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My friend is a car nut. He knows more about cars than some mechanics. He always shops the local papers for good deals on cars, parts, etc. He didn't get his obsession from anybody strange, however. His dad is also a car guy, and a Mopar fan at that. He owns somewhere around 15 running musclecars, and about 2 parts cars for each running car! Anyway, my friend one day stumbled upon a potential deal in a newspaper. It was a 1970 Grand Prix. It had been sitting in a field for a couple of years, and had it's share of rust. The engine had not been started in a while, and wouldn't start at the time of his purchase. He bought it for $150, and brought it home on a trailer.
When he got it home, work began. Now, for those of you who have seen an older Grand Prix, you are probably aware at their behemoth size. The 1970 Grand Prix has one of, if not the biggest production hoods ever. With all that rust, it hardly seemed worth it to anybody else. That is why he scored it for so cheap. My friend had done a little research, however, and was aware of it's engine. It was a Model J Grand Prix, giving it a Pontiac 400. It was rated at 350 gross horsepower!! With a little bit of cleaning up, a new water pump, and some brake work, the Grand Prix became a daily driver.
You may be able to tell from the picture below that the Grand Prix was not a car in mint condition. It has a considerable amount of surface rust, but most of it hasn't eaten through the metal. That is what made it the perfect candidate for our cruise. It looks like an old piece of shit, but runs faster than most cars in the local city (it runs an estimated 14s in the quarter mile). It is the perfect sleeper. As you also might be able to tell from the picture below, it has no problem smoking the tires - that is not power braking!!!!
One night we decided to take the Grand Prix out to the local city and see if we could participate in some informal drag races. We loaded the boat with four people, which the Grand Prix accomodated perfectly. Then we went trolling for some suckers. After a few squawks of the tires, we arrived in town. The first trip down the main road pitted up next to an Impala. We signaled for a drag race, but we were ignored. That is the downfall of the Grand Prix, some are embarrased to race it. Anyway, we peeled out when the light turned green, and left everyone a ways back down the road.
Throughout the night we challenged many cars, with none of them being up to the challenge. We had more than a few smoke shows and countless amounts of unintentional squawkage. One time we ran into some friends at a parking lot. We pulled in and, after a brief discussion, was decided we had to burn out to prove the Grand Prix was not a piece of shit. We pulled out of the lot and waited at the light. When it turned green, my friend hammered it. Keep in mind, we were loaded with a full tank of gas and four people, yet the Grand Prix gracefully spun the tires all the way through the intersection, before my friend let off. We left our friends in a cloud of burnt rubber!!
Later on, we were driving down the main road when we pulled up next to this Chevy S-10. The S-10 floored it and it downshifted, causing a brief squawk of the tire. My friend gave it some gas, but not too much, because the Grand Prix can break them loose at 40. We caught up with the truck and paced it as he floored it and tried to outrun us. Finally we pulled off, with the S-10 behind us. I'm sure it was a humbling experience getting beat with a rusty boat like the Grand Prix!!!
See the Grand Prix burning out - Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Pic 4 Pic 5
