Today I... "Redux Edition"

[ryeguy2006a]

Wow Luke, that is super scary!! Glad that you are ok, and that the car seems to be unharmed.

[737driver]

Yesterday several of us in our unofficial car club attended a car show in Boulder City, Nevada. A local car club (Boulder City Cruising Association ) hosts several car shows a year and they are always good times. Two of those shows happen in May and late September. The May show is called “The Best Dam Car Show” and the fall show is called “The Wurst Dam Car Show” ( in addition to a car show , it also has several vendors cooking BBQ Wurst type sausages).  The “Dam” refers to the Hoover Dam and Boulder City is the home of the Hoover Dam. Boulder City is a great little town just outside of Las Vegas. The show is held at the city park and is a great location.

So our unofficial car group is about a dozen or so people with mostly Firebirds and other Pontiacs. Like I said we our unofficial, really just a bunch of car guys into Firebirds. We normally always meet up Saturday mornings and a local Cars and Coffee event sponsored by Celebrity Cars in Las Vegas. We have been hanging out for the last several years and turned out to be a great bunch. In Vegas, Chevrolet and Ford enthusiasts are the big majority, so it’s kinda cool to be of the much smaller minority of Pontiac guys.

Usuals for the events we will have anywhere from 6-10 Firebirds or Pontiacs . We only showed with 5 cars in our group. I brought my gold 79 Trans Am and my 68 Lemans Convertible. We also had a 74 Super Duty TransAm , a red 78 TA and one 73 TA ( not shown in the pics). One my friends received a plaque for his red 78 TA.

All in all it was a great time and there were some fantastic cars. The weather was great and the food vendors was exceptional as well.

[roadking77]

Jim, that sounds like the perfect car club and one that I would like to belong to. Same deal around my area, at most of the local shows I am usually the only Pontiac there. I have a buddy with a really nice 66 GTO that runs a cruise and when I go to that its usually 2 pontiacs, LOL. Looks like a dam fun day
I road my motorcycle across AZ to Vegas a number of years ago. They were just putting in the pilings for the by pass bridge just below the dam. Is any traffic allowed across the dam now?

[79GoldnTan]

Awesome! Awesome! And just awesome!

[5th T/A]

Very nice showing of Pontiacs, it doesn't get any better than this!

[737driver]

Jim, that sounds like the perfect car club and one that I would like to belong to. Same deal around my area, at most of the local shows I am usually the only Pontiac there. I have a buddy with a really nice 66 GTO that runs a cruise and when I go to that its usually 2 pontiacs, LOL. Looks like a dam fun day
I road my motorcycle across AZ to Vegas a number of years ago. They were just putting in the pilings for the by pass bridge just below the dam. Is any traffic allowed across the dam now?

The dam is open for most traffic. They recently completed I-11 that bypasses Boulder City but goes right along the dam.
Jim

[72projectbird]

Made a quick idle vid of the GMC this morning:

https://youtu.be/7cUyb2e5Qgc?si=CYLBb8I98Z1wtxc9

[72projectbird]

This site is pretty dead huh?

I miss the old days.

[FormTA]

Ya. I think there were only 44 people on it yesterday.

Truck sounds awesome. So, what are the specs, engine year? I love a good lope.

[Nexus]

Popped in for an update!

I had my in-laws visiting from Okinawa Japan for the last 3 months and tomorrow they fly back home. It was a spectacular visit and they were very easy to live with, which makes it hard to see them go home. We toured Ontario going from Sudbury, to places like Toronto, Niagara, Sault Ste Marie (Agawa Canyon train tour), Ottawa and a few things around town.

September I started my second year of the electrical technician course I'm in, and much like first year, it is very time consuming and challenging. Lots of math formulas to learn.  I have a crazy idea to see about maybe doing my apprenticeship in Okinawa, working on the American Military base. Not sure if that's even posable,  but something I want to look into.

I haven't done anything with any of my projects for several months, so nothing new to report there but I did manage to find where my wife put my Firebird repair manuals. They were in with all my school stuff that was put away for the summer at the end of last semester.

My karate dojo is doing well, I was able to recruit a couple of new students this year which bring my total up to about 20 students for kids and adults. We had a successful pig-roast seminar where I was able to promote my wife to her Shodan (first degree black), which was about an 8 year process for her. Then I got in sh** from my sensei for making her take so long as I had to phone him up in Okinawa to get permission to have the grading. I'm learning I guess.

Alright, that's it for now

I hope everyone is doing well!!

[5th T/A]

Boy you got a lot on your plate, but it all sounds good. Great hearing from you Charlie!

[5th T/A]

Made a quick idle vid of the GMC this morning:

https://youtu.be/7cUyb2e5Qgc?si=CYLBb8I98Z1wtxc9

Sounds great.

Just imagine about 30 years from today when there are no more internal combustion engines in production cars. A young man hears this sound for the very first time. He is blown away and asks his dad, what is that? Of course maybe there will an option for synthesizing Internal combustion engine sounds. Kind of like when I was a kid we would put playing cards on our bicycle spokes. It made a neat sound, but not as good as the real thing.

[roadking77]

Good to hear from you Charlie, sounds like a fun and exciting summer for you and the folks. Sounds like your dojo is old school. I took Karate when I was a teenager from a fellow that learned the old school way. He was progressive but went by the old ways as well. The belt process was long and arduous. There was quite a bit that needed to be learned for each step. We had to fight in a certain number of tournaments as well. It did take a lot of effort on behalf of the students to advance. When my grandson started a few years ago it was totally different than what I did. They had no fighting, a bit of skill levels and quite a bit of exercising. It was good for what they did, just not what I was used to. In the course of a year many students advanced through 3 or 4 belts. I suppose its all part of the participation society we live in.

[72projectbird]

Ya. I think there were only 44 people on it yesterday.

Truck sounds awesome. So, what are the specs, engine year? I love a good lope.

Thanks!

It's a 2000. Long tubes, no cats, 3200 stall with a BTR camshaft. 212/224 .552"lift 107LSA.

Pulls like a freight train over 3000rpm

[FormTA]

So is it a 5.3 ls? It sounds awesome.  I may have to put a cam in mine if it sounds like that!

[72projectbird]

So is it a 5.3 ls? It sounds awesome.  I may have to put a cam in mine I'd it sounds like that!

Yes sir.

Sounds way nastier in person. Certainly doesn't sound like a small LS

[FormTA]

Their website says it's a bit aggressive for daily driving.  How do you think it does? Is it a bit too much? Other than headers, did you have to change anything else? I am really considering a cam now to give my car a vintage sound. I have a 98 LS1 in my TA.

[b_hill_86]

Their website says it's a bit aggressive for daily driving.  How do you think it does? Is it a bit too much? Other than headers, did you have to change anything else? I am really considering a cam now to give my car a vintage sound. I have a 98 LS1 in my TA.

Don’t you think you should at least put those wheel flares on first ?? 

[FormTA]

Ha, ha. Ya, probably.  I think I'm going to order the fiberglass ones so I can sand them to the contour of the body to get a good fit. Maybe over the winter....

[72projectbird]

Their website says it's a bit aggressive for daily driving.  How do you think it does? Is it a bit too much? Other than headers, did you have to change anything else? I am really considering a cam now to give my car a vintage sound. I have a 98 LS1 in my TA.

I daily it all the time as long as the weather is nice. Not aggressive at all, especially with the converter I have behind it. I'd imagine a stock converter would make it slightly difficult, although BTR claims you can run a stock one and be fine. My setup drives like a stock setup. Doesn't try and push thru the brakes, runs cool, makes a bunch more power than stock.

[FormTA]

So, is this site messed up for others too? It looks so weird from my end.

[b_hill_86]

Ok on my end

[72projectbird]

So, is this site messed up for others too? It looks so weird from my end.

Yeah it looks awful on my end. Like windows 95 combined with someone's first time coding a website. Not that superb.

[FormTA]

Glad someone else posted.  I tried bit couldn't get my post to stick. We'll see if this one does.

[roadking77]

May have been a glitch, Seems ok to me. I was not on over the weekend though. There have been comments about light traffic here, I have noticed on the py forum that it seems only a few Trans Ams post a week over there as well. I dont think its just this site.

[FormTA]

Does the format look the same as it always has to you? Like posted above, it looks like an 80s Tandy 1000 program for me.

[nas t eh]

Thursday took the now mobile TA to a local driveline shop to have the 2.73 gears pulled out of the 79 4 disc rear and replaced with the 3.42 posi unit from the original rear for the car. Like everything else that did not go smoothly.

The posi unit is old and nearly worn out, they recommend replacing it along with the crown and pinion. I had been hoping to get a quick and cheap fix with plans later to upgrade the rear to either a 12 bolt or 9”.  Time line wont work to do an upgrade now as those parts are weeks away up here in Canada. The reasonable and short timeline option is an Eaton truetrack and new crown and pinion for the 8.5 “ 10 bolt. So I now have them welding the tubes to the differential housing and supplying an Eaton true track and new gears.

[roadking77]

Everything still looks normal to me 

[5th T/A]

I spent a long weekend in Omaha and Lincoln Nebraska to attend a wedding. Did some museum hoping and came across the Speedway Motors Museum of speed. Lots to look at, but mostly talked about racing, performance and horsepower. Large sections on Fords inline fours and flat head V8"s. Long before my time these motors were a big deal and made me realize that Hot rodding is as old as cars themselves.

The only Pontiac car in the museum, seems fitting it would be a 2nd generation TA.
IMG_2463 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

IMG_2464 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Pontiacs OHC inline 6, supposedly inspired by Jaguar. This is the single barrel version I can recall working on them years ago. There was also a HP version with a Quadrajet, but I have never seen one.
IMG_2471 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

This is Pontiacs first OHV V8, the engine that started it all. it transformed Pontiacs from a stodgy old man car to a performance automobile.
IMG_2474 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

IMG_2473 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

Not a Pontiac, but since Ryeguy has been building his 55 Nomad I seem to see more and more tri-5 Nomads. Just a matter of time and his will look every bit as good as this one. One of my auto shop teachers had a 55, 56 and 57. All three were as nice as this one pictured.

IMG_2475 by Lawrence Alexander, on Flickr

[5th T/A]

Thursday took the now mobile TA to a local driveline shop to have the 2.73 gears pulled out of the 79 4 disc rear and replaced with the 3.42 posi unit from the original rear for the car. Like everything else that did not go smoothly.

The posi unit is old and nearly worn out, they recommend replacing it along with the crown and pinion. I had been hoping to get a quick and cheap fix with plans later to upgrade the rear to either a 12 bolt or 9”.  Time line wont work to do an upgrade now as those parts are weeks away up here in Canada. The reasonable and short timeline option is an Eaton truetrack and new crown and pinion for the 8.5 “ 10 bolt. So I now have them welding the tubes to the differential housing and supplying an Eaton true track and new gears.

I have heard good things about Eaton TrueTrack, I'll be curious to hear your driving impressions. Welding up the axel tubes, sounds like you are doing things right. Are you using C-clips or bolt in axels? I have had a hard time finding a shop by me with the expertise to do this kind of work.

[stros]

I have heard good things about Eaton TrueTrack, I'll be curious to hear your driving impressions. Welding up the axel tubes, sounds like you are doing things right. Are you using C-clips or bolt in axels? I have had a hard time finding a shop by me with the expertise to do this kind of work.

I’ve got the TrueTrac, I think you’ll like it.  I’ve been quite happy with it but make sure you get the right gear oil for it (non synthetic 80w90 without any friction modifiers).

[roadking77]

Looks like some cool stuff in the museum! I really like the motor displays, especially since I have one in my shop now

[nas t eh]

Thursday took the now mobile TA to a local driveline shop to have the 2.73 gears pulled out of the 79 4 disc rear and replaced with the 3.42 posi unit from the original rear for the car. Like everything else that did not go smoothly.

The posi unit is old and nearly worn out, they recommend replacing it along with the crown and pinion. I had been hoping to get a quick and cheap fix with plans later to upgrade the rear to either a 12 bolt or 9”.  Time line wont work to do an upgrade now as those parts are weeks away up here in Canada. The reasonable and short timeline option is an Eaton truetrack and new crown and pinion for the 8.5 “ 10 bolt. So I now have them welding the tubes to the differential housing and supplying an Eaton true track and new gears.

I have heard good things about Eaton TrueTrack, I'll be curious to hear your driving impressions. Welding up the axel tubes, sounds like you are doing things right. Are you using C-clips or bolt in axels? I have had a hard time finding a shop by me with the expertise to do this kind of work.

I was not aware that bolt in axels were an option on 10 bolts, they are the stock c clip axels for now. Once the gears are broken in, my plan was to upgrade the axels and diff cover with the required oil change. But I was only going to use better chrome moly c clip axels as that is the only choice I was aware of.

Short break in trips so far, the TrueTrack is quiet, can’t tell it is back there.

[nas t eh]

On to the next problem, can’t squeeze the rear sway bar drop link into place because the Pypes 2.5 inch passenger side exhaust pipe interferes. I also think I want more clearance for the driver side rear tire.

I don’t think denting the pipe with a BFH is going the make enough room in either case ( I did dent it some to see) so I will need to modify or replace the pipe.

None of the local shops here have a mandrel bender needed for SS pipe, but maybe I can get someone to cut/section/weld the existing pipe?

Lastly I dropped of a recently purchased used M20 4 speed at the driveline shop for a check up, once they go through it I’ll install it

[nas t eh]

First snow of the season overnight, so Saturday was the last drive in the car till Spring, I picked up my 92yo Mom and brought her to our house for dinner, It was the first time she had been in the car in 30+ years, so we were both pretty happy. It was also only the 7th or 8th time the car has been out since I got it back on the road. I warned her the car is loud ( Pypes exhaust) half way into the drive she asked if I was going to put a muffler on the car?

[nas t eh]

Testing my ability to attach photos, this is my car 5-6years ago coming home from Montana after bodywork and painting.

[nas t eh]

This was back in August when the dash went in for the last time.

[ryeguy2006a]

Lawrence, thanks for sharing those photos of the Speed Museum! Love those Pontiac engines! Always like to see the pictures of Nomad's haha. It's sort of like when you buy a new car/truck. You didn't see them before, but now they are everywhere.

[firebirdparts]

The Museum of Speed is very much on my to-do list, but I don't know when I'd ever be in Nebraska.

I at least did figure out that strategic air command also has a museum near there, and they have every plane you'd ever hope the SAC museum to have.

It's a long way to nebraska for just two museums, though.

[5th T/A]

The Museum of Speed is very much on my to-do list, but I don't know when I'd ever be in Nebraska.

I at least did figure out that strategic air command also has a museum near there, and they have every plane you'd ever hope the SAC museum to have.

It's a long way to nebraska for just two museums, though.

I have lots of family in Colorado. Typically, we would drive out there at least every other year with an overnight stay in Lincoln Nebraska. Many times I wanted to stop at the SAC museum but didn't have the time to do it right. I am retired and my kids are grown up, so I could finally take the time. The SAC museum is built on what is left of Offutt Air Force Base.  I really enjoyed the SAC museum, it would be my choice if I only had time to do one Museum. But, I am a big aviation and history buff. If you are in the neighborhood, no reason not to do both.