A Day in Chicago

Recently had a couple of hours to pass in Chicago while my wife was at a trade show (I was her ride). Beyond the excitement of driving on Wabash under the "L" (the scene of the famous Blues Brothers high speed chase scene), stumbled across a couple of things that were cool.

The first was the "End" (or the beginning) of Historic Route 66 marked by a pretty darn non-descript sign. Couldn't help but start mumbling to myself "It winds from Chicago to L.A. ..." In heavy traffic, managed to snap a picture, but clearly had to keep moving on.

What was perhaps even cooler was the discovery of Motor Row on south Michigan Avenue, just west of the new McCormick Place. The area was once home to many car dealers which made there home in beautiful storefronts along the street. Chevrolet, Pierce, Premiere, Hudson, and Cadillac are just of few of the many. Only Joyce Ford remains (See: http://chicago-architecture-jyoti.blogspot.com/2009/09/ford-showrrom-and-dealership-in-motor.html ), and I had the pleasure of having a smoke with one of the salesmen on the sidewalk on the street. He was a wealth of information about the old street, the neighborhood, and the boarded up Club across the street from the dealership.

Seemed like an odd place for car dealerships especially with the narrow storefronts. He noted that most of the buildings still had the car lifts that moved new vehicles to the floors above the showroom. The neighborhood was once to home to famous Chicagoans, Montgomery Ward for one lived a few blocks away on Prarie Street to the east. It was also home to Chess Records (on 22nd & Michigan), the label of many a famous Blues musician. Cars were big status symbols in the day, and many of Chicago's richest shopped the showrooms along the stretch.

The neighborhood was also home to the exclusive Illinois Automobile Club--now boarded up and directly across the street from Joyce. In addition to office space, the Club had an olympic sized indoor pool and large ballroom. Apparently, it was THE place. The weathervane on the Club is still there, and, of course, it has an automobile on it. To learn more about the Motor Row check out this great Blog with lots of great pictures: http://chicago-architecture-jyoti.blogspot.com/2009/09/motor-roiw-historic-district-ii.html

Plugging Along

Can only do bits and pieces at a time, but finally making some progress on the remaining floor pans underneath.

While it is a real bear getting almost 50 years worth of grim off, it's a real sense of accomplishment when it's finally cleaned off. After scraping, degreasing, wire brushing, touching up, rust encapsulating, and priming with red oxide primer, the final "Professional Grade" undercoating goes on. This stuff dries on like fingernail polish. A little more touchup, and on to the front suspension. Donor A-Arms have been acid dipped and red oxide primed. A friend is pressing out the old bushings and pressing in the replacements. Once I get those back, I can compress the coil springs and remove the old and install the new.

It's Out, Finally

Appreciate the time a couple friends took today helping remove the old Slim Jim transmission and 421 powerplant. Engine needs to be freshened up. An original T-10 4 speed from a low mileage 63 GP donor out east will be going back in. On the back side, a 3.64 posi will be replacing the 3.08 open rearend. With all of the big stuff out, I hope to clean, wire brush, encapsulate, and undercoat the remainder of the floor and frame--which is in remarkedly great shape.

17 Seconds of Pure Pontiac Excitement

The wicked laugh at the end sums it up nicely:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-zJ_gDdggk&feature=related

Sadly, this video was found through a Craigslist post that simply stated:

broke the valve in the head and ruined one head one piston and the block selling all the rest of the parts minus the carb everything else will go body parts engine parts rearend seats all of it, let me know what your interested in and ill price it for you. Engine was a 400 stock bore but tons of performance stuff

Very, very SWEET 1964 Catalinas

Sit back and enjoy the sound of built to move 462 Powerplant (with very little imagination, your olfactory senses are enlightened as well):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZgqNEJLq4A&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfDs2C86HkY


And another beautiful '64 Cat:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7j8ss025so&NR=1


And another:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZYQyhBxxQM&feature=related


And the last, a '64 Cat beating her little brother:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIlYVbL4Xc0&NR=1

1963 Swiss Cheese Catalina

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpjEmThal_w

The Final "Good Bye" From Pontiac; Good Buy on a Buick?

Too funny, after publishing the screen shot I got the Google Ad above it. Had to put it in here for posterity

Yeah right, buy a Buick.

Pontiac-Official SHUT DOWN

News from the AP: October 31, 2010 is Pontiac's last day:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Pontiac-maker-of-muscle-cars-apf-2786184062.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=2&asset=&ccode=

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/11/01/am-gm-contract-with-pontiac-ends-today/

Known for Little Duece Coups and 409's, it's ironic that Carl Wilson (of the Beach Boys) had a '64 Pontiac Grand Prix--similar to the Aqua-colored one that partially graced the Shut Down album. The rumor is that he didn't have it long as he was T-boned driving it home from the dealership.

Only GM could screw up this brand. But, hey, the Chinese like Buicks.

Been a While

Been a while since anything's been posted. Getting to stuff 10-15-20 minutes at a time takes a lot of time to make headway. Even still, managed to replace the front end: idler arm, center-link, tie rods, ball joints. It's a great feeling to get parts on the car that have been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years. Also managed to take off the front wheel wells, radiator support, etc. Next step with this stuff, money permitting, off to acid dipping. Still looking for a good source of rubber (1/16" and 1/8") to replace the odd splash guards and seals. About a month ago, body guy announced with great pride that the doors, trunk lid, hood, cowl, and fenders are all in primer--a beautiful thing. Big project now is to get the A-Arms off, blast, paint, re-bushing. Have the new coil springs and NOS shocks to go on once that is all done.

Pictoral Tribute to Pontiac

A great little pictoral history of Pontiac Motor Division:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahQKd9DrBFY

Old Car Heaven

A Father's Day gift and a Bucket List item checked off: MSRA Back to the 50's Show at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds. For Father's Day this year my family and I took the journey north to St. Paul, Minnesota. Over 11,000 street rods and classic cars graced the Fair Grounds. What was so completely amazing is that there was not a Camaro, Chevelle, GTO, or Mustang present. The Show, and Minnesota Street Rod Association membership, is limited to pre-1965 vehicles. If there is a car heaven, it's the Back to the 50's Show in St. Paul. For more info check out the MSRA site, and make the pilgrimage next year.

Nothing like 60's Advertising

Kids are home today, so a couple of vacation hours to scour the web looking for old, cool Darksider advertising. Ran across these period pieces on YouTube:
1964 Pontiac Grand Prix:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhkjI2Zu3pM&feature=related
The 1963 Pontiacs Introduced on a barge of all places:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gniBwZiUytM&feature=PlayList&p=8180733A3C9E6304&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=31
1962 Pontiac Grand Prix:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQvExYSwbWI
1960 Pontiacs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixyMNA1jD54&feature=related


Hope to find more to post.

A Firmer Rear-End

Latest project done: Replacing the lower control arms in the back. Found these on EBay, and they fit like a glove. Also found a nice online source for Grade 8 9/16" bolts and hardware (Pointe Products). Great quality, and easily less than half the cost of the local hardware store-even with shipping. These PMT (Performance Muscle Technology) pieces contain poly-bushings, the uppers are adjustable, and the bushings are all greasable. I noticed one of the small brakes lines in the back is leaking. Time to replace those. First, though, need to get the Fabcraft rear sway bar fitted and on. That'll require welding a Fabcraft adapter kit on, and drilling some holes. Need to find someone with a welder for a quick job on the adapter plates. When done, all of this should firm up the rear-end.

Tires Make it Tough

Since the last post, picked up the rims with new Cameo Ivory paint on them; and, mounted and balanced the tires. With the encouragement and help of Benji's friend Annie's Dad Greg, another car guy and Harley Engineer by trade, I swapped out the 8-lug drums on the front with the 5-lug hubs/drums that came from a low mileage Bonneville donor car in Colorado. Many thanks go to Jeff out there for the hassle of removing them from a remote junk yard in what sounded like less than pleasant weather. I replaced the inner and outer bearings and races. The spindles on the car looked great. The brakes themselves looked as good as the back. It is amazing how TOUGH the GP looks with the simple steel wheels with the larger 15" tires. Next step is putting the Fabcraft rear sway bar on. Need to find a stick welder for the adapter kit, drill a few holes, and get that puppy on. From there I'll likely replace the worn suspension and steering components up front. Finally, need to find that contact information for the only source of the rear lower control arm bushings. Greg got me thinking that the tire transformation requires a little more heft under the hood than originally planned. It's been said before, but the wheels and tires make a car and provide its character. It is certainly the case here.

On a Sad Note ...

Curiosity setting in, I wondered if Bill & Rusty's Shell (their oil change sticker was on the driver's side door) was still on York Boulevard in Los Angeles. Thought it might be cool to drive the GP there some day when I "take that California trip on Route 66." The guys were certainly responsible in some small way for the longetivity of this car. Maybe somebody would remember the car. Sadly, it appears that their station is no more, and nothing more than a vacant lot in what looks like a declining neighborhood.

bub-BA It Is

Having a few hours in a row to work on an old car is a wonderful thing. Managed to get the front fenders, cowl, and grille all off. Off to the body shop tomorrow night, then off for a nice bath in acid. The metal all looks decent--no hidden cancerous surprises.

The only surprise was a production line wax crayon marking under the driver's side fender that looks like "bub." The Bonneville is named, of course, 'Big Aqua Bonney.' Could never quite get a name down for the White GP--but think I have one now: "bub-BA".

Next up: Getting the dash out, picking up the painted 5-lug rims to get tires mounted, then on to the front suspension and brakes.

More Pleasant Surprises

While the body parts are in process, I thought it would be a good time to work on the rear suspension, brakes, and 8-lug to 5-lug conversion. I've been accumulating parts for these systems for well over a year--some of the stuff is left over from the Bonneville. Whenever something popped up cheap, I picked it up. The basic suspension being the easiest, I replaced the completely worn out shocks with NOS Delco Pleasurizers that I found on EBay for CHEAP over a year ago. I picked up standard coil springs from Eaton Spring about the same time.

To get started, I used a bottle jack on the 4-Post lift to take tension off each spring for removal. Complicating the process just a bit were the pieces of 2X4's that the previous owner jammed into the springs to keep them from collapsing downward. Tension off, the wood came right out. Bottom bolts had easy access and were a cinch. The nut for the upper bolt provided the bare minimum clearance under the body. Thank goodness for an extra pair of hands (and a lot of supervisors) after Easter Dinner--which my wife was not too thrilled about. Funny how all of the men ended up in the garage, while all of the women accumulated around the kitchen table. My Nephew Dave managed to get a 3/4" wrench to hold the nut on each side, while I impacted the bolts below. Once the bolts were removed, the springs were easily taken out. The new ones went in like a snap. Moving to the brakes, I removed the 5 nuts holding the 8 lug wheel on the driver's side (left-handed reverse thread, of course) and tapped off the aluminum drum. Alas, the previous owner had already replaced the wheel cylinders and pads, and put everything together in a workman-like manner. What a beautiful thing!

I test fit the 5-lug replacement drum that a great guy from Colorado named Jeff hooked me up with--and they fit like a glove requiring only minor adjustment. Later this week on to the passenger side. I picked up some 15 X 7 (5X5) Cadillac wheels on Craigslist a couple of months ago that need to be cleaned and painted Cameo Ivory. The front will have 15 X 6 (JJ coded) wheels that are already in epoxy primer. Have to get all 4 wheels to the Body Shop for paint so that I can mount the tires. (Firestone Fire Hawks picked up from Tire Rack last November before the impending price increase--225-15 Front, 235-15 Rear; These are the best tires out there for price and performance, as far as I am concerned). Kids are off of school this week, and I get to watch them on Thursday and Friday. I'm thinking it's a good time to maybe get off the front fenders and cowl to ready for acid dipping.

This car is starting to transform before my eyes. I keep getting pleasantly surprised that is in better condition than I even imagined. A couple of days ago a friend showed me a mid-60's Tempest convertible that he is working on for someone else. On the lift, it's apparent that almost every piece of sheet metal and mechanical system needs complete replacement. While my Grand Prix started out as an ugly sister, she--so far-- has been an absolute stunner under her exterior.

Suburban Pontiac, Bellflower California

Above is the build sheet for my '63 GP shipped to Suburban Pontiac in Bellflower, California. Conceived at the South Gate Plant in late July, 1963, the new owner took delivery right before Christmas. That documentation will be posted soon. The car was born, raised, and stayed in California until I adopted it to my Wisconsin home in 2008.

The CCA color code (Cameo Ivory paint top and bottom - "CC", and black interior - "A"), 421 Engine, and A/C are what attracted me to the car--and probably the original owner.

Did a little research on the dealership. Sadly, despite efforts by the community to keep them in town (to prevent the drain of tax base), they closed in 1988 and headed out to an Auto Mall close to the Artesia Freeway. An awesome picture of the Dealership after its prime, but still in full garb, can be found at:

http://roadsidepeek.com/roadusa/southwest/california/socal/socalauto/socaldealer/index.htm

Suburban Pontiac's charm and history has apparently been replaced with a new name: Cerritos Pontiac Buick GMC Hummer--which probably looks like every other Pontiac Buick GMC Hummer dealer in the country. All identification gone, the small picture above shows what the old dealership looked like in 2008.

Of course, the Pontiac brand has recently been eliminated by GM in a confusing move. The brand was clearly not plagued with a "Not your Father's Oldsmobile" image. It was the performance brand, that had finally mastered a good line-up, and was the GM choice among younger domestic buyers. Apparently, GM believed that the 'Your Grandfather's Buick' image was something special--at least in China.

Slowly, but Surely Slowly

The 63 Grand Prix is coming along nicely. The doors are in primer, and straight as a whistle. Next up was removal of the trunk lid and hood, and taking them to the acid dipper two weeks ago. I was a little more concerned about what was under that white house paint on the trunk. Good news: both pieces came back cleaner than a baby's bottom--although a few very slight pin holes on the inner edge of the lid. My body guy, Mike, is going to repair them the old-fashioned way with lead. Advice to everyone contemplating paint removal on a project: acid dipping is the way to go! Fenders are next, along with the cowl and some assorted stuff on the front clip. Slowly, but surely slowly, it'll take weeks to get that all off. No hurry, the project is a journey, not a race.

Started the White Grand Prix

Not content to do one thing at a time, starting disassembling the 1963 Grand Prix--doors first. Concurrently began rebuilding the rear suspension with new springs, shocks, and control arm bushings. This big fella came from California, where it sat in the high desert for a long time after spending most of its productive life in Los Angeles, where it was originally purchased.

The previous owner used a paint roller to spread either white house paint or badly faded epoxy primer over the entire car (the car is a CCA coded car--white body, white top, black interior). Other than the typically rusted out trunk, the car appeared to be almost completely rust free, but who knows what's under that rolled on paint. I removed the doors a couple of weeks ago to begin the painting process. My body guy took them to be acid dipped, and they just came back. Goods news is that the now paintless doors look almost perfect. It won't take much to get these ready to go after primed in protective epoxy. Next up removal of the hood and trunk lid, which get acid dipped, too.