Frosty

Took the Envoy in for service today: bad lower ball joints and tie rod ends, a service tire monitor warning, and replacement of the A/C belt. Took Lucy into the body shop today for an estimate and appoint to have the underside of the hood repainted. After 20 years, I noticed the paint was delaminating at the Dustoff. I will take it in after Woodward.

Dang tough choices this month !!!!! Good luck everyone!!!

Wow! Two black GTOs in this forum. Feeling any competition stratman? Welcom to FP Rob. You have certainly done a remarkable job restoring your GTO.

So what's up with being in Exhibition Class vs. one of the other classes? Is it a requirement to be in EC before moving into one of the other classes?

Looking online, I see that GE finished in first place in the Exhibition Class at the Optima Drive challenge. Of the 5 entrants in that class, he is the only one to do the Road Rally portion of the event. Not sure why he was in that class. He will have to explain that to us when he comes online.

Agreed - I have used Steele Rubber products with great success. Another company called Soft Seal carries many of the A-body parts, the Steel Rubber products catelog is extensive.

Consider that police can already call OnStar and disable a stolen vehicle once they give proper ID and the VIN to an OnStar agent, you can see the control over your vehicle these systems have. Imagine this in the hands of a rogue or organized terrorist. The UW proved that cars could be hacked and there is a need for cyber security for cars in the first place.

This is a threat that I know GM is taking seriously. The best man in my wedding is a project lead at the GM Tech Center on in-car cyber-security. The University of Washington was able to successfully hack a GMC Yukon that GM provided them well over 2 years ago. This hacking proof of concept demostrated to GM the need for in-car cyber security. Now I have no clue where GM is at in terms of maturity or product availability. I certainly hope this doesn't mean regular trips to the dealership for software/firmware patching (ala Microsoft Super Tuesdays) but i won't rule it out either. I guess this is the price we pay for living in a cyber-world.

I don't disagree wth notallthere's assessment. The biggest reason I have ever heard is because the car is having a hot start/heat soak issues with the starter. Due to the wrap around nature of headers or stock Pontiac performance manifolds, they tend to envelop the starter and surround it with engine heat, this saurating the starter with heat, causing it to not engage until it cools down. So a lot of drag racers (and street guys too) have used a Ford style relay system to get the relay/solenoid away from the heat to cure the problem. It is a quick fix but does not solve the real problem. There are better ways to fix the problem if you are experiencing this heat soak problems. Heat sheilds, heat insulation, insure you are using a high torque starter (Pontiac had two different stock starters BTW - you want the heavy duty one) or an aftermarket mini-torque starter, and improve engine bay air flow. I have also read that if your overall timing is to far advanced, you might have a problem with hot start, so try backing off your timing a couple of degrees. Personally, I have not seen this latter issue.

Isn't this when most Deerslayer / critter strikes occur? Are there going to be 4-6 cameras rolling at the party too? We want to see different views of GE falling on his face. I am proud to know that in a small way, that you will be thinking of me during the event, and I will be a constant pain in your butt while you are doing it!!!!!

Sounds like a sold plan. How much you selling the block to your boss for? A good core should be worth $100-150 easy to you and him.

Quite correct sir! Apparently it was appearing at the Sloan Auto Fair show and it was moved into Buick Gallery's garage before the rain hit.

I remember reading about that earlier case Sprint 6.

Here's to your Irish side Pro. Yes, laying rubber in the Caddy Hearse would bring a smile to my dead ass face. It just isn't Emily Post. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz9nHvmdAb4

Here you go 6Shooter!

Sprint6 - I think Mac's daughter might agree with your collective opinion about the current owners of the 421 tri-power OHC V8. She didn't come out and say anything derogatory or negative, but she was not happy about the whole situation either. She didn't elaborate and I didn't ask. I suppose I could talk to Jeff Denison, I would imagine he may know some of the details.

So what do we have here Havoc? The Farmall B? A new project tractor? Or spare parts for the Super A? I am kinda worried when I see a rust hole through the rim/hub. That tells me that sucker has been sitting for quite awhile.

No thanks, I know where to find it. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

Here are some of the pictures of the car show held at the Inn at Cass Lake - the retirement home Mac was at when he passed away. Several mementos from Mac's past were on display. Jeff is Jeff Denison - a current POCI board member and a GM designer. He was a good friend of Mac too. Picture of Mac with Smokey Yunick and A.J. Foyt Picture of pictures of the 421 OHC V8 in Mac's GP Mac's son-in-law, granddaugher, and daughter Pontiac's at the car show in Mac's honor - I am please to say I was there and I won a Mac McKellar award.

August 23, 2008 at the GM Heritage Center. Mac on the left, my dad on the right.

You've been married to GE's family or been around a certain TV host for far too long. It's starting to rub off on you Pro.

TIPS FROM THE REDNECK BOOK OF MANNERS 1. Never take a beer to a job interview. 2. Always identify people in your yard before shooting at them. 3. It's considered poor taste to take a cooler to church. 4..If you have to vacuum the bed, it is time to change the sheets. 5. Even if you're certain that you are included in the will, it is still considered tacky to drive a U-Haul to the funeral home. DINING OUT 1. If drinking directly from the bottle, always hold it with your fingers covering the label. 2. Avoid throwing bones and food scraps on the floor as the restaurant may not have dogs. ENTERTAINING IN YOUR HOME 1. A centerpiece for the table should never be anything prepared by a taxidermist. 2. Do not allow the dog to eat at the table no matter how good his manners are. PERSONAL HYGIENE 1. While ears need to be cleaned regularly, this is a job that should be done in private using one's OWN truck keys. 2. Proper use of toiletries can forestall bathing for several days. However, if you live alone, deodorant is a waste of good money. 3. Dirt and grease under the fingernails is a social no-no, as they tend to detract from a woman's jewelry and alter the taste of finger foods. DATING (OUTSIDE THE FAMILY) 1. Always offer to bait your date's hook, especially on the first date. 2. Be forward & let her know you're interested: 'I've been wanting to go out with you since I read that stuff on the restroom wall 2 years ago.' 3. Establish with her parents what time she is expected back. Some will say 10:00 PM; others might say 'Monday.' If the latter is the answer, it is the man's responsibility to get her to school on time. 4. Always have a positive comment about your date's appearance, such as, 'Ya' sure don't sweat much for a fat gal.' WEDDINGS 1. Livestock, usually, is a poor choice for a wedding gift. 2. Kissing the bride for more than 5 seconds may get you shot. 3. For the groom, at least, rent a tux. A leisure suit with a cummerbund and a clean bowling shirt can create too sporty an appearance. 4. Though uncomfortable, always wear socks and shoes for this special occasion. 5. It is inappropriate to tell the groom how good his wife is in the sack. DRIVING ETIQUETTE 1. Dim your headlights for approaching vehicles, even if the gun is loaded, and the deer is in sight. (GE THIS MEANS YOU !) 2. When approaching a four-way stop, the vehicle with the largest tires always has the right of way. 3. Never tow another car using panty hose and duct tape. 4. When sending your wife/girlfriend down the road with a gas can,it is impolite to ask her to bring back beer. 5. Never relieve yourself from a moving vehicle, especially when driving. 6. Do not lay rubber while traveling in a funeral procession. 2 REASONS WHY IT'S HARD TO SOLVE REDNECK MURDERS: 1. All the DNA is the same. 2. There are no dental records

I am running Pypes exhaust under my 455 Lemans, so I have to defer to others about Magnaflow or Flowmaster.

Mac also told me the most challenging assignment he ever had at Pontiac was not any of the Pontiac V8 programs. Rather it was DeLoroan giving him the Sprint / OHC 6 engine challenge. DeLorean told Mac that if it was a Pontiac, by God, it was going to have a Pontiac engine in it, not a damn Chevrolet (meaning the old Chevy stovebolt inline-6). So Mac said that John didn't give him very much time to literally pull together the entire Pontiac OHC 6 engine program from scratch and into production. He said he lost the most sleep working on this program more than any other. He said he would not have missed it for anything though. I have a copy of that issue of Hot Rod as a tribute to my personal memories with Mac. I wish I had time to know him better and perhaps pick his brain more. Still I am honored to know him. I do have a picture of Mac and my dad (who is also a retired GM engineer) standing side-by-side.

I can shed a little more light on Mac's mystery 421 motor since he was a member of the Widetrackers. As a retirement present from Pontiac Motor Division, Pontiac installed the tri-power overhead cam V8 motor from the Hot Rod article into his Grand Prix. I first met Mac in 2008. Sadly he died in 2011. After Mac's funeral, the retirement home he had been living in had a car show in his honor which I attended. Mac's daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter were there. Mac's daughter told me that after driving the GP for so many years, the engine got very tempermental ahd hard to start. Mac was approached by a Pontiac collector and was offered a rebuilt Pontiac engine for the GP and cash for the engine, and Mac agreed to it. She was not happy about it and she wants to get the motor back. I got the impression she knows who has the motor but they don't appear to be too interested in selling it back to her.