The icy hand of winter has granted the Midwest a temporary reprieve this fall, affording fall color drives a stay of execution for a bare couple of weeks, thereby offering another excuse, as if one were needed, to use a classic car for its intended purpose. Count autumn in Michigan as another point in a litany of reasons to own an antique automobile.
At last update, I had brushed the sleep from the Firebird’s drooping eyes and had driven it some six or seven hundred miles, but that was a mere precursor to the rambling I’ve done with my beautiful Pontiac in the months since. A drive to Woodward in August revealed a couple of shortcomings, namely a radiator that wasn’t doing enough radiating. A cooling flush and a new aluminum radiator eliminated that concern, and a few alignment and timing tweaks took care of the rest, at least for now.
Therefore, I hesitated nary a whit to drive the Firebird to Lumberman’s Monument in Northern Michigan a few weeks ago. Nestled on the banks of the Au Sable River in the Huron-Manistee National Forest, Lumberman’s Monument is a relaxing hour and a half drive up the coast of Lake Huron. The local power company long ago dammed up the river, creating “dam ponds,” this one being the Cooke Dam Pond.
Michigan’s state symbol is “Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice,” which translates to “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” Beneath this day’s vacillating sky lay hundreds of square miles of such peninsula, ready made for fishing, camping, kayaking, hiking, vaguely wandering, or driving.
Lumberman’s Monument is so named because it honors the memory of an interesting, if not destructive, time in Michigan’s history, one where myriad business concerns treated Michigan like a lumber yard during a going out of business sale. The era raped the landscape, but created any number of colorful stories about men who were tougher than nails and the conditions they endured. The Michigan “wolverine” was possibly not a wily rodent at all, but a nickname for the hardy “shanty boys” who swung as mean a fist as they did an ax. The stories of bar fights are legendary.
That any forest exists in Northern Michigan at all today is largely due to the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program that employed many young men in the depression years. Their task in Michigan was to reforest the depleted stands of pine trees that suffered the blows of the lumberman’s ax. If you wander any of Michigan’s backroads and wonder why all the trees seem to be in a straight line, your question has been answered.
In the midst of the forest’s calm and the spirits of men long dead, a bright red Firebird is almost irreverent, but since it is the perfect road trip car, my guilt is assuaged. The seventies are often maligned for their malaise, but roadability and silence were gained where driveability and fuel economy were lost. The Firebird is by far the quietest and best handling antique car I own. The Dirty Dart is like a lumbering school bus compared to the sleek Firebird; where the Dart strains, the Firebird glides on currents of air. Only my ’65 Skylark compares, and even it feels like an antique compared to the Firebird. General Motors did a lovely job when they designed the second-generation F-Body.
For being an impulse purchase, the Firebird has been an absolute thrill to own so far; I’ve driven it more miles this year than anything else in the garage. It’s a bit newer than I’d normally like, but love knows no boundaries, and this beauty queen is an excellent companion to nature’s ever-changing palette and a state with a past.
It looks like a very scenic area you visited. And what a great car to cover the miles in. The seventies are sneered at, especially in the USA due to the style and simplistic rear view mirror perceptions of quality. You did a great job of demonstrating what went right. Torque filled, understressed big and small block V8s. This allowed relaxed gearing that made for relaxing cruising and a long engine life. Automatic transmissions that were smooth, flexible and long lived. All while emissions and crash safety are being addressed for the first time and in the first place in the world.
A greatest hit for GM, and for Ford, and Chrysler, and even AMC.
I like this year Firebird much better than the 1978-1979 Model.
It looks conservative, but nicely and smartly designed. Sporty yet refined!
Agree! The 1974 and 1975 are my personal favorites.
What a beautiful car….I’ve always lusted after an early round-headlight gen 2 Firebird.
This is the General Motors I loved….
+1
Second last shot: nailed it.
+1
Nice work: beautiful pics, a great car, and a well-written story all around. Grew up in Michigan myself, so this article brought back a lot of happy memories as well.
Beautiful car, beautiful trip, beautiful pictures. And thanks for the historical sidelines. We did a similar trip in Iowa this fall albeit in a modern car. We visited Dolliver Memorial State Park which features buildings that were put up by the New Deal WPA program.
Cabins at Dolliver Memorial State Park:
Our 2005 Pontiac Vibe at Dolliver Memorial State Park
Nice car.
My mother had a ’76 Formula w/a 455. She loved it. It was a great car at a time when our family had to make regular drives across the desert in far West Texas. It’s one of those cars she still regrets trading in 35 years later.
I’ve always viewed the deftly integrated 5 mph bumpers on the 1974-75 models to be more attractive than the later models.
Well done Aaron. Some great shots of the Firebird too.
And as always if you enjoy your old car, who cares what the conventional wisdom is?
“And as always if you enjoy your old car, who cares what the conventional wisdom is?”
Very well said, and words I have lived by when it comes to my vehicles.
A very nice day, from the sounds of it.
Here is what I find odd: I have never really liked red cars, 1974 cars and certainly never been a great fan of F bodies. But somehow, this one combines all of those things and makes for a really cool package. Go figure.
Your statement about how much more modern this one drives brings back memories. When I was a teen, 1960s cars were what I and most of my friends were driving. At that time, my Mom had a 74 Luxury LeMans. Even then, I felt a genuine difference in the way they drove. My 67 Ford was only 7 years older than the Pontiac, but it was clear that one was modern and one was old.
My neighbor had two 1950 (or so) Oldsmobile 88s. One convertible, one a coupe. I can’t recall which, but one had a modern drivetrain in it along with changes such as an energy absorbing tilt steering column. While it was a GM crate engine from the ’90s, the chassis had essentially been updated to 1970’s standards. He said the original set up was like driving a truck in comparison.
1950 may have still used kingpins and ball-bearings in front. (May even have a torque tube drivetrain, now that I think about it.) I saw something similar maybe ten years ago: a 1949 Olds Rocket 88, on complete chassis and running gear (Olds 350/TH350) of a 1972 A-body Cutlass. Other than the wheels, it looked-inside and out-like a 49 Olds.
(His brother had bought the Cutlass to use the front clip, floorpans, and quarter panels for his rusty 4-4-2.)
My ’53 Special has kingpins, ball bearings, and a torque tube, but I think Olds had an open driveline even in those years. It’s too bad Buick didn’t emulate Olds and Cadillac and use a Hydramatic and open driveline; it wouldn’t have been as smooth, but efficiency and acceleration would likely have been vastly improved.
Great day for a drive! Next time, I’d be glad to trade places with you for the day!
Aaron I change the wallpaper background on my big PC and iPad every day. Mainly car images and the occasional family photo.
The side shot of your Firebird merits saving it in my 2016 folder and using it for today. What a great looking car. Happy Motoring!
What a sweet car. I have always preffered the second gen Firebird over the Camaro. When I was about 9, 1975 or so, my oldest sister (15 years older) was dating a struggling (now locally famous) restaurant owner. He had a brand new Trans Am, 4 speed, and he took me for one hell of a ride in it. Thank you Ron. I will never forget that ride 🙂 I might add, that car, my brothers ’69 L-78 396 Camaro, and the Buick 215 V8, came close to making me a GM fanboy. But even as a kid in the ’70s, I could see they had a knack for screwing up a wet dream. The Fords we had were screwed together so much better, and dead reliable. I, to this day, bleed Blue Oval.
A slice of heaven – the narrative, the Firebird, the pictures, and the setting. That you can actually get use out of your classic Firebird is just icing on the cake. I’m glad you were able to trek north just a couple of weeks ago – I’ve heard that the Midwest is in for a cold, long, snowy winter. It’s awesome that you have these pictures as mementos of this quick trip up north.
Oh no! I hope that weather forecast is wrong…I’m going to do some fairly major mechanical work on the Corvair, and once it gets below about 25, my little salamander can’t keep up with my old, drafty garage.
Well, it wouldn’t be the first time my best laid plans gang aft agley! (Thanks, Robbie Burns). 🙂
Nice to see a well maintained Firebird of this era, it’s not very often you see a post-1969/pre 1977 Firebird around, especially in great condition, I’ve always liked the mid 70’s era Firebird’s a lot more than the Camaro’s of the same vintage.
These, the 77-90 Caprice and the Fox Mustangs were the best American made cars of the 70s and 80s. Wecan all agree the Corvette nose dived?.
Buccaneer Red! What beautiful shots of your car – so nice to see an original Firebird that hasn’t been molested.
My brother had a 1974 Super Duty Trans AM in Buccaneer Red with – get this – a factory black vinyl top – and black vinyl custom bucket seats with the front and rear consoles. It was a rare 4-speed – one of only 212 4-speeds were made in 1974 before the SD was totally discontinued for the following year. I wonder if it was one of the only ones to have a vinyl top? He could kick himself for getting rid of that car years ago. He was getting into bad trouble with it so my parents forced him to sell it. I remember going for rides in that car with him – it was sick fast!
A Super Duty Firebird must have been a blast. Even my lowly 350 2-barrel has a ton of torque; it’ll one-wheel peel for days. I’m not sure how a vinyl top, however, would look on a Trans Am. That had to have been a pretty uncommon option.
It was intense! And the vinyl top was cool! I bet he may have had one of the only 74 TA’s with the SD engine and a vinyl top!
Nice write up, and great drive. I really like your Firebird. I used to not be a big fan of these cars as they seemed to be kind of a redneck hotrod around here for the longest time. Now that that phase has ended I am really liking these F-bodies. I was able to do a nice fall cruise with my daughter earlier in the year and it was very enjoyable. It was nice to drive on a two lane hilly windy highway and love the effortless power of a large displacement V8. I agree with you, that although the malaise era cars have their deficiencies, they are great drivers overall, especially if you get one without the excessively floaty suspensions like your Firebird.
Ten years ago, I never would have pictured myself owning one of these, but they just grew on me. I still blame Jim Rockford.
I took a fall drive through Michigan years ago with my wife and quite enjoyed it…too bad it wasn’t in a nice old Firebird like yours. Still, a guy can dream. Great story and pictures, and here’s to many more great trips in your Firebird.
I remember when Chevy and Pontiac came out with the wrap-around window in ’75. Everyone was talking about it and not just the car guys. How was school today kids and did you see the new rear window on the Firebird?
The picture of your ’74 in those leaves clearly shows the earlier roof was the better looker! That’s a gorgeous car Aaron.