GTOAA National Convention

[Frosty]

The GTOAA will be holding their annual convention in Portland Oregon from July 4-8, 2011. This is the first time their convention has been held on the west coast.

http://www.gtoaa.org/national.cfm

http://goatherd.com/events/2011-gtoaa-intl-convention/

[danmccormick87]

Anyone going?

[Frosty]

Sadly, it's too far for me to swing this year. If it was closer to the midwest, I'd go. I went in to it in 2004.

[danmccormick87]

Sadly, it's too far for me to swing this year. If it was closer to the midwest, I'd go. I went in to it in 2004.

Oh How was it then?

[Crimson]

damn thats a long drive haha

[Frosty]

Oh How was it then?

It was a mixed bag....

It was a great show, and it was only 45 miles from my house (in Pontiac Michigan). It was the 40th Anniversary of the GTO that year. I got to meet Rhys Millen and he did a phenomenal drifting demo in the (then) new '04 GTO. My dad was invited to get into a drifting GTO driven by another stunt driver. I also got to test drive the GTO, and Northstar V8 powered Bonneville. I was impressed with both cars.

I talked with Arnie Beswick, Paul Zarrazine (noted musclecar expert and author of the GTO Restoration Guide) and Jim Wangers. I had attended Wanger's talk in 2004 at the All-GM Nationals at Carlisle (PA) just before the GTO convetion. He had given a lecture on how understated the old GTO TV commercials were and why. He remembered me. In Carlisle, I had challenged him that Pontiac was still understating the new GTO in it's TV Ads. He was taken aback by my comments and he asked some follow-up questions at the convention. In the end, I convinced him of my point. BTW - I spoke to Jim briefly at the POCI convention in Charleston WV this summer too.

I picked up an uber-cheap 2.5" mandrel bent exhaust system for my '72 convertible. Pypes was justing getting into the exhaust market that year and they were selling a complete exhaust system at the convention for just $250!!!!

The really bad thing that happened was coming home from the convention, my car started running hot. About 5 miles from home, I was on the expressway when the engine starting knocking. I turned it off as quickly as I could but the engine seized up before I got the ignition off. I had blown my 455.

So for the rest of the convention I spent buying engine parts. I got another 455 block in the swap meet area. Turns out my 455 was not a numbers matching engine anyway. So I ended up getting another '72 date coded 455 block.

When the old engine was torn down, it turned out that the number 8 rod broke into 3 pieces and ripped holes in both sides of the oil pan. My engine builder had never seen that happen before (broken into 3 pieces insteand of just two). I still have the old 455 block. It needs to be sleeved but it can otherwise be re-used. The new motor was bored .030 over, now making it a 462. There's no replacement for displacement!!!

[danmccormick87]

Sounds like you had fun!

[Frosty]

I was a great time. I just was not prepared to get a new motor.

[danmccormick87]

I was a great time. I just was not prepared to get a new motor.

[Frosty]

Even so, the guy asking $1800 for a 1972 4-bbl carb that was for a GTO with a 455 H.O. and a 4-speed manual. I told that guy that he was going home with that carb. No one was going to pay that much for it. He said someone doing a concurs correct restoration would. I saw him again at the Pontiac Nationals in Norwalk Ohio a month later. He was down to $1500 but he still had not sold it. That is what I call 'stupid money'.

[Mariachi]

expensive

[Frosty]

Expensive stupid money in my opinion. For my needs, no one would get that much coin out of me for a single carb. I purchased a 400 4-bbl carb plus intake later at Norwalk for '$50.00. It was '72 correct, not numbers matching. At the time, I wanted '72 correct. I'm over that now too. It just needs to look stock from 2-10 feet away. I don't have a numbers matching ride, so it doesn't matter.

Now my Trans Am could be another matter since I am the only owner. It is all original survivor and all the hard to find pieces are already there anyway.