This is my very first car, a Pontiac Sunbird Turbo S/E. It was powerful, fast, and efficient! I loved this car! It was nice to drive and long trips were not bad, cause of the comfortable interior. The car ran well untill December 26. I was headed home and the coolant lines froze (the radiator did not). The enine overheated big time. The temp needle buried. At first I made nothing of it, cause both the school's auto shop and a local shop sayed my thermostat was messing up (probably just a lose wire). I decided to check it, and there was no steam coming off the radiator, cause the lines were frozen! When I tried to start it again, it started, but it killed when I put it in drive. I killed my precious car! ) :

The Game Warden stoped by to check if everything was alright,a nd I eventualy was able to limp the poor car home. I went in, calle dhome and then went out to do some stuff in town after the car cooled off. I was barely able to get it over 10-15 miles per hour.

Later on, a week or so later, the weather warmed up, and I was finaly able to get it to start. I drove to the grocery store. I couldn't see behind me, cause of all the white smoke! There was a visible crack in the exhaust manifold that let smoke out of the engine compartment. If it hadn't been my own car, I probably would have laughed. I actualy kinda did! I finaly drove it to the school, and it had already heated to just below the red line! When they checked it out, they told me there were THREE cracks in the head! OUCH! one is actualy visible even on the photo. The others are harder to see. The engine had only ONE good cylinder, yet with the awesome turbo, it could still spin the wheels for just a second (only when it was warm, and the engine didn't "act" messed up like it did when it was cold).

I stripped the inside of anything useful. Radio, electronics, SEATS!

This shows the engine compartment (or what's left of it).

Parts were just thrown back in. Click for more engine pictures

These Images are of the decal on the rear sides of the car.
It used to be a pace car at the Brainerd International Raceway

I'll definitely miss this car! : (

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