The Woodward Garage

[LemonWedge]

Looks at the house in the back ground....thats the give away.....not the the same location. That red house looks way older then the 1960's photo....yet its not in that photo...

You're nuts. Look at the street sign. It’s the same corner, dude. How in the world can you tell how old a house is from a photo with it in the background from 500 feet away?!?! The lot is empty in the old photo..... those two pictures were taken less than 10 feet from one another. it’s the same exact location.

 

[Durandal25]

You're nuts. Look at the street sign. It’s the same corner, dude. How in the world can you tell how old a house is from a photo with it in the background from 500 feet away?!?! The lot is empty in the old photo..... those two pictures were taken less than 10 feet from one another. it’s the same exact location.

......well, I am getting older......forest through the trees kind of thing?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

......well, I am getting older......forest through the trees kind of thing?

LOL.
The location is indeed correct based on articles of the location, my own talks with Ted Spehar and just a few photos unfortunately. I've just been suspect as to the distance that can be seen from the adjacent building's wall stretch out onto the curve and the original "Bullet" building actual footprint setback from the curve. The adjacent building is still there and I'll have to go by there and ask (by phone these days) the owners if they know if either building was raised and reconstructed.
I don't know, as silly as this treasure hunt may come across, this kind of historical unearthing strangely raises the visceral senses. Almost like envisioning yourself being there during those times.

 

[Dan64]

Yes I admire the T-bolts, AFX Comets, Mustangs (one that made it to the streets of New York) and the Swiss cheese cats, but of course our beloved lightweight and special one of none Mopars. I'm particular to the super rare (4 only) 2% AFX mopars that were constructed even before the famous 1965 altered wheel base cars over at Amblewagon.
Not many people know this fact, but Pontiac constructed (6) total thin gauge metal lightweight '65 GTO's for special drag rep. These cars were all white except for one delivered in black and super strippo's. They were stamped out of special thin gauge for the main body and roofs, the doors, the fenders and the hoods plus a host of other goodies.

Didn't Pontiac also make a couple super rare aluminum frame and front end cars?.

 

[odcics2]

LOL.
The location is indeed correct based on articles of the location, my own talks with Ted Spehar and just a few photos unfortunately. I've just been suspect as to the distance that can be seen from the adjacent building's wall stretch out onto the curve and the original "Bullet" building actual footprint setback from the curve. The adjacent building is still there and I'll have to go by there and ask (by phone these days) the owners if they know if either building was raised and reconstructed.
I don't know, as silly as this treasure hunt may come across, this kind of historical unearthing strangely raises the visceral senses. Almost like envisioning yourself being there during those times.

You need a way back machine!

 

[gooser]

ponitac started the liteweight thing in 1960 the alum 8 lug wheels and they had a alum front bumper that some how got by tech at the 1960 meet at Detroit dragway

 

[gooser]

would you like to have that price for good gas again

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Didn't Pontiac also make a couple super rare aluminum frame and front end cars?.

Yes they did. It was a small batch of less then 10 or so Pontiac '63 Tempests. I believe (1) wagon in that bunch as well. I'm not sure about aluminum framed though. They did create pairs of aluminum header pipes that in vain, went down in their own flame. LOL.
Buick also built one or two GS 455 Stage 2 test cars. It wasn't so lightweight, but tricked. Chevrolet built only two ZL1 Corvettes. Presumedly none to be found till this day.
I love the super secret lightweight panel cars.

 

[gooser]

its like the 65 442 little know to most people you could order a tri power set up. but that only lasted about 6 weeks.

 

[odcics2]

Ok, my sources officially came to a dead end.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

its like the 65 442 little know to most people you could order a tri power set up. but that only lasted about 6 weeks.

Yes, I'm sure that there were many many special order cars or special batch runs for the general public that were put in by dealers or under GM terms, COPO orders, but these super super skunkworks laboratories; Woodward garage, Dearborn Steel, Ramcharger garage were creating cars for their selected elite group of racers and or street racers at the midnight digs.

What's really interesting and probably really secret is this; The GM effort under it's own racing ban.
Ford and Chrysler were ironically covert under their overt declaration of war with each other, which makes for some good stories fact or fiction, but it was GM with the likes of Thompson, Wangers, "Bunkie" Knudsen and others that were pulling some thin strings after midnight at the GM production camps itself.
Now that was a real classified effort and the plants that made those limited runs are so interesting.
I'm going to try and find the site/address to the original Royal Pontiac because of those 6 GTO's of legend that were delivered there.
Pontiac may have started the whole Alcoa phase in '60 along with the Chevrolet Z11's in '63, but it was Chrysler that really went bonkers with it in '64, thus instigating the thin gauge steel GTO's thereafter.

 

[gooser]

I think royal was on main st in royal oak

 

[gooser]

400 main st royal oak mi

 

[fullmetaljacket]

400 main st royal oak mi

400 N. Main St. as I see in their old ads.
The real smoking gun is the old Pontiac Engineering plant in Pontiac that stamped the lightweight steel for those Goats. It was located on Joslyn Avenue supposedly.
I wonder if Chrysler had contracted one of the local Michigan fiberglass companies to make those fenders, hood and doors for the Bullet.

 

[gooser]

I think they might have used plaza fiberglass there was a story in popular hotrod april 65 I think gave all part # and prices then in late 60s early70s it became mr fiberglass westside of detroit

 

[fullmetaljacket]

I think they might have used plaza fiberglass there was a story in popular hotrod april 65 I think gave all part # and prices then in late 60s early70s it became mr fiberglass westside of detroit

Gooser.

You re-triggered my memory banks with Plaza. I have the article with the '65 Coronet parts hanging on a scale with a young lady standing nearby to show how much weight got cut off. I remember Mr. Fiberglass and did not know that Plaza and them were one and the same.
Yes, I would suspect that they made those parts for the Bullet with approval from some higher-up at Chrysler in light that the factory RO-WO cars had no real deal weight cutting program except for the sound deadener and other small misc stuff.

 

[33 IMP]

Yes they did. It was a small batch of less then 10 or so Pontiac '63 Tempests. I believe (1) wagon in that bunch as well. I'm not sure about aluminum framed though. They did create pairs of aluminum header pipes that in vain, went down in their own flame. LOL.
Buick also built one or two GS 455 Stage 2 test cars. It wasn't so lightweight, but tricked. Chevrolet built only two ZL1 Corvettes. Presumedly none to be found till this day.
I love the super secret lightweight panel cars.

There is certainly at least one of the 69 ZL1 corvettes known, and one (Or more) with questionable provinance. I have seen three claimants, yellow,white and blue, I think the yellow one proved legit.
And chevrolet and Pontiac both had full aluminum front end packages available for their full-size cars in 62, attempting to get down to the weight of the mopars, unsuccessfully. The "Swiss cheese" Catalina of '63 had holes in the front frame rails, (not aluminum tho) and an aluminum package, before Pontiac gave up trying to get the big cats weight down, and just stuck the 421 super duty in a tempest. If I remember right, the 421sd tempest wagon went thru a big-time car auction company, was bid to a LOT of bucks, but still no sale.

 

[gooser]

back in 73 I
got 2 hoods from mr. fiberglass one for my 69 charger rt and one for my 68 runner. Pontiac also in 62 63 had plexiglass windows that you could order also the alum diff

 

[fullmetaljacket]

There is certainly at least one of the 69 ZL1 corvettes known, and one (Or more) with questionable provinance. I have seen three claimants, yellow,white and blue, I think the yellow one proved legit.
And chevrolet and Pontiac both had full aluminum front end packages available for their full-size cars in 62, attempting to get down to the weight of the mopars, unsuccessfully. The "Swiss cheese" Catalina of '63 had holes in the front frame rails, (not aluminum tho) and an aluminum package, before Pontiac gave up trying to get the big cats weight down, and just stuck the 421 super duty in a tempest. If I remember right, the 421sd tempest wagon went thru a big-time car auction company, was bid to a LOT of bucks, but still no sale.

Yes, a yellow ZL1 with black skunk stripe and a silver ZL1 that presumedly was destroyed in a shipping accident. Back then, special cars were hidden from corporate watchdogs that were looking to crush them. How could a corporation want to destroy its own history?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Yes, a yellow ZL1 with black skunk stripe and a silver ZL1 that presumedly was destroyed in a shipping accident. Back then, special cars were hidden from corporate watchdogs that were looking to crush them. How could a corporation want to destroy its own history?

On that note, I heard of a stash of aluminum dashboard frames that were stamped on a midnight shift after the first initial four were called for on these type of cars. The 2 percent AFX racers as you see here. I still don't know where these four cars were constructed. They were special indeed. Note the wheelbase set forward. Snnneeeeaky and slippery.