North Coast Ohio Chapter Update 4/11

The featured car for the month of March was Mark Tilsons 1964 Catalina 2+2. When Mark was five years old he went along with his father and his older brother to purchase a Pontiac. The car that his dad bought was a Nocturne Blue 64 Bonneville. Mark remembers the excitement he felt and at that moment his love for Pontiacs began. In 1975, Mark purchased a 73 Formula 400 which he sold in 1980. He also owned a 64 Grand Prix which he sold for his 70 GTO. In 2000, a customer of Marks told him that his father-in-law owned a 64 Pontiac. Mark learned that the car had been sitting in the owners garage since 1980. He was certainly curious. Finally the day came when Mark was able to see the car. He anxiously walked up to the garage; there she was& all covered up. He carefully pulled up the cover and could see that the door was rotted. He could deal with a little rust. Tugged on the cover a little more&and&there she was a 2+2, 4-speed convertible. Mark had to gasp for air. What a remarkable discovery! He wanted to purchase the car immediately. The owner was so indecisive. He didnt really want to sell. Finally after keeping in touch, the Sunday of Labor Day in 2007 was Marks lucky day. The owner agreed to sell the car. After getting the car home and stored in a safe place, Mark realized that the restoration project was more than he could handle on his own. As it happened, Mark met Darrell Davidson of Supercar Creations at the GTOAA Convention. They had a nice rapport, so Mark decided to use Darrells talents for the project. When restoring the car, some problems did occur. For example, the bare frame was sent out to be sandblasted, but it was unfortunately destroyed in the process. Also, there was more rust on the car than anticipated which of course resulted in more work. Mark added power steering and brakes as well as 8-lug wheels. The car was painted Yorktown Blue. The restoration process took from March of 08 to July of 09. Mark proudly entered the car in the points judged class at the POCI Convention in Dayton, OH. Mark told the owner that the car would be brought back to her original beauty. He was true to his word. Tom, the first owner was very pleased when he saw the 64 after her completion. Mark enjoyed the restoration process, but is very happy the 64 CAT is now on the road. The car has won many awards the last two years including: Gold Awards at the 09 and 10 POCI National Conventions, Best of Show at the 09 All Pontiac Benefit Car Show, Best of Show at the Canton Autorama, 2nd place at the Cleveland Autorama; and she was selected for the 2010 Smoke Signals Editors Choice Award. Owning the 64 2+2 has been a dream come true. The 306 HP, 4-barrel 389, 4-speed gives the car great performance. The interior features including bucket seats, floor shifter, and 2+2 signs on the door panels add to her beauty. Mark loves driving his Poncho, but best of all the Catalina is a tribute to the memory of his Dad who brought Pontiac excitement into Marks life. At our April meeting, Joe Rossman will be our guest speaker. The topic will be Cars that were built in Cleveland. NCPC members are gearing up for warm weather and are ready to dust off their Pontiacs for the 2011 auto events. If you are in the Greater Cleveland area, NCPC invites you to join us at our Dust-Off on May 1st at Jay Pontiac, and on July 31st at Solon Commons for our 14th Annual All Pontiac Benefit Car Show. For more information on the North Coast Pontiac Chapter of POCI, contact Carolyn Kucia, 127 Willard Avenue, Bedford, OH 44146, or email onecleannut@aol.com , or please check out our web site at http://northcoastpontiacchapte r.org &You can also search for North Coast Pontiac Club on Facebook. Meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month at 7 PM at Jay Pontiac, 18800 Rockside Road, Bedford, OH