Category Archives: Auto History

Rockford Files: James Garner’s Grabber ’70 Olds 4-4-2

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You loved the Camaro  Firebird he drove on the show, but in real life James Garner was a car guy!!!  (Corrected – As Bill points out in the comments – the car in The Rock Files was actually a Firebird!  — Thanks Bill.)
by on March 7, 20

American muscle cars and Hollywood royalty have long had a close relationship. While just about every star from A-to-D list celebrities has some sort of muscle car in their garage, back in the day actors like Steve McQueen and Paul Newman did more than collect these cars; they raced them in serious races, from Trans Am to the Baja 1000.

Having film and television star James Garner piloting his Goodyear Grabber 4-4-2 was publicity boon for the tire maker.

Yes, it might be strange to think of American muscle cars racing across the desert of the Baja peninsula, but back in the 60’s what else would you have raced? There were all sorts of shops that specialized in converting American muscle into crazy off-road competitors.

Among the many Hollywood stars who would drive in these off-road desert races was one James Garner, a television actor who became so enamored with car racing that he raced an Oldsmobile 4-4-2 in the 1969 Mexican 1000 (a pre-cursor to the Baja 1000).

The star of the Western-comedy show Maverick, detective show The Rockford Files, and racing-packed Grand Prix, Garner rose to fame as an actor. But he was a more than competent racer as well, and among his many rides was a rather unique 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 modified for the NORRA Meixcan 1000 off-road race.

This car was lost for decades before being found, restored, and brought back to racing condition for the 21st century. Now this unique, star-touched car is up for auction on eBay, of all places.

Getting The Grabber To Go

Garner first got involved with the world of motorsports during filming of the 1966 flick Grand Prix, in which he plays a race car driver who falls for his teammate’s estranged wife. In 1969, Garner grabbed a sponsorship from Goodyear tires.

Garner suffered a virtual Rube Goldberg-level breakdown that robbed him and the Goodyear Grabber 4-4-2 of their 45-minute lead, landing them a 2nd Place win during the 1969 Baja 1000.

Thanks for reading

Tim

1924 Model T Touring Car – Give Away

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Ok… time for another give away.

I have a National Motor Museum Mint die-cast car to give away.  It is the 10 millionth car Ford produced.  It was 1924 and the 1924 Model T Touring Car was the car of choice.

When new, the “real” car would cost between $295 and $380.  There were 773,102 produced and it was powered by the L-4.  With 176.7 cubic inches displaced it muscled out 20 Horse power.

In the original box and with Certificate and "baseball" card

How do you win?  Post of a good picture of your 1920-1950 engine, tell us what it is and get someone to like the pic.  The engine picture with the most Likes wins.

You can post it on our Facebook page located here:    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Average-Guys-Car-Restoration-Mods-and-Racing/185827701454279

You can’t win if you don’t play.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

They Made How Many? 1950

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Oh the cars of the 1950’s were great. So how did they start out that iconic decade?

Some fantastic car and shapes came out in 1950.

Leading the numbers game was Chevy and Ford with over a million each, Chevy with 1,498,590 and Ford with 1,208,912, not bad.

Plymouth was third with nearly 800,000 out of first place with 610,954, Buick with 588,439 and Pontiac finished up the top 5 with 446,429.

Here’s the rest of the 19 makers:

Oldsmobile – 408,060

Dodge – 341,797

Studebaker – 320,884

Mercury – 293,585

Chrysler – 179,299

Nash – 171,782 (produced it’s 2,000,000th car)

DeSoto – 136,203

Hudson – 121,408

Cadillac – 103,857

Packard – 42,627

Lincoln – 28,190

Kaiser – 15,228

Crosley – 6,792

Frazer – 3,700

Do you have a favorite?  I have a couple.  My first would be the Hudson, followed closely by the Studebaker with its bullet nose.

I don't know why but I love the shape of these cars. Here is the 1950 Hudson Commodore.

There is nothing more interesting than the Bullet Nose Studebaker. Here is the 1950 Land Cruisera.

What else went on in 1950?

Micro Cars!!!  Say WHAT???   Yeah!!!   The IMP – hailed as “The Little Car with the Big Future”. With an MPG of 10 miles per gallon and all fiber glass body, the hopes were high.  But the car didn’t sell and disappeared in the same year.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Parking Lot Spot Light 1939 Ford Coupe

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Well  I’m beginning to think that my local grocery store is really a car show 7 days a week!!!

Case in point is this ’39 Ford coupe I saw over the weekend.

Great Hub Caps, Great Paint.

You’ve got to love that split rear window.

Pretty stout looking tail pipes.

Besides the tail pipes I’m liking the chevron tail lights.

1939 brought hydraulic brakes to the Fords for that year.   Ford produced 487,031 cars that year, coming in second to Chevy.

Love the rolling fenders and the dog dish hup caps with the V8 log pressed into the centers.

Love the grill and the V8 and Ford badges.

You can't tell from my 'most excellent' photos, but there is a huge difference in the width of the rear vs. the front.

The V8 engine was the Flathead, which was originally developed in 1932.  For 1939 the flathead was the V8-91A, compression increased to 6.15:1, power rose to 90 hp.

This is a great looking car.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

1957 Aston Martin – Restoration

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I ran across this on Classic Recollections. I’m not a Aston guy, but this DB Mark III is pretty nice. The owner did a lot of work on this thing. Nicely done! Oh, but cleaning those wire wheels…..ya killin’ me!!

Thanks for reading

Tim

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The Lockheed Lakester One More Time

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I thought I’d share the an interview of Ed Pettus (previous owner of this unique vehicle) conducted by Dave Rasdal in is column “Ramblin'”  in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa  Thegazette.com.  I’m interested in his next project.

The Crow Lakester

 

When Ed Pettus finished building his bullet-shaped Lockheed Lakester a year ago, he didn’t plan to sell it. But, after a whirlwind tour of the car that’s a cross between a jet airplane, a Bonneville Salt Flats racer and a 1930s biplane, he changed his mind.

“I do all of these projects and when I’m done, what do I do?” says Ed who with son Eddie Pettus Jr. has Eddie’s Rod & Custom in Cedar Rapids.

The Lakester, which I wrote about last July, is built around a wingtip gas tank of a 1950s Lockheed Super Constellation and has a steering yoke from a 1948 airplane. Parts came from 1930s Packards, a 1940 Ford tractor and a 1959 Chevy pickup. It has a turbocharged Toyota engine.

From shows in Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities, it went to Chicago’s World of Wheels, a two-month stay at the Experimental Aircraft Association museum in Oshkosh, Wis., and on display at El Mirage near Long Beach, Calif., where dry lake bed speed runs originated.

“I thought, you know, after that I’m going to take it home and put it in the garage,” Ed says.

But, as a fan of the famous Barrett-Jackson vehicle auction in Arizona, Ed inquired about selling the Lakester. Told it was too late, he sent information anyway and was surprised to become a last-minute entry. It went on the block Jan. 21.

But, this auction doesn’t allow sellers to set a minimum price — if the high bid is $100, the car sells for $100.

Ed had insured the Lakester for $100,000. Bidding opened at $10,000.

“We were a nervous wreck,” he says, referring to his wife, Kathy, and friends in attendance.

Bidding quickly rose, though, to $100,000. Two bidders pushed it to $170,000, the winner from Georgia adding it to his collection.

“We feel so blessed with what we got,” Ed says. He’ll use the extra funds to retire the mortgage on Ellis Boulevard NW property (home and vacant lot) destroyed by the Floods of 2008.

Unsure about what they can do with the property, Ed, 60, isn’t waiting around for another hot rod project. All he says is that it’s a unique truck. “Let people wonder.”

We are going to wonder.  Thanks for reading

Tim

Ford’s Windsor and Cleveland Engines Prt II

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Ok, so one engine plant is located in Canada and the other Ohio.  What else is different?

The 351 Windsor (biggest displacement of the Windsor family  – which included the 289 and 302) had a beefier block than the Cleveland, which in theory allowed for more abuse and longer life-span.

The Windsor also came first in the history  being used from 1969 to 1998.

The Cleveland was used from 1970 to 1974 (much, much shorter run), with 1971 bringing 351 C Cobra Jet.

Unlike the Windsor the Cleveland had canted multi-grooved valves.  It also required larger rounded intake and exhaust ports.

There is another major difference and that was how the engined were cooled.  No we aren’t talking water vs. air (these weren’t VW engines) we are talking about water flow.

Like the 289 and 302 the 351W used a front cover and water existed the intake manifold face of the cylinder head through intake manifold to the radiator.  The 351C don’t have the front cover.  The block is extended and the covered with a flat stamping.  Water existed the combustion face of the head and into the block and then to the radiator.  This is important to note, particularly for me.  Why:

The Cleveland and Windsor heads are interchangeable only with modifications to the water passage.  I currently have a set of 351C Cobra Jet heads to put on my Windsor family 302.  I’ll have to have those mods done when I have the heads rebuilt.

Not the same location as the 302 Windsor.

There you have the basic differences between the Cleveland and Windsor families.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Ford’s Windsor and Cleveland Engines

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I have a Ford and as I’ve said before, though the years (ok….40’s, 50’s and 60’s) they produced some of the more interesting cars with  some of the most powerful engines.  Of those engines the Cleveland and the Windsor were major players.

I’m not alone thinking that the only real difference between the two were the names each being made in the plant they were named after.  The Windsor was named after the Essex Engine plant in Windsor,  Ontario and the Cleveland Engine Plant in Ohio.

 

1914 Photo of the Essex Engine plant in Windsor, Ontario

 

Totally different plants  and countries about the only they had in common was displacement.

What were the differences?   That’s coming up.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

1960 Sunliner

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I love the Sunliner the 50’s and 60’s models. Love the fins and the dual antennas on the 1960 in this vid.  Ford made some of the most innovative and well designed cars in the 50’s and 60’s.  I am a fan.

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Sunliner, posted with vodpod
Thanks for reading.
Tim

Corvette C4 Give-Away Promo

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Let’s do another Give-Away.

This one is for the C4 crowd (You digging this one Tony Z.?)  There will be two winners one from Corvette Pals and one from my blog.  Here is what I’m looking for.  I use to auto cross my 1984 Crossfire (still do SCCA with my C6) and I love to see the C4 in action.

So post of a video of your C4 in action (action photos are ok too!) – Nothing illegal (snicker) or unsafe, mind you.  Burn outs, auto cross, drag strip…Looking for some action shots.  Post them up at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Average-Guys-Car-Restoration-Mods-and-Racing/185827701454279 and mention The Average Guy’s Car Restoration, Mods and Racing blog.

OH…what’s the prize?  How about a 1984 Red Corvette promo model in the original box or a 1984 Silver C4?  These are the model cars the dealerships give away.   Can’t win if you don’t play…can’t win if you ain’t got a C4!!!!  Game on!!!

1984 Silver C4 Promo Model - Yes those are Mustangs in the back ground!!!

 

1984 Red C4 Corvette.

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim