[Craig Hendrickson]

These are some great stories, guys!!!

I'll add another one to keep things going.

In early 1973, before H-O Racing got going, I had just purchased a 1970 GTO for cheap from somebody who knew virtually nothing mechanically about it. It's problem was that it had headers which were smashed in on the bottom, so it would not breathe out the exhaust side at all. I fixed that by putting in another set of headers.

On the Sunday following my purchase and fix of this GTO, my wife at the time drives me down to Kern's shop in this GTO to do some work on on our E/MP Tempest. About 1/2 hour after that the California Highway Patrol calls and states that my wife has been in an accident on the I-405!

Kern and I jump into his truck and rocket up the I-405. My wife is OK since she saw the rear end-er coming. The 1970 GTO had a high back seat and my wife was only 5'2" and traffic had stopped ahead of her, she saw the guys coming at her from the rear, so she braced herself before the impact. No one was seriously hurt, although the GTO was smashed like collapsed accordian (totaled).

BUT... the first thing my wife said to me was: "Honey, I'm sorry I wrecked your new GTO!!!". I could have cared less about the GTO (it was not new since this was 1973), so I told her that I was only glad that she in particular and the other people were OK.

My wife was a "car person." She completely supported my leaving the USAF and starting H-O Racing. Without her support, H-O would not have happened.

Craig

[Rocky 389]

When I was a kid my dad bought a string of straight 8 pontiacs...in '60 we blew the engine in our white 52 and bought a yellow 55 catalina hardtop coupe. Loved it.
My dad went over to Oldsmobile but my heart stayed with Pontiac.
In high school ['62 to '66] my buddy, Jim was getting tired of getting beat by all the 55-57 chevys. He was a flathead merc holdout and had a merc engine in his 50 ford tudor. WE talked in study hall and I convinced him to buy a 56 Pontiac cheiftain hardtop with the slant-pan hydro.
He replaced the 2 barrel and single exhaust with a 4 barrel and dual pipes and atlas bucron tires....we went hunting for chevys and did very well against the 265-283, 4 speed cars. Anything with a 327 gave us trouble tho.
When I came home on leave from the army I traded the 55 Olds I'd bought from my parents with a little cash for an old man's 57 Pontiac chieftain 2 door sedan. It was a factory 3 speed stick car with the low compression 347, 2 barrel. I beat on it until it began losing compression and bought a co-worker's wrecked 59 Pontiac for it's 389, [303 hp] 4 barrel engine. Bought a muncie 4 speed for it and I had an instant hotrod.
I'd race 64 GTO's and beat 'em...really made those guys mad.
Now, I've had 11, 55-57 Pontiacs....most of which I've swapped 389's into.
Also had a 68 GTO and a big fat red 70 Bonneville with a 455. One of my 57 tudors had a 67 GTO 40, 4 speed in it.
My latest project is a 34 ford coupe. The engine is a 57 Pontiac bored out [.125] to 370 cu, in. with a 5 speed from a late camaro...make mine Pontiac please.

[Habanero]

My dad has just over 30 Pontiacs, Ever since I was a kid I've been around them. I think about 12 or 13 I started to learn how to work on them, simple things like brakes, packing wheel bearings,and as i got older I got into more detail. My dad has a few odd balls in there of course like a 59 Ford ( that's how I learned to drive a 3 on the tree) a 58 ford and a 71 Merc. My first car my dad bought for me when I turned 16 was a 74 Cat 4 dr with a 455 for 500 bucks. Great car for a 16 yr old to start out on Lol!! At one time when I was bout 18 I got on the freeway and told my friend how powerful the motor was , punched it to the next off ramp,took the exit at 120, While I sat waiting at the light while wondering where the sirens were coming from, soon the car was lit up with bright lights in my mirror and got pulled over, I was asked " Do you have ANY!!! , idea how fast you were going? " While I was stumbling to find words he replied " 80 ! I clocked you at 80! " I accepted the ticket, dropped my friend off and went home. Needless to say the 455 now resides in my 66 Tempest.

[Guilty]

I think because I was born in Pontiac at a hospital right on Woodward Avenue!!!!!!!!