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KTM Builds a Custom Motorcycle Just for Me (And 80,000 of My Buddies) VW's Campaign For World Dominance - And Why We're Conscientious Objectors With Sidepipes, No One Can Hear You Scream - We Visit Factory Five Racing. We Go Fast. We Want One. We Lower Our Expectations - And Succeed Magnificently - Sometimes, Less Is More One of Six! - Bobby Spedale's AMAZING 1969 Mustang GT Convertible 428CJ Maybe Some People Shouldn't Drive. - Is Driving a Right, or a Privilege? An Old Dog Learns A New Trick - Fun With Six Cylinders and Boost Got Soul? - We Get Soul, and It's Superbad! Bright Lights, Dim Bulbs - Please Turn Off Your Fog Lights A Nutmeg State - We Love Connecticut, Except For Its Roads! 1976 Cosworth Vega - 91 Original Miles! - A Once In A Lifetime Find! The Birth of a Gyrhead - What Was Your Moment? OMG, OMG, OMG! - Two Wheels, 50+ Horsepower, 240 Pounds - Spooky Wheelie Time Ashes to Ashes, 340 Duster to Dust - Or, "Why We Learned to Hate Blue Tarps" Moto-Darwinism - Why Darwin Was Right About These 4 Great Cars So Long Old Friends - Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Mercury Are Gone. Its Sad. 1969 Cougar 428SCJ - All Business - Joe Valenti's 1969 428SCJ Cougar 1967 Cougar GT390 - Retro Groove - Chris Aho's 1967 GT390 In Appreciation of Bridges - Why Bridges Are Really Cool, Seriously What's Up With Toyota? - Why's Everybody Always Picking On Me? A Buick You Can Love, If You Don't Own White Shoes - A Buick For The Under 85 Crowd America's Peculiar Love Affair With Pickups - Pickup Trucks Kick Ass Cadillac – The Swagger is Back - It's Been A While, But Look Out - Caddy is Cool Again Dodge SRT-4: Tommy C. Your Car Has Arrived - MoPar Builds A Cuddly Butt Kicker! 2005 Pontiac GTO - Is It Worthy Of The GTO Name?- We Think So, So Should You! 1926 Locomobile Junior 8 "Crate Engine" - We Find An Old Engine, Jay Leno Buys It NASCAR Aero Warriors! - Our Ride In A 426 Hemi Superbird and Torino King Cobra! KTM Builds a Custom Motorcycle Just for Me (And 80,000 of My Buddies) According to Rolls Royce executives, no two Phantom models leave the Goodwood factory remotely alike. Thanks to their “bespoke” program, customers can choose from a limitless array of colors, fabrics, woods and other interior appointments. For the fortunate few rich enough to engage Rolls Royce to build them a bespoke Phantom, that must be quite an ego boost. But most of us work for a living, and will never own (or likely even set eyes upon) a bespoke Rolls Royce Phantom. But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t entitled to have things our own way. Above and beyond a visit to Burger King, us regular folks deserve some love too. Alas, very few of the things we mortals can afford turn out to be as great as we hoped. Since the Sea Monkeys or X-Ray glasses purchased from a comic book, we’ve grown accustomed to let down. Those Sea Monkeys turned out to be little more than Mosquito larvae, and ultimately delivered far less faithful companionship and frisky fun than promised. Similarly, the X-Ray goggles proved totally ineffectual at breaching those impenetrable junior high cotton blouses and tartan skirts. Astute readers may recall that I’m a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast with a passion for vintage Hondas and off road bikes. And the recent history of my dirt bike ownership has been something of a frustration too. Like Goldilocks, few of my recent off road motorcycles have been quite right, or as expected: Yamaha TTR 250. After a long hiatus from the hobby, the TTR proved a good machine for jumping back in. It's an aircooled, electric start playbike, and the TTR is blessed with the most wonderful DOHC engine – extremely torquey, with surprising top end pull and anvil-like reliability. In the chassis department, the TTR isn’t so wonderful - with a heavy steel frame, lazy geometry and the mushiest possible suspension. It’s a faithful and reliable trail bike, but very quickly reveals its limitations when pushed. And the extreme (265 lb) weight is just exhausting over a long day of riding. Yamaha WR 450F. Once uncorked and jetted, this bike was an absolute animal, with limitless torque and arm-straightening pull. But it too was obscenely heavy (240 lbs), and not much more nimble than the TTR. On New England single track - riding the WR450 was like parallel parking a Top Fuel dragster. Technically possible, yes, but awkward, a little dangerous and extremely ill-advised. Again, I was always eager to park the WR at the end of the ride – because it wanted to kill me, and tried hard to do so every time I saddled up. In two short seasons my initial enthusiasm morphed into disdain and then hatred. I couldn't wait to see it go.
I needed something light and fast yet unapologetically trail oriented. Japan was once committed to bikes like this, and produced such jewels as the Suzuki PE-175, Yamaha IT-175 and the Kawasaki KDX-200 and 220. But lately it seems that Japan offers but two types of dirt bikes – all out 4 stroke competition machines and heavy, dull playbikes. This market strategy leaves riders like me in compromise hell. Just when I’d given up on a dirt bike that was “just right” for my age and riding style came the latest issue of Dirt Rider magazine. Thumbing through, my eyes were drawn to the strange orange two strokes from KTM of Austria. At 105, 125, 150, 200, 250 and 300 cc’s, what weird displacements! SX, XC, XC-w variants too. But what really captured my attention were the impossibly low dry weights. I simply had to take a look!
What we discovered, is that for the same price of a mass produced Japanese 250F, a KTM buyer can come darn close to the benefits of a factory bespoke program. With such an incredible array of off-road motorcycles, one or more KTMs is sure to fit the rider with practically ZERO compromise. For me, that choice was a 2010 200 XC-w. The ergos were perfect, and at 209 pounds it’s feather light. My past experience with 2 strokes had me leery, but the KTM smoker is a total jewel. It’s flexible and torquey down low, and the super short first gear makes steep, technical terrain a snap. Despite the small 193cc displacement, the KTM is an absolute rocket when you’re on the pipe – every bit as fast as the WR450. Unlike my other bikes, you ride the KTM, it doesn’t ride you. It goes where you point it, holds whatever line you desire and skips over rough terrain with ease. You ride it hard all day and NEVER want to park it
MMM Good.... And god, the 200 XC-w is gorgeous to look at too. Every detail beautifully executed. Every lightweight component painstakingly machined or die cast for strength and light weight. Renthal bars, Takasago Excel rims, Brembo brakes, Akrapovic muffler, WP forks and shock. The nicest stuff, all included at no extra charge.. Caution - These Pictures Are Considered Pornographic In 11 US States.... It seems that I'm not alone in my passion for the KTM. Browsing Thumpertalk.com quickly reveals that KTM has a following bordering on obsession. Like me, many KTM riders grew tired of bikes that just didn’t fit their needs, and found a revelation in the KTM showroom. Maybe KTM didn’t make their 200 XC-w exactly to my custom specification, but every time I ride it and look at it, it seems that they did. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2011. If you liked this article, please share it with your friends. We worked hard on it so please remember to cite the source
VW's Campaign for World Dominance (and Why We’re Conscientious Objectors) Volkswagen has set an ambitious goal to become the world’s largest auto manufacturer by 2018. In pursuit of that goal, they hope to sell 800,000 VWs annually in the US. We wish them well in that pursuit, but despite some tempting VW models in the showroom and development pipeline, we won’t be coming along for the ride. Having owned a 1999 B5 series Passat since the summer of 1998 – we’ve been justifiably suspect of VWs quality levels. But problems with our Passat only sat us on the VW fence. VW of America President Jonathan Browning recently pushed us off. In a Motor Trend magazine interview, Browning acknowledged VW’s lackluster quality ratings. He then suggested that the real issue with VW quality was not that VW makes unreliable cars, but that Americans fail to understand the advanced design features of VW’s cars. It is this lack of understanding that causes Americans to report quality problems that don’t really exist. Our first reaction to this comment was that Browning is sniffing the parent company exhaust. German manufacturers have long made their disdain for American motorists, our driving habits and key vehicular requirements abundantly clear. But, Browning’s comment did intrigue me enough to explore his hypothesis, using our conscientiously maintained Passat as an example. And, I conclude that VW and Browning are either; full of crap or unaware of the need to countersteer when heading for the ditch in a reputational skid. Our first problem with the Passat came the winter after we took delivery. Living in snowbound northern New England, a significant part of our purchase decision was the “traction control” prominently listed on the window sticker as a standard Passat feature. But come winter, we were perplexed to discover that the Passat didn’t have anything that could reasonably be considered “traction control.” In slick conditions the Passat would happily spin its front tires until they popped. At no point in the frenzy of wheelspin did the “traction control” curtail these shenanigans - either through selective application of the brakes or reductions in engine power (as is standard protocol with most traction control systems). We took the car in for service – only to be informed that the Passat’s “traction control” system is actually a differential lock that applies power more equally to the drive wheels (in trailer park parlance, a "posi”). While "posi" may rightly be considered a traction assist, it can in no reasonable way be construed as traction control. Using VW’s logic, a car with roll down windows is thusly equipped with “climate control". In our minds, VWs window sticker falsely claimed a product feature that does not exist - and this lie was a very big strike one.
Truth in Advertising... Then, there is the VW multi-link front suspension, used on the Passat and certain Audi models. This suspension is comprised of multiple aluminum control arms, each with integral bushings and ball joints. Due to defective bushings, our Passat's front end rattled and clunked seemingly from the day the warranty expired. Unlike simpler suspension designs found on domestic cars (where faulty bushings can be inexpensively replaced separately of the control arms) VW arms must be replaced as an integral (and very costly) unit. The VW dealer quoted us nearly $2,000 to completely repair the problem. Despite this complicated multi-link design, the Passat doesn’t ride or handle appreciably better than cars we’ve owned with far less complex suspension designs. From my perspective, this suspension design is just costly complexity for costly complexity’s sake – and whether I understand this VW engineering feature or not, it evidently doesn’t work. Volkswagen is mightily proud of their interior designs, and the Passat does have an exceptionally well laid out cabin. However, the excellent design proved to be a paper thin veneer. The preposterously flimsy front cupholder broke in the first year, and soon after the center console began shedding plastic trim parts. Then the direction control knobs for the dash vents broke, and the electric mirror knob snapped off. Within several years the soft-touch rubber coatings began to peel from the console and door handles. Then, the fabric on the doors delaminated from the inner panels, where it now lufts in the breeze like a spinnaker. Then the driver’s side interior door handle broke – twice. Then the radio antenna cable (the cable for gosh sakes!) took a dump. Then the welting fell off the window frames. At that point our two boys began refusing to ride in the Passat, because as they eloquently explained, “It sucks” Then, there are the water leaks. Many Passats leak like a sieve (Google it), and the origin of the leak is another outstanding piece of Teutonic design. The Passat has a sheetmetal tub just forward of the firewall, and inside of this tub are the battery, brake booster, master cylinder and electrical relay center. Naturally, tubs excel at collecting water, so to deal with this certainty – VW equipped the tub with a few tiny drain holes, buried deep beneath the battery so you can’t inspect them for clogs. Evidently, German trees don’t have leaves, or their trees are so well mannered that they don’t drop their debris on or around cars. But on the rest of earth, our naughty, undisciplined trees do drop their leaves and pine needles. These leaves find their way into the cowl, and then into the tub, where they plug the hidden drains. In heavy rain, the tub then completely fills with gallons upon gallons of water - submerging the battery and electrical relay box. You only become aware of the problem when water suddenly cascades through the firewall like Victoria Falls, soaking the carpets and short circuiting the electronic modules located under the seats. Again, this is another problem – umm “Volkswagen design feature” - that I evidently don’t understand. Perhaps these water leaks are a part of VW’s cabin humidity control system. Perhaps the resultant carpet mildew is part of VWs commitment to living green. Lastly, there is the not-trivial issue of engine sludge. We thankfully have not experienced this problem, as we knew from prior experience to use synthetic oils exclusively in turbocharged engines. But a recent class action suit resulted in VW anteing up vast sums for engine repairs/replacements in cases where oil sludge had destroyed 1.8t engines. Browning might refer to this problem as evidence of VW’s exacting engineering tolerances – again, we just call it a screw up. From our perspective, Browning’s comments are therefore maddening and inexcusable. Despite the economic importance of the US market, German manufacturers have always had a dismissive attitude towards us colonials. But the reality is VW has a quality problem, and it is not rooted in American ignorance. VW, step one is admitting that you have a problem. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2011. If you liked this article, please share it with your friends. We worked hard on it so please remember to cite the source
With Sidepipes, No One Can Hear You Scream. I'd driven at 80 MPH many many times before, but never in a small, crowded parking lot. Around a right angle turn. In an opposite lock powerslide. I'm riding shotgun in a Factory Five Mark IV roadster in Wareham, MA, and Dave Smith the President of Factory Five is at the wheel. He's driving with one hand and speaking to me as casually as a Sunday stroll through the park. I am trying to look cool and not hurl all at the same time - but it isn't easy.
Photo Courtesy of Factory Five Racing Inc - Used Without Permission We'd read about Factory Five for years, and how their Mark IV roadsters and world-class business practices had revolutionized the formerly shady (to say the least) kit car industry. One spring morning we finally decided to browse the showroom and grab some sales literature. As we eyeballed the Factory Five cars (Mark IV roadster, Type 65 Daytona coupe, 1933 Hot Rod and their newest LS1/LS2 powered, Corvette suspended GTM Supercars) Dave Smith came out to greet us. And what a truly excellent guy he turned out to be. Gracious, smart, passionate - totally tuned in to the soul of an enthusiast. For over an hour he gave us a personal tour of the spotlessly clean Factory Five manufacturing and warehouse facility (that looked capable of passing any modern ISO certification). The tour concluded in the shipping dock, where Factory Five engineering leader Dave Riha's Mark IV roadster was parked. Equipped with a 32 valve twin cam 4.6 Ford V8, TKO 5 speed and the racing spec 3 link rear suspension - the car looked simply spectacular. Dave motioned me to jump in, and I buckled into the Simpson 5 point racing harness. The 320 horsepower Ford barked to life and Dave lit out of the building with the tires ablaze. I was probably screaming, but with the sidepipes blatting away just inches from my ears, I can't be certain. For almost ten minutes, he subjected me to more lateral, accelerative and braking G forces than I'd ever experienced before. At the end of the ride, I was broken - but positively exhilarated. What the Factory Five team has accomplished is nothing short of miraculous. They have built a successful company, reknowned for excellent customer service, an empowered, passionate staff and they have developed a product that is without compromise. For several years, my wife has been hinting that she might like a Mazda Miata as her Sunday driver. I'm going to start a grass roots campaign to convince her that what she REALLY needs is a Factory Five Mark IV. Wish me luck friends - and stay tuned! © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2011. If you liked this article, please share it with your friends. We worked hard on it so please remember to cite the source We Lower Our Expectations - And Succeed Magnificently Years ago I was brainstorming with my buddy Hank about future car projects. Normally our wives don't leave us alone without adult supervision for any length of time, because this is usually a recipe for disaster. For example:
But sometimes we get lucky, and the combination of beer and our wild imaginations generates something so completely stupid and outrageous that it's absolutely beautiful. Our topic of conversation that night was building a low buck sleeper. We'd both had our fill of fussy, over budget restorations and recalled with nostalgia the cars we'd owned in our youth. Often purchased with little more than the coins found under car seats and couch cushions, these cheap cars nearly always exceeded our expectations - mostly because we had none. We decided on a few guiding principles for the ultimate low-buck sleeper:
We decided to limit our list of potential candidates to cars from the 70-80s, because rust is a constant problem in New England and most neat 60s cars had already turned into dust. So, the short list was indeed short; The GM "A/G" body (Malibu, Cutlass, Regal, Etc), Ford Fairmont and MoPar Aspen/Volare. The Ford was our sentimental favorite, but the wimpy driveline and 4 lug suspension ulimately ruled it out. With the MoPar, there just weren't any to be found. So, we settled on the GM. Normally, these brainstorming sessions with Hank netted little more than a fierce hangover and only the vaguest recollection of the "great ideas" spewed forth the prior night. But we uncharacteristically stuck to the plan this time.
A search of the local classifieds quickly turned up the ideal project candidate. A $500, one owner 1981 Malibu station wagon with a 229 V6, floor shifted 3 speed stick and exactly ONE factory option - a $90 AM radio (that seemed to play "Brandy" by Looking Glass 24 hours a day) . Aside from a multitude of parking lot dings and badly faded paint, the Malibu was very solid. The 3 speed stick shift was just an unbelievable bonus. Manual tranny equipped Malibus are extremely rare (wagons even more so) and highly sought after. We slapped down our best offer of $400 cash and brought it home.
Exactly One Factory Option. You Only Live Once, So Why Not Treat Yourself? Considering our project guiding principles, this 'Bu longroof was an absolute bullseye. Low key? You simply can't get any more low key than a Ward Cleaver station wagon. Common with good parts availability? GM made millions of 78-83 Malibus. Local junkyards are overflowing with them and parts interchange among the 1978-87 GM A and G bodies is simply epic. Cheap and easy? It's a Chevy, say no more. The plan was to build a 400 small block that we had laying around the shop, drop in a T-10 or Muncie M-20 4 speed and have a ball. Running the numbers on the 400 machine work proved it would be cheaper, faster and easier to buy a GM 350 HO crate motor. Doble's Chevrolet had several in stock and our business relationship allowed me to snag one at $100 over cost including free next day delivery. A brand new, 330 horsepower, 380 Lb/Foot 4 bolt small block for $1,700 - not bad! Another search of the classifieds turned up a Muncie M-20 4 speed transmission for $150. These wide ratio boxes typically cost anywhere from $500-1,000 depending on condition - so $150 was a steal. Better yet, the M-20 was in great condition - with a mint countergear, forward gears, blocking rings and only minor synchro wear. All the same, it made sense to tear it down, clean, inspect and reassemble with new bearings, needles, thrust washers and synchros. Cheap and easy insurance. A Ram clutch and Hurst Comp Plus shifter was installed. The factory 2.73 rear end had to go. Aside from the lame ratio, it was also a 7.65" 10 bolt - not a particularly strong component. Again, luck smiled upon us in the form of a totalled 1983 Monte Carlo SS for $400. We pulled the 3.42 rear end, quick ratio steering box, sway bars, coil springs and sport steering wheel. Again, this was a major league score, though we were disappointed to find that the 3.42 differential was not a posi. Our wagon came factory equipped with the highly sought after aluminum rear brake drums. These lightweight drums really cut down on rotational mass and unsprung weight, which helps both acceleration and handling. For rolling stock, our buddy Chris donated a set of 15X8" GM Ralley Wheels, which we shod with used Yokohama A378 tires and decorated with "low hat" ralley wheel caps. This made the Malibu wagon look exactly like a Malibu wagon - with bigger tires. Ram-Air Trans Am Feeling Confident......And...
.....Ram-Air Trans Am Gets Owned By A Wagon. Yeah, That Just Happened.....But Wait.
...My Malibu Wagon Gets Spanked By ANOTHER Malibu Wagon. You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up! Project "low expectations" was finally done - and was absolutely everything we hoped it would be. Totally ugly, 100% uncool, invisibly low key, dirt cheap and an absolute rocket. Despite serious traction problems and a resultingly pathetic 2.5 short time, our first blasts down the strip at New England Dragway netted a best run of 14.10 at 99 MPH. With the Monte SS suspension, the handling was also superb. With a full 2.5" dual exhaust and a cross over pipe, my favorite part of the Malibu was the sound - the whine of the Muncie, intake roar and exhaust bellow was just incredible! Actual Malibu Sound Track - Losing Traction In Second Gear (Poor Sound, So Turn Up Your PC Volume) For 2 years and 40,000 miles, I flogged that Malibu like a rented mule - and it never broke. Parking lot dings? Didn't care. Road salt? Oh well. Greasy engine parts in the way back? Toss 'em in! Such was life with a low buck beater - damn the torpedoes and just drive the wheels off the thing.
A Fistful Of Time Slips and Rubber Chunks On The Quarter Panels - Evidence Of A Good Saturday Night! New England road salt finally took its inevitable toll. The rear frame horns rotted to the point the Malibu would no longer pull a state safety inspection sticker. With a heavy heart we pulled the engine, driveline, clutch pedal assembly/linkages, manual transmission column, quick steer box, sport wheel, sway bars. The parts were ultimately sold for far more than the cost of the entire project 2 years earlier. With real sadness I watched the flatbed haul the gutted carcass of the Malibu away. I've owned many dozens of cars over the years, but for some reason this ugly, dirt cheap, piece of crap Malibu is still the one that I miss the most. There's an object lesson in their somewhere. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2011. If you liked this article, please share it with your friends. We worked hard on it so please remember to cite the source This is Bobby Spedale's amazing 1969 Mustang GT 428 Cobrajet R-Code Convertible. Bobby found this incredibly rare ragtop languishing in a field, missing the entire CJ drivetrain, and practically all of the exterior panels.
Recognizing the significance of the find (one of just six Mustangs so built) Bobby rescued the Mustang and subjected it to an all out restoration. As you can see, the results speak for themselves.
This car shines like a jewel, and Bobby's craftsmanship is evident throughout. While Gyrhead's contribution to this fine pony was minimal (a few NOS ignition repair harnesses) we feel honored to count Bobby among our customers! Maybe Some People Shouldn't Drive. I'm on a Delta 737 from Minneapolis to Boston and by habit, well stocked with car and cycle magazines for the 2 1/2 hour flight. The gentleman seated next to me is about 50 years old, with an attitude and attire that speaks to a high net worth. Noticing my car magazines, he asks for my opinion about a car for his 17 year old daughter. He's thinking of a Volvo, and his rationale for this selection is truly baffling. Being 17, he expects that "she'll total a couple of cars before getting the hang of driving". So, this fellow thinks it's best that she drive a an Abrams battle tank that can help her survive the inevitable texting/inattention/speeding / poor judgement related crashes. I'm speechless. "So what do you think of the Volvo?" he asks. "It's a good car" I say. But what I'm really thinking is "how about actually teaching your kid how to drive - or buying her a bus pass instead?" Where did such a perverse attitude about driving come from? As kids, we were actually taught to drive, with the principal objective of avoiding an accident in the first place. Rules of the road, hands at 10 and 2, steer into the skid, yield the right of way, check the mirrors, obey the signs - all were mechanisms to avoid mistakes that can lead to crashes. This crazy father evidently didn't have the time or common sense to teach his own child the fundamentals. Instead, he'll buy a Swedish safety capsule to help her survive the inevitable wreck. What a bozo. The new Mercedes E350 TV commericals are just as bizarre, with 3-4 vignettes where drivers somberly admit to their own bad driving ("I didn't notice that I'd drifted into the other lane", or "I wasn't paying attention to the truck stopped ahead") and then give heartfelt thanks to the Mercedes electronic nannies that just saved their bacon. What message does this send about the dead serious act of driving? That it's OK to be a moron, because our cars will compensate for our errors and poor judgment and save us? Driving the roads today, it's evident that the fundamental skills of American drivers are getting worse, not better. I simply cannot imagine anything more frightening than a new breed of drivers who are entirely dependent on electronic wizardry to keep them (and me) alive. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2011. If you liked this article, please share it with your friends. We worked hard on it so please remember to cite the source
The driver of the 1970 SS454 Chevelle was having a really bad day. On this warm summer afternoon, he was getting his butt spanked, and spanked hard, by a nice sensible Buick. An old man’s car for heaven's sake. I’d spied him waiting at the traffic light and positioned the Buick in the empty lane alongside the red cowl inducted Chevelle. He gave the subtle “red light creep” that signaled his intentions when the light changed. Based on the amused-yet-dismissive look on his face, he obviously thought I had little chance against his mighty 454. On the green light, the SS quickly pulled a few fenders in first gear until the Buick hooked and whooshed by like he’d shifted into reverse. From the 30 MPH crack, it was the same story – this time the Buick pulling him by 5-6 lengths all while smoking the tires well past 50MPH. The Chevelle owner’s facial expression was every bit as befuddled as Mike Tyson’s when Buster Douglas knocked him out in 1990
A Buick Grand National provides its owner with many such moments and every one is just as hilarious as the first. In fact, the Grand National, all 3,700 pounds and 231 cubic inches of it, will just annihilate every mythological belief about the supposed supremacy of 1960’s Detroit muscle cars. All while riding in air conditioned comfort, with the radio on and quietly through the mufflers. You’ve just got to experience it first hand to believe it. But how did I arrive at this moment? How did a self-avowed Ford big block fanatic end up owning, of all things, a V6 Buick? At the risk of sounding like an Alcoholics Anonymous first timer, I've got to confess: "Hi, my name is Tom. I’m 46 years old and for the past 40 years I've been under the influence of the Big Block" Despite
the undeniable performance trend towards EFI, turbos
and superchargers in the past 25 years, I secretly wondered when that “silly little technology
fad” would
end. In 1987 we bought a brand new Mustang 5.0
LX
notchback. It was a neat little car – but with alien concepts such as
EFI, catalytic converters and TFI ignition, it never fully squared with our
old school musclecar roots (despite some pretty impressive
13.98 bone stock passes at New England Dragway). Our initial rides in Fred Mahoney's
new 1987 Buick Grand National
only
half-heartedly impressed. Yeah, it was quick, but where was the manual tranny, the exhaust noise
and just where the hell was the V-8?? I
remained convinced that a
proper performance car meant a lumpy idling temperamental
big block 1960’s icon. As
the values of these icons rose so did our preoccupation
with such pedantry as date coded alternator belts,
assembly line paint codes and the correct gloss of
satin black chassis paint. I hung out with guys that spent six figures
restoring Hemi MoPars that they waxed but never drove. We talked confidently of impressive drag
strip performance but few of us actually ventured onto the
track anymore. And we didn’t notice how basically silly
the whole thing had become. 20 years ago we
were screwing “Cal Custom” gauge clusters into these same dash pads and hanging
the axles off 8-inch shackles. We
happily drove these iconic muscle cars (year round) like we’d rented them in
Islamabad with
the full collision damage waiver. Now we treated these same cars
like Picassos. In the words of the J. Geils Band “I musta got lost -- somewhere down the line”
Your Basic 50 Footer, But Good Bones! In 2005, everything changed. My brother in law's
1987
Grand National - a daily driver since new – was for sale. It was a rock
solid South New Jersey car, completely stock aside from a Hooker cat back exhaust, chip and
K&N filter. Never tracked, mint
no-smoking interior, (amazingly) never stolen and with a complete service history
since day one. About a billion miles on the odometer and the circa-1987 GM factory paint
job (looking like it had been painted by drunken Rhesus monkeys using
a Q-tip) The price was right, we had space in the garage – so
we snapped it up. My plan was to
fix the worn out stuff, drive the car, learn about the "new" (actually 20 year old) technology and
decide if this whole new-fangled techno scene was indeed for me.
I had no idea what was to come. Step 1
was to begin the reading and studying
phase. The Buick turbo isn’t rocket
science, but nor is it a car for the careless.
It’s a vehicle that demands attention to detail,
adherence to protocol and basic knowledge
BEFORE turning a wrench. Treat
this technology casually
and you’ll be rewarded with a turbocharged
pile of crap that
barely runs – if at all. I found
TurboBuick.com and GNTTYPE.org to be excellent sources of
information. What's
impressive about the Grand National is how thoroughly Buick
engineered the package. In 1987, the
entire G-body program was end of life.
Unlike the largely
cosmetic modifications Chevrolet made to create the Monte Carlo SS, the GN was truly
an engineering masterpiece. The
GN uses a unique engine block, rolled fillet nodular crank, “445” casting
heads, unique pistons and rods. The intake is
a aluminum air-gap, single plane marvel – practically a tunnel ram
design. The car has stainless steel
headers, die cast valve covers, intercooler, distributor-less ignition, sequential
port
injection, oil cooler and more. The
drive train consists of a GN specific "BRF" TH2004R 4 speed overdrive
with bigger servo, unique
valving, fluid cooler and high stall lockup converter. The 10-bolt rear end is
a beefy 3.42
8.5” ring gear unit used only in
the GN and 86-87 Olds 442. Positraction was optional (but present on our
car). The
suspension calibration is also GN specific, as is the exterior and interior trim. It’s a truly comprehensive package and
Buick’s commitment and engineering pride is evident everywhere you look. In stock trim, a new GN was
good for 5.5 seconds to sixty and 14.0 and 100 MPH in the quarter. With a K&N filter, good tires and a
160-degree thermostat – 13.0 was attainable, and with about $500 of
additional mods 12s were commonplace. Considering the era in which it was built,
the looks are fairly outstanding too. The
basic proportions are right, and there’s no added fluff. The typical GN owner is the essence of the classic hotrodder. Creative,
inquisitive do-it-yourselfers who are willing to
modify, run the snot out of their cars, break them
and come back for more. That so many stock
blocked GNs are running reliably under 11 seconds
is testimony to the skill, knowledge and passion
of this tight knit group. It's hotrodding
at its essence and at its best. Sure, there are well heeled Buick
GNX owners who
store their priceless McLaren/ASC creations undriven
and plastic wrapped in climate controlled garages.
And that probably makes sense. The
GNX is exceedingly rare (547 built) and the values
for an excellent, low mileage GNX is above
six
figures. There were a few prerequisites to our Buick
project. First was cost. I’m a working stiff
and the soaring costs of
healthcare coverage, business costs, mortgage, fuel and daily necessities mandated
that the
project be cheap. I also wanted
to maintain the car as a 50 footer/driver so all funding would go to improving
performance and reliability. I wanted
it to look stock, and it had to be streetable and fast. Cost to date: $2,000Our GN
was peppy, but there were
obvious issues. While the ECM showed
no error codes or abnormal readings, the engine popped and spit under boost,
and on pump premium there was audible detonation.
Both symptoms are typical of well-worn GN’s, and usually attributable to
inadequate fuel delivery and weak spark.
Both problems are also
lethal to the head gaskets and bottom end if left
unchecked. The transmission was also
sloppy – with massive flare on the 1-2 shift and no perceptible converter lockup. The GM G-bodies actually have a pretty decent front steer suspension setup, but like most 20 year-old cars, ours was tired. The stock ball joints, tie rods and idler were visibly shot. The passenger control arm bushing was completely trashed from the heat of the down pipe, causing a pretty nasty wander. New Moog bushings, idler, center link, tie rods, shocks, links were the solution. Moog parts aren't the cheapest – but it’s the best aftermarket brand going. Rebuilding the front end is a strenuous, dirty job befitting the Discovery Channel’s Mike Rowe. You don't want to be doing this job again several years later owing to inferior grade parts! While the front
springs were out, we cut them down by approximately ½ coil. This lowered the front ½ inch and also increased
the spring rates slightly. This is an
easy mod that costs nothing. It all
went back together, and the alignment was still near perfect! Cost to date: $2,400Under hood, the engine looked like it was dipped in the cargo hold of the Exxon-Valdez. Oil, grease and dirt covered absolutely everything - in places nearly 1” thick. The valve cover gaskets were leaking oil onto the headers, the front cover leaked, the oil cooler lines leaked, the intake leaked and the car left a glossy oil puddle wherever it parked. Again, very typical of high mileage GN’s. That was completely embarrassing, so I embarked on a process to clean and re-seal the engine. The GN seems to be built in geologic
“layers” To get at anything,
you’ve got to remove everything else within a ten-foot radius. By the time a
job is done, you’ll have
nearly every tool in the box laying on, around and under the car. Metric, standard, Torx and Whitworths –
you’ll need them all. Some
components use a bewildering mix of standard and metric
fasteners. Some
fasteners used a standard bolt but a metric nut!
What exactly was GM
thinking? Finally I had the engine disassembled. Valve covers, turbo,
intercooler,
waterpump, intake manifold, front cover, timing
chain and oil pump. The intake,
front cover and valve covers were cleaned, glass beaded and
then painted with a high-temperature “cast aluminum" paint.
All sensors,
thermostat and thermostat housing were rreplaced
with new and NOS GM parts. For piece of mind we
installed a new GM coil pack (Delco D552), AC-Delco module (Delco D1996), cam
sensor (Standard Motor PC-16 -- a reboxed Genuine GM part at 1/10th
the GM price!), TPS sensor (Delco 213-918) IAC (Delco 213-437) waterpump, heater
valve, hoses, and Delco radiator (20269) AC-Delco parts are more expensive
initially, but they fit right, work right and last a long time. The throttle body was carefully disassembled and totally
cleaned. The intercooler was
cleaned and reinstalled along with a new serpentine belt and an NOS GM
oil pump.
The entire engine harness was cleaned, inspected,
re-taped and connected.
Homemade Cam Sensor Adjusting Tool – Cost $2When setting the cam sensor, most people seem to like the Casper’s tool for about $30. But being a cheap yankee bastard, I decided to make my own for about $2. A Radio Shack LED, borrowed 9V battery and a few butt connectors did the job just fine. At this point, the engine was really starting to look good. Most of the crud was gone, and the newly painted components looked sharp! Cost to date: $2,710From the severely
oiled up condition of the stock intercooler, it was
evident that the turbo needed repair.
On the advice of some Mustang SVO enthusiasts we shipped our stock
Garrett T03 to Evergreen Turbo in Ocala, Florida. Charlie at Evergreen asked if we wanted to "upgrade"
the
compressor wheel and housing for faster spoolup and more boost. Sounded good to me, but I totally neglected
to ask the specs of the upgraded wheel and housing. To this day, no one can recognize this turbo – which causes
problems when tuning the combination or selecting related components. Mystery Turbo – What Art Thou? Evergreen’s workmanship and turnaround was excellent –
but
I think my hasty turbo decision was a mistake. There are a number of well-proven turbos
available for the GN at every budget and performance point. Having a known quantity
on this vital component would have been better. My advice to anyone in this situation is to do LOTS of homework
before spending a dime! Cost to date: $3,300We still needed to spend some real money. Decisions regarding injectors, ECM chip, and
desired boost levels were looming. At this phase in the project, I was wrestling out of my
weight class and needed some expert guidance. Enter Russ Merritt of Carver, Mass. If you own a Turbo Buick and don’t know Russ, you
probably will before too long. This is
a guy who lives for Turbo Buicks, and his waste gate is set for 30 pounds of boost
at all times. Russ founded and operates
Merritt Performance, and has built a solid reputation for excellent
workmanship, fairness and incredible enthusiasm. He was also one of the first
to build a 9 second stock block, daily street driven GN. At any moment, Russ will have 2-3 customer Buicks in house for
complete engines, transmissions, tuning and consulting. I met Russ quite by
accident, when he called to order a few AC-Delco parts. A few weeks later, we traveled down to meet
him. Instantly it was clear that he would be our Buick mentor. Russ knows
the commandments of turbo Buick - and they are hithero
to be known in the best Olde English as:
Russ helped me make a plan. We’d complete the engine, get the car dialed in and then spend the summer driving and having fun. At Russ’ suggestion, we agreed to 50 Lb/hr Delphi injectors, a 93 octane/alcohol Turbo Tweak chip, a Razor alcohol injection system, Racetronix 340 hotwire fuel pump and cranking up the boost till the motor said “uncle” To prime the oiling system, I
took apart my old cam sensor, and installed the sensor housing in the front
cover. I removed the gear and shaft
from a Buick 350
distributor, cut off the top of the shaft and inserted it into the cam sensor
housing, letting the key engage the slot on the oil pump. I chucked the shaft into an electric drill
and let it rip. The system was fully
primed in minutes.
Homemade Oil Pump Priming Tool – Cost $ 3 With the Delphi 50s, Razor alcohol and the Turbo Tweak chip,
the motor fired up on the first try. No
leaks, no funky noises, no stinky smoke, no trouble codes and the BLMs at 128.
This was incredibly gratifying for a Buick rookie!
"Hey Mister, Some Of Your Cylinders Are Missing!" Cost to date: $4,920Project Buick finally hit the road
again, but a victory dance was premature. The mystery turbo,
stock D5 converter and wasted transmission were all pulling in different
directions. The
tight converter wouldn’t let the turbo spool off
the line. When the boost finally built, the tired 2004R would spoil the
party with lazy, sloppy shifts. There
was some good news though. The motor
ran very well, and seemed very tight given the high mileage. The high boost popping and surging was gone,
and at full boost there was no audible knock or knock retard on the
Scanmaster. The Turbo Tweak chip idled
and drove perfectly! We had made solid
progress – but there was much more work to do.
The broken transmission couldn’t be ignored any longer. I trailered the car to Russ, and in three days the transmission was completed with a full complement of PTS Extreme and Alto inners. To aid in spooling, the stock D5 converter was swapped in favor of a Pats 2800 stall lockup unit. The stock valvesprings were swapped for a fresh set of Comp Cams 980s. Hotwire pump installation and an NOS Bosch “237” fuel pressure regulator completed the fueling upgrades. The mystery turbo was swapped for a 3255. A little more tuning revealed that 27 PSI of boost was now possible on 93 octane pump gas with zero knock retard! Traction with the stock 215/65/15 tires was by now absolutely non-existent, so a set of Mickey Thompson ET Street drag radials were installed. Cost to date: $6,420We were starting to have some real fun. The Turbo Buick is an incredibly balanced, versatile and comfortable car. When driving around town, it’s smooth, quiet and docile. No overheating, no loading up of the carb, and 25 MPG on the highway. With 3.42 gears and a lockup converter, 80 MPH cruising is effortless and the car can be driven anywhere with complete confidence. The Razor alcohol injection is nothing short of sheer brilliance. Plumbed into the MAP sensor, it progressively turns on a 100 PSI pump when the motor's under boost. This pump injects a finely atomized methanol shot into the intake tube, which serves to dramatically cool the intake charge and raise the fuel octane. The really slick part is that you only use the expensive methanol when the motor needs it. In other words no money wasted on $8.00 per gallon Cam 2 fuel when you're toodling to the drug store pulling 18 inches of vaccum. Absolute genius! In the turns, the excellent
G body chassis shines, with great steering feel and predictable response. As with most American
production cars, the chassis is
biased towards understeer, but in normal driving the car handles neutrally. Civilized road manners aside,
the true nature of the Grand National reveals
itself when you stand on the throttle. When the boost comes on, the car hits the
tires hard– and even with sticky drag radials the rear end steps out with alarming speed. Hook it up though, and practically nothing
can hang with a well-tuned Turbo Buick, particularly for the price.
Gratuitous Triple XXX Action Photo! On our first pass at New
England Dragway we experienced some unforseen knock at the top of third gear. It's
likely the result of a hotter than necessary sparkplug
and the restrictive stock turbo outlet and downpipe which hurts
evacuation of hot exhaust gasses. Despite a total
throttle lift at the 1000’ mark, the
car coasted through the trap at 12.65 at 107 - nearly Corvette Z06 and Porsche
911 Turbo territory. Once we cure the
knock, the car ought to easily dip into the 11s at 112 MPH. For six grand?
Yeah - I’m pretty pleased. Put all of this in perspective:
What 3,600 Lb musclecar could
run low 12s with a 3.42 gear? What original Musclecar could turn bottom 12s
with 170,000 miles on a 2 bolt block with cast pistons, stock cam, stock heads,
stock ignition and 93 octane? What
classic Musclecar could run bottom 12s yet still pass modern emissions with a
fully functional EGR? What 12-second
Musclecar could you drive all day at 25 MPG and idle for 30 minutes (with the
AC on) in summer toll booth traffic without overheating? What 12-second car could you buy/build for under
$6,500? What car could run 12s with a darned V-6?? Taking all of that into consideration, I’m petitioning the Vatican for a Papal decree to have this car declared a miracle. And then we're going to go looking for some more big blocks to hassle with our nice sensible Buick. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2011. If you liked this article, please share it with your friends. We worked hard on it so please remember to cite the source
It's probably wrong to personify inanimate objects, but some machines are undeniably imbued with something that can only be described as "soul". Attempting to neatly, succinctly describe this soul is fruitless - but as the US Supreme Court once said of hardcore pornography - "you know it when you see it." There are a few common characteristics that seem to be shared by the most soulful machines; Integrity - The machine has to demonstrate excellent fitness for use. In other words, be truly excellent at its intended job. Without this basic integrity, there cannot be soul. Reliability or Serviceability - To have soul, a machine must be dependable, as this attribute helps cement trust between man and the machine. No machine is truly perfect (see MoPar Ballast Resistors or Lucas electrical systems) so while a certain number of foibles are permitted, these must be easy to remedy with nothing more sophisticated than a pliers, small hammer and jackknife Simplicity - See reliability above. Simplicity is much more than readily repaired breakdowns however. It's about the basics and nothing more. Simple machines don't try to distract the operator with useless glitz and glamour. Instead, they declare clearly and honestly what they are - and what they aren't. We either learn to love them for this honesty and purity or look somewhere else. Some might consider the absense of performance on this list as a most serious oversight, but I don't think speed, power or handling are a prerequisite to soul. A former colleague once bought a Ferrari 308 and the car caught fire and burned to the ground on one if its maiden drives. Not a particularly soulful moment, unless Heidi Klum was riding shotgun and helped to toast marshmellows and drink Pinot Grigio over the glowing 4 cam embers. A soulful machine makes a connection with its operator that transcends pure speed-lust. I've owned plenty of truly fast cars that were absolutely lacking in anything resembling soul. For example, the absence of personality is one of the principal complaints raised about modern Japanese performance cars such as the Nissan GT-R. We come to view soulful machines as companions, partners or even friends. We give them names. We keep them for decades or a lifetime. Our friends fail to understand our Rollie LeBay levels of dedication to these seemingly ordinary machines. Our pilot friends describe the Boeing 727 in almost loving terms. They rave about its reliability, the crisp, unfiltered responses to the flight surfaces and the vice free handling. Similiar sentiment is often heard about DeHavilland Beavers, McDonnell Douglas DC-3s and B-17 Bombers. My stepmother's Dad survived over 25 European bombing campaigns as a top turret gunner on a B-17 - so I know that the oft repeated stories of this legendary aircraft are not exaggerations Hardcore cyclists often share a similar appreciation for vintage British vertical twins or small bore Honda singles. In 1974, Dad bought me a new Honda CT-70 K3. That indestructable Trail 70 carried me for thousands of trouble free, adventurous miles across southeastern Massachusetts. My friends rode much faster 125 or 250cc 2 strokes, but when their bikes were laid up with melted pistons or other maladies (pretty often) - my little Honda was out on the trails doing absolutely everything that was asked of it.
So strong was the bond with the Honda that I never sold it - and recently completed the full restoration that it so deserved. My buddy Vito Lanzone owned a Honda C90 during his 1966 tour with the Air Force in Vietnam. Vito's rarely given to bouts of sentimentality, but he talks of that little Honda with something approaching love. Like many folks in the Granite State, my brother is a big fan of vintage farm tractors. One drive of his 1941 Farmall A makes the reason for this passion abundantly clear. From the distinctive chuff of the flathead four engine, the bolt like action of the shifter, the whine of the square cut gears and the mechanically direct steering - the Farmall A is unalloyed mechanical soul. It is stone reliable and ideally suited to its intended purpose. Our former 1968 Chevy C-10 was also overflowing with soul. With only 54,000 one owner miles, the 250 stovebolt six was torquey and smooth but the truly best feature was the 3 speed column shifter. You simply couldn't hurry shifts in that truck, the column shifter had an uncanny way of encouraging you to relax and just enjoy the truck on its own terms. On the New Hampshire dirt roads, the C-10 was magical in its ability to slow down the world and bring you back to a simpler time. We recently sold the truck to the world reknowned New Hampshire basket maker Sharon Dugan. Sharon had been searching for a basic, unmodified truck just like ours - and was smitten the moment she drove it. Watching her skillfully palm the shifter and the peaceful look on her face during the test drive assured me that this truck had found its next soul mate. As James Brown would say, Sharon and the C-10 just seemed to get off on the "Good Foot." © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you liked this article, please share it with your friends. We worked hard on it so please remember to cite the source. The Swiss are reknowned for their level headed temperament. Their even disposition and innate diplomacy probably had much to do with the UN’s decision to base a significant portion of its operations in Geneva. If you really want to see the Swiss over-wind their cookoo clock, then try driving badly on their roads. Bad driving is to the Swiss what beer is to fraternity boys. It brings out their dark side. Fifteen years ago I had the unpleasant nighttime task of piloting a Volkswagen Polo on the treacherous E25 Route de Chamonix towards Geneva. No matter how fast I flogged that poor VW or what travel lane I chose, we inexplicably drew the fist pumping, horn blaring ire of every Swiss motorist that passed our 1.3 litre deathtrap. I endured this torment for over an hour until Sven, my Norwegian Navy Commander travel partner awoke and realized that the rear fog lights were switched on. On European spec cars, this cranks the tail lamps to retina fusing brightness levels. No wonder we nearly caused a diplomatic incident. The Swiss would positively lose their minds on the roads of America. Take an informal poll of American drivers and you’ll see that a large percentage have taken to driving with their front fog lamps ablaze. All of the time. For some drivers this is likely an innocent oversight. For a significant number however, fog lights have become an apparent driving fashion statement. On small cars (with the notable exception of rally lamp equipped Subaru Imprezas and WRXs), abusive fog light use is a petty annoyance. The lamps are dull and often mounted low enough to avoid really offending other motorists. But the aforementioned Subarus, large SUVs and Pickups are a real problem. Drive in front of one of these road going tritium lasers and you’ll soon feel sunburn rising on the back of your neck. Let’s agree on this premise: Intentionally driving with your fog lights on when it isn't foggy does not make you cool. It makes you a big stupid idiot. Admittedly strong sentiment yes - but I regard "foggies" with the same utter disdain that I formally reserved for clowns, Styx, Shake Weight commercials and organizers of children's beauty pagents. During World War II, Air Raid wardens dispensed headlamp hoods to American motorists. These hoods reduced the lumen output of vehicle lamps therefore making our cities less visible targets for nighttime bombing attacks. I think the time is right for a similar mandatory neutering campaign for America’s fog lights. We're open to your ideas. Email your creative, non-lethal and legal thoughts to sales@gyrhead.com and the winning entry will be posted here. The winner also receives a free Gyrhead & Sons tee shirt and the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you like it, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. Connecticut is a fine place. No state in the union does more to guard America against property and casualty loss or to keep our universities well supplied with good looking, well adjusted students. There is one important dimension in which Connecticut scores painfully low, the quality of its highways. Anyone who routinely drives between Boston and New York City certainly knows exactly what I’m talking about. There are 3 highways that traverse Connecticut in a general east-west direction, and all are atrocious in their own unique and special ways.
I-95 from Stonington to Greenwich – This road has been under perpetual construction seemingly since the day it opened (and was immediately declared obsolete) during the Eisenhower administration. When construction related earth mounds have sprouted mature shrubs, trees and fox dens, then you know that someone is milking the state contract for all its worth. After 50 years of continuous construction, you’d think that entire I-95 bridges would not spontaneously fall into the ocean but on this road, sometimes they do. When the toll booths were removed from I-95 in the 1980's it wasn't because the associated revenue bonds were paid, but that the tolls constituted a likely violation of Federal RICO statutes. Connecticut 15 – The Merritt Parkway from Meriden to Greenwich – A lovely road in its own right, with well preserved art deco bridges, challenging curves and a refreshing ban on large commercial vehicles. This quaint relic of the 1920s was once probably a charming setting for a Sunday drive in the 1926 Hupmobile. But it is now so hopelessly over capacity that at any moment a 25 mile traffic jam rivaling those on the China-Tibet highway can spontaneously erupt. “Hey look, there’s a deer!” Traffic jam. “Was that a raindrop?” Traffic jam. “How do I work this BMW I-Drive?” Traffic jam. Traffic on the Merritt is not only maddeningly sticky, it’s also binary. When not dead stopped, traffic moves at 90+ MPH, nose to bumper. Porsches, BMWs and premium SUV’s all jockeying for pole position in the daily “Fairfield County Bond Trader 500” Judging by the multitude of angry dents in the oak trees that line the roadway, the yellow flag flies rather frequently on the Merritt. I-84 Stafford to Danbury - From the Massachusetts border to Hartford, I-84 is a nice road, with decent traffic flow except as you near Hartford during the morning rush. This stretch is also very heavily patrolled by the Connecticut State Police in a bewildering assortment of undercover vehicles and multicolored slick tops - so exceed the posted limit here at your own peril. From Hartford to Danbury however, I-84 becomes perhaps the worst stretch of interstate extant, with a multitude of sharp turns, abrupt lane drops and left hand lane exits (a Connecticut DOT specialty). The drivers here are an entirely incompatible mix of 55MPH resolute unyielders of the left lane (you’ll recognize them by their gray Buick Lesabres with Bush-Cheney bumper stickers and learn to pass them by whatever means necessary), grumpy long haul truckers and Hartford gang-bangers making the New York supply run in slammed imports. Mix one part bad road, two parts bad driving and I-84 can become a spontaneous 60 mile traffic jam from Hartford to Danbury at any time of day or night. Driving through Connecticut on any of these 3 roads is so incredibly frustrating and time wasting that the entire Connecticut Highway Department should be indicted for unlawful restriction of interstate commerce.
We love you Connecticut, we really do - but your roads really put us in a Nutmeg state. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you like it, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. 1976 Cosworth Vega - 91 Original Miles! In 1974, there were precious few bright spots on the GM performance horizon. The Super Duty 455 was drawing its last breath, and the L-82 Corvette was a weak imitation of it's LT-1 ancestor. When GM announced plans to build a Cosworth motored Vega in 1974, the world took notice. Rather than employing the traditional "parts bin" engineering approach, GM took an extremely ambitious and comprehensive path to engineering the Cosworth. The engine was destroked to 122 cubic inches to promote high RPM operation, and outfitted with a Cosworth designed 16 valve DOHC cylinder head. Pistons were forged and a transistorized ignition was fitted. Fuel delivery was achieved through Bendix pulse-time port fuel injection. Underneath, the Cosworth came standard with GM's outstanding F-41 suspension, a Cosworth unique Dana 30 differential with 3.73 gears, and a Muncie 4 speed transmission with a 3.50 first gear and closer ratios. This promised to be a new breed of performance car - with balanced performance, excellent fuel economy and reasonable insurance premiums.
Initial plans called for nearly 200 SAE net horsepower, but difficulty meeting EPA emission regulations delayed introduction until 1975. Sadly, the production car could only muster 111 horsepower. Still, these cars had trim, handsome lines, tasteful graphics, fantastic handling and plenty of upside tuning potential.
Recently, our good friend Bill Rolik - MoPar Guru, rare musclecar broker, and owner of Bill Rolik Enterprises (201) 385-1616 discovered this 91 mile `76 Cosworth in the showroom of a long closed MoPar dealer in Sussex, New Jersey. Ninety-one original and documented miles! Recognizing the significance of this find, Bill got the word out and soon this one-of-a-kind Cosworth was headed to an appreciative owner in Canada. The car was purchased new by the owner of a MoPar dealership, and stored for nearly 30 years in his dry dealership building. It had never been titled, and was still on the original MSO. Apparently the original owner believed that the Cosworth was a car worth preserving for the future.
In 1976 fuel injection was a mystery to most enthusiasts, so many of these Cosworths were ultimately converted to carburetors and precious few retained the Bendix injection system. Aside from a non-original battery and a thin layer of dust, this is EXACTLY the way these cars looked in 1976. Considering the time in which the Cosworth was developed - GM is to be commended for such an ambitious development program.
With a sticker price of over $6,500 this wasn't a cheap car by any means! While the value of the Cosworth hasn't risen in step with the rest of the collector car market, we predict it's just a matter of time until these great cars are discovered by the market. We hope that you enjoyed the story of this car. It's not every day we get to lay eyes upon a 91 mile original car, and sincere thanks to Bill for sharing these photos. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you like it, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. When exactly did you become a Gearhead? In the paddock of the Indy Lights race at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport in 1995, RJ Valentine shared the precise moment that his passion for competitive motorsports began. A successful entrepreneur, SCCA Trans-Am and Rolex GT endurance driver, RJ's moment was the day he flew over a motorsports event and marvelled at the incredible speed of the race cars far below. If you talk to enough serious motorheads about this topic, most will be able to relate the distinct moment when they became forever smitten with great machines.
That moment for me was actually a composite of 3 events and times. In the spring of 1969 my Grampy visited, not in his customary Buick Electra 225, but a pale yellow `69 Mustang convertible with 351 flags on the lower fenders. Naturally Dad had to take the 'Stang for a ride. With Grampy riding shotgun and me in the back seat, Dad simply couldn't resist flooring the accelerator at every stoplight and squealing the hell out of the tires. It was the first time I ever saw Grampy (a rather quiet man with a penchant for gray hats) really laughing with my Dad and it made a big impact on me - this youthful association of good fellowship and adventure in a great car. The second key moment was when my neighbor's buddy dropped by in his brand new Boss 302 Cougar Eliminator. With a chin spoiler, Hurst T handle shifter, deck wing and solid lifter rumble, that Eliminator was like a wonderful full scale Hotwheels car - infinitely cooler than my training wheel equipped red and white Columbia bicycle. The clinching moment was the summer of 1977 in Southeastern Massachusetts. My brother's friend had a positively wicked blue 1971 Roadrunner with a 440 Magnum and pistol grip 4 speed. The sound and sight of that Mopar 440 winding up and burning the tires through 3 gears made the little hairs on my neck stand on end. I'd pace off the length of the rubber marks and dream of the day when I could own such a spectacular machine. It was these 3 memories which set me on a lifelong path of interest in unique machines and the subsequent ownership of dozens of classic cars, supercars and vintage motorcycles. And the passion continues unabated into the next generation. We started bringing our two sons to car shows at an early age, and they'd proudly accompany me in our 428CJ Cougar. Sitting in the driver's seat, Nate would pretend to bang gears, his little hand barely big enough to grab the shifter ball.
The Cougar later made way for an 11 second 1987 Buick Grand National, with turbo upgrade and methanol injection. The boys would constantly beg for me to dip into the boost and pin them to the seats - a "turbo blast" as they called it.
The other day, my youngest son came along for an errand in the Pontiac G8 GT. As we accelerated hard onto the highway with the 6.0 LS2 bellowing, he casually remarked "Gee Dad, I really love the sound of a V8" I just smiled, the torch has been officially passed. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you like it, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. It was at wide-open-throttle, at the top of third gear, when the bike climbed the rear sprocket and suddenly I'm staring up at a crystal blue New Hampshire sky in a full on 50 MPH power wheelie. At about that moment, I started contemplating such earthly matters like healthcare deductibles, long term disability coverage and my life insurance policy. Riding a modern liquid cooled 450cc dirtbike provides you with many similar moments in which to consider your mortality. The steed in question is a clean, well maintained 2003 Yamaha WR450. You all know this story. I wasn't really in the market for a new bike until this beauty showed up on the local "Crackslist" for a super nice price. Before I knew it the WR was securely strapped in the trailer, my wife shooting "I-hope-you-know-what you're-doing-you're-46-years-old-with-a-wife-kids-and-a-mortgage-to-worry-about-and-what-the-hell-do-you -need-a-tenth-motorcycle-for-anyway" glances from the passenger seat of the Silverado.
Call it a vision quest. I'm a pretty fair dirt rider but my tastes have usually gravitated to torquey and somewhat tame big bore air cooled Thumpers. These bikes are to cycling what Mike Lowell was to baseball or Golden Labs to dog ownership; Quiet, likable, reliable and low maintenance - but always ready to perform in the pinch. While the relationship with these bikes was fulfilling, I always wondered what it would be like to throw a leg over an unbroken, wild Mustang and try to tame it. To be clear, the Yamaha WR450 is not a motorcross bike - its designed for competitive enduro events, hare scrambles and the like. While it shares the same engine architecture as the track ready YZ450, the engine is cammed for more low end torque and a less explosive power hit. At 50+ horsepower and a 242 pound dry weight it is considerably less powerful and heavier than most modern 450F models on the market today, but put this in the proper perspective. Scaling up the WR450 to automotive terms would be the equivalent of a 500+ horsepower, 2500 pound 5.0 Mustang. Formidable indeed. What the raw numbers can't fully convey however is the immediacy of the WRs power delivery. With an accelerator pump equipped Keihin FCR carb, five titanium valves and about 12:1 compression - throttle response on the WR is about as frenetic as Steve Buscemi on speed. Roll on the throttle in any gear and you'd better clamp your knees around the tank and hold on - because "over there" will quickly become "right here"
450cc dirtbikes have always sold better in the western US than here on the east coast - and that makes sense. In New England there are just too fewpieces of sufficiently large, wide open real estate to fully avail of the insane power generated by these big bore machines. All the same, it is hard to resist the sweet seductive power awaiting a twist of the grip. Over the cold new England winter I'll be hitting the gym in earnest to be ready for the WR450 come spring. Something tells me I'll need stronger forearms. And maybe some more life insurance. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you like it, please share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. Ashes to Ashes, 340 Duster to Dust Our neighbor recently acquired a really clean and complete 1971 Plymouth Duster 340 with medium brown paint, ralley wheels and white 340 billboards. I’ve always had good feelings about the Duster 340 – as they were terrific and under rated performers. The 340 engine could reliably turn over 6,500 RPM and with traction a good running Duster 340 was a bonafide 13 second car. In high school there was a particularly hairy `70 340 Duster that easily tore up a lot of the local big block cars. For the first few weeks, my neighbor’s Duster occupied that proud and honored spot in the driveway just in front of the garage door. But as the autumn days progressed, the car just kept moving further and further away from the garage. First to a muddy spot next to the garage, and then to a grove of trees about 30 yards away. Wet oak leaves and pine needles first started collecting on the wipers and drip rails, and then really began to pile up in earnest in November. I cringe each time I drive by the neighbor's house. Mopars have always been known as enthusiastic rusters, and the thought of this legendary musclecar sitting on mud and covered by wet, acidic leaves is making me crazy. I can almost imagine the quiet crinkling sounds of the torsion bar mounts rotting away and the steady crackling noises as the clutch disc slowly fuses itself to the flywheel. The other day, the inevitable happened. The emergence of the ubiquitous bright blue plastic tarp. It’s now carelessly draped over the Duster and all of the wet leaves. Only a single ralley wheel and a tantalizing bit of the (now filthy) right side 340 billboard peaks out. I absolutely despise blue tarps. In New Hampshire, you see them everywhere – on cars, boats, motorcycles, tractors, barns and houses. For sure, they are appallingly ugly, but my loathing for the blue tarp extends well beyond questionable aesthetics. It’s what the blue tarp has come to represent over my 40+ years of passion for wonderful machines: Blue tarps are the international flag of unconditional project surrender. I’ve seen far too many rare and excellent cars die a horrendous death under the blue blanket of failure. The storyline is predictable. The once enthusiastic owner removes the air cleaner, a few pieces of trim, tosses the parts in the back seat, sticks a rusty screwdriver down the carb throat and then calls it a day. Then out comes “old blue” to cover over the mess. Weeks, months and decades pass, and before long the tarp is hanging in dirty tatters. In the delusional minds of the owner, the car remains totally safe and secure under that tarp. Like the 1958 Fury in the movie Christine, they imagine the car is slowly restoring itself - ready to emerge like Dorian Gray directly onto the podium at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance. With each jump in the Old Car Price Guide or record setting hammer drop at Barrett Jackson, they puff their chests with pride over their now priceless backyard treasure. Perhaps they should peak under the tarp, because really, really bad things are happening under there. The car is slowly becoming its own ecosystem. With relative humidity under the tarp at a sustained 100%, cars become 3,000 pound terrariums. Mildew clouds the glass, and entirely new species of mold set up residence on the upholstery. After several years the mold spores have become intelligent life forms, and within a decade have established a language and tripartite form of government. Mice, squirrels, chipmunks and possum have established condominium associations in the mufflers, seat springs and heater plenum – and then packaged and sold the mortgages to a rodent hedge fund. If by some miracle the owner ever pulls back that tarp, it’s as if they are blind to the devastation they’ve wrought. Our local edition of Craigslist is lousy with blue tarp refugees, with laughable taglines like “was running when parked”, "Solid, just needs paint” or “one just like it sold at Barrett Jackson for $150,000 asking $149,000” The Craigslist pictures are often similarly tragic – featuring an upended plastic gas can, rusty hammer and a cracked battery laying in the foreground. That said, there is still hope for this lovely 340 Duster. It’s only been neglected for a few months and can likely be saved before it totally returns to the elements. I’d buy it myself, but with tuition bills looming, a project vehicle just isn’t a fiscal priority for our family at the moment. However, I’d be happy to let you know where to find it, should you be so inclined. Just contact us at sales@gyrhead.com © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you like it,, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is a talented and fortunate individual. From a humble 6th round draft pick to his first pro snap under center in 2001 – Tom's been on an enviable path of pro bowl selections, 3 Superbowl rings and a supermodel wife. Very, very few people are so blessed with such incredible success right out of the gate - and I think that's true of cars as well. Very few great cars are born absolutely perfect. The best cars often begin with a fundamentally sound technical premise and are then allowed to evolve with the aid of sufficient investment, engineering talent and marketing saavy. Along the way, this evolution is facilitated by a corporate sense of purpose that allows this progress to continue in the face of economic uncertainty and constant shareholder pressure. In the market today, 4 cars well support this hypothesis: Porsche 911 – The 911 was introduced in 1963, but shares architectural DNA back to the 356 models from the 1950s. At a time when most manufacturers strove for bigger, heavier and ever more powerful sports cars, Porsche took a distinctly different approach – a lightweight, modestly powered and air cooled sports car with distinct styling. These cars had incredible reflexes and good power to weight. However, in the wrong hands they could be lethal with lift throttle snap oversteer. Fortunately, high prices and Spartan creature comforts generally confined the 911 to hardcore sports car purists that were able to keep them between the guard rails. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, the 911 received a series of power and performance increases culminating in the uber 911RS, RSR and 930 Turbo models. In the 1970’s, Porsche management began to doubt the long term viability of the 911 platform, and actually designed the 928 as a replacement for the 911. Fortunately, tradition and good sense prevailed at Porsche and the 911 platform was retained. Since then, Porsche has continued a path of relentless improvements, including more benign (but still razor sharp) chassis dynamics, significantly improved reliability, more creature comforts and substantially more horsepower. The 911 may now be water cooled and far more luxurious – but is still remarkably true to the original design and performance philosophy. Since the introduction of the 911, many Porsche models have come (and some gone) including the 914, 928, 924, 944, 968, Cayenne, Boxster and Cayman. But for most, the 911 remains the true and forever face of Porsche. BMW 3 Series – The 3 series is the poster child for automotive evolutionary excellence. The origins of the 3 series are the 1600 and 2002 sport sedans which exemplified balanced performance. In most every objective performance category the 1600 and 2002 were above average – but where they truly excelled was in the subjective “driver engagement” category. For 40 years BMW had made this initially good car better in every way. With supernaturally good handling, awe inspiring straight six and V8 engines and timeless exterior and interior styling – BMW has taken a great initial concept and made it absolutely, positively superb. Chevrolet Corvette – The Corvette evolutionary story is foremost one of perseverance, for the ascent of the Corvette was anything but a smooth upward trajectory. From spotty quality in the late 1960s to the generally woeful performance in the 1975-80 timeframe – team Corvette hit more than a few foul balls. And, many enthusiasts fail to realize that the Corvette nearly ceased to exist in the mid 1990s. Faced with an uncertain economic future, volatile demand for sports cars and the substantial investment needed for the C5 model, GM leadership seriously contemplated cancelling the Corvette after a 40+ year run. However, John Cafaro and the Corvette design team tirelessly (and secretively) worked on the C5 prototype while securing internal funding and political support for continuing the Corvette program. When the C5 prototype was unveiled internally – it was simply so compelling, so improved over the C4 model and so excellent - that GM’s commitment to the car was perhaps forever renewed. Thank heavens for that! Since the introduction of the C5 and subsequent 2006 C6, the Corvette has just continued to improve in all objective and subjective ways. With the Grand Sport, Z06 and ZR1 – the Corvette has reached an unimaginable level of relatively affordable supercar performance. All the while, it has retained its identity as a uniquely American expression of the sports car. Sports car purists think the Vette is a vulgar dinosaur due to its continued reliance on pushrod valve actuation and tranverse leaf springs. They really should read "Lightning Lap" in the February 2011 issue of Car and Driver - where a Corvette Z06 laps the Virginia International Raceway significantly faster than a Mercedes SLS AMG, E63 AMG, Jaguar XFR, Porsche Boxster Spyder, 911 Turbo S and a 911 GT3 RS! Brash, bold, V8 powered and in your face – the Corvette probably will never win over the conformist wine and cheese crowd. Frankly, it could care less. Ford Mustang – We recently drove a 2011 Mustang GT, and this car is just amazingly, spectacularly good. Like all great cars, the Mustang was born from a solid initial premise. A low priced, sporty car that could be almost infinitely personalized to suit the priorities and financial wherewithal of the customer. From 170 CID six cylinder cars to 271 horsepower, solid lifter“K” motored GTs – Mustang was truly the car for anyone that wanted stylish design, good performance and a great price. By the late 1960s, it had also evolved into a car with serious performance credentials – aided by the successes of the 428CJ on the drag strip and the competency of the Boss 302 on the Trans-Am circuit. These model years established a permanent imprint in our conscience about what made a Mustang truly a Mustang. A big V8, rear drive, capable performance and reasonable price. But twice Ford fiddled with the Mustang recipe and both times nearly screwed it up for good. The 1974-78 Mustang II failed to impress Mustang devotees with lame engine options and a Pinto derived chassis. Mercifully In 1979, Ford rolled out the much-improved Fox platform Mustang. The re-introduction of the 5.0 liter GT model in 1982 was almost singlehandedly responsible for the resurgence of interest in the American performance car (Not convinced? Ask any American aged 15-50 about the Mustang 5.0, and be prepared for a wildly enthusiastic response). Despite the good vibes however, Ford almost ran the Mustang into the puckerbrush again in 1989. A heretical plan to migrate the Mustang to the front drive Mazda 626 platform nearly succeeded until a grass roots letter campaign from Mustang purists prevailed. From that point forward though, Mustang would remain true to its origins, and year over year just kept getting better. In an era where many cars are as inpiring as the wine list at a Waffle House - exciting Mustangs just keep pouring out of Dearborn in GT, Bullit, Cobra, Cobra-R, GT350, GT500 and GT500KR variants. After 46 years Ford's Mustang is still iconic, V8, live axle, rear drive and unapologetically power oversteering its way into our hearts. Here are 4 great cars, each with well over 40 years of tradition and evolution. None of these cars was born absolutely perfect. However, they all were based on a compelling initial idea and has been (more or less) allowed to evolve in keeping with the times. Driving any of these great cars today, we feel a direct nostalgic connection to our past and an appreciation for how well they have raised performance, increased safety and reduced their environmental footprint. That's our kind of Darwinism!© Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you like it, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. Oldsmobile departed in 2004 at the age of 107, and this thanksgiving, they’ll be 2 fewer loved ones around the holiday table with Pontiac and Mercury having also having passed this year. As with the loss of a distant relative, we're sad. We have vivid but fading memories of really great times together – but we haven’t seen much of the "real" Pontiac or Mercury in the last few decades since they moved into the rest home . Both had been chronically ill, and apparently had given up on their once powerful passion for fun . Perhaps their death was most humane after all. Oldsmobile’s demise wasn’t through the lack of investment or effort. Under division manager John Rock, Olds did make a gallant attempt at resurgence with the competitive Intrigue and the passably decent Aurora. Ultimately though, GM decided the billions spent on Olds could be better spent on brands with a stronger prognosis and the brand was finally euthanized in 2004. If only Pontiac and Mercury had tried as hard. Pontiac did give us the Solstice, the 2004-06 GTO and the 2008-09 G8. All were strong performers- and in the case of the G8 - a critically acclaimed model. With the Solstice, poor reliability and the inherently thin market for 2 seat roadsters ultimately limited its sales potential. Both the GTO and G8 were bonafide E-ticket rides, with spectacular performance and value. However both were rebadged Australian Holdens with little actual Pontiac DNA. Don’t misunderstand us – we absolutely adore the GTO and the G8 (we own a 2009 G8 GT) but that GM’s once vaunted performance division had to go to the other side of the world to find its driving excitement illustrated just how far Pontiac had deteriorated since its heyday. The story at Mercury was even sadder. With each passing year, the only remarkable thing about Mercury was that the brand actually still existed. Platform engineering of existing Ford offerings had often been the order of the day at Mercury since the 1960s. But with the 1967-73 Cougar – Mercury really showed its skill with fabulous styling, luxury, image and performance that was truly differentiated from the Mustang. Although not a market success, the 1971-73 Pantera was also a bold and innovative stroke. But from 1973 to present, absolutely nobody was ‘crazy bout a Mercury.’ But all the same, we will miss Olds, Poncho and Merc. You gave us a lot of good times, and we’ll always be grateful for that. In honor of their passing, a list of my favorites, in no particular order, from the history file. We hope you approve of our selections - and we're sure that we'll hear about it if you don't! Gyrhead's Top 10 Oldsmobiles:
Gyrhead's Top 10 Pontiacs:
Gyrhead's Top 10 Mercurys:
If you’ve got a great story, top ten list or vehicle that you’d like to share, please write to us at sales@gyrhead.com © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you like it, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. 1969 Cougar 428SCJ - All Business This is Joe Valenti's 1969 Cougar with a 428SCJ and fabled Drag Pak. The original buyer of this car clearly had their priorities right with the mighty Super Cobra Jet, C-6 auto, 4:30 gears and the plain jane hubcaps. If you needed further proof of this car's intent, the original buyer even ordered it with manual steering! We love the car Joe, thanks for sharing the pictures and specs with us!
1967 Cougar GT390 - Retro Groove Thanks to Chris Aho of Oregon for sharing this picture and details on his lime frost metallic 1967 Cougar GT. Factory equipped with the S-code 390 4 barrel, Chris upped the ante with headers, Cobra-Jet head work, an original 735 CFM Holley 4150 (also CJ issue), vintage Edelbrock Streetmaster intake, 2500 stall converter and a 3.89 9" locker. It's all good for a mid 13 second quarter (and likely enough torque to boil the tires at will) He also had custom styled steel wheels built to his own width and offset specs. The net result is a subtle custom with a decided "how we rolled in the 1970's" groove. These 390 Cougars were a ball to drive, and Chris's car evokes fond memories of a friend's 1968 390 Cougar in the early 1980s. Well done Chris!
Spend enough time on the road, and you'll see a lot of man-made things - some lovely and some positively atrocious. Driving the New Jersey Turnpike near Newark, I crossed under the splendid Pulaski Skyway and had an epiphany. Of mankind's many achievements, few are as aesthetically and functionally pleasing as a bridge.
Growing up on the Massachusetts coastline, water was a constant presence. A thing of great beauty, water is also a major nuisance when it stands between "here" and "there". There was one muddy tidal creek halfway along the route to our buddy Bob's place. Going around the creek added at least a mile to the trip on busy Route 28. Not a great idea when you're 13 years old, unlicensed and driving an unregistered dirtbike. That extra mile was hazardous indeed - and heavily patrolled by Wareham cops. We ran that gauntlet for years until one summer weekend we finally decided to build a bridge. With lumber scraps "rescued" from house construction sites, we built a rickety, narrow bridge over the creek. While up to no reasonable DOT safety code, our bridge was a huge achievement - saving us both valuable time and future court appearances. That bridge ultimately endured for nearly two decades, until finally swept away by a September hurricane so common to the region.
At the genesis of any bridge is inconvenience. Ultimately a society (be it Romans or a gang of scrawny 13 year olds) grows weary of the defeatist "just go around it" mindset - and decides on a bold course of action to change nature's topography. So, bridges foremost reflect mankind's audacity to challenge the inconveniences of geography. This alone does not lend nobility to a bridge, as the same motivation also applies to strip mines too - and there's positively nothing pleasing about a strip mine. Great bridges share a unique blend of respect for nature, utility, symmetry, engineering prowess, and economy of line and material. It is this balance and harmony that makes bridges truly unique among mankind's creations.
Over the centuries, bridges have evolved with advances in science, materials and construction technique. Consider the Romans, arguably among the the finest engineers in history. Their bridges were of durable stone and designed around the elegant and heroically strong arch design. Thousands of years later, many of these Roman bridges still stand and many remain in current use. Here in New England, the granite arch bridge is a common and pleasing sight.
The industrial revolution introduced steel to bridge building, and the 1922 "span through truss" Pulaski Skyway in New Jersey well represents the riveted iron design that typified bridge building in the early to mid-1900s. Massively strong, yet open and wispy - few structures are as pleasing to the eye as an iron truss bridge spanning a powerful body of water. A lasting childhood memory is driving over the original Jamestown, Rhode Island bridge in our 1965 Chevy Belair. The metal trusses soared high overhead, and the tires sang over the open mesh steel road deck which revealed the massive rolling waves of Narragansett Bay hundreds of feet below. It was simultaneously thrilling and terrifying - but always a highlight of the road trip. The original Jamestown bridge is gone now, but it will never be forgotten. 40 years later, and I still feel that same rush of excitement and anticipation whenever approaching a major bridge, whether it's the Tappan Zee in New York, the French King in Gill, Massachusetts or the Bay Bridge in Maryland. The bridge builders art has continued to evolve worldwide, and there have been some impressive accomplishments, such as the Millau Viaduct over the Tarn Valley in France.
A concrete cable stay design, its road deck soars over 1,000 feet above the valley floor. It is both incredibly beautiful and beneficial to the region it serves - cutting hours from the previously congested route across the valley, and eliminating countless tons of greenhouse gasses. Beauty, utility, design and societal benefit - Millau Viaduct represents achievement of the dream behind all great bridges. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you like this, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source.
How could a company as legendary for quality and value as Toyota have come to such a painful state of affairs? Harvard Business School case studies will someday be written about the recent troubles at Toyota, and no doubt they'll focus on the complex issues of corporate culture and the challenges associated with maintaining longterm market dominance. But, I strongly doubt that Harvard will ever grasp another key reason for the disasterous downturn in Toyota's image - an issue that's been brewing for quite some time.
Put simply, Toyota has won the minds, not the hearts of it's customers. And the mind is fickle.
For the last 20 years, Toyota products have been squarely targeted at automotive consumers, not drivers. There is a big difference between the two. Consumers buy primarily on the basis of value and reliability while drivers buy for passion. Since the eras of the 1967 2000 GT, twin turbo Supra or the AE86 rear drive Corolla, Toyota has completely surrendered the passion hill in favor of mundane consumer appliances like the Camry and Highlander. Theres no doubt that Toyota makes a dammed fine automobile - but from an enthusiast's perspective, they aren't on the radar screen.
Our business requires frequent car trips throughout the northeast. Where a New York-to-Boston run along the Hutchinson and Merritt Parkways in a 2010 V6 Ford Fusion was a memorable drive, the same trip in a Camry was an abominable bore.
The Prius is the closest thing that Toyota currently offers to an enthusiast vehicle, but its target audience is Greenies and Technocrats, not passionate drivers. That's why you see so many Prius being driven at 10 MPH under the posted speed limit by self-centered "hyper-milers" (can we call them Prius-Pisms?) oblivious to the traffic jam behind their rolling roadblock.
By exclusively targeting the consumer and foregoing the enthusiast mindset, Toyota has staked its entire reputation on reliability, safety and value. When these bedrock principles are challenged, consumers head for the exits with all of the sentimentality that you'd experience when changing dishwashing detergent brands.
Passion on the other hand, is a powerfully sticky stuff. It generates strong loyalty to an object, even if that object is profoundly flawed. Have you ever wondered why people remain so incredibly dedicated to 1960's Detroit Muscle cars more than 40 years since their extinction? Despite build quality, handling and braking that could best be characterized as "maybe", it only takes a single 7,000 RPM blast in a 427 solid lifter `67 Corvette to burn a deep imprint on the soul. It's why we still lust for the gorgeous lines of a 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda or a `65 GT-350 Shelby Mustang. Were these great cars? In some ways positively yes, but in other ways they were actually quite terrible. But they lit the pleasure center of the brain, and by doing so created owners who are fanatical and staunch supporters of the brands. Companies like Ferrari, Porsche, Honda (and lately GM, Ford and MoPar) understand this primal connection - and have continued to target the passionate side of the buying equation. Walk around any vehicular event, and you'll actually see people with the Harley logo, Ford Mustang emblem or Chrysler Pentastar tattooed on their bodies. I don't recall EVER seeing a Toyota tattoo.
So, Toyota has lived and is now wounded by the cold and purely rational consumer sword. As the media continues to pile on hype and condemnation of the brand, there few people vocally taking up Toyota's defense. There's little doubt that Toyota will find a workable remedy to the technical and public relations issues now plaguing it, and eventually they'll recapture the confidence of consumers. But, had they also worked a little harder to capture the hearts of customers and automotive opinion makers, there might be fewer people enjoying shadenfreude at their current misfortunes. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2010. If you like this, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. A Buick You Can Love, Even If You Don't Own a Pair of White Shoes Grampy was fond of saying that the true judge of a person was the things he did when no one was looking. Grampy also happened to be a die-hard Buick guy, partial to Nimitz class Electra “Deuce-and-a-Quarters”. What do these two arcane facts have to do with one another? More than you think. Perhaps the truest measure of a company is the car they build when no one’s looking. “Halo” vehicles like Corvette, Mustang and 300C garner tremendous scrutiny from critics and enthusiasts. Our expectation of these iconic models is incredibly high, and penalties for failing to meet expected standards of performance, quality, engineering and value will be harsh indeed. The Mustang II, late Corvette C3 or Nissan 280Z provide ample proof of this hypothesis. All cherished marques – these cars lacked real performance, suffered from indifferent engineering and low quality that tarnished their hard-won reputations. 30 years later, these cars are still roundly (and rightly) ridiculed. Manufacturers learned from this, and on their image and concept cars, they sweat every detail to ensure such cars meet with maximum market enthusiasm and buzz that carries over to the entire line. Corvette C5 and C6 are a perfect example of this corporate learning in action. But, Honda, Toyota (and to a surprising extent lately, Hyundai) applied these lessons early to even their lowest priced cars. These companies prospered by delivering far more features, quality and value than buyers had come to expect on cars of modest pretension. It seems like the good General has taken lessons from Grampy and the Pacific Rim, because they are turning out some pretty terrific iron – and gaining credibility by lavishing considerable energies on models that are anything but halo-cars. On a recent Miami trip, the National rental agency was out of mid-sized cars so I was upgraded to a premium car at no extra charge. I glanced around the lot and grimaced at the lame selection of Camrys, base Jeep Cherokees and PT Cruisers (these are premium cars?) until my eyes settled on a burgundy Buick Lucerne. Approaching the car, I immediately noticed the clean lines, lustrous metallic paint and tight, uniform panel gaps. Initially impressive yes, but my expectations were quite low. You see, I’ve done this GM dance before with Beretta Z-26’s that turned out to be little more than tarted up Corsicas. I’d suffered the crushing disappointment of sweetly styled Camaros with wheezy “Iron Dukes” under the hood that ran like one-legged hamsters on a squeaky exercise wheel. Yes, the Lucerne sure looked swell - but I expected to find it little more than a snazzed up Impala. The smooth action of the Buick’s chrome handle and door hinges was a surprise, as was the solidity of the door which closed with a decidedly Germanic “fwump”. The dash was super clean and smooth – with tight gaps, stylish analog gauges and matte finish materials. Switchgear that didn’t look like refugees from 1984 also caught my eye. Not bad. Settling into the leather seat I set the mirrors and twisted the key - fully expecting the telltale exhaust note of GM’s 3.8 OHV six - which dates back to the early Cretaceous period. “Phwumm…burble…burble…burble.” A sharp few blips of the throttle “Phawumm..bubba..bubba…burble…burble” and the gyrations of the 6,500 RPM redline tachometer heightened my suspicion. Fumbling for the hood latch, I jumped out and flung open the hood. The National rental agent approached looking concerned, as if I was planning to steal the battery. “Is everything alright sir?” In the late afternoon light, a DOHC 32V Northstar V8 met my gaze. “Holy cow, it’s got a Caddy Northstar!” “If you don’t like this car sir, we can get you something else – maybe a nice Avalon or a Camry" “No, this is just fine miss” as I shut the hood. Deeply perplexed, she strolled off. “OK Sssiiirr” but her obvious sarcasm clearly meant “Whatevvvver” I’m a big fan of the Cadillac Northstar. I like the modern, no compromise 32V DOHC architecture, and the ease by which it pulls big power all the way to the 7,000 RPM fuel cutoff. I like the locomotive like pull in the midrange when it comes on the cams. I like the burble of its dual exhaust, and the mellifluous note as the revs climb. I like that Cadillac once again claims title to GM’s most sophisticated engine. But I LOVE that Cadillac engineers cared enough about their creation to give it a really cool name. All great engines need a cool name. This was true in the days of the Boss 429, 428 Cobrajet, 396 Turbojet and 413 Max Wedge and its still true today. In the fairly light Buick chassis, the Northstar is a stormer – with incredible mid-range. On the open highway, passing maneuvers are effortless. And that heavenly exhaust note will just bring out the hooligan in near everyone. Critics continue to lambaste GM for their aging 4 speed transaxle, and while the stone reliable 4 speed does shift with characteristic GM smoothness, the critics are right. GM has the technology to provide a 5 or six speeder – so they ought to do the right thing and deploy it in everything. Why give the critics any more opportunity for gratuitous complaints? The handling of the big Buick is decent, but less convincing than the drivetrain. Admittedly, aside from the 1984-87 Grand National and good-for-the-day 1970-72 GS455, Buicks have never really been known for their dance moves. And, it’s evident that Buick can’t quite make up its mind about which direction to turn with the Lucerne. Steering feel is good and straight ahead tracking exemplary. The body integrity is excellent, with absolutely no squeaks, rattles or wind noise despite the (unlikely gentle) 24,000 rental miles on the odometer. Despite a big marketing push on their “quiet tuned” chassis – Buick slapped a massive set of 245-18 rollers on the car that clop loudly over pavement imperfections. The dampers are excessively soft on rebound and do little to control the unsprung weight of the big wheels and tires. The car will pull decent G’s once the chassis has taken a set, but the overall experience is a bit confused. Kind of like Kate Moss wearing an unlaced pair of Timberland boots. The ergonomics are outstanding, as is the Harmon-Kardon sound system with XM radio. Cruising down Florida’s Turnpike I was pleased to tune into Rush’s “Working Man”, and think I’ve now got a new favorite road tune…Good road music has an uncanny way of encouraging fast driving, and suffice to say I’m lucky there were no tan and black Trooper cars out that afternoon! Everywhere you look on this Buick, you see effort and attention to detail. From the Buick embossed aluminum door sills to the die cast portholes on the fender. In sharp contrast to the last generation Chevy Impala – that sported a most laughably wrong Belair/Biscayne 4 tail light rear panel - Buick gives the V8 cars an extra fender Porthole to distinguish it from the V6. Hey, if you’re going to play the icon card, you ought to at least know the rules – particularly if you invented the game. Chevy gets an “F” with the Impala tailights, while Buick scores an “A” with those groovy portholes. Ford and MoPar loyalists have recently accused me of being a paid shill for GM. It isn’t so – and I’ll be the first to admit that many of GM’s products from 1974-1990 were barely worth their weight in dog-log. But, across the product line, GM is turning out some pretty nice cars and trucks, and currently has a leading product in many market segments. Yes, we expect cars like the Corvette, CTS, GMT900 SUVs and Camaro to be incredible. But like finding an original Renoir at a yard sale, it’s especially nice to find a generous serving of excellence where we did didn’t expect it. In that sense, Grampy the devout Buick man seems to have taught GM a thing or two. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2008. If you like this, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. America's Peculiar Love Affair With PickupsThe Gyrhead boys are prone to pondering the most arcane matters. Would a lobster win a fight with a crab? Why do people watch reality TV? Recently the beer fueled question arose of why Americans love pickup trucks. This same question has tortured European intellectuals for decades, though they've handily concluded the whole matter with the declaration that we're all idiots.
Americans
love pickup trucks, and that's a matter of fact. In
the 2005 model year, the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet
Silverado/GMC Sierra and Dodge Ram garnered the
top 3 spots in new vehicle sales. This sales
performance in a year when hurricane Katrina and
the Iraqi war caused fuel prices to rise and fall
as much as Kirstie Alley’s weight. Incredible.
What is it that Americans find so appealing
about trucks? After much toe kickin’ and ponderin',
we have an opinion on the matter. Since it’s
our website – you’re gonna hear it. Ahh, the
wonder of the Internet. 40 years ago you
could walk into any car dealership and spec out
the car that perfectly suited BOTH your priorities
and realities. Wanted a 426 Hemi Coronet post
coupe with dog dish hubcaps, column shifter and
rubber floor mats? Mother MoPar would be happy
to build you one. Needed a full size Impala
wagon to haul the Cub Scouts but not ready to give
up the drive-through holeshot? Chevrolet had
you covered, with FACTORY built L-72 wagons complete
with woodgrain, 12 bolt, positraction and a Muncie
4 speed. Man, those were wild times, and they
left a dizzying legacy of one-off musclecars that still
fascinate us. Deep down we knew
the good times couldn’t last. Any manufacturing
executive worth a darn understands the supply chain
nightmares associated with giving consumers infinite
product choices. So limitless choice gave
way to pre-engineered option packages, and
serious car enthusiasts have been suffering ever since. Buying a new car
today is as much fun as buying a dishwasher. Pick
your color, pick your sound system and that’s about
it. No more ala-carte engine options, no more
big blocks, seldom any transmission choices, and
certainly no option box for a 4.10 posi. But, there's good news. Pickup trucks represent the last
bastion of fun and freedom of choice with the vehicular
order form. GM offers no less than SEVEN engine
picks in the Silverado, and they aren’t bashful
about whooping about the horsepower ratings either.
Pick the entry-level 4.8 liter V8 and get
285 horses. Go with the 5.3 liter and get
10 more ponies but about 35 more Lb/Ft of torque.
Get the 5.3 liter Vortec “Max” and 345
horses are yours – along with the confidence that
Oakland Raider great Howie Long approves of your
engine selection. There's also a 6.0 small
block complete with a lumpy, bonafide Z06 cam. Go really nuts and GM’s
happy to supply the 496 cube big block with 455
Lb/Ft of torque. You’d better believe they proudly
call it the Big Block too. Before pooh-poohing
these horsepower figures, remember that they are
stingy SAE net ratings – so these engines are easily
putting
out 300-400 gross horsepower. Despite
the pushrod design, they are smooth, refined and
make great power all the way through 6,000 RPM.
Ford offers no fewer than 3 V8
options and a monster 6.8 liter V10. In terms
of performance, the Fords seem to make a lot more
bottom end grunt than the GMs, but we find the 4.6
and 5.4 Triton to be painfully thrashy – with terrible
NVH characteristics. The exhaust note
of the 6.8 V10 is just plain weird, but many of
our commercial customers are racking up well over
500,000 miles on the V10, so we know it's stout.
MoPar
offers up 2 V8s, including the now media over saturated
5.7 Hemi. (Must Mopar put the Hemi in everything
they make? And those little Joey-with-the
Hemi Durango ads make us feel like puking) All the
same, the new MoPar Hemi is awesome, but there just
isn’t the variety of selection in the Pentastar
truck engine lineup. Yes, the SRT-10 is the
undisputed brawn king, but most of us will never get seat
time in such a limited production super truck. Most SRT-10s
seem to spend their days stored in climate
controlled collector garages anyway. In terms
of diesel power, all 3 manufacturers have mondo
offerings. The Duramax, Power Stroke and Cummins
units are each kinetic monuments to Archimedes himself. Want to bang gears?
Then order the manual transmission – it’s available
with most every engine in the big 3’s pickup line.
Pick from 3.55, 3.73 or 4.10 axle ratios and
make it a locker – just like the old days. A
word to the wise though: with the deep overdrives
and tall tires on today’s trucks, skip directly
to the 4.10’s with a limited slip. You’ll thank
us and the gas mileage penalty with the digger gears
isn’t nearly as bad as you’d think. Make
no mistake, all full sized trucks are astonishing
gas hogs - they'll burn through your budget faster
than a Nigerian internet scam. We strongly
suggest owning one only if you really need
one, because the cost of being a pickup dilettante
is simply too great. The incorrigible PJ O’Rourke wrote the greatest treatise EVER on the joys of performance pickup truck driving: “Driving
a pickup at high speed is a difficult skill
to master. The first step is to assume the proper
driving position: Use one hand to firmly grasp
the drip rail on the roof. This takes the place
of shoulder harness, lap belt, and air bag and
lets you give the finger to people with anti-handgun
bumper stickers on their cars. Then place your
other hand on the gearshift knob so you'll always
know what gear you're in (which is second, as
I pointed out before). Now take your third hand...Perhaps
some picture of the difficulty is beginning
to emerge. Anyway, be sure to balance your beer
can carefully in your lap. The
second step is to drive over to the 7-Eleven
and get more beer. Use your down vest to mop
up the one you spilled all over your crotch
as you backed out the driveway. The
third step is cornering technique. There are
three ways to take a high-speed curve in a pickup.
The first way is to use the traditional racecar
driver's "late apex": Go deep into
the curve at full speed doing all your downshifting
and useless brake-pedal pumping in a straight
line. Then, in one smooth motion, turn the wheel
to the full extent necessary for the curve.
Aim for an apex slightly past the geometrical
apex of the inside edge of the curve and slowly
bring the steering wheel back to straight ahead
as you reapply the throttle. This will put your
truck into the woods. The second way to take
a fast curve is to come into the curve slightly
slower, dial in a greater amount of steering,
and stay on the throttle so as to propel the
truck into a "power slide." This will
put your truck in the woods too. The third method
is to come to a full stop before entering the
curve and have a beer. While you're doing that
someone else will come along in another pickup
truck and knock you into the woods anyway.” Anyone raised on
old-school trucks knows this is true, and we launched
Dad’s stovebolt powered C-10 into the puckerbrush
more than once in our younger years. But my,
pickups have come a long, LONG way in the past two
decades. How the engineers
did it is a mystery – but the new breed of pickup trucks
actually handle. Unlike our old Chevy, where
any connection between the tiller and the front
wheels was strictly coincidental, the new trucks
all boast rack and pinion steering, impossibly stiff
hydroformed frames that make for an incredible driving
experience. Years ago, buying
a truck entailed some seriously Solomon-like sacrifices.
Creature comforts were few, so a hard
working truck necessitated some considerable suffering.
We'd guess that the real
reason most cowboys look so grizzled and flinty
is a chronic pain condition from too much seat time in
old truck. Happily, that's not the case anymore
– today’s trucks come incredibly well equipped
with comfort and convenience features and represent much better value
for the dollar than cars. In terms of quality,
there’s been a quantum leap too. Our last
1980 Chevrolet went to the scrap heap with a mere
48,000 miles on the clock. It’s mechanical
heart was still willing, but the body just rusted away
– shedding parts faster than Lindsay Lohan sheds
clothing at the Kids Choice Awards. By contrast,
our current fleet of trucks are all well over 120,000
hard miles, and they still run perfectly and look
nice too. What about the
latest truck offerings from Toyota, Nissan and Honda?
We say the jury’s still out on whether these
vehicles can rightly be considered “trucks”. These
vehicles are squarely marketed to suburban pickup
“fashionistas” and very few seem to do any real
work. When’s the last time you saw a Tundra
sporting a snowplow? When’s the last time
you saw a Ridgeline towing a 5th wheel car trailer?
How many Titans do you see working rough
on the jobsite? While we’re certain that these
are nice vehicles, owning one is a lot like
listening to Nickelback. You think its cool, but
it isn’t. However, all 3 of these vehicles
are American made, and their manufacturers do have
an enviable record of good corporate citizenship
in America, something that Ford and GM can’t honestly
say of late. So, the answer
to the perplexing question of pickup truck popularity
seems obvious. Pickups still provide maximum
consumer choice, big league performance and value.
These are 3 attributes that Americans find
incredibly appealing, and it's probably why trucks
won’t relinquish their market lead anytime soon -
fuel price trends and European sensibilities
be dammed. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2007. If you like this, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. Cadillac – The Swagger is BackOur former Operations Manager drives a Cadillac STS. “Big deal” you say, but it’s a very big deal. Chris is a 40-something automotive connoisseur, and his past rides have typically originated from Sweden, with a long line of super sanitary restored Musclecars. He hails from a family of RISD trained, cutting edge product design types, and again, they tend to favor the tidy offerings from Saab and Volvo. So, for Chris to risk ridicule at the Thanksgiving table for owning a Cadillac is a tantamount to an automotive sea change. But, no one in the family finds fault with Chris’ recent choice of steed. Make no mistake, we are witnessing a minor miracle in the making. A total about face in Cadillac’s corporate zeitgeist, market perception and product line – and that’s a wonderful thing Fifty years ago, Cadillac proudly proclaimed itself “Standard of the World” and that claim was not idle boast. In 1912, Cadillac won the prestigious Dewar Trophy for manufacturing excellence. At a time when most automobiles were painstakingly hand assembled with considerable custom fitment and component rework – several production Cadillacs were completely dismantled, their parts co-mingled and the cars reassembled with no rework allowed to any of the components. These cars were then driven 500 miles each with no mechanical failures of any kind. A stunning achievement - It spoke to Cadillac’s impressive levels of production accuracy, manufacturing process control and standardization. Mind you, this achievement coming long before the era of advanced metallurgy, CNC machining and Demming inspired total quality management. For 50 years hence, Cadillac was known as an engineering, quality and design leader, with innovative features such as electric starting, automatic transmissions and some of the most exuberant Harley Earl inspired styling the world has ever known. In those days, a Cadillac in the driveway signified financial wherewithal, social standing and prestige. A Cadillac was truly something special. The party came to an abrupt end in the 1970s and 80s, as a succession of Middle East oil embargoes catalyzed a precipitous rise in fuel prices. Cadillac responded with a series of engineering fiascoes such as the V8-6-4, Diesel Seville, and the Cavalier based Cimarron. Cadillac compensated for the poor engineering with over the top baroque styling intended to evoke the past glory days. Again, they missed the mark – so that by the 1980’s the only people voluntarily driving Caddies were the white belt/white shoe Florida crowd and the, ahem, “urban adult entertainment managers” with names like Huggy Bear and Sweet Lou. We actually owned a 1982 Coupe DeVille, and it was, speaking bluntly, a piece of utter vehicular excrement. Grim times indeed. A decade later, automotive sophisticates like Chris are returning to the Cadillac marque. In this hyper competitive global economy, very few companies get the mulligan – and Cadillac is determined to stay in the game this time. Whether or not Caddy has regained the title of “standard of the world” is debatable, but there’s no denying that the swagger is back. 13 years after it’s introduction, the world class Northstar DOHC 32v V8 remains fresh, potent and competitive. We recently enjoyed some extended seat time in a Northstar powered DeVille and the car positively ate up the midwestern miles at a refined, leisurely and feloniously illegal 125 MPH plus. The V Series of performance cars is boisterous and pretty darned exciting - all boasting a sub 5 second dash to 60. While the flagship XLR has yet to achieve sales projections, the CTS is selling briskly and the SRX and Escalade SUVs are market leaders. The “Art and Science” design motif is a polarizing, like-it-or-hate-it look, but certainly less controversial than Chris Bangle’s “flame surfacing” styling at BMW. Heck, we even get a Led Zeppelin flavored ad campaign to remind us that Caddy is sincere about wooing the 40 year old market. We are serious
car people
– and our peer group is largely comprised of serious
car
people too. Cadillac has begun to get our
attention, our interest and our dollars. The
management team at GM has been pummeled recently
by the press, but they deserve some props for the
about face at Cadillac. Once again, Cadillac
is an aspirational brand for car lovers – a sure
sign that all is right in the automotive world. © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2006. If you like this, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. Dodge SRT-4: Tommy C. Your Car Has Arrived
Tommy C. was the unlikeliest tough guy we ever knew. No more than 150 lbs, he was a real Irish charmer and a big play maker with the ladies. He was also the dude you wanted on your six when it came time for brawling. His haymaker was a thing of legend, and he had an a unblemished record of victories - vast majority by one punch knockout. With Tommy around, you feared little - for he was the ultimate pugilistic Q-Ship. Often underestimated, never defeated.
Tommy C., your car has arrived. The 2005 Dodge SRT-4. It's the cutest, cuddliest little butt-kicker on 4 wheels, and words of wisdom to the big block crowd: Watch out - because it might just clean your clock.
There has always been something of a jihad (holy war) between the owners of traditional rear drive Musclecars, and the import tuner crowd. Both groups cling tightly to their beliefs, and each refuses to acknowlege the merits of the other's position. We've always been Musclecar traditionalists, but we strive to stay open minded about all things automotive.
When MoPar introduced the Neon in 1995, there wasn't much to interest hardcore enthusiasts. Despite a high-winding twin cam engine, above average handling (especially with the SCCA homologation ACR package) and a giveaway price - it was the rare enthusiast who embraced the platform. Nevertheless, pioneers like Len Ayala and others suceeded in turbocharging, nitrous-injecting and tuning the little Neon into a serious 10 second platform. Evidently, the engineers at Daimler-Chrysler noticed these grass-roots efforts, because they quietly built a little Neon hotrod all their own. It's called the SRT-4 and it's the real thing.
With the 2005 Dodge SRT-4, the 2.0 twin cam is jettisoned in favor of the PT Cruiser's 2.4 litre DOHC stroker motor. A Garrett turbo, gigantic front mount intercooler and dual exhaust are added, resulting in 230 horsepower and a whopping 250 Lb/ft of torque. To contain and put down the power, MoPar also fits a heavy duty New Venture transaxle fitted with a Quaife limited slip differential.
The exterior is treated to a ducted hood, unique bumper fascia, huge "easter basket" rear wing and an aggressive set of 205/50/17 rolling stock. The interior gets a supportive set of leather bolstered buckets, a handsome SRT-4 specific dash cluster and aluminum pedal pads. Despite the large wing, the overall look of our flame red tester is quite striking and handsome. If the car belonged to me, I'd ditch the wing and install a flat trunk lid. Or, you could sell the wing on eBay to defray the purchase cost..
Our test car was fitted with the American Club Racer (ACR) option - which includes adjustable Tokico Alumina shocks/struts, 16" BBS CH wheels, aluminum hubs, larger anti-roll bars and quick ratio steering rack. The smaller rolling stock of the ACR package reduce the exaggerated tail-up stance of the base SRT-4 and ostensibly reduce unsprung rotational weight for both better handling and acceleration.
Considering the pedestrian Neon roots of the SRT-4, Daimler-Chrysler has achieved nothing short of a miracle. The SRT-4 is a very serious driver's car, and in all respects except price equal to cars costing tens of thousands more. It is ballistically fast, handles and brakes with tenacity and is a very practical car to live with on a daily basis.
The 2.4 Turbo motor has very minimal turbo lag and is acceptably smooth and refined even approaching the 6,500 RPM fuel shutoff. From a standing stop, our G-Meter showed a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds. Magazine tests have pegged the quarter mile times in the 13.7-13.8 range but on a cool day with dense air the SRT-4 ought to be good for a 13.5. Top end is in the neighborhood of 145 MPH. Absolutely no qualifiers are warranted regarding the SRT-4's speed. By any objective yardstick - V8 or inline 4 - this is a seriously fast car. On more than one occasion we found aggressive Camaro Z/28 or Mustang 5.0 drivers crawling up our tailpipes, but we had no trouble dispatching them. In fact, the SRT-4 is capable of running with just about anything outside of a C5/C6 Corvette, M3 BMW, Mitsubishi Evolution, or Porsche 911. It was hilarious to watch the BMW 330i driver in the next lane - he was probably thinking the lowly Neon alongside would be an easy kill. However, on the greenlight we gave him an easy seven course meal of SRT-4 tailpipes. At the next light we watched the manhood slowly ebb from his body. He just got SMOKED by a Dodge Neon. If there's anything more amusing than humbling cocky BMW drivers we haven't yet discovered it.
The handling is also quite excellent, with good feedback and just the right amount of push at the limit. In the lower gears - torque steer is a concern - but we minimized it with 40 lbs of air in the front tires. As with all Neons, there is considerable oversteer during trail braking. Novices will certainly get in trouble here, but skilled drivers will enjoy the ability to rotate the tail. Like the ill-fated chambered exhaust option on 1969 Chevrolet Camaros, The SRT-4 exhaust note is pretty darned loud and it grows tiresome quickly as the pipes pop and spit with changing engine RPM. In some areas we can see police issuing citations for excess noise.
Compared with earlier Neons, build quality and interior fit and finish is good. Most of the high gloss hard plastic is gone, and there were absolutely no squeaks or rattles at all. NVH is drastically improved as well. The shifter is a notchy, flimsy piece of crap - so replace it with an aftermarket unit as quickly as possible. Fuel mileage on our tester was pretty poor - about 20 MPG in mixed driving. The SRT-4 requires premium fuel, as is customary with turbo cars.
On the balance, the little SRT-4 is a winner. Like the original 1968 Plymouth Road Runner, you get massive performance in an very affordable and practical package. You also get the confidence of knowing that you can truly run with the big dogs. The styling of the SRT-4 is a bit boisterous - but like the Charger Daytona and Superbirds of 1970 this may add to the market appeal down the road.
The SRT-4 proves that MoPar hasn't lost its chops when it comes to performance. Despite the front drive configuration, this car is close in spirit, value, attitude and performance to the legendary Musclecars that proceeded it. As an added bonus you get to embarrass every yuppie that underestimates the SRT-4. Tommy C. would certainly approve.
© Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2006. If you like this, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. 2005 Pontiac GTO - Is It Worthy Of The GTO Name? Pontiac is guilty of revisionist history in the 2005 GTO sales brochure. In the brochure, a timeline of significant milestones in the 41 year history of the GTO is presented. The 1964 model naturally leads off the timeline. After all, this car flagrantly violated GM’s anti-racing edict of 1957 and single handedly defined an entirely new category of automobiles. The 1966 GTO also earns mention as the first of the Ram-Air models, followed by the 400 cubic inch 1967 and then the fabled GTO Judge in 1969. However, from 1970 until the 2004 rebirth - the timeline is blank. It’s as if Pontiac has excised all memory of the potent-but-porcine 1971-72 GTO or the underachieving Nova derived 1973 models. And, of course there is zero mention of the puerile Grand-Am based GTO concept that GM paraded around the show circuit in the early nineties. With the missteps that sullied the reputation of the most famous icon in musclecar history, we can appreciate Pontiac’s selective corporate memory. They do however raise legitimate questions about the 2005 GTO. Is this car worthy of the GTO name? Will the new GTO be remembered 20 years hence as one of the “great ones” or will its memory be the victim of a Stalinist purge from the record? In our opinion, the 2005 GTO is the real article – and in many ways a perfect modern interpretation of the legendary 1964 GTO. We urge you to drive one, because to drive this car is to love this car.
We had the honor of driving an Impulse Blue 2005 GTO six speed at Josephs Pontiac in Norwell, Massachusetts. Josephs has been selling and servicing Pontiacs since 1928 and to this day it’s an honored and loved south shore landmark with some of the friendliest people you’re likely to meet. This family knows Pontiac, and talk about classic and future Pontiacs with obvious passion. It’s a place where neighbors drop by to chat over coffee and you’re just as likely to see Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler stop in for a tank of fuel. Compared to the soulless auto mega malls, Josephs Pontiac is a direct link back to a better time – and no finer place exists to test drive a legendary Pontiac marque. Let’s start with styling – arguably the most contentious issue surrounding the 2005 GTO. The car magazines have roundly criticized Pontiac for ultra conservative styling that belies the performance capabilities of the car. We say the critics are idiots – or at the least totally ignorant of the original GTO design philosophy. The 1964-67 GTO was NEVER about visual flash. John DeLorean and Jim Wangers started with the spare and unadorned Tempest body. They added a tasteful scooped hood, attractive wheelcovers and subtle sophisticated badges on the grille, fender and decklid. You had to look closely to pick up the visual clues, and we’d bet a good many people walked right by those early GTO’s with nary a second glance. The GTO wasn’t marketed to drive-thru posers. It was a serious performance machine that kept a low visual profile and did it’s talking at the stoplight and dragstrip. Economic and political considerations also played a part in the GTOs initial styling restraint. The market for the GTO was uncertain, so to minimize capital investments Pontiac needed to make due with the sleekest mid-sized coupe in the existing product portfolio. Pontiac division chief John DeLorean also had to tread lightly for fear of attracting unfavorable attention from the horsepower-phobic GM Executive team. Whatever the reasons, the 1964-67 GTO stands as one of the most tasteful and timelessly styled musclecars of the era. The 2005 GTO is a perfect stylistic and economic interpretation of the original. To keep costs low and time to market short, Pontiac raided it’s worldwide parts bin to come up with the most handsome rear drive coupe in the stable, the Australian Holden Monaro. Its lines are tight, clean and tasteful. The GTO badging is subtle as are the twin non-functional hood bulges. As in 1964, you have look for the subtle visual clues as to the true nature of this car. Back in the day, gearheads learned to quickly differentiate the heavyweights from the palookas. It seldom was about shiny paint, garish graphics and chrome wheels. The most serious cars were often the most visually unremarkable – and you learned to look for the tiny “426 Hemi” fender emblems, or the steel wheels with DOT legal Mickey Thompsons. You learned to listen for or the choppy idle of a 305 degree solid cam. And so it is with the 2005 GTO. You’ve got to know what to look for.
Automotive posers won’t get it and they likely won’t recognize it. And that’s fine with us. The 2005 GTO is for people confident in their own skin – people who prefer to kick ass and take names under the radar screen. People like you and me. In 2005, Pontiac responded to styling criticisms by adding the aforementioned hood scoops and an optional Sport Appearance Package. Our test car was thankfully absent this option. We urge you to boycott the Sport Appearance package as it represents an ominous return of Pontiac's worst styling excesses in the 1980s. The front fascia is blocky and ham-handed, as are the vestigial “gills” over the quad outlet exhaust tips. Our concern is that if enough people purchase this silly option, GM will interpret this as market approval of flash over substance and we’ll be back to the days of the “Screaming Chicken” and the Mustang Cobra II. Just say NO! So what’s the 2005 GTO like to drive? Mana baby, pure mana! The full frame doors open and close with a solid thunk – and the upper window frame promises wind, rattle and leak proof glass. The interior is quite simply GM’s best. Ever. The full instrument cluster is legible - rimmed in brushed nickel and color keyed to the exterior paint. On our Impulse Blue tester this was an unexpected and elegant touch. The interior panels are finished in matte gloss soft touch padding - a dramatic improvement from GM’s traditional glossy hard plastic interior trimming. Interior space is good, seat comfort excellent and visual sightlines good. About the only criticism we could levy at the interior is the steering wheel. While it feels good in your hand, the center pad looks like a giant goofy Shriners hat. This car needs a steering wheel that better emulates the gorgeous GM rosewood wheels from the 1960s. Twist the key and the starter engages with a satisfying and substantial whirr – like it’s spinning over a high compression big block. The 6.0 LS2 V8 roars to life and the exhaust note is intoxicating. Deep, mellow and throaty with not a hint of tinniness. Blip the throttle and the the pipes pop and spit as the revs fall. Think big block power boat and you’d be close to the effect. Close your eyes and it’s 1969 all over again! Clutch takeup is smooth and dead precise. With 400 Lb/ft of torque (SAE net!!) the GTO steps off cleanly and crisply with little driveline lash. The six speed Tremec trans shifts easily, with just the right amount of mechanical notchiness to remind you what’s happening on the other end of the lever. An especially nice touch is the slight shifter vibration you feel while accelerating hard in third gear. Anyone who’s ever rowed a Muncie M22, Ford Toploader or MoPar A833 through a Hurst shifter knows that feeling. There’s a generation of drivers raised on cable shifted, rubber insulated transaxles that have no clue what this feels like! The ride is firm and precise with no impact harshness over sharp bumps. The steering is satisfyingly sharp with excellent turn in and good road feel. The GTO tracks straight and true with little dartiness on rough pavement. There are no squeaks and rattles and the GTO exudes a hefty solidity and stiffness reminiscent of the Porsche 928. This is a car you could easily live with on a daily basis – equally adept at ferrying Grandma to Bingo as ripping up the back roads. The GTO LS2 makes a true 400 horsepower. In pre-1972 SAE gross ratings the number is likely around 470 BHP at the flywheel. Compression is a stratospheric 10.9 and the lightweight valvetrain, efficient cylinder head port design and 90mm throttle body make this motor a smooth, torquey and rev happy screamer. Think about that for a moment. 400 horsepower for $33,000 - or about $82.50 per pony. And, you can service it at any of thousands of GM outlets nationwide for pocket change. And it gets 25 MPG per the EPA highway cycle. Given the monumental strides in GM product quality in the past decade, it’s a reasonable expectation that the GTO will require only routine maintenance in the course of prudent, conscientious ownership. The 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo made 400 horsepower and stickered for about $120,000 ($300 per). The 2000 BMW M5 made 400 horses and stickered at about $80,000 ($200 per). And the sticker price of these Teutonic supercars was just the minimum ante. Think $200 oil changes, $1,000 routine maintenance bills and you get idea. These aren’t cars for you and me. These are cars for the trust fund kids you knew and hated in college. The GTO is a car for normal people, just like in 1964. This car flat cranks – and the LS2 pulls cleanly in every gear from idle to the 6,500 redline. The LS2 really comes alive at over 3,000 RPM, and when you stand on the pedal in first or second you ought to have the wheel pointing straight ahead – because the tires are going to break loose. Under more gentle throttle inputs the GTO accelerates without histrionics – just a liquid, seemingly limitless rush to the upper limits of the speedometer. Modern engine management ensures that there are no flat spots in the fuel and spark delivery. Think well tuned LS-6 Chevelle and you’ll be in the low-end ballpark of just how effortlessly the GTO accelerates. The shifter is direct with well-defined gates and shift effort appropriate for a supercar. The exhaust note is heavenly, but no so loud as to cause your wife to shrink in her seat from embarrassment. This is a very serious performance car, and we’d be surprised if the GTO wasn’t good for a sub-5 second dash to 60. The quarter mile times ought to be around 13.30 at 108 MPH. These are huge numbers, and vastly superior to ANY stock GTO from the past – including the fabled 1969-70 Ram-Air IV. It’s merely a matter of time before companies like Lingenfelter begin marketing supercharger kits and stroker LS2 motors – so if stock isn’t fast enough the days of 500 HP GTOs can’t be far off. So, what’s the conclusion? We believe that the 2005 GTO is for real and in most ways a true spiritual successor to the original. The styling is handsome, interior exceptional and the driving experience is simultaneously comfortable and thrilling. This is NOT a car for the “bling bling” crowd who live to be seen and endlessly chase the approval of their peer group. It’s a car for self confident performance enthusiasts who value substance over style. It’s a car for GTO people. We want this car to succeed because it will presage the permanent return of such cars not only by GM but Ford and Daimler-Chrysler. We urge you to drive it - because you'll likely buy it! © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2005. If you like this, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. 1926 Locomobile Junior 8 "Crate Engine" Last winter, we fielded a phone call from a gentleman in Salem, Massachusetts who needed help identifying and disposing of an "old engine" that had been stored in the basement of his parent's house since at least the early thirties. According to the caller, this engine had come from an old racing car, and naturally our minds raced at the possibilities. What could it be? A Miller Indy motor? Twincam Maserati? Bugatti? We headed over the following day, and he lead us down into a dusty basement. In the corner, buried under scrap wood and an ancient oilcloth sat a massive straight 8 OHV engine on an oak cradle. Complete except for the valve covers and in absolutely new condition. The 1926 date code, unique split head OHV design, Stromberg OX-V carb, and DeJon generator confirmed this to be a Miller design Locomobile Junior 8 engine. This engine enjoyed an Indy pedestal finish in the late 20's and was in spectacular condition - with almost zero ridge, no carbon deposits and no binding. Could this motor be a 1920's predecessor to the modern "crate motor"?
Removing the engine from the basement proved a challenging, all day task. The intake, carburetor, exhaust manifold, water pump, generator, distributor and cylinder heads were removed and packed into padded crates. The shortblock was then hoisted onto a hand truck and carefully brought up the stairs. For the first time in over 60 years, this engine was seeing the light of day. What was most striking about this engine was the high standards of craftsmanship. The castings were flawless, with zero mold flash and very clean mold parting lines. The machined parts were similarly well executed - and this is hardly surprising given the Bridgeport, Connecticut origins of the Locomobile. Word of this interesting find soon spread, and before long we were getting calls from Locomobile enthusiasts the world over. Could we be in possession of the finest and most complete example of a Junior 8 engine on the planet? It seemed increasingly likely
After a few months, we received word that Jay Leno of "Tonight Show" fame was interested in the motor. In a matter of days, arrangements were made and the rare engine was loaded onto an enclosed transporter for the long journey to Jay's shop. Jay also purchased a mint, unrestored Gilbarco wall mount air pump that we had rescued from a defunct Oldsmobile dealership in western Massachusetts. Gyrhead & Sons is proud to have placed these great finds among Jay's collection of rare engines, antique cars and vintage motorcycles. We recently spied the Locomobile engine during a recent episode of Discovery Channel's "American Chopper" and you'll also see it among Jay's engine collection in "Autoweek" All in all - a fine ending to a fascinating saga!
If Honda Accords ruled the world, there would be no need for automotive hyperbole. We’d drive our grey metallic appliances to work and play, and not a drop of ink would be wasted on writing of their merits. There just isn’t very much about these workaday cars to elicit much emotion. “It starts every morning” or “it gets 39 MPG” are not the attributes that cause grown men to lose their composure and well, get all goofy. We recently had the incredible fortune to sample two cars for which hyperbole is not only essential but perhaps invented in the first place. These cars defy our ability to describe them in purely rational and sanguine terms. Stuart Weeman is a noted MoPar collector and a fine customer of Gyrhead & Sons. Today, we would have the opportunity to visit his home and see his collection in person. We’d chatted a few times before, and the collection sure sounded impressive on the phone. The reality far outstripped my expectation. Stepping into his garage, the 29,000 mile `70 LS-6 Chevelle initially caught my eye – but not for long. There in the shop were two of the rarest, cleanest and most sought after aero warriors to ever roll from the factory. A `70 426 Hemi Plymouth Superbird and drum roll please – one of the three Holman Moody built `70 Torino King Cobras. One of three, and I was gazing upon 33.3% of total production. In terms of rarity, there is no compare. Ferrari 250 SWB GTO? Not even close. L-88 Corvette? Please. Boss 429? Spare me. A meteor could have landed on my head at that moment and I would have died happy – but then it gets much better. “Got some time?” asked Stuart – “wanna go for a cruise?”
 So, here I am buckling into a pristine 42,000 mile Hemi Superbird. Stuart twists the key and the Hemi comes to life immediately. A brief moment of valvetrain clatter followed by a steady big cam idle. I try acting cool, but this car is flat freaking me out. “Lookitmelookitme I’m in a Hemi, I’m in a Hemi” Stuart must think I’m mentally unbalanced. It isn’t me – it’s the dammed car and those 3 little numbers: 4-2-6. Four hundred and twenty six cubic reasons why this is the coolest conveyance ever. This isn’t a “limited edition” stripe package dreamed up by jaded marketers to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Gutenberg printing press. This is a no holds barred expression of engineering might and corporate resolve. It is the four- wheeled .30-06 that Chrysler brought to the 1969 Torino Talladega knife fight. Practically every rule in NASCAR racing since 1970 can be tied somehow to this car and I’m going for a ride!!
 Immediately I’m struck by how civilized this MoPar Supercar feels over the road. Aside from park bench seating, high stall converter, undeniable exhaust note and a slight loading up of the dual quads at stoplights – the Superbird moves down the road in modern fashion. Even light throttle 1-2 upshifts bark the tires. With tall gearing and very well developed aero package 60 MPH cruising is remarkably quiet – even with the windows down. Then Stuart legs the throttle. There’s a small hole in the fuel delivery as eight venturis of Carter AFB transition to WOT. The 727 Torqueflite immediately kicks down to second and the tires spin. This thing broke traction at 50 miles per hour! I watch the speedo needle and it’s spinning like a bathroom scale. We’re nearly at triple digits before Stuart backs out. At speed, I notice how stable and composed the chassis feels. Credit the radial tires, Mopar’s innovative torsion bar suspension and that big ginsu knife wing out back. With the 426 and 3.23 gears I no longer dismiss the 150 MPH speedometer as pure marketing fluff. Incredibly, Stuart pulls over and asks if I want to drive. Like most gearheads – driving a Hemi car is on my short list of things to do before I die – but a voice in my head interferes with the dream. “This car is worth more than your house Tom - what if you ball it up?” Amazingly, I hear myself decline the offer. No big, because a ride is already more than I could have asked for!
We return to the garage for a photo shoot. I’m dying to see the Calypso Coral King Cobra in the fall sunlight, although I’m not hopeful that Stuart will want to expose it to the elements. Wrong. “Wanna take a ride in the Boss?” He asks. Why yes, yes I do and thank you for asking. As soon as he fires up the 494 inch Boss motor I know we’re in for trouble. This is a serious weapon – developed by Holman-Moody to combat Chevrolet’s Mark IV rat motor on the Can-Am circuits. As a race motor it was only marginally successful, but on the street this blue crescent wonder promises to be lethal. With a big Holley 4150, manual choke and 735 lbs of cold cast iron – this engine is reluctant to idle and balky until the temperature rises. The exhaust note is evil. Deep and purposeful, with a hard metallic edge not unlike a Pantera.
The styling is purposeful, but not classically beautiful. The fiberglass nose takes some time to warm up to – but the concealed headlamps look much nicer than the exposed lamps on the other 2 King Cobras. The Calypso Coral paint is sensational, an absolutely perfect complement to the sharp lines of the Torino. I suddenly want to paint everything I own in this color. Aside from a lonely COBRA emblem on the dash and Ford’s sexy 3 spoke rim-blow wheel the interior of the King is plain and unremarkable. 120 MPH sweep speedo, fuel / temp gauges and an AM radio. The interior of the car is exactly like the one in my mom’s ’70 Torino wagon and brings back great memories.
 However, no Torino EVER drove like this! At 30 MPH in second gear Stuart feathers into the throttle. The Cobra immediately lifts up on the leaf springs, the 60 series Polyglas tires begin to howl, and the bench seat slams backwards so hard I’m afraid it’ll tear off its mounts. I’m laughing like a fool and Stuart calmly says, “that was nothing, I was barely on it” Stuart claims over 700 horsepower from the Holman-Moody powerplant, and I believe it. On an empty stretch of highway, Stuart comes to a full stop and then hammers the throttle. First gear is 125 feet of positraction opposite lock and billowing tire smoke. Second gear is more of the same, and even with 3.50 gears is good for nearly 90 MPH. We’re hard into third and it’s still pulling past triple digits. I cannot comprehend how anything this large can accelerate this strongly. My educated seat of the pants says 4.5 seconds to sixty, and mid 12’s in the quarter on bia ply tires. What’s surprising about the Boss is the way it piles on the revs. I expected this long arm stroker motor to be a lazy revver – but it twists like a Boss 302 with a howling exhaust note that is pure 1970 NASCAR. Throttle response is right here, right NOW and there simply isn’t a hole anywhere in the power delivery. This car is a Calypso Coral avalanche with a bench seat and it makes the Hemi seem positively tame.
The handling is unremarkable, with a good bit of body roll, dartiness and steering correction over rough pavement. Part of the blame surely goes to the Polyglas bias ply tires, but in abrupt lane change maneuvers you are well aware of the weight extending far past both axles. It gives the car a slightly unsettled pendulum feeling – but this is not felt in normal driving. With such power and torque multiplication from the 2.78 toploader, there is a bit of leaf spring windup and resulting shudder in street starts – but wood the throttle and the tires surrender faster than France. I suspect there isn’t a gumball on the planet that can withstand the torque wallop delivered by this heroically powerful Boss 494. Perhaps the most amusing aspect of these aero cars is their effect on other drivers. Despite the bright paint, extroverted graphics and eye-popping sheetmetal some drivers motor past without reaction. Those in the know stare in jaw drop wonder, while others point and silently mouth something that looks like “WTF?” or “Holy crap!” And I notice a socio-economic pattern too. The suburban Range Rover/BMW/Mercedes crowd could care less. To them, we’re just greasy nailed punks in loud cars. But the working guys go bananas. These cars are automotive royalty, and they respond accordingly. Tools get dropped, ball caps get placed reverently to the chest and work all but stops when these cars go by. I honestly don’t think that a parade of naked supermodels would have greater effect. So the day ends. Perhaps one of the most unexpected and enjoyable days of my life. Sharing the gracious company of a true enthusiast like Stuart was refreshing. Here’s a guy that knows exactly why he collects musclecars. Not for double digit ROI, but because he loves these fine cars and most importantly loves driving them in the manner for which they were designed. The next morning I took the cover off of our CJ Cougar and drove it to breakfast with my 4 year old son. Hey, these cars were meant for driving! © Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts 2004 If you like this, share this articlewith your friends. We worked hard on it so please cite the source. |
