icantdrive55 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 This car was purchased brand new literally off the show room floor by my parents when I was a 4 year old rug rat. I actually have some snap shot memories of seeing it at the dealer in the show room when my parents were buying it. For some reason my dad just can't explain, he traded his '65 Impala SS for the Bonneville. AND, for some other reason, he never drove the Bonneville in the winter. It was their only car at the time, but he got a beater for going to/from work. It was always garaged and covered with blankets. Fast forward from '67 to '87 when I returned home from the Air Force. My dad and I teamed up to start participating in local classic car shows. I joined the national and local chapters of POCI (Pontiac Oakland Club Int'l) and actively participated in the local club. My parents were given honorary membership in the local chapter. I was the youngest member - go figure. The Bonne was still in great shape - paint, top, interior, etc. Dad and I started with detailing the engine bay. Pretty much everything else was almost brand new. Keep in mind, she only had about 52,000 original miles at this time. In the meantime, I met my wife to be and we married in '91. Thankfully she was a really good sport coming to car shows and even bringing her parents. We remained active in the local POCI club and car shows while we started our own family. Our daughter joined us in '93 and our son in '97. At this time we found it really tough to remain so active with the Bonne and the club. In the early 2000's, my job required a lot of travel (like 75%) and time with the family was precious. In about '08, I put the Bonne away in my parent's garage for its last drive. My dad would start it occasionally, but that dwindled down to nothing around 2010. The last 2+ years were challenging with my parent's --- my mom passing away unexpectedly in 2012 and my dad having to go into a nursing home in 2013. Thankfully, my love of the Bonne was recognized by my parent's and my dad signed the title over to me. With my parent's house now empty, it came time to get the Bonne out of their garage, and up and running again. My buddy's father has his own car repair garage and he had previously owned an Oldsmobile dealership. With his father's blessing, my buddy and I tackled everything that needed immediate attention to make her safe and drivable for the rest of the summer. After 2 weeks, she's on the road again and running better than I can actually remember. These first 3 pics are from 2010, but the top down pic is the day we dropped her off at the repair garage to begin her resuscitation in early July. At his point, there are only 56,600 original miles on the odometer. Needless to say, I'm like a kid in a candy store. I haven't stopped grinning like an idiot for days. Starting this coming weekend, she begins to feel the love of Adam's. (Any suggestions on how best to clean and maintain the 'Expanded Morokide' interior is greatly appreciated!) Thanks for bearing with my long post. This car has been part of my life for almost 47 years now, and I have a lot of very special memories. Mike LDM and Rich 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Those were the "boat car" days. When the cars were the size of limosines. And they weren't all that attractive either. But today, they've really cool to see and kids look at them like "what is THAT?" Nice story and a great job keeping her in such good shape. You have some great memories. Hopefully you'll be able to pass her down to your own kid some day. Thanks for sharing the pics and the story. icantdrive55 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_pappy Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Wow, what a beauty, and a great story. Thanks for sharing. I'm sure one day you'll pass it down to your own son. I'm not quite sure what the interior material is, but either APC, or Leather Cleaner should work. Test it in a small inconspicuous area first, and realize all the stitching is 47 years old, and may be weakened. Hey, I'm heading to Rochester in the middle of August for a sister in laws wedding! I'll keep my eyes open for that beast. Regards, Bruce icantdrive55 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc2hill Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Great story and picture Mike! Starting this coming weekend, she begins to feel the love of Adam's. (Any suggestions on how best to clean and maintain the 'Expanded Morokide' interior is greatly appreciated!) I am with Bruce on the LIC, but I would dilute it about 50% and try that first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icantdrive55 Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 I'm sure the interior is simply vinyl but the brochure refers to it as 'expanded Morrokide'. Sounds pretty fancy - huh? I've attached 3 more pics worth sharing - a page from the original sales brochure, the original window sticker, and the original owner's manual with the maintenance manual and Protecto-Plate with my dad's name and address. Thanks for the kind words too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris@Adams Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Great story & a great car!! icantdrive55 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDM Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Like I said when you first showed me the pics, beautiful looking car. icantdrive55 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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