Tom Szymczyk Phone (856) 439-0314 11817 E

“A Tradition Of Performance” Website: www.gtoaa.org

President Bob Alexander (970) 221-0754 GTOAA TECH ADVISORY STAFF 2950 Neil Drive, Unit 10 Tech info online: visit www.gtoaa.org, click on "Tech Advisors"- links to PY Forums Fort Collins, CO 80526 [email protected] Chief Technical Advisor Steve Lucas (630) 346-2967 Club Store / Board Member 230 South Hudson, Westmont, IL 60559-1936 [email protected] Robert J. & Connie Maher 5829 Stroebel Road (989) 781-0807 1964 Mike Schulz (952) 472-2125 Judges Jon Wacholtz (507) 433-5201 Saginaw, MI 48609-5249 4878 Edgewater Dr 706 13th Ave S.W. [email protected] Mound, MN 55364-2006 Austin, MN 55912-2726 [email protected] Legend Editor / Board Member 1965 Scott Tiemann (517) 647-2433 Tom Szymczyk phone (856) 439-0314 11817 E. Grand River GT-37 Position Open 30 Sandhurst Drive fax (856) 866-9003 Portland, MI 48875 Volunteers may send resumes to Steve Lucas, Chief Tech Advisor Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054-6206 1966 Marvin Minarich, Sr. (815) 467-0381 [email protected] 26265 West Highland Drive Paint Gary Cave (301) 868-3483 Board Member & Past President Channahon, IL 60410 & Body 7805 Ferry Avenue Bill Markowski [email protected] Clinton, MD 20735-1702 1341 Stolle Road (716) 652-1911 1967 Terry Weiner (847) 758-6112 (days) Differentials Elma, NY 14059-9734 409 Ronnie Drive Position Open [email protected] Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-1151 Volunteers may send resumes to Membership Coordinator / Board Member [email protected] Steve Lucas, Chief Tech Advisor Beth Butcher 1968 Ed Dreksler (352) 622-3281 Exhaust Systems P.O. Box 213 (970) 493-3932 2208 N.E. 40th Terrace Gardner Exhaust Systems Timnath, CO 80547-0213 Ocala, FL 34470-3171 15 Glenn Pond Drive [email protected] [email protected] Red Hook, NY 12571 (845) 758-8003 Commercial Advertising / Board Member 1969 Kevin Beal (603) 313-9696 John & Diana Johnson (573) 581-8013 PO Box 367 Marlborough, NH Engine Interchange & Heads 620 N. Jefferson fax: (573) 581-6486 [email protected] Ronald Rocchi Mexico, MO 65265-3217 Pontiac Performance Engineering 1970 Position Open [email protected] 9444 N. Marion Volunteers may send resumes to Morton Grove, IL 60053-1258 Chapter Coordinator Steve Lucas, Chief Tech Advisor (847) 966-0998 Bill Vantuono (732) 208-6860 e-mail:[email protected] 431 16th Avenue fax: (212) 633-1863 [email protected] 1971 Dan Jensen (517) 647-2474 Brick, NJ 08724 Carburetors & 72 11929 E. Grand River [email protected] Jon Hardgrove Portland, MI 48875-8444 Membership, Recruitment 204 East 15th & Public Relations 1973 Bill Markowski (716) 652-1911 Eldon, MO 65026-2524 Dan Elder (254) 986-2900 1341 Stolle Road (573) 392-7378 (8-5CST) 2074 Allena Lane fax: (254) 986-2411 Elma, NY 14059-9734 www.thecarburetorshop.com Temple, TX 76502 [email protected] VENDOR DISCOUNT PROGRAM [email protected] 1974 Terry Doolittle (541) 476-4280 Participating Companies 543 Serenity Lane Webmaster Sean Mattingly Grants Pass, OR 97526-9795 A&M Soff Seal 800-426-0902 335 East 360 North (765) 608-1109 2004-06 Jonathan Schwenn (414) 687-6470 The Paddock, Inc. 800-428-4319 Anderson, IN 46012 735 Longwood Drive Performance Years GTOs 800-542-7278 [email protected] Algonquin IL 60102 Concours Judging Chairman [email protected] Warpath Restoration Parts 440-845-4612 Jon Wacholtz Year One, Inc. 800-950-9503 706 13th Avenue SW (507) 433-5201 Austin, MN 55912-2726 Magazine subscription: USA $35 per year, Canada $40 US funds, all others $50 US funds. Send [email protected] subscription request to GTOAA, PO Box 455, Timnath, CO 80547-0455. Visa & MasterCard accepted, Convention Coordinator add $2.00. Send card number, expiration date, and signature. Missing newsletters or change of address: direct correspondence to Beth Butcher, PO Box 213, Timnath, CO 80547. Include Steve Hedrick membership number. Copyright 2008. Chapter publications may reprint articles with appropriate 3676 Morgan Way (636) 942-4020 credit. GTO Association of America, Inc. is a limited liability, non-profit Colorado Corporation, tax Imperial, MO 63052 exempt under Internal Revenue code section 501(c)(7). The Legend is published monthly for $35 per [email protected] year USA (Canada $40, foreign $50) by the GTO Association of America, PO Box 213, 4324 Dixon Street, Timnath, CO 80547. Second class postage paid at Timnath, CO 80547, USPS # 013-191. POSTMASTER send address changes to The Legend, GTOAA, PO Box 213, Timnath, CO 80547.

The Legend 1 December 2008

IN THIS ISSUE

Volume 26 Number 12

December 2008

1 Officer & Staff Info

2 First Gear Tom Szymczyk

3 From The Prez’s Pen

Bob Alexander

Bye-Bye 2008 So the Chapter Survey info may 4 The Real 326 Story The end of the year seems like a have gone off into cyberspace and never John Sawruk good opportunity to thank all the people reached the right person in a chapter or that help to bring you this magazine each two. If that sounds like your club, con- 5 Convention Cruisin' month. Our feature car owners share tact Bill at [email protected] right John Spiess their unique stories with us, while our away and Bill will resend. It's important monthly columnists keep our publication that we get your updated info ASAP.

7 2009 Meet Forms filled with interesting and informative articles. Good job, folks! Happy Holidays Regular contributors like Bill Van- May all of you have a safe and 10 Cover Car Feature tuono, Tim Sickle, Jeff Lovich, Steve peaceful holiday season. Please remem- Wally Visocnik Schaeffer, Bob Alexander, Dennis Kir- ber our service men and women who are ban, Gary Major, and Chuck Catalano away from their homes and families at 13 Tiger Run 2008 Report help to keep our pages filled. They vol- this time, and keep them in your Frank Salerno unteer their time and effort to give our thoughts and prayers. readers various ideas and perspectives. 16 Club Store Thanks also to those members who send Last But Not Least . . . an occasional letter or e-mail. Your thoughts, suggestions, com- We should make special mention of plaints, comments, letters, and ideas are 19 Kirban's Side Of The Road one of our main monthly contributors, always welcome. The Legend is a publi- John Sawruk. Even though battling can- cation of the members, by the members, Dennis Kirban cer and the side effects of the medication and for the members. So feel free to add his doctors had him on, John never your two cents -- articles, reports, and 22 Return Of A Champion missed a deadline. Worsening health stories from the membership are what Bill Vantuono may prevent John from continuing, but this newsletter is all about. My e-mail we are ever grateful for his great work address is [email protected] and 26 Disc Brake Upgrade over the years. Please keep the Sawruk my phone number is (856) 439-0314. Cap Proffitt family in your prayers. Feel free to call anytime up to midnight Advertising dollars help our publi- Eastern Time. As they say on TV, op-

28 Chapter Directory cation, and we are appreciative of the erators are standing by. continued support of our vendors and advertising director John Johnson. Tom Szymczyk 29 Classifieds

Chapter Survey 2009 If you are a chapter president, you In Memoriam

should have received your 2009 GTOAA On October 29, 2008, Quint Stires Chapter Survey from chapter coordinator died of thyroid cancer. He was 48 Bill Vantuono. Bill e-mailed the survey years old. Quint was the GTOAA to the e-mail address we have on file for tech advisor for 1970 GTOs and a your chapter (see page 28 for the Chap- Concours Judge at the Nationals for ter Directory). We recognize that people many years. Quint worked for Ames occasionally change Internet providers Performance and was a writer for and don't tell us right away (that's hard to High Performance Pontiac and other automotive publications. Quint will be believe -- GTOAA must be the most im- missed by the Pontiac hobby. Our portant thing on your to-do list every condolences to the Stires family. day, right?). Or maybe not. The Legend 2 December 2008

HIGHLIGHTS: 2008 In Review Looking Ahead To 2009

It is already mid-October as I write The GTOAA Concours Judging the Co-Vention in Dayton, I hope to see this article for the last issue of the year. program continues to improve slowly, a new Concours Standards Manual. As with the previous December issues but surely. Yes, a draft standards man- Again this means a draft should be ready during my presidency, I like to take a ual was not ready by this year’s Meet in for review by January. Third, just like look back at the year and assess accom- New York; however, Bill Markowski is last year, I want to see two new chapters plishment of our annual goals and then confident it will be ready by January incorporated. I know that our new Chap- set a course of action for the year ahead. 2009. Our Concours Judging program ter Coordinator, Bill Vantuono, is al- As I considered 2008, I reviewed must be of the highest quality and on par ready aggressively working on this. my goals for the organization. As you with that of any car club in the country Finally, my goal is for us to imme- may recall, by March I wanted to see the due to ever increasing value of the GTO diately work together to become a online membership system and online and the unfortunate rise in fraudulent stronger, tighter organization and elimi- Club Store fully operational. Next, by representation of cars in this hobby. nate once and for all the controversy and the 2008 Meet, I hoped that we would Regarding my final goal, I admit adversarial mind-set over the incorpora- have a draft of the new Concours Stan- that I have been surprised by an unex- tion of the 04-06 GTO. Remember, this dards Manual complete and ready for re- pected turn of events. Yes, we did in- is the GTO Association of America. view by the standards committee. Fi- corporate one new chapter in 2008 and In closing, I challenge each and nally, I set a goal for two new chapters to that is great news. However, instead of every one of you to make the GTOAA be incorporated by the end of this year. increasing the number of members with better. Get your car out and enjoy it Did we accomplish the goals? The 04-06 GTOs, we actually decreased and more often. That is my main resolution answer: partially! Though our website no new chapters were incorporated that for 2009. I hope that 2008 was a great drastically improved over the past year are dedicated to the 04-06 GTO. In fact, year for all of you. Get involved with to the point where it is on par with the the overall GTOAA membership de- the GTOAA and make it a better and best sites I’ve seen anywhere on the creased by approximately 200 during the more enjoyable organization. Thank Internet, the online membership system past year. you! and online Club Store are still not opera- Part of the membership decline is tional. Most of the delay with the mem- due to the high price of gas and the poor bership system is due to unforeseen dif- state of the economy. Unfortunately, I ficulties in applying our long-standing believe our numbers also decreased be- MORE SAD NEWS database program in a useable fashion. cause of unnecessary conflict between After this issue went to press, we Thanks to the dedicated efforts of owners and enthusiasts of 64-74 and 04- learned that John Sawruk passed Jon Schwenn and Beth Butcher, signifi- 06 GTOs. Folks, it is time for this to away on November 12 after a long cant progress was made and a few prac- stop. This organization is dedicated to battle with cancer. The people at tice transactions were successfully com- the GTO; promoting, preserving and en- Citizen Printing were kind enough pleted using PayPal. With continued joying all years of America’s premier to redo this page so that we could support from Jon and Beth, I am confi- muscle car. I am amazed that I still re- add this message. We apologize if dent this will be ready by April 2009. ceive correspondence from members your delivery of this issue was de- layed by a few days. More info is Jon got married, moved to a differ- complaining about our incorporation of available at www.gtoaa.org and on ent state, and accepted a position in a the 04-06 GTO into the club. It is a the PY Forums. different company. As you can imagine, “done deal." Enough said. any one of these big changes would eas- Let’s look ahead to 2009. To begin, Our January issue will be dedicated ily justify a priority shift away from our by April, my goal is to have a fully op- to John's memory and his many web upgrades. Though I’m disappointed erational online membership system and contributions to the Pontiac hobby. that we do not have an operational online online Club Store. There is no question Our sincere condolences go out to membership system and Club Store yet, I that both of these items are critical to the Marge and the Sawruk family. certainly understand Jon's situation. success of our organization. Next, by

The Legend 3 December 2008

John M. Sawruk, P.E., GM Pontiac Historian

The origins of the Pontiac 326 en- was planned to essentially use the ‘59 to get this done quickly -- including cold gine go back to the ‘58-’59 GMC truck GMC/Pontiac components. and hot scuffing tests, durability tests, oil 336 cu. in. engines based on the Pontiac Now the games begin. Close to the economy testing, etc. In one of the V8s. After the ‘57 model year, GMC start of 1963 production, the Corporation meetings related to this, someone sug- decided it needed a smaller engine due to decreed the small cars could not have gested that only the emblems be manual transmission durability issues. more than 330 cu. in. Pontiac was put in changed! We know some people that Thus the 336 was created for ‘58. a tough spot. To reduce displacement, a were in this meeting -- but they don’t While the GMC displacement is the smaller bore was planned. However to remember who suggested it. Sometime same for ‘59, it has a different bore and develop a new piston is a very long term after start of production, someone at GM stroke! The differences were driven by process. Pistons are not round; the shape Engineering Staff actually calculated the the use of parts common to the 370 in is very complicated; the top and bottom displacement and Pontiac got caught. As ‘58 and the 389 in ‘59. The ‘63 Tempest are different. Pontiac did not know how a result, the ‘64 version really is a 326.

Everybody I spoke to about their car Make sure you allow yourself was very friendly and helpful when I enough time in 2009 to take in all the asked questions about how a certain part tech talks and seminars and enjoy the is painted or plated. My thanks to Mr. other great activities that the Co-Vention Ralph Marsai of Michigan, owner of a organizers have planned. -- Tom 1965 GTO hardtop, who allowed me to crawl under his car to take some meas- I found Jeff Lovich's rarest GTO op- urements that I needed to work on my tions article (October 2008) to be very 1965 GTO. My brother Tom had to interesting. I worked at Marshall Pontiac laugh at what some people will do to get (which became Bob George Pontiac) in the right information. I didn't attend any Delaware, Ohio from 1968 to 1983. of the lectures but I intend to correct that During this time I had the pleasure of mistake next year in Dayton. servicing many of Pontiac's all time Two items that surprised us (Tom great cars. One of the most interesting My name is Dan Huskisson of Peo- and I) were the number of 1973 GTOs was a 1968 GTO with the 400 2-barrel ria, Arizona and I am a member of the that were there, and only one 1974. option. I found it to be very quick off Cactus GTOs of Arizona. Even when they were new, I don't re- the line (great for stop light to stop I was very pleased to meet you and member seeing them on the streets of light) while the large Q-jet secondaries Bob Alexander at the convention in New York City. Guess I was in the on other cars were just starting to open. Saratoga Springs, NY. It was the first wrong part of town. And I don't want to Once the four barrels of those other national function that I have attended forget mentioning the car hauler that ar- cars opened it was another story. I have since I joined in April of 2005. I arrived rived loaded with different year GTOs. mentioned this car to many people over on Tuesday and had to leave before noon That was impressive! the years and just received blank stares on Thursday but was very impressed by Thanks for the great convention and like I was nuts. It is nice to see that I'm the setup and how the convention grew congrats to the Electric City GTO Club. not crazy (at least about this). I didn't on site. The vendors were setting up Dan Huskisson #14078 realize that it was offered in the 1967 shop as the cars started rolling in. GTO as well. Keep up the good work. My brother Tom (he is a Chevy fan) At most GTOAA conventions, we get David Bauerle came up from Yonkers, NY on Wednes- only a couple '73s and '74s. Having five day and we spent a lot of time seeing the '73s this year was unusual. The car The 2-barrel option (with manda- cars on Wednesday and Thursday. I re- hauler brought GTOs from the Long Is- tory automatic trans) was available on alize we missed a large part of the show land GTO Club. I'll bet that got a few 1967-1969 GTOs and sold a total of but we did get to see the concours cars looks coming up the New York State 7,433 units over those three years --Tom entering the hotel convention center. Thruway!

The Legend 4 December 2008

by John Spiess

Before answering that question, let me very directly say that this month’s article will ask you to do something to make this Co-Vention special. Please bring your car(s). All past and most future 2009 Co-Vention articles address the fun you and your family will have while being part of this event. This month’s article asks you to reflect upon a bit of Oakland, Pontiac, and GMC history and how you might be able to make that history come alive for your friends and new friends yet to be gained at your 2009 Co-Vention.

Returning to that original question: “What cars would you like to see at the Co-Vention?” The answers are probably as great in multitude as the number of members who will attend the Co- Vention. In other words, to be able to fulfill as many cars desires as possible during the Co-Vention, each of us who has a car to bring should bring your car(s). with its “twin” that might be a bit better Ever wonder why this is so? Per- People [and not just gearheads] go than the one they own [these are the haps it is that our individual modes of to car shows to see the cars they wish gearheads]. A good share of Americans transportation reflect times in our lives they owned, or to see cars like the ones and many people around the world are and hopes for the future. In a larger they once owned [aahh those memories], fascinated with cars and their designed- sense, cars, trucks, and other modes of or to see cars they never had seen before. for-work brothers, trucks. transportation reflect times in the history Some people compare the car they own of our technology, style, and economics. At this time, General Motors is celebrat- ing its 100th anniversary. It would be great to see samples of all of GM’s transportation products, but since this is a GTOAA & POCI event, leave your GM locomotives, Euclid trucks, and the like at home. [GMC busses are allowed if you happen to have an extra one in your driveway.] But do bring your GTOs, Pontiacs, Oaklands, and GMCs to the Co-Vention. A full array of these cars and trucks will bring enjoyment to your fellow members.

The Legend 5 December 2008 today as the “original” muscle car and the beginning of the “Legend." The somewhat classic boxy look of the ’64 to ’67 GTO models was replaced by the softer look of the ’68 to ’72 models. In the early 1970s the economics of the cost of gasoline and GM’s “stop building race cars” edict brought the end to high horsepower Pontiacs for that time period. By the 1980s, Pontiacs were being powered by the GM corporate engines with performance very similar to other GM offerings. Style was still very Pontiac and still very pleasing as it re- mains today. In recent years Pontiac produced the “new era” GTO and its cur- rent offering, the G8, for those of us who enjoy being behind the wheel of a real performance American technology car. Many people consider this America’s new muscle car era. And based upon the This request for an array is not tar- by basic internal combustion engines. performance of these cars compared to geted toward our POCI members only. Those engines had less sophistication the original muscle cars, they are right. There are many GTOAA members who and sometimes less horsepower than that Yes, they do not look like the cars of own other Pontiacs besides GTOs. found on today’s riding lawn mowers. yesteryear, but when we look into a mir- GTOAA members can proudly show That was the technology of the time. ror neither do us owners of the original these cars in a display area where there Over the intervening years, changes in muscle cars appear as we did back then. will be no competition for awards. economics, style and improvements of Plus, the comfort features afforded by Early 1900’s transportation reflected technology coupled with some daring these “go fast” yet “stop quickly” cars the technology of its time. Chain drive product management at GM resulted in increase our daily driving enjoyment. systems adapted from bicycles powered the first-era GTOs. In the mid 1960s, moderately large displacement engines with high horsepower producing camshafts and multi- carburetion were offered in intermediate sized cars. This ushered in the muscle car era, and the era's keynote “Legend" the GTO, was born. Other GM brands and other manufacturers copied the GTO but the GTO was the clear leader of this first muscle car era. The 1964 GTO was the new car show stopper of this time. It is prized There have been many models of Pontiacs in the years between the early 1970s and today. During that time Pontiac as with all other cars have become microprocessor and computer con- trolled with the number and type of con- venience features simply exploding. Most of us recall the models that have special interest to us as being in recent memory. If reflecting upon this ultra abbrevi- ated Pontiac history causes you to wish to see some cars you have not enjoyed seeing recently, the 2009 Co-Vention is where you want to be. And if you bring your special car(s) just consider the enjoyment you will very likely bring to a friend or will-be friend once they see what you brought to the event.

The Legend 6 December 2008

The Legend 9 December 2008 Cover Car Feature Wally Visocnik's 1965 GTO

Back in 1964 I saw the advertisement for the new GTO on TV. It was awesome. I was 13 years old and into cars, and of course, girls. Every Friday and Saturday night my buddies and I would go down town (Waukegan, Il- linois) and check out the girls and all the cool cars scooping the loop. Waukegan was a great place to go and see lots of hot rods and customized cars just cruising or racing up and down the street and doing burnouts (when Johnny Law wasn’t around). That was where I saw for the first time a '64 GTO race a '57 Chevy. I watched the goat blow the Chevy away. Right of owning my own GTO own, so in the spring of 2004 I didn’t even try to bar- then and there I fell in love started. Being young and hav- I started searching for the gain down the price, the price with the GTO and wanted one ing one of the fastest pro- right project car for me. was just right. I drove the car once I got older. When I duction cars in town, I won a I looked at a lot of GTOs back to Illinois with a couple turned 16, I got my driver's li- lot of races, not to mention all on eBay and on the Internet of my buddies (Dane and Leo) cense and my first car, a hand the tickets I got with it. I and found a '64 in New Jersey, that came along. Leo drove me down 1962 Chevy Impala wanted to build this GTO to so I flew out there to take a my Bonneville (always been a 4-door from my Dad. Can’t be even faster and keep it close up look at the car before Pontiac man) while Dane rode complain about a freebee, but stock looking. That came to a making an offer. Believe me with me in the goat. The goat it wasn’t the dream car that I screeching halt when Uncle it was nothing like what was didn’t have A/C and it was 95 wanted, so after school and Sam came calling. I had to stated in the ad. The body degrees that day -- guess what weekends I got a job pumping sell the car. needed a lot of work plus a happens? Yep, you got it -- gas, cleaning windshields, We all know what hap- new paint job. If I were a the motor was running around checking tire pressures (re- pens now -- I got married and body and paint guy this would 230 to 235 degrees. What to member those days?), chang- we started to have family and have been a good car to start do? Turn on the heat and slow ing oil, and greasing cars so I that brings bills, doctor's bills, with, but I am a mechanic and down some. That dropped the could save up to buy the car of school, and mortgages, family needed a project car where the temp to 225. Needless to say my dreams. car, etc. With all this happen- body and paint would be Dane got the bad deal of rid- Two years later my dream ing in my life I still had the freshly finished. So I started ing with me because we were came true and I bought a used dream of building one fast searching again. soaked head to toe from sweat 1966 4-speed Tri-Power GTO. goat some day. That day came A few weeks later I found by the time we got back. For That was where the true love once all the boys were on their my dream car, a partially re- me it didn’t matter how hot it stored 1965 GTO in Anderson, was. I was driving my new Indiana. I got in touch with GTO and I was in heaven. the owner and made arrange- Once I got the car home I ments to drive down and take checked the water temp with a look. This time everything one of my gauges to see what stated in the ad was on target. was going on. You guessed it: The owner had started a bad gauge. frame-on restoration in the fall The car was about 65% of 2003 and just got the car done which was great because back from the restoration shop I enjoy doing my own work where he had new floor pans, and I could finish it the way I trunk pans, and new paint would like it to be, a stock done, as well as a new interior. looking car with a lot of mus- He needed to sell it because he cle under the hood. The car was getting married and came with a Torch Red paint needed cash for his new pro- job, no body filler, and straight ject, a new home for his bride. panels, which was the selling

The Legend 10 December 2008 Cover Car Feature Wally Visocnik's 1965 GTO point for me to buy this goat. train. I bought a set of #13 The car started out with a heads. I had them done with 1974 400 motor, 4-speed, 4- new stainless valves, hardened barrel and a 3.55 peg leg. seats, and decked, and then I That year of motor wasn’t go- ported and polished the heads ing to work for me. I wanted myself. I added an Extreme more horsepower, among Comp Cam, roller rockers and other things. springs, intake, 750 Edelbrock I started checking out part carb, and headers. Needless to houses and eBay. WOW! I say this made the car fast, so didn’t realize how expensive now I needed to make this car these parts were going to be. stop a little better. It came Barris car show and won the balancing the crank, rods, and Oh well, good things in life from the factory with a single Peoples' Choice Award. custom racing pistons, (this cost. The first year I started to manual master cylinder, so I George Barris had some nice bottom end should be able to work on finishing the interior installed a dual 7-inch booster things to say about the car to take a lot of rpm and torque) I and exterior. In the interior I and dual master cylinder, and the crowd and to me person- finished up the top end and added the padded dash, new added front disc brakes. Also ally, and then he autographed added 500cfm Edelbrock dual wiring harness, console, white at that time I replaced all the my car. quads, MSD ignition system faced gauges, redid the dash body bushings, control arm In the fall of 2006, I and a posi unit for the rear end bezel, added custom polished bushings, added new boxed wasn’t finished with my goals and had the drive shaft high stainless steel gauge rings, trailing arms and bushings, yet of having a faster goat. I speed balanced. Plus a lot plus a lot more nickel and front and rear sway bars, and found on the Internet a 428 4- more nickel dime stuff. At the dime stuff. I also added a cus- 2½-inch crossover exhaust bolt main motor in New York end of the season I had the tom made third brake light that with Delta 50 Flowmaster City. It was Thanksgiving badass street machine that I reads "Cruisin Tigers" when mufflers. Plus more nickel Day when I made the deal always wanted, stock looking lit up. Those of us who own a and dime stuff. over the phone and made ar- and a real sleeper. I don’t I started to take the GTO rangements to pick up the mo- know how much torque and to car shows and cruise nights. tor the next day. My youngest horsepower it has at the I can’t tell you how many son jumped at the opportunity wheels yet; I still need to get compliments I got on my car to come along as my relief the car on a dyno. and how many shows I won. I driver. I can’t say how much So the love of owning a met lots of nice people on fun I had with my son on this GTO goes on. Boy oh boy, I 65 GTO know why a third cruise nights with GTOs and trip -- just awesome. feel like a kid again. I can’t brake light is necessary. On other muscle cars. I joined the the exterior I replaced missing local GTO club, the Cruisin parts, wheel well chrome, belt Tigers (what a bunch of nice line molding, mirrors, and re- guys and gals!). Then I found paired and/or buffed and pol- out about the GTOAA from ished the moldings. Then I the club and joined the na- had to have a set of BF Good- tional organization as well. rich T/A tires with Cragar rims The highlight of owning for that total sixties look. my '65 GTO came in 2006 The following year I when I entered my car in the started to rebuild the drive Volo Car Museum / George I wanted more rpm / wait to see what 2009 brings. torque / horsepower to make Maybe a Richmond 5-speed? my goat the fast street ma- Plus a lot more nickel and chine that I dreamed about dime stuff. Count on it! back in the day, and the 428 is just the right motor for that combo. I called a new friend Would you like your GTO fea- that I met through our local tured in The Legend? Of club, Ron Rocchi from Pontiac course you would! For details Performance Engineering, to of how to proceed, contact: see what he would suggest doing to the bottom end and if he Tom Szymczyk, Editor would help me build it at his Phone: (856) 439-0314 E-Mail: place. He agreed. Once the [email protected] bottom end was finished with

The Legend 12 December 2008 Event Report -- Redmond Oregon by Frank Salerno

To say 2008 has been an unusual weather year is to say the least. High- heat spells on the East coast, flooding and excessive numbers of tornadoes in the Midwest, drought conditions in the Southwest, and of course, good old fash- ioned rain in Oregon - again - and again - and again! And this was only May! In the Great Pacific Northwest, we sometimes wait for the sun to shine more than one day in a row, and in some cases, more than one hour in a row! So, what effect did this rainy, wet, always overcast, no sun, weather have on Tiger Run 2008? Absolutely none -- or only to a very minor degree if at all. Of course, we had the standard stories of participants sloshing through miles of winter drudgery, cooler than normal temperatures, and snow-packed moun- tain passes just to get to Tiger Run. But these incidentals did not deter just under 150 Tiger Run registrants from coming back to Central Oregon's own Inn At Eagle Crest resort for our annual Tiger Run program. Not at all. From Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Northern California, Southern California As for Tiger Run itself -- well, this least 15 persons deep at any given time! and Western Canada, they came to enjoy is where the weather comes in. On Fri- With four cooks handling the grill items, our 18th year of Tiger Run and associ- day morning, having awakened to a rain the place was busy! Inside and outside ated events. soaked morning, we needed to find a tables were shared, and if you didn’t With expanded opportunities for a drier area for the car show, rather than know the person sitting across from you, really gr-r-reat Tiger Run show, such as the rain soaked grass soccer field we you did by the end of your hamburger! our first mini-golf tournament, the op- would normally use. So we moved the portunity to swim or relax in the heated car show to the host hotel parking lots, indoor and outdoor pools, a good long next to the hotel Convention Center. soak in one of the many available hot The rain continued throughout the tubs, bike riding and hiking paths, or use day, with us thinking it could possibly of different 18 hole golf courses, this putting a major damper on our evening was as much a mini-vacation opportunity cruise-in to our favorite place, the Pilot as it is our annual Regional GTO Meet. Butte Drive-In in Bend, about nine miles Even one of our club members who lives away. Not so! By 4:00 PM, the Pilot in the area provides a Thursday late af- Butte Drive-In parking lot was full of ternoon barbeque for any one who wants GTOs, and by 7:00 PM, the two lines to to show up! order our favorite menu items were at

Of course, the public was there to view our annual drive-in car show, ex- panding the crowd by just a whole bunch! We did have a little light rain that evening, but the party was still going strong well after 8:00 PM. Saturday morning, we all were surprised to wake up to only an overcast sky. Even better, the car show parking lot was mostly dry, due to a warm, light breeze. Participants and cars started ar- riving before 8:00 AM for show parking

The Legend 13 December 2008 Event Report -- Redmond Oregon by Frank Salerno

and last minute car detailing, with car wash facilities very close by for those cars requiring a quick bath. All cars were parked in their as- signed classification areas on the show lot by 10:00 AM, the start of the show-n-shine. Hot breakfasts were being served early on. It soon became too warm to wear even a sweatshirt, and by mid- morning the sun had come out in all its glory! Everything weather-wise was just great! Con- The rain carried over to Sunday vertible tops were lowered and the morning. At the Madras racetrack, about sunlight brought out spectacular and 30 miles away, it had stopped raining but very colorful hues on the show cars. We the track refused to dry out well enough parked the show cars on each side of for safety purposes. By 11:00 AM, the the Convention Center building's parking drag races for Tiger Run '08 had been lots. The swap meet area was also lo- called off. The only dragging that day cated at one end of the parking lot. We were the chins of potential racers as they had the Convention Center facilities to worked their way back to the resort. But use all day, for last minute registrants, all was not lost, as the late afternoon af- for meals, for our indoor raffle and silent ter-drags barbeque of chicken and short auction booths, and other amenities. ribs very quickly raised the spirits of all Participants were perusing the show who partook of that really great dinner cars and casting votes on their popular with all its accouterments! After the choice ballots, other guests of the host barbeque, some went back to the mini- hotel were also enjoying the program golf course, others found their way to the and cars, the raffle booth was busy, the hotels pools and hot tubs, and in a couple hot food service for breakfast and lunch of cases the spa and beauty salon, while had people waiting in line, the swap the remainder of participants found their meet vendors were well occupied, spe- way to various rooms for card games or cial guest Jim Wangers was signing his just good old TV viewing. books, various t-shirts and other para- Everyone took that evening time to phernalia, and others were just relaxing just sit back and relax in their own way by their cars and/or visiting with other for a few short hours. I am sure most participants. What a great show! everyone had a good time and a lot Though the show-n-shine portion of of fun, enjoyed some really great meals, the program was officially over at 2:00 and had the opportunity to enjoy the PM, the weather had cooperated fully to friendship of fellow owners of GTOs and the extent that most participants re- other Pontiacs that participated in Tiger mained on the show lot, waiting for the Run '08! We would like to see everyone 3:30 PM tech talk. At 4:00 PM, while back for Tiger Run 2009, just five short inside working on and readying the eve- months away. If you would like to know ning program, a quick look out the win- more about Tiger Run, please go to our dows showed it to be raining - again - website www.goatherd.com and click on not much, but again! Tiger Run.

The Legend 14 December 2008

by Dennis Kirban

As the Pontiac GTO gained Once this was done, they popularity among collectors in the drove down to Maryland to shoot late 1980s, it wasn’t long before the other photos of Gary’s 1965 various model companies started GTO. This was only the begin- to produce a variety of diecast mod- ning. Every other week I usually els of the early GTOs. went over to the design studio to A tremendous amount of leg- check on the progress and to verify work and preparation goes into mak- that no mistakes were being made ing the initial prototype model. The with the project. For example; most popular scales for automobile color because of its rarity in real life originally they had the pattern on models seem to be the 1:24 and 1:18 original GTOs. the bucket seats wrong, but by discover- scales. It’s difficult to have all the fea- At the time, I had a modified 1964 ing it early, they were able to correct it tures, such as a fully detailed engine GTO hardtop. The company responsible before production. Also the color of the compartment and interior, on any smaller for all the blueprinting and making the carpets had to be corrected. scale model. initial prototype happened to be located The actual prototype diecast is the In 1992, I was contacted by the near our house. Since the 1964 model they used in their ads. This die- Danbury Mint. They were looking for GTO undercarriage was basically the cast is slightly larger than the actual pro- a pristine original 1965 Pontiac GTO same as the 1965, they used my car for duction ones. On one of my visits, I had hardtop to use as the specimen for their the undercarriage model. I arranged for a rare opportunity to view a large display 1:24 scale series. At the time, I knew of the use of a lift in my buddy’s muffler of original diecast cars that were pro- one fine example that would be the per- shop for an entire day so they could duced over the years. These unique car fect 1965 GTO for the project, Gary shoot all the photos they would need. models would be highly collectible to- Cave’s award winning Iris Mist 1965 Remember, this was back in the days of day! GTO hardtop. He had shown it at one of film! Photos of every conceivable angle It was interesting to see some of the our last Reunion events at the Johns- were taken. small mistakes that sometimes were not ville Naval Base in Warminster, Penn- discovered in time before actual produc- sylvania. As many of you long-time GTO owners know, Gary Cave has one of the most extensive GTO collections in the country. Once the project was a go, I was told I could not tell anyone until the project was actually completed and the Danbury Mint had started to promote the GTO. This project was over two years in the making. This was the first muscle car diecast model done by the Danbury Mint in the 1:24 scale. The Danbury Mint originally wanted to use a popular color combina- tion for the project, a burgundy 1965 GTO with a black interior. I insisted that Gary’s car color was a worthy candidate and really pressed them to stay with the rare Iris Mist exterior color (light laven- The original full-color tri-fold brochure describing the Iris Mist 1965 GTO ap- der) with a Parchment interior. I was pears on the left. On the right is a Certificate of Title, which would list the happy when they agreed to the Iris Mist buyer noting the Danbury Mint as the seller, similar to an actual car title.

The Legend 19 December 2008 tion. For example, I remember seeing a 1952-1953 Cadillac coupe and the pas- senger’s door panel had a dual power window switch. This was not correct, since only the driver’s door panel would have a dual power window switch. Their brochure gave some of the details... “Over 150 scale parts go into making this handsome replica in the large 1:24 scale. All the major components - the body, chassis, drive train, and engine block - are meticulously crafted in metal. Each part is polished by This photo show the opened tri-fold brochure. hand before being skillfully painted in There’s even a shot of the undercarriage. the authentic factory color, Iris Mist. The replica is painstakingly assembled by hand. Finally, the complete replica is hand waxed to a showroom-perfect finish. The first time you hold this exqui- site replica in your hands, you will marvel at its weight and the remarkable level of authentic detail. Look closely at the photographs... see the chromed wrap-around bumpers, the classic split grille with the distinctive GTO emblem, the single hood scoop, the stacked headlamps, and the twin ex- hausts angled outward behind the rear wheels. The 1965 Pontiac GTO is truly a miniature masterpiece!” The end result is a pretty much dead-on correct '65 GTO model, except for one minor detail. Those of you with that car in your collection, take a good look at the undercarriage. Notice the model has a rear sway bar. As any GTO This photos shows two replicas; the original Danbury Mint 1965 GTO in the back and enthusiast knows, the rear sway bar was a later smaller version produced by Welly™ in the front. Both are done in Iris Mist! not available on the GTO until the 1970 This Welly™ version features a black interior and what appear to be Hurst wheels. model. But because I had installed the rear sway bar on my personal 1964 GTO, and the Danbury Mint used the photos from my car’s undercarriage, the final production model had the sway bar. I told them it was a mistake during production, but they left it on. In a way, that verifies it was my personal 1964 GTO that was used for the undercarriage since Gary is well known for making his restorations 100% exact. According to the Danbury Mint, this GTO replica was retired June 30, 2002 and will not be produced again. Hope- fully, you have one in your collection. It was an interesting project to work on from conception to final model in hand. We welcome any comments or questions. E-mail is the best way to reach me - [email protected]

The Legend 20 December 2008 Contemporary Goat Stories by Bill Vantuono

Those of you who are road-racing in points. Twin sister No. 64, piloted by Holden discontinued the Monaro. enthusiasts should recall the Rolex Pontiac factory drivers Paul Edwards Pontiac, whose racing efforts are closely Grand American Sports Car Series 2006 and Kelly Collins, finished third in aligned with marketing, moved on to an- season. It was the year the Pontiac points. The GTO.R established itself as other production car, the G6 GXP coupe, GTO.R, a purpose-built racecar based on one of the most dominant racecars in Ro- on which it based the “new” GXP.R. the production 2005 GTO, dominated lex Series history. Unlike the GTO.R, the race version of GT class competition and finished with For a while, it seemed as though the the G6 was a radical departure from the the motorsports equivalent of the Triple GTO.R’s glory days had been cut short street version. The similarity between Crown – the driver, team, and manufac- after the close of the 2006 season. Even the two was purely cosmetic: a rear- turer championships. The Pontiac Mo- though under Grand Am rules the car drive, V-8 powered, tube-frame-chassis torsports-supported No. 65 GTO.R, could have been campaigned for three racecar virtually identical in appearance driven by Andy Lally, Marc Bunting, more seasons, the production GTO upon to its front-drive, V-6 namesake, but util- and R.J. Valentine and campaigned by which the GTO.R was based closed out izing the GTO.R’s proven Pratt & Miller The Racer’s Group (TRG), finished first its run with the 2006 model year, when chassis, LS2-based Katech-built motor and Xtrac sequential five-speed transaxle. Pratt & Miller took the GTO.R Matt Connolly got his start racing motorcycles at age 13. He’s chassis, stretched the wheelbase 2.5 fielded a Rolex Sports Car Series GT class car since 2005. inches, and hung a G6 GXP-derived composite body shell on it. In 2007, with a new factory-supported team, Ban- ner Engineering, the Nos. 06 and 07 GXP.Rs had a successful season, though with lots of teething problems. Collins and Edwards were back, racing competi- tively in the 07, finishing second in points. In 2008, the 07, whose aerodynam- ics Paul Edwards described to The Leg- end as “like driving a brick compared to the GTO.R,” brought Pontiac Mo- torsports another triple crown, holding on to a thin, five-point margin over the no. 57 Stevenson Pontiac GXP.R in the season’s last race at Miller Motorsports Park, Utah.

The Legend 22 December 2008

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The Legend 23 December 2008 Contemporary Goat Stories by Bill Vantuono

Back to 2006, and the GTO.R: R.J. Valentine bought the fabled 65 and added her to his personal racecar collection, leaving the 64 an orphan. She lan- guished in TRG’s shop in Petaluma, Calif., for several months, biding her time among a collection of Porsches she had handily dispatched on the track, with a “For Sale” sign posted on the team’s website. With plenty of spare parts, her asking price was $250,000. Early in the 2007 season, along came a savior: Matt Connolly, an experienced, independent team owner/driver in the Rolex Series. Connolly, principal of Matt Connolly Motorsports, Bethlehem, Pa., had started racing motorcycles at age 13. He moved to open-wheel For- mula-V at age 21. At 23, he won his first racing championship in SCCA For- mula Continental. He would later race in professional F2000 and then Formula Atlantic. He started racing production Ryan Phinny, an 18-year-old Rolex Sports Car Series rookie sensation, helped cars in 2000, winning a championship in Matt Connolly Motorsports achieve six top-ten finishes with the No. 21 GTO.R 2001. He had moved up to Rolex Series GT class in 2005, campaigning a BMW promising fourth in a May 20, 2007 de- black and metallic gray paint scheme; a M3, and battled with the GTO.Rs in the but at Laguna Seca. But in the following new primary sponsor, motorsports man- 2006 season. Here was his chance to ac- week’s race at Lime Rock Park, she had agement company P1 Groupe quire a championship-caliber racecar. a setback. The 21 was running 15th (www.p1groupe.com); and new drivers. Connolly saw great potential in the when, ironically, a TRG Porsche GT3 Among them were veteran Diego Alessi 64, even without Pontiac’s official back- spun in front of the leaders. Hal Prewitt and 18-year-old Rolex Series rookie ing and financial support. “This car is a spun out in fluid, sliding the car’s tail Ryan Phinny, who had cut his eye teeth front-runner right out of the box,” he into the Porsche, mangling the left rear in karts and open-wheel cars. Under said. “We’ll be able to immediately of- and taking her out of the race. She fin- Connolly’s guidance, Phinny and the fer a competitive platform for our driv- ished 21st. Connolly, undaunted, soon GTO.R proved a perfect match – an ea- ers,” Hal Prewitt and Shawn Price. TRG had the 21 back in shape, finishing 7th at ger young jockey and an experienced offered technical and engineering sup- Iowa Speedway on July 14. The car thoroughbred who wanted to prove she’s port for the first few races. went on to complete a solid season, with still got what it takes. Connolly retained the 64’s original high hopes for the following year. Indeed, she did in 2008: six top-10 blue and silver TRG paint scheme and The 21 returned to Rolex Grand Am finishes, including three third-place fin- renumbered her 21. She finished a GT for the 2008 season with a new, ishes, starting with a 4th at Laguna Seca followed by a 7th at Lime Rock. After a setback at the six-hour endurance race at Watkins Glen in which Alessi, running first, made contact with the No. 32 PR1Motorsports GXP.R and spun out, putting the car nose-first into a retaining wall, the 21 notched her first podium finish, at Mid-Ohio. The fearless Phinny, in a masterful display of driving, tore through the field in a rainstorm after changing to rain tires. Alessi brought her home to a third-place finish. At Daytona, the 21 finished 7th, and probably would have notched another podium were it not for a blown left front tire. At Montreal, Alessi captured third, with Connolly as co-driver. At New Jersey Motorsports Park Thunderbolt Raceway,

The Legend 24 December 2008 Contemporary Goat Stories by Bill Vantuono the 21 turned in a particularly impressive performance. After qualifying in 5th position, she started at the back of the field after Grand Am officials found that her front splitter was – no joke – 1 millime- ter too low. But Alessi and Phinny liter- ally clawed their way back through the field. The 21, with half her rear bumper torn away and a mildly mangled nose following a pit lane tangle, battered her way to a third-place finish. After the season finale at Miller Motorsports Park, the 21 finished the season 11th in points, out a field of more than 50 cars. Connolly has been quite happy with the 21, which, as the sole GTO.R, stood out from the rest of the GT cars. “The After the grueling race at New Jersey Motorsports Park Thunderbolt car is fantastic,” he told The Legend. Raceway, the 21 displays her biggest battle scar: about half her rear “It’s far superior to any race-modified bumper cover is missing. The front and rear bumper covers and head production car I’ve dealt with. That’s and tail lamp assemblies are about the only factory parts on the GTO.R. the beauty of a purpose-built racecar. We made no changes other than what ner knobs mounted on a panel above the budget to do it correctly,” he said. That was needed on the suspension for the windshield control front and rear roll bar will largely depend upon sponsorship Pirelli tires (which replaced Hoosiers as adjusters, blades that turn to stiff money, and with zero dollars coming the spec tire for 2008). I re-engineered (straight up and down), soft (laying flat) from Pontiac, signing sponsors can be some things like the power steering and or anywhere in between. For brake bias tough. The magic number he needs is a few transmission internals, but nothing adjustments, a single knob on the dash around $900,000. Considering that he major. It’s the same engine package, but moves the fulcrum point between the worked with a 2008 season budget of there was a new spec cam that all LS2 two master cylinder rods. about half that, the 21’s performance engines had to use. There was slightly Matt Connolly plans on running the was remarkable. less power as a result, but no air intake 21 in the 2009 season, the last year the Then again, what else would you restrictor. The only other rule change GTO.R is eligible under Grand Am GT expect from a GTO? was an extra 100 pounds of weight. I class rules. “I hope I will have the leased Katech engines and bought parts from Pratt & Miller, but I got no real support from them. Honestly, I didn’t need it.” What makes the GTO.R such a strong performer, in terms of both power and handling? Among its many attrib- utes is its transaxle, which gives it ideal front/rear 50/50 weight distribution and smooth shifting. When shifting, a strain gauge automatically triggers the engine computer to cut ignition by a few milli- seconds to allow the next gear to drop in, without the driver lifting the throttle. “It’s a dog ring gearbox and not a syn- chromesh, so it’s very smooth and fast,” said Connolly. Then, of course, there’s the LS2’s fabulously flat torque curve, which provides tremendous acceleration all across the RPM band. The LS2 is also practically bulletproof, quite possibly the car’s most reliable component. Handling-wise, the GTO.R is a Matt Connolly (left) and GTOAA Chapter Coordinator Bill Vantuono with Bill's sons pleasure to drive hard. Suspension stiff- Craig and Keith following the New Jersey race. The boys are avid Rolex Sports Car, ness and front/rear brake bias are adjust- NASCAR, and NHRA fans. able from inside the cockpit. Two spin-

The Legend 25 December 2008 Thinking About A Disc Brake Upgrade? by Cap Proffitt

For a couple of years, we have wanted to do a disc brake upgrade on our '65 GTO, and it now seems the appropriate time. I thought I'd pass on to you some of my findings from research of the many different choices of disc brake vendors and how we came to making the final choice. My requirements in searching: 1. Quality 2. Service 3. Ease of installation 4. Wanting to stay manual but with a dual master cylinder 5. Rotor size for 15" wheel

My first steps to making a list of "finalists" to choose from started with: Reading and observing the brands used on Pontiacs 4. Upgrading the drum/drum or even disc/drum ('67 & and GM cars in featured magazine articles. up) GTOs to 4-wheel discs will require some modifi- Talking to muscle car owners at car shows that had cations like emergency brake hookup and the whole done the disc brake upgrade. system could be a bit more complex. We all have a Going on-line to the PY Pontiac Forum and the Chev- different comfort/skill level in that regard -- just be elle forum to get others' opinions and experiences. aware of it. For that reason I ended up switching from Getting the input and advice from GTOAA Tech Ad- a 4-wheel disc set up to a front disc/rear upgraded visory Staff and Restoration Shops. drum setup.

At that point, I had narrowed my initial list of eleven 5. Don't overlook the value of tech assistance/support brands down to five. I had also accumulated a list of and service in making your brand choice. There will points to consider from the forums, car show exhibitors, be installation questions and minor challenges. Feed- GTOAA tech and restoration shops. I'll take a minute back from others indicated that with some brands this here and share observations from my work on this project. support and service were poor.

1. The biggest / blingiest magazine or web sites are not Make sure that the help and attitude is still there after necessarily going to be your best choice or most they get your check. Again the forums and personal positive experience. Do your homework! experience of others is a good source for this. I should point out here that those eliminated from the original list 2. It's not a cheap upgrade but it does have a critical function within the car. Again your homework will pay off because the price variance is substantial and some require more modification. The most expensive isn't always the best.

3. Do even more research to avoid surprises. Example -- what a shame it would be to have everything all bolted up and find the rotors are too big for a 14-inch wheel or you try to mount your wheels and tires only to find out they don't clear the fender well because the track is now 3/8-inch wider on each side. (I almost made that mistake but a super helpful tech pointed that out at the last minute.)

The Legend 26 December 2008 weren't necessarily cut because of poor tech, attitude, quality, or negative feedback. A few just wouldn't work for me because it departed too much from the semi-stock look we wanted or would have required a wheel/tire size change, etc. Having trimmed the original list to five brands (semi- finalists), my next step was to call the tech line (website provided) for info and to get answers to the various points I had been advised to consider. As you can tell there's already a good bit of time invested and I haven't even started the fun stuff yet. This part of the choice process cut the finalists down to three. One of the five "red lighted" at the beginning because the tech didn't seem to care and gave me the impression my questions were stupid. He also didn't have all the an- formance levels and a range of power assist to manual & swers I needed and didn't offer to get them. This was one from disc/drum to 4-wheel disc. Plus all the components of those supposed premier brake kit companies with the of the brake system to match each. Super attitude and tech big magazine ads. service/assistance.

It seems appropriate here to pause again for some "preach- Ames/Right Stuff Detailing ing." Ames Performance Engineering Point A. People don't do business with companies, they Marlborough, NH (800) 421-2637 do business with people. www.amesperf.com Point B. However, when you're face-to-face or dealing I have come to know from day one in this hobby, with a customer or potential customer -- you ARE the Ames has among the best quality parts and unbeatable company. service, while devoting the research and having the com- The other kit I had to eliminate was a big "front run- mitment to bring us the best value. In this case they turn ner" but at the last minute the tech warned me that his kit to "The Right Stuff" to supply their disc brake conversion would widen the rear track 3/8" on each side. My kits. I have also heard nothing but rave reviews on "The wheel/tire size wouldn't allow that and I didn't want to Right Stuff." They also are known for the best fitting, change wheels or tire size. most exact reproduction fuel and brake lines and excellent At this point of the process it gets even tougher to customer service. By the way, they are also the choice choose between the three "finalists." I won't list the cuts supplier for Ames when it comes to tubing lines. What a because of potential controversy and liability issues. (If dynamite combo! you see me at a meeting or show, I'll share with you though). I will however list my three finalists and share From my experience so far on this project, I think you some comments about my experience with them. will do great with any of the three finalists. It's my hope In no particular order, but for me any of these three that sharing this will help keep you between the ditches if would be a great choice. you have this upgrade planned for your car in the future.

Scarebird Classic Brakes, LLC Lynnwood, WA (425) 422-0273 www.scarebird.com Disc brake conversion using OEM components. Of- fers conversion brackets that require no spindle mods and use quality inexpensive off-the-shelf parts available from local auto supply houses. A real hobby contributor that offers input within Internet forums.

Master Power Brakes Mooresville, NC (888) 351-8785 www.mpbrakes.com Their focus is the customer and providing what the customer is asking for. Kits are designed for quality and ease of installation. Large selection of differing per-

The Legend 27 December 2008