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by Sean Mattingly. 1968 GTO Hardtop Parking Lot Biggest GTO image collection anywhere! |
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by Sean Mattingly. 1968 GTO Hardtop Parking Lot Biggest GTO image collection anywhere! |
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This is a vintage shot of Rich Bialek's Uncle Joe's 1968 LeMans hardtop. The picture was taken in the 70's. Rich comments, "The car no longer exists due to being in an accident. It eventually had to be junked soon after. Yes, that's a 1974 Dodge Dart behind it."CLICK-> 
Joe Tonietto is rebuilding this 1968 GTO hardtop. Joe tells us more, "This might be the DUMBEST project I've ever undertaken, but here
goes... The engine and trans in my 69 Firebird convertible came from a 68 GTO. I decided it was time to put the drivetrain back where it belongs. I found this car on eBay. I won the auction (no other bidders – scary!) and towed it home to Michigan. It will be Nordic Blue with a white vinyl top and parchment interior."CLICK-> 
Here she is on the trailer and off to have the body removed. This car is coming back from the dead. It will not quietly rust away. Other factory options included: Muncie wide-ratio 4-speed, power steering, power brakes, AM radio w/manual antenna, remote driver’s mirror, console, visor vanity mirrors, tinted windshield, 3.55 Posi, Rally IIs with red stripe tires and the heavy-duty air cleaner.CLICK-> 
Joe moved the car to A&B Collision in Windsor, Ontario where Adrian, Bruno and Andy did all of the heavy lifting. Here, the body is separated from the frame.CLICK-> 
Joe tore into the interior of his 1968 GTO also. Joe comments, "When I disassembled it, I found that the car apparently had a Pontiac dealer-installed 8 track; the original GM-Delco rear seat speaker and Packard Electric harness were still in the car."CLICK-> 
Here is a shot of the holey driver's side floor pan. Eww! I wonder why he was the only bidder on eBay for this car?CLICK-> 
The trunk was gone. Joe adds, "We found additional rust damage in the rear wheelhouse areas, the channel at the base of the windshield, all around the rear window opening and at the bottom of the door hinge pillars. All the rusted areas were removed and replaced with patch panels or fabricated panels."CLICK-> 
New trunk pan is installedCLICK-> 
All the interior floor pans are replaced. Wow! That is a lot of work!CLICK-> 
The panel seams were sealed and everything was primed.CLICK-> 
Here the interior of the car has been painted. This looks new!CLICK-> 
The interior and top is masked off for painting the exterior.CLICK-> 
The dash area is detailed. This looks 100% better than before.CLICK-> 
Meanwhile work starts on the frame half. The rear cross-member was not useable and a replacement was acquired from Frank’s Pontiac Parts in California. Many parts were found on eBay and some at Carlisle and Hershey swap meets.CLICK-> 
Joe adds, "After sandblasting and painting, the frame/suspension/steering/rear end were re-assembled with rebuilt or new components. We had to remove the Chevy motor mounts that had been welded to the front cross member; the car most recently been powered by a small-block Chevy. The rear end was built by Danny’s Transmission in Windsor with a gear set from Drive Train Specialists in Warren, MI. Most of the suspension, brake and fuel system components came from Ames Performance. The fuel tank is from Qantas."PICTURE SET CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ... |
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