Best Memories with your Pontiac in the 2010s Decade

[Ringo64]

The end of the 2010's decade is just a few hours away and what better way to recap it than a good story about some memories with your Pontiac? It does not need to be about your build, just one moment you will remember about your Pontiac.

Mine is actually in late September of 2010 when myself and 2 of my best friends decided to go Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando. It's about a 3.5 hours drive one-way for myself from where I live and being a younger man, decided to drive up/back that night (I guess morning at that point too). My 2 friends were coming from Gainesville which is northern Florida. The ride that they were going to have to get them from Gville to Orlando bailed at the last minute so it was either, I drive a whirlwind tour to Gville then to Orlando, back to Gvile and then back home of 13+ hours probably roundtrip of just drive time or lose money on the tickets we all bought in advanced for this event (if you don't know Halloween Horror Nights, it is extremely popular and you need tickets way in advanced). Decided to do that drive and very glad that I did. The trip was a huge success and probably solidified a greater bond between us all with all the energy drinks, music, haunted houses, roller coasters and of course, my G6 to get us around. In a span of 24 hours, I was on the road for more than half of it with only 2 hours sleep in Gville before returning home that morning but I hold that trip as one of the most fun things I've done and have my Pontiac to thank for making the journey without issue.

[Stewy]

For my wife's daily driver (Bleen / '05 Grand Prix), and this is nothing fancy by any means, it would have to be the satisfaction of, so far, clearing over 262,000 miles on the original L26 (N/A 3.8L). Bleen has been a solid car. Sadly, however, 2019 was a repair-intensive year for Bleen (cost of reliability is proportional to age, at least for a daily driver) such that 2019 alone saw a total repair bill of the value of the car (and these are not novice to mid-experience-level repairs I speak of). That said, I fear 2019 may be the last year she sleeps in our garage (although I secretly hope I can hold onto Bleen as a parts car for Ren - maybe pull the L26 for, if nothing else, just for the fun of it. I've always wanted a 3800 as decoration - yeah, I'm weird).

 

For my show car (Ren / '05 Grand Prix), there are many fond memories of, among other things, cruising Woodward and Saginaw St. for the Dream Cruise and Back to the Bricks, respectively. Going on drives around the lakes in my area (and enjoying my suspension work as I take the curves in the road) is also something I enjoy during the warm months. Also, and this may seem strange to others, I enjoy my fall and spring details of Ren (I'll spend around 40 hrs. detailing her). Auto detailing is something I enjoy - especially when I see the end result and the mirror-like finish. Lastly, and by no means lest, I enjoy taking Ren to, especially, smaller car shows in my area. I've been to (way) bigger shows but the closeness of those attending the smaller shows is something I have especially enjoyed (like two years ago when a friend - who was driving - and I were pulled over for going over 85 mph. in a 55 mph. zone in a pastor's Corvette - and being let go with only a warning - during one of the a fore mentioned smaller shows 😁 😯).

Edited January 3, 2020 by Stewy

[Ringo64]

23 minutes ago, Stewy said:

Sadly, however, 2019 was a repair-intensive year for Bleen (cost of reliability is proportional to age, at least for a daily driver) such that 2019 alone saw a total repair bill of the value of the car (and these are not novice to mid-experience-level repairs I speak of). That said, I fear 2019 may be the last year she sleeps in our garage

Bummer, sorry to hear that!

23 minutes ago, Stewy said:

For my show car (Ren / '05 Grand Prix), there are many fond memories of, among other things, cruising Woodward and Saginaw St. for the Dream Cruise and Back to the Bricks, respectively.

You know we ❤️ pics here  

[JUSTA6]

1st off, I found N joined FP.......Thankz for the memories!!!  Have made some awesome friendships here, Frosty, Indy, the Notallthere's, LastIndian to name a few, and was able to bring a bunch of my Pontiac buddies here.  After winning a contest on a new site for Gold Eagle products, I was asked to display my Sunbird as part of the Gold Eagle display with their Big rig for the Dream Cruise.  All expenses paid including meals for the weekend.  Gold Eagle pit crew shirts for me N the family to be part of the team.  Between the Sunbird and the GTO, I've had more memories in the last 10yrs then I have time to write about.   Forever Pontiac............

Edited January 3, 2020 by JUSTA6

[Frosty]

The 2010s have been a whirlwind of ups and downs for me, and my two Pontiacs, Lucy (my ’72 Lemans Sport convertible), and Black Beauty (my ’86 Trans Am).

One of the bigger downers has been Black Beauty. She has not gotten the love or attention she truly deserves ever since my wife and I moved into our current house seven years ago. She has been in cold storage at a friends house ever since, as my house lacks any space to house any of my classic cars and my wife doesn’t want to see a pole barn on our property even though we have room for one. I do intend to bring Black Beauty back to life in the near future, however, life happens and it’s matter of making the time for her vs. repairs to Lucy and the Buick Roadmonster right now.

Lucy, by far and away has had the lion’s share of love and attention for the past 25 years. That said, the past 10 years, I have been to Woodward Dream Cruise 10 times, Back to the Bricks 10 times, and to and from Charleston WV Rod Run and Doo Wop 9 times (this year Lucy had a catastrophic failure 10 miles from the house).

I was able to get the late Paul Deesen, a retired GM and Pontiac designer, to design a custom, one-of-a-kind “Jury” logo for Lucy for me in 2013. I intended to complete Lucy’s “Jury” transformation in the coming years. Paul had some other recommendations for Lucy which I intend to incorporate in the future.

The past ten 4th of Julys have been spent in the small farming community of Hadley Michigan. The Widetrackers participate in this annual 4th of July parade. We pass out candy along the parade route to the young children like it is the first coming of Halloween. I got to enjoy the parade with my father for many years before he passed away in 2018, along with my wife and son. In recent years, we get seven people in Lucy for the parade. Me, my wife, mother-in-law, brother-in-law & sister-in-law, and their two young sons. My son and father-in-law ride behind us in my in-laws 2006 red Solstice. We must chuck around 5 lbs. of Tootsie Rolls each by the end of the parade.

I’ve been able to enjoy local car shows and Woodward with folks from the Michigan Widetrackers, JUSTA6, JUSTAG6, Indyman Joe, and the Notalltheres. I’ve enjoyed their comradery and hold their friendship even closer.

I’ve gotten to know Guitars Extreme (GE) and Professor for the last 20 years and got to know them even more. It was a pleasure to spend an evening with GE and his little lady this summer in Brighton with Indyman Joe and the Challenger. It’s been fun having Professor in town for the Woodward Dream Cruise on two different occasions. That Challenger is still stupid fast.

Through FP, I’ve gotten to more closely know Ringo, Sprint6, Last Indian, Stratman, and killerspeed101. I hope to get to know more FP folks - either those local to Michigan or as I get the opportunity to travel around the country, I’d like the chance to meet up with any of you for a car show, coffee or beer.

The biggest downer occurred in 2010. That was the year I was president of the Michigan Widetrackers. My wife, son, and I took Lucy and made a family vacation to West Virginia. We signed up for the POCI annual convention in Charleston that year. We took a few days before the convention to see the local sites like the New River Gorge Bridge, Cathedral Falls, Hawk’s Next, Thurmond, etc. It was the 4th of July, and while we were at the Babcock State Park, my colon burst (I didn’t realize it at the time). I walked around for 3 more days before going to emergency at St. Francis hospital in Charleston. I had emergency surgery that night to save my life. I was in ICU for 21 more days in a medically induced coma and nearly died of kidney failure due to sepsis in the process. I ended up with a temporary colostomy (which was later reversed several month later).  Widetrackers, fellow POCI members, and a lot of WV car folks looked in on me and my family (who stay in WV with me) until I recovered. I left the hospital on August 1st, a very weak, humble, thankful, and grateful man.

Through this near-death experience, I learned several things. First, I learned the generosity of car people both at home and in WV. Many of these people are now lifelong friends or more like extended family. The Charleston car show, for me, is about seeing my friends / my extended car family, not about winning a trophy or a long-distance award. Second, I learned to give back to everyone who helped me by paying it forward. I knew I could not simply pay everyone back because I knew they would not take it. I had to look for creative ways and opportunities that they would appreciate. Helping Make a Wish Foundation of Charleston and Pittsburg, Coats for Kids, Toys for Tots, WV Drag Racers Hall of Fame historical marker, etc. are just a few ways we have given back over the years. Third, a skiing friend of mine said after I returned from the hospital in WV, “I’d rather see you than view you!”. It smacked me square between the eyes, but he was right. It is so much more important to take care of yourself and your loved ones. You don’t realize how many people you affect until something like this happens. You truly begin to understand all the people who care for you.

Lucy suffered a catastrophic overheating failure on the way to Charleston in 2019. I have a lot of work ahead of me. She may or may not see the road at all this year, depending how much time I have to work on her and what I find in the process. However, I know that I will still find time to enjoy with family and friends, enjoy cars, and enjoy helping folks on FP and beyond.

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade Everyone!

[Stewy]

10 hours ago, Ringo64 said:

Bummer, sorry to hear that!

You know we ❤️ pics here  

How she looks as of today... yay winter 😑 - although, worth it to protect her from the salt.

[stratman]

I had many highs and lows in the 2010s with Pontiac and life. Here they are in chronological order...

September 2013: Took delivery of the greatest car I have ever or will ever own... A fully restored, documented numbers matching, triple black, 400 HO, 4-speed 1968 GTO. Named her Black Betty that day! Her she is as she arrived that glorious day...

 

 

 

 

 

August 2014: Black Betty won many trophies at local car shows and cruise-ins, but the proudest moment came at the 2014 Susquehanna GTO's All Pontiac Show in Landisville PA. If I remember right, there were close to 200 Pontiacs. Black Betty was class "D" 1964 - 1974 Stock GTO... there were 17 beautiful restored GTOs from many east coast states in the class. Black Betty won Best In Class! 

 

 

 

 

2015 and 2016  were horrible. My dear wife Nancy was diagnosed with stage three cancer in March 2015 and passed in July 2016. Had to sell Black Betty to keep up with the bills. As much as we love our Pontiacs, they are just metal and rubber and pale in comparison when your wife of 38 years is dying of cancer. I sold it with no regrets.

 

July 2019: I returned to the Pontiac fold when I purchased a black 1981 4- speed Trans Am (after swearing I would NEVER buy another black car, lol!). Named her Raven .

 

 

October 2019: I went to the biggest car show (just short of 800 cars) in WV. It is in Charleston WV and they biock off one of the main drags for over a mile and the cars park on both sides of the street. I got to finally meet Frosty and he set me up with a primo parking spot as he is one of the grand poobahs of this event. Spent three days there, got a free detail from one of the venders. I look forward to going again this year.

 

 

[Stewy]

7 hours ago, stratman said:

2015 and 2016  were horrible. My dear wife Nancy was diagnosed with stage three cancer in March 2015 and passed in July 2016. Had to sell Black Betty to keep up with the bills. As much as we love our Pontiacs, they are just metal and rubber and pale in comparison when your wife of 38 years is dying of cancer. I sold it with no regrets.

So very sorry to hear! You are a much better person than I am to weather all that... I quite literally cannot even imagine.

 

On a brighter note, if you're ever up for a road trip either with or without Raven, us car people in mid / south-east Michigan (and some beyond) already have Back to the Bricks & Woodward Dream Cruise on our calendars for this coming August - just sayin' 😉

[Ringo64]

7 hours ago, stratman said:

2015 and 2016  were horrible. My dear wife Nancy was diagnosed with stage three cancer in March 2015 and passed in July 2016. Had to sell Black Betty to keep up with the bills. As much as we love our Pontiacs, they are just metal and rubber and pale in comparison when your wife of 38 years is dying of cancer. I sold it with no regrets.

Things like this always stay with me when they come across this forum. You are a great husband to be by her side and all you did. Can’t imagine going through that and I’m not married yet. Condolences once again.

Very happy that you got Raven and back in the Pontiac game 

[Last Indian]

I’m a lucky man and after Frosty and Stratman’s communication, most else would pale by comparison! My heart goes out too both as it has in the past. No one knows why bad things happen to good people! We can only hold true that there is a higher purpose! 

Still for me this past decade brought the reduction of my Pontiac fleet from 4 to 1, but that one garnered a lot of attention, if not from me through refinement, then out on the road or when I stop somewhere. I have said before that I don’t do car shows, in part because I tend to be a loner, not standoffish, just not big on all the fake personas that emanate from egos. So I really have had a quiet 10 years in the world of Pontiac. I would like to echo JustA6 that FP and the folks here have been great and those friends are treasured comrades, JustA6, Frosty, Ringo, Stratman, Joe, and many others.

I guess the biggest event would have been retiring from my career of 40 years doing something I truly loved! That kept me in the mainstream of the motion industry, whether it was auto, railroads, mining equipment, energy or shipping! It was a ball! 
 

Edited January 5, 2020 by Last Indian

[stratman]

12 hours ago, Stewy said:

So very sorry to hear! You are a much better person than I am to weather all that... I quite literally cannot even imagine.

 

On a brighter note, if you're ever up for a road trip either with or without Raven, us car people in mid / south-east Michigan (and some beyond) already have Back to the Bricks & Woodward Dream Cruise on our calendars for this coming August - just sayin' 😉

 

11 hours ago, Ringo64 said:

Things like this always stay with me when they come across this forum. You are a great husband to be by her side and all you did. Can’t imagine going through that and I’m not married yet. Condolences once again.

Very happy that you got Raven and back in the Pontiac game 

 

8 hours ago, Last Indian said:

I’m a lucky man and after Frosty and Stratman’s communication, most else would pale by comparison! My heart goes out too both as it has in the past. No one knows why bad things happen to good people! We can only hold true that there is a higher purpose! 
 

Thanks guys. I am so blessed to have such good friends, even ones I have never met like you all. 

[Frosty]

On 1/4/2020 at 12:45 AM, stratman said:

October 2019: I went to the biggest car show (just short of 800 cars) in WV. It is in Charleston WV and they biock off one of the main drags for over a mile and the cars park on both sides of the street. I got to finally meet Frosty and he set me up with a primo parking spot as he is one of the grand poobahs of this event. Spent three days there, got a free detail from one of the venders. I look forward to going again this year.

 

 

It was a privledge and an honor to get to meet you face-to-face stratman. Raven is an awesome car, I know she will take good care of you. I look forward seeing you again at this year's Doo Wop. Mark the dates, it will be September 30 - October 4th, 2020.

On 1/4/2020 at 8:34 AM, Stewy said:

On a brighter note, if you're ever up for a road trip either with or without Raven, us car people in mid / south-east Michigan (and some beyond) already have Back to the Bricks & Woodward Dream Cruise on our calendars for this coming August - just sayin' 😉

I agree with Stewy, all are welcome to join us for the Woodward Dream Cruise and Back to the Bricks. These are rolling and static car cruises like you've never seen before.

On 1/4/2020 at 12:19 PM, Last Indian said:

I’m a lucky man and after Frosty and Stratman’s communication, most else would pale by comparison! My heart goes out too both as it has in the past. No one knows why bad things happen to good people! We can only hold true that there is a higher purpose! 

Still for me this past decade brought the reduction of my Pontiac fleet from 4 to 1, but that one garnered a lot of attention, if not from me through refinement, then out on the road or when I stop somewhere. I have said before that I don’t do car shows, in part because I tend to be a loner, not standoffish, just not big on all the fake personas that emanate from egos. So I really have had a quiet 10 years in the world of Pontiac. I would like to echo JustA6 that FP and the folks here have been great and those friends are treasured comrades, JustA6, Frosty, Ringo, Stratman, Joe, and many others.

I guess the biggest event would have been retiring from my career of 40 years doing something I truly loved! That kept me in the mainstream of the motion industry, whether it was auto, railroads, mining equipment, energy or shipping! It was a ball! 
 

I am happy and grateful that God has given me this additional time and allowed me to get to know folks like you Last Indian. Your knowledge, spirit, and skills are contagious. I hope everyone gets to listen and share your wealth of knowledge. Thank you for joining the FP family and being a large contributor.

Edited January 6, 2020 by Frosty

[Ringo64]

47 minutes ago, Frosty said:

Thank you for joining the FP family and being a large contributor.

Thank you everyone for being a part of the FP family. It's been a wondrous time and look forward to what the future holds for everyone and FP