# 1969 GTO Restoration



## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

Hello all, Hope no one minds some background before I show my current car.

Bought my first GTO in 1976. It was a 1969 Verdoro Green with a green interior and was a clean 4-speed car with 40K miles bought off a Chrysler dealer used car lot for $895. Unfortunately, a friend used it and a truck hit him in the rear quarter panel with the insurance company totaling it. Soon after a guy who needed rent money sold me a dark blue 1966 GTO with a 389 and 2-speed automatic for $110, it was fun and super fast. Sold it a couple of years later for $495 and I thought I made out like a bandit!

In the late 1970's I was living in Denver and found a 1969 GTO in Mayfair Maize with a 4-speed that had been wrecked in the front. While it had been repaired it was a poor quality repair with a chrome bumper and a red primer fender. Still, a 4-speed car with gauges, tilt wheel, Posi rear end, front disc power brakes, power steering with tilt sport wheel, black interior, Rally II wheels, and hidden headlights from the factory, but the original motor and hidden headlights were gone, presuming due to the wreck. I bought it for $650 and after doing some work to it drove it from Denver back to mid-state PA where my parents were living to go to college and start my career.

While I drove it for a short while in PA I knew it would get eaten up by rust because of the salt back there, so I put it in the garage and covered it. Fast forward to getting married to my amazing wife, having 3 kids, a career, etc. and etc. While I tried to find someone to do the bodywork and paint to get the restoration started, all I ran into were a lot of fast talkers who made promises they did not deliver on. I did get the motor rebuilt and the car would drive but had gotten very rough from sitting over the years.

We moved the family to Colorado in the 1990s and paid to have the car brought out by a car delivery service where it sat in the garage of our first house, and then a second house taking up a valuable spot with a cover and boxes all over it. After trying a couple more times to find a shop to start the restoration process, and again being taken by those who overpromise and underdeliver, I twice looked to sell the car as-is and move on. Did I tell you I married an amazing wife? She would not let me sell it and assured me the time would come when we would restore it and be the car of my, and our dreams!

Over the years I collected a lot of parts for the car before many got scarce. I was very happy to find a WT block with a close date code to when my car was built in late 1968 and had it shipped up from Texas. Then from Salt Lake City, I found a pair of #48 heads also with a close date code which arrived in the bottom of a Greyhound bus.

Ended up getting to know a restoration shop owner who I met at a car club meeting and asked him about doing the car. We talked, and because of my prior experiences (and candidly finances) I asked him first to work on the frame, then the engine, and finally the whole car. While it took more than 10 years from the beginning of this more serious effort, the final push took 2 years with the painter taking 8 months.

We added a number of options, including the rear spoiler, underhood and trunk light, power trunk release, under dash lights, and passenger side mirror. While the car was originally a pale yellow Mayfair Mazie we wanted it to be brighter and looked a Golden Rod yellow, but ended up choosing this Daytona Yellow which is not an original Pontiac color but more the bright share we wanted. The vinyl top was removed which we also preferred and we replaced the 14" Rally II wheels with the 17" version from Year One that we think looks great. We did not add A/C and instead got the new glass ceramic tinted prior to being installed which has really made a huge difference and we're just enjoying driving with the windows down.

It may take more than one post to get the pictures up, but below are those we took over the last decade and the final result we just got a few weeks ago!


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)




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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

Frame back from being powder coated.


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

Starting to look like a GTO!


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

Finally, some color!


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

Interior and trunk like new.


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

Pontiac 400 being reinstalled.







































Forgot to post that I added the RA exhaust manifolds.


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)




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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)




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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

Starting to get close!


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

More pics!


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

First time in more than a decade this GTO moves under its own power!




























The trunk really came out great! 




























We think the wheels and tires really look amazing!


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

She is done.


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

A few final pics at some recent car shows.


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## gandhisahil131 (6 mo ago)

Just to confirm, this one is a 69, it was the second year of federally mandated side marker lights and they changed the style and location from the 68. You can rebuild these cars out of a catalogue and EBay, there are several parts houses who specialize n these but you will be upside down $30K when you are done...if you do it right? I am not an expert on Goats but back when these were new my older brother had a 68 and a 69. Judging from it’s stance it still has an engine. Should have a 400 CU in it and if you are lucky a 4 psd.
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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Idk about anyone else but I can't see any of the pictures except for the very last one, just see a minus with a circle around it....it does look nice in the one picture though 👍


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

Baaad65 said:


> Idk about anyone else but I can't see any of the pictures except for the very last one, just see a minus with a circle around it....it does look nice in the one picture though 👍


You don't have the "special" decoder ring - looks like a breather cap with a bunch of holes in it. 

Here I am looking through it now.


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## O52 (Jan 27, 2019)

No photos at this end too.


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

Not sure how this works. I spent the better part of an hour carefully picking and posting a few dozen pics, and I can see them all so it looks great to me! I truly thought these would be welcomed and helpful to others. 

Can a mod or someone explain why this is?

If nothing else, I can only presume GTO restoration pics are not wanted or welcome so I'll delete them all and close my account to move on.


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## jtpeters (Aug 29, 2021)

@ColoradoMike 
Please just repost 3 or 4 pictures to see if they come thru to the rest of us. With the exception of the very last picture (very nice by the way) all I see is what appears to be a "Do Not Enter" sign in gray.

I think we all would love to see your car and the work you've accomplished.


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## ColoradoMike (Mar 29, 2020)

jtpeters said:


> @ColoradoMike
> Please just repost 3 or 4 pictures to see if they come thru to the rest of us. With the exception of the very last picture (very nice by the way) all I see is what appears to be a "Do Not Enter" sign in gray.
> 
> I think we all would love to see your car and the work you've accomplished.


*OK, I posted a few of the body being taken off the frame. Are these showing to all? *


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## jtpeters (Aug 29, 2021)

@ColoradoMike 
YES SIR.....and they look FABULOUS !!


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## dadspackard31 (Dec 2, 2019)

@ColoradoMike,

Yes they do show up on my end in your post #2.

Beautiful work/restoration you did there.


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## CDub67 (Jun 20, 2019)

what a beauty. i love the color. thanks for sharing. you did a super job


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## BLK69JUDGE (Jun 10, 2010)

Sweeeet


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## Stev-o (28 d ago)

WOW, great restoration!!!! And a great story to boot.


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