Hot Rod - James Garner's 1970 Oldsmobile 442 Baja Race Car
02-08-2011, 11:40 AM
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Hot Rod - James Garner's 1970 Oldsmobile 442 Baja Race Car It's True: Guys Raced Muscle Cars At The Baja 1000, And Jim Garner Was Among Them. Ride Along In His Recently Restored Olds 442 Off-Road Racer.
Here's the Grabber Olds today, in action after Ron Johnson's restoration.
From the March, 2011 issue of Hot Rod
By Chris Collard
Photography by Chris Collard, courtesy Ron Johnson, The Hot Rod Archives
Even by the late '60s, hot rodders still showed a competitive spirit that knew no bounds of mechanical or social stigma. That meant racers who were into drag and circle-track racing were almost necessarily also into boats, hillclimbs, rallies, and even off-road racing. When the National Off-Road Racing Association hosted the first few runnings of the Mexican 1000, which would soon be known as the Baja 1000 under Mickey Thompson's SCORE sanctioning body, it drew names such as Ak Miller, Bill Stroppe, Parnelli Jones, Danny Ongias, Don Prudhomme, Jim Garner, and Steve McQueen. HOT ROD, Car Craft, and Motor Trend all sponsored cars, trucks, and Broncos. Our archive photos even show typical hot rodding faces such as Ed Iskenderian and Linda Vaughn in attendance.
We're talking about the years 1967 to 1972ish-the muscle car heyday-and it might surprise you to know that many of the race cars also had familiar names. As seen on these pages, the passenger sedan classes were loaded with Rancheros, Mavericks, Dusters, a GTO, a few older Mopars, and even some Chevelles. And that's just the muscle makes. Outside of the expected VW Bugs and Corvairs, there were also off-road-racing Pintos and Vegas, and Peter Brock ran Datsun 510s for several years, and then a 240Z. The place was thick with '50s cars, including an Edsel, and our archive photos even reveal '35 and '46 Fords slogging past the saguaros.
Can you tell we're in love? The off-road racing sedans strike a purposeful, unpredictable, can-do pose that really bangs our gears. That's why we were thrilled a couple of years ago at the announcement of the return of the NORRA 1000 as a vintage-themed road rally that would recall the earliest days of Baja racing, when it was more of a marathon blast down dirt roads than the punishment of brutal jumps, rocks, silt, and sand that marks the SCORE racing of today. The new NORRA 1000 would "return off-road racing motorsports to its roots of hot rodding and fun," claimed the organization, making it once again possible to be taken seriously as a racer while playing General Lee with some mud tires on your Camaro.
The relaunch of the NORRA 1000 was delayed in 2009 by Mexico's hurricanes and earthquakes, but it finally went down April 28 to May 2, 2010. It's planned again for May 4-8, 2011 (see NORRA.com), making us want to build a clone of the HOT ROD magazine '68 Ranchero that Ak Miller and Ray Brock used to win their class at the '67 event.
Meanwhile, the story that follows is a tale of discovery, restoration, and racing of one of Jim Garner's Oldsmobile 442s that ran in the off-road races of 1969 to 1971. It's told by correspondent Chris Collard, of whom we're really envious. -David Freiburger
The Grabber Olds Lives
At 72, and with more than 250 class wins to his credit, Rod Hall is one of America's most experienced and successful drivers. Riding shotgun for Hall is like walking with Ansel Adams on a Yosemite photo shoot.
The Nevada landscape streamed past my passenger-side window like a roll of newspaper off a printing press. It wasn't an actual window, but a mesh safety net. A concoction of sage, powder-fine dust, racing fuel, and fresh paint burning off the headers permeated the air. The smell was sweet, of victory from another era. Within my helmet, every chuckhole, divot, and boulder launched a symphony of thuds, rattles, and clanks. Approaching a sweeping bend in the canyon, the driver lifted his right foot slightly from the throttle, slid his left over the brake, slowed to about 50 mph, and threw the car into a slight drift. He held the car in perfect symmetry to the arc of the turn, his feet dancing over the pedals. Every movement was that of a seasoned thoroughbred.
This wasn't your run-of-the-mill driver. Rod Hall is the winningest off road racer in the U.S., and at 72, he seemed to be just getting into his groove. The hood stretched out before me also had pedigree. White and yellow stripes slipped over the scoops to a 40-year-old emblem that formed the number 442. As in James Garner's Grabber Oldsmobile 442, the real thing that was raced by the actor, and others, in off-road events from 1969 to 1972.
I was originally invited to join the Grabber 442 team for the NORRA Mexican 1000 vintage race down the Baja peninsula in early 2010. When the Olds' motor blew during a prerun two days before race day, Hall looked at me and said, "If we can get this car in another race, I want you to ride with me." I booked the appointment immediately.
My job today: watch the gauges and make sure we don't cook the motor again. An hour earlier, we'd pulled away from the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, with 70 buggies, trophy trucks, and Class 1 race cars in our rearview mirror. It was the ceremonial start of the inaugural VORRA Extreme Outlaws 250 desert race, and thousands of spectators lined up to witness this restored slice of automotive history roll under the green flag. The official start was in front of the world-famous Mustang Ranch, and now we were in the actual race. Fist-sized boulders were skipping off the undercarriage and rocker panels, and I couldn't help but think, Why in God's name would anyone spend two years and $60,000 restoring this car . . . then subject it to this hell?
Behind The Madness
Lined up for contingency and tech inspection in front of the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, (host of the VORRA Extreme Outlaws 250), the 442, at about 30 years older than any of the other cars, was a real head-turner.
The man behind it all was Ron Johnson of Tacoma, Washington, a classic-car curator and aficionado of Vic Hickey-built race cars. In 2008, Johnson queried an ad in Hemmings Motor News for an Oldsmobile race car with a Vic Hickey rollcage. The vehicle, which did have said rollcage, could at best be deemed a basket case. It had no motor or tranny, was rusting from tailpipe to grille, and sported thick layers of cobwebs and dust. It wasn't until after he pushed it off the trailer at his shop that he realized he'd found the lost Jim Garner '70 Goodyear Grabber 442. He knew what he must do.
James Garner-then known mostly for Maverick, as this was before The Rockford Files-was an avid racer in the late '60s, and he even had his own fab shop, American International Racers, building cars for Daytona, Sebring, and the like. He was also an off-road racer from the start and even fabbed the famous fleet of AMC Ramblers that ran in the '69 Baja 500. In the '69 Mexican 1000, Garner piloted the '70 Grabber 442, which was one of three preproduction cars built by off-road guru Vic Hickey, who had also created the Hurst Baja Boot, among many others. The Olds seems an unusual choice once you realize the project was not factory backed, but it has been assumed that it may have been influenced by Hickey's alliance with George Hurst, who was tight with Olds.
The car was ahead of its time, and Garner was an inherently skilled driver. In its first 1000, Garner was an hour ahead of his class when a sharp rock put him on the sidelines for a tire change. An oil leak had developed early on in the race, and when Garner forgot to tie down the damaged tire (or it came loose), it thrashed around in the trunk and destroyed the spare oil cans. Out of oil and on the sidelines again, it took 90 minutes to source additional oil and get moving. When the dust settled, Garner finessed the 442 under the checkered flag just 23 minutes behind the lead vehicle, landing a Second Place finish.
Garner spent two more years behind the wheel while he waited for Vic Hickey to build the Olds Banshee, the tube-chassis predecessor to today's trophy trucks. The Grabber 442 was then raced by Slick Gardner until he wadded it up. It was rebuilt and then retired from the Hickey fleet. New owners Mark and Jack Mendenhall raced the old girl on the tracks of Baja and Southern California until 1974. Its whereabouts became a mystery for the following 34 years, and it was considered to have vanished for eternity. Then Johnson found the two-line ad in Hemmings.
Getting the car into race-ready condition after extensive neglect became a project of biblical proportion. Extensive research on the Internet led to the discovery of some of the original, but now missing, components. The hood, which had been removed prior to the vehicle being barrel-rolled six times, showed up in Ventura, California. The original aluminum-block V8 surfaced on the East Coast. Other hard parts, such as the rear axle and brakes, were beyond repair and required full replacement.
Johnson couldn't locate the original valve covers but did locate the molds. Yes, he had a new one-off set of Dale Smith Oldsmobile valve covers cast.With a pile of new parts in hand and a slew more coming in, Johnson began to patch together the old 442. Rusted quarter-panels, cracked sheetmetal seams, and an array of dents were replaced, mended, or filled, and the body was prepped for paint. The undercarriage needed thorough sandblasting, and anything plastic or rubber found its way to the recycle bin.
Here's the Grabber Olds today, in action after Ron Johnson's restoration.
From the March, 2011 issue of Hot Rod
By Chris Collard
Photography by Chris Collard, courtesy Ron Johnson, The Hot Rod Archives
Even by the late '60s, hot rodders still showed a competitive spirit that knew no bounds of mechanical or social stigma. That meant racers who were into drag and circle-track racing were almost necessarily also into boats, hillclimbs, rallies, and even off-road racing. When the National Off-Road Racing Association hosted the first few runnings of the Mexican 1000, which would soon be known as the Baja 1000 under Mickey Thompson's SCORE sanctioning body, it drew names such as Ak Miller, Bill Stroppe, Parnelli Jones, Danny Ongias, Don Prudhomme, Jim Garner, and Steve McQueen. HOT ROD, Car Craft, and Motor Trend all sponsored cars, trucks, and Broncos. Our archive photos even show typical hot rodding faces such as Ed Iskenderian and Linda Vaughn in attendance.
We're talking about the years 1967 to 1972ish-the muscle car heyday-and it might surprise you to know that many of the race cars also had familiar names. As seen on these pages, the passenger sedan classes were loaded with Rancheros, Mavericks, Dusters, a GTO, a few older Mopars, and even some Chevelles. And that's just the muscle makes. Outside of the expected VW Bugs and Corvairs, there were also off-road-racing Pintos and Vegas, and Peter Brock ran Datsun 510s for several years, and then a 240Z. The place was thick with '50s cars, including an Edsel, and our archive photos even reveal '35 and '46 Fords slogging past the saguaros.
Can you tell we're in love? The off-road racing sedans strike a purposeful, unpredictable, can-do pose that really bangs our gears. That's why we were thrilled a couple of years ago at the announcement of the return of the NORRA 1000 as a vintage-themed road rally that would recall the earliest days of Baja racing, when it was more of a marathon blast down dirt roads than the punishment of brutal jumps, rocks, silt, and sand that marks the SCORE racing of today. The new NORRA 1000 would "return off-road racing motorsports to its roots of hot rodding and fun," claimed the organization, making it once again possible to be taken seriously as a racer while playing General Lee with some mud tires on your Camaro.
The relaunch of the NORRA 1000 was delayed in 2009 by Mexico's hurricanes and earthquakes, but it finally went down April 28 to May 2, 2010. It's planned again for May 4-8, 2011 (see NORRA.com), making us want to build a clone of the HOT ROD magazine '68 Ranchero that Ak Miller and Ray Brock used to win their class at the '67 event.
Meanwhile, the story that follows is a tale of discovery, restoration, and racing of one of Jim Garner's Oldsmobile 442s that ran in the off-road races of 1969 to 1971. It's told by correspondent Chris Collard, of whom we're really envious. -David Freiburger
The Grabber Olds Lives
At 72, and with more than 250 class wins to his credit, Rod Hall is one of America's most experienced and successful drivers. Riding shotgun for Hall is like walking with Ansel Adams on a Yosemite photo shoot.
The Nevada landscape streamed past my passenger-side window like a roll of newspaper off a printing press. It wasn't an actual window, but a mesh safety net. A concoction of sage, powder-fine dust, racing fuel, and fresh paint burning off the headers permeated the air. The smell was sweet, of victory from another era. Within my helmet, every chuckhole, divot, and boulder launched a symphony of thuds, rattles, and clanks. Approaching a sweeping bend in the canyon, the driver lifted his right foot slightly from the throttle, slid his left over the brake, slowed to about 50 mph, and threw the car into a slight drift. He held the car in perfect symmetry to the arc of the turn, his feet dancing over the pedals. Every movement was that of a seasoned thoroughbred.
This wasn't your run-of-the-mill driver. Rod Hall is the winningest off road racer in the U.S., and at 72, he seemed to be just getting into his groove. The hood stretched out before me also had pedigree. White and yellow stripes slipped over the scoops to a 40-year-old emblem that formed the number 442. As in James Garner's Grabber Oldsmobile 442, the real thing that was raced by the actor, and others, in off-road events from 1969 to 1972.
I was originally invited to join the Grabber 442 team for the NORRA Mexican 1000 vintage race down the Baja peninsula in early 2010. When the Olds' motor blew during a prerun two days before race day, Hall looked at me and said, "If we can get this car in another race, I want you to ride with me." I booked the appointment immediately.
My job today: watch the gauges and make sure we don't cook the motor again. An hour earlier, we'd pulled away from the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, with 70 buggies, trophy trucks, and Class 1 race cars in our rearview mirror. It was the ceremonial start of the inaugural VORRA Extreme Outlaws 250 desert race, and thousands of spectators lined up to witness this restored slice of automotive history roll under the green flag. The official start was in front of the world-famous Mustang Ranch, and now we were in the actual race. Fist-sized boulders were skipping off the undercarriage and rocker panels, and I couldn't help but think, Why in God's name would anyone spend two years and $60,000 restoring this car . . . then subject it to this hell?
Behind The Madness
Lined up for contingency and tech inspection in front of the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, (host of the VORRA Extreme Outlaws 250), the 442, at about 30 years older than any of the other cars, was a real head-turner.
The man behind it all was Ron Johnson of Tacoma, Washington, a classic-car curator and aficionado of Vic Hickey-built race cars. In 2008, Johnson queried an ad in Hemmings Motor News for an Oldsmobile race car with a Vic Hickey rollcage. The vehicle, which did have said rollcage, could at best be deemed a basket case. It had no motor or tranny, was rusting from tailpipe to grille, and sported thick layers of cobwebs and dust. It wasn't until after he pushed it off the trailer at his shop that he realized he'd found the lost Jim Garner '70 Goodyear Grabber 442. He knew what he must do.
James Garner-then known mostly for Maverick, as this was before The Rockford Files-was an avid racer in the late '60s, and he even had his own fab shop, American International Racers, building cars for Daytona, Sebring, and the like. He was also an off-road racer from the start and even fabbed the famous fleet of AMC Ramblers that ran in the '69 Baja 500. In the '69 Mexican 1000, Garner piloted the '70 Grabber 442, which was one of three preproduction cars built by off-road guru Vic Hickey, who had also created the Hurst Baja Boot, among many others. The Olds seems an unusual choice once you realize the project was not factory backed, but it has been assumed that it may have been influenced by Hickey's alliance with George Hurst, who was tight with Olds.
The car was ahead of its time, and Garner was an inherently skilled driver. In its first 1000, Garner was an hour ahead of his class when a sharp rock put him on the sidelines for a tire change. An oil leak had developed early on in the race, and when Garner forgot to tie down the damaged tire (or it came loose), it thrashed around in the trunk and destroyed the spare oil cans. Out of oil and on the sidelines again, it took 90 minutes to source additional oil and get moving. When the dust settled, Garner finessed the 442 under the checkered flag just 23 minutes behind the lead vehicle, landing a Second Place finish.
Garner spent two more years behind the wheel while he waited for Vic Hickey to build the Olds Banshee, the tube-chassis predecessor to today's trophy trucks. The Grabber 442 was then raced by Slick Gardner until he wadded it up. It was rebuilt and then retired from the Hickey fleet. New owners Mark and Jack Mendenhall raced the old girl on the tracks of Baja and Southern California until 1974. Its whereabouts became a mystery for the following 34 years, and it was considered to have vanished for eternity. Then Johnson found the two-line ad in Hemmings.
Getting the car into race-ready condition after extensive neglect became a project of biblical proportion. Extensive research on the Internet led to the discovery of some of the original, but now missing, components. The hood, which had been removed prior to the vehicle being barrel-rolled six times, showed up in Ventura, California. The original aluminum-block V8 surfaced on the East Coast. Other hard parts, such as the rear axle and brakes, were beyond repair and required full replacement.
Johnson couldn't locate the original valve covers but did locate the molds. Yes, he had a new one-off set of Dale Smith Oldsmobile valve covers cast.With a pile of new parts in hand and a slew more coming in, Johnson began to patch together the old 442. Rusted quarter-panels, cracked sheetmetal seams, and an array of dents were replaced, mended, or filled, and the body was prepped for paint. The undercarriage needed thorough sandblasting, and anything plastic or rubber found its way to the recycle bin.
02-08-2011, 11:40 AM
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From The Inside Out
The interior was first stripped of anything tangible and repainted. The aluminum dash was refitted with new Stewart-Warner gauges, save the tach and speedometer, Mastercraft racing seats and harnesses replaced a pair of old fiberglass buckets, and the '70s-era Tri-Phase secondary air filter was refurbished.
Because the car was destined for the dirt again, what remained of the interior was gutted, and everything else was stripped to the metal, primed, and repainted. Johnson's goal was to keep the car basically original with upgrades for current racing. The rollcage was inspected and improved where needed, and a Schneider Simpson 50-gallon fuel cell was fabbed to original specs, fitted with an ATL bladder, and remounted between the C-pillars. Dual Optima batteries were slipped behind a pair of new Mastercraft Safety Pro 4 racing seats and two spare BFG Mud-Terrains were shoehorned into the trunk. The original air cleaner box, aluminum dash, tachometer, and factory speedometer were removed and refurbished, and the '70s Stewart-Warner gauges were updated with new S-W units. The car retained its original steering wheel, pedals, and Hurst Dual-Gate shifter, all of which James Garner used to finesse the 442 down the Baja peninsula.
Out Back And Up Front
Back in the day, the Grabber part of the 442 moniker was derived from the Goodyear Grabber off-road tires. BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains now keep the old girl on the straight and narrow. That's a big trunk.
With the original rear axle damaged beyond repair, a replacement Olds-style 12-bolt unit was sourced and fitted with a Moser spool, Yukon 4.11:1 gears, and a pair of Moser 35-spline axles mated to a Speedway Engineering full-floater setup. Capping each end are Wilwood billet calipers and rotors. Maintaining the original suspension and shock configuration, Johnson replicated the upper and lower shock mounts, fitted them with King bypass units at each corner, and replaced the aging rear control arms with C3 Fab Racing parts. Mastercraft limiting straps eliminate the possibility of hyperextending the shocks and losing a coil spring when the 442 leaves the ground.
Up front, the original Hickey-modified A-arms were inspected for structural integrity, treated to new rubber and ball joints, and the shock mounts were modified to accept new dual King bypass shocks. To keep the 442 between the flags, steering links were upgraded and Wilwood calipers and rotors control braking.
Under The Bonnet
According to owner Johnson, the W-31 prototype was the only 442 with an all-aluminum Olds 350-cid V8, and only three vehicles were built. The 350 in the Grabber 442 was soon replaced with a Dale Smith 410 (and only four of these engines were known to have been built), and the badges changed to W-30. Johnson found the original engine block, which has been refreshed and makes just over 500 horsepower.
When Vic Hickey received the car from Detroit in 1969, it sported an all-aluminum Olds 350. That mill went south shortly after and was replaced with a Dale Smith-built, aluminum-block, 410ci V8, one of only four built. Hoping to find a motor similar to the original, Johnson went back to the numerous Internet race-junkie forums. The research paid off when he received a note that one of the 410s was sitting in a warehouse on the East Coast. Further inquiry revealed it was the exact block originally in the car. A price was negotiated, Johnson laid down the coin, and in a few weeks the vintage mill was sitting in his shop.
After 34 years of grime was stripped from its core, the 410 was treated to a full overhaul: new crank and rods, Probe Racing 10.5:1 pistons, aluminum heads, and Comp Cams roller rockers and cam. Up top, the OEM air cleaner halos an Edelbrock carburetor and Edelbrock Performer intake manifold. Spark plugs receive their pulse via MSD's Pro-Billet aluminum distributor, plug wires, and dual coils. A pair of Hedman headers and a Flowmaster 3-inch system channels the fumes. While the 410 was being resurrected, Destry Scott at A-Plus Transmissions was rebuilding a TH400 transmission, and Victory Performance was turning a new driveshaft. When the engine was finally put on a dyno, Johnson says the old 442 pegged the needle at 508 hp.
Back On The Track
This is not the way we're used to seeing GM A-body suspension. The Olds 12-bolt rearend has beefed Moser 35-spline axles and a Speedway full-floater kit, but really unusual are the lift springs, King remote-reservoir shocks, limiting straps, and custom control arms with Currie Johnny Joints for articulation. The brakes are Wilwood.
The temperature gauge was heading into the red zone as we rounded the corner for the first pit stop. I didn't want to be the guy at the gauges if this second (and very expensive) motor melted down. I made the call for a full-stop inspection. The Flex-a-lite aluminum radiator and dual fans were up to the task, but the 140-amp alternator gave up the ghost and the fans ceased to function as the batteries died. The guys from Samco-Hall's pit crew-grabbed another alternator and slipped it in. It also died after a few miles.
Our race was over. As we rolled back to the pits, Hall flipped off the ignition toggles, I shut down the primary power, and a small crowd gathered. At that moment, crossing the checkered flag didn't really matter. James Garner's Grabber Oldsmobile was alive and mostly well. I'd spent the day in one of the most notable cars of its day, and with the most winning off-roader in history. It was a moment not soon forgotten.
As we loaded up the car to return to Reno, I asked Johnson about the time and cost involved with the restoration. "It wasn't cheap, but this car is a piece of history, I couldn't let it die in a pile of cobwebs," he responded. "I never could have taken this project on if it were not for the help of my brothers Rick and Dick, my dad, and all of the amazing sponsors who shared my vision." When asked about being sponsored by Los Valientes Tequila and the famous Mustang Ranch, he said, "They are both big Baja race fans and provide . . . uh . . . moral support. At the end of the day, the money wasn't important. I wanted James Garner to know how much his car means to his fans and the racing public and that it would once again see the dirt two-tracks of Baja."
Here's the car after a horrific wreck in the early '70s and how it looked when Johnson purchased it for $1,000.
To know the true dedication it takes to restore an old, beat, and forlorn race car, take a look at the 442's interior as found in 2008.
This is the three-pack of Hayden Cool Ones Oldsmobiles in 1972, the newest of which was Vic Hickey's radical tube-chassis, fiberglass-bodied, short-wheelbase Banshee. The '69 and '70 steel production cars had been raced over the prior few years. The story here focuses on the '70.
The '70 Garner car is often confused with this car, the Vic Hickey Olds Banshee, which came later. With a relocated engine (moved back 27 inches), tube frame and fiberglass body panels (shortened by George Barris), custom long A-arm suspension, and a whopping 11 inches of travel, some say the Banshee paved the way for today's Class 1 and Trophy Trucks. This vehicle is also restored and on the vintage off-road circuit. The third Olds, a '69, is still owned by the Mendenhall family.
The interior was first stripped of anything tangible and repainted. The aluminum dash was refitted with new Stewart-Warner gauges, save the tach and speedometer, Mastercraft racing seats and harnesses replaced a pair of old fiberglass buckets, and the '70s-era Tri-Phase secondary air filter was refurbished.
Because the car was destined for the dirt again, what remained of the interior was gutted, and everything else was stripped to the metal, primed, and repainted. Johnson's goal was to keep the car basically original with upgrades for current racing. The rollcage was inspected and improved where needed, and a Schneider Simpson 50-gallon fuel cell was fabbed to original specs, fitted with an ATL bladder, and remounted between the C-pillars. Dual Optima batteries were slipped behind a pair of new Mastercraft Safety Pro 4 racing seats and two spare BFG Mud-Terrains were shoehorned into the trunk. The original air cleaner box, aluminum dash, tachometer, and factory speedometer were removed and refurbished, and the '70s Stewart-Warner gauges were updated with new S-W units. The car retained its original steering wheel, pedals, and Hurst Dual-Gate shifter, all of which James Garner used to finesse the 442 down the Baja peninsula.
Out Back And Up Front
Back in the day, the Grabber part of the 442 moniker was derived from the Goodyear Grabber off-road tires. BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains now keep the old girl on the straight and narrow. That's a big trunk.
With the original rear axle damaged beyond repair, a replacement Olds-style 12-bolt unit was sourced and fitted with a Moser spool, Yukon 4.11:1 gears, and a pair of Moser 35-spline axles mated to a Speedway Engineering full-floater setup. Capping each end are Wilwood billet calipers and rotors. Maintaining the original suspension and shock configuration, Johnson replicated the upper and lower shock mounts, fitted them with King bypass units at each corner, and replaced the aging rear control arms with C3 Fab Racing parts. Mastercraft limiting straps eliminate the possibility of hyperextending the shocks and losing a coil spring when the 442 leaves the ground.
Up front, the original Hickey-modified A-arms were inspected for structural integrity, treated to new rubber and ball joints, and the shock mounts were modified to accept new dual King bypass shocks. To keep the 442 between the flags, steering links were upgraded and Wilwood calipers and rotors control braking.
Under The Bonnet
According to owner Johnson, the W-31 prototype was the only 442 with an all-aluminum Olds 350-cid V8, and only three vehicles were built. The 350 in the Grabber 442 was soon replaced with a Dale Smith 410 (and only four of these engines were known to have been built), and the badges changed to W-30. Johnson found the original engine block, which has been refreshed and makes just over 500 horsepower.
When Vic Hickey received the car from Detroit in 1969, it sported an all-aluminum Olds 350. That mill went south shortly after and was replaced with a Dale Smith-built, aluminum-block, 410ci V8, one of only four built. Hoping to find a motor similar to the original, Johnson went back to the numerous Internet race-junkie forums. The research paid off when he received a note that one of the 410s was sitting in a warehouse on the East Coast. Further inquiry revealed it was the exact block originally in the car. A price was negotiated, Johnson laid down the coin, and in a few weeks the vintage mill was sitting in his shop.
After 34 years of grime was stripped from its core, the 410 was treated to a full overhaul: new crank and rods, Probe Racing 10.5:1 pistons, aluminum heads, and Comp Cams roller rockers and cam. Up top, the OEM air cleaner halos an Edelbrock carburetor and Edelbrock Performer intake manifold. Spark plugs receive their pulse via MSD's Pro-Billet aluminum distributor, plug wires, and dual coils. A pair of Hedman headers and a Flowmaster 3-inch system channels the fumes. While the 410 was being resurrected, Destry Scott at A-Plus Transmissions was rebuilding a TH400 transmission, and Victory Performance was turning a new driveshaft. When the engine was finally put on a dyno, Johnson says the old 442 pegged the needle at 508 hp.
Back On The Track
This is not the way we're used to seeing GM A-body suspension. The Olds 12-bolt rearend has beefed Moser 35-spline axles and a Speedway full-floater kit, but really unusual are the lift springs, King remote-reservoir shocks, limiting straps, and custom control arms with Currie Johnny Joints for articulation. The brakes are Wilwood.
The temperature gauge was heading into the red zone as we rounded the corner for the first pit stop. I didn't want to be the guy at the gauges if this second (and very expensive) motor melted down. I made the call for a full-stop inspection. The Flex-a-lite aluminum radiator and dual fans were up to the task, but the 140-amp alternator gave up the ghost and the fans ceased to function as the batteries died. The guys from Samco-Hall's pit crew-grabbed another alternator and slipped it in. It also died after a few miles.
Our race was over. As we rolled back to the pits, Hall flipped off the ignition toggles, I shut down the primary power, and a small crowd gathered. At that moment, crossing the checkered flag didn't really matter. James Garner's Grabber Oldsmobile was alive and mostly well. I'd spent the day in one of the most notable cars of its day, and with the most winning off-roader in history. It was a moment not soon forgotten.
As we loaded up the car to return to Reno, I asked Johnson about the time and cost involved with the restoration. "It wasn't cheap, but this car is a piece of history, I couldn't let it die in a pile of cobwebs," he responded. "I never could have taken this project on if it were not for the help of my brothers Rick and Dick, my dad, and all of the amazing sponsors who shared my vision." When asked about being sponsored by Los Valientes Tequila and the famous Mustang Ranch, he said, "They are both big Baja race fans and provide . . . uh . . . moral support. At the end of the day, the money wasn't important. I wanted James Garner to know how much his car means to his fans and the racing public and that it would once again see the dirt two-tracks of Baja."
Here's the car after a horrific wreck in the early '70s and how it looked when Johnson purchased it for $1,000.
To know the true dedication it takes to restore an old, beat, and forlorn race car, take a look at the 442's interior as found in 2008.
This is the three-pack of Hayden Cool Ones Oldsmobiles in 1972, the newest of which was Vic Hickey's radical tube-chassis, fiberglass-bodied, short-wheelbase Banshee. The '69 and '70 steel production cars had been raced over the prior few years. The story here focuses on the '70.
The '70 Garner car is often confused with this car, the Vic Hickey Olds Banshee, which came later. With a relocated engine (moved back 27 inches), tube frame and fiberglass body panels (shortened by George Barris), custom long A-arm suspension, and a whopping 11 inches of travel, some say the Banshee paved the way for today's Class 1 and Trophy Trucks. This vehicle is also restored and on the vintage off-road circuit. The third Olds, a '69, is still owned by the Mendenhall family.
02-08-2011, 11:41 AM
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Muscle Cars of Baja 1000
Pontiac GTO
Ford Ranchero
Plymouth Duster
Plymouth Road Runner
AMC Rambler
Ford Maverick
Plymouth Road Runner
Ford Maverick
Oldsmobile Toronado
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-6MG...layer_embedded
Pontiac GTO
Ford Ranchero
Plymouth Duster
Plymouth Road Runner
AMC Rambler
Ford Maverick
Plymouth Road Runner
Ford Maverick
Oldsmobile Toronado
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-6MG...layer_embedded
