Uncle_Buck

Townsend was the closest Pontiac dealer to me when in my high school years (class of ‘67). Oh how we drooled over those big-inch Poncho’s in that very showroom. Tri-Power, Wide-Track, 8 lug wheels, Catalina 2+2, Bonneville, Grand Prix, GTO. Bring ‘em all back !!

What could go wrong ? A Packard dealer right smack in the middle of downtown Hammond, IN. Oops ...

Mr. Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago. Back in the day it was the high ground for MOPAR street & strip performance. Today, not so much ...

Jim Moran, the ‘Courtesy Ford Man’. At one time, this Grand Avenue Chicago Ford dealership was one of the largest volume dealers in the nation. Jim previously had a Hudson dealership.

Dry Gulch Motors. A Ford dealership in Estes Park, CO. The Model A club was there to celebrate the grand opening, which appears to be in the mid-sixties. I do see a 1965 Ford station wagon in the lot in this file photo. It was still a Ford dealership in 1970 when I first spotted it. We just went by it in November, still standing but now an ATV related business.

Wunnerful - wunnerful !! Those 60’s Pontiac dealerships have me lusting for those Poncho brutes in and around the building. Those were the days ... The big outdoor neon dealership signs are tops too. And lastly, those buildings sure looked better as a home to those GM pavement-rippers then they do today.

Interesting topic !! I remember these 3 dealerships from my hometown, Burlington, WI very well. Owner ‘Gov’ Cunningham proudly stands next to a new Buick and Olds. The Chevy dealer was next to the towns funeral parlor. And finally we have the Rambler- Studebaker dealer. All were within walking distance in the small downtown. The Buick and Chevy buildings remain, re-purposed. A fire took the Rambler-Studebaker building years ago. Trying to find a picture of Miller Motors, the towns Dodge dealer, which has stayed in the family for over 70 years and remains a Chrysler dealer to this day. They have moved to the outskirts of town to a large facility that now includes the Ford family of cars/trucks.

Ya. Here in the Upper Midwest, a popular saying at this time of year is; ‘ On a quite night - you can hear your car rust’. ?

A vacuum gauge, vacuum hoses of various size, hose connectors that step up/down vacuum hose sizes is also handy as you diagnose the system. Often the amount of vacuum at the engine source or vacuum canister is less at the diaphram. The gauge will show what element is leaking. Vacuum hoses tend to split and leak where the are pushed onto a connector. Follow the hoses, take notes and keep the faith. This and other procedures in this thread has led to problem identified, problem solved on my GM cars. Good luck.

Charging stations: The wife and I go to the same sea-side resort every year, owned by a high-end hotel chain. It caters to folks well above the median national income and it is wonderful, but pricey. 3 or 4 years ago, they installed Tesla charging stations in the parking garage in desirable, close-in spots. In the last 2 years, we have seen a Tesla or two in that garage area, but in the charging stations there would be most anything - accept cars that needed a cord, particularly as the evening wore on when parking spots become scarce. Tesla’s were effectively blocked from access to allow their vehicles to be charged. I’ll cut to the chase here; how long will it be until the owners of a gas fueled vehicle and a Tesla engage in some sort of headline-making, police involved altercation over that parking spot(s) carved out of a parking garage that have now been reserved as Tesla ‘charging stations’ ?

Outstanding photos !! Thanks for sharing.

Watch out NASCAR ... !!

Dilly-dilly for the Bud Light can and the Marlboro ...

When buying vintage British cars, always ask for the free T-shirt ...

Mr. John Staluppi is a self-made man, a car guy, likes dogs + grandkids and has nothing to do with the amount of time he is shown on a B-J telecast. Also, his name ends in a vowel. Perhaps we should all move on ...