Useless Information

[swathdiver]

Took my wife out to dinner last night. Threw the Tech-2 in the back and drove about 60 miles round trip through some heavy rain. No codes, ran like a champ!

 

[tuckerrnr1]

Wife and Granny went out to the country butcher to pick up our supply of beef and chicken and when she got back into the truck the shifter did nothing.

When mine did this in my 2010, I put it back on, drilled a hole, put a washer and cotter pin and said "There, now you cant fall off!".

 

[swathdiver]

When mine did this in my 2010, I put it back on, drilled a hole, put a washer and cotter pin and said "There, now you cant fall off!".

Might very well do that if it gives us problems again, thanks!

 

[Fless]

When mine did this in my 2010, I put it back on, drilled a hole, put a washer and cotter pin and said "There, now you cant fall off!".

The column shifters on our old (80s) Ferds were held on with a tension pin. Eventually they'd work their way out and drop to the floor. We cured that by running a wire through the hollow pin and twisting the ends together so it couldn't move much.

 

[mountie]

My ’70 GTO….. ( Auto transmission ) It was also the LeMans model. ( steering column shift)…...
I had a floor shift, using a cable shifter…….
But the column STILL had the mechanical linkage attached to the transmission. ( Column still turned, since the linkage was attached.)

 

[swathdiver]

My ’70 GTO….. ( Auto transmission ) It was also the LeMans model. ( steering column shift)…...
I had a floor shift, using a cable shifter…….
But the column STILL had the mechanical linkage attached to the transmission. ( Column still turned, since the linkage was attached.)

Yes! The first time I ran over a gatorback on the highway in my Buick GN, I pulled into a rest stop and my console shifter just flopped back and forth and did nothing. I set the parking brake, crawled under and put it in park. Then when ready to leave, I crawled under, put it in reverse and pulled out of the spot, then crawled back under again and put it in drive. When I got back in that's when I realized that the column was moving and could have done it from inside the car! LOL

About a year later, another truck blew a tire right in front of me and took out that shift cable too and this time I didn't have to get out to shift the gears! LOL

 

[mountie]

Yes! The first time I ran over a gatorback on the highway in my Buick GN, I pulled into a rest stop and my console shifter just flopped back and forth and did nothing. I set the parking brake, crawled under and put it in park. Then when ready to leave, I crawled under, put it in reverse and pulled out of the spot, then crawled back under again and put it in drive. When I got back in that's when I realized that the column was moving and could have done it from inside the car! LOL

About a year later, another truck blew a tire right in front of me and took out that shift cable too and this time I didn't have to get out to shift the gears! LOL

On Christmas morning ( 1974)…. My floor shifter cable broke……. I just grabbed the column ‘cover’, turned it, and it shifted as if there was nothing wrong. As a joke, I removed the center console,… stitched the carpet closed. No visible way to shift it.
The column trick worked just fine.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Yes! The first time I ran over a gatorback on the highway in my Buick GN, I pulled into a rest stop and my console shifter just flopped back and forth and did nothing. I set the parking brake, crawled under and put it in park. Then when ready to leave, I crawled under, put it in reverse and pulled out of the spot, then crawled back under again and put it in drive. When I got back in that's when I realized that the column was moving and could have done it from inside the car! LOL

About a year later, another truck blew a tire right in front of me and took out that shift cable too and this time I didn't have to get out to shift the gears! LOL

What year GN did you have?

 

[swathdiver]

What year GN did you have?

I had a 1979 Sportcoupe, 1985 T-Type, 1986 Grand National and an 1987 Grand National.

 

[mountie]

I had a 1979 Sportcoupe, 1985 T-Type, 1986 Grand National and an 1987 Grand National.

Worth bragging about !!

 

[Tonyrodz]

Worth bragging about !!

Definitely! With pics too!

 

[swathdiver]

Worth bragging about !!

I enjoyed working on and modifying and racing them immensely. Especially the non-intercooled cars as they were more challenging to make go fast with class.

 

[mountie]

I enjoyed working on and modifying and racing them immensely. Especially the non-intercooled cars as they were more challenging to make go fast with class.

The NHRA Hall of Fame, transmission builder, Art Carr, in Huntington Beach. Ca., was known for his super-quick GN’s, building STOUT 2004r transmissions, capable of a reliable 1,000 HP drag races.
I worked for him for a while as an installer / cooler installs / test driver. ( between my seasonal racing gigs )

 

[swathdiver]

Definitely! With pics too!

The 2nd photo is a picture of a picture. The photo was damaged in a move and I took a picture to preserve the memory. Don't think other photos of these or the others yet have been digitized yet.

Would have loved to put an '86 drivetrain into the '79 and put the 4-speed and 3.42 gears in the '82 Olds Cutlass Diesel.

The first pass down the 1/4 mile in the '79 was 17.81 @ 78 mph. The first pass for the '85 GN was 15.48 @ 89.83 mph. The first pass for the '86 GN was 13.69 @ 98.93 mph, she was a fast one!

 

[swathdiver]

The NHRA Hall of Fame, transmission builder, Art Carr, in Huntington Beach. Ca., was known for his super-quick GN’s.
I worked for him for a while as an installer / cooler installs / test driver.

ALL of my cars had Art Carr transmission parts and torque converters. Dealt with him exclusively when I had my speed shop too, good man.

I was amazed at how much horsepower we could put through the 200R4.

 

[mountie]

ALL of my cars had Art Carr transmission parts and torque converters. Dealt with him exclusively when I had my speed shop too, good man.

I was amazed at how much horsepower we could put through the 200R4.

One day, Art came into the shop….. He told me “ He got screwed “ by Torco. Torco made a ‘deal’ to sell packaged ‘Art Carr parts’..

What Art didn’t notice, was in the fine print, in the contract, Torco ‘bought’ Art Carr’s name. Art was pissed ! He had to change the name of his transmission shop. He wasn’t allowed to use his own name as a company title anymore ! Hence, “ California Performance Transmissions “….
Do NOT buy “Art Carr parts” from Torco (in Texas / and since then, another person bought the Torco name, selling what is “supposed to be” Art Carr parts..
Go directly to California Performance Transmissions, in Huntington Beach .
( Art passed away a few years ago, but the same technicians are still there )

We did some interesting work….. like a new 426 Hemi in a ’66 Dodge Coronet w/ a 2004r….. ( FUN test drive, to say the least ! )

 

[swathdiver]

One day, Art came into the shop….. He told me “ He got screwed “ by Torco. Torco made a ‘deal’ to sell packaged ‘Art Carr parts’..

What Art didn’t notice, was in the fine print, in the contract, Torco ‘bought’ Art Carr’s name. Art was pissed ! He had to change the name of his transmission shop. He wasn’t allowed to use his own name as a company title anymore ! Hence, “ California Performance Transmissions “….
Do NOT buy “Art Carr parts” from Torco (in Texas / and since then, another person bought the Torco name, selling what is “supposed to be” Art Carr parts..
Go directly to California Performance Transmissions, in Huntington Beach .
( Art passed away a few years ago, but the same technicians are still there )

We did some interesting work….. like a new 426 Hemi in a ’66 Dodge Coronet w/ a 2004r….. ( FUN test drive, to say the least ! )

That's terrible! When did this happen? I took a different path after 1994 and sold my last GN in 1997 or so. My little brother took my '85 to Texas and it was stolen, then he bought an '87 GN and it too was stolen. My '86 was broken into so many times I lost count.

We had a team of car thieves follow us all home from the track one night, three different addresses and they attempted to steal 4 cars. My little brother had forgotten to set the ignition kill but did remember to kill the fuel pump, they stole the '87 GN and ditched it about 1/2 mile away. They tried and failed to steal the '86 GN, couldn't get past the ignition kill switch. Same thing happened at friend number 1s house but they stole friend number 2s '87 GN. We found out who did it and went to war with them to get the car back. In the course of that we located other stolen cars for the police, including a GNX.

 

[mountie]

That's terrible! When did this happen? I took a different path after 1994 and sold my last GN in 1997 or so. My little brother took my '85 to Texas and it was stolen, then he bought an '87 GN and it too was stolen. My '86 was broken into so many times I lost count.

We had a team of car thieves follow us all home from the track one night, three different addresses and they attempted to steal 4 cars. My little brother had forgotten to set the ignition kill but did remember to kill the fuel pump, they stole the '87 GN and ditched it about 1/2 mile away. They tried and failed to steal the '86 GN, couldn't get past the ignition kill switch. Same thing happened at friend number 1s house but they stole friend number 2s '87 GN. We found out who did it and went to war with them to get the car back. In the course of that we located other stolen cars for the police, including a GNX.

Organized gangs, financed by a collector ?
( “ Gone In Sixty Seconds” comes to mind )

 

[Tonyrodz]

That's terrible! When did this happen? I took a different path after 1994 and sold my last GN in 1997 or so. My little brother took my '85 to Texas and it was stolen, then he bought an '87 GN and it too was stolen. My '86 was broken into so many times I lost count.

We had a team of car thieves follow us all home from the track one night, three different addresses and they attempted to steal 4 cars. My little brother had forgotten to set the ignition kill but did remember to kill the fuel pump, they stole the '87 GN and ditched it about 1/2 mile away. They tried and failed to steal the '86 GN, couldn't get past the ignition kill switch. Same thing happened at friend number 1s house but they stole friend number 2s '87 GN. We found out who did it and went to war with them to get the car back. In the course of that we located other stolen cars for the police, including a GNX.

Those GM cars were so easy to steal back then. I had an 85 Z28 when I was a kid. I had to "steal" it--story for another time. I had a friend show me how to do it. Blew my mind how easy it was to do, especially if that part of the column was plastic.

 

[mountie]

Those GM cars were so easy to steal back then. I had an 85 Z28 when I was a kid. I had to "steal" it--story for another time. I had a friend show me how to do it. Blew my mind how easy it was to do, especially if that part of the column was plastic.

The invention of a steering wheel lock…… was popular.