1952 Pontiac Chieftain ProTouing

Our 1952 Pontiac Chieftain ProTouring build for an absolutely wonderful customer. Above you can see the finished build just prior to delivery to the family for years of enjoyment and memories.

Here is the Chieftain the day it arrived at the shop. The Pontiac was an older restoration that still presented itself very well and was the perfection foundation for a full custom build that would refresh the 52’s physical appearance, and bring its performance and reliability into the modern era.

We pulled the Pontiac off its stock chassis in preparation of its Art Morrison upgrade.

Here you see the Art Morrison “Builders Series” chassis as it arrived from Morrison. This series of chassis is a great solution for less common platforms where a “bolt on” option is not available. The Builders Series platform establishes track width and wheel base, and comes with front and rear suspension. Engine, transmission, and body mounts are the responsibility of the builder to execute.

Here you can see having to cut the trunk floor to fit over the chassis, this is normal with a Builders Series chassis.

Body mounts are supplied with the chassis, but mounting them is required by the builder.

Engine and transmission mounts are the same as the body mount…supplied, but the builder is responsible for installation.

Factory firewall was replaced with a recessed style to make room for the LS engine.

We fabricated mini-tubs for the Chieftain as there are none offered in the aftermarket world currently.

A full trunk floor was then fabricated.

The 52 was fully pre-built while in the fab shop with all the components, accessories, & trim mocked up to ensure fitment and functionality so things would not need to be addressed one the car was body worked and painted.

The Pontiac was then torn down and the body and components sprayed in epoxy so the body work phase could begin.

The interior floors and trunk were sprayed in Raptor undercoating.

The body work was roughed, then the body shot in primer.

Trim was once again mocked up to ensure fitment before being sent off to chrome plating.

The 52 then received a tri-coat paint job.

Here is the Art Morrison chassis after it has been coated, assembled, and powered.

Setting the body onto the Art Morrison chassis.

Here you can see the undercarriage were the body has been coated in Raptor undercoating, and a view of the fabricated exhaust system and Art Morrison chassis.

The finished Pontiac. We are thrilled with how this ProTouring build turned out, it defines classic looks with modern performance.