Saturday, December 18, 2010

1987 Pontiac Fiero GT


This is my other Pontiac hobby car: a 1987 Pontiac Fiero GT. With a rear-engine 2.8L V6, the Fiero has become a popular hobby car. I bought mine from a show car enthusiast who bought it off of a collector. So mine was driveable and looked great when I bought it with less than 60,000 miles. It is a fun drive, very high safety rating for its time, and the old myth about them catching fire only applied to the early '84 models.


What to do? Engine swaps are very popular, with early '90's Cadillac Northstar V8's a popular choice. Also a good choice are the Pontiac 3800 SC's. I prefer to go with my LS heritage, so I am considering a LS4/4T65E transplant from a mid 2000's FWD Impala SS or Grand Prix. That will change the tame 145hp 2.8L V6 to a 300hp V8 sleeper that can swap parts and times with a Vette.

Here's a photo album with a bunch of pictures so you can see what great shape this little 1980's is in:

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

1966 Pontiac 2+2 421: Videos and Pictures

Almost 300 pictures in a Picasaweb album, click here:


And the first videos, beginning with the first crank:


And the engine, idling:


A walk-around:


And a drive around the church parking lot:

Going retro: 1966 Pontiac 2+2 421

Just bought this for myself on the occasion of my 45th birthday (the feast of Saint Monica): a 1966 Pontiac 2+2 421.



Old friends will remember my first Pontiac, a 1970 GTO Judge (clone). Fun for a teenager. The 2+2 is based off the Catalina (though it was a separate model in 1966), and was considered the "big brother" of the GTO.

I bought this particular 2+2 on ebay from a collector in North Carolina. The owner had an amazing collection of 1966 Pontiacs and had wanted to restore this one as well. But it came about that he needed to sell it, and I was the one to benefit from his well-trained eye for good, restoreable Pontiacs.

If I had been racing and modding cars in the early 1970's (I didn't get started till 1982), this would be the Pontiac for me. An early owner did exactly what any hot-rodder would have done with a late-model car: heads and cam, intake and carb, exhaust, racing differential, and big tires out back. This car came to me minus the diff and tires. It's apparent that it was raced in the mid-1970's, including a JAZ fuel cell, drag bags, and gauges.

The body is in good shape, with only minor rust and missing some trim. The interior needs cleaning, but the seats, door panels, and carpet are restoreable. The dash pad and rear deck need replacing. But the dash is exquisite, with just minor touches needed. All in all, a lot of detailing needs to be done, but no major cutting or replacing.



And the motor? Oh my goodness. The factory YH Code 421 Block has Ram Air II heads, an aluminum intake, a Carter 4v carburetor, and HEI. And a cam. A big cam. It's the first thing you notice. The whole car shakes from side to side. At idle, it's as if a Tiger were tapping its fingers slowly, waiting to pounce.



My tentative goal is to restore it not to day 1, factory floor condition, but to the height of its glory days: what any young racer in the 1970's would have done to it to take to your local 1/8th mile strip spending the weekends pounding the pavement.

So watch out, Dalton! Padre's got a new toy!