car collector chronicles 03-13

7/29/2019 Car Collector Chronicles 03-13

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Volume VI, Issue 3

The site is run by Lou Commisso.

Lou is a Cad fanatic, a member of theCadillac-LaSalle Club, the Cadill-IkesChapter and also the blog master of a1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz blog

site. Check his offerings out.

- Stay warm & enjoy your ride(s)!

Last month I referenced thedog days of winter. It sureseemed like I was shovelingsnow daily in early Feb.Hopefully, for those who live inthe northern tier of states that

is now behind us?Did you notice the clickablelink symbol () introduced lastmonth? I hope you will find ituseful? It points to a link forsome of my meanderings, or atthe very least, access to moreinfo on topics that may be of

interest to you.Staying on the subject of the

internet, lets talk about theloved/hated Facebook. Theplain truth of the matter is, I donot understand what the bigdeal is here? I must be missing

something? CCC does have aFacebook page. It has beenonline for a while. Even so, ithas received all of 2 likes?What I see on Facebook is theyounger generation posting tritecomments on just aboutanything and everthing. I also

see a boatload of advertising via

use of this social medium.Evidently, my attempts there

to spread the word and attractprospective readers has widelymissed the mark? Or, could itbe that the car colector crowd

is not big on using Facebook?Notwithstanding the PR

failure via Facebook, I am ableto report that our monthlyreadership figures seem to besteadily on the increase. That isgood, nay vital as it gives me

incentive to keep plugging away.I have to tell you, some

months it is hard to put an issuetogether. I will also tell you thatthis is one of those months.Ordinarily, I try to have thenewsletter put to bed well in

advance of the publishingdeadline. Well, I am here typing

on 28 Feb!A new Cadillac site has

surfaced on the net. The focushere is on 1949-1960 wintageCadillac. You will find the site

at Mid Century Cadillacs.

High RPMs

GDYNetson the Web

Find GDYNets on the web:

CCC -THE FORUM-A website to discuss the newsletter,the hobby and our cars.

Car Collector Chronicles

Saved 62 -Our 1962 Oldsconvertible, Ransom Eli Oldsand things Oldsmobile relatedweb site.

The Gray Lady-1955 CadillacCoup de Ville web site.

SAVED 62: A website devotedto our 1962 Oldsmobile Dy-namic 88 convertible. The sitealso has a lot of information onOldsmobile cars and the com-

pany founder, Ransom Eli Olds.

THE GRAY LADY: This web-site features our 1955 CadillacCoup de Ville, lots of Caddyinformation and an extensive

repair library.

DAVES DEN: -A site de-voted to a myriad of interests.Foremost is extensive informa-tion on the Steel City of Gary,IN. There are also offerings onsteel making, U.S. Steel-GaryWorks, U.S. Marine Corps, M14assault rifle, of course Oldsmo-bile, and the tragic story of themurder of Gary, IN Police Lt.

George Yaros.

A GDYNETSPUBLICATION

2013, G. DAVIDYAROS. ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.

March 2013Ca s

Car Collector

Chronicles

Exploring:

Car Collecting Today

Classic Rides

Reports From the Field

Oldsmobile (1897-2004)

Cadillac (1902- )

Allant (1987-1993)

Corvair (1960-1969)

= Clickable Link

IN THIS ISSUE:

High RPMs 1

GDYNetsOn the Web

1

Olds Toro Tales 2

SITEings 3

Humor on Wheels 6

CCCForum EMail:[email protected]
http://1956eldorado.blogspot.com/http://1956eldorado.blogspot.com/http://www.facebook.com/pages/Car-Collector-Chronicles/155783751139441?ref=hlhttp://midcenturycadillacs.com/1/home.htmlhttp://ccc.activeboard.com/http://www.scribd.com/D_Yaroshttp://www.freewebs.com/jeandaveyaroshttp://graylady.webng.com/http://gdynets.webng.com/http://gdynets.webng.com/http://ccc.activeboard.com/http://ccc.activeboard.com/http://ccc.activeboard.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://ccc.activeboard.com/http://gdynets.webng.com/http://graylady.webng.com/http://www.freewebs.com/jeandaveyaroshttp://www.scribd.com/D_Yaroshttp://ccc.activeboard.com/http://midcenturycadillacs.com/1/home.htmlhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Car-Collector-Chronicles/155783751139441?ref=hlhttp://1956eldorado.blogspot.com/http://1956eldorado.blogspot.com/http://1956eldorado.blogspot.com/http://1956eldorado.blogspot.com/


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When I stumbled upon this item, it came as an interesting surprise to me. When Imade mention of it on a forum I frequent folks brushed me off with a Dont bother me

with old news/ancient history type of statement. In the hopes that it may not be oldnews to those who are not Oldsmobile diehards, I present the following:Grant MacCoon, the owner of Grant Pis-

ton Rings, because he had the money,wanted to and was able to do so, commis-sioned the building of a twin engine 1966Oldsmobile Toronado. The car has twoside by side gas pedals to control both en-gines. It also hastwo ign i t i onswitches and twoignition keys.The two engines

had a combined 850 c.i. and 770 h,p. It appears that this carwas sold in 2007 for the sum of $75K? The cost to build it in1966 was $40K.

Evidently, Grant Piston Ring Co. was not the only one to acquire a unique Toro. JohnGorman, a mechanic for Indy car racer Jerry Grant and a member of the build team forthe Grant Piston Ring car, decided to build one for himself. Outward appearance wise,it looked like a factory built Toro. Gorman incorporated a few tweaks and refinements,learned whille building the Grant Piston Ring car. The second verson did not have side-byside gas pedals or dual ignition switches. What it did have was more horsepower,getting 850 h.p. out of the same 850 cubic inches of engine capacity. It also sports afunctional trunk, which the Grant Piston Ring car did not

It gets a little mind boggling when one starts to think about the engineering involved inthe creation of such a monster. There are 2 engines and two transmissions, but only 1gas tank. See and hear this car run on YouTube. The two drivetrains may be

operated independently of one another, if so desired. How do the two engines andtransmissions work together, instead of fighting one another? Drag racer Tommy Ivoproved it could be done with is multi-engine dragsters. That it is possible does notmean it is easy to do.

It appears the Gorman car is available for purchase. Evidently, it was offered onand did not sell. Now a gent by the name of Run Susser is offering it for $64K.http://www.ronsusser.com/inventory.htm?id=1530.

Last, but by no means leastis the Terrifying Toronado,owned and driven by JohnSmyser. It too is a 1966vintage Toro. It once turned183 M.P.H. in the quarter

mile. The key word in thatlast sentence being once.The front supercharged

engine delivered power tothe front 10-inch-wide Caslerslicks on Halibrand wheelsthrough the conventional

Toronado automatic transmission and differential. The rear-seat-mounted second en-gine used a dual-disc clutch and a Schiefer aluminum flywheel to funnel power via di-rect drive to a conventional Olds rear end. For race purposes it was classified as anExhibition vehicle. Sanctioning bodies had no idea what it was, or where to place it,

Olds Toronado Tales

Car Collector Chronicles Page 2

[T]he

Terrifying

Toronado,

once

turned 183

M.P.H. in thequarter mile.

The key

word in that

last

sentence

being

once.
http://www.grantpistonrings.com/history/history_home.htm/http://www.grantpistonrings.com/history/history_home.htm/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvBHLTbPHjY&list=PL795B9FB9CD4BBC36&index=1http://www.ronsusser.com/inventory.htm?id=1530http://www.ronsusser.com/inventory.htm?id=1530http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvBHLTbPHjY&list=PL795B9FB9CD4BBC36&index=1http://www.grantpistonrings.com/history/history_home.htm/http://www.grantpistonrings.com/history/history_home.htm/http://www.grantpistonrings.com/history/history_home.htm/http://www.grantpistonrings.com/history/history_home.htm/


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Olds Toronado TalesContd.

classwise.

The Terrifying Toronado lived up to its name, scaring the bejeebes out of bothspectators and the driver. Smyser took her for its maiden run at Irwindale (CA) Speed-way. Smyser lost control early, with the car first darting left for the centerline, then

hooking up hard and plunging back to the right, into and over the guardrail. As thephotos show, it didnt make it much farther than the guardrail and fell comfortably shortof the chain-link fence separating the fans from the track. A rather auspicious first out-ing, to say the least! But this turn of events was not enough to deter Smyser.

He did, sometime in 1967, manage to keep the wheels on the paved asphalt for thelength of a run and turn the aforementioned 183 M.P.H. quarter mile speed. After thesuccessful run, the Terrifying Toronado went into retirement.

SITEings

SITEings is a literary vehicle I shall use to bring you interesting finds off the net.What is unique or interesting about the site shall be discussed. Of course, a link shallbe provided.

For our first offering we present the American Classic Professional Restorers Or-ganiztion (ACPRO) web site. Unique because it is not a mere web site. It is a club.But it is not just any club. It is an exclusive club for automobile restorers. Unlike mostclubs, the cost of membership is up there. Think of it as the Augusta National GolfClub for auto restorers and you will not be far off.

Operating on the theory of if you have to ask how much, you probably cannot affordto be a member, references are to membership levels, not fees. Three tiers ofmembership are offered. The intermediate level may be the Continental. This is forthe individual with the requisite knowledge and skills to perform their own restorationwork. -If I have all that, why do I need to become a member of ACPRO, I wonder?At any rate, here is the official characterization of this level membership:

Think of it

as the

Augusta

National

Golf Club of

auto

restorers

and you will

not be far

off.

Car Collector Chronicles Page 3
http://www.acproclub.com/http://www.acproclub.com/


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Car Collector Chronicles Page 4;;SITEingsContd

The Continental: Is an ideal level for those who are hands on, have a good income, andcould afford to pay for most of the benefits, however, since they are capable of performingcertain aspects of the process ACPRO offers to the Continental Level the ability to barterwith the club labor for benefits. In this category you can present a proposal of compe-tency in a specific area or in several, the club has a compensation chart exchange whichenables the member to acquire certain benefits from The Imperial level, while extracts the

satisfaction of the Sport Level, by participating in the building process of all cars restored.For more details go to Members and click on The Continental

One may presume that the intended use of the phrase have a good income is to fend off potential in-quiries from shade tree mechanic types? Even if you have the bucks, that alone is not sufficient to assureadmittance to the club. What can you do for the club is the question to be answered here. You answerthat with your proposal of competency.

There is a Sport level of membership. It is presented as being ideal for members who are limited withdiscretionary income. Nonetheless, they posses a great level of mechanical abilities and would love totake on a second job to afford the cost of a classic car. Such individuals are graciously extended the privi-lege of exchanging production for club benefits; viz. contribute to all members projects in the capacitythat you demonstrate a high skill. I read that to say you do our dirty work, and we will let you mingle with

the high and the mighty?

The membership level descriptions are so artfully crafted that I am having trouble ascertaining which isentry level and which is intermediate. It seems to me that the Sport level would be the entry level for thisgroup.

It does appear that the top of the pecking order is the Imperial level? Admittance to this level confersthe right to enjoy all aspect of the club. Imperial members may participate in management decisions, athis/her election. It is also the only level where one may purchase ACPRO bonds at a minimum of$10,000.00.

Another provided explanation of membership levels states:

We currently have a limited 500 car registrations available for 2013 at this time The firstlevel lets you restore your car with the tools and equipment that we have in our ware-house/shop. The second level is for our members to have their cars restored by our re-manufacturing facility The third level is for members to learn while they participate in one

of the craftsman 'Training Certification Program' as a collaborator in the project.

The ACPRO mission statement proclaims that it is an exclusive car club for members only. -Gee,arent most car clubs limited to members only? It claims it strives to provide a friendly environment formembers to work on project cars. It also host meetings and gatherings for members to meet up and net-work. Lastly, per the mission statement, the organization furnishes access to our shop which housestools and equipment needed for the restoration of cars. The total absence in the mission statement ofany reference to an educational purpose of the organization tells me this is indeed intended to be a profitmaking enterprise.

From what I am able to learn, the organization is located in Marietta, GA. It is going to hold its grandopening in May of this year. It is not listed with the BBB. All-in-all, it makes for an interesting enterprise.

It is definitely worth your time in terms of taking an online look. Should anyone know, or learn, moreabout the ACPRO, do share it with your fellow CCCreaders. Thanks!


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Car Collector Chronicles Page 5;;Humor on Wheels

Ok, Ive had my say for the month. Now its your turn! I invite/encourage submissionof your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please helpspread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me.Submissions should be sent to CCC at [email protected].

Now that you have finished reading this months issue of the newsletter, come start/join an ongoing dialog with otherCCC readers and like-minded car collector folk on the

CCC Forum. Stop by, check us out and share your views .

______________________________________

-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM!

COMING NEXT ISSUE: Who knows? It has been a rough February and I need to rest and recharge my battery!
mailto:[email protected]://ccc.activeboard.com/http://ccc.activeboard.com/http://ccc.activeboard.com/mailto:[email protected]

car collector chronicles 03-13

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