All posts by John

Pictures of 1966 GTO’s from my Files

Pictures of 1966 GTOs

In my travels in the ’80s and ’90s, I took many pictures of cars at shows across the midwest, mostly in Illinois and Missouri. I have tried to separate and label them.

If you see your car, please contact me to either let me label the image with your name or remove it if you wish. Use the comment form below to let me know.

I will add more pictures as I find them in my collection of thousands of images.

For other images of GTOs look at the years here 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1971 thru 1974.

Let me know what you think in the comment section below.

Pictures of 1965 GTO’s from my Files

In my travels over the last 45 years, I have taken many pictures of cars at car shows or just in a parking lot. This collection of cars is some of those pictures.

If your car is included in one of these photos, let me know and I will include your name or remove your picture if that is what you want. let me know in the comment section below.

Thanks for looking at my pictures. I will add more images as I find them, I have many more that have not been labeled yet.

If I have a bad year or description let me know in the comments below and I will correct it.

Look at my other years of GTOs here 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1971 thru 1974.

Pictures of 1964 GTO’s from my files

PICTURES OF 1964 GTO’S

These are pictures from my files of pictures that I have taken in the last 45 years. If your vehicle is included, it is because it was where I was at with my camera or phone.

If you want your name attached to your car, please send me a note with some kind of reference of when you owned this GTO and I will add your information under the photo.

Thanks for looking and other years will be coming soon.

I have more pictures of GTOs by year here 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1971 thru 1974.

John

My journey with a 1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible

My 1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible Story

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-At Hillsboro car wash left front

Why did I choose a 70 GTO

While in the service in upstate Illinois in the early ’70s, several of my friends were from the St.Louis area.  We drove each other’s vehicles all the time, I had a 72 Ford Bronco that everyone wanted to use and play in the mud. 

A friend (Dan) had a 70 black Judge, Ram Air 3 auto and air.  This was a car I drove home one weekend. I had a blast driving this car and never forgot the feeling of power when you pushed the go pedal. A snowplow hit the front and it sat in an alley until it was towed to the junkyard.  Dan paid $800 for this car in 1973.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-72 Ford Bronco

Life makes many turns to get to the end

Life takes many turns, I am no different. Another friend (also Dan) had a Yamaha 650.  He left it one day when he borrowed my Ford Bronco. He did not leave the key for his bike with me.  I used a butter knife to turn the key on and got on and rode around town. I had been on several dirt bikes before, how hard can it be.  I had a good time.  

56 harley davidson khk hardtailA couple of years later I bought my second street bike a 76 Kawasaki 900.  It was faster than the GTO. Someone stole this bike at work and it was never recovered. I bought my first Harley in 79, then 2 more.  Hurt my back at work in 81 and doctors said if I did not stop riding my motorcycles, especially my 56 KHK that was a hardtail, I may not walk in a few years.  

After back surgery, I sold my 3 Harleys.  A friend at work said he had a 68 GTO that was wrecked in his parent’s garage. He stated that they had bought it new at Vincel Pontiac in ST. Louis. 

I went and looked and $600 later I own a car without a driver’s fender, the roof pillar on the driver’s side folded back to the top of the driver’s seat, and no driver’s door. 

It did have a ho Pontiac 400, m 21 Muncie 4 speed and 3.90 rear gear.  This gear was almost top of the line for power in 1968 GTO’s.

1968 Pontiac GTO convertible It started right up, I made arrangements with a friend to go to southern Missouri with me to pick up the car.  With a cutoff tool, overalls, goggles, and gloves in hand, off we went. Cut off the pillar so I could sit and drive.  Going up 55 I got a lot of looks, me with my motorcycle goggles and white jumpsuit, even one highway patrol officer. 

When we got home one of the kids started crying, he wanted to know where the goat was that we were bringing home.  He was too young to know that it was just a car.

This car was too far gone to fix, I stripped the car of anything that was of any value and was not damaged beyond repair. 

I purchased a green 68 Lemans for $600 in ST. Charles Mo, with a black convertible top. I wanted to use the running gear and GTO stuff from the GTO to build a running cow.  One weekend I drove the Lemans to my dad’s garage with the 350 auto with a floor shift.

My brother and a couple of friends came over to help work.  On Sunday we all took a ride in the convertible with the 400 4 speed and 390 rear axle ratio. I added the GTO hideaways, endurance front bumper, tail lights, and other emblems before I had the car painted white for about $1000, the color of the original GTO.  

1968 Pontiac GTO convertible roasting tiresOne of my neighbors owned a red 65 GTO that he drove a lot.  He came by when I was working on the 68 one day and said his dad had one like it in his junkyard that he was closing down.  He told me I could take whatever I wanted off for $15 in one trip.

Off I went with my 65 Chevy pickup (this is another long story), I removed everything I could in a couple of hours off of a 69 GTO that the motor was blown and had been pushed around with a bulldozer several times.  It had plates from 1973 on it.

These parts were very useful in the future as I traded for a lot of parts for the 70 GTO and other cars I built.

Dash was traded for a fiberglass front bumper for the white car as the original bumper was too bent to fix.  It was floppy on the ends and I finally traded for a regular endura bumper before I had it painted.

I traded the air conditioner compressor for a Muncie 4 speed with shifter out of a 70 GTO, the guy wanted an auto to get better times at the track and needed a compressor to make all of his belts work.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-69 el camino 402 4 speedThe Muncie spent part of its life in my 69 El Camino behind a big block motor that I got for $300.  It sits in the garage today with the big block waiting for another project car.

I even gave a set of heads to the Gateway club when I moved to Florida.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-85 right rear bent bumperI loved to drive this car and wanted a real GTO.  Went to get a haircut one day driving the 68 GTO, some workers were working on sewer pipes with a backhoe and blocking the road.  After my haircut, the lady driving the backhoe stopped me and asked if I had any trouble with the top blowing fuses, she had a 70 black convertible that the top did not work and the fuse was blown each time.  I asked her to bring it the next day, I would look at it.

When looking at it, I noticed both pistons were bent. This was the cause of the fuse problem. She stated she wanted to sell this car, she bought it for her son and he wanted an SS Chevelle.  After looking at the numbers and confirming that it was a true GTO, we worked out a deal for $1500 for the car, a couple of days later it was mine.

The first day I had it, my cousins and I went to a school to play basketball.  When we were done I backed out and into a tree stump that was too short to see out the mirrors.  Thus the bent back bumper and broken taillight lens.

 

What did I start with

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-85 front rightI was now the proud owner of a 70 black GTO, white convertible top with a stock 350 hp 400, 400 auto column shift, power brakes, power steering, buckets seats, rally II wheels, plenty of duck tape, and the worst bodywork I have ever seen. 

Pieces of steel were riveted to the back wheel wells to fill in the space that was rusted away. If you did not hit the spare tire putting things in the trunk, it would fall on the gas tank or hit the ground.  

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-85 engine bayOpening the hood was not much better, there was a bird’s nest on the intake manifold in front of the carburetor and it leaked gas out of the carb, I removed the nest so I did not have a fire under the hood..

The fuzzy covers on the seat hid the duck tape holding them together and the carpet was worn through in a few places.  Carpet on the door panels was faded and coming off.  

One of the first things I purchased were the pistons for the convertible top.  The top motor worked fine after I got the air out of the lines.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-85 interior from top backI sent my $25 off to get the PHS paperwork to see what I purchased. The papers matched what was left of the GTO. I started to look at numbers and the original motor, trans, and rear end was still in the car.

The engine serial and body plate matched. It did run strong, just used a lot more gas than the 68, which I still had.  I sold the 68 for $4000 to use the money to start working on the 70. I drove it for 7 years and used several rolls of duct tape during this time holding things together.

First engine rebuild-what did I find

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-86 engine inOne of the first things on my list was to rebuild the motor.  I purchased a carb at a swap meet because the original leaked so badly, I still have the original carb in a box in the garage. All motor parts went to my machine shop in town and when they came back, I set them up on the kitchen counter one at a time, except the block, to take pictures of all of the date codes. 

I had borrowed a camera from a friend that would use black and white film.  I documented all of the parts before putting a coat of paint on them.  

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-86 block date codesI found all the date codes to be “I”.  In the Legend, I was a GTOAA.member by now 1988, that this date code was not used in production engines.  My car was built in the third week of September 1969 according to the paperwork from PHS, an early one. Later in another issue of the Legend, someone else sent in pics of his “I” codes on some of his engine parts to confirm that this code was used. 

I drove this car after putting the engine back together to Ohio, Kentucky and Minnesota GTOAA nats. The bodywork, interior, and top looked really bad, but I had a real GTO.

While working on the radio one day, a little smoke started coming from under the dash.  The wire that sent power to the door switch for the interior lights shorted out and I pulled these wires out with my hands.  I unplugged this so I could work with the doors open. It was many years later that the wiring was replaced.

Road trips before the repaint

I have made many road trips in the GTO.  Before the body was redone I made a trip to the GTOAA nats in Ohio in ’89.  The car overheated very badly, I called my dad and had it towed home behind his camper on a tow dolly, the one the front wheels sit on.

Somewhere in Indiana on the way, the pin came out of the hitch.  I was looking out the back window of the camper and noticed the car was not attached to the camper except for the chains.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-My car at GTOAA Ohio '89

I told my dad to slow the camper down slowly to avoid big damage to the front of my car.  He unhooked it the rest of the way and got a pin at a gas station at the next exit.  Watched it very close the rest of the way home.

 

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-black for sale LouisvilleIn ’90 went to Louisville, purchased a couple of fenders and saw a similar convertible for sale for $4400.   Try to find one that drives and has decent paint for that price today.

Purchased the front fenders at Louisville swap meet, had to put them in the back seat for the ride home.   Did get some looks as the rear windows would not rollup.  Have you ever purchased something and then wondered how you were going to get it home?  I think I have a habit of this.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-90 front fenders motel room Louisville gto natsI went to Churchill Downs while there and took the tour of the track and around the buildings.

On the way to Minneapolis in ’91, I stopped by the dealer that the car was purchased at in Sterling Illinois.  They were very rude, but I did take a picture of the sign outside.

Metro DomeI did take in a ball game at the Humphrey dome and parked across the street from the stadium in the GTO.  I was a Judge for the Concours class for 68 to 70 convertibles at this meet.  I learned a lot about how my car should look.

Gathering parts from swap meets and junkyards

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-91 trunk lid outside from Rolla Mo swap meetI started gathering parts for sprucing up the body, it would take a lot of parts.  Trunk from Rolla swap meet-$50, rear wing from Lincolnshire IL-$100, a whole rear clip from a 71 Lemans hardtop from Whites in Rolla-$350, floor shift console from Miami-$75, floor shifter from Key Largo-free, rear bumper from a dealer (original GM)-$200, doors from a swap meet at Louisville GTOAA meet in 91-$75 each, traded a 69 GTO hood for a floor shift steering column, rear turn signal lens from a swap meet-$25 each,  and other parts from a junkyard, and some smaller parts from Year One, Ames, Bob’s and other restoration parts people.  

The rear clip was a process getting home to Illinois, I took a couple of 2 X 4’s to lay across the bed of the 71 El Camino I had at the time and tied it down and drove it home.  It was in its second garage by the time I got it to the body shop.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-91 rear clip from 71 Lemans hardtopSome parts were ordered from the ads in the back of the legend.  I had parts everywhere and we moved to St. Peter’s in 91. I built a shelf in the top of the garage to hold all of my GTO parts.  My rear clip was strapped to the rear wall in the garage. It looked like a junkyard of parts in all different colors. 

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-92 ready for body work and paintSetting up for bodywork and paint

My dad had retired and moved to the middle of nowhere in Illinois it was close to Mt. Vernon.  He was looking for a body person while finding new friends around his new house.  He said a body man that look at doing the bodywork and paint it for $3500. 

I went to talk to Gary Klutter in Sessor about doing the work. His story was that he just purchased a plasma cutter that he was trying to learn how to work, this would be the perfect project to learn on.

He said he would do the work for this price if he could fit it in with his other work, I did not know that it would take 13 months.  My car and the pile of parts went to Sessor Illinois in the spring of 92.  

When discussing the paint color with Gary one day it was decided on the darkest black that we could find.  He also said that he would like to try and paint it with a clear coat finish, something that I had never had done on any of my cars before, remember this is 1992.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-93 in primerMany trips to my dad’s would include a 20-minute drive to the shop to look at the progress.  13 months later, after much stress on my part, I moved the car across the street to an upholstery shop.  The guy put on a new top and redid the seat foam and covers. I had purchased the foam and seat covers from Ames, the upholstery guy supplied the top.  This only took one week, I was ready to take my car back home. The top and labor cost less than $1000.

I had purchased new material for the door panels and the rear convertible panels.  I installed them at my dad’s before I drove it home.  New rear ashtrays were also installed.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-93 black paint frontI took the rally wheels to a Corvette shop in St Peter’s and the guy sandblasted them and then painted them.  After a new set of tires, they were ready for when my car came home. I paid $20 each to get them refinished. 

 

Trophies for the popular vote class at GTOAA Nationals

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-93 Indy track first show after paintMy first time showing my car was in Indianapolis. My brother drove his car to help with any car problems as this was my first trip after the body shop.  On the way home the rubber fuel line on the fuel pump started leaking. I pulled off to repair it and one of the guys went by from the club holding a trophy in the window.  At the next meeting, he told me I had won second place. I was thrilled. Next came the 3rd place in St Louis, then another 2nd place in Niagara Falls.

I added wheel well chrome from Year One after Indianapolis.  I continued to add things almost every year that I have had the car.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-94 Wentzville MAR dragway taking offAs a member of the Gateway club since 1989, I would go to many events.  I enjoyed a day at Mid America Racing the Corvette club along with wine runs and picnics.

Why a second engine rebuild

Going to Niagara Falls, I drove to upper Michigan and went across Canada. I stayed in Niagara Canada for the night before the meet.  The weather was nice in the mid-80s. When it was time to head home, it was a lot warmer. Going through Ohio, it was over 100. Do you know what it’s like to bake in a car with no air at this temperature?   The engine would not stay cool either and was using a lot of water.  

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-86 heads ready for machine shopWhen I finally got home, I decided I would have the head checked for cracks. I took the motor out and took it to a Pontiac engine shop in Granite City.  No cracks were found, I had hardened seats installed to run on today’s fuel and the motor balances. The engine shop assembled the motor this time.  

Before the engine was done, I was offered a position near Tampa at twice the money I was making, I had to leave in a week.  How was I going to get my car and its engine back together? Chris Simmons from the Gateway club lived not too far from me and I worked out a deal with him and my cousin Jeff to get the motor installed and ready to move to Florida.  

Work took a lot of my time while in Florida for six years, did not make many local car shows and only made it to the nationals in Atlanta in 96.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-2001 Mo with Florida platesCame back to Missouri in 01. The dash pad had a crack in it from me putting a temp gauge on it to monitor overheating. I sent the dash pad to a company in Texas, the one they sent me back was an AC one from a 72. 

After many conversations and stress, I did receive the correct one. I installed the dash pad along with rally gauges, this involved a little wiring change, floor shift steering column, Formula steering wheel, new under dash wire harness, heater control cables, auto floor shift console, floor shifter, and dash insulation that was purchased from Year One. 

The floor shifter involved changing a lot of things to make things work.  Had to make sure a rod was running from trans to the steering column to make sure the car would start, the backup lights still do not work, it is on my list of todos.

Latter I installed all new knobs for the dash and the pull knobs for the fresh air, this car does not have AC, in the lower kick panels.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-Engine before repaintI had the date code correct carburetor that I purchased out of an ad in the Legend rebuilt by Jonathan Havens.  It would not idle properly and he looked at it at the Springfield GTOAA Nats and told me to replace the original return spring.  This fixed this problem.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-400 engine after paint refreshI decided to refresh the engine bay, it was never painted when it was installed in 1996.  For more information on the refresh of the engine bay, look at my post here

I indexed the water pump divider plate to get a better handle on heat from the engine.  There are several articles online about this and mine had too much room between the water pump and dividing plate.

I refreshed everything on the engine under the hood. Everything came off down to the water pump, intake manifold, spark plugs, valve covers, distributor, and all wiring to the engine.

I reinstalled the TCS switch. windshield washer hoses, heat risers for the air cleaner, exhaust heat riser plate, and the spark plug wire holders that had been in a box since the first engine rebuild.

What have I added to make it mine

Several items have been added to making the car look better to me and keep track of things.  Some are my personal preferences from previous cars.  All items added are correct for a 70 GTO.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-2020 drivers compartmentPurchased rear wing at Chicago GTOAA swap meet in 92, that was a lot of fun getting home in my 86 Celebrity.  Once again I purchased an item without thinking about how to get it home. 

Gauges from an add in the Legend magazine. Center console from an add in the Hemings magazine, picked up in Miami, brought home on the plane in a duffle bag. While in Miami I drove to Key Largo and saw a 70 GTO sitting in a lot with no wheels and broken windows, my cousin and I removed the floor shifter.  

Dash tach from Year One. Formula steering wheel from a local ad. Mounting pieces for Formula wheel from Ames.  

 

I added 15-inch trims for the rear, one from a spring swap meet and another one from John Johnson from the Gateway club.  I had them sandblasted at a gravestone place in Fenton and purchased stencils, painted them to make them match the 14’s that came with the car.  I put on 255 60 15’s on the rear to reduce gearing so it runs better on the highway.

I do have a correct AM/FM radio on the bench that I wish to install one day.   I have replaced the speaker under the dash, the AM radio does not work very well and I have installed a radio in the glove box for long road trips.

I am glad that I had the bodywork, seat covers, convertible top, most of the engine work, and exterior paint when the price was not so high as it is today.  To redo this car today it would cost 10 times the money I have spent so far.

Today’s needs and wants 

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-2020 front dirvers sideThe Carpet that I installed needs to be replaced, I did purchase a cheap carpet to cover the holy one back in the ’80s.  Repair and repaint of the front bumper and rear decklid, the paint job from 1992 is starting to show its age.

The backup lights do not work properly, I will have to trace the problem to its source.  I hope that I do not have to remove the steering wheel to fix the switch.

This car is made to drive, I have driven to many GTOAA Nationals and other car shows.  My favorite drives were the trip around the Brickyard and driving across Canada. I hope to be able to have the time to do more car shows in the future.

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible-93 lap at Indy Speedway

In the future, I will share some of the procedures for doing some of the work I have done and will be doing in the future on this car and the 2009 G8 GT that I currently drive as my daily driver.  I think the G8 is much faster, I get more comments on the GTO when it is out.

70 GTO 09 G8

Detailing Tips and Tricks for a 1970 Pontiac 400 Engine Getting Ready

1970 Pontiac 400 Engine Top End Repaint

 

In this article I am going to repaint the 1970 Pontiac 400 Engine and detail the engine bay in my 1970 Pontiac GTO convertible without removing the engine from the car. I am going to remove and clean all parts that can be done with engine in the car. 

I will give you the tools I used and explain where and how I used them.  I will order some parts that I need that are broken or missing.  I will refurbish my parts that are dirty, rusty or can be fixed.

If you just want to look at the details of taking the top of the engine apart or just looking to see where things go on the rebuild, follow the highlighted words.

My engine does not need a rebuild, so I am not going to pull it out. I will set up a camera to take pictures and you can follow along for how I progressed.

 

Performance Musclecars November 1994

 

My inspiration for this repaint and upgrade came from a article in the November 1994 Performance Musclecars article by Jim McGowan (I do have a large collection of Automotive magazines with a Pontiac articles).  He gave several detailing tips and tricks that he used to get rid of the grunge and turn the engine compartment into a show winner.

Where to start before you take the first thing off

 

 

Drivers side  70 Pontiac 400 at start 8-14

 

Before you begin any removal of parts, you will need to look at what will need replaced and what can be refinished.  I had several boxes of parts to choose from for things that where not on the engine the last time it was rebuilt (1996).  A couple of things were broken or missing.  Making a list of each before you start will help you when you have to order parts, I ordered the broken and missing items from Ames Performance, great place for car parts of this age.

As you will notice reading this article I took pictures of each step and part to make sure that every thing will go back together as close to stock as possible.  Several books were also used to make sure my engine compartment looked as close to 1969 (my car was built in Sept 1969) as I could.

I used several note books to make list of what steps I took and bagged each screw in sandwich bags with labels to make sure I had all bolts and parts ready for reassembly.

Preparation is the key to any project like this, without it you will spend a lot more time putting things back together.

 

Things you will need before you start

 

 

 

This is a list of items I put together when preparing for this project, your list may be a little different, this may depend on your mechanical skills, some may be a lot handier than me when it comes to detailing work.

  • Notebook and pencil
  • Cleaning rags
  • Fender protectors
  • Proper lighting
  • Pan to catch water from radiator
  • Tools that will be needed (will list my tools used below)
  • Wire wheel on a grinder or drill (I used both)
  • Paint that you will need (several are needed and different for some years)
  • Parts that need replacing or are missing (some take longer to get than others)
  • Source for needed parts or rebuilding of your parts (Carbs do take a while to rebuild)
  • A plan on what to do each day to get this done without taking months

 

The tools I used during this procedure

 

Although I have a Compressor and tools, I choose not to use them on this project to keep from breaking any bolts off.  This is a list of the tools that I used during my tear down and rebuild.

 

  • 1/2 inch ratchet and torch wrench-15/16, 9/16, 1/2-6 and 10 inch extensions
  • 3/8 inch ratchet-1/2, 9/16 sockets- 4 and 6 inch extensions
  • Open end wrenches 3/8,7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16, 3/4 and 1
  • Pipe end wrenches 3/8,7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8 and 11/16 (this may keep /you from rounding out the fuel and transmission lines)
  • Box wrenches 1 1/8 and 15/16 for sensors on intake
  • BFH if something won’t come apart when needed
  • Standard screwdriver (for the hose clamps and prying stuff loose)
  • Nut driver-11/32 (coil nuts)
  • Bench grinder with wire brush
  • Cordless drill with several wire brush options
  • Vacuum to pick up loose debris-Don’t tell your wife
  • Three lights, Clamps and towels
  • Tables for sorting parts
  • Blue painters tape
  • Dish soap to clean grease (I like to use Dawn)
  • Goop hand cleaner
  • Fan on a stand to keep me cool (no Air conditioner in my garage, just like my car)
  • Pressure washer to clean parts
  • Form a Gasket 
  • Reference Books or Pictures

 

Stuff I purchased for the detailing

 

I did get some stuff before I started that would help me in my task of getting my detailing project done.  Your list will be different if you have more or less of a project to do.

  • Paint-engine blue, VHT clear, VHT primer, VHT 60 degree black
  • Dawn for cleaning parts
  • Goop for cleaning my hands
  • Small snack bags to sort bolts
  • Rags for cleanup
  • 0000 Steel wool for polishing parts
  • A few parts that were missing or needed replacing

A little about the car we are working on

 

1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible

 

 

This is an early production (built in Sept 1969)  1970 Pontiac GTO convertible.  It came from the factory with a standard 350 horse motor, a column shift automatic, bucket seats, power steering, power disk brakes and tinted windows.

I purchased the car in 1985 and have owned it since.  It has several modifications since I purchased it, now it has a center console with shifter, rear wing, upgraded sway bars, all new dash wiring, gauges in dash including a tach all correct for this year car. 

A repaint in 1993 added new seat covers, new convertible top and door cards.  A motor rebuild was done in 1996 to cut compression and add hardened valve seats.  A new dash pad in 2005 included all new dash wiring.

My car has been driven all over the eastern United States and Canada during the time I have owned it.  It always get a thumbs up where ever I go.  I just do not want to open the hood when at car shows lately.  

This redo on under the hood is well overdue.  I hope to inspire you or someone you know to take on a project like this and not be intimidated. 

 

Are you ready to get started

 

 

Pass side 70 Pontiac 400 at start 8-14

 

Now that you have read this far about Detailing Tips and Tricks for a 1970 Pontiac 400 Engine, are you ready to take this task on.  I will be posting an article on the tear down and detailing while putting things back together shortly, follow the highlighted areas to go to these post when they are up.

Use this link to follow me to the next step – teardown

 

 

Any questions or comments on this post please leave me a note with the forms below and I will get back to you shortly.

Turtle Wax Bug Tar Remover

Turtle Wax bug tar
Turtle Wax Bug Tar Remover

Turtle Wax Bug Tar Remover is what you will need after your cruise and the front of you muscle pontiac is full of the remains of the bugs that were looking for a meal on the highway.  The front looks like a splatter field if you were out after dark.  If you leave these to bake on the acids in the bugs will start to eat your paint. Continue reading Turtle Wax Bug Tar Remover

Rear Suspension Removal and Replace on A and G body Pontiac’s 60’s -70’s

 

In this blog we will cover the removal and replacement of the rear control arms, shocks and swaybar on GTO’s and Grand Prix’s. This can be done without taking the rear end out of the car if you do one piece at a time. Start with spraying all nuts to be removed with your favorite rust remover. Put car on jack stands and remove rear tires. Continue reading Rear Suspension Removal and Replace on A and G body Pontiac’s 60’s -70’s

Pontiac Carpet Replacement-Taking the Carpet out

Pontiac carpert removal
After the removal of Seats and Console

Removing Items before the Carpet

If you have not already removed Seats and Console, see previous post. Other items that will have to be removed are lower steering column cover, seat belts, kick panels and door sill plates.

Most lower steering column covers will have press in pins holding them on. Other will be held on by bolts. You will have to look at your model to see witch one you have.

Seat Belts are held in by a single bolt. On some models the bolts are a different length because of no padding under all of the carpet.

Kick panels can be removed by removing one screw per side.

Door Sill plates are held in by 2 to 4 Phillips screws per side. Continue reading Pontiac Carpet Replacement-Taking the Carpet out

Pontiac Interior Parts-Repair or Replace-Door panels-Seats-Console

In this report we will talk about the different parts and how to make repair them or get quality replacement parts for your 60’s and 70’s muscle Pontiac.

Door panels Pontiac GTO
Door panels Pontiac GTO

Door Panels and accessories

To remove the door panel you must first remove the door pull(two screws), door handle, window crank(clip on the back), door lock button(unscrew) and the screws on the bottom of the panel. Some models are different and may have more things attached. Inspect the door panel after removal, look at the back for any water damaged. If the backer board is warped you will never get a good look here. Some models have carpet attached to the bottom of the panel, check the color to make sure it still is a good match for the interior carpet. The carpet can be replaced independent from the panel. If your panel has a hole for a speaker, this makes it a good candidate for replacement. Continue reading Pontiac Interior Parts-Repair or Replace-Door panels-Seats-Console