# Sticky  1966 GTO Build Thread....Frame off in progress...



## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

First time build thread poster here....

I found this beauty in October 2014. It's was a lovely pile of 1966 GTO parts. I literally pulled it out of the woods (no trees were harmed in the process). It came with a 400ci/400 set up...so clearly not a numbers car. Needs, well, just about everything. 

My plans for it have varied pretty significantly. Before reading any further...if you are hoping for a completely stock restoration....or if you hate LS swaps...please close this window. :smile2: It all started with the disc brake kit conversion. 2 wheel disc plans changed to 4 wheel disc...400 plans changed to the LS I had sitting in the garage...15in rally plans changed when I scored a very sweet set of 19 in tires for free-fifty. Then I discovered the 5.3 LS I bought was actually a 4.8. What to do....what to do....OH! Twin turbo it. Yes, that's right. Twin turbo plans in the near future. 

What it needs:
-Frame - DONE
-trunk - DONE
-floors - started
-a couple cross members - DONE
-package tray
-quarters
-tail panel
-wheel wells
-interior
-a pillar
-glass
-brakes - DONE
-powertrain - in progress
....maybe I should have listed what it doesn't need. :suspicious:

Anywho....here are some pics of my progress so far.


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

More Pics..


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

Trunk Work....


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

Future twin turbo 4.8 backed by 4L80E


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## El Monte Slim (Sep 8, 2014)

Brave soul!

It'll be fun (for us) to watch.

Keep us posted!


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## Bensjammin66 (May 12, 2009)

Would love to see some detailed plans/partnumbers on the LS swap. My 455 is the last carburated engine I ever mess with im thinking LQ9 for mine one day. Good luck and itll be worth it when its done! That moment when you drive it the first time is worth 10 fold the money and time youll have in it. Great project! 

PS: The purists will get over it. Over sized wheels n tires, modern brakes and drivetrains are AWESOME imo


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## oldskool (Apr 26, 2015)

"... The purists will get over it. Over sized wheels n tires, modern brakes and drivetrains are AWESOME imo"





Yeah, all that stuff is great, but NOT in a '66 GTO !!! IMO :nonod:


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## the65gto (Oct 9, 2008)

It just tick's me off to see how some people let an Ole Goat just sit there and let it deteriorate away in the first place. Glad you are bringing her back!


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

Bensjammin66 said:


> Would love to see some detailed plans/partnumbers on the LS swap. My 455 is the last carburated engine I ever mess with im thinking LQ9 for mine one day. Good luck and itll be worth it when its done! That moment when you drive it the first time is worth 10 fold the money and time youll have in it. Great project!
> 
> PS: The purists will get over it. Over sized wheels n tires, modern brakes and drivetrains are AWESOME imo



Beautiful car you have there BTW Ben. 

I am just getting all the parts together to drop the motor on the frame. I will be glad to get you p/n's for everything I used once I make sure she fits good.

I appreciate the feedback. I fully expect some negativity. But I get it. I am guilty of judging other peoples stuff. I LOVE a nice clean factory original car...14's...red lines....all the old stuff. This one is outside of the box for me as well. The beauty of it is...everything is held on with a bolt. If I think it sucks....it can be changed.


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## Indy1K (May 16, 2008)

Saw your trunk repair. Can you tell me how you are joining the seams of the pan pieces and extensions together? I see the spot welds, are you welding the entire seam on both sides?
BTW, whose parts did you use?

Looks good so far!

Regards, 

Kevin -Indy1K


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

Indy1K said:


> Saw your trunk repair. Can you tell me how you are joining the seams of the pan pieces and extensions together? I see the spot welds, are you welding the entire seam on both sides?
> BTW, whose parts did you use?
> 
> Looks good so far!
> ...


I am using Goodmark for the trunk floor and supports. The center section has flanges to accept the side sections. I put spot welds (~every inch) on the top and welded all sections to the support below. I am not going to weld the entire seam. I used a grinder to knock down the spot welds and brushed the seam with POR-15. Once I get the interior floors done I am going to go back and blend all the joints so you will never see them.


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

Some more randoms here. Got the floors cut out last night. I have some work to do, but I plan to put the new floors in...2 weeks or so.

I have a new dash ready to go...and no it is not the one in the pic. The wheel well is a before shot. I have some fresh steel in there now. Sorry about that blurry floor pic....

As you can see I am scoring some free tools in the process. The trunk drop-offs were hiding some "nice" wrenches.


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## Valsmere (Sep 11, 2007)

Your car your project ways I see it. I have a 67 that I was thinking about doing a LS swap but the cost kept me away. I can't wait to see yours done! Good luck for sure!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## AZGrizFan (Apr 1, 2014)

the65gto said:


> It just tick's me off to see how some people let an Ole Goat just sit there and let it deteriorate away in the first place. Glad you are bringing her back!


^This.

Better to be heavily modified than left to rot.


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

Motor starting to take shape


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## Indy1K (May 16, 2008)

SavetheGoats said:


> I am using Goodmark for the trunk floor and supports. The center section has flanges to accept the side sections. I put spot welds (~every inch) on the top and welded all sections to the support below. I am not going to weld the entire seam. I used a grinder to knock down the spot welds and brushed the seam with POR-15. Once I get the interior floors done I am going to go back and blend all the joints so you will never see them.


Thanks, I will follow suit. It looks like you placed the center section first as to make sure it is properly aligned.
I have used POR15 many times and love it. What product are you sealing the seams with? Just the POR15 paint?
Good luck with the rebuild. Thanks for the guidance.

Regards,

Kevin


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

Indy1K said:


> Thanks, I will follow suit. It looks like you placed the center section first as to make sure it is properly aligned.
> I have used POR15 many times and love it. What product are you sealing the seams with? Just the POR15 paint?
> Good luck with the rebuild. Thanks for the guidance.
> 
> ...


Using POR-15 and gonna go over it with some light weight body filler to hide the welds. For the edges at the trunk drop offs I have some 3M brush-able seam sealer.


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

*Interior work.....*

It is premature, but i have started refinishing the seats. I am putting new springs in the front bases and new foam everywhere, so it is best to do it when it is very hot outside....as I am sure you know.

1) I took the seats down to the bare frames and soda blasted them.
2) Installed the new springs in the bases
3) Stretched the new covers on.
4) for the rusty crusty seat tracks, I pulled them off and soaked them in white vinegar for about 3 days. I rinsed them off and they were completely rust free. I painted them and repacked the tracks with grease and they are better than new.

As you can see, I don't have them back together yet, but I wanted to show some progress. The white seat is how they looked before I started. The car had black interior originally that someone did a poor job of recovering in white.


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## tiretread (Sep 28, 2015)

Nice job on the seats. They are going to look great. I would have wussed out and just installed some newer GTO seats.


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## SIK67SS (Apr 5, 2016)

Glad I found this thread- you're making me feel better! I have a $500 66 Lemans getting delivered tomorrow that's also a pull out of the woods. I think only difference is mine has front fenders and a Caddy 500 sitting in the frame rails. Sitting, not bolted lol. Nice progress!


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## smboonejr (May 3, 2016)

Any further updates? Been a while! Like the restomod direction of this thing... Agree that it isn't the direction I'd go but sure beats letting it rot away in the woods for another 40 years!


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Barrier Blue! Great color, one year only, on a '66! Not an LS guy or a restomod guy either, but my hat is off to you for saving this car and getting it back on the road, in whatever configuration. Nice work, and keep us updated. I see no harm in this kind of build, only good stuff. Unlike the moron on the other forum who bought an all original , mint, triple black numbers matching 4 speed tripower '66, and proceeded to gut the car to convert it to an LS 6 speed. He sold off all the original, perfectly restored parts to finance his atrocity, and was proud of himself all the while. Crazy.


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## SIK67SS (Apr 5, 2016)

Any updates?


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

SIK67SS said:


> Any updates?




Man...it has been a while....

Sorry it has been so long. Since my last update we sold our house, bought another one....oh and had a kid (#3 actually). GTO progress has been a little slow as you can imagine. BUT....I now have a shop to work in, and as of last week, a 2 post Challenger lift!!!!!! GAME changer!!!!

I have installed the driver's side quarter panel. I have also cut out and started fitting the passenger's side. My plan is to have the body ready to come off the frame by the first of the year (for the last time) for undercoating and to finish up my brake and fuel lines on the frame. 

The break is over....I am BACK. And I am ready to get this thing looking like a car again.


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

Let's do work!


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## SIK67SS (Apr 5, 2016)

Excellent! Congrats on the new house and kid!


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## Woffski (Jun 20, 2011)

Awesome work!


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

Time to make a package tray panel from a Chevelle. The part inside the car appears to be exactly the same. The part between the trunk and the back glass is about 5 inches too short....and slightly different stamping. BUT. I can work with this. Beats the heck out of trying to fab up a part. More to come.....


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## M1Lover (Nov 29, 2017)

SavetheGoats, this thread is hugely inspirational to me as just this morning I bought a '66 GTO. The seller has done a TON of work, but there's 3 tons left (at least). That said, it's really not too rusty as its been sitting outside in Arizona. You're doing one helluva job and your efforts have steeled me for my long road ahead. I've learned, on big projects, try not to think about the whole, huge, scary, expensive project, stay focused on one small part to the puzzle and before you know it, you've checked it off the list. 
My GTO was originally Candlelight (yawn) Cream. Its also not a number matching car, but I'm a bit of a Pontiac V8 freak and have several options for Pontiac power (though I'm in total agreement about carburetors....). Its got a 326 (not original) in it with an as-yet-unknown and partially disassembled manual trans. I may 400/400 power it because I've got the components though almost nobody wants an automatic-equipped GTO IMO.

I'm pretty sure my floor pans are solid, and I know the frame is solid, but I'm planning on starting with a sandblasted and rustoleum painted frame.

I'll try to document my progress here as well.

Thanks again and great job! H.


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

M1Lover said:


> SavetheGoats, this thread is hugely inspirational to me as just this morning I bought a '66 GTO. The seller has done a TON of work, but there's 3 tons left (at least). That said, it's really not too rusty as its been sitting outside in Arizona. You're doing one helluva job and your efforts have steeled me for my long road ahead. I've learned, on big projects, try not to think about the whole, huge, scary, expensive project, stay focused on one small part to the puzzle and before you know it, you've checked it off the list.
> My GTO was originally Candlelight (yawn) Cream. Its also not a number matching car, but I'm a bit of a Pontiac V8 freak and have several options for Pontiac power (though I'm in total agreement about carburetors....). Its got a 326 (not original) in it with an as-yet-unknown and partially disassembled manual trans. I may 400/400 power it because I've got the components though almost nobody wants an automatic-equipped GTO IMO.
> 
> I'm pretty sure my floor pans are solid, and I know the frame is solid, but I'm planning on starting with a sandblasted and rustoleum painted frame.
> ...



Thank you! And you just helped me as well. It is easy to get overwhelmed...but if you have little rust, you are light years ahead of me already. Congrats on the car! Keep those pics coming and good luck!


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## M1Lover (Nov 29, 2017)

Well, here it is, the '66 GTO I've dubbed the "Rolling Disaster". Thanks for the inspiration and encouragement. I just turned 59 and I think I just may have this one last resto in me.


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

That is going to be a fun one!


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## SavetheGoats (May 13, 2015)

After 6 years and 9 months of ownership, my '66 is finally heading off to my friends house to have all the engine work done (that is not my area of expertise). Luckily he is a master...and probably the most particular mechanic I have ever seen. I feel certain that every wire will be picture worthy. My original plan was twin turbos, but due to some concerns with pipe routing I have decided a single turbo is more than enough. Shooting for 750hp at the engine, so maybe 600-650hp a the wheels. I hope to share a nice dyno sheet when the work is done. In addition, he is installing my full body wiring harness and a Vintage A/C system. So, I will be able to drive it for the very first time in the very near future. 

Since my last post I got most all of the body work done. I still need to take care of the trunk lid and hood. My fenders and doors were beyond repair. There was a 1/2 inch of body filler behind the GTO emblem on the driver's fender from some previous damage. In the interest of time, I purchased new. And yes, they will take some work as well.

I also coated the floors in Lizard Skin both top and bottom. Between the large cam and the turbo, this thing is gonna be noisy, so I need all the help I can get in the interior.

I hope to check in more than once every 2 years moving forward. Every year I say "next year I will have it on the road"....and I don't. But we are moving in the right direction.


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## CDub67 (Jun 20, 2019)

Awesome! Congrats. Looks very familiar - except yours came with an interior. Love the pics. Keep it going.
SIK, please post pics of your too.


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## CDub67 (Jun 20, 2019)

Wow. I just realized how old the previous posts are. I'll have to pay closer attention next time. But nice progress on the 66! Thanks for the update.


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## Joes1966GTO (Apr 27, 2020)

SavetheGoats said:


> After 6 years and 9 months of ownership, my '66 is finally heading off to my friends house to have all the engine work done (that is not my area of expertise). Luckily he is a master...and probably the most particular mechanic I have ever seen. I feel certain that every wire will be picture worthy. My original plan was twin turbos, but due to some concerns with pipe routing I have decided a single turbo is more than enough. Shooting for 750hp at the engine, so maybe 600-650hp a the wheels. I hope to share a nice dyno sheet when the work is done. In addition, he is installing my full body wiring harness and a Vintage A/C system. So, I will be able to drive it for the very first time in the very near future.
> 
> Since my last post I got most all of the body work done. I still need to take care of the trunk lid and hood. My fenders and doors were beyond repair. There was a 1/2 inch of body filler behind the GTO emblem on the driver's fender from some previous damage. In the interest of time, I purchased new. And yes, they will take some work as well.
> 
> ...


Beautiful work!! Keep it up!


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