Car Collector Chronicles 05-10

8/9/2019 Car Collector Chronicles 05-10

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Volume III, Issue 5

a household word, but the car did

receive rave reviews from engineersand owners. I am aware of certainfolk who swear a finer car has neverbeen manufactured; before or since.The Aurora had the honor of pacing

the race twice. It made its first

Continued on p. 2.

When the calendar turns toMay, eyes turn to Indianapolisand the 500 Mile Race. So,what does that have to do withcollector cars, you might be

wondering?

Well, brickyard history in-cludes a chapter on Oldsmobile.Olds first paced the 500 Mile in1949 with an 88, driven byWilbur Shaw. This choice wasundoubtedly inspired by theintroduction to the motoringworld by Oldsmobile of thenow legendary Rocket 88 V-8engine. This engine was quite a

technological marvel in its day.

Eleven years would pass be-fore Oldsmobile again led theopen wheel racers around the 2

1/2 mile oval. Sam Hanks pi-loted that ride, a 1960 Ninety-eight convertible. Of particularnote with respect to the 1960pace car(s) was the fact theycame directly from an Indy Olds

dealer, not from the factory.

Another decade elapsed be-fore an Oldsmobile was put infront of the pack in 1970.Roger Ward was behind the

wheel of a 442.

Who doesnt remember the

Hurst Olds (H/O) and MissHurst Golden Shifter, LindaVaughn? The H/O, with JimRathmann in the driver seat,was selected to pace the race in

both 1972 and 1974.

In 1978, James Garner, ofMaverick fame, wheeled a Delta

88 at the head of the pack.

Oldsmobile had more than abig success with its Cutlass line.Strangely, it took until 1985 fora non-H/O Cutlass, this one a

Calais, to lead the race. Onceagain, James Garner drove.Three years later, in 1988, aCutlass Supreme assumed thesame role. Driving honors went

to Chuck Yeager that year.

The Olds Aurora may not be

Gentlemen, Ladies, Start Your Engines!

GDYNets on the Web

WHERE YOU WILL FIND

GDYNets (me) on the WWW:

Daves Den -

http://GDYNets.WEBNG.com

Saved 62 -

http://www.freewebs.com/jeandaveyaros

The Gray Lady - 55 Cad de Ville

Car Collector Chronicles -

DAVES DEN: A websitedevoted to a myriad of inter-ests. Foremost is extensiveinformation on the Steel Cityof Gary, IN. There are alsoofferings on steel making, U.S.Steel-Gary Works, U.S. MarineCorps, M14 assault rifle, ofcourse Oldsmobile, and thetragic story of the murder of

Gary, IN Police Lt. Geo. Yaros.

SAVED 62: A website devotedto our 1962 Oldsmobile Dy-namic 88 convertible. The sitealso has a lot of information onOldsmobiles and its founder,

Ransom Eli Olds.

THE GRAY LADY: This web-site features our 1955 CadillacCoup de Ville and Caddy infor-

mation.

A GDYNETS

PUBLICATION

2010, G. DAVIDYAROS. ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.

May 2010Car Collector Chronicles

Car Collector

Chronicles

Exploring:

Car collecting today

Classic rides

Reports from the field

Oldsmobile

Cadillac

Allant

Corvair

IN THIS ISSUE:

Gentlemen, La-dies, Start YourEngines!

1

GDYNets

On the Web

1

Indy Side Bar 2

Spring Has Sprung 3

Coming NextIssue

4

Oldsmobile Indy500 Pace Cars -Photos

5

EMAIL:[email protected]
http://gdynets.webng.com/http://www.freewebs.com/jeandaveyaroshttp://graylady.webng.com/http://www.scribd.com/people/view/7936333-davemailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.scribd.com/people/view/7936333-davehttp://graylady.webng.com/http://www.freewebs.com/jeandaveyaroshttp://gdynets.webng.com/


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appearance in 1997. Its last was in 2000. The respective drivers wereJohnny Rutherford and television actor Anthony Edwards.

To me, perhaps the strangest possible choice for a pace car was the2001 pick of the Oldsmobile Bravada. I mean after all, isnt it really

just a six-banger station wagon/SUV? The strangeness of this choicewas also reflected in the naming of the driver, Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp. She is a fashion model who happens to be the spouseof Seymour, Indianas own, singer John Cougar Mellencamp. Thatequals qualified to pace the race, right?

Lets go back to 1997, the year an Aurora first paced the race. Notonly did Olds pace the race, it also took the checkered flag! This wasa first in the history of the 500. Never before had an automobilemanufacturer both paced and won the 500 Mile race. Oldsmobile

would go on to duplicate that feat two more times, in 2000 and 2001.

During the late 90s and early 2000s Oldsmobile could do no wrongat Indy. Olds racing and the Aurora engine owned the oval. Everyoneelse was a mere also ran. This is evidenced by Oldsmobile/Aurorapowered wins in 1997, 98, 99, 2000 and 2001.

Indy Sidebar -

My college days were spent in Indianapolis. Going to the track dur-

ing the month of May was de rigueur. The athletic director at myschool happened to also be the track fire chief. That equated into ac-cess to the oval itself, pit row and the garage area. Mere mortalswere not allowed in these sacrosanct areas by USAC in the 1960s.

True storyOne sunny day in May, I was standing in pit row with35 mm Canon camera in hand, watching practice. I casuallywatched as a racer exited the track, onto pit road. I was thinking, thiswill be a great photo op. However, the car did not seem to be slowingdown, as I thought it should. It also seemed to be coming right at me?Eventually, something clicked and I decided I had best get out of the

damn way. I jumped, and the race car abruptly stopped preciselywhere I had been standing! What I did not know at the time, or real-ize, was that I was standing smack-dab in the middle of the pit rowfire station! Unbeknownst to me, this guy was on fire. Unbeknownstbecause burning racing fuel does not give off a flame.

My other story is being in the garage area while qualifications weregoing on. I was able to capture a shot of one crew sitting on a stack

Start Your Engines! -Contd.

Car Collector Chronicles Page 2

Olds Racing

and the Aurora

engine owned

the oval.

Everyone else

was a mere

'also ran.'


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Indy Sidebar - Contd.

of racing rubber, intently watching a television mounted up in the cor-ner. It had all the makings ofthe shot, right? When I developed theimage I what I had was a picture of a group of guys watching SaturdayAfternoon Wrestling!

Spring Has Sprung!

Finally, it appears that spring may have actually sprung here in SEWI? Figuratively, I typed that last sentence with crossed fingers. Thearrival of warmer temps, for me, means having to get it together. Be-fore I am able to start on anything, I have to first, literally, clear thedecks. In my case the decks equal the garage and workbench.

An entire day was spent sorting through items piling up on the work-bench, and opening boxes of shipments received over the winter. Ihave to admit that some of it, I do not now even recall buying. Thegetting organized process also revealed, I am embarrassed to admit,that I even have two of some items! Anyone in need of a set of NORSsplash aprons for a 1955 Cadillac Coup de Ville?

After organizing things, I have four Allant factory aluminum wheelssitting on the garage floor, awaiting a trip to the tire shop. Next to thethem is one OEM Cadillac turbine (sabre) wheel. It shall make the trip

also, so that the spare time forThe Gray Lady may be mounted on it.Also taking up valuable garage floor space are the newly minted

Oldsmobile door panels forSAVED 62. But where did I put with thearmrests, handles and window cranks? Oh yeah, they are in the car.I put them there so I would not have to go looking for them! Keepingthe door panels company are NORS sill plates and door weather-strips.

What I can say is that, at long last I do have all of my carburetorstuff (stand, tools/gauges and rebuild kit) in one location. The time to

start on that project has come!

If and when I get the necessary projects done, I need to build an ac-cessible book shelf in the garage. I have amassed more than a bit offactory literature, manuals, etc. They are kept in expandable binders,like those found on parts counters. The problem is that I cannot read-ily get to them in their current location. What good are they to me if Iam not able to easily pull one off the shelf for reference purposes?Not much, obviously. I have to correct that situation.

I have to

admit that

some of it, I do

not now even

recall buying.

I now have

two of some

items!

Page 3Car Collector Chronicles


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The biggest task is going to be repositioning of all the cars, so that Iwill be able to do the work that needs to be done. At present, goingfrom right toleft, I have The Gray Lady, then our daily driver, thenthe Allant, Auntie Pearl, and above it on the lift, SAVED 62.

I cannot rebuild the carb ofThe Gray Ladywhere she sits. This is be-cause nothing can get in front of, or along the passenger side, of her.She will have to go where Auntie Pearl is currently sitting, in the lift bay.Auntie Pearl will go where the daily driver is and SAVED 62 will occupyThe Gray Ladys slot in the garage.

If all this sounds a lot like musical chairs, there is a reason. It is!And, the loser is the Toyota daily driver. She gets kicked to the street

until such time as The Gray Lady can return to her own bay.

Ok, I have had my say for this month. Now it is your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and contributions,and ask that you do help spread the word about our pub. Everythingsent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to:[email protected]

_________________________________________________

RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM!

COMING NEXT ISSUE: For Want of a Nail

(A Long-distance Buying Saga)

Spring Has Sprung - Contd.

Car Collector Chronicles Page 4

I cannot

rebuild the carb

of The Gray

Lady where she

sits. because

nothing can get

in front of, or

along side of

her.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Oldsmobile Indy Pace Cars

Car Collector Chronicles Page 5;;

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Car Collector Chronicles 05-10