In the last segment we left off with a starter that was reluctant to start. If I had bought the locally made fish bonker from Day 1 this would have been the ideal time to use it but instead I had to make do with a regular hammer. Luckily a few quick taps bought the starter back to life and we were able to continue the journey with some fairly serious downhill sections to come.
In the first installment I neglected to post the map for the day so I will do so now. We drive from Radium north through Golden then west into Banff National Park before detouring onto the smaller 1A highway. From there it is due south avoiding the big city of Calgary but instead traveling through Black Diamond. Certainly not the fastest route but more scenic. The Great Beater Challenge is not a race but more about the journey after all.
After the starter came back to life we were able to leave Golden. The next bit of driving was the most challenging in terms of elevation gain, corners and an extended downhill section.
The road has some elevation to it both up and then down. This is where the brakes needed to perform.
The payoff is that the scenery is fantastic. Luckily we drove a sensible speed and had no more issues with the brakes or cooling.
The highway cuts through a bits of a hills at various points.
A short video of the road behind.
Unlike the K-car in the first Beater Challenge with the Laurentian we were able to drive the speed limit. This did not prevent a huge line forming behind us however. We got a mix of admiring and disgusted looks as traffic was able to pass us. More disgusted than admiring if I have to be honest although we were blowing a little smoke behind us on the hills.
As we headed towards Alberta the smoke in the sky cleared considerably. The smoke from the Pontiac’s tailpipe stayed.
We did get patches of rain along the way.
As we approached the town of Banff we saw an almost smoke free sky for the first time in a couple weeks.
The road was now two lanes on either side allowing for faster traffic to efficiently pass us. The dirty looks diminished but did not disappear completely. We did however get a few thumbs up for some more enlightened travelers.
By the fuel stop in Canmore, Alberta the RV group had caught up to us.
Three Sisters Mountain.
After exiting the mountains we diverted onto the older 1A highway for a more scenic and relaxed drive.
The last of the mountain scenery to the west.
Our Pontiac floated over the sometimes bumpy road.
In a rather impressive performance our antique Fuzzbuster II radar detector had successfully saved us from any tickets all without even being plugged in!
Ghost lake is a man made lake which is popular in winter for ice racing. We had lost one of the rear tail light bulbs somewhere along the journey.
For those that doubted our shower curtain headliner would hold up I present you this photo of it still up and present. We did have to adjust it a couple times but it worked quite well especially given the (lack of) cost.
As we hit Cochrane we switched from heading east to south.
We past through the historic towns of Turner Valley and Black Diamond which experienced an early oil and gas boom from 1914 to 1947. The Laurentian’s bench seats was causing all of us sore backs and behinds but we could not afford any extra stops as the day was too rapidly coming to a close. The consensus was that the rear seat behind the driver was the best of the pretty marginal lot.
A poor photo but in the distance is “Big Rock” otherwise known as the Okotoks Erratic. It is a huge 16,500-tonne (18,200-ton) bolder that sits in the middle of ultra flat prairie farm land. Apparently I have neglected to ever bring my boys by to visit this rock but they were too tired to go for an exploration outside the car. Another day perhaps. Locally famous brewery Big Rock is named after this bolder.
The reminder of the day mostly involved a bomb down Highway 2 which is the main north/south artery roadway in Alberta. A fellow competitor in a Chevette passed us as I envied their overdrive fifth gear.
One of the last stops was at the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton. It is most famous for the massive Lancaster bomber inside but given the time of day it was unfortunately closed but they still had a few airplanes outside on display.
Here we were joined by various other teams.
The minivan team had been pulled over by the police shortly before this stop. The cop was rather puzzled by the fact that they were all dressed in bathroom robes.
Despite our best efforts to hurry we were losing the last of daylight.
One of the scavenger hunt items was to drive around this highway roundabout three times. Given the lack of seat belts, bench seats and generous body roll it was interesting.
As we entered Lethbridge the engine starting making a light knocking noise before increasing in volume. I decided to take it home rather than to the official finish line (and BBQ that we had likely missed). At this point the engine stalled and the starter would not engage even given more hammer persuasion. The Mercedes team helped us bump start in. I after never stalling all trip long promptly stalled it at the next traffic light on the highway and we had to bump start it again. There was now a good amount of smoke to go with the noise. The Pontiac made it home … just. I have not yet dug into the engine to find out what happened as to be frank I am a little sick of working on the car for now. I suspect it is in the top end of the engine probably valve train related. Despite a little bit of sourness at the end it was amazing journey for a car that had been left to languish for almost four decades. Looking back I should have skipped the complexity of the disc brake conversion.
Amazingly only the Triumph TR7 failed to finish although we were pretty darn close as well. We also heard that the rusty Camaro had transmission issues which forced had them to drive the second day non-stop. As a result they arrived well before anyone else despite a truly terrible vehicle. The overall standings and awards are as follows (copied from the Great Beater Challenge Facebook page with vehicle information added for clarity). Unfortunately we missed the wrap up BBQ due to end of trip engine issues.
1. Miles away from Ordinary- 3340pts – 1969 Perris Cruiser
2. Return of the Swede- 3316pts – 1987 Saab 900
3. Rusty Creamsicle- 2875pts – 1975 GMC Sierra 1500
4. The Eh Team- 2780pts – 1975 Chevy Scamper
5. Pacemaker- 2680pts – 1978 AMC Pacer
6. The Dipolamats- 2500pts – 1979 GMC Diplomat
7. The Chevfoles- 2470pts – 1968 Chevy C10
8. Milk’s gone bad- 2350pts – 1967 Fargo 100
9. Christmas Miracle- 2310pts – 1978 Ford F-250
10. Special Delivery- 2270pts – 1965 Chevy Panel
11. Over the Hill- 2245pts – 1956 Hillman Minx Super Deluxe
12. Natural Disaster- 2210pts – 1975 Chevy K10
13. Sh***er’s Full!- 2143pts – 1990 Plymouth Voyager
14. Big Bang Theory- 2120pts – 1978 Mercury Bobcat
15. Initial Disaster- 2053pts – 1988 Honda Accord
16. Radio Flyer Bobcat Rescue Team- 2010pts – 1986 Toyota 4Runner
17. Shake, Rattle, and Run!- 1990pts – 2001 Pontiac Sunfire
18. Piper’s Pit- 1915pts – 1998 Ford Escort ZX2
19. Canadian Classic- 1904pts – 1961 Pontiac Laurentian
20. Land Lover’s Party Barge- 1865pts – 1974 Dodge Power Wagon
21. Hillbilly Deluxe- 1860pts – 1982 GMC Sierra 1500
22. Benz but doesn’t break- 1840pts – 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 2.6L
23. Rattle Trap Prospecting- 1810pts – 1973 Jord Cherokee
24. Poor Man’s Vette- 1793pts – 1986 Chevy Chevette Scooter
25. Double A Steering Wheel Holders- 1790pts – 2007 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5
26. Brökeswagën- 1720pts – 1986 Volkswagen Jetta
27. Ridin’ Dirty- 1634pts – 1995 Lincoln Town Car
28. The Rusty Bullet- 1625pts – 1998 Dodge Ram 1500
29. Weakest Linc- 1568pts – 1978 Lincoln Continental
30. The Daily- 1500pts – 2003 Honda Odyssey
31. Swede Speed- 1470pts – 1968 Volvo 142S
32. Jett-lagged- 1400pts – 2000 VW Jetta
33. Lone Ranger- 1375pts – 1987 Ford Ranger
34. Olde Faithful- 1310pts – 1995 Honda Civic
35. The General Ree- 1130pts – 1982 Toyota Tercel
36. Toxic- 1090pts – 1979 Chevy Camaro
37. Dolls with Balls- 841pts (DNF) – 1980 Triumph TR7
38. Pinto the Bean- 280pts? * – 1975 Ford Pinto Runabout
39. Duck’s Guts- 252pts – 1980 Ford Mustang
40. Hunting the Yeti- 180pts? * – 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
*= missing or incomplete data
The award winners are:
Overall Points- Miles away from Ordinary (trophy donated to the Toxic team)
Best under $500- Rusty Creamsicle
Best costumes and theme- Rattle Trap Prospecting
Marginally above average effort award- Over the Hill
Most Spectacular Failure- Dolls with Balls
Most comfortable- Weakest Linc
Least comfortable- Toxic
Unicorn award (Rarest Vehicle)- Miles away from Ordinary
Dutchman’s award (Lowest total spend)- The Eh Team
Best Roadside Repair- The Eh Team
So we managed a solid mid-pack finish for the third year in a row so we are consistent at least! More importantly the boys and I had a blast once again. I am not sure what the future holds for the Pontiac quite yet but I have to say it was a fantastic cruising and road trip vehicle. There are many more photos available from other competitors in a Facebook gallery.
The whole Great Beater Challenge 2018 series
What a great account! I’m taken by how well that old Poncho photographs. Congratulations on, er, finishing! (c:
I can just hear the Chevette team shouting “Look; we’re passing someone!”
Thanks for the great stories & pictures!
That gate guard is a CF-100 Canuck, probably the best all-weather interceptor of the ’50s. Its engine mounting, above the wing, is unusual. As a kid, I was made aware of it in a World Book picture of this and an F-100 Super Sabre flying together, defending N. America against the Red Peril. As usual for worthy Canadian things, I don’t see much of it in popular histories of combat planes.
Belgium procured these too; the USAF almost did but chose the Canberra instead.
Flatlanders and brakes. Seems flatlanders are just in love with brakes.
I am not a flatlander. I can drive that entire section of road without ever touching the brakes once.
There is a huge secret on how to do this, but I have never heard a flatlander ask it.
Yes, driving down steep highways behind someone that has spent all their lives not driving in mountains is scary! The Trans Canada from Golden all the way to Calgary shown here you could drive with no brakes at all I’m sure. That said one stretch on the Coquihalla from the summit down through the snow shed should have a much lower speed limit. You have heavy trucks crawling down at 40 mph in the right lane, faster cars and large trucks in the centre lane and then the looneys going over the 120 kph limit flying down the hill into a blind curve tunnel that reverts to a 2 lane just out of the tunnel. That 8% grade is always a scary drive in heavy traffic.
I actually thought we were taking Highway 93 when I started on it which is steeper. Regardless the disc brake conversion was overkill.
Glad to hear the Loyal Laurentian got you guys back in one piece. May she live to cruise another day! Kudos to all of the ‘18 GBC teams! (What was the best roadside repair?)
I’m retroactively envious of that Chevette with a 5-speed. I’ve heard that option was available for gasoline engine ‘Vettes but I’ve never seen one in the metal. My well loved former ‘84 was only a 4-speed.
I was told what the best roadside repair was but I can’t recall it now.
The five speed in the Chevette was the ubiquitous T5 gearbox only available at the tail end of production. I believe Canada got the basic Scooter longer than the US but they at least had a rear seat by this time.
Best roadside repair was for having the entire driveshaft out of their motorhome on the side of the highway.
There were multiple carb rebuilds on the shoulder of the highway as well, (myself included), but I deemed the driveshaft to be a much more unpleasant job, especially on something that large.
David-
The trip sounds like a fun time, I love the look of your Laurentian, and I appreciate your choice of a straight six with three on the tree.
However, you spent 8-10 hours a day listening to an engine turning at 3,000+ RPM, while resting your butt on a worn out bench seat. I admire your pluck, but as I close in 60 years of age, this type of throw-back automotive experience seems less and less attractive-
I think I’ll continue to enjoy reading your yearly reports, and stick to more refined travel options.
Wait until you see my next road trip write up. 4,500kms on a 250cc motorbike over 10 days! I will hopefully have it ready to share in a week or so.
Thanks for the great stories and pictures! Regarding the FuzzBuster, I thought radar detectors were illegal in Canada. If not, when did the regs change?
The FuzzBuster is a 70s model so not sure of the legality of them back them. It came with a Reliant Scimitar I had years ago.
The occasional person will import a radar detector and use it regardless of legality.
I see the speedo stayed stuck at zero. What do you figure the geometry was on that roundabout – a good 10-15 degrees I’m sure!
The video shot out the back window was great. It’s helpful for context to see what the driver sees out of these cars. CUV/SUV drivers will never see their own car out back.
Great series! Hopefully you have a good physio to rehab your back from those seats!
Here is some body lean as caught by another participant on a pretty modest corner so I suspect the roundabout had some decent lean.
You can actually catch some glimpses of it from the turbo Pacer’s video. Doesn’t look too dramatic from the outside.
https://www.facebook.com/nathan.storey.790/videos/10155303301972493/
I had not recalled reading about your K car run in the first GBC, (except for the paint tray), so thanks for posting the link to those here. I just reread some of those articles. I remember getting my 2.2 L K car up to 140 kms per hour a time or two, so I know they could do it. Mind you it was only 5 years old at the time, not 30+!
Enjoyed your series very much. Thanks again.
What a fun trip and a great write-up!
If that’s the ancient Chevrolet Stove Bolt Six that it’s supposed to be, they did have problems with weak valve train lubrication. It was the kind of thing that old time gas station mechanics fixed all the time…punched-out valve caps, broken valve springs and the like. Good luck with her!
I’ve always liked the looks of the 1961 Pontiac. It looks really good in your photos!
Congratulations! It is a great trip in a car like this when your trip ends before your engine does. It has always been my impression that these older (pre-1963) Chevy sixes were good engines but not great ones. Which is why there were Dodges. 🙂 I hope the poor thing isn’t terminal but engine noises like that are generally not good.
It seems like Ford and Studebaker were the two places where a guy would be most likely to find overdrive transmissions. I don’t know about Chevy or Pontiac but I don’t believe Chrysler offered them at all around the time your car was built. Which is odd given that Chrysler more or less invented it.
On those seats – in my experience the seats were where the expensive cars stood apart from the inexpensive ones. The low priced cars offered a lot of value in those years but their seats were often not the best. The ones in my 66 Fury were a trial on a 600 mile one way trip to Philly in the late 80s. I often needed to stuff a pillow between the seat and the small of my back for awhile.
Thanks for doing all of this and writing it up besides!
I know that rep about Chevy sixes is out there. Keep in mind that the 261 and the later 235 were substantially modified to have full pressure lubrication unlike the older versions. These sixes have a legendary reputation, at least among those that have had experience with them.
Obviously any old engine, especially one that sat for decades, can develop a problem. One thing to consider is that often old cars are put out to pasture precisely because the engine is getting tired or was known to have developed an issue. This may very likely be the case here, given its thirst for oil.
Well done. Congratulations on sort of finishing. Hopefully the engine issue isn’t too bad and you can address it at your leisure. I support your decision to upgrade the brakes, that’s something you need to be confident with on the highway and in the mountains.
Really enjoyed this series, thanks for taking us along. I’ll continue to suggest to my family that the challenge really needs an Ontario team next year….. 🙂
Genuine thanks for this great series David. And for the thoroughness and excellent attention to detail in your articles. Glad you made it home! And kudos for taking on beater project cars the last two years, that others may have avoided. I hope your decision whether to keep or sell your Pontiac isn’t a difficult one, when the time comes.
You and the Hillman team really did the vintage cars proud!
Great job! The engine trouble rather stinks but the old Pontiac got you home – finally.
This is really causing a desire to take an old car on a road trip, an experience few ever realize. There is nothing quite like it.
Glad you guys made it home safe and sound, David. Loved the write-ups. Is there hope for the Pontiac? I guess we’ll have to stay tuned. 😀
Also glad to see the smoke cleared so you all could enjoy the scenery.
Congrats on a great feature. Highway 1A another route I have never driven. You have inspired me to do so one day soon.
Wow! A nail biter finish. That’s classic!
Great write up, every year I read your story of the challenge and every year’s write up makes me want to participate.
Congratulations, and thanks again for taking us along.
I can’t help but wonder if your car was put out to pasture in the first place because the engine was showing signs of tiredness or other issues? That’s a common reason to stop driving a car.
Very possible. Seems less likely that someone would park a problem free car.
When/if you get around to looking at it, can you update us on what went wrong? Sounds like you had a real fun time until then.
Will do
Congratulations, on making it in one piece. Bummed to hear about the engine trouble at the end, as the car sounded like it was running like a train in your videos. There might be merit is keeping one car for successive beater challenges, with various issues discovered and remedied over the years, until the car is as reliable as an anvil.
Great scenery and nice roads with gentle grades and easy curves, none of our 15% slopes and 25kmh bends, no wonder the Hillman survived, Shame about the knocking & smoking of the Pontiac though its probably not terminal a set of rings and bearings might solve its issues it had stood a long time after all.
For a second I thought the crack in your windshield was a crack in the screen of my iPad. Don’t do this to me! 🙂
And I had a similar experience. I kept trying to brush a speck of dirt off of me iPad screen, and realized it was a bug on his windshield. 😁
Loved the sound of the Chevy six purring down the road, for as long as it did. Give it and yourself a bit of a rest and then you can decide what to do.
Thanks for taking us along on your ride!
Great story.
Now don’t tell me you were the only one getting irritated stares on the road with the line of cars behind you. Some of the other cars in the challenge would seem to be as slow, or slower, than you such as the Minx and the RV.
Glad to hear you made it back, issues and all. I would imagine the valve seals turned rock hard and ineffective over the years of the engine sitting unused, may have contributed to the top end clatter and smoking. Hopefully the bottom end is still sound enough to not require a rebuild.
I had an old Rabbit Diesel I bought for $300 that had a gas engine installed but not running. When I got it running it had a bad rattle, I drove it on a 1000 mile trip, it only smoked a little, but about every 60-80 it would suddenly lose power and lay down a huge smoke screen. Then it would be OK for another hour or so. Was burning a quart of oil every 200 miles. Turned out the blow-by was filling up the air cleaner, it would puddle up, then get sucked into the engine all at once, creating the power loss and smokescreen. I was followed for miles by a CHP, he finally passed me and about 5 minutes later it dumped another smoke screen! The cure was to disconnect the PCV and run a long hose so it could vent outside. It ran for years like that. I carried a gallon of cheap 50 weight oil at all times in that car.
Great write up as always David. Nice to see the conclusion to your epic trip. I am glad the old Poncho got you home, even if just barely.
I tend to agree with Paul’s comment above that the Chevy sixes, especially the full pressure lubricated engines were pretty good. It’s amazing how many people think all Stovebolts are splash lubricated today. There were several upgrades over the years to the oil system between 1929 and when the went to a full pressurized system. 1937 saw significant upgrades.
I also tend to agree the car was parked for a reason, at least the is my experience with the people I knew.
I’ve been making the crap drive through Calgary from Kamloops to High River to visit my son. Now I know there’s a more scenic way to go. So thanks from a new BC’er. Also, well done! Drop a new motor and some seat fixes into that baby and go forth!
It is a little longer but certainly more scenic. The Millerville area has a lot of wealthy folks escaping from the big city.
As I recall, the 62 I owned had an after market oil line from the block and into the valve cover.
With the help of the auto shop teacher, we sort of rebuilt the head. The “semi “rebuild of the head, led to even more oil consumption ?
Anyway.. its been a great series, and I’ve read every word .
The photos remind me to take another look at our beautiful country . I see a road trip coming ??
Thanks for taking us along on this journey. Seems like a lot of fun. I had fun reading it! I hope after your break from her is over that you can get her back in driving shape. There’s hardley anything that can’t be fixed on that old 6. A very easy engine to work on and rebuild even.
A great read, and I’m glad the old Poncho got you home, even if it was by the skin of its (admittedly well-worn) teeth. Otherwise, it sounded like the car performed admirably after its long rest, and I think you could do a lot worse than getting the old six back into shape for next year, or, failing that, dropping in another engine. In the early 2000’s, my wife’s cousin and her husband had a ‘64 Laurentian that was in fairly good shape. It originally had the six with a Powerglide, replaced with a 283. They got plenty of use from it as a summer driver, and I hope it’s still around somewhere. I think your ‘61 has a lot of life in it yet. Consider this as a shakedown cruise – there’s more good stories and travels to come from it.
I see a certain CC star featured on the GBC page. Well done!