1962 Pontiac Grand Prix - One Mean Green Dream

As with most young hobbyists with families, Ron had to divert available funds towards other facets, which virtually halted the Grand Prix's progress for a short time. "My family was growing and we had just had our third child, so things slowed down a bit," he says.

For the next several years, the project sat dormant in Bill's garage, and during that time Ron purchased a new home that included additional garage space. In August 2003, the project was brought home and work resumed. It was,however, at a snail's pace. "I completed a few small projects when I had the time and money," he says, "but in the spring of 2005 I made a promise to myself-I had spent the weekend at a car show without my car and knew that it would be the last time. The car had to be done by the spring of 2006."

Motivation
A rejuvenated Ron forged onward, finishing the suspension, repainting the entire undercarriage using Rustoleum gloss black, and reinstalling the glass and various trim pieces. It wasn't long before he began exploring drivetrain combinations. Having sold the Grand Prix's original 389ci, Ron purchased a 455ci out of a '70 B-body Pontiac from a local salvage yard, and sent it to Kevin Swaney at Tin Indian Performance in Uniontown for a high-performance rebuild.

Kevin bored the two-bolt main-block 0.060-inch to 4.21 inches, and though the cast-iron crankshaft retains its original 4.21-inch stroke, its main and rod journals were each undersized by 0.010 inch. The combination now displaces 469ci. Forged aluminum Ross pistons that fill the cylinders are complemented by Total Seal rings and 6.625-inch forged-steel Eagle connecting rods. This balanced reciprocating mass rides on Federal-Mogul bearings, and the lubrication system consists of a 60-psi Melling oil pump and stock oil pan.

The aluminum D-port cylinder heads from Kauffman Racing Equipment feature 2.11/1.66-inch valves and were CNC-ported to boost peak airflow to 310 cfm at 28 inches of pressure. Modern, fast-burn-style combustion chambers received a similar process and now contain 74 cc of volume, which yields a surprisingly pump-gas-friendly static compression ratio of 11:1. A Crower No. 60213 hydraulic flat-tappet camshaft featuring 246/254 degrees of 0.050-inch duration and 0.524/0.540-inch of gross valve lift when combined with 1.6:1 ratio Scorpion roller rocker arms controls the valve timing.

It took Kevin around three months to complete the engine build, so Ron sent the Grand Prix out for interior work during that time. "Once I had the car back home," he says, "I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It'd be the last time that I pushed the car onto the trailer." Ron then installed the engine, transmission and rear axle, finished plumbing the fuel lines and running the electrical wiring, and finalized all the details.

The Results
What had taken nearly 10 years to complete came to life one Saturday afternoon in mid-May 2006. "There were a few bugs we had to work out," Ron says, "but its maiden voyage was a couple of trips around the neighborhood. A few weeks later, we had it at Summit Racing Equipment's Super Summit event, and within an hour of arriving, the photographer was taking pictures of my car for Summit's Web site."

Ron says what he likes best is that his Pontiac is totally different. "There are a lot of Firebirds and GTOs out there, but you just don't see '62 Grand Prixs that often. It has brought home a trophy from every event I've taken it to. My wife, Kara, was very supportive of the project, but if it weren't for Bill, I'd have never been able to complete it."

The most memorable award the Grand Prix has won to date was in taking top honors in the Pro-Street class at the '06 Tri-Power Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, which is where HPP caught up with Ron. "It was especially satisfying, since my 10-year-old son, Nathan, was with me that day-it was his first time at Norwalk," Ron says. "He's already telling me that the Grand Prix will be his when he turns 16. Well, we'll just have to see about that."

Ron's story is an excellent example of turning a dream into a reality through determination, his own skilled hands, and the aid of a good friend. Ron built his Grand Prix the way he wanted it, and the accolades for his vision and its execution just keep coming.