for a 39 year old car and is 98% complete. All 4 Honeycomb wheels are there with all trim rings and 1 missing cap. The original WT code 400 shows it's original VIN stamping. The glass is good. The lights, gauges, and fan work, although the oil pressure and fuel gauges are sometimes intermittent (probably a ground). The 225hp 400 runs well, holds good oil pressure, no noises or smoke. It shifts, as well as drives, well. It was getting stuck in reverse (shifter linkage issue), but I replaced pins to proper ones and I think that will cure the issue. I have new shifter bushing kit on the way as well. The old ones are still there, but have some play.
It comes with nice documentation, including the window sticker, original written order sheet, owners manuals, and some receipts.
The bad:
Being in original condition is both a blessing and a curse for a 39yr old car, as things are starting to show their age. The previously mentioned ground issue with the gauges is one. The articulated turn signal lever (has a 'hinge' to activate the dimmer switch) is gone and has been replaced with a regular type lever. The turn signals and cornering lights work, but the dimmer doesn't. I have, included with the car, an unbroken lever with lousy chrome and a nice dimmer switch cover (also missing on the car).The car shows 59K miles, but I can't verify if it is 59K or 159K. The interior is usable but the dash, seats, headliner, and carpet have been redone or replaced so there are several different shades of green in the interior. It doesn't look horrible, just not correct. The exterior was painted, and the prep work done was lousy, you can see where painted has come off the passenger front door bottom. The AM/FM CD player that replaced the AM radio doesn't work and I haven't done anything with it. The tach isn't working because the point-type distributor was changed to an HEI. The emergency brake pedal is broken off but the cables are all still present. The tires are fair. I have driven the car less than 200 miles since I got it, so I wouldn't recommend flying in and driving home (I have, in my younger days, driven cars home that were in much more sketchy condition though).
Cash payment in person in ChicagoTo purchase
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