[ponyakr]

some of the best(& worst) back & forth mouth battles i've seen on this site are about heads. so let me say, before anybody chimes in 2 tell me how wrong they think i am--save your time--these are MY ideas on the subject & not meant 2 contradict or badmouth anybody elses ideas & opinions--OK??? once again let me remind ya'll--i'm talkin here about street &/or footbrakin bracket racin--NOT all out, heads up or 8-9 sec tranny brake bracket racin. i used the hi comp 67-70 heads on all our 455's--like 12,13,16,48,62,64, etc.--ya'll know all the #'s. but, back then, pump gas had more octane than now & lead additives were available at wal-mart--so thats what we used. 2 run that much comp today, you'll either have 2 run hi $ racin gas or at least a mixture of racin & pump. so if you choose 2 run hi comp, there are several options. most of the head #'s i've mentioned are now rare & expensive. but sometimes you can find decent deals on ready 2 run sets from a racer who is switching 2 alum heads. if you can't find any of the popular hp heads, you can have some just as good built from most any of the low performance, hi comp heads from the 67-70 time period. most will have small intake valves & press in studs. i want try 2 list all the #'s here. there are probably some on this site who have all these #'s & specs committed 2 memory & will be glad 2 share if you ask. the 455 racingjunk ventura 2 i have has #215 heads on it--not exactly hp. any good machine shop can install bigger valves & screw-in studs. however, for street/mild bracket, the bigger valves are not necessary--but there again the stock valves are 40+ years old & have been thru many heat cycles--1 broke valve can ruin your whole day!!!--so i consider new ss valves "gbt". before you buy, take time 2 add up the cost of the cores + all the parts/labor for the work you want done 2 determine if you want 2 have a set built or look for a ready 2 run set.

[ponyakr]

i've mentioned that me & TJ got winner & r/u several times. according 2 our scrapbook, the 1st time it happened was the 2nd race out with the goat in april of '75. she cruised 2 the win with a 12.89 that nite at our local track. here's how they looked in early '75--no stickers yet.

[ponyakr]

dug out a sack of old pics & found all sorts of interesting stuff. here's the famous "goose", who raced with us & his trusty pit boss(& cousin) "fitz". don't have any pics of his ride, but it looked just like ez without the lettering on the doors. ran 12.50's with our 1st 455 from the '70 goat, th400/stock conv. i could always count on him 2 be there for wrenchin or racin. he drove our 2 car rig & put lots of chevys back on their rig with that little ponyak. when we stopped racin for a while in '79, i sold him the truck he's sittin on & gave him the car. he sold the car, but later they built a 2nd gen bracket bird.

[Greg Reid]

Don, I think you are a credit to the site. The race section is almost like the clubhouse section....Those areas are frequented by people who enjoy 'debate', let's call it...And that's all well and good as long as they enjoy it. I'm not here to judge anyone myself.
What I'm trying to say is that I'm glad you found the right fit for your personality and stuck around to tell your stories....and I know there are quite a few here who have enjoyed following along. Even if they don't respond, they are reading. You can count on it.

[ponyakr]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

Don, I think you are a credit to the site. The race section is almost like the clubhouse section....Those areas are frequented by people who enjoy 'debate', let's call it...And that's all well and good as long as they enjoy it. I'm not here to judge anyone myself.
What I'm trying to say is that I'm glad you found the right fit for your personality and stuck around to tell your stories....and I know there are quite a few here who have enjoyed following along. Even if they don't respond, they are reading. You can count on it.

many from the ole ponyakr!

[ponyakr]

head gaskets are obviously very important & have caused many problems for pontiac dudes--& i'm no exception. my 1st bad experience was with our 1st stocker motors, built by a machine shop in '75. they put McCord gaskets on it, probably because they were cheaper. they, like the napa pistons, were not up 2 the task. at that time, victor pontiac gaskets were metal & looked a lot like gm's. i used them without a problem. i don't remember when, but at some point they switched 2 some type of fiber instead of metal--cheaper 2 make i suppose. at that time, i found somebody with a small stockpile of nos gm's & bought all he had. after they were gone i switched 2 fel-pro--never had a problem with them. today, for a hi comp 455(72 or less cc heads) i would recommend either the butler metal gaskets or even better, if your budget can stand it, the cometics. this may be 1 of those areas where its better 2 spend a little more now & avoid possible problems later! if you lower your comp into the 9's, then the best fel-pros will work. & if you go really low, the cheaper fel-pros should work. i'm sure opinions will vary on this subject, so i'd pose the head gasket ? for your comb 2 some on this site who have built & raced 455's in the last few years. i'd say, just 2 be on the safe side, i'd use at least 1 notch better gasket than really nescessary, for a little ins. blown head gaskets are no fun! oil pan gaskets have caused a lot of problems, especially the ones with 3 spikes. i've had em push out between the spikes. i personally like the nitemare method. use the 5-spike gasket for late 70's 400's & add extra slots 2 the 3-spike pan--they'll stay put. even cork, when properly fitted & glued is better than the 3-spike gasket. of course the only exception 2 this is the 1-piece BOP gasket--it gets my #1 vote if you can stand the $50 pricetag. i liked the rubber gaskets on the valve covers because of taking them off & on so often. for the intakes, i've already mentioned using mr.g 502g with the thin metal shims 2 block the heat risers. but for cold northern winters, you may want 2 leave the heat risers open. for headers, i used the cheapest mr.g's. but there are lots of others 2 choose from. some of the copper & others are reusable, so if you remove the headers often, these may be cheaper & more convenient in the long run. for rear seals, i used the cadillac seals sold by H-O--never had a problem. most say viton is better. but at least 1 builder says the neoprene is actually a little tuffer than viton--i don't have a clue. for most of the other gaskets i usually tried 2 glue 1 side & silicone the other. it makes the gasket reusable in most cases. that can come in handy if you have 2 remove parts at the track. i always kept a caulking gun & extra tubes of silicone, so i'd always have plenty at the shop or track. most builders now recommend ultra black silicone. you can usually find the best prices on gaskets on e-bay or amazon, unless you can give em a free ride on a larger summit order. if you're considering the butler head gaskets, see their site for special installation instructions.

[cuz68]

I like your storys also I look for them every time i log in, You tought me something to day about the smilies i did not know, And i have been here about 12 years, I cant find it now where is that more button at?

[ponyakr]

there's 2 ways 2 call em up. here's the easiest. look at the smilies section under the text block. clik on the word [More] which is directly under the a small window will appear. then you just have 2 sit & be patient---this is a good time 2 take a break, get a snack, go 2 outhouse, etc. cause it takes a long time for the smiles 2 upload. then you can expand the screen & just scroll down thru them & check em out. you can just clik on the 1 you want 2 put in your post or write down how 2 type it out, then type it in your text exactly where you want it. i've picked out the 1's i like & will be using & am going 2 make a list of them on 1 sheet so i want have 2 wait on them 2 load every time i want 2 use 1--will save lots of time. if you do this, be sure 2 copy the words & punctuation exactly like its shown, including capitalization. otherwise it won't work. have fun!

[BLURR]

Hey Don, How have you been man? Glad to see you are still around, havent heard from you in along time. This is Joe, over in West Monroe. Ray the guy that has your wifes old 68 Bird told us tonight you were on here. I say I have enjoyed reading this thread and seeing the pics. Incase you are wondering what ever came of your wifes old 71 Firebird, I bought it along with that other 71 and 73 Birds John had left at his house. It was cool seeing pics of it from before. The car was way to rusty to save but I used some of her parts for my 71 Formula 400 resto. I still have the hood though. Here are the pics of it as it was sitting at Johns and then when I moved it to my friends shop where I took the last of her good parts off her.

[ponyakr]

i'm so old, just seeing those words "hey joe" reminds me of the old jimi hendrix song by the same name--"hey joe, where you goin with that gun in yo hand?" don't know if you heard his stuff or not--but he was the father of all the heavy metal stuff that followed. it was him & some other dude that figured out how 2 get all those distortions & wierd sounds out of an electric guitar--& the drugs helped? a lot 2. anyhow, good 2 hear from you. glad some of the old parts will be usable. got a '79 ta with good fenders & a few other parts if your interested--may can do some horse tradin. 1 thing i mite need is a 1 wheeler 2.41 or 2.56 rear. gonna experiment with it using just 1st & 2nd in a th400 for the 1/8 mile they're runnin now. also, exactly which '68 bird is it that you mentioned? TJ raced several '68's. & do you know if its still restorable(for racing) & if the guy would sell or trade it reasonably? also trying 2 round up a few parts before they're all gone. i may want some of the stuff ya'll don't use, like 350 motors & parts. you probably run across all sorts of stuff you don't want that i mite. lets trade e-mail addresses & talk about it some time. mine is [email protected].

[BLURR]

Talking about the 68 redone in that bronze color with the black vinyl top you posted pics of it earlier in the thread being restored.

Yeah Im interested in the 79 for sure. Ill have to come look at it and we go from there. I dont have any motors right now. But I do have a one legger rear end under my dads 77 Trans Am project. He has been using it to roll the car around. I could get it out from under the car for you. I also have 2 pairs of 6X heads.

My email is [email protected]

[BLURR]

This car here you posted in this post.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...&postcount=226

[ponyakr]

yes i know the car--i took the pics--but as for it being a car that TJ raced--if it is, i am not aware of it--but i'll ask howard the next time i talk 2 him. i need 2 call him anyhow 2 find out why he didn't make the car show. the boys said he was at a cruise-in with them a couple of weeks earlier & was supposed 2 be at our local show. they didn't know why he didn't make it.

[ponyakr]

this shot brings up a variety of emotions in me--good, mad & sad. the good was the brief time i spent with the stray dog that turned up 1 day. if this is the same dog i'm thinkin about, she could stand up on her hind feet as long as it took 2 wait for a treat & acted like she enjoyed the whole thing. the mad came in when me & TJ went over 2 check out the '69 bird in the pic. while we were inside a building lookin at the bird, a young man we had seen outside sorta standin around, opened our vehicle (which was parked against the curb in the street just outside the building we were in) & grabbed TJ's purse & fled the scene. thats the last we ever saw of him or the purse. the bird was a good buy tho--clean body--i suppose it was an ohc 6 car--it still had the emblems on the hood. & it was a stick car, cause it still had both pedals. when i bought it(another of my $300 birds), i thought it would make somebody a good 4-speed street car. i didn't race '69's cause the top of the rear fender well is flat & a 9" slick is about all that will fit. '67 & '68's are round, so you can just let a wider tire hang out if you like(i like). it also came with a good set of headers, which, of course i used. my friend mb likes '69's so when he learned of this 1 which i had aquired, we made some sort of deal which transfered ownership 2 him. now here's where part of the sad comes in. mb didn't have the space for a ponyak junkyard like i did, so i agreed 2 let it stay as long as he wanted. well, he just never did get around 2 using it, so its still at my place & in purty sad shape now. actually, i'm storing 4 '69s he accumulated thru the years. he has robbed a few parts off them now & again, & recently gave me some motor mounts off 1 for my '68 project. the other sad part is that the dog, like so many others thru the years, got run over on the road that ran rite beside our house.

[Greg Reid]

My cousin and I accidentally bred my male boxer with his female red doberman and the pups grew up to look just like dog. They were really good dogs too.

[ponyakr]

the little strip of asphalt that ran beside our house & shop was a very popular section of hiway. i've mentioned in my story how me & everybody else around used it for a test strip. but our place seemed 2 be very popular for at least 2 other reasons. it seems that lots of folks would take the wrong road at the fork just around the curve from us, & would realize their mistake just in time 2 turn around in our driveway. this would usually bring at least 3 barkin yard dogs out from under the shade of the house 2 check out the new arrivals. sometimes the folks would just turn around & drive off. but lots of them would sit in the car & blow the horn til we came out. the 1st thing out of their mouth would usually be "do them dogs bite?"--2 which i eventually started saying, "i don't know, they mite". besides being a favorite turn around spot, our place was where everybody dropped off their unwanted dogs. & some of them were really nice dogs & made great pets & trail riding buddies for TJ & her horses. i've wished lots of times that the dogs could talk 2 me at least long enuff 2 relate 2 me the story of "where they came from". ps: well, the last pic won't upload, so i'll try again tonite. the 1st pic is of course taken on the "strip" by our place & the 2nd is TJ,s last trail hound--rupert, who lived 2 the ripe old age of 13.5, after surviving at least 1 car hit on the strip. the last was taken on 1 of the many trails TJ & her trail poohs have traveled.

[BLURR]

Hey Don, I sent you a PM (Private message) on here.

[ponyakr]

here's roscoe p. gravytrain--my favorite. he was actually real protection. TJ tells of 1 incident involving 2 huge dogs that were some sort of great dane/saint bernard cross or something--anyhow, they were much bigger than roscoe. 1 day as they passed by where these monsters lived, they were spotted & the big dudes started barkin & runnin down the driveway towards TJ & her crew. well, lil red was real fast, so when she saw what was comming, she hi-tailed it outa there quick. but roscoe wasn't afraid of anything & he was not about 2 let these dudes attack TJ & her horse. he positioned himself bravely between the horse & the onrushing dogs & waited patiently. just before they got there, he tore into the lead dog, knockin him 2 the ground. that startled them so much, they both went scampering back up the driveway as quick as they could. well, from that day on, they never came down the driveway again when TJ rode by--they just barked from a distance. ole roscoe was just that sort of hero type, that's portrayed in war movies--that david who goes out against goliath, unafraid, but rather confident of victory! so you can probably see why he was my favorite--he was a great trail dog & a trusted companion. i reckin some pets are just special, like trusted friends--you don't run across very many in a lifetime. the 2nd pic is TJ's current ride & her last 3 trail dogs, goldie, sally jo, & rupert. & the last pic is what they saw at the end of a trail ride as they approached the clearing where our house is.

[ponyakr]

you've already met rupert--here's the other 2 of the last trio--sally jo & goldielocks(goldie)

[ponyakr]

some of you may think my story has gone 2 the dogs. what on earth do dogs have 2 do with pontiacs? well, when i think back about my story, its hard 2 overlook the dogs. when i went out 2 look at an old car in my junkyard or snatch a part off 1, the dogs were always there checkin me out 2 see what i was up 2 & pilfering around 2 see what they mite find. & when i was workin on a pontiac in the shop they would come in occasionally 2 see what i was doin & sometimes just lay around on the concrete, keep me company & "hang out". & when we came in late at nite from a race, they were always there, waggin their tales & jumpin around like they were glad we were finally back home. 1 reason for this mite have been the treats we usually brought back from our racin trips for them. most of the time it would be chicken bones from the large amounts of fried chicken we(mostly me) consumed. but sometimes it would be pizza crusts. its 1 of my favorite foods & as long as rupert was with us, i never failed 2 bring him all the pizza scraps i could from the all-you-can-eat pizza buffet meals i had(which were quite a few). & i remember 1 dog we had that loved 2 chase critters. you'd hear him barkin, go out 2 see what was up & see dirt just a flyin out from under an old pontiac of some kind. no armadillo, possum, rat or anyting else was safe under any pontiac in the yard, even if it was flat on the ground. he had tunnels dug under almost every car in my boneyard. he never tired of diggin. i could never go from the house 2 the shop without pettin a dog or 2 on the head. they were just always there & part of my life--they're part of "where i came from".