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by Sean Mattingly. 1972 GTO Parking Lot Biggest GTO image collection anywhere! |
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Another shot under this 1972 LeMans.CLICK->
Pierre continues, "The final touch is a set of Budnik Fontana Fat Lip wheels with BF Goodrich G-Force tires. Rear wheels are 18" x 10" with 275-40-18 tires, front wheels are 18" x 8" with 245-40-18 tires. (I still have the 5 original Rally wheels stored, the spare is an old polyester tire) KYB gas shock absorbers dampen the ride in the rear while qa1 adjustable coil over shocks handle the front and permit ride height adjustment for the right stance. The original front and rear sway bars control body roll."CLICK->
This is a shot of the restoration process on this 1972 LeMans convertible. It was a frame-off restoration. The entire body is painted Carousel Red! Pierre comments, "I love a painted underbody and firewall so I couldn't pass up that chance while I had the car on the rotisserie. I wanted a car with a good road feel so I used urethane bushings. I was changing them all anyway so why use rubber?"CLICK->
Here the body is back on the freshly painted frame. The brakes, suspension, and steering box are installed. Pierre tells us more, "First part was complete disassembly and tagging of parts. The rolling frame and body were sent off to the body shop to be separated for the first time in 30 years. The wiring harness and dash were sent to Pierre Laroche Auto Electric where it was completely unwrapped, cleaned and new terminals, connectors, sockets and switches used where needed along with 4 new GM electric window motors. Every single electric component and light functions as it should. All suspension components and bushings were removed from the frame, everything was sandblasted & epoxy primed. The frame and suspension components were finished in black urethane. Polyurethane bushings were used everywhere along with new ball joints. Every steering component was painted cast iron grey. Everything was reassembled using new correct GM bolts. Stainless steel brake, fuel and transmission lines were installed with all new clips & bolts, along with a new master cylinder, distribution block and re-anodized power brake booster. A new fuel tank, sending unit and straps were also installed. Meanwhile the main body was being treated to new floors and quarters. The doors were replaced with a set of Arizona rust free originals from a Luxury LeMans along with new hinges, latches and handles. Once ready the underbody and firewall area were painted Carousel Red on a rotisserie. The body was re-installed on the frame before countless hours of final body prep work which was performed by Daniel Belanger of auto 2000. The professional body work is flawless. Carousel Red PPG base and clear coat were used. Reproduction original style D-98 GT stripes (as per my build sheet) were installed to add the finishing touch. This pretty much summarizes my restoration effort. I tried to remain as stock as possible but did customize a few things to my personal taste, after all I did a major overhaul and restoration of this vehicle and I wanted it to reflect that."CLICK->
Blue 1972 GTO hardtop owned by Brett Bonos from Butler, Pennsylvania. Brett tells us, "I've owned this car since 1994 and did a full frame off resto on it. It took 2 years of straight work to get it done. It has the original 455 H.O. engine in it and an automatic tranny. It's got some steep gears at 3.90:1 ratio. The original rear end had 3.23 open-end. The 3.90's make it super fast out of the hole. It doesn't have air conditioning, but does have power everything else." Brett also has a white 1973 LeMans with a GTO hood pictured on this site. Click here to see all Brett's cars.CLICK->
Brett has a Ram Air 455 under the hood.CLICK->
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Green 1972 LeMans wagon, interior view. It said it had an AM radio. I guess that was what it originally had! It's got an automatic with a column shift, air conditioning, and a bench seat.CLICK->
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