Behind the Wheel
More tales of the trials and tribulations of Classic American staff and contributors behind the wheel of the great American automobile.
1985 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
I’m sure, for many of you, 2020 has proved to be a very ‘interesting’ year for classic car ownership. For me, the absence of car shows and events has resulted in a very different experience, but I have taken an opportunity to at least stretch the legs of my beloved T/A.
An initial start up and testdrive last spring following a long winter hibernation revealed a number of issues that needed to be addressed. The car wasn’t running all that great, something I primarily attributed to old fuel (even with stabiliser). I also realised that in the disruption of moving house the previous year, plus other work commitments, the Trans Am was in need of some TLC. Besides not running at its best, it was leaking transmission fluid and the gascharged hood struts were shot, making tinkering under the hood a pain. So a plan was formed and in July, I finally got around to sorting things out. The first was to give the old girl a tune-up, so a set of new plugs was ordered and installed.
My friend Colin (a licensed technician) was a huge help in setting the timing and soon, we had the Tuned Port V8 purring like a kitten. The transmission fluid leak was still a problem, so it was time to do a transmission flush and remove the pan and gasket. It turned out that the gasket had not sealed properly and the fluid level had dropped significantly, so this was one service that was urgently needed. With a new gasket made, the filter changed, the cover was bolted back on and the 700R4 filled with fresh fluid.
Taking the car for a test drive afterwards, I could feel the difference in throttle response with the new plugs. It idled smoothly and the transmission shifts were notably crisper. I also decided to take this opportunity to change those pesky hood struts and install a new air filter (you don’t realise how much you appreciate a hood that stays up until it no longer does).
As I type these words, winter is upon us and after a few more drives the Trans Am is back in hibernation once again. I have a list of projects I really want to do to this car and hopefully over the next few years I’ll be able to get them done. They are: new driver’s floor pan (the original has small rust holes from a leaky T-top), new T-bar panel, new dash pad, reupholstered driver’s seat, new headliner, new fog lights, new keys and key locks, refinish wheels and fresh paint and decals… Don’t you just love old cars?!
1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe 1929 Ford Roadster 1939 Ford pick-up 1956 Ford pick-up
Almost a year ago as I write this, we were preparing to travel to the US, both to visit family and also to visit the 2020 Grand National Roadster Show in late January. A couple of months beforehand I’d put my name on a green 1956 Ford F100 pick-up I’d seen for sale online up in Washington State. The intention was to import it and then build it for myself as a mildly hot-rodded truck as it was a model I’d always wanted. Then, days before we flew to the West Coast, I saw another one for sale, just near where we would be staying in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Long story short, I got Greg, the guy we were staying with, to go check it out and put a deposit on that one too. I figured I’d keep one, and sell the other, as they’re desirable trucks on both sides of the Atlantic.
The day after we arrived in Havasu, Greg and I hitched up a trailer behind his pick-up and went across town to collect the pale blue, original paint, old ’56. The bodywork was very solid, the truck not messed with, and came with a fully rebuilt 292cu in original Y-block V8 and gearbox that was yet to be fitted back in the engine bay. Back at Greg’s shop, I spent the next day going through all the spares, then cleaning and painting the gearbox, and various external engine parts that would need to be refitted. However, after visiting the GNRS, and spending much time travelling to LA and back in the rent-a-car with Greg discussing various plans, I decided I might want to hot-rod the truck properly.
Since Greg had run his own rod shop in Los Angeles for 30 years previously, anything was possible, especially as he also offered me a 350 Chevy V8 and Turbo 400 auto ’box that he had in stock. We also discussed an independent front end set-up, disc brakes and even power steering. This was the plan as we left it when it was time for me to return to the UK, with me hoping to return in October to help finish and then hopefully drive the truck to a few local events. However, that was before Covid raised its ugly head, meaning a return to the US in the autumn was out of the question.
The other F100 from Washington eventually arrived in the spring, and despite being a project truck with no engine, and having been laid up and unused for more than 10 years, quickly sold online. Then, unexpectedly, came the Roadster, a 1929 Model A hot rod which came up for sale in Texas in the summer, (we’ll cover that in a future Behind the Wheel), but was also bought, and now resides in my garage next to my coupe, causing me to reconsider my plans for the truck which was pretty much out of sight and out of mind for the rest of last year, as Greg had more urgent regular work to do.
As a result, the plan changed yet again, and it was decided not to hot-rod the blue truck, but to refit the Y-block, get it running, bring it over and sell that one after all. Greg recently informed me that the engine has now been refitted and the brakes rebuilt, and might soon be ready to wire and fire. I must admit I’m now getting quite excited about it again…. Hmm, time for another rethink, is anyone else’s car life as complicated as this?
1964 Ford Falcon Futura 1970 Oldsmobile 442 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
One of the common themes in this month’s Behind the Wheel is… you guessed it, Covid. There’s no escaping the wretched thing, or rather how it’s impinged on everybody’s life and plans. The last 12 months have meant virtually no shows and here in the North West we never really seemed to come out of restrictions entirely. Having said that, like a lot of other people, I’ve been able to enjoy my cars individually, with road trips here and there – when allowed – and all the usual basic maintenance and fettling that the vehicles require on a regular basis.
The Classic American Jeep has been relieved of its official show duties over the last 12 months, but nevertheless was busy throughout, whether taking old fridge-freezers to the recycling centre, helping friends move, or even embarking on an epic 800-mile round trip to the Scottish Highlands and back. I even managed to get a bit of off-road driving too, which the Jeep tackled with aplomb, as you would expect. With no foreign travel on the cards for many us, exploring the UK has become a reality for many of us and places like Devon and Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands became overrun with holiday-making Brits.
The Jeep was perfect for this driving holiday, its low-revving V8 eating up the motorway miles and elevated position offering fantastic views.
Considering the Jeep is now 22 years old it’s extraordinary to me how it still drives beautifully on the button. It hardly burns any oil and the engine and transmission are as silky smooth as the day it rolled out of the factory. And while the fuel economy of the 4.7-litre V8 is as one would expect, on the motorway and with cruise control engaged, it will (according to the computer) get more than 30mpg. Even more amazingly, it still wears its original paint, which people often comment on and appears to still have zero rust. I also love the fact that it is scruffy enough that I never worry about loading up for
shows (when they’re happening!) with all our gear, or that I never think twice about where I park it, as dings and scratches are almost irrelevant on a car of this age.
It actually makes me wonder if people bothered looking after their cars, rather than treating them as a disposable commodity to be dispensed with when they become bored, how many more older cars would be on the road? For its most recent MoT it failed on a nonfunctioning horn, something that was easily and cheaply rectified… not bad for a 22-year-old car that most would consider worthy of nothing more than being sent to the scrapyard. Fingers crossed this year will hold more shows and activities that can be covered on these pages… #