Saturday, December 30, 2006

Saturday, December 30, 2006

 - On a whim, I picked up a set of 33 issues of Popular Hot Rodding off of Ebay, spanning the years 1984 to 1994.  It cost me 10 bux plus some shipping and fondling.  For those ten dollars, I managed to get spare copies of several road tests for the third gen cars, including one I already had (that was in poor shape) and one (a Pontiac Formula vs. Mustang LX heads-up comparison) that I was looking at on Ebay to bid on (for the sale price of ... ten dollars).  So, for ten dollars, not only did I get the article I was looking for, but the entire magazine, a pristine copy of another article I already had, and 32 other magazines to reminisce with.  

Reading these magazines, the letters in them from frustrated owners of new third gens (and other high-tech computer controlled '80's wonder cars) makes me remember a time when there were very few parts for our cars, when almost no one knew how to work on them (not even the leading magazines of the era) and when, in one year, going from a stock 150 horsepower to a stock 190 horsepower was considered monumental.  190 horsepower!  Kids who were teenagers when the LS1s were around don't know how good they had it.  

Ah, the memories... some of these magazines were ones that I used to have and read during high school.  It's a trip back in time to see old advertisements for Rhodes lifters, PAW, Wholesale Automotive, Banks, Ranchero Suspension, etc.  The perfect end to an almost perfect year; sitting down in my favorite chair with some hot chocolate, the wife and child are tucked away in bed, I have one lamp on and I'm thumbing through the stack of PHR, bumping from reader's letters that I remember to advertisements that I liked, as a teen.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Friday, December 29, 2006

I got off early from work today (because of the impending holiday) and since it was bright and sunny, and since the temperature was such that I could take the T-tops off, air out the TA, and do it all while wearing nothing heavier than a T-shirt for the drive home, I took the chance to do some open air motoring.  Just as I put the second T-top into the bag and went to close it, the zipper pulled away, intact, from the bag material itself.  

Grrrrr.  

Oh, well.  

Time to take the bag to the local saddle shop and see if they can work some magic on 22 year old material.  I have a spare T-top bag I picked up on Ebay a few years ago but it is a later model bag that doesn't have the "GM" logo stamped into the material.  I'll probably try to save this bag then put it up and only display it at car shows.  The other bag, from a parted out GTA, should work fine for normal use.  

As for the trip home, it was great.  

The fresh air blowing in through the open roof, the windows down, the LB9 growling in cruise control and people passing me on the left waving and nodding at the car.  It even got two new fans at the Oloh Chevron where I stopped to top the tank off so my wife could use the TA for the weekend.  

I spent ten minutes talking shop to a man and woman who walked up to admire the car after they had finished filling up their white Denali.  Oh, and just to rub it in; remember, I'm in a black T-shirt, driving a 1986 Trans Am, T-tops off, windows down, at 70 plus miles an hour, at the end of December.  It's good to live in the deep South.  All of you who are reading this right now and looking out your window at two feet of snow ... sucks to be you.

Friday, December 29, 2006

I got off early from work today (because of the impending holiday) and since it was bright and sunny, and since the temperature was such that I could take the T-tops off, air out the TA, and do it all while wearing nothing heavier than a T-shirt for the drive home, I took the chance to do some open air motoring.  Just as I put the second T-top into the bag and went to close it, the zipper pulled away, intact, from the bag material itself.  

Grrrrr.  

Oh, well.  

Time to take the bag to the local saddle shop and see if they can work some magic on 22 year old material.  I have a spare T-top bag I picked up on Ebay a few years ago but it is a later model bag that doesn't have the "GM" logo stamped into the material.  I'll probably try to save this bag then put it up and only display it at car shows.  The other bag, from a parted out GTA, should work fine for normal use.  

As for the trip home, it was great.  

The fresh air blowing in through the open roof, the windows down, the LB9 growling in cruise control and people passing me on the left waving and nodding at the car.  It even got two new fans at the Oloh Chevron where I stopped to top the tank off so my wife could use the TA for the weekend.  

I spent ten minutes talking shop to a man and woman who walked up to admire the car after they had finished filling up their white Denali.  Oh, and just to rub it in; remember, I'm in a black T-shirt, driving a 1986 Trans Am, T-tops off, windows down, at 70 plus miles an hour, at the end of December.  It's good to live in the deep South.  All of you who are reading this right now and looking out your window at two feet of snow ... sucks to be you.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Thursday, December 21, 2006

 - I found a private collector who was willing to part with the entire series of Pontiac Dealer Product Manuals along with the accompanying yearly official dealer price guides.  Now I have the complete third gen library of official material on these cars, listing colors, options, rare models like the Mecham MSE and the Recaros, options available, prices for cars and options and a wealth of other information.  The asking price?  About $50 a year puts you close to what I spent but it was worth every penny (at least to me). Not only will this help me finish up some details in the book I'm writing, but this collection may also help me answer the odd question people tend to ask me in email (like "Hey, BE ...  I have a 1988 Firebird and I was wondering what RPO code WSL was ...?  No one else knows.  Can you help me?").  Once my book is published, I may scan and post the relevant Firebird material from these PDPMs as an addition to the material that will already be found in my book.

Monday, December 4, 2006

Monday, December 4, 2006

I pulled into the local SONIC drive-in to grab some lunch.  A bunch of kids were standing around their cars, mostly Hondas and other plebian imports that the youth today like to try to hot rod.  As I slowly pulled towards them, one of the kids turned to look, then quickly elbowed his friend who also turned to look and I heard him tell me as I slowly drove past "Man!  That car is bad-ass!  I love the sound!"

Saturday, December 2, 2006

Saturday, December 2, 2006

Just got in a set of factory locking lug nuts and key, the kind my TA came with from the factory but somehow failed to retain in the past 20 years (they're probably sitting somewhere with the original wheels my car came with).  I probably won't use these lug-locks other than to clean them up and have them for display but it's nice to have a complete car after all, with all the correct parts that came from the factory.  That way, if I sell it, the next owner won't have to scramble around like I have for six months.  Yes, I'll have locking lug nuts on the refinished 16x8" factory wheels but they'll be aftermarket locks and brand new.  The set of factory locks is just for show / completeness and since I got them for ten bux, the price was right as well.