From the Mother Road to the GM Nationals: Two Acadians, 100 Years of Pontiac



While we dident make the original goal of Santa Monica, we did make 1 heck of a dent! Two friends. Two Pontiac Acadians. One goal: celebrate 100 years of Pontiac by driving the cars Pontiac built for everyday people, down the road to the next adventure. 

The trip wasn’t easy. The Acadians weren’t museum pieces – they were machines. Between Chicago’s “Begin” sign and The New Mexico border, those little Canadian Pontiacs took on Illinois cornfields, Oklahoma dust, and overloaded interiors despite that They never quit.

Now the Mother Road is behind them, but the celebration isn’t over. They’re turning east again, pointing the Acadians toward Pennsylvania and the GM Nationals car show. It’s the perfect next stop for a 100-year anniversary. The GM Nationals brings together the best of GM’s legacy – the engines, the designs, the stories that started in Detroit and spread across the world. For two guys who just proved a pair of humble Acadians could still cross half the country, it’s a chance to park among the legends and kick off the next century of Pontiac.

This isn’t about horsepower or showroom shine. It’s about what Pontiac was always meant to be: honest cars that show up, run hard, and connect people. From Route 66 to the GM Nationals, these two friends and their Acadians are carrying that spirit forward. One mile, one bolt, one story at a time.

Stay tuned. The engines are cool, the tools are packed, and Pennsylvania is next

It’s time to call it what it is..

In January of 2026 the idea of driving to California via route 66 was a crazy thought,  this is a massive undertaking requiring alot of time and effort.  The initial mention of the idea was played off as more of a joke at the time as neither of us had done any preparation to our cars to even consider this as an option. 

Fast forward to March, by this time, both of us had torn down engines and ripped the cars essentially to pieces to try to find any weak links and prepare them for the journey ahead, acquiring parts just to be able to do this can be a challenge as now not many things are even made for these cars anymore, This is making it incredibly difficult to put things together.

Endless nights and afternoons in the garage, continuing to work away on the project at hand with the ultimate goal of seeing the finish line in California.

Continue reading “It’s time to call it what it is..”

Where are we at???

Trip Status: On The Road

Follow along on our adventures on Route66!

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Two Chevettes, One Legendary Highway



Follow us as we coax a pair of classic Chevettes (Actually these are the Pontiac variant “Acadian”) down the full stretch of Route 66, from the Chicago skyline to the Santa Monica Pier. This is the Mother Road done the hard way: no horsepower, no cruise control, just 1.6 liters of plucky determination and 2,448 miles of diners, desert, and wide-open Americana. Buckle up for breakdowns, big skies, and small towns as we prove you don’t need a big rig to take on a big adventure.

Prepping the Accadians: Two Engines, Twice the Grit

Before we could even think about touching Route 66, both Acadians needed some serious garage time. The orange one was bleeding oil from every gasket it had, so Josh pulled the 1.6L and resealed the entire engine: new head gasket, oil pan, valve cover, rear main, front seal, the works. No leaks left behind.

The red Accadian was worse. Its motor was toast. So Rob raided a pile of junkyard parts and rebuilt an entire engine from scratch. Rods from one block, crank from another, head from Ottawa, And here’s the kicker: You can hardly get any new parts for these engines but somehow everything aligned to let this happen and become a reality.

Two tiny cars, two complete teardowns, and a whole lot of grease. But they’re sealed, tuned, and ready to chase that “End of the Trail” sign in LA.

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