On the first portion of day 1 we drove from Lethbridge through the Crowsnest Pass into British Columbia. On second half we will continue on highway 3 before heading north to the tourist town of Radium. Plus we have our first mechanical hiccup.
After leaving the car show at Jaffray, British Columbia I thought it wise to fuel up and check on oil level again. We found this delightfully old school gas station.
They had only a single pump station but full service as they pumped your gas and cleaned your windows (a novelty here).
The inside had even more character than outside.
If you require a fish bonker but do not where to source one wonder no more. These ones are even locally made.
Maybe Doe urine or Bush in the Bush Elk Calls?
They even rented movies! It has been quite while since I have seen a movie rental store (or sub-store in this case).
We could not bonk fish all day so we hit the road instead. This second generation Ford Temp sedan would fit the mold for a beater rally candidate but perhaps in too nice of shape. It even had matching wheels.
I have to say the Pontiac was a pretty relaxed cruiser. If it was not for the rather loud wind noise it would be perfect.
Highway 3 became Highway 93 before we turned north. The terrain became less mountainous transitioning to more hills and lakes. Not that you could really tell with all the forest fire smoke.
Outside Kimberley, British Columbia we came across a railway museum. Unfortunately it was not open when we arrived.
A rare survivor of a wooden caboose was on display.
A few older outbuildings as well.
One of Kimberley’s claims to fame is only a single traffic light in town. We managed to catch it on red first time.
They probably advertise it less but Kimberley is also home to a drive-thru liquor store.
We did not have much time to explore the town but it appeared to be a nice place.
We did manage to see of a few of our fellow competitors. The Saab must have attracted a lot of eyeballs along the route. The Mustang and Civic were also part of the challenge. The Mustang caught up after having fueling issues earlier in the day.
A special delivery.
An interesting collection of vehicles sat just outside of town.
A collection of clunkers at the side of the road. Surprisingly not broken down but just ticking off a challenge item off the list.
This area during winter is extremely popular for skiing and this fence is made entirely of discarded skis.
Shortly after the ski fence my friend Rod got pulled over by the police. We were not sure what for until he caught up at the next stop. I was sure we were not speeding. It turns out the cop was not keen on this rear license plate placement (rear window) but got let go after he explained the challenge.
There was an optional gravel stage earlier in the day which I skipped due to the Pontiac still riding on original ball joints. This short portion was ok however.
One of the great things about a road trip is the wacky sights you encounter at the side of the road. This campsite had a definite fishing theme to it with a giant lure on top of an older camper trailer.
There was also a fisherman riding a giant fish. This Avion camper shell had an interesting look to it.
I actually found a short article on this exact camper which identifies it as a 1960s Avion C-10. The aluminum camper sits on a 1978 Chevrolet crew cab truck.
The Laurentian continued to run well with a bit of appetite for oil.
We continued on towards Radium/Invermere area hoping to make it before the night came.
Lots of tourism here especially from Alberta so bowling alleys, go-karts, etc are common sights along the highway.
We stopped for gas and food in Invermere. I guess I should say attempted to stop as I lost the brakes and sailed through the gas station (although at a very slow speed). Looks like we did not bleed all the air out of the brakes. They would work great unless you held them down for a long period of time then the pedal sank to the floor. I accidentally left my brake bleeding kit behind so we would need to sort that before heading out the next day. The last stretch of driving was done in the dark.
The whole Great Beater Challenge 2018 series
David, I moved up the posting date to today, as we’re all so eager to hear how it went.
From my experience with my Ford F100, when the brake pedal would go down to the floor from a long gentle push on the brakes, it meant the seals were going on the master cylinder. Apparently when the seals start to go, they won’t hold a gentle amount of pressure, but they will seal if the brake is stepped on more smartly. it used to happen to me at stop lights. I learned to just lift up and apply the brake harder.
Of course eventually it got bad enough that I finally replaced the master cylinder. This has happened twice over the 31 years I’ve owned it. It fixed the problem perfectly.
From my experience, a bit of air left in the lines just makes for a mushy pedal, but doesn’t cause this.
Of course, your experience may be different. And you have a new dual circuit master cylinder, so it does seem odd that it would be leaking already under low pressure application. I’m curious as to whether the bleeding fixed the problem.
If this happens and you then pump the brake firmly and it gets hard, then it pretty much has to be a weak seal in the master cylinder.
The wind noise in my F100 is a major issue too, plus it has zero sound insulation now. The floor mat is gone, there are little holes in the rusting floor, and the headliner went a long time ago. Plus my side windows rattle if they’re not fully open or closed, as the felt in the channels is long gone. It’s what keeps me from thinking about a longer trip, unless I have ear protection on.
Yup, that happened to the clutch master in my 2001 Focus too. Don’t sit at the light in first with the pedal depressed, or you would find yourself moving after about 30 seconds.
Great stuff! I am impressed with the RCMP, I’d figured after explaining the challenge they would detain the lot of you, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Just like riding a motorcycle, put the trans in neutral instead of relying on the clutch when stopped.
That picture of the Cheviac speedometer was really a deja vu moment for me. My family owned and operated a small herd of (well used) Pontiacs in the late sixties/early seventies and that same instrument panel was used in both the 1962 and 1963 U.S. Pontiacs. All U.S. Pontiacs from MY 1959 through MY 1966 had the 389 CID V8, in various stages of tune. Even the ones with the two bbl carb/single exhaust combo provided plenty of torque for pushing the car down the road.
The same instruments ended up in RHD form in the Australian assembled Chevrolets and Pontiacs.
The master is new so that would disappointing. Another possibility is there is some air in the master from bleed attempts.
David, think about it: air is compressible. So some air in the system will compress as you apply pressure, which makes for a spongy pedal, all the time. But it will not cause the pedal to drop to the floor.
A wonky seal will hold pressure when a lot of pressure is exerted on it because the pressure expands the seal. But a modest amount of pressure will cause the fluid to escape past the seal, causing the pedal to slowly drop to the floor.
The test is easy: brake gently while the car is rolling, or possibly even at standstill. If it starts to drop down, let it up then apply the brake sharply. If that builds and holds pressure, then it is definitely a leaky seal.
I hate to say it but I’ve had to replace my rebuilt master cylinder on my truck several times, although this last one has now gone over ten years. Like a lot of things, the quality on these master cylinders is iffy.
Air in the system will not cause this effect.
I had a similar failure with a fresh rebuilt clutch master cylinder on my old Miata. Replaced every other piece of the hydraulic system because it “couldn’t” be the master cylinder
Paul is right, as long as you aren’t losing any fluid this is a symptom of a bad master cyl.
Is it N.E.W. (Never Ever Worked) or “remanufactured”? I don’t suppose you still have the box as an R in front of the number almost guarantees that it is a reman unit.
I gave up on reman master cyls long ago as I saw too many have too short of a life.
The thing is that if it does fade a pump will almost always build pressure, at least until it doesn’t any more.
As Paul mentioned it is more likely to show up under light pressure. The lips on the seals are flared toward the working side, and the higher the system pressure the greater the pressure pushing the lip against the bore and the better the seal.
I have very few “ not my thing” types of vehicles. The bro- dozer dodge is one of them however. Those piles are everywhere in BC and Alberta. Complete with open exhaust and clouds of black smoke.
Love this series BTW!
Great job David !
Some great shots. Does the verb “to bonk” mean the same in Canada as the UK? The mind boggles.
It has two meanings here. To hit and the other one you are thinking of. Haha.
In the States I’ve also heard “boink” for the other meaning.
As far as I know there are two meanings in the UK? I’d believe that one doesn’t get as much use as the other.
The smoke is very evident in the pictures. The worst year for forest fires in British Columbia history. An omen of worse summers to come.
Agreed. That one of the mountain shot across the hood of the Laurentian – I could practically smell the smoke from here. A nice nippy minus 2 here this morning, but I really feel for the folk up there in Canada battling those fires.
Glad you have some great pics of your Pontiac, in case you decide not to keep it. Your shot of the Chev Series 70 (orange) and Dodge C600 (blue) medium trucks brings back plenty of 1970s memories. Neither was that common even then. Looking forward to Day two!
Those Dodges had the unique combination of a lift up hood combined with fenders that were hinged at the grille to swing out. Very cool and rare.
Terrific pictures of what sounds like an amazing trip! I’m looking forward to more.
Air in the braking system will give you a spongy pedal which will go away if you pump the brakes, yours sounds more like a sealing problem somewhere could even be a bad hose or cylinder master or wheel, Wind noise in old cars is built in the exposed roof gutters on my Hillman make themselves known above 55mph its lack of aerodynamics become more obvious the faster you go. Be thanful you arent in that 56 Minx LOL.
Door and window seals make much worse noise.
I hope the Minx is still going strong!
What kind of MPG you get in your Pontiac?
I did not measure it really well but I would guess around 15mpg (US).
Thanks for another great installment! Very impressed with the photography as well, makes the car look really good.
Thanks – the Pontiac has a neat look. The good patina kind.
That Laurentian is growing on me. It looks good in a lot of places.
A quick look at each brake slave cylinder will ensure that you’re not losing fluid, which could be catastrophic. Checking the level in the MC ASAP would be a very good idea.
Another wonderful, funny installment. Unfortunately, I’m in the market for Fish Urine and a Deer Bonker, so your store can’t help me. Looking forward to the next article.
Ok, I literally LOLed at this.
Thanks for the recaps! Looking forward to more.
David, the last pic shows the speedo on 120. Not really, right?
From the first segment it is either at zero are near max. Cable is loose I think. 120mph would be terrifying in the Pontiac assuming it were even capable.
Actually, I love that closing shot. It could win a photo competition — a 120 mph nighttime run in an old car with a cracked windshield. Perfect!
What could go wrong?
I am surprised that ‘servo’ didn’t have any Round Tuits (see attached)
Considering that your Poncho sat for over 35 years before you got it running and you started driving it with little testing, it’s doing remarkably well. Think of it as a shakedown cruise for next year. You’ll have the bugs worked out of it, and the next trip should be relatively trouble free. I’ve quite enjoyed reading about the work you’ve put into getting that old Laurentian roadworthy, and my money is bet on you getting a lot more miles and memories out of it. Just keep an eye on the oil. Thumbs up for the great photos as well.
“and the next trip should be relatively trouble free.”
But……but that’s the point: you are looking for trouble in this kind of a trip! Manageable trouble of course.
Nice pics
I still think that your pontiac has no business being called a beater. Other then some bad paint and a cracked windshield and a few small mechanical things, the car is in great shape for a car that saw life during the Kennedy Administration( or being a Canadian car, the Diefenbaker Administration)
Great pictures, looking forward to the next installment.
Great story and it is especially nice because you are sharing this with your sons.
As I have alluded to many times on this site, the shape of a 1961 Pontiac is carved into my memory as one of my early driving joys, albeit it was new, dark red, and had the USA spec wide track and 389. And as just plain joe (and Yogi Berra) have said, the sight of that dashboard is like Déjà vu all over again (*).
Looking forward to the next installment.
(*) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deja_Vu_All_Over_Again
I hope you get your brakes sorted out. How frustrating – the one system that you went through so thoroughly is the only one giving you trouble so far. Murphy strikes again.
Count me as another who loves that dash shot. There are few things cooler than looking at a classic dash all lit up at night. And you know it’s an old car when there is an ammeter in something from GM. I presume you were idling with the needle at a slight discharge like that? Gad but I miss ammeters.
The needle really did not move at all. The generator seemed to be charging even at idle though.
I second/third/fourth the master cylinder opinion, as my Rabbit gradually lost one and I learned that the test is to stop and hold the brake pedal down. If it holds, your master cylinder is OK, if not you either have a leak somewhere or your master cylinder seals are going out. Barring a leak, the problem is in the cylinder. And, before it completely goes you can get some pressure by pumping. Trick is to get it fixed before it goes out completely, cause then life gets exciting.
Your mention of old ball joints on a gravel road flashed me back to two, separate ’62 Chevys I knew intimately (which would have had the exact same suspensions as the Laurentian), both of which spent much of their time off of the pavement. I can think of no other car in my lifetime that experienced as many suspension related rattles as those cars. You could go underneath and tighten everything up, and within a few weeks the rattles had returned. Over time, nothing seemed to fall off, so you learned to live with the rattles.
Loving the tourist pictures. They remind me of family trips through South Dakota in the 1960’s, with all of the local roadside attractions designed to pull in a little money from the folks who were really on their way to the Black Hills. Had to admire the ingenuity of these folks.
David, I think the next time Mrs M and me want to go to Radium and Invermere we’re going to go through the Crowsnest and along highway 3. The last time I drove through there was as a 15 year old in the back seat of Dad’s 1970 Olds Cutlass Supreme four door hardtop.
I’m enjoying your features very much.
It is a nice drive with plenty to do along the route.
I remember the Round Tuit! Now for the most boring comment anyone could ever make. I put those S10 beauty/trim rings on my Zephyr when I painted the rims black. They were perfect. Not too chrome but just shiny enough. Yep, I am getting nostalgic for trim rings. Okay, back to you all saying interesting things…
Great. Riveting stuff, excellent photos of places I’ve never seen and seem pretty exotic from my point of view.
Eagerly awaiting the next episode. Go Laurentian!
Excellent writing David..Seeing that dash lit up, reminds of an earlier time in my life.