# 65 Tempest into GTO



## fe2 (Aug 14, 2011)

Hi friends
Greetings from Turkey

There is a 65 tempest 4 door here and i want to restorate and transform it into GTO,
So, i'm waiting for your opinions and helps


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Pontaics in Turkey....cool, welcome to the Herd. well they never made a 4 door GTO and the frames are different so you can't make it into a coupe or hardtop 2-door, but a nice clean 4 door Tempest would be cool in it's own right, mine started as a gto clone but was so intact i decided to keep it a Tempest with a little punch under the hood....and a few of the iconic gto touches




























1966 Tempest pictures by instg8ter - Photobucket

Brian


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Howdy and welcome...

Well, there never was, at least not to my knowledge, a 4-door 65 GTO from the factory so that'll make it easy for people to identify your car as "not a real GTO" - if that matters to you. So, consider that before you spend lots of money on all the various emblems, trim pieces, and other visual GTO cues that you'd need. However, there's no reason at all not to give the car a "GTO spirit" like Brian (Instg8ter) has done with his Tempest by building a strong Pontiac engine/drive-train and also upgrading the suspension and brakes so that it -performs- like a GTO.

It's your car though, so it's your call.

Bear


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

I think a quadra port GTO clone would be cool. Would you go for 100% stock resto look to make the purists question thier own sanity or go for the pro touring vibe where you could spank all those that would dare laugh? :cool

Love the international flavor this site is getting. 

Are there any other American cars in your country? Do you belong to any car clubs over there? Getting parts for these cars here is difficult, I could'nt imagine what even simple stuff like brakes and shocks and ignition components would take for you to procure much less the sheetmetal and engine components.


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

Welcome to the herd!!
I know many people that were stationed in Turkey in the AF. They say that the Turks can build you whatever you need. Buddy needed a muffler, and they made a muffler..  Sounds like a cool project. You could just throw a GTO hood on it and leave it a Lemans.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

I've seen home-spun GTO station wagons (Tempest's with a GTO front grille and hood) along with a bigger engine...pretty cool, actually. How about a Tempest with a European Grand Touring flair: 4 door car, performance suspension, performance engine/transmission, and a GTO hood and grille/emblems? It would be a practical, 4-door GT car....and get looks, too. Bear and the others are correct: never was a 4 door GTO in '65.....


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## Thumpin455 (Feb 17, 2010)

He lives in Turkey, nobody will notice or care that its a 4 door. All you need is the grille, the hood, and some emblems, unless you want a bigger engine.


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

Yeah, ya know, a Tempest is cool in it's own right. 

It is a Pontiac after all. :cool

All A-bodies are pretty much the same under the skin. It's your car build it your way.

That's the fun of it to me, individualizing your car to suit yourself, not others. arty:


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

:agree...heres a 4 door i would'nt mind sporting around...i thought it was the coolest car at the show , i gravitate to cars that are individualized and not just another one of the bunch.


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

if it was an olds you could make a 4442.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

:rofl:


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## fe2 (Aug 14, 2011)

*4 door into 2 door*

my plan is transforming it to a 2 door tempest. there are some differences on body but doesn't matter  if i can find two pair of gto doors it will be easier or some cut and paste will be needed. so, front doors will be expanded and back ones shorter (and disappear). columns will go backwars some.
front grill and tail bezels is needed. maybe i can find it in ebay (maybe friends in gto forum have and send them to me  )
another difference is back glass. so, solution is ready , side places will be expanded like 67's. and i think it'll be cool.
there are many club's of american cars here. many of mustang's, chevrolets and like those. but i've never seen a gto.
here some photos of project in my mind (tempest is not mine):
it looks easier in paint.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

so kinda like an extended cab post coupe, interesting....you will need post car front doors and that will establish where the window pillar will fall....your in for a heap of modification hope your handy with a welder. there are a few guys that have brought graveyard cars back from the dead (TooManyProjects and Thumpin455) that have done similar work to get back to factory. Please post some pics, if it were me i would just build a nice 4 door Tempest and save the aggravation, cost and time not driving it. JMHO....:cheers


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

I actually like the four door 65 you have pictured, it's cool.

I have a good friend with a 65 Catalina four door post mild custom, it's a blast and you can load 6 people in it no problem.


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

I was in Germany recently and they use the classics and muscle cars to haul the wedding party to the wedding. So, a 4 door could really work for this, and just do the pro touring theme on it to upgrade the AC and make it a better driver. I would love to see a thread on converting 4 door to 2 door.. Like I said, the Turks can build anything, mad skills!!
4 doors are becoming alot more popular here, because alot of the 2 doors are pricey or scrapped. I've haven't seen a 65 4 door Lemans for years, it is a rare car here also.:cheers
We can probably help you out with parts shipment, I know it costs a ton, let us know what we can do for you. When I say we, I mean eric, he is in NY and is closest to the coast so shipping is cheaper for you.. LOL.. Not really, I'll do whatever you need as long as it doesn't include money laundering..


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## DukeB-120th (Oct 19, 2009)

I really really love the look of that 4 door tempest. If I were you, I would save the trouble and keep the tempest with the original proportions. You'd save alot of work and still have a car with beautiful lines. Restore that bad boy to it's former glory, it would be awesome.

But, as you will always hear on here, it's your car, do what makes you happy. Just don't destroy it!


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## fe2 (Aug 14, 2011)

I'm very happy of being with you friends  
your opinions are very precious for me,
also your helps make me eager for this job
i agree with you DukeB-120th, it will be a good 4 door sports car it's a good idea
it will be look like 4 door version of this


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

yep that would be a good plan, once you hack it up the re-sale would be shot and there is a lot more engineering (and money) to getting it back together than you are thinking about wheres as if you keep it stock you can have it on the road in one season. it would look cool low and long with just a bit of forward rake maybe a GTO hood and grilles, tail panel and lights in 65 is the same i believe if your Tempest badges are good use them....that car will be much rarer than a GTO (rare not in a monetary sense) as you will probably never park next to another like yours.....:cheers


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

fe2 said:


> I'm very happy of being with you friends
> your opinions are very precious for me,
> also your helps make me eager for this job
> i agree with you DukeB-120th, it will be a good 4 door sports car it's a good idea
> ...


^This car in a four door would be completely badass .

DO IT! :cool


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