HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM WANGERS.SURPRISE!

Transcription

1 Volume 22 Issue 2 June 2015 Inside this issue: Romping on Woodward By Dr. Eric Schiffer Romping on Woodward Winter Project Update 67 GTO HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM WANGERS.SURPRISE! We knew Jim was going to be given a surprise party on Saturday, June 27th, but we were unable to attend so we called him on the 26 th instead. It was hard to keep the information about the surprise party even when Jim thanked us for our best wishes on his 89 th Birthday as he shared that no one seemed to remember to call him this year. Jim sounded great Welcome summer car activities.whenever it officially shows up! Even with or usual Michigan weather much has been going on throughout the state. One only has to travel an hour or two to catch the sunshine and a great car event. Over the last month there was so much to do. Swap meets, nightly cruise-ins and tours. Several car tours to participate in like The Points and Condenser Spring Dust off. This event has you travel the back roads tour from the historic YPSI Transportation Museum and ending at Ken Lingenfelter s collection of over 200 cars with lunch catered by Zingerman s Road House. There was The Michigan Milia, with 50 cars taking the back roads from the Detroit area to the western side of the state through Traverse City, with stops at points of automotive interest. This Michigan Milia group passed another group out of Flint. The Flint group was sponsored by Back To The Brick s. The Flint group was everything from Model T s to Muscle Cars. Check the clubs upcoming events for activities near you. Two Great Father s Day events The perfect day for a car show. Greenfield Village hosted their annual Motor Muster. The village brings out almost 1,000 cars for the two day event. This year the feature car was the Pontiac GTO. They delayed the 50 th anniversary so as not to share it with Ford s 50 th Anniversary of the Mustang in Eye s On Design is the other great Father s day show. The Eye s is all about design on the grounds of Edsel and Eleanor Ford Estate. Neither event is about concourse judging, just honest clean un-modified classic cars. Saturday at Pasteiner s Auto Zone You have no idea what you are missing. So far this spring the Ford guys have brought three 2016 Shelby GT 350 Mustangs and a few other evaluation Mustangs prior to the official introduction. There are over 100 people and cars every Saturday morning bringing out everything from a rat rod to a Rolls and pre production cars. I have taken many pictures for Mike Kidd to post on the Club s website for you to view on this gathering. (cont d next page) Grand Am project A/C upgrade Mike Lane Info Route 66 Trip Part 1 Pontiac Oakland Museum visit Vintage Article 1970 Motor Trend Membership application Club Calendar Upcoming Events: Jul 18th Motor City PO- CI at Baker s in Milford Jul 31st-Aug 2nd Pontiac Nationals, Norwalk OH Aug 15th Woodward Dream Cruise

2 Page 2 Royal Pontiac Club of America Romping on Woodward (cont d) Dr. Eric Schiffer Woodward Dream Cruise Parking At this writing the club has only 4 spaces left in downtown Birmingham on Old Woodward. This is a great location for safe parking and activities for the whole family. Remember no cars newer than 1978 are allowed. Send your $25.00 check made out to Royal Pontiac Club of America. Mail it to the Club P.O. Box. Passes are given out on a first come bases. CAR ART WEBSITE... There are a couple of sites you need to review. Dave Snider s Carart Dave s is original artwork. The other is Jill Reger. She has over 13,000 pieces of photographic art. You need to check out her site. Concours delegance car Tour July 24 Bring your collectible car and join the Hagerty Motoring Tour, hosted by our partners Hagerty Classic Car Insurance. The tour will begin at The Inn at St. John's at 8 a.m. with breakfast and registration. Participants will depart St. John's at 9 a.m. for a scenic drive on historic Hines Drive along the winding path of the Rouge River. They will arrive at the Ford Motor Company Test Track, where the Classic and collector vehicles (and their owners, of course) will enjoy stretching their legs for two laps on the 2.6 mile track. Ford Motor Company is providing commemorative photos of the participants, who will then be treated to a luncheon at the Henry Ford Museum. For more information and tickets, check the Concours website: Royal Pontiac 1968 Firebird Race Car With the success of the Jim Wangers Black Bird a 1968 Firebird AC- ME Trader asked me to help with another 1968 Firebird. What better car than Ace Wilson s 1968 Firebird 400 with the 68 ½ Ram Air round port heads? So, here it is: ACME Trader is now taking orders for the car. Below is the link to their site: Cruis news writer While attending a funeral last week I met one of the monthly contributing writers. His byline is Half-Fast Eddie W. By Ed Weichsler. I had never met him before nor did I know anything about him. I could not believe the things he shared with me that seemed so contradictory to known facts. Item (1) Angelo Giampetroni, Co-owner of Gratiot Auto Parts introduced George Hurst to John Delorean and that is why the Hurst Shifter was put into Pontiac s [(False) It was Jim Wangers who introduced George Hurst to PMD and got the Hurst shifter into Pontiac s and later convinced PMD to put the name Hurst onto the shifter in 1965.] (2) He told me Thursday night racing on Northwestern Hwy- I-696, I-96 was hearsay. Unbelievable!!!!! (I and others must have been showing up to HoJo s to bench race) I could not get a word in edgewise with this person. Whenever I began to talk he knew different and better, really! I invited him to attend our Saturday morning gatherings then he d meet some of the past and current product directors, engineers, designers etc. He told me didn t live near here and was not originally, from here either. But yet, he knew it all! I had to leave.. I have to admit while I get Crus news I gave up on the editorials long ago because of the inaccuracies. I only use it for the calendar and ads. I found my feelings about the publication to be true with other old timers and local clubs. Well, Time To Burn Rubber. Eric

3 Page Woodward Dream Cruise Parking Saturday August 15th 2015 Only 4 Passes Left! We will once again be parking as a club in Birmingham for the 2015 Dream Cruise. Send your reservation in now to guarantee your spot. All reservations are first come first served based on postmark and require $25.00 per parking pass up to two. (If we have extras they will be made available by August 1st) Make check out to Royal Pontiac Club of America. Include name and address where parking pass is to be mailed. Members Only Please. Official Rules (Birmingham): Pre-Registered clubs must arrive between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. You will not be allowed to enter prior to 7:00 a.m. After 9:30 a.m. all available spaces will go to individual vehicles. Only model year vehicles 1978 or older will be admitted. The set-up of tents, tables, chairs, and signs is not permitted. Mail your Dream Cruise parking pass money to: Royal Pontiac Club of America P.O. Box West Bloomfield, MI

4 Page 4 67 GTO Project Updates Kevin Horn Last year s engine (455) upgrade to the 67 GTO made huge torque, but it also resulted in traction and wheel hop issues. Driving the car to cruises and shows with the new motor also revealed the inefficiency of manual drum brakes, so we (my father and I) decided to make a few more upgrades during the winter. We purchased a power disc brake conversion from Inline Tube. The price was good and the quality of the components was fair. I also ordered a complete brake line set to ensure everything would be 100% new. The conversion went good, except for them giving me wrong brackets and brake lines so I had to make a return trip to get them exchanged. It was a big challenge getting all the brake fittings to seal. While the spindles were off, we decided to replace the front upper and lower control arm bushings and ball joints, as well as the tie rods. Removing the old bushings was the biggest hurdle; I had to use a lot of heat and a big hammer but was able to get it done in a weekend. If I had to do it again, I would purchase aftermarket control arms with the bushings and ball joints already installed. I also upgraded the rear upper and lower control arms, as well as adding a sway bar. I am hoping that this will cure my wheel hop issue. The control arms are tubular and made in the USA by PMT. The biggest project was the overdrive conversion; we chose the Tremmec TKO speed transmission. I went with the American Powertrain version because they advertise that the transmission will fit without tunnel modifications. The other items that I needed to complete the installation were a driveshaft, shifter, mount, clutch and speedometer adapter. After ordering the transmission from American Powertrain, I removed the old Muncie 4 speed and had to wait a long 9 weeks for the new trans to show up. (I was told it would take 4 weeks or less when I placed the order). Installation After receiving the new transmission, I went to work immediately. The first issue was that the pilot bearing was a little too big for the crank end. I put the bearing in the freezer and cleaned up the crank end with some emery cloth and WD40, after which, the bearing pressed in effortlessly. I installed the 26 spline clutch with the provided alignment tool and positioned the new trans into place to see how it would fit. I noticed that I wasn t even close to getting it in and it was already contacting the tunnel near the shifter plate. I lowered the transmission and started to cut the tunnel area where it was contacting. I made some (Continued next page)

5 Page 5 67 GTO Project Updates (cont d) Kevin Horn clearance adjustments on the tunnel with a hammer and tried again. After 3 installation attempts with more cutting and adjusting each time, it finally fit. I utilized my stock cross member with a little modification and some new holes in the frame. I called American Powertrain and gave them my measurements for my new drive shaft, which they will custom make and ship to me within a week. The experience I gained from this project goes beyond what I could explain in writing. I could probably perform all these upgrades in less than half of the time that this one took me. There is a big learning curve when conducting the above mentioned upgrades. A big hammer, cutting wheel, heat and pry bar are the main tools needed when taking on these projects! The overdrive should bring the RPMs down to 2000 at 70mph and make the upcoming Hot Rod Powertour much more enjoyable (compared to the previous 2700 rpm at 60mph). We plan on taking the tour as far as the Alabama stop, perhaps further depending on my work schedule. (continued next page)

6 Page 6 67 GTO Project Updates (cont d) Kevin Horn Took the GTO out for a road test. Drives PERFECT! No vibrations at all. The new bushings, ball joints, tie rods and control arms with the sway bar really make a difference. It drives like a new car (and it should). The Tremec shifts way different than the Muncie, it will take a little getting used to. RPMs at 70mph are 1900, should make for a nice efficient highway ride. Update: Made it to Birmingham Alabama. Running good other than a few electrical issues and using oil. Lots of Pontiac long haulers. Power tour crew shown below.

7 Page 7 Grand Am Project: A/C Upgrade Mike Kidd With our planned Route 66 Trip in the 73 Grand Am rapidly approaching, I wanted to make sure the A/C would work well on the trip. Despite a new compressor clutch, and fresh charge of R134, and an added relay to kick in the electric fan when the compressor comes on the cooling was marginal at best. Not sure what to do with the system, I called Classic Auto Air. Ron answered their tech line and was very helpful in getting a system together. After a quick discussion of cooling goals and needs for originality (I wanted the system to work well and didn t care if it looked factory correct), he recommended a compressor, line kit, POA valve eliminator kit, and a condenser. Although they didn t carry a kit for the A-body s, he promised to piece a system together for me with long hoses and multiple fittings to allow me to custom fit the new pieces to the car. The cost for the entire kit was ~$700 with shipping. About a week later I received the kit and new parts. The new compressor and mount were pretty clever, with a slide adjustment to allow alignment with the factory belt (which fit). I really appreciated the smaller size, as I can now get the passenger valve cover off without moving the compressor, and the passenger spark plug access is also MUCH easier. Moving on to the condenser, mounting was not to difficult. I used factory mounts turned 90 degrees on the lower, and the provided brackets on the upper (only two small holes into the core support required). Once this was in it was time to mount the accumulator and orifice valve which replaced the factory POA valve (which does not work well with R134). This was a little confusing, but a couple pics and an to Ron and all was clear. Now for the fun part, getting the lines run. Of course I wanted to make sure the lines looked good and were as straight as possible. They come with one end crimped, so (cont d next page) Above Left: Original system shown Below: Condenser mounting, note original brackets turned 90

8 Page 8 A/C Upgrade (cont d) Mike Kidd you can get the proper length and orientation. As promised I had plenty of hose and multiple fittings (90 s and 45 s) to make the routing look nice. After struggling for a short while, I got routings I was happy with and I marked the fittings/hoses with a sharpie. While you can ship your fittings back to classic auto air to get crimped for free, I didn t want to wait and took them to a local radiator shop. An afternoon of fitting later (see pics below), and I was ready to vacuum pump and charge the system. It s also worth noting that the system comes with a pressure switch that must be installed to ensure correct operation of the system. It s easy to install as it just screws onto one of the two low side fittings on the new accumulator. It gets wired in series with the compressor power wire. As I didn t have a good vacuum pump, a quick search on google found harbor freight had an affordable un it that had pretty good ratings. Must have been my lucky day, as it was on sale, and they had a 20% off coupon at the counter, so $84 out the door. Since this was (hopefully) one of the only times I would use it I figured I would take a chance on it. It actually worked great, and after 45 minutes on the pump it was time to charge the system. You can get instructions online for charging R-134, which I did. Generally, they recommend doubling the ambient air temperature plus 15-20% for the high side pressure. They also recommend the engine speed be held to approximately 1500 rpm, with the blower on medium speed to simulate driving conditions while charging (also put a fan in front of the car). Charging to this used ~ 28 oz of R-134. The car was blowing ice cold and felt great. I decided a test drive was in order to try it out. Remember that pressure switch? Well I hadn t bothered to dial in the pressure as the instructions said (target of 21 psi). So after about 1/2 an hour of driving the air flow seemed to be getting really low, the evaporator had iced up. Being used to R12 and R22 systems, I thought the system might be undercharged, but decided to Ron again as I didn t want to overcharge the system. He confirmed the switch was the likely culprit (as R134 systems operate at lower pressures on the low side). Later in the week, I adjusted the switch (this took several tries) and the system now cycles on and off under low air flow conditions (i.e. low fan speeds). Another 30 minute test drive confirmed excellent cooling without icing. The system really works great. Nice product and great tech support, I was very pleased with my purchase and look forward to staying cool this June on Route 66.

9 Page 9 As mentioned in a previous club , former club member Mike Lane passed away a few weeks ago. Mike had been bravely battling pancreatic cancer for the last 17 months. His family would like to sell his Pontiac Bonneville,Yellow in color, 421ci, tri-power, & automatic all numbers matching. If you are interested please contact his brother Bill at Castoff02@comcast.net See attached for pics of the car.

10 Page 10 Route 66 from the front seat this time Part 1 Text Linda Kidd I remember traveling Route 66 with my family many years ago. We had a Pontiac station wagon with the third seat facing the rear. I was the oldest, so I could be trusted to sit back there without reminders to keep my hands inside the car. I usually did not have to share a seat with one of my younger brothers. My parents, grandparents and two or three brothers sat up front. When I learned that I would have more space to sit and a whole window to myself I thought I had it made. Photos Mike & Aleta Kidd In front of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum Unfortunately, I saw everything from the reverse side that the rest of the family saw. The air conditioning, if there was any, did not reach the back of the car. The window had to stay down if I was going to get any air. The air was mixed with the exhaust fumes that were expelled from the pipes right under that part of the car. OK. That did not make for great memories of Route 66 or traveling in a station wagon. A few more things I remember was that the luggage had to be carried on top of the roof. It was my job to let my Dad know if anything fell off the roof. We also had to carry a canvas water bag attached to the front of the car. The water was to help cool down the radiator if it overheated from the hot weather and long driving distances. It was a long distance between gas stations. When you saw one you had to fill up. The towns were small and closed early. If you were planning to stay at a motel you needed to arrive in the late afternoon or early evening. NoVacancy signs would create groans from everyone in Cord L-29 Boat Tail Speedster the car. (cont d next page)

11 Page 11 Route 66 from the front seat this time Part 1 Text Linda Kidd 1936 Auburn 852 Phaeton Photos Mike & Aleta Kidd With the Cars movies my granddaughters began to ask questions about Route 66. They began to ask about the possibility of traveling on Route 66. The idea sparked my son s interest. They began to plan a trip along part of the route with the intention of completing the whole route over a few summers. Then my son, Michael, had the idea of traveling in a vintage car. He really thought a station wagon would be the best way to go. Suddenly the memories of backseat fumes came back. I said the only way I would go is in a newer vehicle with real air conditioning and less chance of breakdowns Cord 810 Duesenberg Indy Racecar Michael bought a 1973 Grand Am last year. He has lovingly restored the interior and made many mechanical repairs. The body of the car was already in good shape. Then he and his niece (granddaughter), Helen, began to put the trip itinerary together. They wanted to make certain I did not plan too many educational experiences. (cont d next page)

12 Page 12 Route 66 from the front seat this time Part 1 Text Linda Kidd Photos Mike & Aleta Kidd Eventually the time for the trip came. Unfortunately, my husband (Mike Sr.) and Helen were not able to start out the trip with us. Michael and his wife, Aleta, drove the 73 Grand Am. I followed in my 2011 Camaro SS with thirteen year old granddaughter Shelby. I enjoy my car and I was looking forward to a road trip exploring Route 66 from the front seat. Studebaker wagon (National Automobile & Truck Museum) Michigan is not on Route 66. Michael thought we should travel roads that would prepare us for our adventure on quieter roads. We started off in West Bloomfield and got on US 12 just South of Ann Arbor and left the expressways behind us. When we reached Saline, Irish Hills, and Coldwater, I reminisced about family outings to Prehistoric Village and Stagecoach Stop. I wished I could stop at the numerous antique shops along the way. How could there be so many antiques? I spotted stadium seating and wondered what the venue could be. Aleta said we were passing Michigan International Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum 1st floor (cont d next page)

13 Page 13 Route 66 from the front seat this time Part 1 Text Linda Kidd Photos Mike & Aleta Kidd Speedway. Michael was speeding right by it. I wanted to get a picture with our cars. I would have captioned it, Are we late for the race? I brought my helmet. Ah well. Maybe next time. After a short break around Coldwater we headed south for Indiana. Indiana is not on Route 66 either. But Auburn, Indiana is home to the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum. The building is the former engineering building for the Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg automobiles. It is a beautiful example of art deco design from its corniced rafters to its triple hanging lights. The cars were perfect pieces of automotive art. The stories of the automotive innovators were interesting and impressive. The building included some of the offices of the owner and designers. Children and their families were encouraged to practice car design in one of the rooms with drafting boards and tools. On the same grounds was another museum. The National Automobile and Truck Museum had a wide variety of vehicles. On the grounds they had a reconstructed vintage gas station with pump and white wooden cabins with colorful Adirondack chairs in front. There was also a building where carriages had been built and it may have been used to paint some of the first Auburn cars. The gift shop sold many Route 66 items. We felt like the quest for Route 66 had started. (cont d next page) Mike and Shelby

14 Page 14 Route 66 from the front seat this time Part 1 Text Linda Kidd Photos Mike & Aleta Kidd Finding a hotel and restaurant was no problem in Auburn. We ate at Mad Anthony s Pub and microbrewery. A wide variety of food and beverages were available. On day one we felt that both cars handled the roads well. But vintage vehicles like a lot of attention. Michael and Aleta had lots of questions about the Grand Am. They enjoyed sharing their experiences. On the way to dinner the driver s seat popped a clip. The back of the seat fell back on one side. After dinner I held the seat while Michael searched for the clip and reinstalled it. After a few tries everything was back in order. A great first day! Top: 67 Hemi Charger Middle: Nash Healey Roadster Left: Shelby (tip toes), Me,Aleta

15 Page 15 Gearhead Destination: Pontiac Oakland Museum Pontiac, IL Text by Mike Kidd Photos by Aleta & Mike Kidd One of the stops on our Route 66 vacation this year was the Pontiac Oakland Museum in Pontiac IL. While I admit, having grown up close to Pontiac MI the home of Pontiac Motor Division I was at first a little put off that some other Pontiac was perhaps taking credit for these great cars. After arriving in Pontiac and touring the museum all of my concerns were for naught. Pontiac is a quaint little town, right off Route 66. Tim and Penny Dye who run the museum are really great Pontiac people. Tim has an extensive Pontiac collection and has collections of literally everything to do with Pontiac. He also gives presentations at many of the Pontiac events around the country. The museum itself is not that large, but has a great rotating display of Pontiacs. While many of the cars have been donated or are on loan from other museums or collectors, Tim also has an extensive collection of Pontiacs that are not currently in the museum. While admission is free, be sure to pop for the behind the scenes tour for $5. You will get to see not only more great Pontiacs, but room after room of great Pontiac memorabilia. Tim has an incredible amount of Pontiac advertising, models, promotional items. Literally anything you can think of Pontiac related (and many things you never thought of). He also has an impressive oil can and license plate collection, and some great art painted by a famous local airbrush artist. (cont d next page)

16 Page 16 Gearhead Destination: Pontiac Oakland Museum Pontiac, IL Text by Mike Kidd Photos by Aleta & Mike Kidd Left: Club member Tom Goad s 1 of 1 Grand Am Wagon with ultra rare functional ram air I have to say I was also impressed with the gift shop, lots of great Pontiac items. We (Aleta, Mom, Niece Shelby, and me) spent a lot of time looking through everything from t-shirts to vintage dealership posters. I picked up a great Grand Am dealership poster for our basement. So if you re looking for a nice weekend trip, I d recommend a stop at the Pontiac Oakland Museum. It s only a 5 1/2 hour drive from the Detroit area (much less from Chicago). I d also recommend taking US 12 instead of I-94 as it made for a much more scenic drive (even some good photo opts through the Irish Hills/MIS). (cont d next page)

17 Page 17 Gearhead Destination: Pontiac Oakland Museum Pontiac, IL Text by Mike Kidd Photos by Aleta & Mike Kidd Make sure to check their website as they also do a lot of cool events around the country as well as hosting some in Pontiac at the museum. Right: Always been a fan of the Can Am Below: Tim s freshly completed and awesome 70 Judge

18 Royal Pontiac Club of America Page 18 Gearhead Destination: Pontiac Oakland Museum Pontiac, IL Text by Mike Kidd Photos by Aleta & Mike Kidd Left: Love the wheels on this 1935 Pontiac Right: 1973 GTO Below: A sampling of Tim s extensive oil can collection

19 Page 19

20 Page 20 Royal Pontiac Club of America

21 Page 21

22 Page 22 Royal Pontiac Club of America

23 Primary Business Royal Pontiac Club of America Address P.O. Box West Bloomfield,Line MI Address 2 Address Line 3 July ROYAL PONTIAC MEETING, Denny's Novi 18 Motor City POCI Roundup at Baker s n Milford 19 USMA Nationals Blackwell Ford Plymouth, MI POCI Annual Convention Louisville, KY Vintage races at Waterford Hills 26 Concourse d'elegance Inn at St. John's Plymouth, MI 31-Aug 2nd Pontiac Nationals Norwalk, OH August nd Troy Traffic Jam 11th ROYAL PONTIAC MEETING, location TBA Back to the Bricks Flint, MI 15th Woodward Dream Cruise Sept Labor Day Classic SAAC-MCR Waterford Hills 10 ROYAL PONTIAC MEETING, Denny s Novi nd annual Frankenmuth autofest, Frankenmuth, MI Old Car Festival, Greenfield Village Dearborn, MI 20 Orphan Car Show Ypsilanti, MI Looking for Articles!!! Pasteiners (Auto Zone) Book store, Woodward Ave north of 14 Mile Rd Every Saturday morning from 8AM 10AM Weekly gathering year round Have you done any cool car events lately? Maybe a great tech tip? Why not share them with other club members? Would you like to share your pride and joy with other club members? Write a short meet the member article introducing you and your car. Be sure to include some pictures. We can also add pics of your ride to our members tab on the website. Please Mike Kidd with ideas or anything you d like to share in the newsletter. kidd101400@att.net