When it comes to creating a custom as incredible as Bob Garacochea's '58 Safari wagon, imagination is as important as mechanical skill. In Bob's case, his imagination had this whole car built before he even found the raw material. And his imagination was a critical part of the success of the 18-month buildup, since he was working closely with a builder 3,000 miles away.Bob is a hardcore Pontiac guy. His Venice, California, garage has housed a '57 Bonneville, a '57 Star Chief convertible, and a '57 Safari. For this project, he wanted another Pontiac from his favorite period, but something never before seen. If Pontiac had built a concept woodie wagon, he wondered, what would it have looked like? He then set out to answer the question by creating the car Pontiac never did.
He put the word out to his friends in the Pontiac-Oakland Club International. He was looking for a good '58 wagon, specifically a Star Chief, which had the trim options he wanted: stainless steel around the roofline and on the tailgate. In late 2001, Bob got a call from his friend Kurt Kelsey, a Pontiac parts supplier in Iowa Falls, Iowa. The wagon Bob was looking for was buried in snow in a field on his farm. The car was rough but complete and the chrome and trim pieces were in good shape. He could have it shipped after the first thaw.
Bob bought the car on Kurt's word, but instead of bringing it to California, he had it delivered to the Old Stillwater Garage in Stillwater, New Jersey. Bob is a friend of shop owner Lou Calasibetta, whose own '57 Pontiac wagon helped inspire Bob's version. As they discussed plans for the Star Chief concept wagon, they came up with the idea of building it as a Bonneville. A donor B-ville was found in Montana, to provide the sheetmetal and side trim, including the bars along the front fenders, the distinctive rocket trim in side panel, and the roof vent which now does duty as a third brake light. By the end of the project, a '64 Grand Prix had been added to the mix as well, primarily in the interior. For all the changes, body mods were kept low-key to preserve the theme of a factory concept car.
Picking the paint was the biggest hurdle. Despite its Midwest origin and East Coast build, Bob wanted the wagon to reflect the Southern California beach environment where it would be driven. He knew that the right green would be great, but the wrong green would be really bad. After several rounds of picking paint and shipping it to New Jersey, where Lou would shoot sample cards to send back, they found the perfect hue: a variation on '58 Calypso Green shot over a gold base to provide a warm iridescent look. They repeated the cross-country process with the base and topcoats used for the handpainted woodgrain. The California style carries over inside as well. Jerry Ambrosi finished the interior in green vinyl and cream leather, and scoured furniture restoration stores to find the basket-weave caning material that covers the cargo compartment and a portion of the door panels.
The completed custom wagon, nicknamed Bonnewood, arrived in Southern California just in time to make its debut at the Goodguys Del Mar show, where it won Way Cool Wagon. Since then, Bob has shown it at Paso Robles, Kustom Kemps, Lead East, and the Pontiac-Oakland Club International show, where he has collected several more big prizes. Of course, owning a ride like this in the land of endless summer, Bob's best prize is the one on his key ring.
Robert Garacochea
Venice, California
'58 Pontiac Safari
Drivetrain: The 400 Grand Prix engine, built at Old Stillwater Garage, was balanced and blueprinted, bored to 406ci, and packed with a mild cam. An Edelbrock aluminum intake and single carb are capped with an aftermarket Corvette air cleaner. The aluminum heads are also from Edelbrock, with finned valve covers bearing the wagon's nickname Instead of full headers, Bob and Lou agreed on cast-iron exhaust manifolds to keep things looking vintage. Transmission is a Lokar-shifted Turbo 400, modified with a shift kit.
Chassis: The wagon rolls on a stock Pontiac chassis, upgraded for safety and performance with front and rear disc brakes with slotted and drilled rotors. Bob can drop the car from cruising height to belly-crawling stance with Air Ride Technologies bags at all corners.
Wheels & Tires: Bob didn't want any ordinary wheels for the eye-catching wagon, but didn't want the rims drawing attention from the rest of the car. These polished 15-inch Radir Tri-Rib five-spokes with bullet-cone centers are just right. Continental blackwall radials are P205/75R15s.
Body & Paint: When it comes to body trim, Bob's Bonnewood is a one-of-a-kind piece, combining chrome pieces unique to the Super DeLuxe Star Chiefs with exterior design pieces from the Bonnevilles, including the roof vent, which now serves as a third brake light. The '56 Olds taillights in the Pontiac rings are another custom mod. Old Stillwater Garage made it all look factory. The Organic Calypso Green is an updated variation of a '58 color, complemented by the standard white pearl top and the handpainted woodgrain.
Interior: Jerry Ambrosi in Newton, New Jersey, rose to the challenge of carrying over the tropical theme and the custom colors from the exterior to the interior, designing and finishing the seats and door panels in cream-colored leather with green vinyl. Ambrosi also built the custom center console and overhead console. The modified '64 Pontiac dash houses Stewart-Warner gauges. A Pontiac center emblem barely disguises the mid-'60s Corvette wheel on a tilt column. A Vintage Air A/C unit and Alpine CD system improve cruising quality.