Car Restoration

This 1972 Pontiac LeMans Sport Convertible is the first car I ever owned, and was the prize for my first summer working. It was in rough shape when I got it — couldn't get it started, the top was bent, the seats were ripped, and the floor was rotted through. With my dad helping we got it running well before tackling the other issues.

I started with the floor: removed the interior, patched all the holes by getting down to clean metal, welding in sheet metal patches, and laying fiberglass on top to seal it. New carpet went in over the solid floor. While the seats were out I had them professionally repaired — they came out mint. The same person also put a new top on. I switched from white to black and saved a little by going with a plastic rear window instead of glass. I got my hands on five Rally II wheels, prepped and painted them all, then mounted them on the car. I started driving it to school when the weather was nice — always a blast with that 3-speed on the floor. I learned to drive a standard on this car.

I never finished the bodywork before leaving for college in Colorado. I hate leaving projects unfinished — the LeMans was always in the back of my mind. Fast-forward 15 years: I shipped it out to continue what I started. A new alternator, battery, spark plugs, and some carb work got it running beautifully again. I got the garage set up and started with a trunk lid from the junkyard. Getting it stripped revealed a lot of hail damage — more work than expected — but I put in the elbow grease and came out very happy with the result. Stay tuned for updates.