Rocky Rotella Pontiacv8.com

[5th T/A]

This is probably old news to most on this site as many members go way back. I subscribe to an interesting site by Rocky Rotella called PontiacV8.com. For those who don't know Rocky is a very knowledgeable Pontiac enthusiast who loves second generation Firebirds. He has written several great books on Pontiac engine building and one of my favorites called "The Definitive Firebird & Trans Am Guide". If you have a few minutes read this article on his lifelong quest on finding a Firebird Formula.

https://www.pontiacv8.com/blog/2021/6/22/finding-the-perfect-for-me-1974-formula

[aussieta]

rocky deserves his dream car after the time he has devoted to helping all of us
i remember about 25 years ago, before he was famous, helping me figure out my clock issues

[roadking77]

I am very aware of Rocky, ( have one of his books signed  ) but didnt know about this site. I signed up! Thanks for the heads up. I have never talked to him but have exchanged a number of emails. He seems to be a genuine good guy, and a wealth of Pontiac knowledge. One of those people that belong in the Pontiac Hall of Fame for what he has done for the brand.

[critter]

Rocky is a jerk. 

We've been friends for over 20 years. And yes, he is one of the good guys. He's a speaker at the Indian Uprising show in Chicago this year if anyone is in the area.

[5th T/A]

I really appreciate the heads up on Indian Uprising. I attended this show a couple of year ago when it was in the Western Chicago suburbs. The facility where it was held has since closed down and I wrongfully assumed there was no more shows. This years show is only 21 miles from my house so I will attend. The big question is do I bring my TransAm. It’s a sunny day only car and I worry about rain or worse is hail. Also while drivable my car is not finished. The original 40 year old paint looks great but I want to repaint the Rally II wheels as they don’t look great close up. Also I have not cleaned up the differential or drive shaft, pretty hard to see these parts with the car on the ground. Input from members who have attended shows would be appreciated, what would you do?

This is how the car looks today.

IMG_8249 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

The wheels need some work. They were never painted well from the factory. Silver spokes were not lined up. I could probably repaint the wheels before the show. With age the paint color is kind of yellowed.

IMG_8250 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Under the hood, interior and trunk look good.

IMG_8251 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[76 - 455 - 4]

Virtually zero cars at shows need no work. with that said, I would certainly attend as from your pictures, I'd say you are ahead of 80% of the cars I see at shows.
Besides, shows are more for meeting and greeting new and old friends to discuss your favorite hobby.
If anyone badmouths your car, (and people do for some odd reason), just smile and say 'enjoy the beautiful weather'.
As far as rain or hail goes, it sounds like you are 15 minutes from home. You should easily be able to beat any severe weather that pops up in the clouds on the horizon.
Couldn't be any better circumstances in my opinion.
And maybe you will get a little more motivation to finish some of those 'small projects' before the next show.

[critter]

I'll be there but I'm probably not going to put a car in the show. If I decide to drive the 25th anniversary car up there I might. And being in a show doesn't mean everyone is in it to win. As stated above, for most it's a social event.

[GaBird33]

Wow that is a great site, Thanks for sharing. I have been out of the Pontiac loop far too long. I actually use to chat with Rocky online like 20 years ago. He was always very helpful and his books are a absolute must have to Firebird guys.

Mark

[roadking77]

Larry, TAKE YOUR CAR! It looks perfect as is. Like 76 said, it will prob be as good or better than 80% of the cars there. I would offer no excuses if I had an original paint car that looked that good. I would leave the wheels alone. Again being original I think they are perfect. If you want them to look better, get a different set to paint.

[Jack]

^^^ what Kerry said but I'm not a fan of the white wheels. I think colored wheels look good on the redbird, bluebird, etc. but not on a white T/A.

[5th T/A]

Today I went to the Indian Uprising car show in Crystal lake Illinois. It was a great show, we were told approximately 500 Pontiacs in attendance. There were a lot of really nice cars. For me the highlight was listening to the Legends of Pontiac speak. I think an hour was set aside but they talked for close to two hours. Such a wealth of knowledge and some really good stories.

Left tp right Jeff Denison, Scott Tiemann, Don Kefee and Rocky Rotella. You can google their credentials.

IMG_8462 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[LeighP]

That would have been great to listen to.

[Jack]

I'm sure that was the highlight of the show... you're lucky to have been there.