Cars » Raul Cruz's 1934 Pontiac Model 34-309 Custom
From Raul Cruz
My father Raul Cruz Sr. is my inspiration. He was a pipe welder in Puerto Rico and I used to be his apprentice. He taught me to weld and basic mechanical work. I developed a passion to dismantle vehicles and rebuild them to be unique. I did go to trade school for about 7 months, but I found it so boring that I decided to not to continue. Over the years I found myself in need of fabrication work for my vehicles, so I decided to try it myself. After many attempts, and YouTube videos I got the hang of it. Motor work came next after I blew the motor of my daily driver. I decided to rebuild it. Having a few friends that had racing cars, I asked a lot of questions and figured it out. Electrical, paint, and all other aspects of fixing and building a vehicle followed. I’ve worked on various vehicles, trucks, and model cars and trucks as well.
The Build:
In July of 2020 my wife told me we should start a family project vehicle, 3 days later we drove to see a rolling vehicle and the next day we brought it home. A 1934 Pontiac model 34-309 sat in my driveway for almost 1 year.
In July of 2021 I started fabricating the chassis. The chassis was completed in 2 days, welded and painted. The body was dropped onto the chassis in December 2021 followed by mocking up the rear differential, building the links, and making motor mounts in March 2022. In April the rear links and air bag brackets were mounted. My son made the template for the air bag brackets which were cut out of ¼” plate. We dropped the motor in May 2022. By July my wife and daughter started custom making a roof rack that will be mounted after the rag top is installed. The fire wall began in November 2022 which was made from 1/8” steel. We also mounted the hydro boost from a 1990 F450 followed by mounting the Wilwood clutch and brake petal assembly. I fabricated the cradle for the fuel cell and taught my son to arch a 1” square tubing for the roof support around the opening by hitting it against the cement floor. Filler panels to cover the wheel arch were fabricated from steel plates and we replaced the inside wood structures with 1” square tubing. The bottom rear half doors where cut to eliminate wheel arch to square off the doors. In December I finished the inside structure.
Between January-February 2023, I made the floor pan, mounted the seats, and made the lantern mount. The bed frame was finished by March, and I reskinned the side bed panel with longer ones and finalized the bed mounting.
The electrical harness was run by April and the dash metal frame fabrication started. In May I started mocking and fabricating the front suspension using a torch and basic hand tools. In June I decided to paint the body by using 3, store bought, oil-based paints, and mixing by eye to try to get the color my wife envisioned and using a roll-on brush. I've made 2 batches so far and need to mix more.
June 2023, the rack and pinion setup came from a 2013 GMC Sierra 1500. The instrument cluster plate was made custom to mount the autometer vintage gauges. I fabricated the battery tray which is mounted between the rear differential and fuel tank due to space issues to mount a group 31 (semi-truck) battery.
July 2023, railroad lanterns were converted into LED taillights and mounter, plumbing for air ride suspension was done, and the air ride management is a Four Play by Aire Jax. The engine was dropped in for the final time along with radiator and grill shell. 1914 Ford headlights were wired, converted to LED, along with 1912 lights converted into LED for turn signals and markers. The top spotlight came out of a 1936 Chevy. I started plumbing the brake system using AN fittings and copper pipes.
In August 2023, I repurposed the factory e-brake handle and retrofitted it into a wheel wood master cylinder.
In September 2023, I started the cow push grill using aluminum flat stock bars.
In November the wood panels for the floor were sanded, painted, and stained. The visor and drive shaft tunnel were fabricated.
The first start-up date was February 3, 2024. The lights were working, wheels polished, fabricated exhaust, tailgate, and hood.
In March I finished the brakes and started making the brackets (½" steel) for a 2nd set of calipers for the e-brake.
By June the first phase of The Pontiac - Train Wreck was complete, and we were ready to drive.
Specs on the Drivetrain
Engine.1970 bonneville 350
Trans. M22
Rear. 90 F450 Dana80 disc brakes
Front.90 Ibeem
Chassis. 2x4x3/16
***
This project brought my family closer together. I taught my wife, son, and daughter to weld, use a sander, grinder, and handheld ban saw. My son and daughter learned to use a forklift as well. Now my son is taking a mechanic class in high school which he finds to be boring due to the slow pace and my daughter is considering taking a welding class next year when she enters high school.
