either that or he's stuck on the side of the road somewhere. No sign of him in Penticton yet - although if I were him, I'd stay on the Coca-Cola until Kamloops then the #1 east.
Probably doesn't have internet access on the road. He'll be fine - he knows his way around these Pontiacs and I'm sure can pretty much fix anything on them. Please post an update if anyone hears form him.
Hope your trip goes well Vincent, I just got home today. I see u have been in contact with a few members and had some good input and contacts on your way. Hopefully all is well and u will have an excellent adventure.
Well, I got home this morning at 11:15 local. Thanks for all the concerns and if you knew what I know from the moment I boarded the plane to the time I saw this car.... Actually, I now aptly have it named as the "Pontiwrec", most of you members on here would say that I am absolutely outta my freakin head if you saw this misrepresented car.......... I won't get into the gory (holy) details yet, but I will tomorrow when my blood pressure and stress levels come down from the stratosphere...!! Again, many thanks for the concerns.... They must have helped with my trip!!!!
-- Edited by 67Poncho on Monday 29th of June 2009 12:07:44 AM
what route did you take? Tell us about the adventure.
I took the Fraiser route as the car, as I had said, was NOT what it should have been! This is like a short novel so pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and sit back! The trip:
Left 'Stoon at 12:15pm Thursday 25/09 destined for Calgary--to Vancouver then off to Victoria. The young fellow that I took on this adventure had never been on a plane so I booked 3 different flights more for his experience! Plus this would be the first time on a big boat, the Pacific and the Mountains! Needless to say he was nervous and if not terrified at times on all three!
Arrive Calgary and I sit down at the specified gate awaiting the next flight. He looks at the board and says out next flight is cancelled.. "Yea right I say in amusment, whatever!!!" After 10 minutes I look at the board and mutter, "Ah for Christ sakes!" Off to the help desk and wait in line with the other 20 people!! Finally get there, after a couple of younger gals give the old puppy dog look and jump the line to be ahead of all of us!! Apparently a wedding gets priority? So, talk to the guy, explain my situation and he puts on a direct flight to Victoria 22 minutes ahead of our previous booking. "Perfect"! But then I ask why we were not informed when we got off the plane and he says that our names were paged but we did not answer and that happens to "lots" of travellers! I stated that I did not hear the page and then it came to light that we were between 'Stoon and Calgary 30,000 feet in the air when this transpired?? Tough to hear it at that altitude!!!
Arrive in Victoria. On Saltspring Island, 5pm is the last bus around the Island for a cost of $2. After that, taxi. But we have lots of time. NOT!!! 4 flights later at 5:35 we get our stuff!! Apparently our luggage was not transfered and the luggage equiptment was out of order in Vancouver! It all had to be done by hand!!! You see where this is going?? By this time I was swearing like a trooper and throwing my "Visit Victoria Island" brochure around like a rag doll!!!
Get to Saltspring, wait almost an hour for a taxi, $50 later we were at the "car"!!! It was almost dark and then I looked over the car and then proceeded to feel the chassis for the common weak spots at the trans crossmember.... Felt an abundance of "nothing"! It was really soft to say the least and the word soft is putting it mildly! I swore another 1000 times with the 20 year owner not saying very much as well as my tag along buddy! I was pretty near ready to puke! All of that aside, he had a small steering wheel hacked onto the column so I asked where the original was? In the trunk. Pulled it out of the trunk "sans" the middle section! He cut it out to butcher the little one on to it! Another cast of swear words and I tossed the wheel back into the trunk at a 101mph fast ball pitch! Then the wiper arms, busted but he told me they were there! Not that it mattered as the wiper transmission was not hooked to the motor and the passenger post was cut off and the hole welded over in the cowl... So I brought a starter along as the old one was a no go, removed the old and the bolts I took with me that belonged to the replacement were too long. So I managed to to get about 3 threads to grab on the old bolts and it held. The dual exhaust he put on was for a lack of a better word, there!! As loose as a $2.... Well, you get the picture! Sounded like a demo derby car the whole trip!! But he was proud of the rumble it had! ME? Twice as old and at that time, 40 times as grouchy was not impressed with the rumble! As for the price of the car I reminded him of several times, his response was the stereo cost him lots! My response was that we could not ride the amp and speakers back to Saskatchewan, with 3 metric tons of sarcasm tossed in for good measure!! Got it going--put it in gear--good forward, slow/slips in reverse. Went to motel at 11pm, slept 3 hours, stared at the ceiling for the remainder..... Next morning it started and got gas... Good news, a liter of ATF cured the transmission issue! Also topped engine to full and added brake fluid.
While at the dock, I tied up exhaust with the half mile of extra wire I cut out of the car with the gagets he installed. Also tried to get the gas guage to work to no avail! The wiring and sender are good but she reads over full! Imerssed my hand in the Pacific to complete my journey from the Atlantic to confirm I travelled across this great country!!! Got ferry at 9:40am and got to the mainland at about 2pm Friday. I was going to call 455gto, but I decided to leave him out of my mess!! Kim, you were better off for that!! (lol) Didn't do more than 48mph as the car shook too much on the front left side! Did I happen to mension brakes?? Shortly after we were on the road, lots of grinding on the right rear... Found shoes in the trunk when we got home!!
Between Golden and Calgary heard this God awful metal to pavement grind and I thought the frame had just dropped from under us! Turned out to be the "good" drivers side rocker chrome had come off the front fender and wrapped backwards to the back bumper! Does anyone know the "redline" of the human heart! I guarantee you I was well past that........!
Finally! The Sask boarder.... By then it was all flat, 5 hours from home and besides, if anything happens we just go into a field and call someone!!! Up to a whopping 60 mph the rest of the way there!!! Actually ran and rode better than the 48mph speed limit I had set on myself and more specifically the "Pontiwrec".
No trouble the rest of the way and managed to pass a few cars to get back at the 1000 or more cars that passed us on the complete trip here!! (lol) She was purring like a kitten with a case of laryngitis!!! Good thing was the engine used no oil... The skys were now the same Nantucket blue the car was originally painted in!!! The Gods, but more ME, were finally smiling!!!
So in a nutshell, that was the trip! Thankfully the temps were cool all the way home and there was no boiling issues!!! Another one chalked up to experience! Was it fun? No... Is it funny now, sorta!!! But I have another interesting saga to tell and tell again!!!
The Saltspring (Fulford) to Victoria Island Ferry (Swartz Bay)
Victoria Island (Swartz Bay) to Vancouver Ferry (Tsawwassen)
Alberta Boarder--Getting Close
Could Have Used That Sign On The Right A Few Times!!! Specifially, The First Time I Saw The Car!!! (lol)
Along The Way Pics
Put The Hammer Down From Here!!!! (lol)
FINALLY!!! Note The Blue In The Sky......
-- Edited by 67Poncho on Tuesday 30th of June 2009 01:36:04 AM
Way to go Vincent. Glad you made all the way. We were waiting for your "call" in Penticton. Had the guys lined up to help, found the crappy tire and had the tools. Sorry it's not what you hoped for.
__________________
1967 Parisienne 2+2 1967 Grande Parisienne
1967 Laurentian 1967 Strato Chief
Remember, "The Government" only has money confiscated from us.
glad to hear you made it back in one piece! i saw a 67 grande parisienne 4 door for sale here the other day.
if you wanna make a road trip to ontario!!!!!!
Ha ha! It never ceases to amaze me the amount of humor on this site!!! But, I have to go north of the 'Peg to get that '67 2-dr post in the next couple of weeks............. Here we go again........
Then to Lac La Bich and 'Stoon for 2 more Grande 2-drs... Come on winter...!
-- Edited by 67Poncho on Tuesday 30th of June 2009 01:41:01 PM
I'd say any old car that can make a road trip is not a bad buy. Love the front end of that car.
When I get it up on the hoist again, I will post more pics!!! But the powertrain did perform flawlessly and decent on fuel! I will post my fuel bills as well! The engine has been changed and doesn't match the Vintage docs. I will get the suffix for 68sd to dechipher.... But is still has the camel bump heads so it is probably a newer 350...
-- Edited by 67Poncho on Tuesday 30th of June 2009 01:49:35 PM
-- Edited by 67Poncho on Tuesday 30th of June 2009 01:49:59 PM
Give it six months and you'll be laughin. Beside, you'll eventually have enough parts to make one really good car! And you'll own all the rest of the unrestored 67 GP's in Canada!
-- Edited by 66 Grande guy on Tuesday 30th of June 2009 03:22:04 PM
those are great shots. As I've done that drive a gazillion times I can tell exactly where you took those shots.
For those unfamiliar with driving through Banff National Park, in the one shot you can see where they're clearing the forest on the north side of the highway to twin the #1 to the BC border. You can see the piles of debris on the left side of the road. Next photo is approaching Banff, while not visible on the photo, it's in the distance to the right. Next photo is approaching the picturesque Banff landing strip on the north side of town. Next photo is approaching the eastern gate to Banff National Park, getting towards Canmore.
For those who haven't been to the prairies, check out the horizon of the photo with the "Saskatchewan, Naturally" sign at Alsask.
glad to hear you made it back in one piece! i saw a 67 grande parisienne 4 door for sale here the other day.
if you wanna make a road trip to ontario!!!!!!
Ha ha! It never ceases to amaze me the amount of humor on this site!!! But, I have to go north of the 'Peg to get that '67 2-dr post in the next couple of weeks............. Here we go again........
Then to Lac La Bich and 'Stoon for 2 more Grande 2-drs... Come on winter...!
-- Edited by 67Poncho on Tuesday 30th of June 2009 01:41:01 PM
Let me know when you come and get that 67 2dr post in Grande Marias??? I live 1/2 hour from there. I could possibly lend a hand if needed. Andrew. Oh ya great road trip story.
__________________
1967 2dr Biscayne. L36, M40, G80, K05, F41. #'s. 1967 Impala convert. 283, glide. Parked in the garage since 74 and hasn't moved. Soon to be BB 4speed.
2qwik2c wrote: Let me know when you come and get that 67 2dr post in Grande Marias??? I live 1/2 hour from there. I could possibly lend a hand if needed. Andrew. Oh ya great road trip story.
Andrew, you bet and thanks!! I am sure this one will//should go better. Have you seen the car?
Sounds like quite a trip. Same here, if you run into a jam in Winnipeg, you can always look me up.
I was in foam lake a couple times(i guess that is where you live?) There is a guy in town that had a bunch of 64 impalas and stuff we looked at. Got caught in one hell of a rain storm last august, had to wait it out in the middle of town. I'll have to look you up if i am ever back there. lots of cool junk yards and old cars out that way!
__________________
Beaumontguru
MY BEAUMONT HAS 4 STUDDED TIRES AND 2 BLOCKHEATERS......AND LOTS OF OIL UNDERNEATH. The other one has a longer roof.
Sounds like quite a trip. Same here, if you run into a jam in Winnipeg, you can always look me up.
I was in foam lake a couple times(i guess that is where you live?) There is a guy in town that had a bunch of 64 impalas and stuff we looked at. Got caught in one hell of a rain storm last august, had to wait it out in the middle of town. I'll have to look you up if i am ever back there. lots of cool junk yards and old cars out that way!
Yep! That is where I am! I know the guy with the '64's! He is the "other" old car guy in town. I am on the north east side of town over the tracks while he is at the south west edge of town!! Did you get anything? I will be here as I have my own shop here. Did you happen to go to Elfros just 15 minutes west of town? That is where the mother load resides. (Lot of them gone now as it has traded into "younger" hands).
2qwik2c wrote: Let me know when you come and get that 67 2dr post in Grande Marias??? I live 1/2 hour from there. I could possibly lend a hand if needed. Andrew. Oh ya great road trip story.
Andrew, you bet and thanks!! I am sure this one will//should go better. Have you seen the car?
No never seen that car in person, only on Kijiji.
__________________
1967 2dr Biscayne. L36, M40, G80, K05, F41. #'s. 1967 Impala convert. 283, glide. Parked in the garage since 74 and hasn't moved. Soon to be BB 4speed.
This is the gas I used and considering I did nothing to the drivetrain, I believe it did quite well. Oh, and it has 2:73 gears as well. Code EP. I also forgot to check the mileage when I first started and at each fill up.
Saltspring: I stopped at $30 as it was $125.9/litre! So 23.828 litres
Otter Coop, at Ladner Trunk, BC: $68.01. It was $1.096/litre. 62.052litres
Hope, BC: $18.10. It was $1.069/litre. 16.935 litres
Cache Creek, BC: $34.18. It was $1.099/litre. 31.105 litres
Salmon Arm, BC: $18.01. It was $1.099/litre. 16.392 litres
End of the first day!!
Golden, BC: $23.00. It was $1.099/litre. 20.924 litres
Beiseker, AB: $52.01. It was $.999/litre. 52.061 litres
Rosetown, SK: I just put in $50 as I didn't want to fill the tank! It was $1.019/litre. 49.069 litres.
-- Edited by 67Poncho on Tuesday 30th of June 2009 10:29:46 PM
But, I have to go north of the 'Peg to get that '67 2-dr post in the next couple of weeks...
.......... Here we go again........
