# 1969 Custom-S Registry



## Pontiacpurebrred (Jun 22, 2011)

Hello All,

Some of you may know me, some of you won't. I have been a long time GTO/Pontiac guy I have owned 3 classic GTO's (68,69 and 72) 2 Grand Prix's (98 and 04) and am currently driving an 05 MBM A4 GTO. I recently purchased a 1969 Custom-S HardTop as a project. 


















Previous to this I was blissfully unaware of the Custom-S.

Since getting mine, I have discovered how rare and beautiful these cars are. I have seen a few posts here and there about other people that own them and I am hoping to start a registry to see how many are still out there. 

My initial intention was to make this a GTO clone (I know unique idea right?) 
I have since changed my mind and will pay homage to it's roots as an "S".

I have found that by the vast majority these cars (as well as LeMans and Tempests in general) are being cloned into GTO's and their unique and magical history lost. 

As I am sure most of you know this car was the birth place of the Judge (The ET or TC depending on your source) was the original idea for the Judge and was instead added as the Judge option for GTO's. The ET/TC was then designated as the Custom-S.

TWO- DOOR SPORT COUPE .. 23527
TWO-DOOR HARDTOP .......... 23537
TWO-DOOR CONV ................. 23567

How many of these are still out there and rolling?


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Good call - I like the idea of keeping it true to its roots.

Bear


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

:cheers.....i followed the same route with the Tempest, started with notions of a clone and then realized i had only seen like two or three Tempests on the road in the last 20 years. Have parked next to a lot of nice GTO's and only one other Tempest (that was not re-badged) at shows.


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## jrdeleon1 (Oct 22, 2011)

arty:

Proud to say that I am an owner of a Custom S.


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## Pontiacpurebrred (Jun 22, 2011)

jrdeleon1 said:


> arty:
> 
> Proud to say that I am an owner of a Custom S.


Awesome! Pictures?


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## 1sweetheart (Apr 17, 2013)

*I have one!*




Pontiacpurebrred said:


> Hello All,
> 
> Some of you may know me, some of you won't. I have been a long time GTO/Pontiac guy I have owned 3 classic GTO's (68,69 and 72) 2 Grand Prix's (98 and 04) and am currently driving an 05 MBM A4 GTO. I recently purchased a 1969 Custom-S HardTop as a project.
> 
> ...


Hello, I have one.....bought from the original owner and currently (and slowly) restoring, with some small "personal" touches.


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## mainegoat68 (May 5, 2011)

When I was about 14 (40 years ago), my sister came home with a slightly used 69 Custom-S. It was gold, I believe it had a vinyl top. I thought that was the neatest car ever. It started my Pontiac love affair. Soon a neighbor bought a 70 Judge, and another got a GT-37. My parents had a 68 Catalina. What a great neighborhood.


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

I met a guy from Pensacola, FL with one a couple weeks ago. Really cool car. He used the old broken grill to make Faux hideaway headlights, looked great, chrome bumpers and hideaways. 
I'm with you, my 70 is a Lemans Sport.


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## Todd J Sullivan (Jul 25, 2016)

*Buying Custom S Tonight by Accident*

I was looking at a 1969 GTO restomod clone that was advertised as a Lemans the other day. I made an offer ($6,500/it runs.... with no rust), but was confused by the wing window. 
After running the body tag numbers and some research, it turns out to be the 200th Pontiac Tempest Custom S with the 350 4 barrel. It has the GTO hood and front fender with a funky wing on back. 
From some fast reading, it looks like only 7,600 of these were produced in this configuration. Interior is stock, with buckets and center console/auto 400.
So, I was going to just have fun with it and mod it to what I wanted since it was a clone anyway. Now.... crap. Confused. 
Any thoughts out there???
The seller may know where the original motor is.
PS: it does come with the original nose and hood.


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## Pinion head (Jan 3, 2015)

Todd J Sullivan said:


> I was looking at a 1969 GTO restomod clone that was advertised as a Lemans the other day. I made an offer ($6,500/it runs.... with no rust), but was confused by the wing window.
> After running the body tag numbers and some research, it turns out to be the 200th Pontiac Tempest Custom S with the 350 4 barrel. It has the GTO hood and front fender with a funky wing on back.
> From some fast reading, it looks like only 7,600 of these were produced in this configuration. Interior is stock, with buckets and center console/auto 400.
> So, I was going to just have fun with it and mod it to what I wanted since it was a clone anyway. Now.... crap. Confused.
> ...


There is no way to tell from a body tag or from the VIN, that the '69 Custom S received the 350 HO engine. I'd hazard more '68-72 350 2 bbl Pontiac A body's have received 4 bbl intakes and carburetors than 389 4bbl GTO's were "upgraded" by owners to tripower setups. A very common swap and have actually provided date matching '70 and '71 intakes, Qjets,and dual snorkel aircleaneds for just such swaps. '69 Custom S 2 door hardtops....have owned 4 hardtops and two Custom S converts. One of the verts was solid enough to leave here with the body shell intact. The other vert's LH quarter panel, rear trunk panel, doors, and repaired deck lid made their way into GTO restorations. 

Disagree with the years old original poster's post that the '69 Custom S was somehow the result of the stillborn ET concept. The ET concept was built off a 2 door Coupe LeMans, and built to test against base equip '68 Roadrunners @ the GM Proving Grounds. The ET concept, equipped as a pkg with 350HO engines, was a relatively bare bones performance vehicle, as an exercise. Built to study the feasibility of a bare bones bones Performance Pontiac to battle in sales with RoadRunners, SuperBees and other entry level muscl. . Some like to see the ET as the impetus to the '69 Judge, though quite a few of us disagree, & no GTO's were going to be be built as Coupes without GTO hoods and with 350 Pontiac engines. Delorean made sure of that... before he left Pontiac to head Chevrolet. A shuffled trim level '69 LeMans built with a base overhead cam6, a Sprint6 , or a 350 2bbl is not what the ET was conceived as. 

On the primered project car in Florida...I'm out on about anything out of Florida or any southern gulf state without personally inspecting said vehicle while up on a lift. Many years ago, shipped a lot of nice sheet metal to restorers in Florida, they would have been better off heading west and buying much more solid cars.. Most of what is being thrown together down there, today, is puppy mill junk, buyer beware.


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

The HO 350/330 HP used the #48 heads and a Q-jet. Engine codes are WV & XU. 

The 350/265HP used the #47 heads and a 2 Bbl carb. Engine codes were WP, WU, XR, XS, YN, & YU.

The ET (Elapse Time) was to be a low priced high performance offering to compete against the relatively low cost Plymouth Road Runner. The prototype car was based on the original concept that resulted in what would become "The Judge." The concept at Pontiac was to build a lightweight, bench seat, Rally II wheels without the trim rings, a Hurst T-handle on manual shift cars, GTO suspension, and the 350 HO engine based on a 2-Door Lemans sedan.

The hood had twin scoops, the left side was the tachometer while the right side was a cold air induction system. The first 5,000 cars were to be painted a special orange paint that ended up on GTO Judge optioned cars. The prototype also included a black and white side stripe which was seen in the early advertisements of the 1969 GTO Judge.

The ET was not the predecessor to "The Judge," but was intended as a low-priced, light weight, high performance offering based on a Lemans sedan. The same concept, or options within the concept, were then applied to the more expensive, heavier, production GTO's as "The Judge" option. If anything, the ET concept car broke ground for the later 1970 1/2 GT-37 option.


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## Todd J Sullivan (Jul 25, 2016)

Thanks for the information!


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## mvince319 (Nov 3, 2016)

*I have a Custom S Convertable*

1969 owned by my husband's father who bought it new. Did a frame off restoration 3 years ago. Looking for a new front bench seats and mirrors. Any ideas. It is beautiful and wonderful to drive.


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## bill v (Dec 18, 2016)

Hello all, new here. My first car was a Custom S , blue 350. I still have the motor(kinda). Its in my wifes Firebird, so thats all I have of it. Kinda looking for it but, I think it went for scrap. Looking for one now since I dont think Ill find a FB in the price range I need. If I do find one, I registered here now for help.

Bill V


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## jmkendall (Jan 24, 2017)

I've owned a Custom S since 1978. 

As far as the ET is concerned every book and article I have seen over the years has stated that it was indeed the prototype of the Judge. Sure DeLorean nixed the original Custom S platform, he is on record as saying that they key elements were then transformed/turned into the basis of the Judge. I believe that former Pontiac Engineer and Historian John Sawruck was the source for this. 

Lastly there are pics of the ET with Custom S tail lights, and not Lemans Tailights. Yes they are different.


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## Todd J Sullivan (Jul 25, 2016)

Did you ever find your Custom S? I have a 69 Custom S Sport (with the wing vent windows) project. I actually just logged in to try and find a value for it as I'm thinking of selling it. Same old story, too many projects and not enough time. Holler if you'd like more information!


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## Pauly1969 (Sep 28, 2017)

I have a 69 Tempest All
Original, water pump gave me an issue I guess Pontiac made a different style
Pump in 69, was extremely hard to find! They switched from 8 bolt to 11 bolt? (I think) had to order it from the east coast. Other then that car drives amazing and 350
Sounds great.


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## manikmekanik (Jul 25, 2018)

I just discovered & acquired a 1969 Pontiac Custom S hardtop sport coupe as my bride's new "grocery getter".

350 auto posi mist green with forest green bench & shoulder belts.
24k miles, records, Protect-O-Plate, 1st title, 2 NOS 78 series tires in trunk, unmolested, clean lines, FM converter.

UUber-rare Barn find, stored for over 30 years.







They roll it out, I buy it, I drive it home, I park it next to our Ice cream-getter,
(my 2017 Buick Club of America National car show Gold Award winning 1991 Buick Reatta Roadster, the rarest post-war American Roadster on the road today)

Panikmekanik loves her new Gg-ride (grocery-getter ride)


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## Otherscott66 (May 21, 2021)

I have a custom s a good project car all original and almost no rust what would its value be

Some of you may know me, some of you won't. I have been a long time GTO/Pontiac guy I have owned 3 classic GTO's (68,69 and 72) 2 Grand Prix's (98 and 04) and am currently driving an 05 MBM A4 GTO. I recently purchased a 1969 Custom-S HardTop as a project.


















Previous to this I was blissfully unaware of the Custom-S.

Since getting mine, I have discovered how rare and beautiful these cars are. I have seen a few posts here and there about other people that own them and I am hoping to start a registry to see how many are still out there.

My initial intention was to make this a GTO clone (I know unique idea right?) 
I have since changed my mind and will pay homage to it's roots as an "S".

I have found that by the vast majority these cars (as well as LeMans and Tempests in general) are being cloned into GTO's and their unique and magical history lost.

As I am sure most of you know this car was the birth place of the Judge (The ET or TC depending on your source) was the original idea for the Judge and was instead added as the Judge option for GTO's. The ET/TC was then designated as the Custom-S.

TWO- DOOR SPORT COUPE .. 23527
TWO-DOOR HARDTOP .......... 23537
TWO-DOOR CONV ................. 23567

How many of these are still out there and rolling?
[/QUOTE]


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## coyote595 (Dec 4, 2019)

Did the OP ever start a Custom S registry? Looks like he has not posted in a few years. My car is/was a Custom S.


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