Vehicle Description
The Star Chief was the top trim level of the Pontiac Chieftain in
the late 50s and early 60s and is easily identified by the chrome
stars along its sides. This '58 is an all original car and a nice
solid 4-door cruiser. If you would love to drive one of these cars,
and don't need or want a show car, then this may be the one for
you.
The Fontaine Blue metallic paint has been resprayed at some point
and all the signature styling cues of the late 50s are here. There
is a big chrome front bumper and black tipped bumper torpedoes that
extend from each side of the grill which is composed of curved
vertical slots. The hood has a heavy chrome lower edge that wraps
around grill and blends in with the bumper, and a Star Chief badge
appears just above it. Down the side of the car, starting at the
back, is a missile shaped spear in a white accent panel that points
ahead toward the namesake Stars. The accent panel continues on and
tapers down over the front wheel with Star Chief in script just
above it. There are rear fins tipped in chrome with a brake light
that looks like the afterburner of the rocket and another big
bumper with dual exhaust pipes exiting out through it.
Open the door and you will find a unique blue and white interior
with lots of chrome accents. The dash board is a cool combination
of blue painted metal, and an oval panel of machine turned aluminum
that contains the speedometer, ventilation controls, radio and the
clock. Just below that in front of the driver are two round pods
that contain the engine gauges. Off on the right side, the glove
box door is all chrome and the gas pedal is labeled "power" while
the brake pedal says "brake". The bench seats are blue with white
sides along with the upper part of the back and are in decent shape
with minor flaws in the front and with a bit of a ripping at the
seams in the back seat.
Pop that big fancy hood and you will find a completely stock 347
cubic inch V8 engine sitting nicely right where its been since it
rolled off the assembly line. Its vintage 50s with a big metal air
filter housing topping the engine and a generator supplying the
electrical power for the 12-volt system. There is power steering on
this car so you will see the reservoir and pump perched up high in
front of the air filter. Power flows back through a 3-speed
automatic trans to the rear axle that is suspended on leaf springs.
Up front, a control arm set-up with coil springs and a sway bar
gets the job done. Drum brakes all around handle the stopping
duties and the car sits on 215/75R14 white wall tires mounted on
body colored steel wheels with sharp looking hub caps.
This is a nice, solid, 1950s 4-door cruiser. Check it out and see
if this is the car for you.