Trials of having an older car

Hi All,

Was driving on the Dallas 121 Tollway and lost my power steering, alternator, and water pump. Car immediately overheated. Pulled to the side and opened the hood. WOW, the harmonic balancer had broken and so all belt activity stopped. I also noticed a big pool of engine oil under the front of the engine.

After a two hour wait and $42 for a tow, I took the car to Craigs Car Care in Lucas Texas. They called the next day and said the harmonic balancer had shattered and flung parts into the oil pan. So they must remove the radiator, fan, water pump, and timing cover. They are trying to fish the parts out with a magnet. Next they will lay the parts out and put them together like a jigsaw puzzle. If any pieces are still missing, the oil pan must be removed and cleaned out.

As many of you know on a Grand Ville you must disconnect the sub-frame and raise the engine to get the oil pan off! Ouch. Estimate is $800 to $1100.

Keeping my fingers crossed! Will let you know how it goes.

Good driving!
Brian Hiatt
Founder
grandvillebypontiac.com
www.grandvillebypontiac.com

Stolen Hurst Olds - Pictures

All,


Here are the pictures of the stolen Hurst Olds referenced in my previous blog. Please be on the lookout. Contact me or the Hurst Olds Club of America http://www.hurstolds.com/ if you suspect you see one of these or the parts. Watch Ebay and Craigslist.

Regards,
Brian Hiatt
Founder
Grandville by Pontiac
www.grandvillebypontiac.com
www.brianhiatt.com
www.collectorpro.com

Four Stolen Hurst Olds-Be on the Lookout!

All,

Four Hurst Olds were stolen from two Indianapolis hotel parking lots on August 8th, 2009. Below is the email to the Hurst Olds group. Please be on the lookout for these cars and parts on Ebay and Craigs List!


Brian Hiatt
Founder
GrandvilleByPontiac.com
http://www.grandvillebypontiac.com/

Between 1AM and 4AM on Saturday, August 8, 2009, FOUR Hurst/Olds were stolen from 2 hotel parking lots adjacent to each other in Indianapolis, Indiana. There were over 125 H/O’s in attendance for the Hurst/Olds Club of America 25th National Meet. This was a calculated "hit", not a random crime. The thieves knew we were going to be there, they knew which cars they wanted, they knew what they were doing and they got us!

It took them less than 1 minute to gain entry to a car, have it running and leaving the parking lot. They used a white crew cab pick up truck and drove into the lot and parked like they were a guest. One person exited the truck and hit the car, then both left. They went back and forth from one hotel to the other, not raising suspicion. This was evident from reviewing the hotels security tapes. Following is a list of the cars with unique features about each. All of the cars had a roof option.

1979 Hurst/Olds black and gold
Rare factory moonroof
Rare black vinyl interior – drivers seat has a small hole from a broken spring
Chrome cover over the A/C pulley mounted with brass screws
Crack in the RH corner of the black dash pad
Switches mounted on the hood, trunk & doors from an old security system
Lock to actuate the old system is still located under the left parking light.
Also in this car that may be sold separately: 4) posters of Linda Vaughn and a 1983 copy of Hot Rod magazine with Warren Johnson on the cover w/autograph


1983 Hurst/Olds black
T-tops
All original 80K mile car
Complete numbers matching car
Maroon cloth interior
Small crack (¼") in the dash by the VIN
Eagle GT II tires with 500 miles
Black and white authentic 1979 Michigan plate with a 1983 sticker


1983 Hurst/Olds black
T-tops
Maroon cloth interior
Aftermarket stripes are more orange than the correct red
Jack storage decal in trunk has Doc Watson’s signature
H/O emblem on the dash has Linda Vaughn’s signature with hearts
Dash has minor crackling in the center area


1984 Hurst/Olds silver
Rare factory moonroof
Red light mounted in each wheel well for display purposes
Snaps around the underside of the hood used for attaching a cover.

Now it is time for us to find the thieves. Indianapolis News, channel 8 WISH TV did an interview with several H/OCA members including 1 of the victims. To view this clip go to WISHTV.com, click on "more stories" and then "four classic cars stolen". Anyone having information about any of these cars can contact Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS or Judy Badgley at 517-645-7438 or djbadgley@gmail.com


Please pass this along to ALL of your car friends no matter what make and model they collect. Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen to someone else. KEEP TRACK ON EBAY AND CRAIGS LIST FOR THESE UNUSUAL CARS AND/OR PARTS!

1941 Cadillac Fleetwood

Hi All,

Linda and I were out looking for yard sales this past Saturday and when we stopped at this sale in Allen Texas, the homeowner commented on the Grandville and then said he had a 1941 Cadillac Fleetwood in the back. He invited us back and of course Linda brought the camera. I believe this is a Series 75. If someone can confirm, please comment or email me.

Under multiple covers was what appeared to be an enormous black car. As the covers were peeled back it began to be revealed.

Here is what we know about the car:

This car is completely restored. All the rubber components have been replaced. The owner spend over $8,000 on restoring the interior. The body has been restored and has no rust. The engine has all new parts inside with a complete rebuild. The owner has a spare block, spare fuel pump, water pump, and tons of other parts. This is a 6 Volt system so no air conditioning but I have heard it was available on this model in 1941.

The car came from California. The owner called General Motors and inquired about the history and the previous owners. They were told that they did have the records of who purchased the car but could not release that information.

Some interesting details.

• The hood ornament controls the hood latch.


• The fuel filler is under the drivers tailight.


• The radio and clock work.


• Cadillac reports to have made 422 of the Series 75 Stule 7519 in 1941.


• There is a flip-down foot rest for the rear passengers


• There is a power window that can be raised between the driver and passengers.
  
  

We were very surprised to find such a rare car sitting in the backyard of a home in Allen Texas. I guess you never know what classic cars and motorcycles are tucked away in the suburbs, city, and country!

This car is for sale. If interested, please contact me and I will connect you with the owner.

I have created a photo gallery on the Pontiac Grandville Website. Take a peek.

Good motoring!

Brian Hiatt

Founder

GrandvilleByPontiac.com

http://www.grandvillebypontiac.com/

http://www.brianhiatt.com/

Links:

Many more pictures at - http://www.grandvillebypontiac.com/

A 1941 Cadillac Web Page - www.car-nection.com/yann/Dbas_txt/Phocad41.htm

Great Article about Pontiac's Demise

I just received my latest issue of Hemmings Classic Car. My favorite column is on the last page and I always turn to it first. The writer is Jim Richardson. Jim has a way of putting words on a page about classic cars that gives them a human touch. Even my wife reads his column first!


In the August 2009 issue Jim writes an article about Pontiac titled "Hail to the Chief".


I feel this is a "must read" for any Pontiac fan and car nunts in general! If copyright laws did not prohibit it, I would love to put the entire article here. So if you want a good read, head to the bookstore and pick up the August 2009 issue of Hemmings Classic Car.

If you can wait, I am sure it will be put in the archive next month. Here is a link.
http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2009/


Brian Hiatt
Founder
GrandvilleByPontiac.com
www.grandvillebypontiac.com
grandville@grandvillebypontiac.com

Converted Pontiac Grandville to HEI Ignition from Points Ignition

Hi All,
Finally installed the HEI distributor I got around Christmas time. The entire process was much easier than I thought. I first removed all the spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, and coil. I then turned the engine to TDC #1 cylinder and set the timing mark at 0 degrees.

I marked the location of the rotor on the firewall. I then removed the distributor and compared the shaft length to the new HEI distributor. The shaft was about 1/4" longer on the HEI and thought this might be a problem. I then dropped the HEI distributor in and it seemed to fit fine.

Next I looked at the wiring. The wire to the coil is a resistor wire designed to drop voltage to about 9 volts to make the points last longer. Well, I checked this and had 12.5 volts. This seemed odd, but I went ahead and spliced it into the connector to the HEI distributor.

Now a trip to O'Rielly Auto Parts for new wires and plugs. To get the correct wires, they used a 1975 Firebird 455 as the HEI was offered in that year. The wires were inexpensive at $16. I bought 8 new AC R45TS spark plugs too.

Upon return, I put on the distributor hold down clamp loosely. Due to the higher voltage, I gapped the plugs at .045 (instead of the normal .030 for a points ignition). I installed the the plugs, distributor cap, and wires. I connected the old coil wire to the new distributor.

Next was to start the car. I started it and it ran fine for about 5 seconds. YEAH! I turned it off and connected the timing light to set the timing tto 12 degrees TDC. Then the engine would not start!

I had my wife crank the engine while I was holding the timing light and the timing was severaly retarded. I suppose the distributor turned during the first start.....forgot to tighten the hold down clamp.

I just grabbed the distributor and turned in counterclockwise about 10 degrees and then the car started. I set the timing, reconnected the distributor vacuum advance and reinstalled the air filter.

The first test drive was amazing! Smooth as glass. Idle perfectly smooth, and more power. This is a change I would highly recommend.

Suppliers:
I purchased the HEI distributor from one of the many sellers on Ebay. I cannot remember the name, but they are in Martin Tennessee,
O'Rielly Auto Parts for plug wires, plugs, and electrical connectors.

No more gapping points, dwell meters, coils, etc. This is one of the best changes I ever made.

Happy Motoring!
Brian

Pontiac Grandville Registry reaches 100 Members

What a great day. We have our 100th Pontiac Grandville registered today from Milwaukee Wisconsin! When I started this I had no idea how many or how fast we would get listings, but it has certainly surpassed my expectations. I guess I will have to start grouping them by name or state, or country!

Do not forget to check out Pontiac Grandville community at the link below.

http://affiliate.kickapps.com/22696/collectorpro

Brian
Founder
GrandvilleByPontiac
http://www.grandvillebypontiac.com

Hi Grandville Fans,

In a previous post I mentioned how far and wide Pontiac Grandvilles seem to be. Well, I just received a registry listing request from the Middle East. It seems there is a white Grandville in Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates!. The owner mentions how special the car is and that they have owned it for 20 years! I contunie to be amazed at how many of these cars made it outside of the USA!

http://grandvillebypontiac.com/registry/0096.htm

Brian
Founder
GrandvilleByPontiac.com
http://www.grandvillebypontiac.com

Pontiac Grandville Update

Hi All,

Big Blue just got back from the repair shop. The flange on the left exhaust manifold was broken and the previous owner placed a clamp on it. It had a leak so the car sounded like a "clunker" when taking off. I found two manifolds on Ebay over a year ago and after going back and forth on wether to do the work myself, I decided broken bolts in the heads would not be easy to remove in my garage, so I sent her off.

While there I had them replace the rusted bolts on the right exhaust manifold and replace the parking brake cable and fix THREE leaks in the transmission.

Well, the exhaust is now quiet, the parking brake seems to work, but I am still seeing transmission fluid in three spots on the floor. They told me it was leaking at the pan gasket, the speedometer gear cover, and the rear seal. All were replaced. I hope this is just residual fluid leaking!

Tell me your repair stories.

Brian
Founder
GrandvilleByPontiac.com

http://www.grandvillebypontiac.com/

Grandville's All Over the World

Hi All,

As you may know I run the only known Pontiac Grandville regsitry on the web. Today I got a request for a listing from Costa Rica Central America. This got me to thinking about how many Grandville's made it outside of the USA and how many are still running and in use.

In the registry so far we have Grandville's that call home in New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Sweden, and now Costa Rica.

Do you know of any other countries where Grandville's call home? If so please comment or email me.

Happy Motoring!
Brian Hiatt
Founder
grandvillebypontiac.com