# Finish Line is Approaching



## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

Saturday Feb 26 is D-Day. 3 months of repairing, replacing, painting, & restoring under the hood. Tons of man hours, $$$ and months later ..... 
Found not much under the hood was right. Everything has been corrected. Most everything was replaced. Found a whole new vernacular didn't know I had when installing springs. Someone installed Stabilizer links upside down, didn't properly torque them cut the tips off and were bent.  Ought to handle great now. Been a long 3 months. The finish line is in sight.


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

That looks really nice, good work, and congrats!!


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

looking good Judge, winter is good for one thing....repairs...., least you still have a Goat to drive while you do yours.


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## nyte_ryder67 (Feb 18, 2011)

Dangit, I didn't know an engine could look like a work of art but yours sure does, that is one cool powerplant!


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

40 years of too many different guys with their lunch-hooks on this car doing this short cut and that totally bastardized the thing, but thats the way things were done way back.

My buddy used the GTOAA concourse book to rebuild the motor to correct point judging, not that it mattered to me since this is a driver, but while it was apart why not. Right down to the correct castle nuts on most seen places. 

What amazed me as we tore this down and seen how bad it was, was just how well it ran with most of the vacuum lines not hooked up right or missing, the original alternator was still working, along with a pos regulator, the electrical components so old with nicked wires etc. 

Trans cooling lines had multiple spots of jb weld on it, totally bent to hell and not fitted correct, the L-Front brake line with a compression fitting that chaffed and was barely finger tight to the vacuum modulator line with a million bends in 2 feet too short and not hooked up right, it went on and on. I have some show and tell items.

All we could do was laugh at the patch work done to this. The stabilizer links was a riot. Instead of loosening the front sway bar to install them they inserted the head end down and then cut the excess threads that were making contact with the upper ball joints, then didn't torque them to seat the bushings. No wonder the steering floated on me. Took a while but the real test comes when the transplant is done and life is massaged back into it. Spring can't come fast enough.







































Final before and after pics to follow......


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## Glenn's Goat (Sep 7, 2010)

Wow looks great! Post some more pics when its out on the road.Good Luck with her


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Looks great...thanks for the "motovational pics".......Eric :cheers


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## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

yes, pics please...beautiful...
Bill


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## Indecision (Oct 24, 2010)

Looking good man, I haven't even started my project, let alone can see the finish line. I am jealous!


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

Big day today. I had an unfortunate accident 2 weeks ago, amputated 3/4" off the tip of my R-Thumb while doing molding work after hardwood floor installation....Can't do much right now but cheer and hold tools.... Good Friends to the rescue... 
The A-Team.... Spent all day installing motor and wiring up. All that is left to do is take Q-Jet to get a new inlet fitting, leaking gas and think the threads are stripped just enough to allow this. The fitting was not in the best of shape as over the years of others toying with it the ends were rounded over and could barely get a wrench on it so, will take it to a place that specializes on Q-Jets. Suppose I could get a kit from NAPA but I want to retain the inner ceramic fuel filter I don't want one of those cheesy inline ones.

That and install the hood. Car fired up ...O man sounds fantastic, Got the timing on it zeroed in. No issues from the sand blasting debacle (dodged a bullet on that one) she ran a good 20 mins or so 50 or so PSI oil pressure at idle. Just like before removal. From cleaning insides with lots of kerosene no smoke. Car repeatedly fires up and purrs, sounds like new.

New Springs has car sitting aggressively really nice a good 3-4" higher but will settle down just a little more after a while. All the chop shop work has been corrected. Another week or so she'll be out on the road. Can't wait to get this beast back out on the road. 
Great friends made this job possible. Few more Pics, will follow up with more pics after she's ready for the road in another week or so.....


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

A-team having a celebratory Lager beer break after the inaugural fire up.


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## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

excellent job...thanks for sharing...sorry to hear about your finger and...somewhere the GTO gods are smiling...
Bill


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

nice - I love that color and those stripes- I'm having a beer with you:cheers


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

sorry to hear about the thumb Judge, hope it's feeling better. i had my middle re-attached at the first knuckle years ago from a die-cutter mishap, those molding cutters are dangerous i used to set up CNC's and computerized profilers, learned my lesson on Lockout/Tagout. my cabinet guy has to use two hands to order 4 beers from a molding cutter.


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

I'll drink to that......:cheers nice job! Eric


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

GTO JUDGE said:


> A-team having a celebratory Lager beer break after the inaugural fire up.
> View attachment 10435
> View attachment 10436
> View attachment 10437


:cheers Awesomeness! WHERE'S THE VIDEO????? I wanna hear it RUN!

Bear


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

BearGFR said:


> :cheers Awesomeness! WHERE'S THE VIDEO????? I wanna hear it RUN!
> 
> Bear


When its all done I'll try and do a VID, It sounds mean...
3" Pypes exhaust with X pipe.. I've had guys at traffic lights get out and run up to the car asking about it. Lots of compliments.


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## pkloha (Feb 27, 2011)

You need to start your own thread pkloha........

68greengoat


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## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

pkloha said:


> You need to start your own thread........
> 
> 68greengoat


huh???...what an odd first post...
Bill

*Edit:* I deleted pkloha's content from his post and put in my own comments. He was asking questions about his car, hence, my comment.

68'


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

silversport said:


> excellent job...thanks for sharing...sorry to hear about your finger and...somewhere the GTO gods are smiling...
> Bill


Thanks.
NOT been a good last 2 weeks. Thank God for friends. We all pull together and help each other out. When my project is done then it will be another friends car and we'll band together and work on it then go from one car to another. We all work cheap... pizza BBQ beers.... Having to pay labor for all this... OUCH. 

Now if the goat needed crown molding etc installed Thats my niche... Woodworked engine bay.. Crown molding around the headliner:willy:.


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## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

hey...it could be the next big thing...
Bill


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