- poci

Dean Tankersley’s 1970 GTO
Old Pueblo Pontiacs Chapter #29 POCI Volume 11 Number 5 May 2015
Hot Air is the official publication of the Old Pueblo Pontiacs Arizona Chapter #29 of the Pontiac-Oakland Club International. The
publication will be distributed monthly. Editorial contributions welcome. Please submit articles for publication by the 20th of the
preceding month of publication. Classified ads for members are free of charge. For advertising rates contact the editor. LOCAL
DUES are $18. Send to Randy Rogers, 9401 E. Still Springs Pl., Vail, Az. 85641.
To receive this publication chapter members MUST be in good standing with Pontiac-Oakland Club International by retaining current
membership status. NATIONAL DUES are $39. Contact POCI National PO Box 68, Maple Plain, Mn. 55359 e-mail
[email protected] Ph 877-368-3454 Fax 763-479-3571. Renew memberships online at http://www.poci.org and go to the
membership renewal tab or mail check to POCI, PO Box 68, Maple Plain, Mn. 55359 be sure to include your member number on your
check.
President
Bill Armstrong
4700 W Bayberry St.
Tucson, Az. 85742
520-572-9435
E-mail [email protected]
Vice President
Randy Rogers
9401 Still Springs Pl.
Tucson, Az. 85641
520-298-6874
E-mail [email protected]
Treasurer
Bill Corbin
13401 N Rancho Vistoso #104
Oro Valley, Az 85737
520-219-3481
E-mail [email protected]
Editor
David A Green
2113 S Avenida Planeta
Tucson, Az. 85710
520-747-2901
E-mail [email protected]
Meeting May 13th at Codys Beef & Beans Eat 6:15pm Meeting 7:15pm
CLUB WEBSITE
www.poci-azch29.com
Contents
Presidential Pontiac-tations, Editors
Report, Page 2-3
Birthdays and Anniversary
Club & other Outings Page 4
For Sale Page 5
We elected again to have this show a nonjudged event. It's felt by all that the purpose
of the event was to showcase Pontiacs and
GMC's regardless of condition. Show cars,
daily drivers, original, and under construction
are all welcome. We want to welcome all to
the event and hope to retain our current
members and gain new members interested in
the club's activities and events, not to
mention the advantages of also being
members of POCI.
Members Rides Pages 6- 7
BOP Review Pages 8=10
Pontiac Heaven Review Pages 11-12
Presidential Pontiac-tations
SAVE THE DATE NOV. 07 2015. That is the
official date of our All Pontiac / GMC show.
Your show committee met Saturday to go
over details. The committee members are
Randy Rogers, Membership, Bill Corbin,
Lunch, Dave Green, Car wrangler, Dwight
Gibbs, Riffle Chairman, Bill Armstrong,
Registration and last and not least Thom
Sherwood, Show Chairman.
Page 2
There are major changes for the 2015 show
that are meant to improve the show from
2014. First, we will have pre-registration. All
that register prior to October 24, 2015 will
receive (2) free lunches and a dash plaque.
The lunches will include Subway sandwiches,
chips and water. Now, that is an incentive to
pre-register. Second, we will have raffle
drawings for prizes, very similar to the BOP
Show in Scottsdale.
Third we will have a 50/50 raffle conducted
during the show. Lastly, we are investigating
the possibility of having "T" shirt sales. The
"T" shirts will be purchased with preregistration so that we know how many to
order and what size. There will be no shirt
sales at the show. The committee felt that our
treasury cannot afford to have an inventory of
leftover shirts at this time. The 2014 event
cost our club a little over $600.00. We made
most of that up with new members. It was felt
that with the addition of the 50/50 raffle
ticket sales and "T" shirt sales that the club
could sustain any other additional cost.
BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES. In the April 2015 issue
of Smoke Signals, I read the article written by
Mike Carmichael . The story was about he and
a friend that had gone to a movie and when
walking home went by a Pontiac dealership
and what an experience that used to be.
Remember when the show windows were
covered up and the excitement of seeing the
new models? Well, Mike and his friend saw a
brand new ‘62 Grand Prix, red with white
interior. It was the first year of the wide
tracks. Those were the years I could tell what
cars were what and they all did not look the
same to me as they do now.
Editors Report
The article got me to thinking about the cars
of the 50's and 60's. I graduated from high
school in 1957.That was some year for new
cars. The local Pontiac dealer was Mack
Massey Pontiac. His son, Mike Jr. got a new 57
Catalina as his gradation present. It was
white, blue interior, tri power and 3 on the
tree. Wow, was he popular with the guys and
gals. Joe got a good job and bought a 57
Chevy 210 post with fuel injection, and my
best friend Ben's parents bought a 57
Plymouth Fury with push button drive. At that
time I had a 52 Olds 4 door. In 1959 I traded it
for a brand new 59 Ford Galaxy 500 2 door
post. It was silver/white and red and black
interior. Anne and I were friends at that time.
I called her and told her I was bringing it by to
show her. When I arrived, she had a present
for me. I unwrapped the package to find a
long wooden stick. I looked at her and she
said "that's to beat the girls off". Little did I
know that a year later she would be my wife.
Our guest speaker was very informative on
repairing clocks and also his time working
with General Motors.
Maybe she knew something I did not!!!
Comments or suggestion, Call
Well I finally had to replace the tires on my
1966 Cat. They were 10 years old and had
15,000 miles on them. Let this be a lesson
to all of you. My tires showed no outward
weathercracking and looked near new! The
only indication I had was a vibration and
thought it was a wheel balance issue. I
heard what sounded like rocks hitting the
inner wheel well a couple of times and I
immediately slowed down and just then
the tread started separating on the right
rear tire. Don Zell and I changed the tire
with the spare which was older than the
ones on the ground. I made the rest of the
trip in fine fashion. Needless to say the
next week “Eddie” had new shoes on him!
Our meeting this month will have a slide
show of BOP and Pontiac Heaven. See ya
at the meeting!
Bill Armstrong 520-572-9435
Dave
Page 3
May 22-23rd 41st Annual Rodders Days-Tucson
May 23rd Amphi Bible Church Car Show-Tucson
May 18th Spring Car Show- Sierra Vista
September 25-27th Run to the Pines Car Show-Pinetop
October 10th Cars in the Park-Sierra Vista
Club Outings and Functions
October 17th Tucson Classics Car Show-Tucson
May 13th Club Meeting at Cody’s
May 16th Breakfast Cruise to Todd
Restaurant at Ryan Field more info at
the May meeting or call Bill @ 2193481
June 10th Club Meeting at Cody’s
July 8th Club meeting at Cody’s
Cynthia Alto May 4th
July21-25th POCI National Convention
Louisville, Kentucky
William Corbin May 20th
Sandee Corbin May 23rd
Virginia Rogers May 28th
Other area functions
More info found at cruisinarizona.com and
desertcruisers.com
Little Anthony’s Car show Day show, May 16, 30, June
13 & 27, July 4 & 18, August 1, 15, 29, September 5 &
19.
Lou & Cynthia Alto May 3rd
Steve & Mary Disch May 6th
Dwight & Fran Gibbs May 23rd
Freddie’s Cruise-in Thursday nights
Page 4
Bill & Sandee Corbin May 25th
For Sale
These ads will run for 2 months then be deleted so contact the editor before this deadline
Dave Green [email protected] 520-747-2901
1976 Grand Prix SJ 2 Dr - 129K actual miles - runs good - front end rebuilt recently - $3000 OBO contact Russ
Steinebach 520-882-9169
1962 Pontiac 4BBL AFB carb($70) and Jetaway transmission($55)Both OBO & as is. Rich 520-682-8944
1948 Nash Tudor,2 door coupe, clear title, all new floors, new rocker panels, have back glass, new trans tunnel,
all new mustang 2, all new tri-angler 4 link currie 9" 3.73 posi, not chopped, have front clip and hood original ,
black leather seats from Jetta, new rims, grill original, and bumpers. $4,800.00 751-7807 Dean
2 ton engine hoist, floor model. Engine stand. Both slightly used. $250 for both, you haul. Broadway?Houghton
area. Bill Archibald 520-886-4250.
(1) 14x6" Rallye II wheel, "JK" code, bare, no center cap or trim ring, needs cosmetic restoration. $25.
Thom Sherwood 798-3200 (Tucson)
1963 Pontiac Grand Prix. 303 HP, 8 lug wheels. Odometer shows 26500 but I don't know if that is correct or
not. I have window sticker and factory Build sheets. New tires
Cecil Holmes 1213 N. Chilson Ct. Green Valley Az 85614. 520 284 0748 [email protected]
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Members Rides
Hot Air Interview With Member Dean Tankersley
by Randy Rogers
[Hey members: We really want to hear about your Pontiac/GMC truck, that is the principal reason for these
interviews. If you are a recent new member, or an old member who was never interviewed, please consider
participating in this program. Remember, you joined Old Pueblo Pontiacs and you pay your dues. The
experience of being a club member will be that much richer if you participate in club events and programs].
For your interview, please contact me at [email protected] or 298-6874.
Dean owns a 1970 GTO and a 1952 GMC Suburban.
Hot Air: Hey Dean, your fellow members would like to know a little bit about you, including your home
state, where you went to school, what you do for a living, hobbies, what brought you to southern Arizona
and how long you have been here. Please fill us in.
Dean: I was born in Lincoln, NE. I graduated from East High and attended the University of Nebraska. I
have worked for Raytheon for 32 years and counting. Besides working on my vehicles, I enjoy working
anything with wood or metal. I have lived in Tucson since 1975. We moved here because of weather. Have
you ever been in a Nebraska winter?
Hot Air: Well, I remember 12-ft snow drifts in upstate New York where I spent part of my childhood. But
I have heard from other folks that Nebraska winters can be especially brutal. How about your spouse and
kids, do they share your passion for Pontiac/GMC?
Dean: My wife knows my car hobby keeps me out of trouble. And our 3 kids like to drive the GTO.
Hot Air: What was your 1st car and what happened to it?
Dean: My first car was a 1962 Chevy Corvair. My brother's wife was driving it when she rear-ended a
1959 Ford. That was the end of that car.
Hot Air: I hope your sister-in-law made good
on the accident! How did you get involved
with Pontiacs/GMC trucks?
Dean: I bought my GTO from the original
owner in 2000, it originally sold from
Quebedeaux Pontiac.
Hot Air: When did you begin your search for
your GTO, how long was the search, and
where did you eventually find it?
Dean: I found my GTO in the Auto Trader.
The guy was selling the car for his mom, who
used it as an everyday driver, taking kids to
school and grocery shopping.
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Hot Air: Dean, can you give us a brief description of your '70 GTO.
Dean: My car was built in the Freemont, CA plant. I am the second owner. The car is an automatic with
power steering, power disk brakes, A/C, tilt wheel, Cordova top and a console. It has a 400 c.i. and a THM
400 tranny. The car retains its original color of Granada Gold.
Hot Air: How long after purchase did you start the restoration of your GTO and how long did it take to
complete?
Dean: I started right away and the restoration took 4 months. I probably spent too much money.
Hot Air: Well, you have one of the cleanest '70 Goats I have seen so I would say "money well spent". What
restoration tasks did you complete yourself, and of all the restoration tasks, which one caused you the most
grief?
Dean: I spent most of my effort on the interior and
paint.
Hot Air: What after-market restoration parts
companies did you find to offer a quality product at
a reasonable price?
Dean: I used OPGI for the hood tach, and Year One
for the interior parts.
Hot Air: What resource books or magazines were
most helpful in your restoration?
Dean: My principal resource was my brother who owned Tanks Paint and Body Shop in Tempe, AZ.
Hot Air: What is your next restoration project?
Dean: My 1952 GMC Suburban is next in line.
Hot Air: If you had unlimited funds, unlimited garage space, and a cooperative HOA, tell us what 3
additional Pontiacs/GMC trucks you would like to own?
Dean: I would like to own a 1964 GTO hardtop, a 1966 GTO convertible, and a 1967 GTO hardtop.
Hot Air: So Dean, I take it you have a soft spot in your heart for anything GTO! I won't argue the point
since I own one of your dream cars! Thank you for participating in our interview series.
[Hey readers, if you enjoyed this interview, give me some feedback. If there are other or additional
questions that will improve the entertainment value, let me know. And while we are at it, why don't you
volunteer today for your own interview. Thanks, Randy [email protected], 298-6874]
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Tucson Pontiacs to the BOP
by Randy Rogers
Sunday, March 29 was the date for the /Buick/Oldsmobile/Pontiac (BOP) car show held at the Scottsdale
Pavilions and jointly sponsored by the Desert Renegades Pontiac and Cactus GTO clubs. Old Pueblo
Pontiacs (Arizona Chapter 29) had a good turnout of members for this show. Al Coloman ('64 Catalina),
Keith Collier ('65 Grand Prix, '61 Tempest) and Steve Barcak were already in the Phoenix area and
therefore did not join our caravan. Our caravan included members Dave (our newsletter editor) and Suzie
Green (65 Catalina), Bill Corbin (our Treasurer, '68 GTO), Bill Armstrong (our President, '67 GTO), Steve
Disch ('64 GTO custom, FrankenGoat), and Randy Rogers (your vice president, '07 Solstice GXP). Except
for the Tubac show where I sometimes hook up with the Tucson Solstice/Sky Club to show my Solstice, this
show was the first time I have offered the Solstice for judging at a major show. At check-in, I could see the
Solstice parking area and noticed right off that I would have competition from a Solstice coupe, one of only
1,266 produced just prior to GM pulling the plug on the Pontiac Motor Division in 2009.
This was a large show with a lot of top shelf restorations and custom builds. I would estimate maybe 225 to
250 vehicles. The brand with the least number of entries was Oldsmobile, but those in attendance were very
high caliber. After introducing myself to the folks on either side of my Solstice, I set off with camera in
hand to begin my photo documentation duties. It did not take me very long to find what I thought was the
"Best of Show" car, a gorgeous '33 Pontiac Cabriolet, advertised as being 1 of 5 produced. The quality of
this custom build was just phenomenal. This Poncho is
owned by Dave and Marilyn Underwood of Omaha,
Nebraska. And to the north, three rows away was another
rare vehicle, an accurate re-creation of the 1954 Buick
Wildcat II show car. This is another one of those GM show
cars that
appeared at
Motorama
shows all
over the
country.
This Wildcat
is owned by
and was built by Ken Mitson of Scottsdale. Not far from the
Wildcat I came upon a wonderful restified '57 Buick that
sports a fuel
injected Hemi
engine. The
attention to detail on this custom was just superb. I really
liked this car, it was built so right. And the color combination
of crème with orange/red was
very pleasing. But do you
want really rad? How about a
chopped and slammed '51
Buick droptop with
wineberry metallic paint that
looked 10 miles deep. I had
to wait about 10 minutes for
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the crowds to clear around this car before I was able to finally snap a quick picture. I wanted to see the
engine bay so bad but could never find the owner. The stitching and detail on the maroon convertible top is
so 1st class. I really appreciated little details like the deleted
chrome trim rings around the headlights, which were then
frenched. I went on-line to look at pictures of stock '51
droptops to see if I could estimate what kind of chop this car
was treated to. It had to be at least 4 or 5 inches. Please don't
think I am a traitor to the Pontiac cause, but I think the
Buicks really carried this show.
There was
some very
wonderful
Oldsmobile
eye-candy as
well. This extremely clean '57 caught my eye. But I bet you
are ready to look at some Pontiacs, right? Way off by itself
on the far east side of the show grounds was this beautiful '58
Pontiac
Bonneville
custom with a
fuel injected
LS engine, another 1st class build. The copper paint was
beautiful, and the engine bay was so clean with that LS
engine. Let's move forward in time and look at some '60s
muscle cars.
Do Carousel
Red '69
Judges ring
your bell?
Well, there
were four of them all
lined up in a row. And
the F-body was very
well represented with
some beautiful
Firebirds, Trans AMs
and Formulas.
And there was a Pontiac oddity present and parked right next
to my Solstice.
How many of
you have ever
heard of the
Pontiac Firefly
(picture to the
right). The
Firefly was a
very fuel
Page 9
efficient vehicle based on a Suzuki design. It was only sold in Canada. This particular example is an '89
droptop with a 1.3 liter multi-point fuel-injected 4 cylinder. You learn something every time you go to a car
show! And what about that Solstice coupe I had previously mentioned? The owner was in the market for a
new car and wanted something a little sporting. He was in a
GM dealership in Phoenix and saw a picture of the Solstice
coupe and asked the salesman if they had any in stock. This
was in 2013 and after he had owned a Solstice droptop. The
salesman reminded him that Pontiac was discontinued as a
division in 2009 and that only 1,266 coupes had been
produced. But just to satisfy his customer, he interrogated the
GM car locator program and actually found this car sitting in
a show room in Huntsville, Alabama. It had never been titled.
He bought it on the spot, complete with a very healthy
markup in cost reflecting the rarity of the vehicle. There was
a great deal of foot traffic around this vehicle all day long. At
one point I had returned back to my Solstice to gobble a
burger and fries for lunch when I heard a familiar voice. It turned out to be Peter Santini, a former president
of our club. Peter still lives and works in Tucson. He does not presently own a Pontiac, but fondly
remembers all his friends in the club and sends his regards to everyone.
Phoenix broke temperature records that day with a high of 97 degrees. The awards ceremony took place an
hour earlier because of the heat. And yes, that '33 Pontiac Cabriolet did win Best of Show. And yes, that
Solstice coupe did take 1st place in the Solstice class, but I
did manage to grab 2nd place. Bill Corbin took a 1st place
trophy in
the '68'69 GTO
class.
And
Keith
Collier
took a
second
place in
the Tempest/Lemans class (sorry Keith, no picture). So
despite the heat, that was pretty cool!
Page 10
Pontiac Heaven 2015
by Randy Rogers
Saturday, April 18 was show day at Steve
Barcak's Pontiac Heaven 2015, held once
again at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports in
Chandler, AZ. We had an early 3-car caravan
that consisted of your editor Dave Green ('66
Catalina), Don Zell ('68 Firebird), and your
vice-president Randy Rogers ('67 GTO).
However, we ended up with a better field than
that because quite a few members chose to
drive up on their own. This group included
former president Robert Curran ('73 Formula),
former president Al Coloman ('64 Catalina),
Lou and Cindy Alto ('70 GTO), and new
member Duane Shumaker and son Kevin ('74
Trans Am). The caravan drive up was
uneventful except for a disintegrating tire on
the rear of Dave's Catalina. We learned an important lesson on this road trip. You do not discuss the age or
condition of your tires at the caravan meet-up location. Dave told me that morning this would be the last trip
on those 10-yr old tires. And I told him I was just as-if-not-more guilty, my tires were bought in 1996. They
look like new with all kinds of tread remaining, but God only knows how sound the sidewalls are. Needless
to say, Dave's experience that morning will prompt both of us to pay a visit to member Steve Armstrong at
Discount Tire real soon. Suzie Green kept telling me that the return trip to Tucson would be my turn for tire
problems, but my B.F. Goodrich Radial TAs got me home safely. My Goat ran very hot on the way home,
and monitoring the tach, which usually indicates a steady 3300 rpm at 70 mph, I noticed it swinging from
3300 up to 4500 and sometimes to 5000 rpm, indicating that I might have lost another torque converter in
my THM 400. When I slowed to 65 mph the converter behaved much better and the temps came down. I
have been trying to get the car in to Automatic Transmissions Unlimited for the last 6 months but have been
unable to get an appointment as they have been booked solid. Now a visit is critical!
We pulled into Wild Horse a little before 9:00 and found member Keith Collier directing traffic. I asked
Keith what the turnout was like so far and he indicated it was down considerably from last year. That proved
to be the case for the rest of the morning. I only hope that there was better participation during the other
days and other events. We found member Al Coloman manning the registration table, so check-in went
smoothly. The size of the drag race crowd on Saturday seemed to be just about the same as last year. I did a
walk-around the pits and came upon Jim and Ellen Thompson, Tucson friends who were fellow members of
the now defunct Tucson GTO Owners Club. Jim is running a '63 Lemans blown alcohol car that runs in the
high sevens when he can keep it hooked up. The only run of his
that I witnessed resulted in an early shut down (photo to the left)
because he lost traction and the tires went up in smoke. Hopefully
he was able to dial things in on subsequent runs. The 1956
Chieftain that runs a 455 was here again this year and consistently
ran 10.70's all morning. What a Poncho! When I was yakking with
Jim and Ellen, we were joined by fellow Tucsonan Paul Carter
who was the president of the Tucson GTO Owners Club. Paul
continues to build race engines and street engines at Koerner
Racing Engines in Tucson.
Page 11
Unlike last year, this year was rather warm at the show grounds, with no cooling breezes blowing in off the
lake. The condition of the show ground grass was very dry and brown. Last year it was nice and green.
There was only one small food vender during the show, selling hot dogs and a few other items. The beer
garden never did open. As warm as it was, maybe this was a good thing! Luckily for Old Pueblo members,
Lou Alto had his pop-up set up for very welcome shade. Lou
and Cindy were very popular Saturday afternoon! There were
some very nice Phoenix cars in attendance. My two favorites
were a '66 GTO droptop done in Linden Green with a
parchment top (darn, I neglected to get a picture) and a 1918
Oakland hot rod (carcass found in a barn). The owner
literally brought this car back from the grave! I am not sure
what engine he had in the car, but it sure looked swell! Pretty
sure it was a Pontiac motor. Despite the
heat, the time seemed to pass quickly. Most
of us divided our time between the show
ground and the track, where all the action
was. I think Steve began the trophy awards
and raffle tickets a little earlier this year,
maybe because of the heat. Old Pueblo
really cleaned up this year. Al won a plaque
for "Favorite Full Size" with his '64 Catalina (photo to left).
Don Zell took a plaque for "Best Firebird '67-'69 with his '68
Firebird (photo to
right). Lou and
Cindy took honors
in a class entitled
"Best GTO '70-'74
with their
handsome '70
GTO (photo
below left). And
new member
Duane Shumaker
won honors in a
class called
"Favorite Trans
Am" with his '74
TA (photo to
right). Way to go
ladies and
gentlemen, ya
brung home da
bacon! Well, this pretty much wraps up the show car season in
southern Arizona until this fall. As we go into the summer heat,
things get real quiet around here and we hibernate or stay in our
pools. We have one or two cruises yet planned before we do that, so stay tuned into this newsletter!
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