It could be said that Pontiacs are like candy-you can never get enough. So, it should be no surprise that when it comes to Bob DiNardo's '58 Chieftain and its Apricot Brandy paint, we feel the same way. Bob is what you'd call a certified Pontiac nut. With a collection that includes a '58 Bonneville, a '58 Chieftain hardtop, a '61 Ventura Tri-Power four-speed, and a membership in POCI, his garage is filled to the brim with the likes of this featured two-door post sedan. But how did this Pontiac get such a distinct look?
This all started when Bob, a Norwalk, Connecticut, resident, decided his bone-stock rides needed a mild custom to sit next to them. Purchased for the low-low price of $3,500 (1995 dollars), he contacted Lou Calasibetta at Old Stillwater Garage for a little remix, "O.S.G." style. Lou and Bob met years ago when there was work to be done on the previously mentioned Pontiacs, and they've been friends ever since. So, without hesitation, the sedan was dropped off. Leaving the frame and body connected-the old Chief was in great shape for its age and price-Lou's crew cleaned and painted the chassis with DuPont Black Centari.
After cleaning the original suspension pieces and replacing the bushings and stock shocks with components from PST, everything was reassembled, but not before cutting the coil springs to bring the entire package down a full 3 inches. Sitting on 14x8 chrome reverse wheels and wrapped in 205-75R14 Coker Wide Whites, the lowering provided a potent punch to an already powerful-looking package. Hidden behind the rubber, stock '58 Chieftain drum brakes sit waiting for a chance to slow down this beast. Taking care to give even an original setup an extra advantage, Lou installed a Wagner dual-master cylinder and proportioning valve for an added measure of safety. With a touch of the brakes, the '58's rear lights up red (thanks to a set of '56 Olds taillights) to let traffic know Bob's slowing down. But before the brakes could be put to use, a new lesson in automotive design had to be learned.
Using the stock 370ci block, O.S.G. rebuilt the motor, boring it 0.030-over to clean up the cyl-inder walls in the process. The stock crank and rods were retained and refurbished, and TRW 0.030-over forged pistons and rings were installed. The only other deviation from stock inside the engine is a Comp Cams flat tappet cam. Its custom grind was kept secret from HPP-but not on purpose-as the box with the cam card had been thrown away.