# GTO ORIGINS, HOW DID YOU COME TO BE HERE?



## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

This weekends car show, along with a ton of forum banter over some new faces, had me thinking about who we all are and how we all came to be here.

Some of us have owned our GTO's since new, others for two weeks... some are LS swaps, some are six cylinders... some are frame off resto's, some are piles of parts that havent been moved in 30 years.

We don't all love each other, but we all respect each other. Im sure that many of the old timers werent thrilled to see me in here, posting pictures of naked ladies and cracking Michael Jackson jokes... nevertheless, I like to think that I'm the type of guy who you want around when the chips are down... and if you find me offensive, then it simply means that my defenses are doing their job. After all, nice guys do finish last... which explains why @PontiacJim always finishes first!

For those of you who stuck around to get to know me, this is my story about GTO's.

My mother owned a 74 Grand Prix, fully loaded with a giant engine, and jacked up in the back by the previous owner. I always remember how cool I thought it was, with Rally 2's that reminded me of Cragars. Years later, we moved, and when we did, the neighbor had a 68 GTO with the Hurst Dual Gate, and I was mesmerized by it! It was a total hunk of crap, but I still adored it.

My first passion was for Chevy Nova's, and my first real car was a 67, which I painted and attempted to fix. I got hit by a drunk driver one night and the insurance company didnt want to give me anything for it, so I just kept driving it... until I saw a 66 Lemans sitting abandoned at the MTV Beach House, in Seaside NJ. The car sat indefinitely, so one day I went and found the owner. She was the 1983 equivalent of a crack-whore... and the car sat because it had no battery, so I traded her straight for my running Nova.

One battery later, and I was driving the Lemans. I adored that car and it served me very well.

After that, it was Grand Prix's, Firebirds, Sunfires, Trans Ams, Fiero's, Soltice... ever questing for a real GTO. One day while treating a house for termites, I went into a garage and saw a quarter panel under a pile of debris. I asked the owner... please tell me it's a Chevelle, but he said no... it's a GTO.

It was all original and fully loaded. He was the original owner and he blew up the engine, sent it to be rebuilt, and then by the time it was done, he had become a police officer, so he never put it back together. He traded the car to me for the termite work, and I spent a year rebuilding it and putting it back together... and when it was at 80%, I had to sell it.

I then spent the next two decades in Hell with a divorce and going to work for the government (for no money) myself... but I never stopped looking for another GTO, which by then I could no longer afford. My uncle started letting me work on his and he promised that he'd sell it to me one day. Of course, he never did a thing to it.. no maint whatsoever, aside from my repairs which were mostly part swaps, so it was a disaster!

The timing, carb, brakes, bushings, bearings, electric, cooling, exhaust, and suspension were all shot. So I came into this forum, and even though I had already been working on GTO's for 35 years... I was a complete idiot newb. And at that point, most of these old-timers ready to kill me, Im sure. Everday, I was all over the place like a 65 owner with new breathers! But, everyone talked me through it all, cam swaps, timing, jetting, transmissions, diffs, clutches, brakes, electrical, exhaust, steering... and that's how I became your favorite know-it-all!

So... my GTO is finally the car that I've wanted my whole life, and since 67's are the best GTO there is, Im fairly lucky. It's a hoot to drive and man I go everywhere with it!

This week at the car show, I came across a milestone.

When I was 17 years old with my Lemans... a whacked out cowboy at my local speedshop... somehow took a liking to me, and he overlooked my completely annoying personality. He taught me a lot about cars, and he had the sickest old Chevy that anyone had ever seen. It was built to the hilt with the best of everything, and it was the sickest car on the Jersey coast.

I've spent the last 35 years remembering him and that car, and this weekend, a few hours away from home, I found that car. Completely unrestored, still bad to the bone, and still owned by him! What a trip down memory lane we had... drooling over all of the sweet, rare cars, drinking chapagne and Jack Daniels at 930 am!

Cant help but be moved by how big the world is, and yet how small it can all seem when we bond over these things. Who I am today and who I teach the future generations to be, will all be the result of my small and humble journey. Im very grateful for what I have, and if your on this forum and friends with me, then you're likely a big part of the story that I will tell, time and time again!

GTO's have shaped my life and dictated who I am. I thank everyone here who helped me to get mine to where it is. I hope at least a few of you feel the same about me... if so contact the president of my fan club @Baaad65 and request an 8x10 glossy

My first real GTO

















Here's the old Chevy... It was MINT when I first saw it in the early 80's.


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## pontrc (Mar 18, 2020)

It’s a family thing for me, just like it is in here.My grandparents had a 69 Cat , Dad had a 67and 69 GTO. I started with a 79 T/a also 2 88 GTAs ,1 91 GTA , 05 GTO and the 72 GTO


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

I thought certainly, I'd posted this on here a long time ago but perhaps I just dreamed that because I haven't been able to find it again...

Here's the story of THE experience that ignited by love for the GTO:

*How I Fell in Love with the Pontiac GTO.*​

Here’s the story about the first time I ever drove one and how that experience was the genesis of my love for ‘traditional’ Pontiac V8’s in general, and the GTO in particular. Here goes:

It was around 1968 or 1969, during the summer. My dad owned a small used car lot in the small Texas panhandle town where I was born and raised. I helped out during the summers and on weekends, going down early to open up the place, make sure all the cars would start, typing and filing the paper work for sales transactions, running errands, and the like.

We had a relationship with a local bank for customer financing, and one day our contact dropped by to ask if he might store a couple of bank repo's on our lot until he could decide what to do with them. It's good to be nice to the bank guy, so of course we said 'Sure! bring 'em on by."

The "them" in this case turned out to be two GTO's: one a maroon '66, the other a '65 - both 4-speed cars. The '65 was that metallic orchid color that Pontiac called Iris Mist. You know the one, it looked good for about a week until it oxidized. Then it looked like metallic puke. 

I was still fairly young, just barely in high school, and though I'd heard all the hubbub and hype surrounding GTO's I'd never actually driven one. I usually just drove something "off the lot" and at the time, that was a '62 Ford Fairlane with a mighty 221-inch V8, "three on the tree", four-door sedan. The manual transmission was fun, and it was, embarrassing as it is to admit, the fastest car I'd ever driven.

Well, since I had keys to the car lot a buddy of mine and I made plans to return late one night and test drive one of those GTO's. We chose the Iris Mist '65. Of course, it was almost out of gas, and as we eased it off the lot, I kept thinking about how much trouble I'd be in if we got caught, or managed to tear up a car we didn't even own, so I was careful. For a while.

Leaving a stop sign at an intersection on a residential street in the middle of town, not far from the lot, my curiosity got the better of me and I dropped the hammer.

Oh. My. Goodness... In about 1.5 heartbeats the tach needle flew past 5000 rpm on its way to 6 grand and I grabbed second gear. The red stripe PolyGlas tire barked and the tach needle started climbing again, just as rapidly as before.

Now winding out third gear. We were rocketing down this residential street with parked cars on both curbs flashing past in a blur. We were already north of 80 mph with our eyes as big as saucers. Nothing, and I mean nothing, in my previous vehicular experience had prepared me for a car that would accelerate that hard in such a short time and distance.

That's when I looked up and saw the rapidly approaching stop sign where that residential street tee'd into the main highway going through town. We were now crowding 90 mph on that narrow residential street in the middle of town. No way was I going to get that GTO stopped in time. We were in big trouble.

Well, I got on those poor helpless drum brakes, hard, and locked up all four wheels. We slid through that stop sign, sideways, across all four lanes of pavement, and off onto the shoulder on the opposite side of the highway. By some miracle we didn't hit anything or anybody, and the car was still upright and by all appearances, undamaged.

The car was by then, however, "somewhat dusty". As we sat there, with a huge cloud of dust and debris slowly settling down around us, for a while all you could hear were two pounding heartbeats and the sound of that idling 389.

That's when I looked over at my buddy, sitting in the passenger seat, his face white as a ghost, and said,

"I have _got_ to have one of THESE!!!". 

That's how I fell in love with GTO's.

My dad, in his wisdom, knew to keep my little round butt out of a car like that though. I probably would have killed myself.

A few years later, when I was still going through college and married, I found a ‘69 hardtop. I talked it over with him, and we bought it. It turned out to be the last car that he and I bought together before he died, and I still have it. That's the one you see me writing about here, now.

It was my daily driver for years, until I decided to restore it in early 1985. Life got in the way there for a while in the form of lack of funds and eventually a divorce, resulting in the car sitting disassembled in a rented storage unit for more than 20 years. It was a weight on me. Not only did I miss the car but I felt like I was somehow betraying the memory of my Dad by not getting the car done.

I married again in 2002 and with the support, aid, and inspiration of my sweet bride, best friend, and partner I did finally finish it. It moved under its own power again for the first time in November 2011 and we took it on the full Hot Rod Power Tour in 2013. Someday I'll pass it on to my son.

I still miss you, Dad.


Bear


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

My GTO story started when I was 13 years old (1984). I asked my Mom & Dad if I could get a job, but that would require them to drive me 10 minutes from home to get there and back. They said "yes" and I started making money...$3.35 an hour. It was not too long and Dad asked what I was going to do with the money...I didn't know. I'm not sure why I wanted a job to be honest, it just came naturally, I guess. So, Dad suggested that I save it up and when I turned 16, we'd buy a car and he would match what I saved. He did say that he was not putting a $500 car in the driveway, in other words..."don't just save $250". In two and half years I had save $2000 and we started looking for a car. The first one we looked at was a 71 Mercedes. From my memory, it was a beautiful, well maintained, dark green, four door, with baby poo brown interior. I didn't care and said..."just show me were to put gas in it and where to check the oil." I look back and that would have been a nice car to have...very classy and with classic lines, but Dad said German cars were expensive to have them worked on...Dad did not know auto work. I think I it was for sale for $2500.

Then, a car pops up for sale just a mile from the house...it was a 67 GTO. The poor kid, a few years ahead of me in school, had gotten in trouble drinking and driving and his dad and grandpa, who bought the car for him, took the car back and had it for sale. I said the same thing again..."just show me were to put gas in it and where to check the oil." Dad took it for the test drive and managed create the longest smoke screen I had ever seen. I was not sure what to think, but Dad just had to have the car. He even chipped in an additional $300 beyond his half. For the next 6 months, before I could get my license, Id' tell friends that I bought a car. I didn't know what I had until so many of their eyes popped out when they said..."A GTO??? The rest is history. I still have the car and am restoring it as my last full restoration. I have built/rebuilt two other classics, but have saved the GTO for last. I was too scared to tackle the GTO early in my hobby and needed to practice on a Cheby and a [email protected] before risking my first love.

My dad is pushing me to get it done as he thinks he's still half invested... I tell him to stay half invested, he has to buy half the parts that are needed to go into the rebuild.

Thanks Dad!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

BearGFR said:


> I thought certainly, I'd posted this on here a long time ago but perhaps I just dreamed that because I haven't been able to find it again...
> 
> Here's the story of THE experience that ignited by love for the GTO:
> 
> ...


Man, that's a terrific story! My Lemans wasnt so glorious... it had no heat and I was an ireesponsible kid, who barely worked, so I'm not really quite sure how I kept it running... Nevertheless, I did... And at a time when I wouldve needed help adjusting headlights, I somehow did a cam swap on it, in a parking lot at a brand new, posh town house complex. Boy were the residents pissed! 

And sure enough, barely a year into my driving career, I already had learned about pressed in Pontiac rocker studs! I had to go to a junk yard with a slide hammer and remove a few... EVERY WEEK!

Then 15 years later when I rebuilt my first GTO, I still new nothing more than how to swap parts and perform basic maint... but I could weld and do bodywork. Fortunately, one of my best buddies was a Pontiac guru, so he did all of my mechanicals while I did his body work. 

35 years later, I knew how to wrench very well, but I knew nothing about the real nuts and bolts of timing, brakes, steering, suspension, jetting, gearing... but because I was around it and watched and heard it, really just needed a little coaching, to start stringing it all together. I got that coaching here.


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## michaelfind (Dec 14, 2018)

My father bought his first new car in 1967, a Pontiac LeMans. He wanted the GTO but could not justify to himself the extra money when he had a wife and kids to feed. That was the car I grew up in and learned to drive in. When I was 15 and got my first job, it essentially became my car. My father was a drag racing fan and he passed on that passion to me. I also had a friend from Kuwait who had several GTOs and seemed to always be buying another one. So, in 1983, I began the task of converting my LeMans into a GTO. If I could go back and stop myself from molesting the beautifully original LeMans I had, I would do so, but my DeLorean time machine is broken. I'm not sure if my father was biting his tongue or urging me on as I transformed the LeMans to a clone, but he was supportive in his own way.

After the car was completed in 1987, I had a one vehicle crash with a telephone pole, a traffic light, and a big metal control box. No, I wasn't racing. I was driving on wet roads during the first rain we had experienced in many months, on bias ply tires with four wheel drum brakes. I simply spun out of control and could not stop the car. It was a sad day.

In 1987, I knew where several GTOs were sitting around town. I bought a 1965 base GTO that had been sitting in a woman's back yard for years. It was very rough but original. Again, the teenager in me couldn't leave well enough alone, so I pulled the old worn out drive train out of the 65, sold that to a friend for his 69 LeMans, and installed my fairly fresh drive train from the wrecked LaMans/clone.

That was my only car for many years. I finally obtained other vehicles as primary drivers and put the GTO "in storage."

I have towed it back and forth across Texas a few times, then out to California for a few years, and finally back to Texas.

I put a 467 stroker motor in it in 2020, freshened up and beefed up some suspension elements and now drive the family to car shows in it.


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## Jared (Apr 19, 2013)

Wow. I may be at a disadvantage here. My history with Pontiacs is not a long one. First car I remember my mother driving was a 68 Catalina. Car had the 290 hp 400 with a turbo 400 transmission. My grandfather had bought it brand new to tow an Airstream camper and she got it as a hand me down when he died in 1977. Because of it's origins, my dad hated the car, and still does to this day. Dad was an Oldsmobile man. He replaced the Catalina with a used 72 Cutlass in 81. Car was the lime green, had tan LeMans stripes on it and was a 3 on the tree car. He swapped it to a 3 on the floor. I loved that car but it was long gone before I got my license. It was the last muscle type car dad owned until be picked up his Vette 10 years ago (anyone want to buy a low mileage 81 Vette that needs some work?). Anyway, I got my license in 1994 and my first car was a 88 Corolla FX, and no it wasn't the 16 valve hot version of the car. My cars didn't get much better for a while. I had a friend in high school who had a 72 LeMans 350 auto that would smoke the tires for blocks. The car left an impression to say the least. He wrecked it not long after graduation. Thinking about it, I haven't seen that guy in at least 25 years. In college I met another guy who had a few different muscle cars. He had a 67 Buick GS400, a 1970 Olds W31 post car, and a 1969 Shelby GT350. All were driver quality and all were 4 speeds. I learned to drive manual transmission on the Shelby. He offered the Oldsmobile to me for $5500 and I thought it was way too much money at the time. This was in 1995 right before these cars started to appreciate in value. I regret not buying it to this day. I had plans to buy myself a fun car after college, but I met my wife, had an oops (my oldest), got married, and had a couple more kids. Paying for a place to live and starting my career put the car thing on the back burner. I lucked into a ratty 1985 Camaro Berlinetta that I picked up very cheap. It was a T-top car and had a 305 and a 700R4 trans. Kept the Camaro for quite a few years, paid off my first house, and was getting ready to put money into the Camaro. It needed paint, I had plans for a 383 to go under the hood, etc. I started running numbers and the Camaro needed WAY more than it was worth so I decided to dump it for something nicer. I didn't have a clear picture of what I wanted past it needing to be a 4 speed car. I really wanted a 66 or 67 Buick GS but they were beyond my budget. I was in negotiation for a 66 Buick Special post that was a factory 4 speed car in a good color combination but the price gap between asking and what it was worth was too big. I found the LeMans that I have now and had to have it. It's the wrong color, had the wrong engine and transmission in it, and was priced slightly high. I decided it was worth looking at because it was only a couple hours from my house. Turned out the body was really good on it. It still wears all of the sheet metal it was born with. I bought it and the rest is history. I didn't really know anything about Pontiacs before this one was sitting in my garage.

Sorry if this was a garbled ramble of a story.


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## Mike Honcho (10 mo ago)

Ummm? Where do we find the pictures of naked ladies? Asking for a friend.


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## Jetzster (Jan 18, 2020)

Heres some Mike , lol Army


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## Mike Honcho (10 mo ago)

Not a GTO but is a Pontiac!

Okay, my real story. Back in 85 I bought a 69 Mach 1 that turned out to be a nice looking POS. While trying to figure out how to finish it a friends worker on his framing crew (Larry from my first post ever here about 68 1/2 ram air 400) needed to sell his red 68 400 4 speed before he killed himself in it. I bought for $2500. Had fun, did shit, broke shit, and spent another $2000 on all that. Sold for $4500 so I really only put gas in it. Was 99% rust free and the guy who bought it wrecked it one month later. Gone forever.

Moved onto my next car. An 85 nearly new Corvette. Nice car but another story. 

Then years later I wanted another red 68 firebird 400 4 speed. For 12 years when I found a car I did not have the money. Then when I had the money no cars available.

Then I found my car in 2017 and pulled the trigger. Well documented journey on Firebirdnation.com (where I am Madhatter1). And story leads up to this site as I found success. This is a great site. Much lighter traffic on the Firebird site so I ended up here looking for some info. Lots of traffic and info here. Between the 2 sites I got everything figured out.


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## Dan N (Oct 11, 2021)

Well my initial GTO experience started at age 16. I took a summer job with our Township public works sweeping streets after a winter of salt and cindering of our streets. We weren't people of any means and were eager to earn some money. I spied a 64 GTO in a side yard off of a street I was sweeping. The car initially gave me an impression of having a war bird look to the front end . It was darn cool looking to me! I quickly realized the 64 was sitting in my cousins yard. Fingers crossed I contacted him and he said get it out of here I'll give it to you. I think he was getting pressured from his parents to get rid of it. This was circa 1978. I still have the 64 and began restoration this year. The engine needs to be pulled and I loosely have a spot in a well known machine shop for the what I believe to be a 67 gto 400 engine. I've never lost my love for this GTO and some would likely think it be a better parts car. Like many here this goat has a family history and I have moderate metal fab and autobody experience. So 40 some years later the saga continues.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Mike Honcho said:


> Ummm? Where do we find the pictures of naked ladies? Asking for a friend.


I just uploaded a Heather Thomas scratch-n-sniff! Close your eyes and enjoy. No wait, that was Willie Nelson!


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## dadspackard31 (Dec 2, 2019)

Those are some awesome stories guys


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## goat671 (Apr 13, 2019)

My first car that I got from an uncle for $100.00 when I was 15 in May of 1975 was a 67 Lemans Mariner Turquoise Hardtop with a black vinyl roof with a 326. 
The engine was tired so my dad who worked at an auto salvage yard ie a Junk yard rebuilding manual transmissions brought home a 1970 350 out of a firebird. 
I proceeded to rebuild it not knowing anything hey I was 15 give me a break. 
Put in a big Crower cam probably way wrong seem to remember .502 lift Holey 650 spread bore with mechanical secondarys and a close ratio M21 that my dad built for me headers and California turbos ending right behind the door.
Well it ran and had a nice lope to the idle I loved it. I drove it in high school junior and senior year I graduated when I was 17.

I joined the army and shipped out to Fort Jackson South Carolina July of 78 for Basic Training.
I went to AIT at Fort Jackson Alabama from Sept of 78 to June of 79 I flew home (Minnesota) shortly after arrival in Huntsville and drove it back.
There are alot of stories I could tell about racing and cruising around that year. 
Well I regret this to this day that I sold this car to my friend before I shipped out to Germany the day I sold it spun a main or rod bearing. 
I guess it did not like the idea of me selling it.

I left the army and returned home in Sept of 82.
I found a job working as a Field Service Tech in a suburb of Chicago in 1984 I was responsible for service are covering from Chicago to Southern WI and Northern IL.
I purchased a new 1984 Trans Am it was quite the company car.

One day in 1986 driving from Schaumburg to Abbot Labs in Gurnee IL up the Tri State Hiway and I see a broken down car it was a 67 GTO Post Tyrol Blue. should have kept driving.

This car was not in bad shape but it was an IL car and it was very rusty today it would be a car that could be restored all the metal available now. I kept this car moved it from IL to MN.
I never got this car on the road I purchased car parts as I could find but it was in such rough shape I decided to find another vehicle. I took every part off this car that could be taken off and scraped the frame and shell I could not give it away this was in 1989

In 1989 I purchased a 67 GTO Hardtop just from looking at pictures had it delivered from a guy in Georgia. This car had a 455 with 428 heads not a numbers matching car and one of them cars that needed everything fixed and had been "fixed" by someone else half assed.

I sold this car after a two years to my brother he had another 67 GTO. This black GTO original color was burgundy is now owned by another of my brothers and he is getting this on the road he just finished a rebuild of the engine and the rear end and tranny.

The car I have today is the car I purchased in 1991 again sight unseen from a guy in Northern California This car was a driver when I got it not a survivor but a car that some one started a restoration on the engine had been rebuilt. It came with many extra car parts extra fenders doors etc.

1967 GTO Sport Coupe numbers matching engine rearend turbo 400 transmission California Car with A.I.R system ie smog pump and AC.
During the trip from California the tilt steering wheel was stolen out of the car in Kansas City.

I started to work on it took the body off the frame and had the frame blasted and painted with POR 15. Replaced brake and fuel lines and did the front and rear suspension with Hotchkis pieces.
Then I did nothing until last year. Now it is at the Hot rod factory getting painted and I will be driving it soon.

So as you can see I have not been without a 67 Lemans or GTO for more than a couple of years since 1975 did not get to drive one much of the time though.


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## Jetzster (Jan 18, 2020)

My first experience was in ‘64, albeit I was only 10, my 8 year older sisters boyfriend (later husband) had just received one of the first ‘64 GTO 389 4bbls with a 4spd avail that he had ordered on a whim, it had come right off a truck from Fremont at a local Pontiac dealer, I heard the then new band the ‘Beatles’ playing and their songs coming out of the cool back 6x9 reverb speaker when he drove it up the driveway, it was so cool, then they eventually took me , the little brother, along in that really big trunk to sneak in at a drive-in movie, the sound of that engine when I was laying in there on the way did it forever for me,

then later skip ahead 8 years to High School in 1972 ,at age 18, I went car shopping with $500 to a car-lot in town, remembering and looking for any used GTOs pleese, of course none to be found, However day or two later, I got a call from them, someone had just traded in a then pristine 8 year old silver w/black int ‘64tri-power 4spd, It was a divine intervention and at only $900, I made it happen, It was the fastest car ever, but in the hands of an immature, now unfunded teenager It soon began to fall apart terribly after being mistreated, within a year, spun a bearing and tried to fix it with ‘auto-shop’ buddies who failed miseribly and I sold it basically a basket case in’73 for next to nothing, a terrible mistake, and I never forgot just what that car could do for you when you drove it,
The feelings , shift’in with all the different hott girls sittin on the console, the power of the three deuce carbs at WOT, were all so cool..and I missed it for so long…life, wife, and two kids got in the way

Pan ahead 48 years later in 2019, retired now, I was determined like hell to get another one before the bitter end and somehow try to make up for and make some kind of amends for my bad treatment and abuse of the car in HS and finally grab one last ring on the shrinking GTO merry-go-round, too much hassle at my age now to build one up, i just I wanted to pay the bucks and get one already mostly
restored, lots of junk around, but I could not find a decent mostly re-done one anywhere near me , unless I went out of state, so I flew 1500 miles, rented a car and then drove for three hours to nowhere, checked out, drove and bought a fully restored ‘64 tripower 4 spd that was basicly sittin in a remote secluded warehouse in Indiana since 1995, the guy had had it frame off restored in a resto shop, and it had only 1200 miles on it since the restore, he had showed it a few times, but he was aging and he only wanted that new Corvette thats avail now, and was willing to let the Pont go to get it, so I had it shipped back
And its great, and Im in it again, and it will be treated well this time..
I drive past that same High School sometimes, wonder what those girls would look like sitt’in on there now, and trip on the past and present, and its better than it ever was!😁fun stuff


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## Cosmic Charlie (Nov 18, 2018)

Time Machine back to 1972 - I had totaled my mom's 66 Impala SS Convertible that she gave me as a 1st car - I was 16 1/2 and had my license 3 weeks & still on the paper license, wet pavement and slide into a car crossing in front of me who had a stop sign - he was found wrongly at fault. So the insurance gave mom / me $1200 bucks and I went shopping. The Very 1st car I found was a 69 Judge carousel red 4 speed with 49,000 miles and original owner. He wanted $1300 and I offered $1250 and got it (that was BIG money back then). Car was VERY Straight with just a bit of mismatched paint on the Drivers rear quarter scraped +-, basically never in a wreck ! I had NO IDEA what a Ram Air III was. As time went on I found out what a monster performer it was compared to my friends --- 69 383 roadrunner --- 69 camaro SS 350 --- 67 SS 396 --- TO THIS VERY DAY when I run into high school friends they ALWAYS bring up the GTO. I was (still am) well known for leaving unlimited length posi burn out marks by coming out of the hole in 2nd gear and way over spinning the bias F70/14's and then riding the brake for mostly unlimited length smoke shows. But all good things come to an end. A year later the car had 89,000 miles was using a quart of oil about every 100 miles and one sad night low on oil I took it up to like 130 mph and the knock came knocking. The car still ran but was knocking harder. Believe it or not I threw away the RAM Air III and dropped in a used 69 400 from Bonneville and even worse I lost my license for Drunk Driving for 15 months (the was the usual time to lose one then). I sold the car for $900 (END OF STORY). SO now after MANY MANY cars (40+) including Z28's & Coupe DeVilles & Vettes, I went searching for a GM A Body Big Block Convertible 4 speed. I currently drive on weekends (since 2019) a cloned 69 442 convertible with a 70 455 4 speed in it BUT still looking for a 66,67,69 or 70 GTO (real or clone) that will make me smile. Great Looking Cars ! So proud to have owned the Judge and a bit embarrassed from all the abuse & destruction I did to that sweet car. But then again every 17 year old kid knows everything LOL.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Cosmic Charlie said:


> Time Machine back to 1972 - I had totaled my mom's 66 Impala SS Convertible that she gave me as a 1st car - I was 16 1/2 and had my license 3 weeks & still on the paper license, wet pavement and slide into a car crossing in front of me who had a stop sign - he was found wrongly at fault. So the insurance gave mom / me $1200 bucks and I went shopping. The Very 1st car I found was a 69 Judge carousel red 4 speed with 49,000 miles and original owner. He wanted $1300 and I offered $1250 and got it (that was BIG money back then). Car was VERY Straight with just a bit of mismatched paint on the Drivers rear quarter scraped +-, basically never in a wreck ! I had NO IDEA what a Ram Air III was. As time went on I found out what a monster performer it was compared to my friends --- 69 383 roadrunner --- 69 camaro SS 350 --- 67 SS 396 --- TO THIS VERY DAY when I run into high school friends they ALWAYS bring up the GTO. I was (still am) well known for leaving unlimited length posi burn out marks by coming out of the hole in 2nd gear and way over spinning the bias F70/14's and then riding the brake for mostly unlimited length smoke shows. But all good things come to an end. A year later the car had 89,000 miles was using a quart of oil about every 100 miles and one sad night low on oil I took it up to like 130 mph and the knock came knocking. The car still ran but was knocking harder. Believe it or not I threw away the RAM Air III and dropped in a used 69 400 from Bonneville and even worse I lost my license for Drunk Driving for 15 months (the was the usual time to lose one then). I sold the car for $900 (END OF STORY). SO now after MANY MANY cars (40+) including Z28's & Coupe DeVilles & Vettes, I went searching for a GM A Body Big Block Convertible 4 speed. I currently drive on weekends (since 2019) a cloned 69 442 convertible with a 70 455 4 speed in it BUT still looking for a 66,67,69 or 70 GTO (real or clone) that will make me smile. Great Looking Cars ! So proud to have owned the Judge and a bit embarrassed from all the abuse & destruction I did to that sweet car. But then again every 17 year old kid knows everything LOL.


I'm more bummed the '66 SS convertible got totaled 🤦‍♂️


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## 67ventwindow (Mar 3, 2020)

To me a GTO is a bit of a unicorn, I saw them in magazines and at car show but nowhere else. There was one that showed up at a closed gas station.It sat there with six other classics never to move during the 80s, Me and my brother said we would get one after driving by it everyday as a teen. He joined the Navy and had many Pontiacs through the years. I joined the Air force and was doomed to only finding Chevys to drive. I was temped by the darkside as a teen by a 67 Merc that was fast and light but even as a teen I could not imagine having to squeeze in that little thing everyday, Thirty years latter my wife caught me looking at some Mercury porn and she said to get it out of my system and I brought home a 67 Cougar. Covid hit and she decides she needs a VW Beattle for her mid life crisis. same time my brother posts some facebook garbage about the car that is perfect for him is a 67 GTO. So that brought back the countless hours we discussed what we would do with the car at that dead gas station. Luckily my twin girls adopted the Cougar so I am restoring it for them not making it a death trap for myself. Being the first year of Covid it kept me looking in a 6 hour radius and there wasn't much available that wasn't restored, There was a 67 LeMans with 389 and T56. I was intrigued by the setup.But after I drove 4hours to drive it. The battery was dead, the headers were leaking badly and the electric fans were not working. They did not allow me to drive it and they had a truck coming for it to send it to a hotrod consignment shop for them to put lipstick on it and get rid of it. It was a sprint six with original paint and I was drooling when I first saw it. But at 3 pm and we had to pickup the kids some 4 hours away. So Getting a uhaul and trailer from who knows where was not happening. I like the car I ended up with even if its not a sprint six.

I was a big GP guy back when I was a kid. I think I am back in the market for 65 GP for my 7 year old son. someday,


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Mike Honcho said:


> For 12 years when I found a car I did not have the money. Then when I had the money no cars available


That was my GTO story, from 1998 until 2020


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Mike Honcho said:


> Not a GTO but is a Pontiac!
> 
> Okay, my real story. Back in 85 I bought a 69 Mach 1 that turned out to be a nice looking POS. While trying to figure out how to finish it a friends worker on his framing crew (Larry from my first post ever here about 68 1/2 ram air 400) needed to sell his red 68 400 4 speed before he killed himself in it. I bought for $2500. Had fun, did shit, broke shit, and spent another $2000 on all that. Sold for $4500 so I really only put gas in it. Was 99% rust free and the guy who bought it wrecked it one month later. Gone forever.
> 
> ...


I'm glad to have you in here! If I couldnt have a GTO, I'd have a Firebird! PM any time you need help.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Dan N said:


> Well my initial GTO experience started at age 16. I took a summer job with our Township public works sweeping streets after a winter of salt and cindering of our streets. We weren't people of any means and were eager to earn some money. I spied a 64 GTO in a side yard off of a street I was sweeping. The car initially gave me an impression of having a war bird look to the front end . It was darn cool looking to me! I quickly realized the 64 was sitting in my cousins yard. Fingers crossed I contacted him and he said get it out of here I'll give it to you. I think he was getting pressured from his parents to get rid of it. This was circa 1978. I still have the 64 and began restoration this year. The engine needs to be pulled and I loosely have a spot in a well known machine shop for the what I believe to be a 67 gto 400 engine. I've never lost my love for this GTO and some would likely think it be a better parts car. Like many here this goat has a family history and I have moderate metal fab and autobody experience. So 40 some years later the saga continues.


Glad to hear it! I hope you get it all done!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

goat671 said:


> My first car that I got from an uncle for $100.00 when I was 15 in May of 1975 was a 67 Lemans Mariner Turquoise Hardtop with a black vinyl roof with a 326.
> The engine was tired so my dad who worked at an auto salvage yard ie a Junk yard rebuilding manual transmissions brought home a 1970 350 out of a firebird.
> I proceeded to rebuild it not knowing anything hey I was 15 give me a break.
> Put in a big Crower cam probably way wrong seem to remember .502 lift Holey 650 spread bore with mechanical secondarys and a close ratio M21 that my dad built for me headers and California turbos ending right behind the door.
> ...


When you love a 67, it's darn near impossible to ever love anything else. Heck, I don't even like 66's anymore, and most people think they're identical.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Jetzster said:


> My first experience was in ‘64


I hope you kept his phone number!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Cosmic Charlie said:


> Time Machine back to 1972 - I had totaled my mom's 66 Impala SS Convertible that she gave me as a 1st car - I was 16 1/2 and had my license 3 weeks & still on the paper license, wet pavement and slide into a car crossing in front of me who had a stop sign - he was found wrongly at fault. So the insurance gave mom / me $1200 bucks and I went shopping. The Very 1st car I found was a 69 Judge carousel red 4 speed with 49,000 miles and original owner. He wanted $1300 and I offered $1250 and got it (that was BIG money back then). Car was VERY Straight with just a bit of mismatched paint on the Drivers rear quarter scraped +-, basically never in a wreck ! I had NO IDEA what a Ram Air III was. As time went on I found out what a monster performer it was compared to my friends --- 69 383 roadrunner --- 69 camaro SS 350 --- 67 SS 396 --- TO THIS VERY DAY when I run into high school friends they ALWAYS bring up the GTO. I was (still am) well known for leaving unlimited length posi burn out marks by coming out of the hole in 2nd gear and way over spinning the bias F70/14's and then riding the brake for mostly unlimited length smoke shows. But all good things come to an end. A year later the car had 89,000 miles was using a quart of oil about every 100 miles and one sad night low on oil I took it up to like 130 mph and the knock came knocking. The car still ran but was knocking harder. Believe it or not I threw away the RAM Air III and dropped in a used 69 400 from Bonneville and even worse I lost my license for Drunk Driving for 15 months (the was the usual time to lose one then). I sold the car for $900 (END OF STORY). SO now after MANY MANY cars (40+) including Z28's & Coupe DeVilles & Vettes, I went searching for a GM A Body Big Block Convertible 4 speed. I currently drive on weekends (since 2019) a cloned 69 442 convertible with a 70 455 4 speed in it BUT still looking for a 66,67,69 or 70 GTO (real or clone) that will make me smile. Great Looking Cars ! So proud to have owned the Judge and a bit embarrassed from all the abuse & destruction I did to that sweet car. But then again every 17 year old kid knows everything LOL.


If you learned and grew from your mistakes, then there's nothing to be ashamed of. No one is perfect and although EVERYONE will judge, it's up to you to ignore them all and follow your heart. There are many worse things in life to live for, than a quest for the perfect GTO. If it's what you want, you'll make it happen.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Baaad65 said:


> I'm more bummed the '66 SS convertible got totaled 🤦‍♂️


My 5th car was a 65 Impala SS, convertible, 12 bolt, M22, 327/350 HP.


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## Tom Tom (11 mo ago)

I realize that my story is not interesting to most, but I would like to chime in. At 18 I saw the most beautiful car ever, a 1967 signet gold GTO with black vinyl top. Had air shocks with the ass end all jacked up, Crager mags with N50's sticking out from under the quarters. Previous owner installed a 455 with headers and straight pipes out the back with no mufflers. I purchased the car in 1982 for $1,000 and was in love. The car was stupid loud and extremely fast, the four speed just made it perfect. Fast forward two years and while drive in Chattanooga seen the second most beautiful thing ever walking a dog down the sidewalk. had to stop and talk and asked her out after our conversation (she said no). next four days I made a point to go the same route at the same time and talked with her every day, asking her out before I left each day with the same answer (no) except on the fourth day when she said "I will never date a man that drives a car like that. I traded the gto for a 1978 four door Pontiac lemans the next day and yes, she did go out with me then. I always wanted another GTO and my wife (same girl that would not date a man that drives a car like that) paid attention to me looking at them and aways wishing, said it was time for me to get my first love back. Only took 38 years, two of those looking but we found and purchased the great car we have now. WORTH the wait!!!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Tom Tom said:


> I realize that my story is not interesting to most, but I would like to chime in. At 18 I saw the most beautiful car ever, a 1967 signet gold GTO with black vinyl top. Had air shocks with the ass end all jacked up, Crager mags with N50's sticking out from under the quarters. Previous owner installed a 455 with headers and straight pipes out the back with no mufflers. I purchased the car in 1982 for $1,000 and was in love. The car was stupid loud and extremely fast, the four speed just made it perfect. Fast forward two years and while drive in Chattanooga seen the second most beautiful thing ever walking a dog down the sidewalk. had to stop and talk and asked her out after our conversation (she said no). next four days I made a point to go the same route at the same time and talked with her every day, asking her out before I left each day with the same answer (no) except on the fourth day when she said "I will never date a man that drives a car like that. I traded the gto for a 1978 four door Pontiac lemans the next day and yes, she did go out with me then. I always wanted another GTO and my wife (same girl that would not date a man that drives a car like that) paid attention to me looking at them and aways wishing, said it was time for me to get my first love back. Only took 38 years, two of those looking but we found and purchased the great car we have now. WORTH the wait!!!


That's the best! Congratulations that you got both!


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## 67ventwindow (Mar 3, 2020)

Tom Tom said:


> I realize that my story is not interesting to most, but I would like to chime in. At 18 I saw the most beautiful car ever, a 1967 signet gold GTO with black vinyl top. Had air shocks with the ass end all jacked up, Crager mags with N50's sticking out from under the quarters. Previous owner installed a 455 with headers and straight pipes out the back with no mufflers. I purchased the car in 1982 for $1,000 and was in love. The car was stupid loud and extremely fast, the four speed just made it perfect. Fast forward two years and while drive in Chattanooga seen the second most beautiful thing ever walking a dog down the sidewalk. had to stop and talk and asked her out after our conversation (she said no). next four days I made a point to go the same route at the same time and talked with her every day, asking her out before I left each day with the same answer (no) except on the fourth day when she said "I will never date a man that drives a car like that. I traded the gto for a 1978 four door Pontiac lemans the next day and yes, she did go out with me then. I always wanted another GTO and my wife (same girl that would not date a man that drives a car like that) paid attention to me looking at them and aways wishing, said it was time for me to get my first love back. Only took 38 years, two of those looking but we found and purchased the great car we have now. WORTH the wait!!!


You are wrong my friend. You have a great story. 

Its the people. I would not do this if I couldn't enjoy it with my family and friends.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

So my story isn't that exciting with tons of cars but goes like this...I suppose I get the car bug helping my dad take apart his '32 Ford that he is restoring in 1975 so I'm 10, then when I'm 15-16 I want a car of course because for some reason I don't like driving mom and dads 1976 orange Econoline 150. Mom is against it and wants me to wait until I'm 18 ! dad is for it but makes sure I buy something that would take a year to fix up so we compromised. I pick up an Autotrader rag and I see the front of the '66 and '67 gtos and I'm in love  So the search is on with dad, we look at a '66 first with a straight front axel and my dad says " that thing is going to ride like a brick wagon!" So then we find one outside of Chicago and we can't see it for a week because the guy said he's putting new tail pipes on...remember no internet so it's Autotrader, Hemmings, and the news paper. We finally go see it after I get out of school and take my friend along, the thing is a POS with house paint and wire mesh as a patch on the lower quarter, and a 455 ! my dad says I think we can fix it up  I hand over the 1500.00 I saved and away he goes while we follow, we get around the block and the carb is flooding and dies, we go back to the guys house and what a surprise he's gone. So we get it going and almost home when the FRONT of the new tail pipe comes off sparking all over in the dark , tear it off and throw it in the back of dads '79 Bronco "he's a Ford guy if you haven't guessed by now" and make it home. Next morning the girlfriend and future wife comes to see it and the first thing she says is " you paid money for that?" But in a couple of years she was begging me to pick her up at high school because it attracted such a crowd  I had gotten it done in time to drive it the last couple of months my senior year putting every penny I had into it and every minute of time " the GF wasn't to happy about that" and luckily my dad rented to his friend with a body shop for the big stuff and paint but dad and I did all the rest. I just liked the Pontiacs because they were different and all my friends had Chevelle's and Mustangs. A few years later I wanted a convertible so I borrowed money and picked up a stock done '68 with an auto, the GF liked it because she could drive it unlike the '67 4 spd which by then had a .30 over 428 with a tripower. Then in '87 things got serious with us so marriage and a house were on the horizon and I knew what I had to do to afford a house...it was back to Autotrader but this time I was the seller of both my dream cars for the greater good  When we wanted kids I did go back to Pontiac and bought a 1990 Bonneville SSE, I said if it's going to be a four door it's going to be the sportiest one I can find, I loved that car. Now life is happening, two kids, fixing up our first house, buying property, designing our dream house, general contracting that house, still raising kids, putting two kids through college....jeez I'm tired, but every spring I would see the cars come out and wish I had one but it wasn't possible and if I did look they were way to expensive now so I had almost accepted the fact that I would never have another car. So now 20 years have passed and the house is the way we want it and the last tuition payment is coming up and I happen to start looking at cars again and now they are outrageously priced, then my angel of a wife says you gave up your cars for us and you've worked your butt off so we could have a great life...go and get a car  I don't think she knew what she was getting into. So no more Autotrader we have the great internet with eBay now what could go wrong...I have now taken a likening to the shorter '65 and I see this one in October of 2016 in NJ with everything I'm looking for but it's expensive even for a clone because there was no way I could afford a born gto so I forget about it then in December I'm browsing again and the same car shows up that I thought sold, the guy says the financing fell through and the bid is up in three days. I run it by the angel wife and I'm saying I can't spend that kind of money...she adjusts her halo and says go for it !!! I talk to the guy twice, I blow up the pictures I'm sure about this I'm thinking I'll only change a few things I even like the hub caps...ha ha  I put in a bid and with minutes to go I get bid up so now I'm determined...the seconds count down and I had to look away and my son says you won the f..ing car and instantly I feel sick. Now I was the proud owner of a 1965 gto clone....POS as I found out when I got it, because the sellers lied about everything so I threatened to sue them they finally refunded me 5000.00. So I found this wonderful landing spot in 2018 by Googling why my motor won't rev past 4500rpms and the first entry is the GTO.com forum....you know the rest of the story breathers and all  Thanks Army for starting this thread it's been great reading all the stories  P.S. sorry I got so long winded.


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## kevin1727 (Aug 4, 2021)

I fell in love with muscle cars in the mid '60s to early '70s when I was in my teens. In 1972 a friend of mine obtained a dark green '66 or '67 GTO with mag wheels and big tires. It was my first true love. Work, children, life, saving for retirement, and other issues always took priority until almost 50 years later. My nephew restores Pontiacs and when I saw the 1964 Tempest he had next in line I told him I would like to buy it if he didn't have another commitment. So, here I am. I have been disappointed in my nephew with all the problems he missed when restoring the car and the corners he cut, but it is working out. I'm learning a lot and it gives me something to keep me busy and out of my wife's way.
Maybe some day I'll find a '66-'67 GTO and trade it.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Baaad65 said:


> P.S. sorry I got so long winded.


No wonder your dipstick keeps popping out!

JK... no apologies for being yourself, here.


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## Jetzster (Jan 18, 2020)

armyadarkness said:


> I hope you kept his phone number!


He lives only 20 miles away! He is 82 now ,he got a dui in the car going to Oakland in1966 at 75-100 mph, he told the cops he refused to go with them and leave the car on the freeway untill the towtruck got there, he knew if he left it, it would be stolen or stripped , towtruck arrived, then he got in their car , and then he decided to sell it for an outstanding El Camino 396, got divorced from My sister 30 years back, but we stay in touch, took him for the first ride when I got the shipped car back here, he was just sittin in passenger seat diggin it, when i went WOT And he went back into his seat, then I said hey you want to hear some Beatles on the reverb? Their new and they sound cool! I hit my IPhone (I have bluetooth into the original AM reverb radio) and he just started grinnin, it was worth a million bucks to see that!😁He is like OMT, a rare animal ,one of the original GTO Gods!


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

In 1978 I was a senior in HS and a friend in auto shop had a beat- up Mariner Turquoise '67 Lemans with a turquoise interior. It was a 326, but had a factory 4 speed and ralley gauges. Jacked up with Ansen slots. The paint was as flat as a chalkboard, but it ran hard. He took me on an e-ticket ride and scared the crap out of me with AC/DC blasting HIGH VOLTAGE out of the Kraco stereo on eleven. He liked my RD350 Yamaha, so we traded for a weekend. He ended up putting 500 miles or more on the bike, I went broke going maybe 100 miles, but doing a LOT of burn-outs with those L-60 Pos-A-Tractions. He wanted to trade, but the bike got 50+ mpg and the LeMans sucked gas. But I really, really liked the styling of that Pontiac, and compared to Chevelles, the interior was way nicer.
Fast forward to July of '79, out of HS, at a party with a bunch of people. A former classmate I didn't really know approached me and asked if my Yamaha was up for a trade. I asked him what he had and he said he had a '66 GTO. I told him, "nah, I like my RD because it's faster than cars are." He looked at me dead in the eye and said "my car is faster than your bike."
We made it out to the street to the car...faded out Platinum Silver with the factory black pinstripe, Ansen Sprints on the back, Rally 1's up front, sitting on a rake. It was like the LeMans, but _meaner_----hood scoop, fog lights in the grille, and those WICKED louvered tail lamps. We got in, and as Fred fired it up I took in the mint black interior, shiny ribbed chrome console, full gauges, and chrome Hurst shifter with the coolest walnut shift knob ever....with a GTO crest in lucite! The car was a really straight 13 year old vechicle with faded original paint, but otherwise very nice. He put the car into first gear and we headed up the street, which went about 1/8 mile and then up a very steep hill. "Hang on--", Fred said too late as he matted the pedal. Both rear tires grabbed and bit at the asphalt leaving wide black stripes and smoke as I felt like the top of my skull was coming off. Then he hit second gear and it happened all over again. The goat went up that hill so fast it was as if it were level ground and we were taking off. I was blown away. We traded on the spot.

Reality hit the next week going to work and going from 50+ mpg to 10-12 mpg. But, I got used to it, made decent money at my summer job, and had a blast. The car at a '67 400 engine, original M20 trans, and 3.55 Safe-T-Track. I ended up getting the car re-painted factory Platinum and installed a tripower on it I got for $100-or $120. It was the cleanest old GTO in town at the time, as nobody was even repainting them then. They were just old gas hog cars. I ended up winning a lot of street races with the car before I wrecked it a year and a half later, two weeks before the college semester was to begin. I had used an AFB throttle cable bracket on the tripower, the angle was wrong and it stuck wide open during a joy ride on a curvy road and that was it. Head on collision. Nobody got killed, but the GTO was totaled.

I bought it back and stripped the driveline and interior and installed it into a mint '66 GTO that was missing the running gear and interior. I paid $700 for the replacement GTO-- a hugger orange monster with Virginia plates and a blacked out tail panel. This donor shell didn't have a ding or dent anywhere. It turned out that my engine, transmission, and rear end had all been ruined in the head-on. Crank and block shot in the 400, trans had broken ears, and the ring gear bolts had sheared. So, I located a 389 out of a '65 GTO, Muncie trans, and rear end (all junkyard available back then) and built the car up. This was the end of 1980. The '65 389 was $150, the trans was a $75 junkyard unit, as was the 3.55 replacement posi. I ended up doing a show paint job on this car and sold it in 1991 to buy my first house. (Montero Red) In 1988, I had pulled the '65 389 and installed it in my '65 GTO (the one I still drive) and I located and built a correct '66 389 for the '66.

No driving was done in any car from December of 1980 to December of 1981 due to a one- year suspension of my driver's license due to street racing. It sucks being a young college student who needs a ride everywhere! However, I_ did_ manage to pick up a 64,000 mile Capri Gold/Black '65 GTO for $800 with an ST300 and a 4bbl. Sweet car.

What happened to my FIRST car, the platinum '66 I wrecked? I gave it to a friend and we ended up putting a new frame under it and new sheetmetal ($100 for a complete front clip at Dorris Auto Wrecking!) and installing a 455 HO engine, M22 4 speed trans, and 12 bolt Safe-T-Track out of a '70 HO 455 GTO we picked up for $175 because it had a burned coil primary wire. The '70 was red with white interior and vinyl top. Super rare. And a nice #3 car. But hey, we liked '66's! The '66 ended up being built into a 462 with dual AFB's on an Offy intake, M22 trans, Super Shifter with 4.56 gears out back and full ladder bars. It actually broke the rear wheel studs when he romped on it in second gear. We went with aircraft studs after that. The car was now primer gray with Centerline wheels, which were a big deal then. The guy I had gotten this car from at the party a couple of years earlier (Fred) saw it and fell in love and bought it for $4800, which in 1982 was HUGE money for a first gen GTO, especially with no paint.
The last time I saw this car (my first Pontiac) it was painted Starlight Black, running that 462, and I watched Fred run a 12-flat in the quarter mile at Baylands in Fremont, CA. I think that old '66 is still around to this day.

In the meantime, when all of this was going on, I was buying up cheap '65, '66, and '67 GTO's and driving them and fixing them and selling them, etc. At one time, I had 5 of them at the same time!!! Never had a '64 (not for lack of trying) or a '68 or later.

I have driven these cars non- stop since '79, and the '65 I have I've owned for 40 years and the '67 for 39 years. They've never been off the road or out of action. Registered each and every year, and I enjoy them now even more than when I was a kid. I also beat on them a LOT less! They have become family members.

I didn't find out until my 50's that my mom's side of the family were Pontiac people: my mom's younger brother bought a bright red on red '59 Catalina convertible with tripower, and my mom's dad drove a '62 Grand Prix with tripower as well!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

geeteeohguy said:


> He liked my RD350 Yamaha


I would kill to have that bike now!


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

armyadarkness said:


> I would kill to have that bike now!


My ex-boss has a really nice original '79 RD400 Daytona Special but he won't sell it. He's too fat to ride it.....maybe I should pester him some more. It's been years!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

I had a few RZ's!


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## Mike Honcho (10 mo ago)

One of my friends from MX racing days still has his RZ350. I rode it back in the day and it had way too much power. And I was running a CR500 at the time.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Here are a few of mine...


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Guest appearance... my 73 Ventura. Was a factory Chevy straight 6, 3 on the tree, baby moons. I bought it with 2,000 miles on it!


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## Jim K (Nov 17, 2020)

My love for Pontiacs in general started way back in the 60's. A friend and I played on the same summer baseball team in the city leagues and his dad had a 68 Catalina 2+2. Sometimes I'd hitch a ride with them to a game. One time, on a four lane street (that was the local cruising "strip") he hammered it for one reason or another. I remember sitting in the back just feeling the acceleration sink me deep into the seat. My only thought at that time was "holy cow!" (hey I was only 12 at that time). Later on in 74' I was riding with 4 other guys ( I was in the back seat behind the driver) in a 1970 GTO judge that was Lucern Blue Poly. Going down another section of that local cruise "strip", some guy in a late 60's z28 camaro came along side wanting to run it. we did the 3 honk thing and took off. All I can remember is feeling the G's of acceleration, (I wondered if that was what astronauts felt when they blasted off) straining my neck muscles to keep my head from getting tossed back and straining to see the speedometer over the drivers shoulder. That was with 5 of us in that car. At that point I was hooked. I don't know which motor that Z28 had, but he never stood a chance. I later found out that GTO's motor was a Ram Air IV 400. So, fast forward to 75" I was working as a carry out at the local grocery store, back when they had such things as carry outs and had scrimped and saved my pay. I think I had something like 500$ saved up. I went looking for a car as I was tired of driving dads 66 ford Galaxy 500 with a 2 bbl 352 that couldn't get out of it's own way. I found a beautiful 73 Trans Am with a 455 SD... But... I needed a co-signer on a loan as they wanted 900$ for it and I only had 500 saved. I went to my old man.. He said not no but HELL no he wouldn't co-sign. He said if I wanted a car that bad, there was a perfectly good Ford Galaxy sitting in the driveway, with a motor that didn't have enough umpfff to get out of it's own way. He said it would cost me 350$. So I bought it from him. Here I am driving that 4 door "family car" and most of my buddies and other kids were all driving mustangs, challengers, chargers, super bee's, chevelles, cuda's, etc.. etc.. Talk about a humbling experience..
Fast forward to 76'. I was stationed in Pensacola Florida for a while, attending A school when I was in the Marines. I went looking for either a GTO or Trans Am. I was really hoping to find a 70 Judge like the one I rode in but all I found was a 71' GTO. BIG HP/TQ difference between the two but I bought it. Cost me 1200$. I stored it at a friends parents place out in the country while i did my tour around the world in the Corps. Got out of the service, picked up the car and towed it back to my house. rebuilt the original motor and drove it for several years, Finally decided to do a body off resto-mod. It took me 14 years to get it done. I hauled it around with me in boxes, parts and pieces for two corporate moves. Then finally got started putting it all back together in 96/97 Just when I was about to get it to the point of road testing and tweaking, I went through a divorce. Since I had that car before the marriage, it automatically went to me. I moved it around 4 more times on corporate moves without doing anything else to it. Since my High school days, I had other Pontiacs. A 76" formula while i was stationed in Hawaii and later on, one I wished I had kept (but that's another story), a 69 GTO convertible with a 428 Ram Air. But I still have that first one sitting out in the shop. It's had a few changes and upgrades since I put it all back together in 97'. And that is how I got to this point of being here in the present.


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## gtojoe68 (Jan 4, 2019)

BearGFR said:


> I thought certainly, I'd posted this on here a long time ago but perhaps I just dreamed that because I haven't been able to find it again...
> 
> Here's the story of THE experience that ignited by love for the GTO:
> 
> ...


Man - the "I've got to get one of these!" hit RIGHT at home. awesome


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

armyadarkness said:


> I would kill to have that bike now!


I'll sell you mine cheap 😉


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

The one common thing that presents itself here with these old Pontiacs is Violent Acceleration. It's not a smooth, sanitary experience, like in a new car that is so much faster. In an old Pontiac, it's much more visceral and fire-snorting and, well, VIOLENT. An old Pontiac is like a P-51 Mustang or P-47 compared to an F-15. Not as fast or smooth or high tech, but, in my world, a whole lot more BADASS! 
Off topic here, but somewhere Bear has a video of him racing a P-40 Warhawk down a runway with the GTO actually winning...._that's _pretty badass too.


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

Great stories here, loved reading these.

I'll add mine.

I was 15 years old (1996) and was shopping around for my first car a year before getting my DL. Similar to others on here, I had saved some money from working painting houses, construction worksite help and doing odd jobs and my dad offered to help out with the purchase as well. We were looking for a runner but weren't afraid of a project.

I grew up with cars. My dad flipped Ford Falcons to pay his way through college in San Jose and then imported MKII and III Jaguars from England to resell here when I was a child to supplement his income. He also always had classic cars around in various states of completion and I grew up making Triumphs and MGs roadworthy with him. I remember some of the cars he had that he still says "he should have held onto"...a white '57 Chevy Bel Air 2dr HT with a corvette 283 and 4 speed, a '55 Chevy Cameo with a hot 327 and a cool '56 Packard Clipper that he bought from a movie production company (I later saw it on a Dragnet episode getting shot up!). I cringe at what he recalls selling them for considering today's market!

I had some ideas and wanted a truck. He used to go to the auto auctions in S. San Francisco and one day he came home with a '66 GTO (in yellow of course). I could not believe my eyes, the car was so cool. He apologized for not getting my opinion, but said it was too good of a deal to pass up. I was sold. We got the car for $1500 and it had spent its entire life in the Bay Area after being built at the Freemont plant. The auction house actually wanted the car back, as there was a title lien issue or something with the previous owner who had pawned the car and they had me come back to the auction house. They offered me 2 other cars in exchange for my goat, a '69 Olds 442 convertible 455 4 speed or a '70 Buick GS. Both cars at the time were probably worth double the GTO, but I stuck to my guns and refused...kept the GTO. I think I may have gone for the Olds, but it was brown with a brown interior and so ugly. And neither car was as loud, torquey and nasty as the 66. It put a smile on my face then and still does now.

The unoriginal 400 had tons of blowby, valvetrain noise and smoked, but it sounded awesome. Drove the car as my daily all through highschool and college and kept it running through 2 blown engines, blown up rear ends, fried trannys and all kinds of other abuse teenagers inflict on cars like 50 foot one-legged burnouts and wet parking lot donuts. Even used it to go backpacking and fishing many times in Yosemite and Sequoia, I do not recommend Sierra Nevada mountain passes on 4 wheel drums...spent lots of time in "1".

So, it was my first car and I still have it to this day. Came close to selling it in desperate times on multiple occasions and am so glad I was able to avoid it. It is a part of my childhood and is now becoming a part of my son's childhood. I'm thankful my dad got me into wrenching and loving cars and I hope I can pass it along. It has been fun over the last 3 years in particular updating the reliability and safety of the car so we can use it to do family outings. Once I get the tranny issues sorted I'll probably begin to think about getting back to some engine performance upgrades I've wanted fro some time!

Anyhow, I'm also thankful for all the similar stories and wisdom on forums like this. You guys help keep it all going. Cheers!

**edit: adding a pic of the car from 1996 with my pals making ass-dents on the roof, which are still there...


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

geeteeohguy said:


> The one common thing that presents itself here with these old Pontiacs is Violent Acceleration. It's not a smooth, sanitary experience, like in a new car that is so much faster. In an old Pontiac, it's much more visceral and fire-snorting and, well, VIOLENT. An old Pontiac is like a P-51 Mustang or P-47 compared to an F-15. Not as fast or smooth or high tech, but, in my world, a whole lot more BADASS!
> Off topic here, but somewhere Bear has a video of him racing a P-40 Warhawk down a runway with the GTO actually winning...._that's _pretty badass too.


Agreed, I have noticed a lot of stories have accidents and wrecked cars, teenagers and Pontiac power not a good combo plus the fact that there was no safety equipment...glad so far no one has said they were injured or worse.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Baaad65 said:


> Agreed, I have noticed a lot of stories have accidents and wrecked cars, teenagers and Pontiac power not a good combo plus the fact that there was no safety equipment...glad so far no one has said they were injured or worse.


It was a different world for sure. No cup holders, no cell phones, no flat screens on the dash. Just manual drum brakes, 3 carburetors, manual steering, and a big chrome Hurst shifter! There was no eating a burger and drinking a big gulp driving these cars back then. You had to DRIVE the car....all the way to the scene of the wreck, anyway!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

ylwgto said:


> Great stories here, loved reading these.
> 
> I'll add mine.
> 
> ...


Awesome story my friend!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

geeteeohguy said:


> It was a different world for sure. No cup holders, no cell phones, no flat screens on the dash. Just manual drum brakes, 3 carburetors, manual steering, and a big chrome Hurst shifter! There was no eating a burger and drinking a big gulp driving these cars back then. You had to DRIVE the car....all the way to the scene of the wreck, anyway!


Oddly enough, I was able to go get coffee with my Harley Davidson Road King, but I cannot with my GTO!


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

armyadarkness said:


> Oddly enough, I was able to go get coffee with my Harley Davidson Road King, but I cannot with my GTO!


I thought you had a cup holder...CG


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

armyadarkness said:


> Awesome story my friend!


I agree. The last GTO I bought was a '65 Hardtop in about #4 condition was in 1992 for $2000. 4 speed car, burgundy/black, CA black plate Fremont car. Sold it to my best friend 2 years later and he still has it (in pieces).
Yellow GTO picking up a '66 in '96 for $1600 got it for about half the going price in the SF Bay Area then.


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## gtojoe68 (Jan 4, 2019)

geeteeohguy said:


> It was a different world for sure. No cup holders, no cell phones, no flat screens on the dash. Just manual drum brakes, 3 carburetors, manual steering, and a big chrome Hurst shifter! There was no eating a burger and drinking a big gulp driving these cars back then. You had to DRIVE the car....all the way to the scene of the wreck, anyway!


As my friend Mark says "you have to be an Active Participant" in these cars.


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## gtojoe68 (Jan 4, 2019)

So my story finally - 

My first car was a 1969 Red/blk vinyl top Ford Mustang that my uncles bought me for $450 in 1984. a Florida car that had spend time on the beach as it was a horrible rust bucket. I won't get into the myriad of issues it had - literally rusted away frame rails, front ball joints so bad the negative camber was off the charts etc. I never drove the car over 70MPH. it would lurch to the right or left at any time making driving super interesting. But it was red, had a 302 and totally pegleg smoked the passenger side tire off. This fueled my desire for another V-8 musclecar. The produce mgr. at my grocery store job had a gorgeous white/blk vinyl top 4sp 68 GTO. I got a ride in that one day as he was selling it for the princely sum of $2500. I was HOOKED. It was a violent acceleration (as _*geeteeohguy*_ said) and MAN did I want one of these. Sadly, I could not afford the $2500. I found another 1968 GTO with Hurst dualgate for $900. Black on black, whole passenger quarter pounded out with a BALL PEEN hammer. ugly as f**k but I had to have it. Turns out it had a Ram Air 2 motor (i didn't know this at the time). the 2.5 geared rear end was a dog out of the hole, but she sure had top end. I ended up putting a 750 dbl pumper Holley on her as the Carter AFB was dogpiss screwed up, a Mallory Unalite plus wires and other little things. My favorite was the laziness to replace the broken motor mount from all the "powerbrake" burnouts I would do (peg leg of course). I'll try to attach a photo of this. I literally hooked a length of chain around the frame and looped the links around exposed mounting bolt on the RamAir exhaust header. Nice. learned about the positive battery cable needing to go thru the tube in the header - how you ask? by it getting loose and grounding out on the header. THAT was fun to fix in front of school. 

The best with this car was the upper A-arm bolts on passenger side snapping one day as I pulled out of the parent's carport on way to school. I replaced them with hardware store bolts, shimmed as best I could and tested alignment by letting go of wheel while rolling down the street at 30 mph. Mind you , I WAS enrolled in AutoShop in HS and very active. Just still stupid and in a hurry as a teenager. Mind you, on this "repair", I took this car on the interstate and wound the speedo waaay past the 120. like over to the "E" in the parking brake light. Figured at 4600 rpm where it hit a wall and 2.5gears, I was easy 135-140. 

I finally sold this car for $1100 to a gal who was moving and simply wanted a "big car". She had no idea what she was buying - but i didn't care. my DREAM car was for sale again as the produce mgr was having another kid. $1600 for the white 4sp GTO. I pleaded with my parents who let me take $500 out of my college fund to buy it. OMG did that car drive like a dream. the black 68 had been "rode hard and put away wet". This one was sooooo smooth. 80k original miles, i was only the third owner. Had a limited slip and was just so F-ing sweet. I would float around corners in 2nd gear all day (probably destroying the clutches in the BOP 8.5 factory 10bolt too - hell, I was 16yo) This car was WAY too nice for me to have. 3 months after buying I went for third gear getting sideways in the rain and plopped her in a culvert ditch, coming to a dead stop on the culvert pipe. wrinkled the passenger quarter (sound familiar?) and jacking the fender which I had to replace. The original steering wheel was bent from me death gripping it as we went into the ditch. F me. I loved that car. I kept driving it all thru senior year though. I let a friend drive her one day (dumb plan) and he took her past 6k RPM in first gear - well, that motor just kept pulling. Bent a couple pushrods which started off the idiotic plan I developed to replace the entire upper end. Without addressing the now 85k lower end. Big cam, ported head work done by local shop, and all the new pieces later - she was screaming fast and sounded bitchin. 500 miles later, there was oil in the air cleaner and you know the rest. Cracked a piston skirt at start up and that was that. Tore engine down, stored all the pieces and she sat in the carport of parents house for my whole freshman year away at college out of state. 

I sold the car with the M-20 trans for $1500 when I got back at the insistence of parents, without the motor. to this day I curse myself for separating her from original motor that i was convinced I would rebuild. Never did and sold motor for $750 some 8 yrs later.

Fast forward to April 1999. I'm engaged to be married in Sept 2000 and I still have this itch for another GTO, but this time with the important option, Top goes down. I find a 1968 GTO 4sp Conv on Auto Trader (remember that?) in Oregon. (I'm in the Seattle area). I trade emails and photos with the seller and place a $1000 down payment on her - sight unseen. He wanted $11k for it and I got him to $10 k. I sent $1000 monthly to him over the next 9 months and finally drove down to pick her up. I still have no idea how I convinced my girlfriend (now wife of 22yrs) to make this purchase. Had I not? there is NO WAY i would have this car today. Cost, 3 kids and an alcohol issue (that was dealt with 7yrs ago - thank you Bill W) - would've surely derailed it.

now THIS GTO went like a bat out of hell. Had been rebuilt by Jim Green Performance, numbers matching etc. car. it had some quirks like a dried out top with holes, a hot start issue the owner had "fixed" with a foot button to the ignition. must have thought it was the key - we all know why/what hot start issue actually is. Hated the Coyote headers on that car too. too much heat. 

Over the last years I have done a ton of work to her; but most of it over the last 5. We drove that car in it's purchased form (minus the dumbass foot switch - i put a hi torque starter in it, problem gone) for next 10 years. All three kids rode in her in car seats from birth - top always down as it was essentially a roadster for 20 yrs. New Exhaust in 2003, Front suspension/disc brake conversion in 2009. New AutoGear Muncie in 2013(?) . Rebuilt engine/all body bushings/interior/radiator/wiring harness complete/rear suspension/gas tank etc. etc. in 2018-2019. EVERYTHING but body and paint. My friend Mark let me keep her in his garage for a year so we could strip her right to the point of frame off. Motor is mild build with a Ram Air 2 grind . sounds grumbly and great. 10:1 compression for originality so I gotta add few gallons of AV gas but whatever. she likes it.

In Covid, I got a deal to get all the little body work, rust in wheel wells, small driver side dent from a different uncle and complete repaint for $10k cash. Found original Verdoro Green, 2 reds, 2 blues and the white paint I bought her with. Ouch. with all that - I went with Tango Red Metallic because I love that color and it's mine - so the purists can suck it. lol They took every part off, put 254 hrs of body work into it and wet sanded down to 3500 grit. It's not Mecam Concours but she is sure pretty. Only took 22 yrs. I still have little clips to replace for trim around the top, want to upgrade to Wilwood front calipers, needs a fuel pump probably (odd that I didn't replace that in 2019 - wth?) It has factory radiator, correct date code number Q-Jet etc. and I plan to keep it close to stock matching the WT motor build sheet. 

Oddly, neither of my two sons are really interested in the car. My youngest, my daughter on the other hand is in auto shop in Junior year of high school and help me on her when she can. Probably going to to her when I kick it.

I apologize for the rambling - it was that first ride in the White 68 GTO 4sp from the produce mgr. Holy S**T was I hooked. the raw unbridled power was just phenomenal. New 707 Hemi Hellcats are waaaay faster and scarier. I wouldn't trade for all the tea in China. 

Cheers 

_Image below is me in Junior year in the Black pegleg 68. my best friend in passenger seat. We used this photo in the school newspaper to advertize for the HS drags. What horsecrap. I wanted to put my hot rod in the paper. LOL Those Polyglas GT tires just shot smoke out of them. I stenciled Ingraham on the "ball peened" quarter prior to going to HS Drags at the local strip. Sadly, the white 4sp 68 never made it. while on way to drags the next year, after passing beers between cars ON THE FREEWAY - my buddy's 74 Nova needed oil. We stopped 3 miles from the track, i turned off my hot GTO and BOOM. Water pump gave way. an easy 30 minute fix but no time. had to leave her there and do it on way back. I would NEVER leave my GTO on side of the road now mind you. _


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

Baaad65 said:


> I'll sell you mine cheap 😉
> View attachment 158634


I've got one of those, but the plastic is long gone...it's missing the same nuts...and it's not really good for parts!


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## 66COUPE (Jul 23, 2021)

Baaad65 said:


> I'll sell you mine cheap 😉
> View attachment 158634


Okay, my turn down memory lane, as closely as I can remember it anyway. I Always loved “muscle “ cars since the time I really started noticing them late 60’s early 70’s when the sound and look was beyond cool to most guys my age, trying to get the dudes to do burnouts in the neighborhood, dreaming of the day we could drive and have a loud cool car like that, Camero’s , Mustang’s, Chevelle’s, a Cuda , a really cool yellow Superbird, that wing was outrageous! our sub had some pretty sweet cars cruising around but not any GTO’s that i can recall. My Dad was never was a car guy, a car had 4 wheels and got you where you were going-most of the time. We had 4 doors gas guzzlers growing up, family of 5 stuff,used Galaxy’s Delta 88, ect. Our neighbor owned a small mfg. company that made fuel & trans lines of the auto industry and offered me my first job bending tubes , so at 13 years old I was working 3 hours a day after school with my best friend-his son, He would pick us up after school & drive us home at 6:00 ( after his daily stop at the corner bar ) we made $ 2.75 / hr. 
I / we had more money than any of our friends after several months and then full time in the summer at
$ 3.20 /hr. I’m rolling in dough at 14 ! 😂 NOT! Took drivers test in a rusty AMC hornet 3 on the tree my dad got for my older sister for 200$, went through
1 or 2 horrible cars a year if they made it that long, never more than 150$ each rust buckets to say the least, Michigan roads & winters eat cars fast, rusted through frames & worse, partial list: skylark, 98 regency, dart swinger, couple pickups, some never lasted long enough to bother transferring the title, then got a sorta decent 67 Catalina convertible 400
ran good when in tune for a big boat, convertible top was at least 3/4 duct tape so I tried to keep it down when it wasn’t raining or snowing, became a carpenter and built condos in Hawaii for a spell, economy boom and bust , blah blah back to working in Michigan spring 1980 now I’ve saved 10 grand and I’m looking for a nice car & a starter house, in that order. Good driver muscle cars are going for
$ 2000-2500 or more if really nice, I’m looking pretty hard at 3-5 cars a week cash burning a hole in my pocket but everything I’m looking for is too much $ already sold or clearly not as advertised now that I know what I’m looking at, my mechanic buddy told me many times “ crawl under the car first “ this time around I’m following his advice and I leave quickly and disappointed while the guy selling the car is trying to hide the bondo.


geeteeohguy said:


> The one common thing that presents itself here with these old Pontiacs is Violent Acceleration. It's not a smooth, sanitary experience, like in a new car that is so much faster. In an old Pontiac, it's much more visceral and fire-snorting and, well, VIOLENT. An old Pontiac is like a P-51 Mustang or P-47 compared to an F-15. Not as fast or smooth or high tech, but, in my world, a whole lot more BADASS!
> Off topic here, but somewhere Bear has a video of him racing a P-40 Warhawk down a runway with the GTO actually winning...._that's _pretty badass too.


Nice!! I’m putting the finishing violence in my story, should have it done tomorrow. 🤬🤣


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## 66COUPE (Jul 23, 2021)

66COUPE said:


> Okay, my turn down memory lane, as closely as I can remember it anyway. I Always loved “muscle “ cars since the time I really started noticing them late 60’s early 70’s when the sound and look was beyond cool to most guys my age, trying to get the dudes to do burnouts in the neighborhood, dreaming of the day we could drive and have a loud cool car like that, Camero’s , Mustang’s, Chevelle’s, a Cuda , a really cool yellow Superbird, that wing was outrageous! our sub had some pretty sweet cars cruising around but not any GTO’s that i can recall. My Dad was never was a car guy, a car had 4 wheels and got you where you were going-most of the time. We had 4 doors gas guzzlers growing up, family of 5 stuff,used Galaxy’s Delta 88, ect. Our neighbor owned a small mfg. company that made fuel & trans lines of the auto industry and offered me my first job bending tubes , so at 13 years old I was working 3 hours a day after school with my best friend-his son, He would pick us up after school & drive us home at 6:00 ( after his daily stop at the corner bar ) we made $ 2.75 / hr.
> I / we had more money than any of our friends after several months and then full time in the summer at
> $ 3.20 /hr. I’m rolling in dough at 14 ! 😂 NOT! Took drivers test in a rusty AMC hornet 3 on the tree my dad got for my older sister for 200$, went through
> 1 or 2 horrible cars a year if they made it that long, never more than 150$ each rust buckets to say the least, Michigan roads & winters eat cars fast, rusted through frames & worse, partial list: skylark, 98 regency, dart swinger, couple pickups, some never lasted long enough to bother transferring the title, then got a sorta decent 67 Catalina convertible 400
> ...


I may have just f’d up


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## 66COUPE (Jul 23, 2021)

66COUPE said:


> I may have just f’d up


My bad, don’t look at the GTO forum while cooking dinner, I’ll actually get to the GTO tomorrow.


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## Cosmic Charlie (Nov 18, 2018)

gtojoe68 said:


> So my story finally -
> 
> My first car was a 1969 Red/blk vinyl top Ford Mustang that my uncles bought me for $450 in 1984. a Florida car that had spend time on the beach as it was a horrible rust bucket. I won't get into the myriad of issues it had - literally rusted away frame rails, front ball joints so bad the negative camber was off the charts etc. I never drove the car over 70MPH. it would lurch to the right or left at any time making driving super interesting. But it was red, had a 302 and totally pegleg smoked the passenger side tire off. This fueled my desire for another V-8 musclecar. The produce mgr. at my grocery store job had a gorgeous white/blk vinyl top 4sp 68 GTO. I got a ride in that one day as he was selling it for the princely sum of $2500. I was HOOKED. It was a violent acceleration (as _*geeteeohguy*_ said) and MAN did I want one of these. Sadly, I could not afford the $2500. I found another 1968 GTO with Hurst dualgate for $900. Black on black, whole passenger quarter pounded out with a BALL PEEN hammer. ugly as f**k but I had to have it. Turns out it had a Ram Air 2 motor (i didn't know this at the time). the 2.5 geared rear end was a dog out of the hole, but she sure had top end. I ended up putting a 750 dbl pumper Holley on her as the Carter AFB was dogpiss screwed up, a Mallory Unalite plus wires and other little things. My favorite was the laziness to replace the broken motor mount from all the "powerbrake" burnouts I would do (peg leg of course). I'll try to attach a photo of this. I literally hooked a length of chain around the frame and looped the links around exposed mounting bolt on the RamAir exhaust header. Nice. learned about the positive battery cable needing to go thru the tube in the header - how you ask? by it getting loose and grounding out on the header. THAT was fun to fix in front of school.
> 
> ...


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## Cosmic Charlie (Nov 18, 2018)

gtojoe68 wrote
Mind you, on this "repair", I took this car on the interstate and wound the speedo waaay past the 120. like over to the "E" in the parking brake light. Figured at 4600 rpm where it hit a wall and 2.5gears, I was easy 135-140.

LOL my 69 Judge RA lll 4 speed I would be winding it out to the "R" on the word BRAKE - recently I tried to figure what speed that was LOL not accurate +- LOL

See Attached


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## MMarsh (May 1, 2021)

Wow, I love reading the stories.

I've been with my GTO, it's whole life and it's been with me since I was 2. See My father bought it brand new in 1969 when he got back from Vietnam. My dad was the oldest of alot of brothers and they all had musclecars at the same time. One had a 65 GTO, there was a 67 GTO a 68 GTO, a 66 SS 396 Chevelle and a 70 442. I have a picture someplace in the early 70s with all those cars parked in front of my grandmother's house. But the only one thats still around is our 69. My GTO was our family car. It was the car we took camping with a carryall on top, it was the car that took me to cub scouts and was the car my dad drag raced his army buddies in. I really don't have any memory of that car not being in my life or of it not being promised to me when I turned 16. I can still remember counting down the years till I got my driver's license. I've been washing and waxing that car since I was probably 5 years old. 
I first drove it when I was 12. I'll never forget it. I knew exactly what to do, how to shift the gears, what it was supposed to sound like. I had dreamed about it for years. I think I even surprised my dad with how good I was. 😉

The day I turned 16 was the happiest day of my life. Parents let me skip school that morning and took me to go get my license. I FAILED........I'm kidding I got my license and promptly drove to school feeling like a million bucks.

Long story short, I'm now 55 years old and the GTO has always had a spot in my garage. Over the years other projects have come and gone and the GTO sat unused for quite awhile. I even built a really nice 69 GTO convertible several years ago. But a few years ago, i got it up and running again, made some mods that i wanted, updated suspension, brakes ect and the love is as strong as ever. I will never sell this car. Way to many memories in this one. I sit in it and it's like sitting in a time machine.


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## Noangelbuddy (Dec 6, 2017)

My first car was a red 67 Firebird. I wanted a 400, but settled for a 326 on the lot. I expected to be drafted within a year and sent to Vietnam, so I bought what the dealer had. While on active duty my younger brother totaled it out. A shipmate was selling his 65 GTO to buy a 62 Corvette. My mechanical skills were basic at the time. Did not test drive the Goat, it was love at first sight. I took the keys on that gorgeous white with black interior, 389 Hurst 4 speed on the day I was discharged from the Navy. Left Alameda NAS and drove home to NY on 1 Feb 1972. What could possibly go wrong?
Car had no heat and 3 spare tires in the trunk, but none of them fit the car. Imagine my surprise. I found out about the lack of heat after leaving the San Francisco climate and driving East. Doing 85 mph on a freeway when I passed a trooper. He pulled me over and gave me a warning ticket for defective signals. Found out about the useless tires when I got a flat in the Texas panhandle. A very nice interracial couple (remember this was 1972) picked me up and drove me to a gas station. Guy at the station drove me back out to my car and groaned when he saw the useless spares. He took the tire off, drove back to the station fixed the flat and put it back on the car for $20. Another mechanic fixed an intermittent tail light problem at no charge, which remedied the warning ticket. People I met were awesome. After getting back home I taught my girlfriend how to take hole shots and speed shift that car. She used these skills if geeks flirted with her at stoplights. After we got married, the Goat became her car and I drove a beater. Fast forward a few years and it was me speed shifting to get my wife to the hospital when her contractions accelerated. Couple of years later, that car took us to the hospital again for the birth of our second son. For a number of reasons, we took it off the road in 1984 and it spent 10 years in my parents garage. I moved if from NY to Va, where it sat in my garage untouched for almost 20 years; until I retired. I did a frame off, changed the drum brakes to disc, installed Unisteer rack and pinion and finally addressed all the rust issues plus new gas tank and new SS brake lines. NY winters and road salt were harsh. Joined the GTO Forum and got outstanding support and advice from several members. I installed new wiring, a 383 stroker crate engine a Tremec 6 speed and new rear. The exterior and interior are all GTO original in appearance. Needs some more body preparation and painting before I get it registered again. I know this will sound odd, but I’m dragging my feet to finish it. I painted it once before and don’t look forward to all those hours of sanding, but I will get it done. My build, my way and by my hands only.
After 50 years still have the car and the girl. My wife has a few new parts, while the Goat has many.


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## 1970BurgundyJudge (8 mo ago)

I was 16 in 1974 with $1,500 saved up to spend on my first car. I must admit I was and am a Chevy guy, but liked Pontiac, Olds and Mopars too. My choices came down to a blue 65 GTO with a 455/auto or a dark blue 69 GTO 400/4speed. Both were parked on the side of gas stations. The 69 was a mechanic's lien car for $500 to cover the cost of the tune up, carb and oil change. I decided on the 69. Before I could buy it, I went to my insurance man's office to find out how much insurance would cost. The bad news: $500 per year and he wouldn't write it. If I get something under 400 cubic it would be half the cost and he would write it. 

I ended up with and orange 1970 Barracuda 383/auto. I didn't have it long, sold it and bought a 72 Dodge Demon 340/4speed that has all the speed shop goodies. Over the years I bought Corvettes, Camaros, Chevelle, Firebird, Trans Am, even a Mustang, while a couple of attempts to buy a GTO fell through. I balked at a 69 Judge in the late 1990s because it was totally disassembled and I was intimidated by it. Having restored a 70 Chevelle recently, I found my Judge after all these years and felt confident to restore it. Maybe some day a 70 W-30 442...


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

MMarsh said:


> ...The day I turned 16 was the happiest day of my life. Parents let me skip school that morning and took me to go get my license. I FAILED........I'm kidding I got my license and promptly drove to school feeling like a million bucks....


I took my first driving test in my 67 (1985)...AND, failed! My dad did not really teach me to drive. I doubt I had 20 minutes behind the wheel in the church parking lot before Mom took me to take the test. I passed the written and the poor driver's test official got in a 67 GTO with a 16 year old (me) and off we went. We didn't get much past the high humped overpass over the train tracks (one mile from the bureau) and he said..."turn it around!". I'm pretty sure we were doing 45 in a 25...and, you know how great the suspension is in a GTO...pretty sure all the rubber stops met on the way up and coming down...he'd had enough.

They gave me a permit (WHAT???) and I practiced in Mom's 73 Mercury which I took to the next driving test and passed. The driving test official was Dad's old gym teacher, I think, but I'd bet he told Dad to keep me out from behind the wheel of that GTO until I gained some experience...I didn't drive the GTO until I was 17. 

Probably saved somebody's life! Maybe mine. I was hooked!


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## gtojoe68 (Jan 4, 2019)

Cosmic Charlie said:


> View attachment 158662
> gtojoe68 wrote
> Mind you, on this "repair", I took this car on the interstate and wound the speedo waaay past the 120. like over to the "E" in the parking brake light. Figured at 4600 rpm where it hit a wall and 2.5gears, I was easy 135-140.
> 
> ...





Cosmic Charlie said:


> View attachment 158662
> gtojoe68 wrote
> Mind you, on this "repair", I took this car on the interstate and wound the speedo waaay past the 120. like over to the "E" in the parking brake light. Figured at 4600 rpm where it hit a wall and 2.5gears, I was easy 135-140.
> 
> ...


Crap. My dyslexia gets the better of me. I meant B not E. Certainly not accurate but I needed two lanes at that speed. Lol.


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## Mike Honcho (10 mo ago)

Lots of stories here about cars kept and cars let go and later replaced. Not a car as I am a boater. In 1992 I bought a 1966 34’ sportfish boat. My kids literally grew up on it. In 2018 a bigger boat came my way. A whole story in itself. But another story. Anyway the 34’s Diesel engines were worth more to sell than the whole working boat. Again, my sons grew up on it so not letting it go. Gave it to them. But age issues came up and now it’s in the yard. A father/son project restoring engine room and making everything functional again. Should be back in the water in February.

A car is the same thing. Piece of history, fun to work on, and a family bond. In my opinion.


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## Mike Honcho (10 mo ago)

Thinking I am trying to say each story is somewhat common but each individually awesome.


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

Mike Honcho said:


> Thinking I am trying to say each story is somewhat common but each individually awesome.


well said. post a pic of the boat!


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## Mike Honcho (10 mo ago)

Here’s a pic of the engines coming out to clean up and paint engine room.


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## Deuce (Aug 1, 2021)

armyadarkness said:


> I hope you kept his phone number!


I got a 64 lol


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

Mike Honcho said:


> Here’s a pic of the engines coming out to clean up and paint engine room.


damn, cool pic. what a process. good luck with that and glad to hear it will live on for more good times.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

The Autotrader listing in 1987 that about killed me to do, got 6500.00 for the '67 and 5600.00 for the '68...so much for being firm lost on both of them, but it made a good down payment on our first home.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

The few pix of restoring the '67 I have, first one is after using paint stripper to remove the rollered on house paint. Didn't take many pictures back then.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Then as they were sold.


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

Baaad65 said:


> The Autotrader listing in 1987 that about killed me to do, got 6500.00 for the '67 and 5600.00 for the '68...so much for being firm lost on both of them, but it made a good down payment on our first home.
> View attachment 158664


Cool cars. did the 67 have mud flaps on it? It's always abou the ones that got away...Sold my perfect '77 F150 Ranger Hi Boy 4x4 short bed out of it for a "loss" to take my honeymoon. That damn truck is worth 30K now.

Spent 100s of hours trolling the auto trader back then. Loved that "classic" section!


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## AZTempest (Jun 11, 2019)

I love reading all these stories, keep them coming.

My Dad was my big influence for cars. He raced and did thrill shows back in the day before I was born. Growing up he and I would watch racing or Evel Knievel on TV. I was also able to get my hands on a car or hot rod magazine to drool over every now and then.

My love of Pontiacs started with my first car. I was 17 in 1980 and bought a 68 Lemans from my sister and brother-in-law. Paid 150 bucks and it was a true Michigan rust bucket but I loved it and drove it everywhere. Of course I beat on it pretty good and ended up with a engine knock. My brother-in-law’s family business was a auto recycling business (not a junkyard) so we found another engine in a wreck with 40,000 miles and swapped it out. Two years later and the rust was just too much so I sold it off to someone who was going to race it at Mt Clemens racetrack.

I then bought a 73 Chevell for 350 and drove it until I went in the service in the end of 83. Sold that one to my cousin.

Once I got to my permanent station in Arizona I started looking for a car. My roommate had a 65 Barracuda and we drove it around looking at cars we found in the Auto Trader. I was looking for another 68 but I finally found a 67 Tempest convertible. It was February of 84 and I paid 1300 for it. Again drove it everywhere. Numerous trip to the Grand Canyon as well as to Michigan and back. I then met my wife who was driving a 72 Charger at the time. I ended up storing the Tempest as we raised a family. After about 30 years my son and I are in the process of getting it back on the road.

During that 30 years I had bought another 67 Tempest hard top that had been hit in the rear for 395. Knowing I was keeping my convertible I parted it out and put all the parts in storage. Knowing what I know now I should have restored it. I also bought and sold a 69 Custom S during that time.

I still have my convertible. My son and I are slowly putting the work into it to get her going again. In the meantime we bought another 67 Tempest hard top we found in Albuquerque which we work on and drive all the time. Also my wife now has a 65 Barracuda of her own.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

ylwgto said:


> Cool cars. did the 67 have mud flaps on it? It's always abou the ones that got away...Sold my perfect '77 F150 Ranger Hi Boy 4x4 short bed out of it for a "loss" to take my honeymoon. That damn truck is worth 30K now.
> 
> Spent 100s of hours trolling the auto trader back then. Loved that "classic" section!


It sure looks like both have them, boy I don't remember putting those on but I guess it was a trend.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Looking at some other pictures they are Pontiac mud flaps, don't know what I was thinking on that one. The silver intake on the 428 is the one I put in the oven to bake the paint on and almost killed the whole family...boy did I get in trouble. Funny how I routed my wires on the '65 the same way that I did back then. Another interesting part if you zoom in is the brass fuel line supply, my dad was a machinist for a bit and turned that on his lathe in the basement from a chunk of brass with a hose barb and three holes for the lines that we put in place then soldered it up. I remember him doing that for me the day before he went in for double shoulder surgery so I could get it on the road 👍


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## Jared (Apr 19, 2013)

66COUPE said:


> My bad, don’t look at the GTO forum while cooking dinner, I’ll actually get to the GTO tomorrow.


I have this same rule on Friday nights. Best to stay off here on cocktail night since I often suffer from open mouth and insert foot syndrome on Fridays.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

gtojoe68 said:


> So my story finally -
> 
> My first car was a 1969 Red/blk vinyl top Ford Mustang that my uncles bought me for $450 in 1984. a Florida car that had spend time on the beach as it was a horrible rust bucket. I won't get into the myriad of issues it had - literally rusted away frame rails, front ball joints so bad the negative camber was off the charts etc. I never drove the car over 70MPH. it would lurch to the right or left at any time making driving super interesting. But it was red, had a 302 and totally pegleg smoked the passenger side tire off. This fueled my desire for another V-8 musclecar. The produce mgr. at my grocery store job had a gorgeous white/blk vinyl top 4sp 68 GTO. I got a ride in that one day as he was selling it for the princely sum of $2500. I was HOOKED. It was a violent acceleration (as _*geeteeohguy*_ said) and MAN did I want one of these. Sadly, I could not afford the $2500. I found another 1968 GTO with Hurst dualgate for $900. Black on black, whole passenger quarter pounded out with a BALL PEEN hammer. ugly as f**k but I had to have it. Turns out it had a Ram Air 2 motor (i didn't know this at the time). the 2.5 geared rear end was a dog out of the hole, but she sure had top end. I ended up putting a 750 dbl pumper Holley on her as the Carter AFB was dogpiss screwed up, a Mallory Unalite plus wires and other little things. My favorite was the laziness to replace the broken motor mount from all the "powerbrake" burnouts I would do (peg leg of course). I'll try to attach a photo of this. I literally hooked a length of chain around the frame and looped the links around exposed mounting bolt on the RamAir exhaust header. Nice. learned about the positive battery cable needing to go thru the tube in the header - how you ask? by it getting loose and grounding out on the header. THAT was fun to fix in front of school.
> 
> ...


Excellent story!!!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Noangelbuddy said:


> My wife has a few new parts, while the Goat has many.


Im sure that both are money well spent!!!! My ex had some work done, and _both_ of those were money well spent too!


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## 1970BurgundyJudge (8 mo ago)

Baaad65 said:


> The Autotrader listing in 1987 that about killed me to do, got 6500.00 for the '67 and 5600.00 for the '68...so much for being firm lost on both of them, but it made a good down payment on our first home.
> View attachment 158664


If i would have seen this in the Auto Trader in Florida in 1987 I would have had my GTO long before 2022.

Seems like a recurring theme in these stories is the involvement of our fathers or us as fathers. We were fortunate to have our fathers. I have lots of great memories with my dad and cars. One of the best was when I bought my my 72 Demon, it was a 4 speed and I couldn't drive a 4 speed. Dad drove it home and i followed in his Olds. I'll never forget seeing the tail end of that Demon getting smaller on the horizon as i tried to keep up. Dad wasn't a hot rodder but couldn't resist winding it up to 100 just "to see what it would do."


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Baaad65 said:


> Looking at some other pictures they are Pontiac mud flaps, don't know what I was thinking on that one.


Don't sweat it bro. Most of us have long since acknowledged your Mexican flair for auto-dress-up! No doubt that all your cars were fully loaded with scented trees, coin dispensers, CB radios, curb feelers, lightning grounds, Yosemite Sam floor mats, and a Totes steering wheel cover!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Mike Honcho said:


> Not a car as I am a boater


FYI: In my spare time, I'm a marine fabricator... which is how I support my GTO!


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## Slow&Easy1 (Mar 28, 2019)

This is a great thread. I’m about the same age as some others here. Rode the bus to school and the 2 brothers on totem road had 70 Judges. Red one and a white one. Mid seventies and a neighborhood friend’s older brother had a burgundy 69 judge that would throw you back and around around doing donuts in the school parking lot. Most guys my age had all sorts of muscle cars. You name it - it was in the lot at school - even a blue super bird. I started driving in 77 and got a 65 black Chevy shortbed fleetside custom cab that my uncle Fred put a hot 350 in He passed in a car wreck and I got the truck Lots of fun in a very nice truck for a couple years but came out of work one day and it was gone. Stolen. I had a 70 Firebird For a few years and then a 73 firebird for another few years and dad told me more than once if you’re going to be spending all this time and money on a car, get a car worth spending it on. So I looked for a 69 trans am but I found a 70 gto 455 automatic convertible in the late 80’s. They kind of look the same from the front. Very early production car. Man the GTO was fast but gas mileage was terrible, rusty, and it had all the original stuff except it had headers. So I figured I’d fix what I could and eventually have it back to box stock. Taking parts off the engine to restore was the demise of my project because of the mission creep. Got married had kids an old Chris craft so the car sat and the project restarted a few times. College was over and I thought I was ready but the body work was more than I could comprehend and I also had an almost rust free 70 LeMans Sport convertible. I took the LeMans apart, sandblasted it, and I was this close to using the body of the LeMans to build the GTO but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to destroy a perfectly good LeMans and also have a car that someday could bring big money and my kids end up in court when they sell it (after I’m gone of course) when the new owner finds out it’s a rebody. So I’ve been building a restomod LeMans as a LeMans Sport Convertible Endura. It had a correct but NOM, wrong date codes on some sheetmetal and was a real dog 2.78 with worn out 350. So now it’s the color I always wanted, Butler machined and sent me all the stuff to 407 my 350, 200-4r, Ford 9”, QA1 coil over suspension, etc. I am glad to be doing everything on the car except the paint cause I don’t want it to look like my sixth grade science project. I’ve just recently got the car on the road but no windows, top, interior.


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## Slow&Easy1 (Mar 28, 2019)




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## AZTempest (Jun 11, 2019)

Baaad65 said:


> Looking at some other pictures they are Pontiac mud flaps, don't know what I was thinking on that one. 👍


I'm one of the goofs from back then who acually likes the mud flaps.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

Mudflaps are must when you live on a gravel road and rubbed your arms into rubber bands getting bodywork and paint just right...



















LONG LIVE the MUDFLAP!


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## Boomstick (Sep 13, 2021)

Well... My dad (not my father but close enough) anyway, my dad always had some cool antique car. I couldn't make then all of i tried but there was always something old and cool in our driveway. When I was 14 my dad built an apartment about the garage and rented it to his childhood friend Roy. Roy had a green 68 GTO that would do the longest burnouts I'd ever seen. Even though my dad's cars were cool, they weren't fast. Roy's GTO was terrifying... When I was 19 he sold me my 68 R/A II 4SPD "rust bucket". That car was stupid fast and would do burnouts for as far as I felt like it... That car taught me "torque wins races, horsepower sells cars"... Sadly I had to sell it... I didn't get another Pontiac until the 69 Legoat I have now I bought September 2021...


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## Notagoat (9 mo ago)

I have been into all things mechanical for as long as I remember, started out with Lego, then erector sets, then up to bicycles, used to build them form scrapped parts! That was way back in the 70s , in 83 my parents moved us from England to the good ol U S of A! 
i was 14, and learned that I can get a learners permit at 15 and a license at 16!!!! Made the whole move worth while! Got a part time job working under the table for my dad at a health spa, fixing all the equipment and was saving my Pennies! Made a killing that first Christmas assembling neighbors kids bikes, ( I say a killing, was charging 20 bucks a bike) but to a 14 year old back then 80 bucks in a day was nothing to be scoffed at! 
so I got my permit, aced the test and was ready to hit the road! But no, dads car was a stick, and mums car had dodgy brakes!! So i took it upon myself to go to the library and read up on how brakes work! I spent forever in the automotive section just absorbing everything I could! Did the brake job on a Saturday morning, took me the whole day ( nothing in the pages about a stuck drum!!!) but I got it done!! So now im learning to drive in my mums 78 Buick century , hideous thing with a sloped back, but I didn’t care! I was behind the wheel!!! Fast forward a few months and dad has me in his pickup, it was a rusty clunky 3 speed with the shifter on the column, took some getting used to, but my dad had me in empty parking lots to start, then on the roads, then back to empty parking lots doing laps and maneuvering around obstacles in reverse!!! I had it down to science when I took the driving test! Next day I’m out in my century all by myself and was on top of the world ( for about 30 mins) then I got my first speeding ticket! 59 in a 45! Decided then that a fast car wasn’t for me yet! Took all mysaved money, about 2500 back then and bought a ( don’t laugh) 1976 AMC pacer!!!!! It kept breaking down!! Go figure, ended up doing my first engine replacement on that car and loved it!!! Next big step is joint the Navy as a construction mechanic, when I got out I became a regular mechanic and was always looking for something to flip, had to stop that when dmv told me if I sold another car within the next 6 months I would need a dealers license!!! Anyways, fast Forward to 2006 and I finally have some disposable cash, and buy my dream car, a series 3 jag xj6 racing green with wire wheels to do a 350 Chevy swap!! Upped it a little by going gen 2 lt1, which got lt4 hotcam, 1.6 roller rockers, 58 mm bbk throttle body,LE 1 heads and intake, 36 lb injectors and a custom tune! Been driving then hell out of for a few years now, recently put an auburn limited slip with 3:73 gears into the jag rear end ( it’s basically a Dana 44 unit). Wife cannot drive the jag, she’s scared of it, so she wanted something of her own, and here we are with the 68 lemans very! I say it’s mine ( but we all know I’m just the one fixing it ) and that bring us to here! Yes, I know it s a bit long winded, but I got here in the end!!!


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Sick467 said:


> Mudflaps are must when you live on a gravel road and rubbed your arms into rubber bands getting bodywork and paint just right...
> 
> View attachment 158756
> 
> ...


Boy I'm more of a Fastback guy but that thing is sweet! The paint scheme with the Centerlines and the side pipes and then the vinyl top is wicked cool, I wouldn't think it would work if you described it to me but it does...kudos 👍


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## Bigfoot1965 (Mar 25, 2021)

It was 1964. I was 10 years old. My folks went to a Pontiac dealer to get their new Bonneville station wagon. I walked around the lot and couldn't help drooling over the Grand Prixes(?) and GTOs. That station wagon was the first car I drove after getting my license. Then my brother bought an early Grand Prix, not sure of the year, but I loved it. Along came 1970, and I'm ready to buy my first car. My Mom, bless her sole, told me I couldn't have a red car, so I found a 1965 GTO, nocturne blue, parchment interior, 4 barrel, 2 speed power glide. I drove the poop out of that car. Always shifted it manually, and when my friends would get in for the first time, they were surprised I didn't have a stick. I could break the tires loose at 65 mph dumping it into 2nd gear. What a blast that car was. Always regretted selling it, and in 1991 convinced my wife to let me get another one. I'm still hoping to finish it one day, but now I also have a '62 Grand Prix. It was originally a red/red car like my GTO, but the fella that restored it went black exterior, red interior, with a red strip in the recess along the sides. Love the look. Crazily optioned with power steering, power brakes, 8 lugs, air conditioning, power windows (including the vent windows, didn't know they did that until I got this car), long branch exhaust manifolds, super duty rear with 3:55 posi. I'm one lucky fella.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

Baaad65 said:


> Boy I'm more of a Fastback guy but that thing is sweet! The paint scheme with the Centerlines and the side pipes and then the vinyl top is wicked cool, I wouldn't think it would work if you described it to me but it does...kudos 👍


Being too financially challenged to afford a fast back...I modeled this one after the road course coupes...thanks for the appreciation!


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Bigfoot1965 said:


> It was 1964. I was 10 years old. My folks went to a Pontiac dealer to get their new Bonneville station wagon. I walked around the lot and couldn't help drooling over the Grand Prixes(?) and GTOs. That station wagon was the first car I drove after getting my license. Then my brother bought an early Grand Prix, not sure of the year, but I loved it. Along came 1970, and I'm ready to buy my first car. My Mom, bless her sole, told me I couldn't have a red car, so I found a 1965 GTO, nocturne blue, parchment interior, 4 barrel, 2 speed power glide. I drove the poop out of that car. Always shifted it manually, and when my friends would get in for the first time, they were surprised I didn't have a stick. I could break the tires loose at 65 mph dumping it into 2nd gear. What a blast that car was. Always regretted selling it, and in 1991 convinced my wife to let me get another one. I'm still hoping to finish it one day, but now I also have a '62 Grand Prix. It was originally a red/red car like my GTO, but the fella that restored it went black exterior, red interior, with a red strip in the recess along the sides. Love the look. Crazily optioned with power steering, power brakes, 8 lugs, air conditioning, power windows (including the vent windows, didn't know they did that until I got this car), long branch exhaust manifolds, super duty rear with 3:55 posi. I'm one lucky fella.
> View attachment 158763
> View attachment 158764


Love that Prix, so what's under the tarp on the '65, looks like it's going to be a race car 😉


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## Bigfoot1965 (Mar 25, 2021)

Baaad65 said:


> Love that Prix, so what's under the tarp on the '65, looks like it's going to be a race car 😉


LOL People always ask me if I'm restoring it & I tell them, "No, I'm building a hot rod. The original engine was long gone when I got it. It had a 400 from a '68 GP, 4 speed. It now has the 455, a custom built TH-400, and a Currie 9" with a 3:90 posi. I like the fat & skinny look with the tires. It's more together than that pic shows. A friend of mine who has painted a bunch of cars convinced me to paint it myself. That's a first, has 2 coats of montero red, and 4 coats of clear. Still needs to be cut & buffed, and frankly, that process scares me a lot. I had a hood from a '65 Tempest, so I painted it to practice the C&B. The 455 is from a '72 Trans Am. It's an HO, so has the 7F6 heads with the round exhaust ports, solid roller cam, roller rockers, dual quads. I told the builder I wanted 500 hp. The tires are MT P255/60R15s in the rear on 15x8" Weld racing wheels. Fronts are MT 26x6 R15s on 15x4" Weld wheels. The guy that built the engine said if I could hook up the rear tires, I'd probably be able to pull the front end. Somehow I don't think that will be a problem.


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## Bigfoot1965 (Mar 25, 2021)

Oh, and the GP has a 389 with a mild cam and a '63 tri-power. I picked up an Edelbrock dual quad manifold for it just in case I got the itch. I was thinking about giving it a Super Duty look with modern components. That might be fun.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Bigfoot1965 said:


> LOL People always ask me if I'm restoring it & I tell them, "No, I'm building a hot rod. The original engine was long gone when I got it. It had a 400 from a '68 GP, 4 speed. It now has the 455, a custom built TH-400, and a Currie 9" with a 3:90 posi. I like the fat & skinny look with the tires. It's more together than that pic shows. A friend of mine who has painted a bunch of cars convinced me to paint it myself. That's a first, has 2 coats of montero red, and 4 coats of clear. Still needs to be cut & buffed, and frankly, that process scares me a lot. I had a hood from a '65 Tempest, so I painted it to practice the C&B. The 455 is from a '72 Trans Am. It's an HO, so has the 7F6 heads with the round exhaust ports, solid roller cam, roller rockers, dual quads. I told the builder I wanted 500 hp. The tires are MT P255/60R15s in the rear on 15x8" Weld racing wheels. Fronts are MT 26x6 R15s on 15x4" Weld wheels. The guy that built the engine said if I could hook up the rear tires, I'd probably be able to pull the front end. Somehow I don't think that will be a problem.


That sounds potent, I fit 275/60/15 MT drag radials on mine with a little trimming and running SSM lift bars with adjustable shocks and I didn't come close to lifting while dumping the clutch at about 5000 rpms, when I did hook I tore up the pinion and posi unit instantly on my 12-bolt. Next up is probably a Dana S60 by Strange with a 3.54 gear and Spohn adjustable upper arms w/ poly bushings.


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## Bigfoot1965 (Mar 25, 2021)

I have a 20 year old 12 bolt with 3:90 posi that has 0 miles on it, but I decided it would be vulnerable if I really pushed it. The 9" should never have a problem. I have also considered a Gearvendor overdrive to make it more streetable, but haven't made that decision yet.


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## Jared (Apr 19, 2013)

Notagoat said:


> I have been into all things mechanical for as long as I remember, started out with Lego, then erector sets, then up to bicycles, used to build them form scrapped parts! That was way back in the 70s , in 83 my parents moved us from England to the good ol U S of A!
> i was 14, and learned that I can get a learners permit at 15 and a license at 16!!!! Made the whole move worth while! Got a part time job working under the table for my dad at a health spa, fixing all the equipment and was saving my Pennies! Made a killing that first Christmas assembling neighbors kids bikes, ( I say a killing, was charging 20 bucks a bike) but to a 14 year old back then 80 bucks in a day was nothing to be scoffed at!
> so I got my permit, aced the test and was ready to hit the road! But no, dads car was a stick, and mums car had dodgy brakes!! So i took it upon myself to go to the library and read up on how brakes work! I spent forever in the automotive section just absorbing everything I could! Did the brake job on a Saturday morning, took me the whole day ( nothing in the pages about a stuck drum!!!) but I got it done!! So now im learning to drive in my mums 78 Buick century , hideous thing with a sloped back, but I didn’t care! I was behind the wheel!!! Fast forward a few months and dad has me in his pickup, it was a rusty clunky 3 speed with the shifter on the column, took some getting used to, but my dad had me in empty parking lots to start, then on the roads, then back to empty parking lots doing laps and maneuvering around obstacles in reverse!!! I had it down to science when I took the driving test! Next day I’m out in my century all by myself and was on top of the world ( for about 30 mins) then I got my first speeding ticket! 59 in a 45! Decided then that a fast car wasn’t for me yet! Took all mysaved money, about 2500 back then and bought a ( don’t laugh) 1976 AMC pacer!!!!! It kept breaking down!! Go figure, ended up doing my first engine replacement on that car and loved it!!! Next big step is joint the Navy as a construction mechanic, when I got out I became a regular mechanic and was always looking for something to flip, had to stop that when dmv told me if I sold another car within the next 6 months I would need a dealers license!!! Anyways, fast Forward to 2006 and I finally have some disposable cash, and buy my dream car, a series 3 jag xj6 racing green with wire wheels to do a 350 Chevy swap!! Upped it a little by going gen 2 lt1, which got lt4 hotcam, 1.6 roller rockers, 58 mm bbk throttle body,LE 1 heads and intake, 36 lb injectors and a custom tune! Been driving then hell out of for a few years now, recently put an auburn limited slip with 3:73 gears into the jag rear end ( it’s basically a Dana 44 unit). Wife cannot drive the jag, she’s scared of it, so she wanted something of her own, and here we are with the 68 lemans very! I say it’s mine ( but we all know I’m just the one fixing it ) and that bring us to here! Yes, I know it s a bit long winded, but I got here in the end!!!


This is going to be a strange question, but how bad was the engine swap in the Pacer? That was the car that was designed for one engine and they went with an in-line 6 at the last minute. I've never worked on one but I've heard that it is near impossible to change a valve cover gasket in one of those because the engine is stuffed half under the cowl and it's a tall in-line 6. 

Fun fact was they were originally going to use a rotary engine sourced from GM in the Pacer. GM was developing a rotary to use in their small cars due to increasing efficiency and emissions standards in the US. AMC was cash strapped and wanted a new type of engine for their new type of car. As we all now know, and the folks at GM found out the hard way, was that a rotary engines are gas hogs and one of the worst emission releasing engines that were put in a car in the past 50 years (based on displacement). With that new knowledge, GM scrapped the engine project and left AMC with a car designed for an engine that didn't exist. In typical AMC fashon, they looked around and said, Hmmm, the 258 works in a Jeep, and that's a pretty small truck, let me get my shoe horn and see how it goes". I wonder if it would be different now. They could have sourced a flat 4 from Subaru and sold a ton of them. Add a turbo version and you have the strangest hot hatch on the planet.


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## Notagoat (9 mo ago)

I had the valve cover off more tha a few times, it was fiddly for sure , if I recall correctly, after unbolting it you have to sort of roll it to passenger side, I do remember going to Junk yard for some rocker arms and the brackets that hold them, Mine was a 232, not the 258, only. Car in junk yard at the time with that was. Another pacer, and it wasn’t coming off like mine did, I stuck a pipe in the oil fill hole and opened it like a can!!!!! Didn’t have the internet back then to tel me if 258 rockers would have fit, as like you said, there were tons of jeeps and other amcs out there that had easy access!! I don’t recall the engine swap itself being too bad, car was almost 2 feet in the air on cinder blocks, was probably just a steep angle to get it ina and out







here she is in all her glory!! Had recently had an incident with a bratty sister and. Some
Flour and eggs… had to use a pressure washer on car and the baby blue paint came off revealing dark blue underneath. Never could get that final stripe off of the roof though!!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Bigfoot1965 said:


> It was 1964. I was 10 years old. My folks went to a Pontiac dealer to get their new Bonneville station wagon. I walked around the lot and couldn't help drooling over the Grand Prixes(?) and GTOs. That station wagon was the first car I drove after getting my license. Then my brother bought an early Grand Prix, not sure of the year, but I loved it. Along came 1970, and I'm ready to buy my first car. My Mom, bless her sole, told me I couldn't have a red car, so I found a 1965 GTO, nocturne blue, parchment interior, 4 barrel, 2 speed power glide. I drove the poop out of that car. Always shifted it manually, and when my friends would get in for the first time, they were surprised I didn't have a stick. I could break the tires loose at 65 mph dumping it into 2nd gear. What a blast that car was. Always regretted selling it, and in 1991 convinced my wife to let me get another one. I'm still hoping to finish it one day, but now I also have a '62 Grand Prix. It was originally a red/red car like my GTO, but the fella that restored it went black exterior, red interior, with a red strip in the recess along the sides. Love the look. Crazily optioned with power steering, power brakes, 8 lugs, air conditioning, power windows (including the vent windows, didn't know they did that until I got this car), long branch exhaust manifolds, super duty rear with 3:55 posi. I'm one lucky fella.
> View attachment 158763
> View attachment 158764


LOVE THAT 62!!!!!


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Jared said:


> This is going to be a strange question, but how bad was the engine swap in the Pacer? That was the car that was designed for one engine and they went with an in-line 6 at the last minute. I've never worked on one but I've heard that it is near impossible to change a valve cover gasket in one of those because the engine is stuffed half under the cowl and it's a tall in-line 6.
> 
> Fun fact was they were originally going to use a rotary engine sourced from GM in the Pacer. GM was developing a rotary to use in their small cars due to increasing efficiency and emissions standards in the US. AMC was cash strapped and wanted a new type of engine for their new type of car. As we all now know, and the folks at GM found out the hard way, was that a rotary engines are gas hogs and one of the worst emission releasing engines that were put in a car in the past 50 years (based on displacement). With that new knowledge, GM scrapped the engine project and left AMC with a car designed for an engine that didn't exist. In typical AMC fashon, they looked around and said, Hmmm, the 258 works in a Jeep, and that's a pretty small truck, let me get my shoe horn and see how it goes". I wonder if it would be different now. They could have sourced a flat 4 from Subaru and sold a ton of them. Add a turbo version and you have the strangest hot hatch on the planet.


Also one door is longer, welcome to the new gto/AMC forum 😄


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## Notagoat (9 mo ago)

Last comment in the pacer I promise!! Lol. But for someone New to driving it was great! No blind spot!!!!


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## Scott06 (May 6, 2020)

When I was 15 (1987...) I wanted a 65/66 Mustang. Years before my folks had a67 Mustang convertible... what I didn't realize was my dad hated the Mustang... 

By stroke of luck my father was on a used car lot looking for his next daily driver and the dealers son who flipped cars had a 65 LeMans coupe (326/2 bbl/ 2spd auto) that had an original 66k miles and one owner until recently. Basically a little old lady's car... I fell in love with the 65 Coupe body lines. Ended up painting the car, doing body braces in trunk floor, rebuilding the brakes and carb, after that all I wanted was a 'real' GTO to do a resto on.. 

Never should have sold the Lemans as it was straight and all in one piece... bought a 65 GTO coupe that I should have left in the field where it was sitting... ended up parting that car out and buying the 65 convertible I have had since 1990. Was a basket case that had been sitting outside for ten years- last time it was on the road was 1979. Thought I would work on it for a couple years then have a fun weekend driver... I bought it because it was a well optioned 4 spd convertible, not a lot of rust damage but had been hit on basically every panel except drivers door... took the body off the frame to replace floor sections, patched the lower qtrs, replaced door and front fenders... got it running and painted, then life and responsibility intervened so it sat from 94- 2020.. 

it was really my kids starting to drive and of course better finances that got it drivable in fall of 2020- did the seats and interior (almost done...) suspension rebuild, disc upgrade, and swapped out the 4.33's for 3.08's... got a tripower in 2021, needs the interior completed, top, and another respray.

I'm glad I kept it and the wife now supports this endeavor. Although it is not #'s matching it is PHS verified to be a original tripower/4spd car with PS, PB, Power windows & seat, Rally Gauges, Transistorized ignition, splitters, and aluminum front drums... almost every option but posi. The engine that was with it (I rebuilt in '90) is a 65 WT code 389 (4 bbl) that was cast 6 months after the car was built. I assume that a PO had two 65's and pieced them together as it had different color GTO (by emblem holes) front fenders on it, no trans and a blown up diff....


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

Scott06 said:


> When I was 15 (1987...) I wanted a 65/66 Mustang. Years before my folks had a67 Mustang convertible... what I didn't realize was my dad hated the Mustang...
> 
> By stroke of luck my father was on a used car lot looking for his next daily driver and the dealers son who flipped cars had a 65 LeMans coupe (326/2 bbl/ 2spd auto) that had an original 66k miles and one owner until recently. Basically a little old lady's car... I fell in love with the 65 Coupe body lines. Ended up painting the car, doing body braces in trunk floor, rebuilding the brakes and carb, after that all I wanted was a 'real' GTO to do a resto on..
> 
> ...


Looks fantastic. 2020 was a pivotal year for my car as well. Great story!


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## Jared (Apr 19, 2013)

ylwgto said:


> Looks fantastic. 2020 was a pivotal year for my car as well. Great story!


Mine too. That was the year the non-matching 400 in mine grenaded. That started the epic of turning my kinda quick old car into the monster it is today.

And by kinda quick, I mean it was pretty doggy before.


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## Joes1966GTO (Apr 27, 2020)

All amazing stories! Thanks Jimmy, for starting this thread. I grew up in the back seat of my Mom's Montero Red '66 GTO. Unfortunately, it was a Massachusetts "family car" so by the mid-70's it was rusted out and my Dad sold it for $75. (Ugh!!). We don't even have any pictures of it. In the early 80's when I was in high school, I found a basket-case '68 that I bought for $300 and restored in our unheated potato storage. Like so many dumb kids, when someone flashed a lot of $$$ in my face I sold it, and always regretted it. However, the '66 was always my favorite year, so I was determined that someday I would find one for myself. Fast forward through getting married and starting a business, in 2000, I found a basket case that was an original tripower 4speed car (although those were poached by the previous owner). I parked it in my barn and then the kids came....and money because an issue.......and running the business......etc.....etc.......on and on until finally in 2020, I finally had a few bucks and a little time now that the kids were bigger to clean out the barn and start working on it. I'm almost everything myself, so the progress is slow but good. the car is now all new from the doors down, and I hoping to getting it back to it's former glory within the next 2 years (give or take). I always appreciate the great information and advice from all of you guys, so keep it coming! Thanks again Jimmy and everyone else who has helped me out.


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## Scott06 (May 6, 2020)

ylwgto said:


> Looks fantastic. 2020 was a pivotal year for my car as well. Great story!


Thanks I really never would have been able to get as much done on it if we were not under lock down


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

Scott06 said:


> Thanks I really never would have been able to get as much done on it if we were not under lock down


me too, for the same reasons.


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## Pieter (3 mo ago)

My first car was a 1970 GTO 400 engine 4 speed. I was 18 at the time, paid around $800.00 it was 1977 and I was earning a whooping $2.00 an hour working 50+ hours a week at the local garden center/farm. I had one of the nicest cars in town and one of the most beautiful girlfriend as well. We put in a 3/4” racing cam, Hydrolics lifters and had some fun with the car. Then one night as I was dropping off my girl a guy who had been stalking her drove by, and of course I had to chase after him. Well the a hole brake checked me and I wound up hitting a parked pickup truck so hard that I pushed it over the 6” curb and 5-6’ onto sidewalk. My car was totaled. Well the following years was a mix of cheap ‘beater cars’ living the rock n roll lifestyle and pretty much living life in a blur. Then I wound up at the age of 28 becoming a Dad and I changed my life around. Over the years 2 more kids, built up a business specializing in ponds, waterfalls and custom fountains. In between I became a single Dad raising my kids, a relationship with a woman who turned out to be crazy and a thief. I finally saved up money in my life, when my Dr informed me 6 months ago that because of the damage to my back (I was attacked with a baseball bat 40 years ago and then around 30 years ago I was working on a weekend helping my baby brother do tree removals, he owned the tree company. Well something went horribly wrong and he yelled to let go of the rope we were using to lower a huge tree limb, and to run. As I was running the limb swung like a pendulum, caught me on my tailbone and threw me 15’ knocking me out. I couldn’t feel my legs for a week but wouldn’t go to the hospital because it would skyrocket his insurance.) that if I continue doing heavy physical labor I would loose the ability to walk, and that I already lost 30% off the nerves functions. So I decided that I would make sure that my dream of owning and racing another GTO would happen before I’m either unable to walk or I’m no longer alive. I was pretty lucky to find on Facebook market of all places a 1969 GTO with a automatic trans (I have days when the pain pulsing down my left leg makes me unable to drive some of my work trucks.) Then my luck increased even more when going through Google for some information about GTOs I found this forum. I’m now in the process of having Al the owner of Rosell’s in River Vale NJ rebuild the suspension and steering system to tighten it up and do some comfort upgrades. Al himself is a huge GTO guy, has 3 of his own fully restored including a Judge, and is well known for his quality of work and ethics. I’ve also started dating that same beautiful woman that rode by my side in my first GTO. 
So in closing I want to thank the founders of the group, the current members who take the time to help others, and for allowing me to become part of the group. I hope to meet some of you at either car shows, swap meets or at the track. ✌🏻


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Great stuff here, gents! My 2 cents: the '78-'79 Cockroach-back Buicks and Oldsmobiles were beyond hideous, right up there with the AMC Matador or '74. The AMC Pacer was kind of cool, and originally designed for a rotary engine that never came to be. That's why the straight 6 barely fits. Also, Pacer's had a passenger door about 6" longer than the driver's door. 40 years ago, I wanted to get one, paint it bright yellow, and stencil "Generic 928" on the sides....back during the Porsche 928 and generic yellow and black packaging days. My dad had a new 1966 Mustang, and it drove like a truck compared to the '67-'69 Firebirds and Camaros. Truly a POS, suspension-wise. It did look cool, though. And lastly: the 1962 Grand Prix is the best looking GP ever, and one of the best looking Pontiacs ever, and black with a red interior is the best color combo. Those cars were built like tanks, and had a lot more build quality and materials than the cheaper GTO's that came a bit later.


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## Jared (Apr 19, 2013)

Not really fitting here, but not worth a new thread either. It was a Pontiac coincidence type of morning. I live in MA and my car is registered as a regular car which requires a yearly safety inspection. I did that today. As I was pulling out a guy was pulling in with a 1965 LeMans for an inspection. I was pretty stoked since the car was a resto mod type build but was not cloned into a GTO. I noticed his sticker had an 11 on it too so yearly inspection. Two classic Pontiacs within an hour time has to be odd for any shop.

This has been and odd fall. It was 75 here today so great day to bring it out.


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## Paul H (Jun 11, 2021)

I have enjoyed your stories. Here is mine. My first car ever was a 68 GTO. I got it in 1978 from a guy who really took care of it before me, but he was not the first owner. He was about 10 years older than me and had four other cars so he let the GTO go. He wanted it to go to someone who would take care of it. As a senior in high school, I sure did take care of it. I probably washed in 3-4 times a week. I did brakes and exhaust more than once. I rebuilt the engine at one point (I can’t remember why). It was always outdoors, working in the driveway, but the car was under a carport so it was protected. When I got a job as a mechanic I was able to do all the things I needed to indoors, so that was really great. There was a fantastic parts store in our town and I ended up knowing the owner real well, spending hours in the place talking and making great friends.

Here are two photos. My cell phone squished it slightly so it looks strange, but you know what the body lines really are. It was pretty close to perfect. 

















One winter a school bus came around a corner on my side of a snowy road and we collided. The front end was damaged and all I could find was a front end that did not have the hideaway headlights as the car originally had. I put that on and always regretted it. One day I found a nose that had hideaway headlights and put it on and got the car repainted. It looked great again. One of the actuators leaked horrible so the lights did not close. I could not find a replacement. Back then the only source for GTO related info was a guy from Pennsylvania named Dennis Kirban. I was a subscriber to his newsletter. I still have one issue, I wish I had them all. 

Soon I had four or five cars myself (69 Firebird, 66 Mustang, 70 Duster, 72 Satellite), all in various states of repair. The GTO was the nicest car that I had, but it was no longer my primary driver. My parents had divorced and my mother was very accommodating to my automotive hobby. 

I went to college, graduated in 1983, and got a job in Kingston, New York. The GTO was not my primary driver (the 72 satellite was), but I took it with me. But, sadly, I had no garage so it sat outside in the parking lot of the apartment complex where I lived. And despite my best efforts, it was slowly deteriorating. This was the Hudson Valley of New York, which is known for killing cars with the salt on the roads. I could not bear to see it falling apart, so I sold it in 1986. And I regret that decision ever since. But I had no financial means to keep it. 

Life went on and about five years ago I started looking again for a 68. I had hoped to find one like I had (color and style), but I ended up finding a convertible in very nice condition. I finally had some money, and a garage to keep it in, so I bought it. I probably paid too much for it but I have not regretted my purchase. It belonged to someone who had died, and his wife was selling it. He clearly put a lot of sweat equity into restoring the car with a lot of aftermarket new parts. A year after I bought it, I found a carbon copy of the 68 I had originally owned with 8000 original miles on it (and a story and price tag to boot). But by then I was enjoying the convertible. I thought too long about it and could not grab it before somebody else did. At that point I decided to just keep the convertible. It has needed odd things here and there, and there is a somewhat worrisome problem in the front end I am trying to find. I again have a car with hideaway headlights that open but don’t close. So that’s also something to fix. At least now I can find parts for it!










I’m sure glad this forum exists, with all the really great people and tremendous expertise in it.
Paul


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Paul H said:


> I have enjoyed your stories. Here is mine. My first car ever was a 68 GTO. I got it in 1978 from a guy who really took care of it before me, but he was not the first owner. He was about 10 years older than me and had four other cars so he let the GTO go. He wanted it to go to someone who would take care of it. As a senior in high school, I sure did take care of it. I probably washed in 3-4 times a week. I did brakes and exhaust more than once. I rebuilt the engine at one point (I can’t remember why). It was always outdoors, working in the driveway, but the car was under a carport so it was protected. When I got a job as a mechanic I was able to do all the things I needed to indoors, so that was really great. There was a fantastic parts store in our town and I ended up knowing the owner real well, spending hours in the place talking and making great friends.
> 
> Here are two photos. My cell phone squished it slightly so it looks strange, but you know what the body lines really are. It was pretty close to perfect.
> 
> ...


Wow that's beautiful 👍


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Pieter said:


> My first car was a 1970 GTO 400 engine 4 speed. I was 18 at the time, paid around $800.00 it was 1977 and I was earning a whooping $2.00 an hour working 50+ hours a week at the local garden center/farm. I had one of the nicest cars in town and one of the most beautiful girlfriend as well. We put in a 3/4” racing cam, Hydrolics lifters and had some fun with the car. Then one night as I was dropping off my girl a guy who had been stalking her drove by, and of course I had to chase after him. Well the a hole brake checked me and I wound up hitting a parked pickup truck so hard that I pushed it over the 6” curb and 5-6’ onto sidewalk. My car was totaled. Well the following years was a mix of cheap ‘beater cars’ living the rock n roll lifestyle and pretty much living life in a blur. Then I wound up at the age of 28 becoming a Dad and I changed my life around. Over the years 2 more kids, built up a business specializing in ponds, waterfalls and custom fountains. In between I became a single Dad raising my kids, a relationship with a woman who turned out to be crazy and a thief. I finally saved up money in my life, when my Dr informed me 6 months ago that because of the damage to my back (I was attacked with a baseball bat 40 years ago and then around 30 years ago I was working on a weekend helping my baby brother do tree removals, he owned the tree company. Well something went horribly wrong and he yelled to let go of the rope we were using to lower a huge tree limb, and to run. As I was running the limb swung like a pendulum, caught me on my tailbone and threw me 15’ knocking me out. I couldn’t feel my legs for a week but wouldn’t go to the hospital because it would skyrocket his insurance.) that if I continue doing heavy physical labor I would loose the ability to walk, and that I already lost 30% off the nerves functions. So I decided that I would make sure that my dream of owning and racing another GTO would happen before I’m either unable to walk or I’m no longer alive. I was pretty lucky to find on Facebook market of all places a 1969 GTO with a automatic trans (I have days when the pain pulsing down my left leg makes me unable to drive some of my work trucks.) Then my luck increased even more when going through Google for some information about GTOs I found this forum. I’m now in the process of having Al the owner of Rosell’s in River Vale NJ rebuild the suspension and steering system to tighten it up and do some comfort upgrades. Al himself is a huge GTO guy, has 3 of his own fully restored including a Judge, and is well known for his quality of work and ethics. I’ve also started dating that same beautiful woman that rode by my side in my first GTO.
> So in closing I want to thank the founders of the group, the current members who take the time to help others, and for allowing me to become part of the group. I hope to meet some of you at either car shows, swap meets or at the track. ✌🏻


Sounds like you had a real rough ride... and maybe even traveled in some of the same circles as I did, being a rock musician in New Jersey. Congrats on finally making your dream come true.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Paul H said:


> I have enjoyed your stories. Here is mine. My first car ever was a 68 GTO. I got it in 1978 from a guy who really took care of it before me, but he was not the first owner. He was about 10 years older than me and had four other cars so he let the GTO go. He wanted it to go to someone who would take care of it. As a senior in high school, I sure did take care of it. I probably washed in 3-4 times a week. I did brakes and exhaust more than once. I rebuilt the engine at one point (I can’t remember why). It was always outdoors, working in the driveway, but the car was under a carport so it was protected. When I got a job as a mechanic I was able to do all the things I needed to indoors, so that was really great. There was a fantastic parts store in our town and I ended up knowing the owner real well, spending hours in the place talking and making great friends.
> 
> Here are two photos. My cell phone squished it slightly so it looks strange, but you know what the body lines really are. It was pretty close to perfect.
> 
> ...


I went 2 decades without ever seeing a New Jersey GTO, now Ive seen six this week!


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## 66COUPE (Jul 23, 2021)

66COUPE said:


> My bad, don’t look at the GTO forum while cooking dinner, I’ll actually get to the GTO tomorrow.


Okay, took a couple days but time to get to the GTO.
so now it’s 1980, cars I’m seeing are bad, then coming out of the party store getting some beer there’s some guy’s looking at a dark green 63 split window fuel injected vette that is mint mint perfect straight from Kentucky & the guy wants 10K firm,
I know I should buy this car but I don’t have anywhere to store it plus it’s all the money I have to my name, woulda/coulda/shoulda-didn’t. my new strategy is to get the local paper before anyone else does, they print it one mile from where I’m living and at 4:30am they leave the building, I’m there, scouring the classic car ads and I see it:
66 GTO California car PS, AC. 389 auto, original.
$2000. and it’s only 25 minutes from me, I’m the first to see it and I can’t believe it , black with a white painted roof & white interior in near perfect condition, nothing missing, everything works, I crawl underneath and you “could eat under there “ it’s so clean, not a speck of rust, paint is desert sun faded pretty bad but I’m buying if she runs, starts right up sounds great, take her for a test drive going about 50 the guy says “open her up “ so as I’m about 3/4 into the pedal when she downshifts into 1st & lurches into hyperspace, he’s going for the grab bar as we almost go off the road. “SOLD “ I say as my adrenaline is soaring, we settle at $ 1900. I’m pumped! Didn’t know about data plates & codes back then, just got lucky everything was as should be on the car, then the story gets similar to alot of us on here, if she runs like this with 1 carb, I gotta get 3
what’s a GTO without a tripower ?! everybody is going to ask anyway. so next couple years it’s new paint job-all black now, keystone classics, fat tiger paws, buy the first tripower I come across, guy says it’s from a GTO , it’s from a 59 big Pontiac, junk & won’t fit, find a real one, it’s from a 66 & complete for $100. all going pretty well. 1st. new car I order is Black 84 mustang GT T-tops leak like a sieve, water pours out of the dome light when it rains, dealer can’t fix it after 6 attempts, other issues, car is junk, girlfriend at the times mom was ford employee & talked me into ordering it - never again, sold the car & dumped the girl. all GMC pickups from then never a problem Fast forward though
1st & 2nd house, sex drugs rock and roll, get married to great woman at 35, start a business, build a house, 2 daughters now 21 & 24, youngest still in college, now 62 & eyeing retirement next couple years I hope. I’ll never sell my GTO 42 years and counting. This site and the guys on it are awesome !


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Great story, and glad you painted the roof black. I sure would have. Either that, or install a light bar and paint the doors white!

Paul H, great story as well. I always loved Verdero Green...the color came from an ashtray John DeLorean's wife saw at a Detroit party and she showed it to her husband and suggested it would be a great color for the new Firebird....and the ragtop looks great in Flambeaux Burgundy. 40+ years ago, I had a customer that had a Flambeaux Burgundy '68 GTO and I fell in love with the color so much, that when I repainted my gold '67 convertible in 1993, I went with '68 Flambeaux. No 'regerts'!!


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## Noangelbuddy (Dec 6, 2017)

66COUPE said:


> View attachment 158835
> 
> View attachment 158836
> 
> ...


Love it with the dark top. That is a sweet looking ride.


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## Paul H (Jun 11, 2021)

armyadarkness said:


> Congrats on finally making your dream come true.


Thanks!


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## Paul H (Jun 11, 2021)

geeteeohguy said:


> Paul H, great story as well. I always loved Verdero Green...the color came from an ashtray John DeLorean's wife saw at a Detroit party and she showed it to her husband and suggested it would be a great color for the new Firebird....and the ragtop looks great in Flambeaux Burgundy. 40+ years ago, I had a customer that had a Flambeaux Burgundy '68 GTO and I fell in love with the color so much, that when I repainted my gold '67 convertible in 1993, I went with '68 Flambeaux. No 'regerts'!!


Thanks! Wow great story about the ashtray!


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## Noangelbuddy (Dec 6, 2017)

armyadarkness said:


> I went 2 decades without ever seeing a New Jersey GTO, now Ive seen six this week!


Army,
Time will tell, but the thread you started might give the “Show us the best picture of your Goat” thread a run for the money. Especially if the metric is word count.


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## AV68 (Aug 18, 2021)

Paul H said:


> I have enjoyed your stories. Here is mine. My first car ever was a 68 GTO. I got it in 1978 from a guy who really took care of it before me, but he was not the first owner. He was about 10 years older than me and had four other cars so he let the GTO go. He wanted it to go to someone who would take care of it. As a senior in high school, I sure did take care of it. I probably washed in 3-4 times a week. I did brakes and exhaust more than once. I rebuilt the engine at one point (I can’t remember why). It was always outdoors, working in the driveway, but the car was under a carport so it was protected. When I got a job as a mechanic I was able to do all the things I needed to indoors, so that was really great. There was a fantastic parts store in our town and I ended up knowing the owner real well, spending hours in the place talking and making great friends.
> 
> Here are two photos. My cell phone squished it slightly so it looks strange, but you know what the body lines really are. It was pretty close to perfect.
> 
> ...


I had your west coast twin in 1983 when I was graduating high school


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## gtojoe68 (Jan 4, 2019)

Paul H said:


> I have enjoyed your stories. Here is mine. My first car ever was a 68 GTO. I got it in 1978 from a guy who really took care of it before me, but he was not the first owner. He was about 10 years older than me and had four other cars so he let the GTO go. He wanted it to go to someone who would take care of it. As a senior in high school, I sure did take care of it. I probably washed in 3-4 times a week. I did brakes and exhaust more than once. I rebuilt the engine at one point (I can’t remember why). It was always outdoors, working in the driveway, but the car was under a carport so it was protected. When I got a job as a mechanic I was able to do all the things I needed to indoors, so that was really great. There was a fantastic parts store in our town and I ended up knowing the owner real well, spending hours in the place talking and making great friends.
> 
> Here are two photos. My cell phone squished it slightly so it looks strange, but you know what the body lines really are. It was pretty close to perfect.
> 
> ...





Paul H said:


> I have enjoyed your stories. Here is mine. My first car ever was a 68 GTO. I got it in 1978 from a guy who really took care of it before me, but he was not the first owner. He was about 10 years older than me and had four other cars so he let the GTO go. He wanted it to go to someone who would take care of it. As a senior in high school, I sure did take care of it. I probably washed in 3-4 times a week. I did brakes and exhaust more than once. I rebuilt the engine at one point (I can’t remember why). It was always outdoors, working in the driveway, but the car was under a carport so it was protected. When I got a job as a mechanic I was able to do all the things I needed to indoors, so that was really great. There was a fantastic parts store in our town and I ended up knowing the owner real well, spending hours in the place talking and making great friends.
> 
> Here are two photos. My cell phone squished it slightly so it looks strange, but you know what the body lines really are. It was pretty close to perfect.
> 
> ...


I concur - beautiful car. Is it a 4sp car?


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## Paul H (Jun 11, 2021)

AV68 said:


> I had your west coast twin in 1983 when I was graduating high school


That is amazing!!


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