The G T O Tiger Times
April 2017 Volume 22 Issue 4 The Voice of the G T O and Pontiac Enthusiast in Central Pennsylvania
Preidnt Mesag Is This the Least Collectable Pontiac, Ever?? Even longtime Pontiac collectors will tell you that for In 2019 the 2004 GTO will debut in the GTOAA concours every car that deserved the Pontiac pennant, there was showfield, followed by the 2005 GTO in 2020 then in another car that had no business wearing it. The un- 2021 the 2006 GTO. Model years for GTOs to be added wholesomeness that was the Pontiac G3 is evidence to the concours field become eligible 15 years after they enough for the latter part of this proposition, though are offered for sale to the public. Lots of preparation by we've met more than one Sunfire owner who was close the GTOAA accumulating documentation on these cars to tears when describing the long -term quality of their and hundreds of photographs have been ongoing for daily drivers. the past several years. While many people still harbor ill feelings of these cars and feel they are not deserving of To be fair, a lot of the duds that received the Pontiac their moniker the fact is they are GTOs and are pennant were not borne of sketches on paper napkins recognized as such. by Pontiac engineers. The same individuals and philoso- phy that gave the world the GTO did not experience a We will be introducing the 4 th gen GTO to our concours eureka moment that resulted in the Chevette gaining field at our convention in 2018 in Valley Forge. The the Pontiac badge along with some wood siding : They GTOAA will have concours judges do a mock concours were the doing of the General Motors bureaucracy that judging on those cars selected to be on display. This will wanted to spread the goodness that was the Chevette better prepare those judges for 2019 when the around to all GM divisions. Fortunately for everyone, the inaugural introduction of the 2004 GTO kicks off. The Pontiac T1000 has faded from roads and from collective standards will be the same as those of the current field, memory, reminding us of its existence only briefly as the both stock, and modified. One of the aspects of having possible namesake for the liquid -metal Terminator in the your car judged and attaining the ‘GOLD ’ status is its popular 1991 sequel to the original film. potentially added value worth. I ’ve seen many GTO for sale advertisements and those who achieved a silver or This brings us to an even more obscure GM badge - gold status mentions it in the ad as sellers make it a engineering exercise: the Pontiac Sunburst. selling point. How much does a gold or silver status of GTO offered for sale add to the value of a car? I suppose it depends on who is interested and willing to pay for it. I have watched the market on these cars and have seen the prices of them vary downward to what appears the value in the market now seeing higher asking prices.
Once these cars begin taking home GTOAA concours awards it will be interesting to see if the sales price of The Isuzu Gemini was offered as the Pontiac Sunburst and Chevrolet Spectrum in Canada for these cars drives the market worth on them upward. four short years. ~~~~ Vic There's a perfectly good reason you might not have seen one of these: The Sunburst was only sold under the Pontiac badge in Canada when GM was going through a phase of gluing Pontiac badges to its captive imports and other budget wares.
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SVGTO.COM
The GTO Tiger Times, A 2006 -16 GTOAA Award winner for Chapter Newsletter Excellence April 2017 Club News
Meeting Notes 3/19/2027 Gary Cave is also hosting an open house on May 6 th . In Attendance: Random Pontiacs If anyone is interested in driving at the Vic & Geri Schreck Mecum action this year, please contract Russ Esenwine Vic to get your name on the list. Brian Little Bob Krewson Remember there will be a 2018 Doug Warble Convention update meeting following the Ed Sloan th Andy Kear club meeting on Sunday April 9 . Jim Eyer Meeting Adjourned Jeff Jukes Mike & Cindy Martin Wilson Wolfe
Bob Krewson presented the Treasurer ’s Report, which was accepted by Doug Warble, with second by Ed Sloan.
Car show committee updated preparations for the 2017 show. Rest assured, all details are being tended to, to assure another great SVGTO event. As 2017 is our 10 th Anniversary show, we are still looking for ideas to celebrate 10 years of what has become the premier All Pontiac Show in the region. We are calling on all members to throw us suggestions on what might make our 10 th show a special and memorable one. Please pass along any thoughts, ideas or ATTENTION! suggestions to any club officer. There is a current list of upcoming events Be sure to check out the on page 3. Please check the website, website Facebook or Twitter for updates.
www.svgto.com The cruise to Gary Caves is scheduled for Saturday, April 15 th . There will be an For the latest information of email coming shortly with detail about upcoming events. meeting time and place for a caravan. If weather is an issue on that date, then the cruise will likely be postponed until Fall.
Next Meeting: The next regular club meeting will be Sunday, April 9th, 12 noon, at the Hillside Café. There will be no car show committee meeting. There will be a 2018 Convention update meeting immediately following the regular club meeting.
Membership Update Total Members; 71 62 members are GTOAA members several who don ’t own a GTO are also GTOAA mem- If you have comments bers. about, or suggestions to Nine members from 2016 chose not to renew for 2017. We have 9 non GTOAA -members help improve The GTO who do not own a GTO and have the option to join the GTOAA or not but pay higher Tiger Times, please membership dues. Renewals for 2017 end March 31. Any person, including those who contact Russ Esenwine. didn ’t renew by March 31 who elects to join SVGTO as of April 1, will be recognized as a new member. We gained 3 new members for 2017 and 2 new GTOAA members so far. [email protected]
Page 2 Recent & Upcoming Events SVGTO.COM
Our 2017 Pontiac Show Update Could Pontiac come back as a Performance Awards are being worked on. We ’ve added a Best 4 th Division of GM? Gen GTO to our Best of Show Awards. Could use some help acquiring door/raffle prizes. Mem- For decades, the Pontiac brand was known as GM's per- bers: 5.00 per show car, format is the same as years formance brand. From the 1964 Pontiac GTO, to the past, we ’ll show in our usual spot. Members can register 1967 Firebird, to the 1984 Fiero, to the 2006 Solstice via our Members Area on our website. Turbo, and 2009 G8 GXP, Pontiac had a reputation for building exciting cars, with bold styling and performance to back it up. GTOAA News When the Camaro was killed off in 2002, the Pontiac Latest Membership numbers are at 3880. Membership Firebird died off with it, and the last Pontiacs were built numbers are at an all -time high. 2017 Convention June in early 2010. But with names like G3, G4, and G6, Pon- 26 -July 1 hosted by the Gateway GTO Association at the tiac's performance image had long faded from it's earlier Crowne Plaza in Springfield Illinois. Compete information glory days. can be found at the Event Website My idea for Pontiac's revival would be to bring it back as 2017 Refer -A-Friend Win a jacket and a free 12 month a dedicated performance marque, similar to Chevy's extension to the GTOAA ends June 15. The member who Super Sport (SS) line up of years past. refers the most new GTOAA members will be named the winner at the 2017 Convention. Minimum of 5 new mem- First, and most obvious would be to bring back the Pon- bers needed to qualify. tiac Firebird. Offering the entry -level model with the Camaro's 275HP turbo 4 -cylinder engine, then having the Camaro SS's 455HP V8, but also offering a halo East Coast Regional at Max Performance/Pypes June model Trans Am that is a revamped Camaro ZL -1 along 16 -17. We ’ll need volunteers to help with this event. For- with its tire -shredding 650HP, supercharged V8 and race mat the same as in the past. Friday cruise -in parking lot tuned suspension. party and that Saturday the main event. Use the SVGTO promo code to save 5.00 off preregistration by June 6. Secondly, I would bring back the GTO. Which I would Proceeds from those using our discount code help benefit base on the current Chevy SS, but I would use the full the Ronald McDonald House and SVGTO. Discount lodging 455 -horsepower LS4 V8 (rather than the 415 -hp setup is available at the Holiday Inn by calling; 215.368.3800 that it has now). Furthermore, I would add the impres- and on line at; Courtyard Marriott using the PYG group sive 650 -hp supercharged V8 to provide real competition code for both hotels. Both have cut off dates in May. to the Charger Hellcat. Importantly, I would make sure Event Website . that the new GTO had bold, distinctive styling that really set it apart. I understand that purists would want any ------Pontiac GTO to be a two -door coupe, but I think that they could forgive that if the new GTO was an outstand- Reminder for those who did not sign up for Mecum 2017, ing American performance car. I will be submitting shirt orders in the first week of June. I confirmed to all those who responded, if I did not respond Next, I would take the Buick Cascada convertible, add to you I may not have received your mail please holler at much bolder styling, swap in the Camaro's 275 -hp turbo me. ………... Vic engine, and tune up the suspension to provide more performance than luxury (without being harsh).
And finally I would round out the line up by using the 2017 Event List new 2018 Traverse , but use the new, bold Pontiac de- sign language to spice up the model's looks, tweak the 4/15 – Gary Caves cruise engines for more power, and again provide a perfor- 5/6 – Gary Caves open house mance suspension that matches the model's new sporty 5/21 – Cops & Rodders show looks. 6/4 – Burdette show 6/17 -18 – Pypes/East Coast Regionals Obviously, having a high performance Pontiac model 6/26 -7/1 – GTOAA Nats lineup would steal away some sales from Chevy, Buick, 7/30 – RMH cookout and Cadillac models. But I think that it would more than 8/3 -5 – Mecum make up for this by also stealing away sales from com- 8/19 – 2017 SVGTO All Pontiac show peting brands. 9/16 – Neffsville 10/5 -8 – Ocean City Endless Summer October TBD – Fall Gettysburg cruise 12/10 – RMH Xmas meal prep From Autoblog Open Road
Page 3 The Back of the Garage
Classified ads by SVGTO members will be placed in the GTO Tiger Times free of charge. Please email your ads to 2017 Club Officers Russ Esenwine, at [email protected]. I will try to get the ads placed in the next issue. If you include a photo of the items that you are selling, please send a clear digital photo in .jpg format. I will include your photos if space permits. Vic Schreck - President Winter Modding …………… by Dave Eyster New Axles and Inner Axle Stubs were in- stalled to try and stop the obnoxious wheel I believe I've finished all the 2016 -2017 hop on hard launches. [email protected] winter Mods on my 2006 GTO... Brian Little came up to lend a hand with this first one. The Front Sub Frame was Brian Little - dropped to allow access to the oil pan and a Vice President Fel -Pro Gasket was put in place to stop a pesky oil leak between the block and oil pan. GM Service Manual states motor [email protected] needed pulled, Ha!
Bob Krewson - Treasurer [email protected]
Russ Esenwine - Looks nice up under there with the Harrop Secretary Sport Cover I ’d installed a few years ago.
A small dirt trail was visible right across the gasket where the leak was.
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Susquehanna Valley GTO is an affiliated chapter of the GTO Association of America, the premier national organization for GTO enthusiasts. Each month GTOAA members National Organization Information receive The Legend , a Golden Quill Award winning publication. Members can read the technical articles and have access to the GTOAA Technical Advisors Staff, use 50 words of free advertising monthly, view the feature articles on some of the most interesting GTOs you ’ll come across, and have access to the GTOAA Club Store mer- chandise. For an on -line preview of The Legend, go to www.gtoaa.org. For local chapter information, send an e -mail to Bill Vantuono at [email protected] . To receive a membership application by mail, write to: GTOAA, PO Box 213, Timnath, 1995 2017 CO. 80547, or send an e -mail to: [email protected] for more information. The GTOAA National Meet is hosted by various local chapters, and is held annually. The acclaimed Concours and Popular Vote Car Shows bring some of the finest GTOs together for superb viewing. Other highlights include many renowned Technical and Official GTOAA Chapter, Since 1995 Special Interest speakers, the multi -day swap meet, drag tracing, and other great events.
Page 4 SVGTO.COM Winter Modding ….. by Dave Eyster
Continued from pg 4 I picked this up from Eric Casperson at gtog8ta.com one Seemed to work through the first two gears! afternoon when I was working in Lansdale.
Alright, so that pic was last fall after the oil pan gasket was replaced, but it was too good not to share!
Too bad you can't see this gem after all the “stuff ’s” put back into place. Replaced the leaking Radiator.
There was supposed to be an o -ring to seal the petcock. I must have lost it when draining the radiator during some previous work.
Page 5 SVGTO.COM Winter Modding ….. by Dave Eyster
Continued from pg 5 To make sure this new Insulator doesn't tear or rub through again I've raised the front of the hood some, as well as lowered the Cold Case radiator on the low- I was able to, not only, persuade Billet Technologies to er core support, and made some slight body modifica- make this catch can, as they ’re no longer in produc- tions to the upper core support with a block of wood tion, but to get them to relocate the orientation of the and a BFH. script to match the first can connected between the The spots the paint's missing are now lower and no block and Intake Manifold. longer hit the bottom of the CAI allowing it to sit as low as possible...
Lastly, I've ordered a new Hood Insulator to replace the stock
I've replaced my secondary Jamesbiz brand Catch Can (the Jamesbiz one can be seen in the pic of the suspended motor) with one of the same brand and satin finish as the other one in the engine bay. A second catch can just seemed like a good idea after I replaced the valve covers last year. The valve covers had no baffles in them like the stock ones did. Eventually oil would be making its way out the valve cover vent to the Intake Manifold through the throttle body, lowering the octane of the fuel mix. Plus, the oil makes a mess inside the In- take Manifold.
Lastly, I've ordered a new Hood Insulator to replace the stock OEM one on the car. The last Cold Air Intake I had on (Vararam) cut through it some, and the one I have on now (Duspeed) was rubbing it a bit with the OEM radiator. The Jones said they found one in Michi- gan, and are having it shipped to them. If, in fact, they do have it, I should be able to pick it up Monday March 20th.
Page 6 SVGTO.COM Is This the Least Collectible Pontiac??
Continued from pg 1 Rarity does not equal collectability, and that's the rea- son why the few remaining owners of the Sunburst do not have blue chip collectibles on their hands that will The Sunburst was born an Isuzu Gemini, a small sedan/ hatch duo penned by none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro. be fought over at Barrett -Jackson in 2050. Still, I'd love to see a minty example of the Sunburst, and I might The project got off on the wrong foot -- GM's changes to even travel north of the border to witness such a ma- Giugiaro's designs prompted him and Isuzu to part com- pany under less than ideal circumstances. Giugiaro was chine. (Just not too far north). reportedly insulted by GM's tweaks to the initial design, which followed up on his design of the mean -looking Pi- But when remaining numbers are concerned, the Sun- azza for Isuzu that you might remember (from a late -90s burst could currently be the rarest North American Pon- high school parking lot) as the Isuzu Impulse. tiac produced in the last three decades of the marque, and we suspect that the Canadian -market Pontiac Fire- fly is not far behind. But that's a story for another time. But the Sunburst itself was remarkably well -engineered for its price and for the time, combining a front -wheel - drive layout with thrifty four -cylinder engines ranging in displacement from 1.3 to 1.5 liters. U.S. versions badged as the Chevrolet Spectrum and Geo Spectrum received the top engine, good for 70 hp, coupled with three -speed automatics and five -speed manuals when they debuted in 1984. Canada did not have the vaguely entry -level Geo brand during the product cycle of the Gemini, so Canadi- ans got the car as a Chevy Spectrum and the Pontiac Sunburst equipped with the 1.5 -liter unit.
Jay Ramey - Jay Ramey is an Associate
Canadian buyers were used to strange Pontiacs by now - Editor with Autoweek, and has been with the maga- - we're not sure how the GMC Jimmy avoided getting zine since 2013. Jay also likes to kayak and bike. rebadged as a Pontiac -- and the Sunburst made a good amount of sense to GM dealers in the country. In many ways, the Sunburst was a breath of fresh air after years of stodgy, Malaise -era economy cars.
But the Pontiac version did not exactly attract Pontiac fans to the brand, and it was replaced after just four model years. This didn't mean that Pontiac itself was fad- ing out in Canada -- the brand was still going strong -- but the Pontiac version went away prior to the launch of GM's Passport and Asuna brands, having been replaced by the Pontiac LeMans.
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2017 ALL PONTIAC SHOW Family of Dealerships A: All Pontiac to 1964 stock except: GTO DATE: August 19, 2017 B: Pontiac 1965 -1979 stock except: GTO/TA/FB C: Pontiac 1980 -Present stock except: GTO/TA/FB TIME: Reg: 8a -11a, Show; 9a -3p D: 1964 -1974 GTO Inclusive stock E: 1967 -1981 TA/Firebird stock PLACE: Herr Park; 1670 Nissley RD Landisville, PA 17538 F: 1982 -2002 TA/Firebird stock COST: Pre -reg: 15.00, DOS: 20.00 G: 2004 -2006 GTO stock H: All Pontiac modified except: GTO/TA/Firebird All Pontiacs welcome: Any Year, Any Model. I: 1967 -1981 TA/Firebird modified Rain Date: August 26, 2017 same time J: 1982 -2002 TA/Firebird modified Popular vote by registered show participants K: 1964 -1974 GTO modified Best of Show Awards L: 2004 -2006 GTO modified New This Year: Best New Gen GTO of Show ** SVGTO Members cars excluded from the judged showfield Longest Distance Award ** Modified: Any performance enhancing modifications . 3 minor Raffles / Door Prizes mods permitted for stock class. SVGTO reserves the right to judge Catered food by Enck ’s Custom Catering cars accordingly . Period Music by Jeff Primaldi Model Car Contest: Adults, & Kids Classes: Pontiac & Open Showfield on grass / Abundant Shade in a park Classes. Model cars limited to plastic assembly, NO diecast. 2013 Chapter of the Year Model Car Contest is FREE. Info: [email protected] 717.405 -2178; 717.521.8277; 717.615.7117; 717.880.5692 SVGTO is a Regional Chapter of the GTO Association of America Register online: www.svgto.com ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Name:______Street: ______City: ______State: ______Zip:______(email address is used to nofy Phone: ( ____ ) ______Email: ______you of next year ’s show, we will never share your email) Model Ponac: ______Year: ______Class: (Leer from above )______Children Parcipaon: (age limit 15 ) # of Children ______Ages: ______
*** MODEL CAR CONTEST REGISTRATION ***
Enter Class letter & # of models: Class: ______Qty: ______Class; enter (A) or (K): ______
**Enter “P” for Pontiac, or “O” for open class & quantity of each A= SR. K= J R. (15 and under)
Signature: ______** I understand; SVGTO, Jones Dealerships, & East Hempfield Twp will not be held liable for any damages, thefts, or injuri es to show cars, or participants. Checks made payable to: Susquehanna Valley G T O Mail registraon with remiance by: August 12, 2017 To: SVGTO ALL PONTIAC SHOW 1109 Stony Baery RD. Lancaster, PA 17601 Poron of proceeds to bene t: Ronald McDonald House Charies of Central PA