72 TA : New Project

[njsteve]

Here's the three tires on the car:

F60x15 Polyglas:



235/60x15 BFG:



275/40x17 BFG:

[njsteve]

And here they are where they belong, on Gramma Rose's Firebird:





[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

[Xplantdad]

Looks great Steve... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

Thanks to Norwood and his expertise (no doubt using surplus, Area 51 Alien replication technology), he has come out with another unique part for our cars. This time it's the heat riser shroud mounting bracket for the 72 455HO engines.

Here's is the problem. The only repro available for the 72's is the wrong style bracket that is used on the 70s and 71s. Pictured on the top and bottom, it has two big &quot;ears&quot; that come up to protect the vacuum hoses. This was not used in 72.



Here is a borrowed shot of an original 72 bracket on top, and Norwood's exact duplicate on the bottom:



And a borrowed photo of the 72-only shroud unit that employed a locater tab to engage in the slot in the bracket:



Compared with the repro piece that is sold by all the venders and mistakenly described as fitting all the 70/71/72 cars. The triangular piece needs to be trimmed down into a small tab, and then it works just fine with Norwood's bracket:



And the modified shroud and new bracket, assembled and mounted. (...and it looks like I need to do some detailing and repainting over the winter).

[njsteve]

I just got a heads up from a guy on the Performance Years website that they spotted my T/A in the Hemmings 2012 Muscle Machines calendar. Just in case anyone is interested. (I bought one as a Christmas gift for the in-laws, at my wife's suggestion since they are car-people, too and get a kick out of following my antics) [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

http://www.hemmings.com/store/detail...roduct_id=1377

[Xplantdad]

Cool Steve! Looks like Sam's Deuce is in there as well! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

Well, here is the update of the century. The 72 sold today to a very happy new owner. We were both quite pleased with the transaction. If the new owner wishes to announce himself publicly I will leave it up to him.

I know what you're thinking: how could you spend seven years working toward something and then sell it? Well, it's kind of like the biblical story of Jacob and how he had to toil for seven years under Rachel's father Laban, before being allowed to marry Rachel, only the morning after the wedding ceremony he finds out there was a switcheroo and it's Leah he married and not Rachel. So he had to work another seven years to get the girl (car) of his dreams, Rachel.

That was kind of how I felt every time I'd open the garage and see the 72 sitting there. All I saw was seven years of labor and not the good feeling of owning the car I always wanted. So, off she went and now I am hunting for &quot;Rachel&quot;. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

This now leaves me with a bit of funding for the next project, whatever that may be. Hopefully something will come up soon. (or at least sooner than in the next seven years. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img]