Flint native whose been in Fla for 30 years.

John, hope you and Jenn are doing GREAT!!! Stay warm up there in Maine if you can. Hope your kids are doing GREAT too!!!
Mike, this place is like a family, and the information and knowledge are unbelievable!!! Merry Christmas to ALL!!!

 

Will do, thanks. Talk soon.

 

Welcome from west Michigan, Mike.

 

Thanks Smokey. Once we retire, I'm dragging my wife, whose Honduran, back up to Michigan. Bought retirement property an hour from the bridge.
Can't wait to be closer to some of the best car shows in the world, and get out of this heat and humidity.

 

Welcome from North Florida. I've been known to make it to Johns neck of the woods for a gathering so we may run into each other. As for Michigan... You can have that cold stuff. I'll stay right here.

 

Briz,
We plan on being sunbirds. I have no desire to be up there year round. I just want my wife to experience the change of season, and myself, I miss that.
I also want the ability to go up and snowmobile whenever I want. If you've never experienced northern Michigan in the summer, there is no place I would rather be, especially not here any longer. The older I get the more the heat bothers me.

 

I am in Venice Tuesday through Friday at my office. I am one of four chiropractors who work together at Twin Palms Chiropractic.

 

Good to know. If we come over to visit them this winter I will reach out to you....for an adjustment.

 

Welcome from Flint Mike. I spent 35 Years at The Buick as a Timsmith. My Dad spent 35 Years there as a Tool Grinder. My Grandfather spent 40 Years there. I dont know what he did. I also had numerous Uncles who worked there as well. Too bad it's all torn down. I have a '65 Gran Sport too. I just dropped a 425/DQ engine in it. If I could get my mental state in order I could finish it. I'm having a lot of trouble with PTSD. I'm thinking of going back into the hospital today or tomorrow. The problem is, I dont want to be in there over Christmas. Enjoy the site, there are a Lot of knowledgeable people on here and they can fix anything.

 

Hi Jim,
Thank you for reaching out, your car is gorgeous. I'm sorry to hear about your PTSD. I struggle with some issues from the war myself. If you ever want someone to chat with, I would love to hear about your 65. My number is 561-two-3-niner 36 two-nine. If not, I understand. I hope you have some wonderful holidays.

 

Do you think this is the site to do it on? The GN is a 6 for one and I'm not sure that it would be well received?

 

Where should I do the thread? Under what topic?

 

I grew up there. Left at 17. moved back at 21 and left for good at 24 (1985) Have n0 desire to go back there. We moved from the mid west coast Florida to current location in 2004. About as far north as I want to be.

 

Good Move Briz!! I asked my dad what his Dad did at The Buick. It turns out both my Grandfathers worked at the spring and forge plant. There were plenty of Fantomworks things going on there. On my spare time I'd go wandering through the Experimental Factory. Man the stuff they were trying out. A GN Engine in a Sunfire. I wrote about the rear wheel drive Reatta with the GN engine in it. Man was that car fast. Then there was the original Indy Pace car, a '76? I think sitting on the Fourth floor gathering dust and dents. Then when the gas crisis hit I saw a lot of V6s cut in half to make a 3 cylinder engine. I'm glad that didn't come to pass. Just a lot of different things going on. I got to know the Donations guy. They gave him most of the cars to scrap out. I got to take a lot of them for a ride before they were a Foot high. It sure seemed a shame to scrap some of those cars out. But they couldn't legally sell them so what could they do?

Jim (Ponch)

 

Cool story, I would have loved to have had the experience of that stuff, as I'm sure most on here would have.
I know my dad spent most of his years in plant 5 at the tranny plant doing small pieces. He said there was a short period in 70 when they put him over dropping the heads on the 455's.
He said they would come in on an arm that was holding them but that he still needed to manhandle them onto the block and that he didn't like it because it was exhaustive day after day.

 

I worked in Plant 5 for about a year. With all the layoffs here and there back then you got bumped around to different Plants. I worked in 5, 10 and 31. Then I went on Skilled Trades and was able to wander around the complex a bit more. I was a construction Tinsmith so we covered the whole site. We worked in all the plants so I got to see how most of the parts get made and put together. It was pretty cool. I even got to see some of the people I used to work with. It was good to see them again.

 

Nice. I wish I would have gotten a chance to see and learn more about The Buick. I read that the empty lot where Buick once stood is the largest vacant slab of concrete east of the Mississippi.