64 Gto

[dhutton]

I saw this for sale right around the corner and couldn't pass it up. It's a PHS documented car but someone has pilfered the GTO front clip and a lot of the GTO parts. Since I'm not planning to restore it I figured it would be a good candidate for a pro-touring project. Rust in the rear passenger floor, under the back seat on the driver's side, in the rear window channel, trunk weatherstrip channel and a 4 inch rust spot in the trunk. Other than that and a lot of dents it seems solid. The firewall is rust free and you can still see the original factory stamps. I still have to finish the 69 Firebird but while I'm doing that I'm looking for parts and/or a parts car.

Don

[Young Gun]

looks awsome! what plans have you got for it?

[PT Goat]

Looks sweet, '64 will always be my favorite.

[cheapta]

Dhutton-that's a good-sized shop you got there!

[dhutton]

looks awsome! what plans have you got for it?

Nothing firm. I'd like to see an LS2 with a Art Morrison or Schwartz frame. Big brakes. If the budget is tight maybe the stock frame with Hotchkis suspension. First thing is to take it apart and get the body work done. I try to do everything myself so these things take time. Been working on my 69 Firebird for 18 months and there's still another 6 to 12 left.

Don

[dhutton]

Dhutton-that's a good-sized shop you got there!

It's 42x60 and it's not big enough. I guess they never are. Been thinking about building a home brew paint booth with storage on top to free up some space.

Don

[dhutton]

Back from the dead. I finally started into this a year ago. I lost count but I think I installed 22 patches. The car was a lot rougher than I thought and I even had to replace the B pillars with ones from a donor car I picked up. The car had a vinyl top and someone had done some really poor quality repairs. Since factory style panels are not available I had lots of opportunities to improve my butt welding skills. I have definitely learned my lesson on these project car impulse buys. Parts for these cars are costly compared to the more common muscle cars.

This is my second attempt at painting a car. Still have a lot to learn, wish I had someone nearby to coach me a little. After many hours of body work and blocking I laid down two coats of HOK black sealer, 3 coats of silver base, 4 coats of brandywine kandy base, three coats of clear, wet sanded and finally another 3 coats of clear. Here's a few pics after a cut and buff. Still a little more work to do here but my AADD is kicking in and I need to move onto something else for a while.





The frame is blasted and painted and the suspension is rebuilt including SPC upper and lower arms, DSE steering box, AFX spindles, Hothckis shocks, Currietrac rear arms, Helwig front and rear sway bars and NAPA premium ball joints etc. Brakes will be C5 front and LS1 rear with power boosted Wilwood master. I have a 68 Chevelle 12 bolt rebuilt with TruTrac posi and 3.72 gears.

The economy limited my engine choices so it will be an LS1 mated to a T56 with a Pat G cam and AFR 210 heads. The goal is good low and midrange torque that will hopefully be a little reminiscent of the original Pontiac 389 and four speed.

And finally I picked these up for a great price on a BMW forum. I think these wheels look great on old muscle cars and these ones came in the correct offsets for the GTO. 19 by 8.5 and 10. I would have preferred 18 on the front but you can't be too picky when shopping for used BMW HRE wheels to fit a 64 Goat. Still have to get some hubcentric rings and tires mounted.

[19 usac]

nice job on the paint. i also am doing a 64.

[CruizinKev]

wow looks great! can't wait to see the wheels on the car

[WS6]

Love the color and the choice of HREs Don. I'm glad to see this being built. The 64 GTO is such a great looking car. Very few are modified because of their rarity and status. Keep up the good work as I think this is going to look killer.

[dhutton]

And back from the dead once again. Took the first drive yesterday. Still some sorting to do but overall I was happy. The build became more resto-mod than pro-touring. Ride is quite different from my Firebird with the AME subframe and G-Bar. Here are a couple of pics. I had to raise the front a little since taking these pics due to tire rub and I think it looks better with a little less rake.

[FatfreeGTO]

My oh my... Wow!

[67gtonut]

Never a huge fan of the 64.............. But I just became one....

[nicke]

Jesus... that car turned out beautifully! Nice work! Would love to see some more pics of the interior and engine!

[NOT A TA]

Very nice!

[CruizinKev]

oh wow looks great!! congrats!

[rohrt]

I love the 64s.

You went with just the Before and After pics. I want to see the 1000s pics that should be in the middle!

[atam]

Nice, love the color and wheels.

[nekkidhillbilly]

64 my fav goat

[dhutton]

Thanks guys. I don't have any good pics of the interior but maybe that is just as well for the die hard Pontiac fans. I've never been a fan of the early Pontiac upholstery and was having some difficulty deciding what to do when I came across the TMI sport seats for the Chevelle. They looked good and had extra bolstering to update them a little. So I decided to go with the 65 seats and door panels. As it turns out no amount of upholstery can turn those old seats into modern ones. They are OK and get the job done but I much prefer the Procar Rally seats I had in my Firebird or the Recaros in my DD. I also added Nu-Relics power windows and remote door locks.

Here is a shot of the engine. I tried to get a "factory" look rather than trying to bling it up.