1965 Pontiac Catalina 2dr Hardtop custom

[Carnut]

Dave Stuckey built this 65 Catalina full custom around 1968. He sold it in 1972 and it left Kansas. I tracked it down about 10 years ago but the owner didn't want to sell it. He contacted me in 2013 and I bought it. I've been in the process of rebuilding. I've rebuilt the entire drive line and suspension, new interior, new wiring and new glass..... the list goes on and on and on. The car was in very bad shape when I got it. Now I'm down to body and paint. Larry Wolfe





Dave Stuckey in car 2014 Tribute



























Dave Stuckey in car 2014 Tribute



My Life long friend Larry Wolfe



2018 Latest Paint Job

[kb426]

I've seen it in yellow several times. I sure like the new color a whole lot more.

[idrivejunk]

Third time must be the charm, its beautiful in dark red

[chimp koose]

X3 wow that colour does show the contours in better contrast than the lighter tone. You see a lot of 50s cars with body mods but not nearly as many from the 60s

[kb426]

I think I'll get to see that car this summer. I hope it's a bright clear day to see all the magic of a well done candy.

[rumrumm]

Love that red!!!!!!

[BFS57]

Love that red!!!!!!

Times ! from me!!
Only one question: now that the paint is really Flipping great, how does that interior look? (It looked nice with the yellow)
Bruce

[chris spokes]

that's an awesome looking car  

[Carnut]

[Rrumbler]

Stunning, or at least very easy to look at.  Real nice car.

[Carnut]

Just noticed something on the car.

I constantly live in fear of law enforcement, mainly I don't go out of my way to follow the rules.

But some instances I do try and avoid unnecessary confrontation.

I noticed on Larry's car above and several others of my peers seem to be painting their vintage car tags to match the paint on the car.

Heh, heh, just seems to me to be 'asking for it' if driven much, but maybe most cops now adays are youngsters who have no idea what the original tag colors were.

[Carnut]

2018 Latest Pics

[chimp koose]

Jeez ! doe that colour ever POP in the daylight !

[jaybee]

I like that car a lot.

[DrDoctor]

I recently learned of the passing of Dave Stuckey. I was privileged to have known him since 1966, and I worked part-time on the car during its restyling – the winter of 1969-70, while I was an under-grad student at WSU. I subsequently purchased it from Dave in 1972, and it was a mess – both rear quarters were damaged, and the engine was shot, among many other issues.
  I made many improvements to the car during my 42+ years of ownership. It had slightly over 100K miles when I purchased it, and 250K+ miles on it when I sold it. Due to an unfortunate incident in the summer of 2006 here in Delaware related to the car, I immediately lost all interest in the car, and so it sat, untouched.
  In early 2013, I decided to sell it, and contacted Doug Reed, whom I knew from the original Fundamentals Car Club, to inquire if he was interested in buying it. He said he wasn't, but that Larry Wolfe, whom I also knew from the original Fundamentals Car Club, was. Larry contacted me, and after a somewhat lengthy deliberation, we came to terms on the sale of the car to him in the summer of 2013. I readily admit that the car wasn't in the greatest shape, but at that point, after what had happened here, I really didn't care. I just wanted it out of my garage, and out of my sight.
  I also recently became aware of some articles written in the local Wichita paper, and they contain some errors, that I'd like to address herein:
  1) As already stated, I didn't initially contact Larry Wolfe – I contacted Doug Reed, who my wife recalls wanted to purchase it. Doug gave my contact information to Larry, who subsequently contacted me. Further, when he and I began discussing this matter, I didn't refuse to sell it (why would I have contacted Doug Reed if that were the case?), but rather I wanted what I considered to be a reasonable price for a unique car, one of the few that Dave Stuckey built that remains today, given the condition it was in at the time of the sale.
  2) The car had been repainted many times during my ownership, but it didn't have all of those paint-jobs under the yellow, nor did it have 4 paint jobs under the yellow, that was on it when I got rid of it.
  3) The interior was done by Paul Matz, but it was done in a pearl white with a "marble-ized pearl gold" vinyl for the diamond-tucked inserts (not a gold frieze material as has been stated), with pearl white buttons. Paul did a fantastic, as in the 40+ years since the interior had been completed, it had only lost 2-3 buttons. The panels in the driver's position were virtually grey, as the finish had been worn away.
  4) The grills on it when I sold it weren't Gran Prix, but rather Catalina grills. I did put a set of Gran Prix grills in the trunk just prior to its being shipped. I notice that those Catalina grills are still in place (as witnessed by the dip at the top of the right one, which occurred back in Wichita), as are the Rambler American turn indicators.
  5) the car wasn't a deep candy cherry when Dave painted, nor when I purchased it. Rather, it was a candy purple.
  6) Dave didn't install the interior door hardware – I did. I purchased them from Lee Jacobs at his store Thrift Auto Parts then located at South Meridian and 27th Street in south-west Wichita. I'm the one who installed the electric door opener – he had a pair of vice-grips (which I still have) clamped to the interior door handle, with a piece of welding rod hooked to it to open the driver's door when the window was up.
  Having disclosed the above-facts, I will also state herein, and for the record, that it's my opinion that the car now looks better than it ever did while I owned it, and better than it did after Dave Stuckey originally finished it. Larry has taken an automotive icon, and lovingly put it back into the condition, and into an appearance, that's befitting a car with its heritage. I never did like the original color, or the panels, on the original paint job that Dave did. I tho't the original panel-paint scheme detracted from the natural, graceful lines of the car, which is why when I mimicked the patterns, but in a subdued manner using 8 benched-mixed variations of candy burgundy for subtlety. That's why it was mostly a single color during my ownership. I agree with Larry that a single color lets the lines of the car project, rather than a paint job's panels. Larry's done an absolutely incredible job with the car!!!