# Not a GTO, but old school tires & rims



## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

Found this YouTube video that shows what I remember from the mid 1970's era themed car looks. This is a Nova which was a popular choice back then - still looks great today all souped up. This was a popular rim/tire combo that many had and why I posted here in the tire/rim section. Tires were wide and could hang out the wheel wells, so you had to lift up the rear of the car for clearances - leaf spring cars used longer rear shackles and air shocks, coil spring cars used spacers (if you had money) and air shocks. I could not afford air shocks way back, but could afford the coil spring helpers that you slid over your shock absorbers and they had a clamp like a muffler clamp. You extended the shock out in installing them. Gave a little extra lift. Later when I got a factory job, I could afford the air shocks to jack up my cars - Gabriel Hi-jackers (white in color).

Things to notice in the video (use the pause button to check details):

The bad-ass choppy idle
Grant steering wheel
Tach mounted on the steering column
Extra gauges under the dash
Speakers cut into the door panels
B&M ratchet shifter
Dual mirrors ( most cars only had drivers side mirror)
Jacked up in the rear body stance
Cragar SS mags/rims
"Big & Little" - the tire size - either wide out back/narrow in front, or 15" rear/14" front
White lettered tires
Hood scoop - Z28 and the Grumpy Jenkins "breadbox" scoop were popular
Traction bars/Slapper bars on the leaf springs (usually the yellow Lakewood brand)
Decals on the rear 1/4 window


----------



## dadspackard31 (Dec 2, 2019)

Yep I remember them days
Thanks for sharing PJ

You cant see in this picture but my twins Firebird is setup like that. Rears on his may even be wider. Will try to get a better picture of his car.


----------



## pontrc (Mar 18, 2020)

Look like that old AMT model kit the old pro Big Jim👍


----------



## 67ventwindow (Mar 3, 2020)

Those were the days. Couldnt afford a set of M/T N50s. Went to a friends junk yard and got tires tires to burn off. They gave to me for next to nothing.


----------



## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

not being able to afford crap, is how we all learned to work on cars. To this day, my father tells the story of how when I needed a piece of sheet metal for my 79 Trans AM air cleaner, I cut it out of the side of his tool box. FYI, I was not only poor, but stupid too


----------



## 67ventwindow (Mar 3, 2020)

The one I will never live down. Is painting the pot belly wood burning stove. We had some old paint in the detached garage, kind of rusty orange red pink conglomeration. So at the ripe age of five I took it upon my self to paint anything old in the garage. If my Dads hot rod had been in there I wouldn't have made it to six. 
My parents always told me that payback comes when you have kids. 100% right. I have been payed back 10 fold and still have 16 years left to get them all out of the house.


----------

