FALSE NARRATIVE
I maintain the GTS Registry on the web
(gtsregistry.com) and Facebook, so I look
forward to any article concerning the
Dodge Dart GTS. In your June 2019 article
featuring a 1969 440 M-code GTS [“Mr.
Norm’s M-Code”] is a false narrative that is
being perpetuated by relying upon wrong
information concerning these cars.
For 1969, all 440 M-code Dart GTSs
were built on the Hamtramck, Michigan,
assembly line, not at Hurst Campbell. Yes,
Hurst Campbell converted 48 of the 1968
383 GTS cars to 440 power. All were sold to
Grand-Spaulding Dodge, and Mr. Norm had
them rebadged as GSS models. I have cor-
responded with the late Doc Watson from
Hurst Campbell, plus I have production
numbers from Hurst Campbell, and there isno evidence of 1969 GTS 440 conversions.
The 440 M-codes were built in batches
on the assembly line. They were not run
down the assembly line with the Dodge
lineup as the 340 and 383 cars were. This
“batch build” was the special handling the
M-codes received.
There is a separate section dedicated to
the 440 GTS (with specific batch number/
build info) on the 1969 GTS Registry page.
Frank RemlingerLETTER OF THE MONTH
6 SEPTEMBER 2019
wrote an article about a 1979 Pontiac Fire-
bird Formula. This car is absolutely beautiful
and a fine example of breed. In the article,
Heasley states that in 1979, only Chevrolet
Corvettes and Pontiac Firebird models were
available with four-wheel disc brakes. How-
ever I’m afraid he didn’t do his homework
thoroughly. In 1979, the Lincoln Division
offered three distinct models—the Continen-
tal (two- or four-door), the Mark V, and the
Versailles—with four-wheel disc brakes as
standard equipment.
It’s rare to find an error in any of the
magazines your company publishes, but I
could not let this one go. Some who read the
article may now believe that the General was
the only American manufacturer of motor
vehicles in 1979 to offer this superior braking
system on two of their flagship performance
models when, in fact, the Lincoln Division
had been doing it for two years prior to 1979
on their various models.
Fordially,
Tom SchlitterYOU’RE WELCOME
Just wanted to say thank you for your re-
cent articles in the March and June publica-
tions featuring 1969 Chevelles. As was said
about Mark Prunesti’s beautiful Garnet Red
machine, “You never forget your first car”
[“Hidden in the Valley,” June 2019]. My very
first car was a 1969 Chevelle as well, and I do
regret parting with it. I know that the 1970
model probably gets more accolades, but
I always like the 1969, which had a remark-
able refinement in the front grille and the
taillights from the 1968. And as “It’s all about
the stance,” I’ve always thought the 1969
model had to have bigger (day-two) tires in
the back for it to look aggressive in a proper
way.
One area on the 1969 Chevelle that seems
to never get enough credit is the interior,
especially the dash layout, which looks the
best of any year Chevelle, in my opinion.
I hope one day I will be able to get a 1969
Chevelle again.
David Blackstock
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Your article on the 1979 Firebird Formula
W72 really hit home for me [“W72: The
Last Muscle Car,” June 2019]. In October
1978, I went to work at a GM dealership
in Texas. The first person I made friends
with was Billy, as we were both muscle car
enthusiasts. Billy was a big fan of all things
big-block Chevy, but he had also heard
about the last W72 Firebirds from GM.
About mid-1979, he ordered a 1979 W72/
WS6 Formula in white with blue trim and
virtually no other options. A week or so later,
he had a change of heart and changed his
order to equip the car with every available
option. The bad news came about six weeks
later: His order had been canceled, due to a
shortage of W72 powertrains.
About a month later, the dealership called
him. It had just unloaded the only 1979 W72/
WS6 Firebird Formula that it had delivered
all year. Another order had been placed
before Billy’s, but the buyer had backed out
of the deal. It was equipped much like Billy
wanted, but it was bright red with red velour
interior. It was the most gorgeous thing I had
ever seen, but it took Billy a test drive to get
past the color, as he was not a big fan of be-
ing flashy. The test drive convinced him, and
he bought the car. It was everything your
article said. Nothing in the era could touch
it, not even comparably equipped W72/WS
Trans Ams.
A few years later, I ended up with a similar
1979 W72/WS6 Formula, as one came in at
our dealership as a used car trade-in. It was
black with black interior, but was equipped
very much like Billy’s. Billy and I showed the
cars together a couple of times, as they were
truly “birds of a feather.”
Both cars went to new owners in the early
1990s, and I ended up moving to California
for a career change. I kept in touch with Billy
over the years, but gradually fell out of con-
tact. Sadly, I learned a few years ago from a
mutual friend that Billy passed away from
prostate cancer in February 2015. He was
only 56 years old. Rest in peace, Billy Jack
Hale Jr. You are truly missed.
Dave CobbDISC BRAKE BLUNDER
In your June issue, Jerry Heasley, a gentle-
man I know personally and greatly respect,WRITE US! Email the editor at [email protected], or send a letter to Letters, Muscle Car Review, 831 S. Douglas St.,
El Segundo, CA 90245. Letters may be edited for content and space, and we cannot return any photos sent with your letters.
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