[TA455HO]

Originally Posted by 70RAlll

Chad.. we will have to get our 71 HO's together in the future. I am 90% done on body ,going to painter in the next 30 days. I have every NOS part you have shown and a few others(like the heat riser shroud-HO style drivers side) will have a ground up restored car with all NOS parts like yours appears will.I have .... a question.. will you drive yours after completion with all these NOS parts?? I'm going to drive mine, just want mine to be as close to "day 1" as possible. will keep it out of weather, but will definitely drive mine..

Didn't GM have a lifetime warranty on all of these parts? Lol.

In the Army some of my buddies were mechanics in the motor pool and I'd go hang with them sometimes if they had to work on a weekend. I found it interesting how they had so many spares for everything. Sort of rubbed off on me. So I was just showing the number needed to build one car.

I don't think I'll make it my daily driver...but I do plan to drive it some. Not likely in the rain, snow, sleet or hail, though. It's no mail delivery truck and my driveway is steep enough that I need 4x4 to get out in the snow. Never make it in the T/A. I can just imagine trying....hahaha.

I used to have the perfect driver T/A, just sold it last year. Great car. Some rare options on it. I had owned it since 1997. Had some great times in it. I remember a particular time driving around much of the day with my oldest son in the car. As we went to get on the freeway we started around the corner heading up an onramp. Here around Seattle we have so much traffic that the onramps like this will have 2 lanes for normal traffic, that can be metered during rush hour, and one lane to the left for carpools. They all converge into one lane before hitting the freeway. This particular Saturday they were not metered and as we rounded the corner heading up the onramp I realized two things.

1. This clump of cars in front of us was cramping our style, and

2. We were a carpool!!

I twitched the steering wheel to the left and got on it in 1st gear. Wound it close to redline and hit second and as the tires broke loose and we started to drift a little my sons eyes got about as big as saucers. Wound it out in 2nd, hit 3rd and it was all over as we passed 7 cars without them even knowing what hit them (like it was a race or something...). As his eyes went from saucers to smile creases in the corners I knew he had seen the real potential of these cars and the brute of the 455HO engine. Made my day and then some.

That was, of course, just one example. There were many other times where it was just as fun/thrilling as riding a roller coaster, but being at the wheel.

I have to give the granddaughter the same experience. She turns 4 today so I have a little time left before she'll be ready for her ride. No child car seats....Lol. She actually hangs with me in the garage more now than the boys ever did.