phscollectorcarworld

Barn Finds, Day Two & Shabby Chic Cars

2011-12-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

Car fans are slowly taking back their hobby from the speculator-investors. The money crisis that infected the world has chased those vultures from North American post war classics into the rareified pre war AACA classics, European exotic cars and speciality sports cars of the Vintage, Edwardian and 1930s era. In its stead, a rash of trends have come along. The Barn Find, Shabby Chic, Day Two muscle and the Pro Touring cars have filled the gaps where show cars and concours trailer queens used to be. I love factory original cars. In fact, I made a living decoding build sheets and helping people make their rids factory original again. The bottom line is to be competitive in the show world, you can't really drive it much. The downtime cleaning and retouching a car between rides is too arduous. The common denominator between all those trends is they're being used daily.The fact is you can take your 63 Chvy Impala ragtop to the cottage on a week end and not worry about a few stone chips on a dirt road if its a barn find that's been cleaned up and put on the road. You cannot do that with a show car six pack Challenger that's had $100,000 pumped into it. Another cool fact is pulling into a parking lot with one of these driver cars generates a LOT of interest. They're different and have character. I've seen a tatty suede painted 64 Chevelle draw as much notice as a 69 Hemi Charger that looked like it rolled out a showroom stand. The Chevelle's total cost probably wouldn't buy the paint job for the Charger. Two different cars, very similar reactions. The scene is tightening up more. 2012 will be interesting to watch which segment gets more action. I think we're going to see a relaxation among owners. They'll be driven more. Fanatical restorations will likely be done on true rare survivors instead of a questionable car missing its drivetrain or half the body. Its a hobby, why take the fun out of it?

Collector Car Market Moment 2011: Latest Trends and Predictions

2011-08-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

If 2008 was a year of reckoning for overpriced muscle cars, 2009 and 2010 were descents into low prices and flat sales. It seemed as if 2011 was going to be a year of gradual recovery. The world economic engines however, seemed to have experienced severe overheating this summer. Between President Barack Obama's fiscal crisis in America, Japan's earthquake related woes and money problems in Europe and Greece, it seems the financial markets are going to be hurting for the forseeable future.
In the past, the car dealers used to sell the line that collector cars were a safe place to invest money as they were tangibles you could use and enjoy, unlike bonds, stocks and other paper related holdings. While this is true, it's a bit reckless to endorse collector cars wholly as a replacement for your 401K plan. No true collector car advisor would say such a thing. Instead they would suggest what I'm about to tell you; buy what you like so if you are stuck with it in the short term, you'll enjoy driving it.
Up until Memorial Day Weekend, sales of classic cars were doing well. Profits weren't great but iron was selling and it seemed as though the bottom had been reached. Right now as we approach Labor Day 2011, the waters are so muddy from the roiling stock markets and international unrest that it'd be foolish to speculate what the classic car market will bear going into 2012. Rather than try that game, I'm going to relate what I've witnessed first hand and frm reliable sources in the hobby what's been going on. The latest trend in the hobby appears to be the "trade your car for another" deal. Instead of making a cash sale, many have entered a straight trade for a car of equal value as assumed by two willing traders or a trade up or down for a different vehicle. For the right person, this can work as well as a cash deal since often the sale of one car is just to finance another buy or gain space for same. My own classic car sale ad has generated plenty of these offers, my 1972 GTO hardtop garnered a trade for a 2001 Harley Davidson fatboy, a Glastron 16 foot boat, a 1962 Ford Fairlane hardtop and 1947 Ford F1 truck combo, a lovely trade up deal for a rare 1939 Nash Lafayette business coupe with Chevy 454 engine. This one was the most tempting to be honest. In the end, I decided to keep the GTO and wait for the right cash offer. I spoke with other car nuts at cruise nights in Ontario and this scenario is common. While the climate is stifling money deals, it appears humans are trying to keep the hobby going via trades. Very heartening when you think about it!
Price Trends, yes, I think we can safely conclude a couple of observations now. Mopars are finally coming down to sane levels. Vastly over hyped and priced during 2006-2009 era, hemi cars are below $80,000 now for decent full size cars. pony car owners still ask $100,000 for good examples but actual sales in that range are few.In truth, what is happening is the best example are just stored away while non number matching cars or decent restored driver machines are selling. The top drawer stuff is being held off market or privately sold.
Restorations: Project cars are still being restored but the full boogie numbers matching cars are the only ones getting serious money thrown at them. Most cars are being tidied up, sympathetically restored or built as Day Two machines. The rolling sheds that used to be bought for home downpayment money have ground to a halt. In this climate, people are buying the most complete and easy to restore examples around and paying less for them. Makes perfect sense. You'd be insane to restore a car that's in #4 condition in today's market.
Trucks: Vintage pick ups are hot in the states and they're warming up quickly here in Canada. One reason is they're still affordable even with big V8s. Another is the ethos behind the truck hobby is still pleasure driven. It hasn't been spoiled yet with big dollar restorations and ridiculous stories. This could change in time but for now, it's grass roots and real.
Rat Rods and Old Skool: It is strong in the states but I suspect it has reached an Apogee and will die down like Tulips in July. Rat Rods and Old Skool rides are impractical, uncomfortable and hard to insure properly. we have the factor of poor weather for half the year in Canada as well. I honestly cannot see a growth market in this segment. The vintage 1960s style hot rods are more likely to gain traction. Tuck and Roll upholstery, a well done candyflake paint finish and a set of Stromberg 97s atop a flat head or 401 Buick is very appealing. Rust covered panels with matte paint and primative body and unfinished interior work?....not so much.
From my end, it looks like I will be putting the GTO on the dragstrip next spring if she don't sell. I like the Day Two look and will probably change one or two things. Add a padded custom sport steering wheel and a set of stripes on it. The stripes were on it when new. The steering wheel is a factory option and looks better than the ugly two spoke it was born with. Down the road, who knows? Maybe a nasty engine rebuild?

Introducing Car Counselor: buying advice for the novice

2011-04-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

I've heard it time and time again. "If only I had someone who could help out with buying a car." Hard to believe for us freaks, but some people aren't car savvy and actually loathe the experience of buying a set of wheels. They could be seniors, looking for a simple easy to maintain car, students searching for college or uiniversity commuters, 1st time buyers, professionals seeking a focused search without wasting time and effort, or ladies who don't feel comfy making an uniformed decision.All are candidates for Car Counselor, a part of PHS Collector Car Appraisals services.Patrick Smith heads Car Counselor and offers a range of services to fit your needs.
The Market Research package offers a quick, focused analysis of suitable cars fitting your budget, needs and wants. It includes choices on reccommended options and suggestions. This is ideal for the beginner who wants to narrow down the choices to a managable selection of good candidates.
On Site Exam Package offers the customer an on location examination of a car selected by the customer as a possible purchase. It is useful for checking out a car which may have questionable issues on the customer's part. It saves time and money by avoiding a potentially flawed vehicle. This is only recommended for those with some experience buying cars already.
Pre Purchase Inspection Package: This is the most thorough of procedures offered. The car is examined on a hoist with qualified, unbiased technician and a report is delivered on the condition of car including faults, needed repairs as well as its good points.
The thing to remember about a service is how it saves you money, trouble and lost time. They are intangibles items in that they're not seen until something goes wrong with a car that wasn't properly checked out after you've bought it. Good Counseling doesn't cost, it pays.
Pat Smith
905 877 0452
PHS Collector Car Appraisals

Hot Rods Roadside Emissions check ups

2009-10-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a wet, cool one for the record books. It's also been one for unusual activity of a discriminatory nature by the Ministry of Environment. The MOE has been busy in Brockville, Ontario, this summer flagging down cars to enter roadside inspection stations near Blockhouse Island. It appears they target older vehicles from the 1950s to mid 1970s for inspecting emission controls for compliance and installation. Closer to home, many Camaro Z28s and Pontiac Trans Ams are being pulled over by the MOE crew at roadside for inspection of emission control equipment. This isn't new, I've seen this happen back in 2004. In fact, my 1980 Turbo SE was pulled over one day. I'll tell you more about that event. It's interesting.
Fellow concerned car hobbyist, Don Caithness, made inquiries about this activity to his Member of Provincial Parliament, Bob Runciman. He asked if the inspectors had the legal right to pull over cars and inspect them at random. Barry Raison, Executive Assistant to Bob Runciman, graciously replied and assisted Caithness with a conclusive answer and some hopefully good news about the perceived harrassment nature of some of these inspections. Some of the larger car shows and modern tuner car shows in the Metropolitan Toronto area have been hampered by law enforcement near the events and runmors of MOE inspections. It appears none did show up at Prescott or Brockville's car shows which wer on the weekend.There could have been inspections on Friday however. This in turn, affected attendance for the subsequent events.Many of these shows are benefits for charities. I need not tell you decreased attendance equals a shortfall in funds for many useful charities.
Barry Raison said, "the Environmental Protection Act gives them ( MOE inspectors) carte blanche to stop you without a warrant and conduct any kind of search, test etc., as necessary to determine if the vehicle complies. It's very clear about this." In an earlier correspondence with Mr. Caithness, Raison also mentioned, "I talked to Bob about this and we're going to ask that the inspectors be more lenient in such situations. We're going to call and follow it up with a letter." The context isn't given in this letter, but I suspect from the date, Sept 25th 2009, and the location that the situation being referred to is Blockhouse Island's MOE test area and possibly the effect it had on the Brockville Car Show in downtown waterfront area during the summer as well as the nearby Prescott show.
The communication cleared up some things. The MOE inspectors are doing their job and have the legal right and responsibility to do inspections. Hopefully, some understanding about the negative effect on show attendance will reduce the heavy handed presence at same events. Since individual, random road side inspections are done, you can expect to encounter a team in the future.
My 1980 Turbo Trans Am was inspected by a two person team in the summer of 2004 near my hometown in a western Toronto suburb. They checked for emission compliance. They were polite and friendly at first until one inspector found what she believed was plugged PCV valve hole. It was actually the oil breather delete plug. It had a plug in it because only the Turbo 4.9 V8 Pontiac engine uses a special oil breather tube vented on the driver side, not passenger. The Edelbrock valve covers were made for regular V8 Pontiac engines so the other side was plugged. The PCV valve actually goes into the intake manifold area into the intake lifter valley. It was hooked up. I explained this deviation and offered to show them the Pontiac manual explaining this set up. They were satisfied. My catalytic converter, air pump, EGR valve, fuel return lines were all operational. This was a visual inspection.
Many older cars will have just a road draft tube or PCV valve for emissions control items. There were exceptions even then. By 1968, Air pumps were appearing in 49 state cars but Canada didn't use them on all models. The Canadian L79 Nova doesn't use one. A US Nova L79 does. Guess what many inspectors will use for charts confirming compliance? You got it, American manuals. The evolution of emission controls was rapid and jumpy. Unless the inspectors are well versed in what was compliant that year and in what Province, mistakes will be made.
The post 1975 Fords and GM cars are diabolical for deviations from basic emission control procedures. I have a manual 12 inches thick covering the configuration for diagnosis. that's just GM.
Here is my random roadside MOE inspection survival guide
1. Don't cop an attitude. They are doing their job. Being hostile or evasive isn't going to help you.
2. Know your car's system well and be sure it is working.
3. If you have a production oddity and is documented ie a shop manual or factory service instructions detailing the equipment or lack of, keep it handy for proof.
4. Record your conversation with the MOE inspectors if you fear discrimination or feel incompetance or lack of knowledge is affecting the inspection. You shouldn't cop an attitude and the same goes for the inspectors. You have no way of knowing who might cause a problem, but it appears the cars that are visually modified are the most strongly targeted ones. Pack a cam with microphone and be prepared.
If you've been to the drags and tuned it for maximum performance, take the extra time to return your distributor, spark plugs and carburetion to normal levels before hitting the road home. It's common sense and don't run slicks on the street.
5. If you have a kit car and it's improperly registered as a "homebuilt" or "HOM" on your ownership card, be aware you'll be subject to roadside inspection for emissions compliance AS WELL as Drive Clean testing. There are no exceptions to that rule. Your kit car should've been registered properly. Usually this happens because the owner fails to fill out his affidavit with the MTO correctly, describing it as a homemade on the affidavit.Homemade vehicles are constructed without using manufactured main components, eg body and chassis made from scratch. There is no VIN number as a result.The model year would be the year it was constructed. The drivetrain would have to meet the emission spec for the model year that engine was produced.

The New Chrysler Corporation? Alfa Romeo!

2009-08-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

Things are getting interesting in new car land. It appears that Chrysler's merger with Fiat SpA. will produce some fresh european fruit very soon. Talks are underway concerning opening a new paint shop for the Brampton, Ontario plant. It happens to be a flexible assy plant currently producing the Dodge Challenger,Chrysler 300 series and Charger. Officials from Chrysler aren't confirming anything yet, but a meeting between Chrysler and Fiat management in June during restructuring talks included a powerpoint presentation which included some pics of intruiging new models which may end up in Brampton. One of those vehicles is the Alfa Romeo 169 sports sedan. The Alfa Romeo 169 is going to replace the 166 model for 2010. It comes with two V8 engines, the latter a 350 horse power variant.Another model shown during the presentation was a 200C which is a hybrid car. While teh European roll out will be in 2010, research firm, IHS Global states that Chrysler Canada would start building Alfa Romeos in November 2010 which would make them 2011 models for North America. Can Ferraris be far behind in order to escape the import tarriffs? Meanwhile, take a peek at the luxury 169 sports sedan. Isn't that a gas? It's rear wheel drive too!Photography is by Huckfeldt.

Market Moment Summer 2009: Strong Sales with Lower Prices

2009-07-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

People ask me all the time what is going on with collector cars. Are they good investments? Is the market flat? Is now the time to buy or should I wait? There isn't one answer that fits these questions because it is different for every person. Just as there are so many different cars in various conditions offered for sale for every budget, there are going to be some that sell quickly for good money, some that sell for fair money and some that just sit around. The general trend indicates that sales overall are steady. People aren't getting huge dollars for their Chevelles and GTOs, but they aren't losing money either. Project cars are selling very well presently. The cars that are sitting around usually are very poor specimens needing restoration or rare cars that are priced dearly. I've sold lots of collector car parts to individuals completing restorations or gathering pieces to start a project.Many sales went to Sweden, USA and Northern Ontario. The poor economy hasn't affected the enthusiast level of the hobby. Cars are still being wrenched together and driven. At the other end of the scale, I've seen very nice quality restorations languish on the market because the seller was asking too much money. One 1969 Camaro Z/28 clone was well restored with excellent colours. It went on the market in the winter at $35,000 only to sit until it recently sold for $27,000. This is the most you could expect for a reproduction 1969 Z/28 in today's climate. It was a high production car to begin with and you have lots of competition when it comes to clones.
Speaking of which, clone cars apparently are selling again. According to Cars OnLine.com's weekly newsletter, the vendor has recorded a major flow of clone cars from sellers to buyers last week.A lowered price grid with realistic sellers combined with renewed enthusiasm for driver cars is the reason for this surge. What can we expect to see develop over the next 6 months? I believe a gradual shift towards street driven muscle cars mixed with rat rods and 1950s street machines will dominate the picture. The numbers matching factory cars and show boats from the '50s will be in the background and generate copy in buff mags, but it won't be the same level of hype and excitement as before. From what I've gathered talking to friends in the hobby, the high end cars are still being purchased but the buyers are avoiding publicity and dealing privately. Of course, a few are still being sold to dealers such as RM and Barrett-Jackson but the spot lights will be dimmer next January. Serious money will flow for genuine finds and real collector cars. I hope we don't see stuff like "the last 1967 Stingray" appearing in catalogs for 2010. Frankly, that car was ordinary and minus the build up, would've generated less than $200,000. In general, the hobby would be well served if less sensationalism was generated on ordinary cars.
To sum up, the age of hype and fantasy money for old cars is drawing to a close for now. It will spin up again soon but for now we can enjoy the hobby and actually drive the cars.

Our Automotive Future?

2009-05-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in the American auto industry lately it has been difficult to catch up. As it stands, Chrysler decalred Chapter 11 and is in the process of becoming a part of Fiat Spa. GM is getting ready for bankruptcy and who knows what conglomerate will eventually buy it out. Right now they're talking about the US government owning it on paper for a quick turnover and fresh start. Have you EVER known the government to do anything quickly? I think it's interesting to watch this new playing field develop. We're almost back in the early days when the playing field had a shake down. By early days I mean the 1910-1927 era. Of course, there were shakedowns in the 1950s too when Packard, Desoto, Nash and Studebaker all took dirt naps.
I think we'll find Italian cars will make a comeback in USA. Fiat owning a piece of Walter P allows it to incorporate Fiats into the product line. Eventually a US plant will be built escaping the tarriffs and duties such cars would face presently. Alfa Romeo recently suggested they were re entering the market after a prolonged absence in the 1980s. This could get interesting!Now whether public acceptance of said vehicles will occur, that's another story.
Meanwhile we should prepare by learning how to drive like Italians. In actual fact, that would be mean learning how to drive motorcycles. It's by far the major form of personal transport there.Now in America we have this problem called winter. We can adapt by operating snowmobiles. Think about it, what kind of traffic jam could possibly happen with snowmobiles? They're small, very manoeverable and some of them are insanely fast. Of course I wouldn't want to tangle with 18 wheelers. I guess we'd have to make tractor trailer snowmobiles. Motorcycles and tractor trailers also pose a problem. I guess the solution there would be a dedicated truck lane. The motorcycles would be forbidden to use that except for entry and exit. It could work in theory but then reality comes along and wrecks it. Maybe that's the whole problem with the automobile, reality finally caught it with it.I'l be watching car ads more closely now. They've been selling fantasy for decades. The whole scene has gotten ugly in Detroit. How are they going to deal with a Big Two and A Half? How do they sell a 2010 Dodge Giovanni GT? Will Americans learn to enjoy Asian made Chevrolets?
We live in interesting times.

PHS Presents: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Camaros

2009-04-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

1. The wrap around rear window was supposed to appear in 1973.
Engineers were having trouble with the window popping out as the adhesives used weren't able to stick to the glass in driving conditions. It wasn't until 1975 that they found a butyl sealant that did the trick.

2. The Z/28 hood decal on 1974 Camaros has a factory defect.
The white background isn't supposed to be visible at all. It should've been clear tape to show body paint color. The master decal was sent to the manufacturer with white in the background and was printed that way.

3. You could order a high performance 327 Camaro four speed car in 1967 and 1968 which was virtually and SS 327 package.
This option was RPO L30. It wasn't marketed in ads nor promoted. What happened is if you ordered a 275 hp 327 with four speed transmission, a group of mandatory features were added to make it a budget performance car. The transmission was a Saginaw instead of a Muncie but you also got a 12 bolt axle ( some cars came with 10 bolts), single traction bar, dual exhaust, wide profile tires, high torque starter motor, special distributor, Quadrajet carb with good cylinder heads and forged steel crankshaft. The 1968 versions featured staggered shocks, multi leaf springs and proportioning valve for rear brakes. One of the best budget bombers out there.

4. 1975 Camaro, the difficult one to restore.
1975 was a strange year for General Motors. Many cars had one year only parts which makes restoring them tough to do. Camaro interiors are a good example. GM secured a line of interior fabrics and vinyls with special patterns that weren't repeated the next season. 1975 was also the year they added a leather interior option. It wasn't repeated either.

5.A hard to find Camaro: 1971-1972 SS 396When was the last time you saw a real one? They don't pop up as clones often.

New Engine Oils for Flat Tappet Cam Cars!

2009-03-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, I wrote about recent changes in engine oil packages that pose threats to older, flat tappet camshaft operated car engines. In essence, manufacturers removed zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) from oils to minute trace amounts in order to satisfy upcoming regulations for new diesel and heavy truck emissions. Word is new trucks will be running catalytic converters and Zinc is known for fouling them up. Car manufacturers years ago switched to roller camshafts for mass production and those style cams don't require added zinc protection the way older, surface hardened gray iron camshafts do.
The results of using the recent formulated low zinc oils have been catastrophic. Camshaft failures inside of 300 miles is common, especially on new engine builds. Older engines with a bit of zinc embedded on the lobes will stay protected for maybe one oil change cycle but then they're in danger. When I last wrote about this topic, the suggested solution was to add engine oil supplement (EOS) or use a synthetic grade motor oil. Since then, another alternative has arrived.
Union 76 HIgh Performance Motor Oil, Kendall GT-1 High Performance Motor Oil 20W50 and Phillips TropArtic Racing Motor Oil 20W50 are being reformulated with more ZDDP starting in March 1, 2009. These oils will contain 1200 ppm of zinc which is the required amount to provide cams with antiscuffing, antiwear and oxidation inhibition.
Some Questions and Answers about engine wear and ZDDP
Q:Why do the older camshafts wear out quickly without ZDDP?

A: Older flat tappet cams such as the 428 CJ, Ram Air IV, LS-6 and LS-5 and other high performance engines were surface hardened only. A car with high spring pressures and not enough zinc in the oil can wear through the protective surface very easily. Pitting, uneven lobes, severe wear patterns appear very quickly. As the camshaft profile changes, power loss occurs.

Q: Other than losing a cam and lifters, are there other dangers?

A: Yes, we've seen a few of these engines stripped down last summer and witnessed camshaft bearing wear and lopsided bearing journals. A significant amount of displaced metal appears in every case. If the metal isn't found in the oil pan, it is somewhere inside the engine block, in an oil gallery or pump main. In such instances the reccommended procedure is to tear down and flush the block to remove loose metal. That's the only way to assure no further contamination. At the very least, the cam bearings must be changed.

Q:My engine is a fresh rebuild. I lubed the camshaft with the factory supplied lube. Do I need this EOS additive?

A: After you've done your initial engine break in, You drop the oil pan plug and change to fresh oil. It doesn't matter which brand you pick, likely it will have less than 1200 ppm of zinc. That protective goo on the cam is for the most part, gone now. It did its job during break in. You still need to use EOS or one of the new formulated oils at the top of the article for protection.

Q: My car is street driven and I use 10W30 oil. Wouldn't switching to a heavier grade of oil reduce horsepower?

A: In more recent engines where tolerances are tighter, say a 4.6 Ford or the last of the 5.0 Mustangs, you might lose some power. The 5.0 liter Cobra engines from 1985 and up used roller cams so it's not an issue the way flat tappet cams are. If you want to keep using 10W30, try an additive instead.

Q: Where can I get EOS additive?

A: General Motors Canada has the additive for sale. It's been reported the product is no longer in service at US dealerships with an invalid part number. Likely lots of dealers have old stock available. Competition Cams sells bottles of their own brand. Either will work fine. ZDDP or zinc is the ingredient you want.
See also "Flat Tappet Camshafts Need Zinc!" from April 18, 2008

PHS Interviews: Sean Mattingly of UltimateGTO.com

2009-03-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Pontiac GTO fans have been visiting UltimateGTO.com owned by Sean Mattingly for years. A megasite rather than a simple portal, almost anything related to the first US muscle car is there if you look hard enough. It has over 16,600 pictures of real GTOS, Tempests and Lemans from every year. This year, TUGTOPS is expanding with new features, so we thought it was time for another interviw with Sean Mattingly.

PHS: TUGTOPS recently celebrated its 12th Anniversary. When you first started, did you think it would ever get this large?

SM: In 1996, no. My computer at the time had a tiny 40 Meg hard drive, and going on a quest to collect a photo of evey GTO seemed impossible. In the beginning, I was only saving photos of 1968 GTOs on large 5.25 inch floppy discs. I think I fitted 8 photos on each floppy. It seems pitiful today compared to the fast commercial server I'm on with Terrabytes of storage space. What surprised me is how many "car nuts" would contact me from around the world with tales of their GTO lust. If you can get high on car enthusiasm, this is it.

PHS: My favorite section of the site is advanced picture search. I use it all the time for research purposes. Do you have a favorite part of the website; one that still gives you lots of pleasure to this day?

SM: The Advanced Picture Searcher is my favorite too. If people haven't seen that, they're missing out on my buddy, Jeff Klein's, brilliance. He's helped database every photo on the site. Easily a decade before other sites even thought of organizing pic galleries with "tags", we'd built a searchable database. If someone needs to search just for GTO "pedal cars", there's a dropdown box on the screen to see 24 pics of pedal cars. If you get a hankerin' to see lesser known models like the "Custom S", Advanced Picture Searcher will show you 63 of them in 2 door hardtop, convertible and 4 doors. See right there, you might have learned something interesting if you didn't realize there was a four door "Custom S" that resembles your GTO.
One of my daily pleasures is reviewing photo comments. Every day, web visitors leave comments on the cars. Usually, they have favorable encouragement for the car's owner. Once in awhile, a guy will find a pic of his long-lost GTO and tell the owner, "Hey, that's my old car! My Dad made me sell it when I got my first speeding ticket. Good to see mny old car is still alive."

PHS: Looking over the Wide Track era, Pontiac added many new pieces to keep the GTO a front runner. At one point, the image solidified and people perceived GTO to be the best performance intermediate available. Sales statistics suggest that happened in 1966. In your opinion, what were the strong and weak points of the 1966 GTO?

SM: How can a person explain love at first sight? Even if one of these cars was sitting in the middle of a junkyard among many other makes, it's the first one you have to walk up and examine. Even the King of Sweden adores the 1966 GTO and drives his in parades. Of course, I have a photo of that along with 1,282 others. I've tried to gauge the popularity of different model years using weekly poll questions on the main page. I asked people what year they prefer. If you thought 1966, you'd be close. In polls conducted from 2001-2003, the '69 GTO won. From 2004-2006, the '67 GTO was most popular. In the past three years, it has been a tie between 1969 and 1967.

PHS: The GTO along with the Mustang, was one of the first muscle cars to be restored in the late 1970s. Your website has remarkable tools for the restorer from vintage pics and many variations in trim and options, links to Performance Years forums and a large dealer list by zone. How did you start a zone list file? Dealer codes are only seen on build sheets, sales receipts and PHS documents.

SM: I started the Pontiac Zone and Dealer Code list as a side project. It's located under "Text Topics" on main page. For the most part, car owners contributed their codes via email and I add them to the list. Some of my helpers will walk around car shows and jot down zone codes and dealer names from window stickers and send them to me. I was sure someone would volunteer a printed complete list. No such list has surfaced. Since 1996, I've had people liquidating two different estates tell me they thought such a book or document was in their dad's collection. Neither of them were able to produce a master list. So until one appears, we have over 1,050 user submitted codes with towns and notes.

PHS: Sean, you're adding more features and content this year. What can visitors expect to see on TUGTOPS soon?

SM: I'm adding more GTO pics and picking out bigger images for "Picture of the Week." The backlog of unposted material is huge. I've probably 2,500 to edit and database. I'll post some news items on GM and the current demise of the Pontiac brand. I wish there was positive news to report on that.

PHS: Like most people, you have a day job, tending operations for radio stations in Indiana and doing a DJ drive as well. Is it difficult to get spare time?

SM: The site is set up so I can administer it from pretty much anywhere. It helps when I'm on the road. I can't make a career out of GTOs can I? If I made UltimateGTO.com my main business, the site would have to be plastered with ad banners. I'd never do that to my fans. It's a fun hobby site, I'll keep it that way.

PHS: In the summer, you've toured all the drive in theaters of Indiana and posted photos of many. Is there anything you'd like to do with your GTO that you haven't tackled yet?

SM: I caught the drifting bug at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. I'd like to do a perfect 360 degree spin. GTO drifter, Rhys Millen, showed me how it's done there. I keep trying but can't get it just right. For some reason, my non power brake car has trouble nailing it back home. I can make a few passes in my '68, but then the cops have to come and watch...

PHS: From my perspective, once prices at auctions topped $50,000 for decent GTOs, it hurt the hobby. We saw less GTOs and other real muscle cars appear at cruise nights and owners became reluctant to drive them. I haven't seen a real hemicuda in four years. What is it like out your way? Do people still enjoy their cars the way they used to?

SM: Here in the Muncie, Indiana area, land is cheap. The countryside is flat farmland with plenty of pole barns. You know what's in those barns, tractors and old cars! I don't think people are overly scared of driving them around here. The towns are small, traffic is light, people are still polite. Heck, I still drive my GTO down to the shopping center to get a haircut. Nobody messes with the car. Just today, I saw a shiny 1966 LeMans at Subway. There's a lady who works at a fast-food place with a purple metal flake GTO with skulls hanging from the rear view mirror. I also know a guy with 5 CanAms in his side yard, all in driveable condition.
With today's technology, if you wreck your classic beyond hope, who cares? With the internet, you could find another one and have it in your driveway in about a week. Searching for cars and parts has never been easier with the internet. In my opinion, it makes no sense to try to "keep the miles off" a car. Life is short, put ON some miles flying down country roads in an old-school car made without any computers in it! Enjoy the hell out of it and yes, use it up without remorse.

PHS: Everyone it seems has a favorite GTO. If you won the Powerball Lottery and money was no object, what model GTO would end up joining your 1968 hardtop?

SM: I might get some kind of pace car. The Indy 500 is south of us. I regret Pontiac never made a Pace Car edition GTO. They should have made a Hurst GTO pace car, darnit! One of the orange and white Camaro convertible Pace Cars would be cool.

PHS: What are some of the big changes you've seen with GTO owners since you've started this site?

SM: People used to write in telling me how "rare" their car was. Now they can browse through pictures, look at maybe 45 pics of cars with the same paint and roof color. Suddenly it's not so rare, plus they can correspond with other owners. It's great to see people sharing stories and info about their GTOs.

PHS: A great feature you have is continual updates on news items related to GTOs. You've covered car crashes, street racing arrests, notable auctions. What's the strangest story you've seen involving a GTO?

SM: There were so many. A lady won a new GTO on "The Price is Right" game show. The prize car they delivered had been previously wrecked and repaired. They didn't disclose that to the lady and she sued. Another one is the Police Chief in tiny Boones Mill, Virginia, with his 2004 GTO patrol car. He's in the news for ticketing speeders or fighting with the mayor and the town council. Last one I saw, he bought a good size yacht at a surplus auction. Not having a lake for his new yacht, he built a pool for it in the front yard and puts it on display as a lawn ornament. OMG the photo is hilarious.

PHS: Your early hobby car experiences are documented in the website.At one time, you bought a GTO. What made you buy one over say, a Trans Am or Chevelle?

SM: Since junior high I liked Pontiacs. I would go the public library and read all the car mags they had. When shopping for my first car, I tested a used Smokey & the Bandit TA. It was way out of my price range. I also admired the Buick Grand Nationals. Instead, I veered off to the GTO world and am thrilled with it. My wife won't let me buy any additional cars with one exception. She says I can bring back a '77 Bandit Trans Am anytime. I just might do that someday as a surprise!

PHS CollectorCarWorld thanks Sean Mattingly for
taking time to answer our questions. For more info,
pictures about the first muscle car, visit
http://ultimategto.com

Chrysler Brinkmanship,Cerberus style

2009-03-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Cerberus, the three headed dog to the gate of Hell and guardian of Chrysler, is playing brinkmanship with the CAW and Canadian government. Representatives through an unnamed source within the company has claimed the company cannot afford to match the terms of the present CAW deal as negotiated with General Motors this year. The source said it would be more feasible to move the entire tooling from Canada to USA and continue making vehicles there instead of matching the deal.
It seems to me they are bargaining in bad faith without adequate back up.As they are in default on previous loans as it stands, a good case can be made for the government to seize assets and force a shutdown of the Canadian subsidiary until proper reparations are made in full. As a private company, Cerberus doesn't reveal proper accounting for assessing true financial status. Looking at Chrysler from the outside we see a very dim picture. The last major retooling was for a full size truck, a limited market V8 performance car and relatively large displacement V8 engine. None of this augers well for a future where gas will be expensive and a hard hit North American market. The smaller cars are adequate but larger models are either old or not fuel efficient to face the new reality.
Looking at their cash liquidity situation, we see nothing but trouble as well. In a private enterprise situation, a company must either adjust and pare down efficiently or suffer the consequences. Since auto makers here don't really operate in a private enterprise model with unions and government regulation, it stands to reason proper adjustment should be made in their business plan to compensate for those factors. It is clear now no one had done so at Daimler Chrysler or Cerberus. In light of such spectacularly bad management, LaSorda have the nerve to demand major changes to suit their poor business model.You are wasting time!
It's time for the feds to walk in, lock up the plants and take possession for nonpayment of loans and suspect business activities.
Cerberus should have studied Classical History more. They would have learned that Hercules defeated Cerberus and brought it from the Gates of Hell. He used his bare hands to do it. They would have also learned that Cerberus was easily mollified with cake as Psyche learned as she went down to bring back a beauty charm for Venus. Sibyl also bribed the mangy mutt with cake as well. So we have a dog that acts as a bully, is defeated bare handed and can be bribed with cake. How fitting! Well we tried the cake already, let's send Hercules down.
FLASH!! Workers have seized a Chrysler parts manufacturing facility in Windsor, Ontario to prevent loss of tooling and vital componentry needed to complete vehicles and force a fair job loss settlement procedure. The revolution starts now.

Pontiac Bandit TA advice and SS 427 Impala resto

2009-02-20T07:38:00.001-08:00

I've been busy the last couple of months writing for various publications and conducting the usual appraisals and restoration consulting work. A nice 1967 SS 427 Impala fastback is coming back to life now after a long 18 year slumber in a Nissan Hut. We were able to source original hubcaps, AM/FM radio and decode the buildsheet for the owner. It will look fantastic when the original Honduras Maroon paint is resprayed next month.
You can have a look at some articles I've done for an excellent website called Second Chance Garage. They specialise in enabling car owners to handle their own maintenance and restoration chores. Their practical, well laid out articles show you how, what to do, and in what order. They also give tips and hints on avoiding common errors. Second Chance Garage also covers foreign cars and 1940s classics as well.Check them out at secondchancegarage.com. You can see my articles on my 1980 Trans Am turbo SE carpet installation, plus a couple of exclusive articles on buyer's guides for the 1963-67 Sting Ray Corvettes and the 1968-1972 Pontiac GTO.
For Trans AM Special Edition fans, a complete database of how to articles from my logbook on Dead Eagle is available at bandittransamclub.com web portal. Check it out under the Speed Demon Restoration Articles.
My knowledge on 1970-1981 Firebirds was also tapped for articles on the Auto Blog column, "Breaker,Breaker: Year One Recreates Bandit TAs" article by Dan Roth. Much of the research info was gleaned from two articles I wrote about Bandit TAs located on the bandittransamclub web site under team hoghead links.
I also helped verify the 1st Y84 Fisher hatch top Trans Am which was given to Burt Reynolds in appreciation for promoting the Trans Am in Bandit and Hooperman movies.NPD president, Tim Schmidt, owns this car and can be seen at their Ocala showroom.You can see pics of the car and learn its history at highperformancepontiac.com features on the 1978 TA by Don Keefe.
Right now, I'm going over my new parts for the 72 GTO in anticipation of the upcoming cruise season.

PHS predicts some future American Collector Cars

2009-01-29T10:39:00.000-08:00

Suppose you've gotten tired of 1960s and early 70s muscle cars and want to try something new. What would be a good bet in today's uncertain market? I always go by the one maxim that is failsafe. Buy what you love. If you just buy with the aim of selling it later for a profit, the kind of car chosen is different. Resellers aim for a price advantage on a popular make that can be resold for closer to market value. There's a bit of that going on right now.
If I were to bet on the future for classic cars that will appreciate above market norms, these are the cars I'd pursue.
Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 convertibles 1989-1992 This was a very popular car with a frugal engine compared to the 1970s V8 behemoths. They were mass produced and the number one compact seller in Canada for eight years running. A generation grew up with these cars. That's important.A lot of people will have memories of these cars in their youth. It also didn't change much over the years and the engines were pretty good. No one is restoring them right now. In fact, they're just leaving the sphere of ultra hipdom in the tuner world as later model Asian iron starts depreciating enough to become attractive. GM is in dire financial straits today. One tax deduction companies use in tough times is to write off unsalable merchandise via parts scrappage programs. Chrysler did it in the 1980s making classic Mopars of the sixties expensive to restore. Expect a whole bunch of Cavalier parts to vanish from the parts books. If you want to restore one of these with NOS items, start NOW.
Pontiac Fiero: The only one I qualify here are the 1987 true fastback models with hot V6. Otherwise it's a pretty dull car.
Volkswagen Golf convertible: This one surprised me when I wrote it down. On second look, it's a pretty good candidate. Aftermarket support is strong and a number of extra hop up parts are around. The evergreen allure of a convertible makes it cool while the durable engine makes it practical.
If you're hankering for something more exotic and V8 powered but not as obvious as a Mustang Cobra, consider the 2002-2004 Thunderbirds. It's very posh inside, has excellent European lineage with engine and design connections to Jaguar. The 3.9 V8 is just an underbored Jaguar XK mill. I had two of these cars as factory press pool vehicles doing road tests for magazines. My 2003 'bird was Mountain Shadow Grey with Grey hardtop and grey interior.Very classy and quite strong for a GT style cruiser.
The 2005 was a 50th Anniverary Edition in metallic white with beige interior. It was another class act with loads of power toys. The white 'bird had a nasty test week with record rainfall in the springtime. No roof leaks, no problems with traction. Everything worked without fail except for the odd radio miscue. These are classics and they're near the bottom of the depreciation curve. Four more years at the most and they'll start climbing. The tie in with Jaguar during Ford's ownership era makes these Anglo American hot rods in the true sense. I'd take one of these over a Buick Grand National any day.

Barrett Jackson 2009 an interesting show

2009-01-18T12:07:00.000-08:00

The Barrett Jackson January extravaganza is over now. Prices have been a major focus at this Arizona venue since they've dwelled on it in their press releases every year for the last decade. The word spreading through several forums and chat rooms now is how much the prices of cars have fallen. To which I say, compared to when? Compared to 2006, certainly. What must be remembered is double digit gains in one calendar year isn't normal market appreciation. That is predatory gain driven by speculators.
Another issue to be concerned about whether it is a fair comparision car to car. This is pretty difficult to do with two separate auctions. Instead, I'll look at the car itself and its attributes and offer my opinion on what it may represent in today's market place. First we have a 1967 Pontiac GTO coupe that sold for $82,500. It was Marina Turquoise with a 400 and four speed transmission. A very nice car with documentation and correct parts including delco shocks. The exhaust is a new Gardner system. $82,500 is very strong money for a coupe. The buyer obviously liked what he saw and wanted to own it. By way of contrast, a 1968 GTO Verdoro Green vinyl top and some nice goodies including power steering, brakes, console, Rally II wheels and Hurst shifter went for $22,995. This is more like what you'd read about in your local classifieds. Yes the non numbers matching engine may have hurt it a little, but this was still a decent price for a desirable car.
The first picture on the screen is a 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible RT that sold for $71,500. This was a sweet looking ride. High Impact Yellow paint, 340 V8 with pistol Grip four speed, console, black top, black interior, RT side stripes, rally wheels, all of it looking brand new. What's the catch, you say? Well, the auction report did mention the words "rebodied" and "upgraded". It also said Galen Govier inspected and gave details.Makes me wonder about it! I couldn't help noticing the base two spoke steering wheel inside an otherwise luxury interior. You'd think it would've been a woodgrained one at least. That certainly would've been one of my "upgrades." I also can't help but wonder about the strange rake of the suspension from too low up front to too high out rear. I suppose the rear could be air shocks, but the front to me suggests poorly set torsion bars or perhaps 318 or straight six torsion bars...is this part of the "rebody" note they were referring to?
Now, Mopar did build cars using the computerized sales bank method which would select options at random. However all 340 Challengers were special order.
While many dwell on the super high end cars, it should be mentioned that many did sell for relatively normal hobby car prices, say just about ten grand above private sales. Many cars were way down on price compared to 2006, but this is likely more than a correction. Rather it is the new reality for cars that aren't trailer queens and number matching rarities. I welcome this development.

In Memory of: David Tucker o/o The Trany Shop

2008-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

Dave Tucker owned The Trany Shop in Norval, Ontario. Long time residents remember when it was located in a side unit of the Knolcrest Center in Georgetown many years ago.Dave specialized in transmission and drive train rebuilds, repairs and performance improvements. At the time no one else in Georgetown was doing that kind of specialty performance work. Business grew and eventually his facility expanded to the point where it occupied the front row of units of the block of the plaza, sharing space with Apple Auto Glass and Krown Rust Control. Along the way, Dave indulged in his passion for building hot Mopar machines. I've lost count of the variety of cars parked outside his shop, there were so many. There was the Hemi Orange 1970 RoadRunner 440 hardtop, the silver 1971 cuda 340 hardtop, even a 1970 Chevelle SS 454 hardtop. I didn't even know that was Dave's until I did a story on it when it had been restored many years later. He'd bought it and ended the downward spiral of destruction that car was facing after a list of abusive leadfoots. Luciano Delry of Hamilton bought it later and restored it to former glory.
That 1971 silver 340 cuda was later restored by Alan Gallant in Georgetown. It is now a stunning white with orange and black interior four speed car with factory a/c. Dave's own projects were just as interesting. He had a RoadRunner strip car that he'd been working on for years. He also had a 1971 Challenger hemi hardtop clone that was just gorgeous. I did a photo story on that one when Dave and Lorenzo told me it was finished. I'm sure there were lots of other cars equally deserving of mention but I only had experience with these ones. I remember especially the photo shoot for the Challenger. It was done at the Apple Factory parking lot one spring evening. Dave and I went there and I climbed up the frame of an old windmill to get a picture of the Challenger from above. The white vinyl top and hood decals looked so nice I wanted everyone to see it. Dave held onto the tower when it started creaking until I got a decent pic. On the way home, he showed me what the modified 426 hemi was capable of. A very memorable ride indeed. A year or so later,Dave bought the former Texaco gas station in Norval and moved his business into the shop. Dave and family lived in the house next door. It was a dream set up that ended commuting to and from work. I always dropped by to see what new project cars Dave or Lorenzo were working on. Dave always had time to talk to me. The work he did on my Turbo Trans Am transmission was great. Everything from a new flexplate and rebuilt transmission with a shift kit. That car got rubber anytime I wanted it.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. This one came a lot sooner than any of us wanted. Dave passed away in his 47th year on December 6th, 2008. We will miss him but the memories will remain forever.

PHS Interviews: Tim Schroeder of the '69 Blue Judge Registry

2008-12-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

I've had good feedback from the post on the 1972 Chevelle LS-5 convertible registry started by Stan Kryla last year. Today we're featuring another muscle car registry. Tim Schroeder, of Michigan, is GTO Judge crazy. His passion is for certain colour Judges, particularly blue ones. This is natural as he owns two of them. Those of you unfamiliar with GTO Judges, it was a performance package Pontiac released in 1969 featuring the Ram Air III engine as standard equipment and a Ram Air IV optional. The first run of Judges were all Carousel Red. After the first batch, Pontiac released Judges in other colours. I talked with Tim to learn more about the registry and the goals behind it.

Q:Tim, the first question I have to ask is why just the blue cars?

A:My favorite colour has always been blue. It could also be I was born to like it as my Dad is the original owner of a Crystal Turquoise Judge that was around when I was born. My Mother used to take me around town in it until it was parked in the early eighties. After that, my Mom owned more blue cars so I was always around them.

Q: Excluding special paint orders, how many shades of blue were available on a 1969 GTO Judge?

A: There were three standard shades of blue in '69; Liberty Blue, Warwick Blue and Crystal Turquoise. Liberty Blue is the dark shade, Warwick Blue is a light shade and Crystal Turquoise is a light shade with a slight green tint in it. Some say Crystal Turquoise can be considered another shade altogether.

Q: Currently your registry tracks engine, plant of origin, interior colour, transmission type and build date. What kinds of questions do you hope to be able to answer with this database?

A: My main goal with the registry is to attempt to track down as many '69 Blue Judges that were made as there's no known production colour breakdown available for that model year. Secondly, it seems a lot of people want to know how many other cars were produced with the same colour combo and options as theirs. What better way to find out than to build a registry?

Q: Looking at the numbers, we already see some interesting patterns emerge. Liberty Blue is the biggest entry so far with 15 cars. Only one of them however, has a Parchment top. Is the top vinyl or painted?

A: That particular Judge came from the factory with a Parchment Vinyl top. I find it interesting that with the small amount of information gathered so far that there's also a Crystal Judge with a Black Vinyl top which actually is my Dad's car. There's a Warwick Judge with Parchment Vinyl top as well. I hope as time passes we come across more vinyl top cars as I personally love the look.

Q: Can you explain to those viewing your site by monitor, the difference between Liberty and Windward Blue? Many owners' screens will display these two colours as identical when they aren't alike.

A: Windward Blue is lighter by about forty percent compared to Liberty. I always thought if you took Liberty Blue and added Warwick Blue in a 50/50 mixture, you would get close to Windward Blue. It is actually a very neat colour.

Q: Windward Blue is by far, the rarest colour on your database. A quick check with The Ultimate GTO Picture Site (TUGTOPS) using their picture search engine reveals only two Windward Blue Judges. I personally expected Crystal Turquoise to be the rarest colour as it's a light metallic shade prone to sun fading and therefore likely to be repainted another colour. This leads me to ask about colour availability. Were certain shades dropped during the production year?

A: All the standard blue shades were available through the entire '69 year. Windward Blue was actually one of three special order colours available on GTOs and Judges. Windward was a standard Firebird shade available on a GTO for anywhere from $100.05 to $115.85 depending on your PHS document.

Q: An odd thing to note is the availability of Judge stripe colours on the blue cars. I read somewhere that Pontiac didn't reccommend the red, white and black decals for Liberty Blue cars. Yet we've seen some made that way. Would it be a good idea to note what colour stripes were available on the blue cars?

A: Yes.I've been keeping track of stripe colours on original cars for over ten years now.If you look in any book, you'll see that blue Judges were supposed to have blue/yellow/red/stripes but I've documented several original cars and they ALL were black/white/red. I do plan on putting more info on the website but I'm new to the website game and hope people will be patient while I learn to do this.

Q: My big surprise was not finding a single three speed manual transmission Judge when it was supposedly standard equipment with the four speed optional. What was the biggest surprise for you with this registry?

A: My biggest surprise was documenting three Windward Blue cars as I figured I'd be lucky just to find one as it was a special order shade.

Q: You own two Judges, are both of them blue?Which one will you restore first?

A: When I was younger, I set a goal that my Judge collection would consist of every shade of blue offered in '69. I currently own a Warwick/Parchment four speed Judge and a Liberty/Parchment four speed Judge. My Dad still owns his Crystal Turquoise/Black top automatic Judge, so the last one to get is a Windward Blue car.
Both of my Judges are basket cases and the picture on my main web page is the Warwick car. Once I finish and sell my '70 GTO I want to get going on the Warwick car.My Dad and I also have a Crystal Turquoise, Windward Blue and Warwick Blue GTO in our stable needing restorations. I've also bought and sold many other Goats through the years.

Tim, thanks for your time. We hope you look over Tim's site to learn more about these great muscle cars. Check it out at www.69bluejudge.com

2010 Ford Mustang preview!!

2008-11-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

2010 Ford Mustang Sneak Preview!!
Ford has dished out secrets on their new 2010 Mustang. It is a good looking update of the smart S197 shell that took us away from the legendary FOX platform. The grille is a nice update of the fabled 1969 Mustang with quad lights and blackened grille treatment. The rear fascia is muscular and instantly identifiable as a Mustang. The overall shape has a pronounced fastback appearance. Late model Mustang fanciers will be happy. Inside the car has been given an interesting look with twin instrument dash pod similar to the 1968 dash. Unlike the 1968, it has a strong performance feel instead of the Thunderbird elegance Ford was aiming for back in the day. The performance specs are what you really want to read. It does not disappoint. Is it still a V8? Of course. Try 315 horsepower with 325 lbs-ft of torque. The base V6 supplies more than enough power with 210 hp. Word has it there may be an intermediate turbo powered V6 engine offered down the road. Your transmission choices are five speed in automatic or manual forms.
As for performance handling, Ford offers two distinct packages. These packs include items such as the Shelby GT 500 components, re tuned shocks and struts, 19 inch wheels and performance brake pads. The GT suspension will be based on the Bullit set up which is a nice upgrade in itself. Look for a real strong heads up battle between Ford and Chevrolet's Camaro for these pony car titans. Dodge's Challenger has the biggest V8 but it remains to be seen how well it can handle against these two new players.

Driver outrage over Graduated Licensing Bill

2008-11-18T07:44:00.001-08:00

"1970 Firebird a victim of drunk driving crash." This is NOT the car Tyler Mulcahy was driving. This is a picture I took on a cars in barns related story I used to illustrate the column. There is no car after the door, it is a gutted rear ender with flapping rusty strips of metal.

The latest proposed legislation to improve the Ontario Graduated Licensing System has ruffled lots of drivers feathers it seems. According to the Toronto Star's Letters section plenty of readers voiced their complaints about the new proposal that's lumbering towards enactment. Essentially the bill would lengthen the term of probation from 12 to 18 months under the G1 category. The G2 category license holders would face 18 months probation as well. The term can be reduced through successful completion of an approved driver education program. There is some ambiguity about the rules on having teenaged passengers. Although there is a restriction on having more than one teenage passenger in the G2 category, it can be circumvented by having an immediate family member as that passenger.
The proposal was a joint action by MADD and Tim Mulcahy, father of Tyler Mulcahy who expired last July during a tragic alcohol induced car wreck on Peninsula Road.
Reader response has been wary and critical.
Pat Burns, Toronto, ON wrote to the Star saying, "I am currently paying outrageous insurance premiums for my son to drive my car..." Undoubtably true, but other parents face the same issue. His next comment is very interesting.

"Tim Mulcahy's son's tickets must have shown on his insurance papers, What are the consequences?"
The inference here is that somehow Tyler's poor driving record was known to Tim. Actually, the delay between offence recording by law enforcement and payment of fine or court date is stretched out considerably. If the fine is paid as admission of guilt, that doesn't mean the insurance agency knows about it. Agencies do check driver abstracts but it isn't a matter of regular procedure. Insurance companies will do abstract checks on new policyholders or new drivers (G1, G2). Brokers will check abstracts when determining if a policyholder qualifies for a discount under certain provisions. There isn't however, a regular timed examination of driver abstracts. It is random and activated by internal company rules. In the case of Tyler Mulcahy, his collection of offences occurred in a short period of time and would not have been picked up by either the agency or insurance underwriter until later. In fact, the Toronto Star reported in one of their articles in a backgrounder on the victims that some of the charges had yet to see their day in court.

"I am left to believe that Mulcahy is a parent in grief looking to pass the blame for this accident. His son chose to drink and drive and his friends and his friends chose to ride with him."
Full points on the parent in grief part, but I don't think passing the blame is Tim's intent. He lost a son. He wants to make sure other parents don't lose what he had.I don't wish to get into blame games or parenting issues.

Christine Kirwan of Toronto, had a salient point to make in her letter.
She stated. "Shouldn't the issues of drivers drinking and speeding be expanded to address the entire population?I did not realize that at age 22, drinking no longer affects driving ability. If imposing zero tolerance legislation, age should not be a factor."
Christine is right about the age part but probably did not realize the G1 and G2 classification system already takes it into account. If I decided at age 38 to start driving, applied for and got a G1 license, I'd be subject to the same terms. If caught making an offence while holding a G1, the same fines and penalties would apply to me. We do have RIDE programs and fairly tough fines for DUIs.

The only part that bothers me is the speeding offence section. The Highway Traffic Act isn't properly enforced as it stands and public perception that speeding tickets are just money grab operations is so strong that this is the part that will annoy most people. Proper driver education and better road engineering are the solutions we need. The 401 is remarkably bad as a piece of civic engineering.

FOUND: 1963 Pontiac SD race car!

2008-11-07T06:25:00.000-08:00

Ebay Motors can turn up some real surprises sometimes. A lucky seller discovered the old Tempest parts car he has for sale is none other than a lost 1963 Pontiac Super Duty drag strip car belonging to Stan Antlocer. Sold new in 1963, this vehicle was shipped to Stan Long Pontiac in Detroit, Michigan and campaigned as a 1/4 mile drag strip car driven by Stan Antlocer. The original Tempest platform was a four cylinder vehicle with "rope drive" transmission. Some V8 cars were produced as well with the small 326 V8 Pontiac engine in 1963. Of course, the factory race cars were equipped with bigger engines such as the 326HO or a 421 SD.
The whereabouts of the Antlocer SD Tempest was a mystery for ages. All that had been recovered was the front clip somewhere in Florida. The rest of the car surfaced in Harrison, Michigan this year. It survives in pretty good shape. There's surface rust, but the racing heritage is there. Take a look at the trunk compartment and dashboard. Clearly a vintage racer. The usual rear battery conversion and oversized fuel tank is part of the package along with heavy duty rear axle and V8 conversion inside the engine bay. There is no drivetrain and no keys, but the original window glass and some speed equipment is available. The bidding is already around the mid $50,000 level and climbing on this historically important Pontiac find. FLASH!! Bidding has now topped $75,100 on this vehicle, amazing!FINAL BID: $226,521.00, where's that old Tempest sedan I left at the farm???

Panic in Detroit? Chrysler Motors

2008-10-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

The tongues are wagging full time in bars across Michigan State this week. Rumors of a potential merger between Chrysler and General Motors have been mentioned in the business sections of newspapers. No one really knows how far, what exactly has been discussed and what the outcome will be. Those who recall the original Chrysler buyout by Daimler-Benz in 1998 will remember the little shock waves when it turned out Chrysler's big buyout turned into a reverse take over by Daimler-Benz. We know now that merger didn't work out well as expected. The synergies between German high technology and American chutzpah were less than ideal. What do the two parties bring to the table this time around one wonders?
GM brings a staggering debt load to the tune of 1 billion dollars a month, a sales drop of 18% and top heavy management. Chrysler brings about $11.7 billion in cash and marketable securities along with a huge 25% drop in sales. With Cerberus as matchmaker, what can we expect to materialize? Talk of Cerburus taking a 49% stake in GMAC plus equity in General Motors stock has been suggested. Frankly, I expect to see a different picture considering GMAC's dismal performance in financing lately. Cerberus is a private group with a strong record in restructuring companies for profit achievement. A common method is 'harvesting' which is strategic management speak for selling off the underperformers for money and keeping the good parts of a large company for future profit grooming and later resale. In the case of Chrysler, it appears this will be a deal where GM is allowed access to Chrysler's cash in order to finance new models and research in exchange for solid shares in GM. There has been talk of eliminating the Chrysler franchise altogether and just keeping Jeep. Frankly, it's too speculative to consider that right now.
I believe the most likely scenario is two possible sales. Cerberus may spin off the Viper franchise to a sports car company and sell the rest to GM for some combination money swap and ownership deal. That's as far as I can venture. The future looks dire for Chrysler, that much is true. It doesn't bode well for GM when you check out their history of errors and mismanagement. If Cerberus gets hold of controlling interest, you can be sure some 'harvesting' will be done on the 14th floor. Panic in Detroit indeed!

1957 Pontiac Super Chief & 1955 Olds Holiday

2008-10-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

While driving my GTO in town, I saw a parade of 5 vintage 1950s cars at the Georgetown A&W parking lot. All the hoods were open but there was no cruise night and no one was at their cars... I stopped and checked out the cars. They were excellent driving machines and all from Michigan, USA. It was the Cross Canada Cruisers brigade. They are a troupe of Christians touring the nation on behalf of their church to enjoy the summer and spread the Word. The Team East caravan comprised several cars including a restored 1957 Pontiac Super Chief sports sedan and a 1955 Olds Holiday two door hardtop. A Lincoln Capri, a 57 Chevy and other fine cars were included. The folks involved mentioned this was their last stop on the tour. They'd been on the road a few months and found the old chariots were reliable on the whole although there were a few trying moments, just like life. Considering how much rain we had, I'm sure they're glad to have chosen hardtop cars!
My favorite vehicle was the stunning 1957 Pontiac Super Chief four door hardtop.Finished in Coral and Gray two tone and equipped with 347 V8 engine with single Rochester carburetor, this restored car was only made from 1957-1958 as a mid range Chieftain model between the Chieftain and Star Chief series. This particular car was purchased in Concord, North Carolina from Mike Wallace Racing.
Another nice car present at the A&W was a two tone 1955 Olds Holiday two door hardtop. As part of the Cross Canada Cruiser promo material artist, Glenn Hayes, created a painting of classic car lover's dream. Two men ogling a 1955 Olds for sale in the country. On the roadside, a fully restored hardtop waits. The licence plate gives the theme of the painting away. Restoring your car(and soul).I love car paintings and artwork in general. Seeing these classics being used and enjoyed make me more happy than seeing someone buying a car just to flip for profit.

Mid Summer Car Market Diagnosis

2008-08-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well here we are at just a little over the half way point in summer, 2008. We've heard lots of bad news from the stock markets, the bankers and the ever pessimistic corporation CEOs. Car fanatics want to know what's going on in the collector car realm. In a word, SAVINGS. Muscle car prices have fallen on average 31% this year. The actual devaluation will vary depending on the car, model, desirability and quality of restoration and provenance. That's a two dollar word meaning the verifiable history of your car. It is a great time to pick up that dream machine you want but found just out of reach.If number matching, concours grade cars don't interest you, there are screaming deals to be had in cruise night machines that you can take to the cottage for kicks. Mopars rode the price escalator to the top last year and are paying the price now with notable devaluation.The clones in particular, are having a rough time of it. Fords were much better insulated from the spiral except for a few Shelby derivatives.I am seeing strong interest in 1950s era street machines built in retro old school style with shabby paint jobs, hokey decals and some great pin striping. The customising touch has taken a do-it-yourself turn and I welcome it. These cars are just like the ones I saw as a boy in the 1970s. Everything old is new again. It's possible to find those early fifties and late forties cars at reasonable prices. This is good news for owners of sedans and pre 1955 era cars. With gas at $1.28 and climbing, the inline sixes are even something to boast about. Throw on a Clifford intake, a pair of Stromberg 97s and drive on.

Peninsula Road Accident

2008-07-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

I've followed the Peninsula Rd accident that took three young men's lives with interest. The subject is very familiar to me. As a high performance car driver, I have enjoyed twisting back roads and beautiful scenery while piloting several top makes through the turns. Sometimes it was while evaluating a car for a road test to be printed in a magazine. Often it was for self enjoyment with my own Trans Am,'Cuda or GTO. The story of Tyler,Corey,Kourosh and Elzinga is sad.I feel anger inside but not for the usual reasons. It's too easy to blame the driver for the accident. Especially since the Toronto Star decided to print the details of each departed person's driving records, before most of them had a court date, I might add. Some anger is against Tyler for putting himself and others in a terrible position. Most of my anger is directed towards the cruel deal life imposes on us. Think of it. We have health, beauty, energy and more time than we know what to do with in our late teens and early twenties. We don't have experience, mastery of our base desires or long range planning. When we do get those skills, we've lost a considerable amount of health, beauty, etc.
Let me add another element to the deadly cocktail that grenaded that weekend. The performance capability of modern cars is so strong it makes mediocre drivers look good and flatters good drivers. Simply put, the line between control and loss of control is thin on a good vehicle. Inexperienced drivers cross the line and may live to tell the tale. Many times they do not. The Toyota Supra Turbo from the late 1980s is a good example. I was in this car when it lost control at night through a sharp turn. It went airborne and landed on an traffic island. My friend the driver did one thing wrong, he let exuberance take control and fed the car into a corner too fast for proper downshifting. A rapid series of downshifts unstabilized the car, unloaded a rear tire and sent the car off the road. We were very lucky to escape unharmed. The driver was very good, one of the best I've seen. It was youth and relative inexperience that put us airborne. Today, he'd never push the car beyond its capabilities for that corner. There was no time to react. It just happened. Very likely it was the same deal for Tyler.
Would proper driver training have saved him? I can't say. It might have given an edge. He'd still have inexperience without lots of miles accrued through years of driving under various situations. Sadly, youthful exuberance is likely what killed these three men. Yes, I know all three had run ins for driving infractions, some of them serious. It underlines their youth and inability to fully consider the cost of behaviour. We know now from studies that cognitive reasoning isn't fully developed until later in life. I'd say this is an example.
All we can learn from this is life is fleeting and easily extinguished. Anything we can do to protect it should be considered. Better driver training, better law enforcement, stronger penalties might help. I don't think it can do as much as the awareness of fragile life. That comes from within. Rest In Peace.

The 1911 Locomobile Convertible

2008-06-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

In the early days of the American car, Locomobile was one of the best makes around. For those of you unaware of this brand, Locomobile was located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was a pioneer manufacturer setting up shop in 1899 and building premier cars until 1929 when the stock market crash evaporated their customer base.They'd been involved in many aspects of early motoring including Steam power,
(bought Stanely Steamer in 1899 then sold it back to the Stanley brothers in 1902)and a reverse take over by William Durant in 1922. Locomobile may well have been the car company Phoebe Atwood Taylor was imagining when she wrote about her famous detective cum car mechanic, Asey Mayo who worked for the Porter Motor Company located in Massachusetts. If you like crazy 1920s and 30s mysteries with old cars in them, you'll love Asey Mayo.
Locomobile made excellent brass era and Vintage cars for touring and racing. I observed this fine specimen at the Brampton Cruise night. There are several interesting details about the car. The most eye catching feature is the canvas windshield. Mounted on brass bars through hoops sewn in the canvas, this screen gave some protection from the elements, yet allowed for speedy removal in good weather. Notice the attention to detail in the dashboard and floor area. The footrest is a brass rod lightly knurled to prevent the feet from slipping. The crankcase is made from government grade bronze, the upholstery is ten inches thick for the rear and front seats. Money was no object. This explains why Durant was able to buy the concern. The car is American despite the right hand steering column. Locomobile did not dedicate to left hand steering until 1915. Having said that, this car did come from Belgium a few years ago. According to the owner Mr. Hadfield, they bought it on auction and when it was shipped to Canada, they had to perform some minor restoration work to get it ready. It was a good condition car. This green convertible compliments nicely their silver touring Locomobile that won the Neil Young Award at a recent Classics Against Cancer show.

High Gas Prices? Too bad, says Harper.

2008-05-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Harper shows his Calgary oil baron protectionist roots today with his marvelous disengenious claim of government inability to help Canadians with outrageous gas price increases. To wit, since last April, gas has increased 11.6 percent in cost. Harper claimed, "the ability of governments to affect the price of gasoline is so small that it's not worth doing." He further slams the Liberal government for discussing a carbon tax by calling it foolish and unecessary. Anyone who has looked at the gas pump decals showing where your gas dollars go knows full well the government at the provincial and federal levels take a huge cut at the pump. It's interesting to note these decals haven't updated in two years. Perhaps because the phoney 2 percent profit figure the petrol companies give them selves has risen even further? The same scenario played in USA recently with George Bush asking OPEC to raise crude oil production to ease the potential inflationary pressures facing USA. The OPEC cartel politely told Bush to go pound sand. Mind you, George and Poppa Bush are both heavily invested in oil companies.I doubt they want to see a major reduction in price. Remember, it was Bush Senior who met with OPEC in the 1980s to ask for the taps to be turned down as Texas economy was dying from cheap gas. He succeeded and not long after, he campaigned to be the next GOP President. Be careful what you wish for.....
As if that wasn't bad enough. We have to worry about gas stations hosing us more by rigging the meters to under serve your gas tanks. I heard this on the radio last week and thought nothing of it until today when I topped up the 1988 Grand Marquis. I pulled in with 39 liters in the tank, added ten liters according to the gas pump. I pay the man, turn the key on and see the gas gage reading....39 liters. I'm not stupid and the gas gage can't be ten liters off. I'd run empty so many times if that were the case. I brought this up to the attendent who shrugged and commented my gage was innaccurate. Well, we'll see who is innaccurate, pal. I reported your faulty pump to the Consumer Bureau of Fair Trade. don't be surprised if you get a snap inspection on your pumps! I urge you to protect yourself by comparing what the pump says to what your gage reads before and after. Trust no one.

Fresh Tires for Big Red

2008-05-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted about my new toy. I've taken the GTO hardtop out for a spin for the first time in April on a beautiful spring day. The 45 minute drive to Halton was nerve wracking because of rush hour traffic building up. I pulled into Firestone Tire and had the car safety checked. It was a clean bill of health with the only recommendation being a new set of rear tires. I ordered some BF Goodrich radial TAs raised white letter style in a beefy 235/60 R15 size to fill out the wheel well without changing the rear axle ratio, unlike the huge stones the previous owner put on. Firestone Tire also reversed my front tires so the raised white letters showed up.Turns out they were practically new! A little suspension greasing, an lube oil, EOS additive and filter later and she was ready to roll. I washed and waxed her all Wednesday in prep for the first cruise night and it looked fabulous. After driving it awhile, my observations are the following 1: This is one torque monster. You could pull away in Second and not notice much difference. It can also take a relatively steep grade around 20 miles per hour and stay in first gear the whole time. 2:It has a great exhaust sound, amazing because the only real money spent on it was for the mufflers, a pair of Magnaflows running through 2 and a quarter inch pipes with twin splitters and cast iron exhaust manifolds. It sounds deep and powerful and in town it's rich without being annoying. Around the 2900 to 3200 rpm range, it changes pitch and becomes rude as the engine is "on the cam." It pulls like a Ram Air III job. Not too wild for a 455 mill. Also I plan to ditch the Holley double pumper carb because it's a stupid unit to have a on a street automatic car. Its drag racing days are over! The carb is listed as a Chevelle 396 unit so I'll be selling that on Kijiji soon. I haven't tried the Hurst Dual Gate shifter yet because the cops have been wild on enforcement lately with tickets and pull overs every weekend. I plan to stay ticket free! Here are some pics of Big Red. Dig that trunk lid! COMING SOON: PAT'S EXCELLENT ITALIAN ADVENTURE IN FLORENCE!

Fleetwood Country Cruize-In 2008

2008-05-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Summer is taking time to arrive in Halton Hills. Our first cruise night sponsored by A&W and Boston Pizza was sort of rained out. Meaning, it threatened to drizzle earlier in the day and this kept the PA sound system away. No music, no cars. This Thursday will be different. I've seen a number of cars out already however and it looks like we have some new vehicles about with some old favorites. I'll take some pics when they stop moving and post them here for all to see.
I'd like to talk a bit about an annual event that takes place near London, Ontario. It's the Fleetwood Country Cruize-In 2008 weekend car show. Hosted by Steve Plunkett of the Plunkett Foundation, Fleetwood Country Cruize-In is part car show, part music concert with legendary stars, part stylish dinner with superb catered food and drink, part TV and automotive celebrity get together with luminaries from the big screen, the tv screen and California kustom rod scene all mixing it up for laughs and enjoyment. Country Cruize-In is all fun and benefits a variety of charities and funds for medical research, patient care and much needed equipment to combat diseases, especially cancer.
Steve Plunkett started this show a few years ago when he invited antique car club members to stop by his home on Elviage Drive to view his collection and enjoy a rest during a summer tour. The event was a big success and Steve got thinking about how he could expand it in such a way to benefit medical charities. Slowly the Country Cruize-In theme took shape. Each event grew larger than the last one. Steve added entertainment. Last year's show had Herman's Hermits featuring Peter Noone and The Golden Boys, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell and Fabian performing all their hits and a few twists as well. Honorable guest star was George Barris, King of the Kustomizers. Barris brought with him a number of his fabulous creations including some cars curently owned by private collectors such as the Fireball 500 show car.
This year it's a whole new ballgame. The stars this time are Martha Reeves& the Vandellas plus Little Anthony & the Imperials performing thier classic Motown and R&B hits. For television it doesn't get much better than Batman & Robin. Well check it out, Adam West and Burt Ward both appear together along with the entire Batman show vehicle assemblage. Not only the famous Batmobile, but also the batcopter which will be available for bat rides. This fresh restoration will be the first time the Batman toys have appeared together in decades.
George Barris returns again and what a great honor that is. The grand man of customizing loves this event. He even said at last year's dinner he planned to bend Jay Leno's ear a bit to let him know he has to see this for himself. All of this fun plus the largest car show in Ontario helps out those in need. The main support fund is Jesse's Journey. For show tickets, information and detailed itinerary, check out the website fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com. This year the event is held on June7-8, 2008.
You can contact Steve at 519-657-9040.

Flat Tappet Camshafts Need Zinc!!

2008-04-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hi car freaks, it's late April, the sun is shining, muscle cars are rolling out of garages and 300 miles after a fresh oil change, the engine wipes out it's camshaft. Uh OH... now what? Well don't blame your camshaft manufacturer. There's a real world reason why your lobes went away. Oil manufacturers have been removing the zinc content in oil to absurdly low parts per million levels. The reason for that is the new clean air laws for diesel trucks requiring even those engines must have catalytic converters before the decade ends. Most passenger cars have been using roller camshafts the last ten years at least. They don't need the zinc protection flat tappet cams do. Basically if you drive a classic sports car, muscle car or 50's era land yacht, you need to replace the zinc additive that has been removed from your oil. It doesn't matter what brand oil you use, all the conventional based oils have reduced the zinc to very low levels. Use an additive such as Competition Cams or GM's EOS additive. While we're on that topic, you may as well know GM is discontinuing that additive as well. The part number is dead in USA and Canada is placing the EOS on the discontinued list very soon. Supplies are still good at press time but word is the product WILL dissapear. A good friend of mine has built up a nice big block in his 1969 Beaumont last year. It has 350 miles on it. The camshaft has failed, wiped lobes with pitting, the whole 9 yards.He used good oil but the zinc is missing and with a high performance camshaft with high pressure springs, it couldn't protect it. It is happening and you will have to deal with it. Make sure you add the zinc protection when you do the oil change.Ri-Un Racing In Georgetown has the proper additive for sale. Pick up some next time you're in town.

A Legend Passes

2008-02-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

Boyd Coddington passed away early February 27th, 2008. When I read the news, it froze me inside. How could someone larger than life suddenly go away like that? It doesn't seem possible. Many of us only know Mr. Coddington from the wildly successful cable shows and his hectic appearances at car shows across North America. In fact he was to appear at Performance World 2008 in March in Mississauga, Ontario. I'd like to mention that what you saw on television is only a small part of the Coddington experience and persona. Television is not "reality" no matter how the pr dudes and hacks sell it. Coddington had a family life and a thousand other real world concerns that bother everyone else including you and me. He was a human being and his sudden passing means big changes for his family. Rat rods, classic hot rods, customs, full out fat fender cars and a general healthy street rod scene can be partially attributed to Boyd's life long passion. A hobby he did during his off hours as a machinist blossomed into the remarkable career we saw on television. His flame was short compared to George Barris, but man was it bright! Sleep warm buddy.

Show versus Project cars..who has more fun?

2008-02-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

Some cars are just too difficult to bring back to show standards. In a way, this relieves a lot of pressure on the owner. We have long ago lost the innocent era where good driving big blocks were ten thousand dollar cars and an excellent one touched $22,000, tops. Intense pressure is forced upon hobbyists to put a car back to original as close as possible. Trouble is, some cars are never going to able to meet that. A good case in point is Hemmings Muscle Machines' March 2008 cover car. Here is a meticulously restored 1970 Hemi Charger with enough documentation to justify the current national debt. Fabulous colors, great options, build sheet, dealer invoices, the list goes on. Small problem though, the original engine grenaded on an interstate highway in 1976. Steve Segal got really lucky finding what turned out to be the very next hemi engine on the assembly line. It's about as close as it'll ever get to numbers matching. Steve enjoys his car and doesn't worry about getting it a little sideways once in awhile. He's a lucky man, the stress is off. My way of viewing the hobby is a little different from most people. We are never going to see an age like the 1960s again for performance. The really good ones that are solid, numbers matching desirable cars are eventually going to be too risky to drive like we used to. I see cars with missing drivelines as opportunities to go back 20 years and build a car up the way tou want it to be without stress, guilt and expense where you didn't want to spend money in the first place. I don't hate clones, they have a place in our hobby. I hate people who deliberately mis represent their cars for profit, but not the cars. The cars are victims.Now, just look at this little beauty for example. A 1972 GTO 455HO car in Lucerne Blue with buckets. It has no engine or transmission and the front end is rough, rough, rough. Looks like a great place to start a driver project doesn't it? You could weld up the frame rails and make it a boxed chassis for strength and then drop in a nice 468 and built TH400. The possibilities are endless.

1975-1982 Corvette buying tips

2008-02-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

I get letters, emails and phone calls around this time of year from all sorts of people. Many of them are planning their first Corvette purchase. I've met a number of couples excited about buying a Stingray. Some were clueless about sorting good cars from pigs. The market has changed a bit and vettes that were formerly in the price doldrums are moving smartly upwards. My analysis is we're seeing the thin edge of a big price increase wedge for 1975-1982 era vettes.The next five years will be strong for "post bumper" C3 vettes. We're no longer on the ground floor for super bargains, but the escalator is just beginning to rise. You can still pull a good car for easy money. Do you know how to spot a good one?
By 1975 Corvette had changed in significant ways in order to survive. Ironically, those changes are helping them climb the appreciation curve. 1975 was the last year for the convertible and the first for cat converters, HEI ignition and single exhaust. 1976 was the first year Joe Average could get N90 aluminum mags. 1978 was the year of 25th Anniversary and Indy Pace Car.1981 was the last year for manual transmissions and 1982 offered the Collector's Edition. Something for everyone you might say.
Market activity for 1975-82 vettes has been encouraging. Recorded sales since 2003 have shown appreciation with highest gains going to pace cars, Silver Anns and L-82 cars. In 1994, the average price for a healthy stock '75 vette was $6,000 USD. Add a grand for a high horse model and two grand for a ragtop. Today you're looking at $18,500 for an average T-Top car. A convertible is serious money now. Expect anywhere from $33,600 for a driver to $51,500 for a great example.Few were made and survivors fall either into unmolested or restored with nothing in between.
It's a similar tale with 1980 cars. In 1994 you could nab one for $8,000 in good condition. $12,000 netted you a 230 hp model. Today, expect to pay $18,800 for cars decent cars and anywhere from $31,000 to $33,000 for nicer ones with the cool options. If you want NCRS quality, Top Flight or Bloomington example vettes, expect to pay a lot more.
What do you have to look for on these cars? I spend 80 percent of my time checking the frame and bodywork and the remaining percent on the drivetrain and interior. Corvette frames have problems with rust especially just before the axle kick ups. Inspect the boxed ends in front of the rear wheel arches by hand.Poke around and check the top part of the frame not visible to the eye. You want it to be solid. Inspect it on a lift to be sure. Also check the IRS and be sure the bushings, differential support and leaf springs are good.Some model years have metal floor pans, check them for rust of course. Check the body to frame mounts for signs of deterioration, tears and misalignment. The main rails must be straight and free of corrosion. The front frame section holds the engine and is best inspected from underneath by hoist. Look for scratches and weld marks. This section is so thick, any frame repairs there will be from welding. The headlamps should open and close in unision without delay. Vacuum leaks usually account for delays. Sometimes, the pods hang up on the fascias caused by misalignment or shoddy replacement fascias. Either could be a sign of accident damage. If you're a "numbers match" guy, bring your note book along and check out the codes. I check them when a customer asks but it takes time. If it passes all this, you probably have a good one. Check the interior out for missing parts. This is a problem on older vettes and the 1975 is the one that causes trouble here. Lots of one year only trim and replacing worn seats and door panels can get pricey. The other years are all right but you don't want to be replacing an entire pace car interior! If dash gauages aren't working, inquire further. They aren't too expensive to buy but it's a warning flag. Spotty electrics on a fiberglass car raises questions about accident repair. Any issues that can be tied to body off repairs should be inspected. This leads us to checking the panels for fit and signs of repair. Corvette bodies are fiberglass and molded in sections, held together by bonding strips. Check the wheel wells, inner fenders, fuel tank door and chassis mounts for signs of removal. A restored car will have new rubber mounts of course. It's replacement patches or panels you're looking for. Some of the cheap panels aren't even molded on the inside, leaving rough fiber. The bonding strips won't be in the correct places. Your test drive may also reveal frame damage by inconsistent handling. Rest assured that 90 percent of the cars are going to be pretty good. It's the ten percent you don't want.

a rare winter time blast

2008-02-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

Normally you don't see classic muscle cars being driven in the dead of winter. Especially with the crazy snowfalls we've beeen experiencing. I'm content to store my babies until April or May. This time something weird came up. My storage place suddenly went on the real estate market with pending renovations and what not happening. Basically, it meant my slot was gone. I frantically called around looking for storage but in this neck of the woods, everything good is filled up. Fortunately, my sister has a garage and she generously offered it to me. I took it of course! Next was arranging a shot gun rider to come along and help take the GTO to the garage and shuttle me back home. It was a 3 and a half hour journey all told plus a final drive to home. Ray stepped up to the plate and cheerfully helped out. We were blessed with good weather today and managed to pull into town, dry and safe. I washed the body off with soap and rinsed it before storage to remove any salt dust. Once we closed the door, it was entombed in a wood lined garage.Perfect for sucking out excess moisture. The GTO rode like a champ and had plenty of power to spare. I suspect the rear axle is a 3.55 ratio or lower because even with massive 15 inch radius by 27 1/2 tall tires out back, at 60 mph she revs around 2,400 rpm. If I change the tires to the proper size, it'll pick up revs and become a traffic light terror. The high fives and envious stares on the 401 were priceless. I'm looking forward to showing this bad boy off comne spring!

1972 Chevelle LS5 ragtop registry

2008-02-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

Those gnarly big block Chevelle SS cars from the 1960s really made memories for the lucky owners who bought them. No one knew it at the time, but 1972 was the curtain call for the factory big block convertible Chevelle.It was the last year for the classic A body shell, a design so successful, it carried GM for five years. Unprecedented for a mainline intermediate. Sure one of those years was due to a UAW strike in 1971, but the design was good enough to be updated and please buyers used to 2 year turnarounds.
Today the Chevelle is a classic design and Stan Kryla in New Jersey is starting a registry to track down any and all known LS5 SS 454 Chevelle convertibles from 1972.To date, 19 cars have been accounted for out of the 70 examples believed to have been produced. Three of them are in Canada. Stan would love to hear from other LS5 rag top owners, be they project cars, restored or original owners. Just in case you forgot, we have included a pic or two of these sunshine machines. The beautiful showboat at the bottom is Troy Brey's ride. He also supplied the picture of two of the 3 known Canadian survivors, drag racing in Calgary for this blog which is great since you don't see one of these every day!Troy also had some neat facts in his letter, 99 Yenko Chevelles were made and only 36 known survivors are listed.
In 1970, Chevy made 95 LS6 Chevelle ragtops but only 26 known survivors are accounted for. For 1972, it gets grim, 70 believed to have been made, only 19 found so far. Check out Stan's thread at www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread/php?t=201785

How to buy a collector car

2008-01-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

When the snow starts to melt and you've finished your income tax accounting, the smell of spring is just around the corner. This is when you find yourself thinking about your dream car and count the days left before it comes out of storage. Spring is also the time when many seek and purchase a hobby car. Unfortunately, some get so excited and eager they forget to remain objective and buy something they regret.
Sometimes the problem is a lack of knowledge about cars. You know what you like, but understanding where and what to look takes experience, time and knowledge. If the car in question is fairly desirable, you won't have enough time to carry out a thorough investigation on your own.
That's when you'd be wise to consider having a pre purchase inspection performed for you. Some who is objective, qualified and working in your best interest is going to give you a valuable edge when it comes to negotiations. I've done pre purchase inspections and pre restoration consulting for clients and in every case it saved them time, money and aggravation. I've inspected collector cars for clients on their behalf and acted as their eyes and ears, delivering complete, recorded evidence on the car's condition. The buyer gains a good idea what they're getting into if they purchase the car in question.
The orange 1973 cuda on horse stands looks pretty sad doesn't it? Those quarters are rough. Clearly it needs lots of TLC to get back on the road. The good news is its a factory 340 cuda with four speed and rally dash. It was originally metallic blue. If the original drive train was present it'd be worth restoring. The 1957 Chevrolet convertible by contrast, almost looks ready to paint and put a drive train in. The punch line here is, it's a complete rebody. It started out as a four door sedan! This project was conducted by CARS group in Michigan to demonstrate their complete line of restoration sheet metal and convertible pieces. You literally can make a convertible from a sedan and no one would be the wiser unless you know where to look. Partial rebodies happen all the time on muscle cars. When the money is large, make sure you get what you pay for.
My ground rules are simple. The seller is told up front that I am working on behalf of a client. An owner with a honestly represented car will have no trouble with that. I do not report my findings to the seller, only my client gets the information. With pre restoration consulting, the car's examined for major problems that will impede its restoration by adding time, cost and potential loss of value. The findings are reviewed with the owner's intended goals and planned budget, time frame of completion and a recommendation is given. I also have access to noted experts in the field for answering technical or historical issues. Again, this saves you money and time knowing what's ahead before diving in.
Remember, inspections save you more money than they cost in time, expense and effort to repair a bungled effort.

Muscle market goes soft at Barrett Jackson 2008

2008-01-18T12:10:00.001-08:00

Are you ready for a soft-on? That's what many owners are sporting this week in Scottsdale, Arizona. The prime player, Barrett-Jackson has been televising all week and it's not a pretty sight for speculators. The highest bid as of January 18th was $141,000 for a restored Packard Carribean ragtop. Granted they're saving the heavy artillery for Friday evening, but the over all numbers are waaay down compared to last year's record prices. I predicted this awhile ago in Muscle Car News magazine so it comes as no surprise to me. Those who are in position to cherry pick the good numbers matching, no stories cars available from guys who bought at the top of the market and have to liquidate will do well. The other vehicles will make excellent hobby cars and return the hobby back to those who really know what its about and understand the heritage of the muscle car. (Hint..it has NOTHING to do with Monterey and Carmel lifestyle events with $400 a night hotels!) If you bought at the top of the game and the music stopped, you're just going to have to enjoy the car for awhile until you hear music again. Hey you might get to like it even. A&W was made for cruise nights and sound of glasspacks and Torquethrusts squealing is better than someone squawking at the microphone.." it's red, it's red, it's resale red!"

A new year, a new ride

2008-01-18T07:36:00.001-08:00

After driving and working on a sweet 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Special Edition the last seven years, I decided it was time to change saddles. Since the Trans Am was a great ride, I wondered if finding an older Poncho would be easy. I searched for a long time. Part of the problem was sky high prices for muscle cars in general.Late in the summer, the sub prime crisis opened up and as fall and early winter set in. The situation deteriorated enough to knock asking prices down. I started looking after New Year's Day and followed up on an old ad from last year. The car was still available. I made an appointment and decided to buy on the spot. Check out my 1972 Pontiac GTO hardtop. It's factory original with Cardinal Red paint, black custom interior, rally II mags and 455 250 hp four barrel engine. That makes it one of 235 made. A southern states car that came into Canada years ago, this goat really hustles. I like the custom touches like the GTO emblem on the dash, the 1968 style His'n Her Hurst shifter, hood tach and ram induction system. Oh it also came with the rare code 614 racing stripes, one of 130 cars. I don't really like the stripes so they're staying off for now.

Barrelcuda Lives!

2008-01-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

Hello all, I just finished examining the world famous "Barrelcuda" in person. What a machine! Owner and restorer, Alan Gallant, did a heroic job saving and resurrecting this piece of Canadian Mopar history. This is the same car that first broke cover a few years ago on the "Cars in Barns" website. It was called barrelcuda due to the fact one of the previous owners placed the entire car on five 85 gallon oil barrels as a way of preventing the car from making perilous contact with the ground. I also saw this car in person before restoration began. The transformation is breathtaking. Guys, this wasn't just a quickie get it out the door and running job. The car today is as complete and factory original as possible. Can you imagine restoring a car using mostly New Old Stock parts or excellent donor pieces? Alan doesn't do things by halves. This car is concours competitive. It has been an honor and pleasure to see this icon rise from the ashes. Even the tires and wheels are factory style. This baby came to Newfoundland in fall of 1970 wearing Goodyear Polyglas Custom Wide Tread white line tires! That was the upgrade tire for running an E body with styled steel road wheels. Everywhere you look is a new, correct period clip, hose, electrical connector or lens.If you get a chance to see this magnificent automobile this year, have a look at it. Not only was a classic saved,a new benchmark in dedication to the restoration craft was set. Check it out at AGAR restorations on the web.

Nice One, Sir David!

2007-12-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

Governments have a knack for sucking the joy out of collector car ownership. Our own Ontario Ministry of Transport has a committee that decides what you can have put on your custom ordered license plate. They've made some truly bad judgement calls lately earning the public's wrath and forcing Minister Jim Bradley to overturn the recent decision to ban REV JO's licence plate despite her ownership of over ten years.
This has been topped by Sir David King, Great Britain's chief economic advisor. When asked by a female reporter what further steps she could be take to reduce emissions, he wise cracked, "Stop admiring men who drive Ferraris." Nice one, Sir David!
Let's see, latent sexist commentary mixed with heavily implied bimbo reference topped with all the authority on environmental pollution granted by a man who is chief economic adviser. Sir David created a chuckle with this reply and it made it in most papers. He wisely stepped away from discussing real problems like making emerging nations such as China and India comply with industrial pollution standards. Both nations are economic power houses that refuse to be denied. Who can stop them when everyone depends on them for low and middle price goods? Instead of talking about that, he used a hoary image of cad's sportscar and a fatuous female supposedly enthralled with both.
I strongly urge car enthusiasts to be pro active in defending your right to enjoy your collector car. Governments are only too eager to step on your freedom in the name of progress for the people. Join SEMA, defend your right to drive the vehicle of your choice. And to Sir David, I suggest you stick to economics.

Car Heaven part 2...a new alliance needed??

2007-12-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

Recently, I posted my observation about Car Heaven's website and their method of recycling cars in an environmentally responsible manner. I was annoyed to learn that something called automotive fluff is placed in landfills. Fluff, for those who don't know, is a mixture of non metallic pieces comprising foam, textiles, plastics, rubber and glass. It bothered me because most auto plastics are volatile organic compounds and shouldn't go in the ground at all. I decided to talk to someone at Car Heaven and find out why the plastics couldn't be handled. I'll never be able to accept all those engine blocks and transmissions being chopped up, but that's Car Heaven's mandate so I won't bother with that one.
Ms. Tara Lynn Nava from the Ontario branch of Car Heaven replied and said they've been trying for the seven years to work with the Ontario Automotive Recycling Association to ensure that the vehicle donated to Car Heaven are responsibly handled. Currently there is no infrastructure in Canada that supports the separation and waste management of fluff content.
I did research on the web and learned that ABS and polypropylene plastic not only can be recycled, they have ready, paying markets. It's unfortunate Car Heaven has been working at this problem from one angle. It seems to me the next step would be to examine the way interior and glass components are handled by the salvage yard operator to avoid contamination. Then the plastics can be dealt with by a plastic recycling specialist to properly handle this waste which is in fact,a commodity. Several plastic recyclers list ABS and polypropylenes as plastics they're in need of and one sold 40,000 tonnes of ABS to Ohio in one month. They're searching for more! A plastics manufacturer would not only be able to advise them how to set up a good system for recycling, they could also keep them in the loop about new polymers that need to be handled differently such as the talc enriched door panels being used in the UK. Car Heaven has succesfully managed a relationship with GM and OARA. The next step should close the circle and get the plastics out of the earth for good.

Antique Cars & Parts Flea Market 40th show

2007-12-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning,I went to the HASC 40th annual Antique Cars & Parts Swap Meet and Flea Market held at the Int Centre in Mississauga.If the weather had cooperated it would have been jammed to the rafters. Unfortunately a snow storm the night before scared away some vendors and a few customers! Damn shame, I say. The parts selection was good and there were a few interesting cars for sale in the corral.
I liked the 1968 Pontiac Grand Prix in metallic maroon with black vinyl roof. It looked sharp. A pair of early post war Buicks looked pretty nasty and were likely good for parts instead of restoring. But the parts! That's what was great. I saw no less than three complete Chevrolet tripower carb systems from the late fifties for sale, a long block 1973 Ford 351 Cleveland and lots of related parts, all sorts of chrome and dress up goodies old and new. I almost bought a Buick tach from 1962.
Other stuff? How about complete NOS GM stainless steel door edge guards, tru five Chevy hood ornaments, 1950s Merc hubcaps and a running Model T touring ragtop in need of restoration?
Lots of vendors there including Old Autos, Lant Ins, Whetter-Oaklin, Graves Auto and scads of manuals, brochures, gas station memorabilia galaore. A very good visit and I urge you to go next time.

W72 Pontiac 400 new pics!

2007-11-28T13:15:00.000-08:00

I decided to send some pictures of the 400 Pontiac engine I stripped to the core.
This is before the hot tanking and core plug removal. That happens next week at Beatty & Woods. The engine is standard bore and completely stock. I got a nasty surprise with the crankshaft. It is scored big time. I included a close up of the bearing journals so you can see the ridges between rod bearings. It looks like the owner ran it hard without fresh oil. I'm amazed the crank didn't seize or snap. The tolerances were probably too large to seize. I bet it rattled something fierce. Looks like I need new crankshaft and rods for sure.
Notice the split dowel pins in the main bearing saddles? Pontiac started doing this in 1976 or so on their W72 blocks to reduce stress under load. It must have worked because this engine was punished for certain and the crank didn't break. It helps that they used Arma Steel as well. The bearing caps and the journals aren't blue so it wasn't heat damage. Just dirty oil and low oil pressure. By the way, this is one of the early W72 units with 40 psi pump and non sump pan. This was built in July 1977.

Famous for 15 seconds, dead forever!

2007-11-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

I was watching some YouTube videos of various car wrecks, stunts gone wrong and drag strip crashes when I realized Andy Warhol's quote about everyone being famous for fifteen minutes needed updating. The majority of the videoes were short, a couple of minutes is a long one. The truly nasty ones were a minute or less.
I felt sorry for the guy who lost his Corvette to a nitrous oxide induced fireball right at the start of the dragstrip. Especially when he gets to hear the chortling commentary his callow buddy made on the camcorder. At least he did the right thing. He took it to the strip, wore a helmet and qualified safety personel extinguished the blaze and carted away the remains. My sympathy wanes when it comes to stunt drivers, street racers and assorted lunatics with no respect for safety or human life.
I wasn't going to watch the crash videos. I was watching various engine dyno runs. You Tube had other plans. Those neat "related videos" they stack up soon drift away from intended target. The next thing you know, it's flying bodies and car/bike collisions.
One neat fact the videos demontrate is how safe modern cars have become. Crush zone technology, air bags, anti skid control and a host of other systems make it possible to walk away from accidents that are certifiably fatal with older cars. It doesn't make me want to leap into a Ferrari Testarossa and pile it into a retaining wall at a buck forty. I'm kind of conservative that way, rather be alive and anonymous than famous for 15 seconds and dead forever.

Car Heaven a Good Idea but needs work!

2007-11-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

I'm having real trouble accepting Car Heaven's program. Ostensibly, it is a noble effort to reduce excess waste and responsibly recycle reusable materials. It is promoted heavily by auto journalists and backed by the Clean Air Foundation. A look at their web page shows they've done a great job on certain fronts. The gasoline, diesel fuel, oils and lubricants which average 19 liters per vehicle, are being recovered through re use or responsible disposal. The same goes for various parts like gas tanks, CFCs and HCFCs which are regfrigerant liquids and mercury switches.
When it comes to actual engine and drivetrain components and tires, Car Heaven starts slipping off track. It states in the Parts ReUse category that depending on their condition or sale potential parts are dismantled, reconditioned and sold to customers, minimizing the need for manufacturing new parts. So far so good. Then it says none of the parts of the vehicle that contribute to emissions (the engine, transmission, exhaust, electrical system, catalytic converter, sensors, cooling system, distributor and starter) are re used. However, front and rear ends, body panels, wheels, windows and windshields are re sold to customers.

One can only presume the said drivetrain and electrical components are sold to metal foundries and metal vendors since all of the said items are patently re usable. Remember this is for cars 1995 and older. Just where are you going to locate a 2.8 V6 engine eight years from now? The supply of affordable replacement parts is at risk with this program.
The most astounding part of the procedure has to do with the eventual destruction of the car. It is shredded using a machine that pulverises the car into fist sized chunks in minutes. Then magnetic devices are used to separate the ferrous and non ferrous metals for resale. The nonmetallic particles such as rubber, plastics, foam, dirt, glass and metal particles are landfilled.
Plastics, foam rubber, in other words your vinyl interior, dashboard, carpets, headliners, all that stuff made of volatile organic compounds and petrochemical by products are plowed into the ground! This make sense to a group concerned about environmetal stewardship?It smells rotten to me. Putting that stuff in the ground is irresponsible. Car Heaven needs serious work to fix that problem!

Old Autos' 20th Anniversary and a swap meet

2007-11-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

Old Autos newspaper celebrated their 20th year in business with a great wine and dine at a golf club near Aberfoyle. It was wonderful to meet so many of the fine writers and enthusiasts that made the paper the number one purveyor of news in Canada. Murray McEwan and Murray Cutler faced a tough battle when they started the paper up as there was no internet to speak of in consumers hands at the time. (It was still mostly a product of university campuses and the military.) Anyway, the party was fabulous, everybody had a good time and I was so overwhelmed by it I forgot to sign the scrapbook McEwan had on the table! So I'm saying it here and now, Happy Anniversary and let's go for twenty more years.
My next big auto adventure is the upcoming 40th annual antique Cars & Parts Flea Market held Dec 2nd at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. It's a great way to see vintage stuff and meet up with collectors before the snow flies. I won't be selling at a booth this time, I cleared out lots of merchandise over the summer and need to restock. It's getting tough to find good parts now. I doubt I'll ever find another 1965 L76 Holley Corvette carburetor or a 1955 Chryco AM radio complete from vacuum tubes to chrome knobs. Those were just two of the beauties I sold to happy restorers this year. Maybe I can unload some Pontiac engine pieces.

Buying a Pontiac W72 engine

2007-11-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

This glorious American made V8 performance car engine was silenced about 17 years ago. If you only include big bore engines, add another couple of years to cover the loss of Pontiac's 455 in 1977. When North Americans started restoring muscle cars in the 1980s, the choice of engines in wrecking yards was pretty good. Today, Chevrolet V8 enthusiasts still have ample opportunity to find what they want. What if you're restoring a different brand such as Pontiac, Oldsmobile or something from the full size line such as a Cadillac 472?

They're still out there. With internet auction houses and online classified ads, the entire continent is available for searching. The parts are still hard to find for restorers and if you don't know what to look for, it's easy to pay more and get less. Parts need to be examined in detail and preferably up close. There's only so much a digital camera can display. Another problem that has risen from the "buy it now" button is a reluctance to ask proper questions and making sure the engine or part in question meets your needs.

A good case in point is the engine purchase I made recently for my 1980 turbo Trans Am Special Edition. I restored the car a few years ago doing everything over except the engine because believe it or not, it ran perfectly when I got it seven years ago. This wasn't any trailer queen, but an honest 97,500 kilometer car needing everthing to make it look new. The engine runs fine and it is numbers matching. However I've put seven years of summer driving on it and I'm nervous about driving such a low production engine. They only made the turbo 4.9 V8 for two years. I decided to build a replacement engine to power the car and store the turbo V8 away.

I went on the prowl for a Pontiac V8 and found a nice 1974 455 HO YY code block. It was bored .030 over, had been magnafluxed, hot tanked and included main bearing caps. It needed another hot tank to melt out the cam bearings and check up before ordering new parts. It had spun a rod bearing within 200 miles and the owner gave up on it. I was ready to use that one when I came across another Pontiac V8. This one was complete and even cheaper than the 455. The suffix code Y6 made it a 1977 Pontiac W72 high performance Trans Am engine. It also had the satin chromed valve covers, 6X4 cylinder heads, oil pan, water pump, timing case, pushrod valley cover plus all the little pieces you have to buy if you're using a short block.

Let's look at the math. The 455 was $350 for a bare block ready to hot tank and start over. The 400 W72 was $300 and it came with everything from original oil pan to intake manifold. Buying these little bits and pieces cost money. A replacement timing case is $179. A fuel pump cam and eccentric is $40. Since the engines share the same pieces externally, you end up saving money on the rebuild. Remember this when you see a nice short block for sale. If you don't have the other goodies, some one else has and you'll be paying for them.