# Reviving my 68.....20 years later.



## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

Thought I'd share my little project with everybody. It's a 68 Tempest Custom. I was just finishing high school when I bought it for $400 in 1981, it was dark green, stock and pretty plain looking. Yeah, I'm lucky enough to still own my very first car.

I drove it every summer and worked on it every winter for about 12 years. Just about the time I got it looking right and running really good my 3rd child was born. I no longer had the time, or the money for it so I parked it in the garage .....for the last 20 years 

If you've never done it you have no idea how many indignities a car will suffer over the span of 2 decades when you park it in your regularly used 2 1/2 car garage. Things get stacked on it, leaned against it, spilled or splashed on it and the dust piles up doing all manner of horrible things to your paint. 

For the first few years I was pretty good about starting it up and driving down the driveway once a month or so. But eventually the tires developed slow leaks, the battery got worse and worse and it all became something of a hassle. Soooo...it hadn't even been started for at least 15 of those years.

In the fall of 2011 I'd finally had enough of my once proud car mocking me every time I walked past and decided it was high time I brought the old girl back to life.

First picture is about what it looked like when I parked it. Second one was taken in 2011.


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

looks like a great project, glad you finally got back to it! Good luck and post pics!!


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

*A few pix*

I didn't think to start snapping pix until after the front clip was off. Frame was stripped clean from the firewall out, epoxy primed and painted. I replaced all the brake lines and relocated the proportioning valve to the top of the frame. In the stock position it was about 1/64" away from the header. After a few good runs down the boulevard the brake fluid would nearly boil, causing more than a few white knuckled moments when I tried to slow it down. 
Now that I'm older and more mature I've decided that good brakes are important and I think this change will make a huge difference.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Awesome - please keep the photos coming, and good luck.

Bear


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## SlamminGears65Goat (Apr 29, 2012)

No Goat,
I think it's great that you still have your first car,
and greater that you're going to bring it back to it's glory,
and greater still that it hasn't been converted into a GTO.
I love seeing the original cars stay that way, and kept in 
good condition.
Looking forward to watching the progress!


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## SlamminGears65Goat (Apr 29, 2012)

Almost forgot,
my brother's first car was a 69 LeMans convert, bought about the same time, I think it was 1980, for $150. It had 144,000 miles on it, funny how you remember these things 32 years later..(the guy was firm on his price!) Had a 350 in it, he was taking automotive in high school, had a valve job done on it for about $50, and man, did that sucker move out when he got it back! 
We had tons of fun with that car, cruising around Hampton Beach in NH, back when we were kids. 
He had it about 3 or 4 years, til he sat down in the drivers seat, and the frame went south. I bought my 67 GTO convert about a year after that..I sold mine after a year or two. If we had only known......


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

"If we had only known"......INDEED. My car had A/C when I bought it...wish I had saved all the pieces if for no other reason than current resale/trade value. It had the reverb stereo too.
There was a pretty good street racing scene in my area back then and I had my eye on the top spot...not to mention visions of pulling the front wheels on a good launch. With those goals in mind every bit of the AC system got pulled out and thrown away to save weight. I also pulled off the steel hood and fenders and hung fiberglass, which is still on it. I still have my steel fenders up in the attic, the hood is another story for another post.


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

*Some more pictures*

The first one is sort of an exploded view of the front clip, the frame and firewall are already done at this point.

Second pic, the fiberglass fenders and hood have been put back on to be repaired and fitted while the engine is off to the side being rebuilt. I was probably waiting to get my heads back at this point.

Third, heads are back and the engine is nearly finished. Fenders are back off to beef up the mounting ears where they mate to the firewall and to make it easier to drop the engine back in when it's done.

Pic 4 the engines ready to go.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

nice work NoGoat, i will have to get by and take a peek when i can get in the area. You will like the tri-Y headers when you have to mount them in the engine bay, my 4 pipes took me 5 hrs to install and still banged the frame and leaked.


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

Yeah, these are a breeze to get in and out. I just take off the starter and oil filter housing and in they go. Only takes an hour.


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

*More pix*

1) The day I got it started and for the first time in many years DROVE it out of the garage.

2) From there it went right back inside to begin the little bit of body work it needed. I'd had this 1/4 replaced many years ago with an aftermarket panel. It was still rock solid but the lines around the wheel opening just weren't right.

3) A close up of the area shows the filler needed to correct the lines.

4) This car had been Ziebart'd when it was new. You can see how thick it is inside the door. I guess in the old days you really did get your moneys worth.

5) Aside from the usual small holes at the base of the cowl and a couple dozen pinholes in my floor pan, this was the extent of the rust I had to deal with.


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Looks good! Rust doesn't seem too bad at all. Keep posting!


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

*Adding pix*

1) The drudgery begins. At this point I'm still foolish enough to think sanding all of the blue paint off "won't be so bad"....but it took 2 hours just to do this much.

2) That door is the last full panel to go. I've long since lost count of the hours, used a couple hundred sanding discs already and will still have dozens of hours of hand sanding the nooks and crannies ahead of me.

3) The hood has had serious issues since day one. The corners dipped down at the windshield, it was wavy in places and not quite wide enough.

4) So, I spent a whole lot of time fixing it, including adding 1/4" in width. It's a fiberglass hood that I've bonded onto a factory steel subframe.

5) It turned out great and fits perfectly.


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

*Primer primer primer...and more primer*

In the past year I've seen my car in United Airlines blue, I've seen it in blue and black, I've seen it all splotchy, for awhile it was dark gray and black.
Well.....it's finally all one color. It's just more primer but by gosh it's all the same color.


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Uniformity is nice regardless... looking good! :thumbup:


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

*Finally...a little color*

The uniformity was nice while it lasted. Now for the final push.

I'm lucky enough to have an uncle that has been painting cars since the late 1950's. He's 77 years old and still squirts a couple of cars every week. Talk about being experienced.
Up to the point of these pictures I've done every bit of the work myself. Having been in the painting business for 25+ years I've been entirely confident in my own abilities to get this much done. The nature of the paint I'm using requires not only confidence, but also a much higher skill level than I possess to do it properly. 
With that in mind I've limited my own spraying to primers, guide coats and shooting the color in the door jambs and under the lids. Uncle Paul will be coming soon to lay down the color and clear coats.

Just a couple of pix today to show off the color, and my handywork on the hood. It's a fiberglass skin bonded to an original steel sub frame. I know the different expansion rates will cause problems eventually but for now I'm on a "run what ya brung" budget and it looks darn good.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

only thing better than hearing a Pontiac coming from two blocks, is seeing one coming....that should do it...:cool. Whats the color called? I may be in your neck of the woods next week one day, love to stop by and see the progress, let me know if you will be around...:cheers


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

The color is Lime Green Mica, it's got tons of flake in it :cool


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## gjones (Oct 8, 2012)

*Lime*

LOVE THAT COLOR!!! When I saw it, my mouth started to pucker and salivate!!! NICE!!!


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

Thanks. It took me a long time to find just the right shade. I'm really anxious to see it on the body underneath a glossy clear coat. I used single stage enamel on the jambs and under the lids, it looks outstanding but I know the bc/cc will look ten times as nice.


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

A lot has happened in the past few months and it's gonna take me a good ten posts to bring my build thread up to date, but in the meantime.....here's a little peek at the paint.

But first, a word to the wise.....don't trust your youthful memories of your uncles ability to paint cars. I know for a fact that he's done nothing but paint and body work for 50 years but you'd never guess that by looking at what he did to my car. The dumber kids in an 8th grade wood shop class couldn't have done a worse job.
It was SO bad that I pulled the plug after the first coat of clear and drove him 3 hours home almost before it had even dried. After kicking him to the curb I drove straight back home and sanded off nearly $400 worth of bc/cc and painted the dang thing myself....which is what I should have done in the first place. It turns out I'm a natural :cool 

Many more pix to come. I just pulled the masking off a couple of hours ago and can't wait to pull it out in the sun tomorrow and get some good shots to post.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Looking nice!

Your paint experience is just dore evidence to the adage: "No one's going to care as much about your car as you do."

Bear


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

Thanks Bear. I didn't expect the old coot to care as much as I do, but [email protected] I put more effort and take more pride in painting a bathroom. 
My experience is also further evidence that "You gets what ya pays for". 

But hey, on the bright side a bad paint job beats the heck out of a fire huh? Sorry to read about your misfortune.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

sorry to hear about the hickup with your uncle, just think though now when someone compliments the paint you can say "i did it myself". That glitter must have been a bitch to keep from tiger striping. Been busy trying to get the new shop ready for move in myself glad to see you back at it, lets see some more pics. Paint/body is the single most costly thing on a restore, so the reward VS. risk is the biggest and the spraying is probably 20% of the job. It is also the most rewarding as it's the first thing people see and compliment. What i hear most is "i love that color". Like GeeTee told me when i finished mine, you have a straight car with a paint job equal or better than what they came out of the factory with, cars of the 60's were not candy coated, dipped in clear showpieces, they were single stage cut and buff. and if you put 4 coats of clear on a good base you can sand most clutter out before you buff. Hell i still hav'nt done my final color sand and buff, trying to get myself and my arm pumped up to start it today....:cheers, good job!!!!!

PS: color sand as soon as you can when CC hardens all the way its like sanding Granite


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

I'm not even gonna ask how you got your arm pumped up LOL! Hopefully it was just by lifting a couple cool ones.

Having just gone through a 14 hour marathon sanding session myself I feel your pain.


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

Some more pix of the paint.


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Looking good! :beer:


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## gjones (Oct 8, 2012)

*Mouth watering goodness...*

Mighty slick!!!


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

Thought I'd post up some more pix at long last. Being a painting contractor I'm busy 25/7 during the summer months and it's hard to find time to post here.
I was about 90% finished in late May. My buddy Bob and I spent a Saturday rewiring the lights and got them all working right again. Excited by this milestone I took it for a short run down the street, this time WITH tail lights. Wooohooo!!
About a mile down the road it started sputtering, wheezing, snorting and generally screwing up so I turned around and headed home.

As I turned into the driveway it backfired through the carb, burst into flames, set the air cleaner on fire and died. I'd already done a lot of clean up before I thought to take these pix.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

damn, that carb is toast....good it happened in the driveway or it would have been totaled. How did the fiberglass fair on the hood? Get you some insurance on the beast, as soon as i had paint and trim on i made sure to get full coverage, have heard horror stories just like this, Bear had it happen to him too.


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## matteuson (Jul 23, 2013)

What is that color?


Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Oh man.... I >>>>HATE<<<< fire. 

Sorry this happened.

Bear


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

BUMMER! glad it happened close to home!!!


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

The hood paint blistered up quite badly and the area over the carb sagged down a little but I was able to repair it quite nicely. Luckily I had just enough bc/cc leftovers to do, as it turned out, one hood with 3 coats of clear. Dodged a bullet there.



Instg8ter said:


> damn, that carb is toast....good it happened in the driveway or it would have been totaled. How did the fiberglass fair on the hood? Get you some insurance on the beast, as soon as i had paint and trim on i made sure to get full coverage, have heard horror stories just like this, Bear had it happen to him too.


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

Its a transparent lime green with a heavy dose of gold mica flake in it and it has a pinch of Prizmatique in one of the clear coats.



matteuson said:


> What is that color?
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

I know you do Bear and it was reading your posts after your fire that prompted me to have a fire extinguisher along for the ride. I was able to smother it with a blanket and didn't have to USE it....but it was there if I did. Good advice and I thank you for it :cheers



BearGFR said:


> Oh man.... I >>>>HATE<<<< fire.
> 
> Sorry this happened.
> 
> Bear


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

Oh me too man, saved me from crying in public LOL!



FlambeauHO said:


> BUMMER! glad it happened close to home!!!


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

*But it DID get finished*

and here it is....arty: Well maybe not finished finished LOL! I still need to install my windshield/trim.


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

*Some more pix*

I'm already signed up for my first car show :willy:


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

One more


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## jmt455 (Mar 26, 2012)

Looks great!


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

Disc brakes are on my "some day" list, until then I'm stuck with manual drums on all four corners. 

What do I have to do to equalize my front brakes? As it is now, when I hit the brakes the car pulls to the right. As long as I ease into them it's not so bad but I'm dreading that first panic stop.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

check the left front brake cylinder, and/or bleed the lines for air. Have to stop by and see it next time i am in the area. There is a big 3 day show/swap meet at the Lower Huron Metro Park in Belleville next weekend, right off 94. Look for me if you head on down. Your car is looking great, can't wait to see that glitter in the sunlight!!! :cheers


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

Nice '68 man, love that color. :cheers


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

No Goat said:


> Disc brakes are on my "some day" list, until then I'm stuck with manual drums on all four corners.
> 
> What do I have to do to equalize my front brakes? As it is now, when I hit the brakes the car pulls to the right. As long as I ease into them it's not so bad but I'm dreading that first panic stop.


If both front brakes are adjusted the same, then like mentioned the wheel cyl or the left front brake hose is bad.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Brake pull can also be caused if you have a big variance in drum diameter. The shoes will have different amounts of contact from drum to drum. I would measure the drums and look at the shoes and check the contact area of the shoes. The brake drums should be very close to the same inside diameter on the front brakes.


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

I think you're right about the drum size. All the other parts are brand new so I didn't bother investigating any of them....but the drums are old and one of them IS a lot thinner. In fact, it's noticeably lighter cuz it's so thin. I guess I'd never picked them both up at the same time before and therefore never noticed. 

It will be a few weeks before new drums fit my budget but I'll be sure to post the results when I do get them.


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## InjunRAIV (Aug 21, 2013)

It would be cool if those white letters stayed green...


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

They used two different styles of front drums in 68. Early style was press fit and used a different length stud, later one's just slip on. I'm not real sure if they are interchangeable or not. I would invetigate before purchasing something.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Love your car, No Goat. :cheers

That's one nice paint job.

Bear


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

I've been without a computer for a while now and can't post pix from this little iPod but I finally got it done and have put quite a few miles on it including a few awesome feeling rips down the highway. 
It runs like a raped ape with its butt on fire. Speaking of fire, I still need a wiper motor to replace my melted unit, if anybody has one let me know. 

Still haven't done anything about the brakes. New drums are about 25% the cost of a disc brake kit from Summit and I plan to go that route over the winter. 
Stopping is overrated anyway, am I right gentlemen?

I entered it at a show last month, it was a First annual and maybe 100 cars showed up. Next year it should be much bigger as word spreads. 
It was at the Saint Louis Center, here in Chelsea, Michigan. It's right off of 1-94, about midway between Ann Arbor and Jackson. If you're from the area or within a comfortable drive I'd highly recommend signing up. It's a beautiful, park like setting and 100% for a good cause. 

By the looks of the weather here the old Tempest is in for the season and already I can't wait for spring. 
I took a lot of pix and will post more as soon as I'm able. 

Thanks for the compliments guys!!


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

*A few new pics*

A few shots from the car show I took it to last fall...now that I've finally gotten around to fixing my computer and can post them.

Apparently there were no dumpsters available because they made me park next to this POS brown Chrysler. Next year I'll just nod my head and then go park wherever I feel like parking. That's the lovely Mrs Goat in the background....don't tell her I called her that LOL!


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## RunninLeMans (Apr 3, 2014)

Call looks awesome, No Goat, great story. You didn't need to park next to that Chrysler to get points!


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Welcome back NoGoat, cars looking good.


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

Welcome back! Grrreat to see you out enjoying the car. No matter what you park next to your Pontiac will stand out, no need parking next to a dingy Mopar :tongue: to make your ride look nice!


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## Orion88 (Apr 24, 2012)

Hey, it could be worse. At least they didn't put you next to the "Pontiac" Solstice!!!


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

I love my car but don't think it loves me back. Took my first drive of the year today and the radiator gave up the ghost and pizzed coolant all over the gas station parking lot. No big surprise since it's the 47 year old original, but still a drag.

Time to go shopping I guess.


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

I put an Afco aluminum radiator in my car. Nice piece with stamped tanks looks stockish....they also have a radiator with fabricated tanks that is nice but costs more.

AFCO 80102NP Performance Aluminum Radiator, 32 x 18-1/2 Inch, GM - Speedway Motors, America's Oldest Speed Shop


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## ibarbuckle (Feb 24, 2014)

Awesome thread. Awesome car. Thanks for posting.
atriot:


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## Jgoose514 (May 1, 2015)

Great car. I like that you didnt turn it into a clone.


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## dan woodland (Jul 24, 2013)

Just read your whole thread No Goat. Nice wok and recovery from those setbacks!!

I like the color, it sure stands out among all those other cars. Dan


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## No Goat (Dec 22, 2012)

Can anyone here help me find a passenger side door? Apparently I didn't use a bright enough color nor make it loud enough to be noticed because some old bat drove right into the side of my beautiful green car. She had to cross two lanes and come into the left turn lane to do it. 
Soooo...I really need a good, solid rust free door if anybody has a lead on one. 
Thanks!


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## Goat Roper (Oct 28, 2014)

Oh no that sucks!

Love the color, the neighbor who owned a body shop painted my '70 Honda SL 100 that color when I was 13.
I sold it to a guy in Fountain Valley when I wanted a bigger bike.
Fast forward 35 years and I was looking for a bike for my son to learn on and one of my buddies said he had an old Honda in his shed I could have and I dug out this old white Honda 100.
I looked at the fork brace and it was off of a Yamaha that had been drilled to fit hmm.. Bassani aftermarket pipe...hmm I looked at the rear sprocket 64 tooth, just like the one I bought with my paper route money from D&D cycle.
I pulled out my pocket knife and scraped off some of the white paint and there was the lime green metalflake underneath it.
I asked him where he got the bike and he got it from a buddy of his who got it from a guy in Fountain Valley.
Cleaned the carb, changed the oil and fresh gas and it fired right up.


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## 68 Goast (Feb 6, 2016)

*My first muscle car*

Hey guys, just wanted to share my project. New to this forum but have been here many times and appreciate the vast knowledge and tips shared by everyone. I waited 46 years for the right opportunity to invest in a muscle car and happy to finally put my dreams to reality. 
I found a 68 GTO in Hattiesburg Ms. 1 year ago with a pretty solid body.
She was a low end model, but still.... a GTO. 
She is no where near complete but has had many upgrades. Here is a modest list: YC 455 and Comp Cam, #96 Heads, Edelbrock 750 & Performer Intake. 10 bolt Posi w/ 3.55, QA-1 Coil over shocks, Spohn anti sway bars, BFG 245/60r15 all around on 15x8 Rally's at 4.5 Back spacing and new interior. 
Still have a ways to go but almost hate to finish. Really liking the journey and endless possibilities for creating my ride. Any way thanks for looking and thanks for sharing.


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