StevenGuthmiller Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Took my daughter out for her first ride today in my Grand Prix. Hopefully it will be the first ride of many more to come! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Details? How old is your daughter? How long have you owned the car? Did you buy it as is, or restore it yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 What Harry said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 It's kind of a long story, but you asked for it! I bought this car the year that I graduated from high school, in 1981. After driving it for a few years, My wife & I got married in 1987, & started having a family the following year. Sometime shortly before my daughter was born in '88 The car had to be put into storage for the obvious family "money" reasons, plus the fact that it was not really driveable with the transmission going out as well as other problems. So, long story short, it sat in a farm shed for nearly 28 years. My wife & I dated in this car, went to 2 proms in it, & used it for our "getaway" car at our wedding, so it has a great deal of sentimental value for both of us. So we always had the intention of fixing it up, but with a young family, car payments & a mortgage, we never had the funds. Fast forward to the late winter of 2014, I got a call from the owner of the farm where the car was being stored telling me that the storage building was going to be demolished in the spring & the car had to be removed. Well, with the kids both being pretty much independent at this point & the money issue getting a little better, we took this as the omen that it was time to start working on the car. It was hauled out in April of 2015 & sent directly to a family mechanic to get the important bits fixed & rebuilt so that the car could be safely moved from point A to point B. As you can imagine, after sitting in a shed for 28 years, there were A lot of issues to address. So, at this point, the engine has been completely rebuilt as well as the transmission, brakes, cooling system, etc. Now we have a perfectly functional, driveable car, but the first installment of cash is gone & all of the "pretty" parts have yet to be done. It will be an ongoing project, but in the meantime we can still relive a very happy time in our younger years with just a turn of the key. The motivation for this post today was the the thought that the car was put into storage in anticipation of my now 27 year old daughters birth, ending one segment of my life & beginning another. This was sort of an opportunity for those 2 separate periods to come full circle and kind of merge into yet another segment. Kind of a time when my first love, (the Grand Prix) my second love, (my wife) & my third love, (my daughter) can all coexist together. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizard Racing Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 What a great story!KEEP THE CAR!!! If you unload it with all the sentimental value, you will always regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1930fordpickup Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Steve you are one of the few that has no regrets about "the car". Most guys and gals had to sell "the car". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 Steve you are one of the few that has no regrets about "the car". Most guys and gals had to sell "the car". You are 100% correct! I have no regrets. Sometimes it pays to be a "pack rat". There is a sad part of my car history however. I had another car that was in a similar situation that did not end quite so well. Around the same time as the Grand Prix story was unfolding, I had a 1958 Cadillac Series 62 coupe that I had bought around my senior year in high school. It also went into storage at the same time as the Pontiac in a different location for the same reasons. While it didn't have the same sentimental value as the Pontiac, it was in excellent shape & was ripe for an easy restoration when it went into storage. It was coral in color with a black top & a tri-tone interior of "dusty rose", pink & black. Who wouldn't love to own a pink Cadillac. unfortunately, the unscrupulous owner of the storage facility neglected to inform me that the storage facility's roof had collapsed, & for the last few years that it was in storage it was wide open to the elements. When I was finally informed by a friend that I needed to come & inspect my now destroyed Caddy which was stored 100 miles from where I now live, I arrived to find a totally rusted hulk that was once a beautiful Cadillac! The body was rusted out, the frame shot & the interior, which had been in almost new condition, completely destroyed. Now it was nothing more than a collection of parts for someone else's restoration. I considered taking some sort of legal action against the property owner, but decided against it. I'm just not the "suing" type. So, against my better judgement, I just chalked it up as a very sad learning experience and focused my attention on the Grand Prix. I passed the Caddy along to a friend who sold it for parts. The photo is not of the car I owned as mine had a black top, but this is just a reminder to me of what I lost. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Great story about the Grand Prix, Steve. I wish I had kept my 77 Dodge pickup. I had it paid for and painted with new interior. Now I am better with choices like that. Sorry about your Cadillac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moparfarmer Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Great story..I've had many classics since I've been married..I have a 64 Fury convertible which I showed for 15 yrs..My kids don't want or are interested buy my oldest grand-daughter like to go cruising in it..I would sell but not for a cent less than what I want..Good reliable car I can drive anywhere in N.A. without anticipating any trouble..If it wasn't for my wife having a good job(RN) I wouldn't have had my toys or the toys I have now..Thank you Kathy Farmer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robberbaron Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 It's kind of a long story, but you asked for it! .... ....This was sort of an opportunity for those 2 separate periods to come full circle and kind of merge into yet another segment. Kind of a time when my first love, (the Grand Prix) my second love, (my wife) & my third love, (my daughter) can all coexist together. Steve Inspiring story Steve. I feel like I'm on a similar trajectory, though not nearly as far along. My keeper is my first "nice" car, a 1977 Malibu Classic coupe, 350/TH350, low mileage honest-to-goodness "Grandma" car, bought when I was 20 in my hometown where I grew up. Even with the low miles, it had some bondo in the quarters with paintwork that didn't match. After I graduated college, I had the funds to get the body repaired correctly and repainted. After that I moved on to disassembling the engine/underhood to degrease, repaint, install an intake, headers, etc. Right after I started that process, I met my future wife. Love leads to marriage leads to kids, so the Malibu has been sitting in the garage waiting patiently ever since. Sometimes it feel like I'll never get to it again. Nice to read a story like yours as a reminder that it is possible to acheive those goals, as long as we keep our priorities straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 That's a heartwarming story and cool that it's on the road again. So, WHERE'S THE MODEL??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Great story on the Grand Prix Steve. Sad story on the Caddy. But both worth telling. I'm glad you did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramfins59 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Both great stories Steve. Best of continued luck with the Poncho, and "condolences" on the Caddy. I truly miss the '59 Dodge that I wound up selling in 2005 because of no longer driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggon Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Nice, I love your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMCMAN52 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 (edited) Steve, seeing your G/P make me miss my 69 G/P. like you I bought mine in 1970 to replace my 1970 Maverick Grabber which was totaled... I was in high school and dating my girlfriend who is my wife now, had a great time in that Pontiac. I had that G/P for four years, started live and a family lost my license , fixed it up with large tires L-60-15 rears and G-60-15 in frt. all wrapped up in Crager rims. I also learned to paint when I painted it black vs the bronze color. The G/P was replaced when it was totaled and replaced by my new 75 Silver Trans Am without the chicken on the hood in Dec 1974.The only thing I have is some pic's of me and the G/P and a 1/25 replica of the 1-1 carThanks Steve for the look back to when time was great Edited June 27, 2016 by GMCMAN52 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Thanks for the responses guys. It's been a very memorable year for me finally seeing life breathed into her again after all these years, & it's a real hoot opening up those secondaries on that big old Rochester carb! This car will always have a special place in my heart & will likely be with me until the day I die. Either that or it will be passed on to one of my kids when I'm too old to drive......with some conditions of course! So, WHERE'S THE MODEL??? I do have the kit to build eventually. I figure the 1:1 has a few years to go before it's in really "presentable" condition, so I have a while yet before the model needs to be finished. I'll keep honing my skills for a while to make sure it's "top shelf" when it's done. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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