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(1) STEPHANIE VS. THE STANDOUT GTO — RTTH7

tom — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:35:03 +0000

As great a car that the GTO is the first thing I notice when look at these pictures is Stephanie. Sorry Bill it’s not even close. I didn’t get to talk to Stephanie much, her husband was wanting to go. But if I had to guess I’m saying Stephanie is a dental hygienist, played high school basketball and at the age of twenty eight Stephanie is serious, semi-competitive runner. Steph, please let me know how close I came.

(2) Thinking Outside The Box – BILL HERDER’S 1966 GTO VERT — RTTH7

tom — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:48:52 +0000

If there was an award for the most different approch to a Pro-Touring car Bill’s GTO would have won hands down. It’s just an awesome, stand out car.

The GTO was a featured article in the October 2011 issue of High Performance Pontiac. I have just pulled a few statements from the High Perfromace Pontiact article to give some basics on the car.

DrivetrainTransmission: Richmond Street Five-speed manual trans (4+1), 3.27 1st, 2.13 2nd, 1.57 3rd, 1.23 4th, 1.00 5th, aluminum flywheel, Hurst shifter.

Rear axle: GM 12-bolt rearend (original housing), Eaton posi differential w/3.07:1 gears, Strange C-Clip eliminators,

Front suspension: Stock upper and lower control arms w/ Herb Adams solid greasable bushings, MOOG tie rods w/ custom adjusters, Herb Adams sway bar w/ heim joint end links, Adjustable KONI red shocks, Global West subframe connectors, Global West ½” solid subframe bushings.

Rear suspension: Detroit Speed 3” drop leafs, DSE shackles & bushings, Herb Adams sway bar, Adjustable KONI red shocks.

SPC billet adjustable tubular upper and lower control arms and Pro-Touring 550 lb-in springs in front. They attach to the stock spindles via Howe NASCAR-style tall ball joints. Alston Varishock double-adjustable shocks help soften the bumps and control the springs, Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings thwart suspension deflection, and a Hellwig tubular 1.125-inch stabilizer bar keeps cornering flat.

To upgrade the rear, the same brand springs (135 lb-in rate), shocks, bushings, and stabilizer bar (1.125-inch with end links) are employed. Additional handling mods include Currie Currectrac billet upper and lower control arms and Edelbrock crossbraces to triangulate the mounting points for added strength. A set of 18×8 front, 18×10 rear NewGen wheels roll on the aforementioned Nittos, measuring 245/40-18 in front and 275/40-18 in the rear.

Tires: Nitto NT555 – F: 255/45/ZR18 R: 285/40/ZR18

Wilwood 14-inch front disc brakes with six-piston calipers, as well as 12.2-inch, four-piston calipers in the rear, sans power assist,

A ’70 400 was bored and stroked to 462 and built by Dave Hillard of Donnellsville, Ohio, who Bill describes as “an outstanding guy and a credit to the Pontiac community.” A set of four-bolt billet caps were added to the 0.030-over block to hold in the 4.25-inch-stroke, Ohio forged crank; PRW 4340 Ultralight I-beam, forged rods; and Ross 4.155-inch, forged pistons wrapped in Federal Mogul rings. A Melling 54D pump works from a Canton road race oil pan to ensure the crude is at the pickup in high-g cornering.

KRE D-Port aluminum heads were ported to flow 320/240 cfm at 0.700 lift by SD Performance. Comp valvesprings; Smith Brothers 5⁄16-inch pushrods; and PRW stainless, 1.65:1 roller rockers deliver the cam specs to the 2.15/1.74 valves. The Comp hydraulic-roller cam employs solid-roller lifters (higher rpm without valve float) and features 246/252- degrees duration at 0.050 and 0.660/0.660 lift; LSA is 112 degrees.

RTTH 7, 2011 RTTH, 2011 Run Thru The Hills, 2011 Run Thru The Hills 7, Bill Howell

(6) 1972 FIREBIRD OWNED, BUILT AND DRIVEN BY — RTTH7

tom — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:26:23 +0000

Bob Bertelesen. A Pro-Touring car at its best. Mast MotorSports LS3 575hp, DSE Suspension, Baer Brakes – 14″ front 13″rear, Bowler 4L80E Trans, Twist Machine padle shifter.

RTTH 7, 2011 RTTH, 2011 Run Thru The Hills, 2011 Run Thru The Hills 7, Bill Howell

ALISON the Brave – RTTH6 Part 2

tom — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:40:52 +0000

Alison and her boyfriend were at the RTTH to support their friend Wes Strawn who was running his 1978 Pro-Touring Formula Firebird. I was checking out Wes’s Firebird and saw Alison. Let’s see, great car, really cute girl. Let’s give it a try. Alison took the invitation to pose for AmericanCarsAmericanGirls.com as compliment and said ‘’Sure why not”. I don’t think that’s what her boyfriend was thinking at all. Allison wanted to pose and she did. We got some great shots and had some fun. Later when I was talking to Wes about his car I told Wes that I hoped the boyfriend hadn’t gotten too mad. Wes told me not to worry. The boyfriend was kind of the jealous type but he’d get over it. That actually made me feel a little better.

Wes’s Firebird was the most understated car at RTTH. From exterior to the interior one might have thought that it was a numbers matching car. The first give away are the 19’’ Forgeline snowflake replica wheels and then you pop the hood and see the LSX and on and on. The Firebird’s specs are shown in the spec section below. What was really cool about Wes was that his mom, dad, sister, girlfriend, and friends were all at RTTH rooting for him.

RHONDA and Her 1969 FIREBIRD T/A–RTTH6 Part 2

tom — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 01:24:16 +0000

To celebrate the Firebird’s entry in the Trans Am championship a special commemorative version was constructed by Pontiac. Every ‘Firebird Trans Am’ was delivered in white with two blue racing stripes. The 400 c.i. engine was equipped with the RAM cold air induction setup. The big V8 engine produced 335 bhp. At the end of 1969, a new generation of the Firebird was unveiled, which also meant the end of the first generation Firebird Trans Am. With only 697 examples produced, the 1969 Firebird Trans Am is a very rare Bird.

This brings us to Rhonda’s T/A. It’s a clone but an extremely nice clone that was built by her husband, John. John decided to go with a modern day LS1 engine and Tremec 6spd. Both the engine and transmission were, appropriately taken from a 2000 Pontiac T\A WS6. I’ve seen pictures of an original 1969 T/A and except for the brand of tires it would take a very trained eye to tell the difference.

The T/A is exactly what Rhonda needed something that would give her a little more flash and flair.

CODE RED: The NEXT STEP- RTTH6 Part 2

tom — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:09:13 +0000

When I got home from the RTTH6 I Googled in Code Red Firebird and got nothing. Six weeks later I Googled in Code Red Firebird and I get all kinds of information. Code Red is the new standard of Pro Touring. If you Google Bob Bertelesen, builder of Code Red, and you get the the Popular Hot Rodding’s article on Code Red. This article is a must read for anyone interested in cutting edge Pro -Touring cars. The most interesting thing to me is that Bob chose to use the GM L99 engine for his 1972 Firebird. This engine is available only with automatic transmissions in the new Corvettes and Camaros. The L99 features the Active Fuel Management System. The AFMS automatically shuts down four cylinders at cruising speeds for better mileage. The factory L99 comes with about 400 bhp. Code Red’s L99 makes 575 bhp. Bob mst be interested in getting a little better fuel mileage when he is driving Code Red from one Pro-Touring event to the next.

IRENE and the Family Jewel

tom — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:02:49 +0000

Kyle Mistretta, Irene’s husband, sent me a couple of great paragraphs that tell the history of their GTO. It’s a story that’s been told a million times by diehard car guys.

‘’My father and I bought the car while I was in the military. I found it in an impound lot. I actually drove the car back to Carolina where we finished it up. It has a 389 Tripower with Edelbrock aluminum heads , Crower cam and Doug’s headers with a 4 spd transmission.

My father had never been to an event like the one at RTTH and he decided he wanted a LS engine after seeing those cars perform. When we got home we bought an LS3 motor and a T56 6spd. Work on the swap began when the new motor and transmission arrived. It took 7yrs for us to complete it as it was and now we are swapping the drive train.

Thanks for taking the pics of Irene. I got a huge kick out of it and have shown the site to many.’’

Kyle

2010 PONTIACS at PIGEON FORGE

tom — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:12:27 +0000

This was my second visit to this event and maybe my last. In an intense professional moment, I was taking a picture; I leaned gently on a participant’s car. This can be a big mistake at a car show. I sincerely apologized for my mistake but the guy just wouldn’t let it go. The situation finally did defuse. But we’ll not let one bad moment spoil what was a fun day at a good show. I love the venue at the Music Road Hotel, the perfect place for a car show.

Tiffany — The 2010 Model

tom — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:54:44 +0000

Tiffany and family were at the 2009 Pontiacs at Pigeon Forge where I was able to photograph her when she was fourteen years old and cute. The 2010 model of Tiffany is now fifteen and gorgeous. Have I mentioned that Tiffany is an award winning model? She had recently been crowned Miss Teen Model 2010 at the Teen Festival of Stars Modeling Pageant.

Tiffany is being photographed with her brother’s 30^th Anniversary Special Edition Firebird T/A convertible. What makes this special T/A extra special is the 800 original miles showing on the odometer

NICOLE — Pontiacs and Politics

tom — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:05:00 +0000

I approached Nicole and her husband Doug with the possibility of Nicole poising for ACAG. Doug was ok with it but Nicole said ‘’Maybe let me think about it.’’. It was an hour later when I checked back. She had used the wonders of her Blackberry cell phone and Verizon service to check the legitimacy of AmericanCarsAmericanGirls.com. We passed the litmus test and her she is posing with her and her husband’s 1969 numbers matching,400ci RAIII, 4sp GTO Judge. It can be bought for $25,000. Nicole and Doug are from Spartanburg, South Carolina where Nicole is a mover and shaker in the Republican Party. Will Nicole follow in the footsteps other political hotties like Sarah Palin and Nikki Haley.? We can only hope especially since she is a Pontiac Girl?.jpg” alt=”" width=”600″ height=”509″ />I approached Nicole and her husband Doug with the possibility of Nicole poising for ACAG. Doug was ok with it but Nicole said ‘’Maybe let me think about it.’’. It was an hour later when I checked back. She had used the wonders of her Blackberry cell phone and Verizon service to check the legitimacy of AmericanCarsAmericanGirls.com. We passed the litmus test and her she is posing with her and her husband’s 1969 numbers matching,400ci RAIII, 4sp GTO Judge. It can be bought for $25,000. Nicole and Doug are from Spartanburg, South Carolina where Nicole is a mover and shaker in the Republican Party. Will Nicole follow in the footsteps other political hotties like Sarah Palin and Nikki Haley.? We can only hope especially since she is a Pontiac Girl?