One of my favorite Pontiac's ever made. My favorite is a 62 Catalina bubble top with the 421 Super Duty and 8 lug aluminum wheels with whitewall tires. But the 421 SD was more race car than every day driver. The 65 Catalina 2+2 is my favorite big Pontiac that wasn't a factory drag car...especially with the 376 horsepower Tri Power 421 HO, a 4 speed, and the 8 lug aluminum wheels. This one sounds super bad. Sounds like she's got a hotter camshaft than stock. Awesome ride. I'd take it over a 65 GTO any day of the week. Couldn't get the 421 in a GTO...only in full size Pontiac's. The 348 horsepower Tri Power 389 was the top engine you could get in a 65 GTO. A 421 HO Tri Power Catalina 2+2 was probably just as quick as a 389 Tri Power GTO and was much roomier and more comfortable than the GTO. I'd rather have the Big Tiger from 65
looks like you are having lots of fun with her!!! I love your sweet ride. My brother and I were having fun with ours and she laid some rubber, but she also laid down some oil. LOL after 43 years old she thought us a lesson, wait til we rebuild her. 1966 Catalina "Anna" take care fellow hotrodder.
I have a Motor Trend mag from the 60's, where they tested one of these, and 0-60 was like 3.5 seconds. I could not believe that, for a car this size! Amazing!
@navajopa31 my car was a 65 base catalina.it had poverty caps,std steering,std brakes.bench seat 4 speed,356 horse 421.the only other option was an AM radio.i got it after Vietnam with 50,000 miles.by the time it had 60,000 on the ticker it was getting about 25 miles to the quart of oil.i did way to much cruisin' and the tri carbs gas washed the cylinders stop lite racing and killed the rings.it was a wild 10,000 miles.top end was about 140 mph and saw it many times.now i drive a S-10 4 cyl!
That has a big Cam , I had a P Code Iris Mist , dark purple inside , AM-FM with Reverb ,no console ,Road Pack,HO 421,Early '65 up to Dec. Retained there steel crank . I bought this shortly after the engine a real HO had been Balanced and Blue Printed for $3500 in 1967 $. I was lucky , the points were in wrong , Paid $1000 , high , I had found a Red on Black for $450 . Only saw one Iris Mist '65 2+2 , Loaded with everything ,I love these cars , check weight , like a '65 GTO with a Passenger !
I brought my Mom's 421 Tri-Power (3 duece carb set up) '66 bonneville coupe down for Cruisin...then the electrical system started acting up. Chasing down shorts in the headlights, power seat, rear quarter window motor, blinkers... car only has 67,000 miles on it, not a scratch, white w black int ....looks just like your '66 Cat except it has the GTO mag wheels, different trim and a lazy highway gear in the rear end. Looks like I'm missing cruisin...maybe next year with a new wiring harness
Ran one of my most interesting races against one of these. A soldier at Fort Jackson had one in the fall of 1966. I beat him, but just barely. Nice car, and this one sounds great.
your neighbors must love you, or theyre like a mile away lol, nice car, awesome sound (fix the reverse light on th right though, its too nice a car for lights to be out lol)
@navajopa31 snapping the upper compression ring on pontiac v-8s was an ongoing thing due to cast connecting rods.as miles grew and ring lands developed,one over rev would snap one or more compression rings.one other thing,the 356 hp was much more streetable than the H.O.in the big car.i had one and it had 3.42 and kicked some GTO butt.i can only imagine what it would have run like with a 3,90 gear?
American only Those big block 421s had a pretty nasty cam from the factory to begin with, judging from the lopey idle, I would say not stock though. Probably has a bit more than stock under the hood. Back in the 60s, the 421 HO were great drag racing engines. I had a buddy that had a 62 Catalina with the 421. Rubber in all three gears ( 3 speed on the floor), holy jesus, that car would fly!
0 to 60 in 3.5 on tires from back then stock?I dont think so, thats quicker than anything detroit has now ,probably high 11s with that 60 ,sorry no way, unless it was tuned by the corporate guys,they used that motor to call out ferrari when the GTO came out and said it was a 389
There's no such thing as a big block Pontiac engine. Every single Pontiac V8 ever made from 1955-1981 is based on the architecture of their 287 cubic inch V8 of 1955...the 301, 317, 326, 347, 350, 370, 389, 400, 421, 428, and the 455. And there may be one or two I missed. So really all Pontiac V8's are more small block than big block being based on an engine that only displaced 287 cubic inches. But it's pretty incredible how over the span of 6 years a 287 cubic inch 180 horsepower boat anchor became the meanest engine ever seen in the auto industry up to that time...the fire breathing 421 Super Duty that was rated very conservatively at 405 horsepower but really made closer to 500 horsepower and over 500 lb/ft of torque. Still to this day one of the baddest engines ever to come out of Detroit
@phuc ewe by 1974 all the Pontiac V8's had been totally neutered by the EPA besides the 455 Super Duty. But that was only available in the Formula Firebird and Trans Am. You need a 1970 or older full size Pontiac
