The 1970s were a strange time for car culture–the oil crises, government fuel regulation crackdown, and widespread obsession with vans all took their toll on the kinds of automotive enthusiasm. General Motors nonetheless managed to forge some timeless designs, like the iconic second-generation Pontiac Firebird and enigmatic third-generation Buick Riviera, sporting a”boat-tail” stern cribbed from the 1963-67 Sting Ray Corvette.

Oldsmobile, having shed the muscle car image it was blessed with by the 442, was by all accounts a forgettable name by the late ’70s. The A-body wagons like the Vista Cruiser and Cutlass Cruiser found some success, but the former received an untimely axe in 1977. Wagons all but died out by the 2000s, as SUVs and CUVs began to dominate the market, but to those kids who rode in them and are now all grown up, the appeal never went away (and neither did their utility). If anything, it grew.

One such case was that of Ben Meissner, who is the creative director and tech editor at Speedtech Performance. His path crossed with a 1979 Cutlass Cruiser in the spring of 2010, after the need for a more fuel-efficient vehicle arose. His beloved “Pumkinator,” as he calls it, has seen its ups and downs, but has since undergone some serious modifications to take it to where it is today.

Background Of A Builder

Meissner’s formative years as a kid in his grandfather’s car were some of his most precious. Riding around in a plushy green seat of a 1972 Impala, he gained an appreciation for lazy cruises around town. This was tempered with one of the more jarring experiences inside a Ford Pinto wagon, when an accident woke the entire family up to the importance of seat belts.

As a teenager living in Florida, Meissner was fortunate enough to own a ’69 Malibu as well as a Nova, the latter of which saw heavy use on the Moroso dragstrip in West Palm Beach. “I moved to Utah in 1996 as I was enrolled in Brigham Young University, and except for a year where I lived in Georgia, I’ve lived here since,” he said.

Influences came in the form of TV shows, magazines, and a rowdy Scout Master who liked to show off his deadly 340 V8 Plymouth Duster at the drop of a hat. “He would pick me up for meetings on occasion, and leaving the stop lights he would shred tires and bang gears,” Meissner commented. “We sometimes don’t realize how much of a good influence Scout leaders can have on a young kid!”

All these experiences translated to important lessons later in life, as Meissner explained. Things like approaching a situation with patience and wisdom, especially when considering a purchase, have paid off big time and prevented the man from making the same mistake too many times.

More importantly, Meissner has learned to appreciate things for what they are, and to not let the sayings of others affect his rationale or passion for a personal idea. Speaking of his the cars he has owned in his lifetime, the man argues that just about anything can become a fun ride: “The first car I experienced high-speed cornering in was my 1984 Chevette that I drove to college. It was by far the slowest car I ever owned, but it handled like a go-kart once I cut the springs and put on larger wheels and tires.”

Meissner feels strongly about the state of race culture, and stresses to the young and uninitiated the following advice: “If you have anything that can pass an event safety inspection, go race it and get bit by the bug. Power, suspension, or looks aren’t required to have a blast, and I’ve seen people who get caught up in falsehood that ‘I have to have a car that will cost $150,000, has 800 horsepower, a T56 trans, and all the latest and greatest billet this and chromoly that.'”

“That’s just a total farce, and my wagon is proof of that. I just did my homework and spent money where it made the most sense. As it is, the car kicks tail; not too bad for a family haulin’ long back grocery-getter.”

From Busted Hooptie To Badass Hoonmobile

Four years ago, it wasn’t unusual to see Meissner venturing around car shows, setting up displays to exhibit his talents as a creative designer. “I drove a Suburban at the time, and was just fed up with the lousy fuel mileage I was getting,” he said. “I thought a station wagon would work a lot better, and I put the word out that I was seeking one.”

It wasn’t long after that a friend of Meissner’s located a 31-year-old Cutlass Cruiser in need of tender-lovin’ care, but it was going up for a price that Meissner couldn’t dispute. “I bought it for $300 from an old couple that wanted to be rid of it,” he explained. “I liked that it was the mid-size wagon as opposed to a full-size, so it felt more like driving a Camaro with a big trunk.”

The Olds was not without its problems, however. “The stock 305 had been rebuilt at some point, but it ran like crap,” said Meissner. “I used a G-Tech SS to figure out the quarter-mile times, and got 21.79 seconds at 59 miles per hour on my first run, and 18.67 seconds at 74 miles per hour my second run.” The car’s poor timing was partly to blame for these stats, but it was undeniable that the old V8 had to go pronto.

It took Meissner a year to get the car to where he wanted: a mild 400ci SBC, suspensions lowered by three inches, and running on 16×8 Trans Am GTA wheels. He drove it around like this for about two or three years before becoming reinspired to give it another go. “I enrolled at the Utah Valley University and needed a project car for a degree in Street Rod Fabrication,” said Meissner. “I looked at the Oldsmobile and thought, ‘why not,’ and that was how it started again.”

In a matter of ten months, the then-amateur car builder transformed his ride into something special, starting with a full stripping of the frame. To this day, he considers the car a work in progress, a balancing act that has to work alongside supporting his family of six in St. George, Utah. The wagon is still a source of pride and joy, however, having demonstrated its worth time and again.

One such instance was the cross-country move that Meissner made some time ago, venturing 2500 miles to Georgia after he accepted a job. “It was totally drivable, and I proved it after I packed the back completely full and hitched up my 1973 Nova as well,” he said. Outside of sheer utility, the Olds has made its mark in autocross events, where Meissner gets a kick out of having the kids along for a ride.

Regarding completion, Pumkinator still has a little ways to go before she’s at 100 percent. Among the finishing touches are the interior, a 4L80E transmission, a Trac Loc 9-inch rearend with 3.50 gears, and a set of Falken RT615 tires on all fours. “I’d also be happy to have another 100 horses under the hood,” confessed Meissner. “And some professional paint wouldn’t be so bad either.”

• 
• 
• 
• 

We’d be lying if we said that we weren’t a little bit jealous of the Pumkinator, and after reading all this, it’s likely you feel the same way. Meissner credits his most critical steps to success being patience and constraint, as well as the help he received from a supportive family, enthusiastic friends, smart forum members, and everyone else who makes the pro-touring community fun and forward-thinking.