70 GTO.....part 2

[SDMAN]

Its been a very long time since I posted anything here. Started my own business, and havent had much time. I mostly completed the car and put some miles on it. But, after a while, I decided to take the next step. I wanted to do it before I put any effort into body/paint. Or maybe, given my past experiences with body/paint shops, I decided to keep doing the fun stuff for a while longer and postpone the inevitable pain and suffering. So I sold the modded frame, suspension, drivetrain, brakes, wheels, tires, exhaust, etc. What remains is perched on the lift. Waiting.
I should have the A/M Max-G frame in a month or so. Those guys were really helpful and very thorough. Never gone this far before (custom frame). Been bringing lots of parts home over the last 2 years. Lots. Motor is at the machine shop. Should have it by years end (dont need it prior to that). The M/W modular 9" is here. Currently working on the clutch/trans combo (T-56). Just need to order it at this point. We need the entire drivetrain and a block installed on the frame. The floor needs to come out of the car, body gets positioned and mounted over the frame (its gonna be real low...bottom of frame rails to road surface are 5" F & 6" rear). Then we put a new floor/tunnel back in (after tubbing the rear wheelwells), leaving room for the new positions of the trans/driveshaft/exhaust system. Big job. Will be posting pics, but I dont expect to have anything for at least a month.

[SDMAN]

Well, I do have this pic. Early mock up of the front of the motor.

[Roger Poirier]

Very cool project.... Custom frame. Wow your into big bucks.

My GTO pro-touring is a street car. It's what I call old school / new school. All parts are store bought. That was the extent of my engineering abilitys. Anyways today it's how far to you want ot go. Once you have modern suspension on these old boats there is no going back. I love the current ride.

You forgot to mention what your spec's are for the car. More detials please....

Thanks,

R.P.

[Jims78elky]

Yeah..I remember that project,do you have any pictures of
how it came out finished? I remember it had some wide tires
on the rear,and a really cool looking dash/gauge package.

If its the same car that Iam thinking about...:idea:

Glad to see you back! Please post some more pictures and
info when you can.Looks great so far,keep up the nice work.


-Jim

[Jims78elky]

My GTO pro-touring is a street car. It's what I call old school / new school. All parts are store bought. That was the extent of my engineering abilitys. Anyways today it's how far to you want ot go. Once you have modern suspension on these old boats there is no going back. I love the current ride.

Roger,

Your GTO is so bitchin..Wow you nailed the stance on that
bad boy! Its not that easy to get black paint to look good.

Your GTO is just plain awesome!


:worship:

-Jim

[ProTouring442]

Roger,

Your GTO is so bitchin..Wow you nailed the stance on that
bad boy! Its not that easy to get black paint to look good.

Your GTO is just plain awesome!


:worship:

-Jim

Yeah it is! Only thing I would have done differently is... erm... eh... well, I would have... eh... you know, I would have... erm...

Ok, damn it! I wouldn't change a thing, it rocks!

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

[ProTouring442]

...So I sold the modded frame, suspension, drivetrain, brakes, wheels, tires, exhaust, etc. What remains is perched on the lift. Waiting. I should have the A/M Max-G frame in a month or so... ...Big job. Will be posting pics, but I dont expect to have anything for at least a month.

You better post some pics, it sounds incredible! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this one come together!

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

[PonchoJohn]

I saw your handle, and then the pic. I thought, "if this thing has an F$%kin BBC I'm gonna puke!" Nice motor Tom!

[SDMAN]

Roger...Very nice looking 69. Ill put some more specifics in this reply.

Jims78elky....you remember well. We fabbed a custom dash (Im still using it) and did a mini-tub for a set of first gen Viper rear tires (345/35X18's).

PT442...Ive been working and planning for 2 years. In another month, plasma cutters, TIG welders and a ton of parts come together.

PonchoJohn...Ive always been a Pontiac purist. No BBC's for me.

Some more specifics;
C-5 front suspension, 15:1 (2.5 turns lock to lock) power rack & pinion, Strange double adjustable shocks all 4 corners, 550# front and 250# rear springs (to start with), Tri-4 bar rear suspension, Mark Williams modular 9" rearend, Wilwood 14" disc brakes all 4 corners, 6 piston F & 4 piston R ,Budnil billet, G-Force custom T-56, McLeod dual disc.
The motor is 542 (4.380"X4.500") inches. Its based on an LSM CNC lightened IA-2 cylinder block, SCAT forged crank, Oliver billet rods, solid roller, Procharger F-1C, intercooler, FAST EFI, etc.

The big inch, low compression (9.2:1) and moderate boost (~12#) combo should make for a good street package.

[ponchopwr70]

Sounds like a sick car! Post pics of your progress when you can.

[Roger Poirier]

Roger...Very nice looking 69. Ill put some more specifics in this reply.

Jims78elky....you remember well. We fabbed a custom dash (Im still using it) and did a mini-tub for a set of first gen Viper rear tires (345/35X18's).

PT442...Ive been working and planning for 2 years. In another month, plasma cutters, TIG welders and a ton of parts come together.

PonchoJohn...Ive always been a Pontiac purist. No BBC's for me.

Some more specifics;
C-5 front suspension, 15:1 (2.5 turns lock to lock) power rack & pinion, Strange double adjustable shocks all 4 corners, 550# front and 250# rear springs (to start with), Tri-4 bar rear suspension, Mark Williams modular 9" rearend, Wilwood 14" disc brakes all 4 corners, 6 piston F & 4 piston R ,Budnil billet, G-Force custom T-56, McLeod dual disc.
The motor is 542 (4.380"X4.500") inches. Its based on an LSM CNC lightened IA-2 cylinder block, SCAT forged crank, Oliver billet rods, solid roller, Procharger F-1C, intercooler, FAST EFI, etc.

The big inch, low compression (9.2:1) and moderate boost (~12#) combo should make for a good street package.


If you can pull this off, that package for your GTO will set a new ... well a new... well a new... you know what I mean! :naughty:

R.P.

[7TSS]

Nice project you got there. Was looking at the same frame but didn't want to cut up the floor to fit it. One of my friends ordered up a Schwartz frame and I'm waiting to see how that turns out.

Good luck with the project and keep us updated.

[olds87]

That is awesome

[ponjohn]

Sounds great and Pontiac power to boot.

Do you have a link for the frame company?

John

[SDMAN]

PonJohn....here is a link to the frame.

http://www.artmorrison.com/maxg/musclecar/index.cfm

I had a call from my guy a Morrison, and the frame and suspension ship tomorrow. Looks like Christmas comes early for me this year.

And it looks like there will be a change of plans. Instead of Wilwood, I might go with Baer Monoblocks 6 piston front and rear on 14's. Baer is local, and I can just take the car to their shop. Plus they can order the Budniks with the correct brake clearance. Less work for me.

[ponjohn]

I priced one from another company and stripped it was 3495.

[WS6]

Very cool sounded car SDman. More pictures would be fantastic

[GM_muscle]

where or who made the blower head unit mount? i am building a 467 blower motor for my 79 firebird 10.5 car and cant find a head unit mount for a pontiac on the d/s head. p-dud has a kit its for the other side.

[SDMAN]

Other than the setup P-Dude sells (pass side mount), you are on your own when it comes to mounting a centrifugal on a real Pontiac.

The setup on my motor is a custom one off piece we fabricated to work with the parts I am using. I had to custom order a couple of Evans reverse rotation water pumps for Pontiac, as this setup spins the water pump backwards. I ordered 2 because I like to have backup parts for hard to get stuff whenever I can. The power steering pump is for a power rack and pinion, and is a non standard GM part as well.

After thinking more about this, I have something to add. Maybe you know this already. All we fabricated for the actual mount was the method to attach a Procharger in a standard Procharger mount, to a Pontiac motor. This involves making an adapter that bolts to a Pontiac cylinder head (on the drivers side) on one end, and bolts to the Procharger mount on the other end. The only other design consideration is depth (how thick this adapter is), and location (keep it as low as possible). The pulley system is based on a March Serpentine Pontiac kit, and some hand made pieces. It took some time, but it really wasnt that difficult.

[SDMAN]

Well, after many months of measuring, spec'ing and waiting.....its time to get busy and get this puppy on the road.

The guys at Art Morrison were great. Its a well made piece.

[SDMAN]

pic for above.

[GM_muscle]

thats a bad a$$ frame. keep up the work.

[SDMAN]

Stay tuned. Looks like a parallel 4 bar for the rear with a watts link (instead of the Tri-4 bar setup). Ordering wheels on Monday with a 6-8 week turn. Should have the brakes (Baer monoblocks) in 2 weeks. So Ill be off line for a month while we get it into the roller stage. Will post progress pics, but likely wont have anything for several weeks. But hey.....at least the fun part has started.

[Kiddi]

Awsome!!!

Hey... Tom, please post the pic of the cnc'd block :twothumbs

[SDMAN]

Here they are.

[WS6]

Wow, that is gorgeous. Almost too nice to cover up and hide.

[absolom]

wow, looks amazing

[hotrdblder]

more pics please

[BretB]

That should be one awesome ride when finished. Can't wait to see it.

[SDMAN]

3 big boxes got dropped off today. Brakes are here! And they are very nice on the eyes. If they stop half as good as they look Ill be happy. Come on Budnik.....get those wheels done!

[Code Red]

bah you dont need those junk brakes just send them on over to me ;-)

[robert irvin]

Who did the block? Weston Machine?

Bob

[SDMAN]

The CNC work on the cylinder block was done by LSM. AllPontiac (the blocks manufacturer) works with them directly.

[ProTour69GTO]

Stay tuned. Looks like a parallel 4 bar for the rear with a watts link (instead of the Tri-4 bar setup). Ordering wheels on Monday with a 6-8 week turn. Should have the brakes (Baer monoblocks) in 2 weeks. So Ill be off line for a month while we get it into the roller stage. Will post progress pics, but likely wont have anything for several weeks. But hey.....at least the fun part has started.

Cough 3-link cough

[SDMAN]

I could have ordered the frame right from A/M with a 3 link and a watts. We didnt. I ordered the frame that had the friendliest rear seat components (as in, the rear seat was still useable). The 3 link invades the passenger compartment in a big way.

The tri-4 bar rear frame rails have a much gentler bend than either the 3 or 4 link rear frame rails do. I never intended to use the tri-4 bar suspension, but did want its rear seat friendly rear frame rails. From the beginning we planned on setting it up with an adjustable 4 bar and watts of our own making (using components from A/M). We have to fab our own watts link, as currently A/M will not sell just the link (even though I bought a frame). Dont think Ill ever get that, but its not like we cant make our own.

Handling is important, but straight line performance is equally (or maybe a little more) important, and the 4 bar/link's adjustability is superior in that application. With an easy 750 HP on the rear tires, the ability to optimize the rear geometry for traction is pretty critical. And it will still handle and ride just fine.

[SDMAN]

Its been a while, but lots of progress has been made. Budnik wheels are here. Brakes are here. Brakes fit in the wheels (imagine that). A quick front track measurement with all the C-5 components bolted onto the frame yields 69.5" wide, bulge to bulge, which is on the low side of our target (70" was the nominal).

And, I lucked out because the shop where I was going to have the rear suspension setup at had 2 race car builds delayed, and was able to move my project to the front of the line right on to one of the frame tables. Thats a first for me. So the 4 link brackets have been plotted and tacked on and the watts link is done and should be mounted in a day or two. Once thats all done we can get the rear coil overs mounted and then its time to get those rear frame rails narrowed in preparation for mounting the body.

I cant post pics right now as this shop does NOT allow cameras in their work area. These guys do mostly dragster frames and Pro stock/Pro mod stick cars, and are pretty tight lipped about who the cars are for.

And the owner has flat told me that my original plan to put a simple 8 point in it (to tech to 10.0) is a non starter. Based on his experience, he told me I should expect mid to low 9's in the quarter mile (at ~150mph). So it looks like the cage will need to be a tad bigger.

[SDMAN]

Its taking a lot longer than I want it to, but it is what it is. Were thru modifying the morrison frame. Rear rails are now where they need to be (for tire clearance) and the 4 link has been plotted on a frame table and installed by a pro. Need to fiddle a bit with the watts setup, but its a minor tweak. Its finally time to get the entire floor punched out of the GTO and get the body onto this new setup. And for you hardcore Pontiac guys, I made a small motor change. Instead of worked over Edelbrocks for the Procharged 542, I went with a set of the new CV-1 canted valve heads for the traditional Pontiac motor. Hey....I had to do something while the frame was sitting in the shop. A few pics.

[jackfrost]

the word 'steamroller' comes to mind for some reason... :razz:

[andrewb70]

What size are those tires, front and rear?

Andrew

[SDMAN]

All 4 are Mickey Thompson S/R's (street radials).
Fronts are 26" tall X 12" wide on 11" wide, 18" diameter rims.
Rears are 29.5" tall X 18" wide on 15" wide, 18" diameter rims.

[WS6]

wow! those are getting to be prostreet wide. Funny though, I bet you'll need them with that motor. Glad to see the car is coming along.

[SDMAN]

Actually, M/T makes this tire as wide as 22". The 18" Im using actually measure right at 17" on my 15" rims. Im currently measuring for a custom rear sway bar. Have to bend up a piece of conduit to the exact shape I need and then I can have one of the companies Ive spoken with make it in the diameter I need using the shape I provide. Likely use a .750" or .875" diameter. Still working that out.

[andrewb70]

Not a lot of info about those tires on the MT website. I wonder how well they work.

Andrew

[SDMAN]

These tires will be fine for my goals. Im dancing on the line between pro-street and pro-touring a bit. Looking for specific attributes from both. Which means the purists in each catagory dont much like my project. Oh well.
The body guy spent a little time here, checking out the front end and the lock to lock width of the front track. There's a bit of work to do (fiberglass wise) but he feels this will be close to where we end up for ride height. Projecting the lines back, the rear wheelwells of the body should be approx 1.5" below the top of the rear rim. That puts the body almost level with the ground.

[andrewb70]

Tom,

Your GTO will have a killer stance. There is absolutely no way to get the top of the fender to be at the top of the rim, much less below it, with a stock frame.

I gather the body shell will be metal. I also assume you will be removing the entire floor to channel the body over the frame. Will you weld the body to the frame or keep it removable?

Andrew

[jackfrost]

Which means the purists in each catagory dont much like my project. Oh well.

who cares?? this thing is going to be SICK. :headbang:

:hail:

[SDMAN]

Andrew, you got it all correct. We will blow the entire floor out of the metal body, from the firewall to the rear of the trunk. Then it gets welded onto the frame. Looking at some amount of motor setback as well. The power rack pokes up a bit just in front of the main crossover. We will position the motor so the rack is nestled in the opening between the backside of the dampener and the oil pan. That will also allow for placing the motor as low as we can get it (within reason). Chopping the floor/firewall requires all kinds of special detail in order to pass NHRA tech. The shop that did my 4-link will handle that part along with the cage.

Wont be doing any of this until after Power Tour. The entire shop where my car is at will be attending. That is, IF they get that 65 Olds F-85 going in time. They are definitely thrashing, but I think they will make it.

Jackfrost.....Believe me when I tell you I dont give those guys a second thought. Im having way to much fun at this point to let minor distractions bother me.

[SDMAN]

Getting there. The body is on the frame. And everything fits and clears. Still a bit to do up front, but here is a quik pic of the rear at what will be ride height. Should be rolling around in another week, and then it will be easier to see the ride height and stance. Then its off to the chassis shop for a cage.

[Code Red]

bah need more pics lol

[SDMAN]

A few more.

[Fesler built]

Looking good keep posting updates as you can we need to see more. The rear wheels/tires are huge

[Fesler built]

Hey GTO guys are the hood hinges the same as any of the Chevelles? I have hinges for Chevelle and some people tell me they are the same but would like to know the fitments. If anyone knows please advise. Thanks

[Code Red]

Hey GTO guys are the hood hinges the same as any of the Chevelles? I have hinges for Chevelle and some people tell me they are the same but would like to know the fitments. If anyone knows please advise. Thanks

not sure i would think the a-bodies would be

but here are 2 pics that show mine on my 68

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/04/IMG_4203-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/04/IMG_4207-1.jpg

[SDMAN]

Hey GTO guys are the hood hinges the same as any of the Chevelles? I have hinges for Chevelle and some people tell me they are the same but would like to know the fitments. If anyone knows please advise. Thanks
---------------------------------------------------------------
Im in Mesa....not to far from you. I can bring a factory GTO hood hinge and we can compare it to what you have. Let me know and I will dig one out.

[SDMAN]

Looking good keep posting updates as you can we need to see more. The rear wheels/tires are huge
---------------------------------------------------------------
Just something to put into perspective how wide these tires really are. My rear track is approx 69.0", outer sidewall to outer sidewall. There is approx .625" (max) gap between the frame rail and tire (each side). The frame is 34" wide (outside to outside). Each tire is just a shade over 17.2" wide. So 50% of the track is frame width and 50% is tire, with a little used up for clearance. We knew there wasnt going to be a lot of room for error when it was originally put on the drawing board. Seeing it work out as well as it has made my weekend.

A side note. A few months ago, I decided to make a fairly significant change to my motor program. Originally, I was going to use a set of worked Edelbrocks. Those heads will be sold. A brand new cylinder head is now available for the traditional Pontiac engine. Roland Racing designed, developed and now sells the CV-1. This is a Canted Valve cylinder head. The custom pistons arrived last Thursday, so we can begin wrapping up the shortblock. Several people have been working with this head, and preliminary data looks extremely promising.

[cdoggy81]

Wow, just found this thread. From on Pontiac guy to another, your car ROCKS!!!

Those heads are going to be sick! I talked to Ken (P-Dude) a long time ago when they were all working out the bugs on those. I too was going to go with E-heads on a stroked out 400. Then these came into play. Then the LS1 came into play & I ended up sticking with that... :)
You have to let us know flow #'s & dyno results when you get them!

[SDMAN]

Wow, just found this thread. From on Pontiac guy to another, your car ROCKS!!!

Those heads are going to be sick! I talked to Ken (P-Dude) a long time ago when they were all working out the bugs on those. I too was going to go with E-heads on a stroked out 400. Then these came into play. Then the LS1 came into play & I ended up sticking with that... :)
You have to let us know flow #'s & dyno results when you get them!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for the compliments. I will definitely post the details on the cylinder heads as they get the 'improvements' needed to work with the rest of the motor. Nothing drastic. Just a few specific things to maximize their potential.

[SDMAN]

We recently got the pistons for the Procharger motor with the new CV-1 heads. J&E's. So the shortblock can now be completed. Still working on the heads.

I am a big believer in coatings, and we will be using several different types in this motor build.

[SDMAN]

I posted a few pics in another thread (Pontiac specific), but will put them here in my thread as well. Were starting to make some significant progress. Car goes in for the cage and custom headers next week.

[mach1stang]

OMG!!!! how did I miss this thread!! My stang has the same look as your gto, but I think my twin turbo 514 will pull a little better, it would be close. Please check out my stang and let me know what you think.

[Scott Parkhurst]

SD Man - that car is going to be kick ass.

I'm doing a similar '65. 601ci IA1 block with Butler wideports and EFi'd Wenzler tunnel ram made 740hp on the dyno.

My chassis is a Schwartz unit and I'll go 3-link, but I understand the choices you made and respect it completely.

I'm looking forward to seeing your performance numbers! I bet you are too!

[SDMAN]

Scott....Ive been following your project for quite some time. Buildups like these just seem to drag on forever.

I had a call today from the chassis shop. Cage, headers, driveshaft, torsion bar and frame work are DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!! They got the mufflers moved back where I wanted them as well. Couldnt be happier.

Thats the good news.
Ive been working 13 hour days for the last 4 weeks (8 hours/day on weekends), and theres no way I can pick it up for a week. Im not willing to hire a tow truck to snatch it because Im paranoid I would never see it again. So it will have to wait til I can pick it up and trailer it to yet another shop for the start of final assembly. Thats the bad news. But, all this work means I can get a ton of stuff done once I get it back.
Pics soon.

[SDMAN]

Finally managed to get time to snatch the car from the chassis shop and haul it to the shop where it will all come together.

This last vist at the chassis shop saw a lot done. We finished the mods to the Art Morrison Max-G frame. The inner frame rails were modded to allow for placing the mufflers as far back as possible. All 4 of the frame openings for the exhaust pipe were made oval so my exhaust system will now fit. To make the NHRA happy, we put an 8.50 moly cage in it using the Alston parts that allow for removal of the door bars and rear cross bar. Removing those pieces makes for much more enjoyable street use. The floor got a pair of X braces as well. When you remove the floor and big chunk of firewall the NHRA has quite a few safety requirements. All of those were addressed. There is a full X in the roof hoop. Turned out nice.
Also added a drag race style torsion bar behind the rearend. Bolts to a pair of frame mounted spherical bearings and attaches to the rear suspension. This easily bolts off, as its not a street piece. Straight line only.
And finally, the headers. 2.250" primary tubes, nice thick (.375") flanges with 4 bolts per (we will mod the heads), plenty of room to tighten them, change plugs, no interference with anything else (starter, etc) and nothing hangs below the frame. The guys at Spintech fabbed us a pair of 28 degree bend/transitions that we incorporated into the header. These really turned out nice.

Let the final assembly begin!

[1971CHEVELLE]

Chassis looks good

[SDMAN]

A few more. This is an early prototype 2X4 intake base for the CV-1 Pontiac cylinder heads. This base can be configured with spacers and different tops for any size cubic inch, or dual carb setup (4150, 4500). Additionally, there is a flat top available and plenty of room to mount a throttle body on the front of it. Thats what I am going to do. Plumb it for injectors and use it as an EFI intake.
Since the real parts are not yet available, Jim was nice enough to loan me this prototype piece to do some real world height checking. As the pics show, it really does not extend much past the hood line at all. With a spacer, flat top and the throttle body on the front, the final setup might be 3" taller than whats shown in the pics. More than acceptable.

[SDMAN]

Well, its been 5 months since I last posted. Wish I had major progress to report, but Ive just been swamped at work. Im a consultant, and my average week so far this year is right at 60 hours. Doesnt leave a lot of time for working on the car. Mostly got a ton of little things done and out of the way.

But its not all doom and gloom. The motor is about complete. The CNC work on the cylinder heads and intake just took forever. But it was definitely worth the wait. At my valve lift (.700" net) we got 430 cfm on the intake, and with a 2.250" tube, just over 300 cfm on the exhaust. Based on these numbers, we expect the motor to be over 600HP unboosted! Tomorrow I will order a custom cell from Fuelsafe. We got the size/shape all worked out this past weekend. Will be right at 28 gallons. Im putting a Magnafuel 4303 pump inside the tank, so it should run cool and quiet. Magnafuel says that pump works just fine inside the tank.

Likely wont get a lot done for another 6 weeks or so. July and August in the Sonoran desert are best spent indoors or in the pool, and Im still crazy busy at work. Good news is, we hired me some help. In a month or so, when he gets up to speed, Ill have more time for working on the car. But I will be ordering parts so Im ready for a big push later this fall.

[Capown]

I know its been awhile but is there any update? This is one bad mofo!!

[SDMAN]

No. I wasn't in county lockup. It was medical related. And it all started with a simple mosquito bite. Some very nasty, formerly foreign diseases have come to our shores. Somewhat rare right now, but over time who knows. But its all behind me, and seeing as how I am getting back to working full time, I finally have the means to wrap this project up. I was able to get some things 'taken care of' from the 3 month hospital stay and during the 19 month home recovery. Long term stuff like new CNC'd custom cylinder heads, etc. But very limited. I went thru a ton of stuff I had laying around that I was never going to use and sold all that. So the shop has quite a bit of room. The car is going in for bodywork and primer in the next week. All the glass is on it (front end, wheel tubs, hood, deck lid,etc) and it all needs the standard work that fiberglass parts need. But its all VFN and Glasstek so its very well made and fits pretty good. But pretty good don't cut it. All the engine parts are on a shelve at the machine shop and assembly is scheduled to start by mid April. We have every part necessary except some things that need to be measured for like pushrods, etc. I was setting the car up with a 6 speed, dual disc clutch, tilton throwout and Quick-time bell, but I sustained permanent damage in the form of losing half of my right foot. So a manual is no longer an option. I have spec'd a very stout 4l80e and that's the first thing I plan on ordering. Fortunately, when we fabbed the trans tunnel we used a 4L80E cracked case because it was larger than the manual setup and we wanted the additional room.

Once I actually have something going, I will do a complete project update with some pics. Its good to be back.

[67GTO4SPD]

I'm a new member, but I'm a Pontiac nut, and I can't wait to see it. I'm glad you overcome your illness and look forward seeing that GTO.

[SDMAN]

72996This is a pic from late 2010. Lots more done, but it represents.

[67GTO4SPD]

Wow! Very nice! That is a mean looking machine!

[CodexGigas]

That Thing Looks Beastly!!!

[Reckn8]

Tom, good to see you back at it on the GTO. Stop by and see what is up with the Studpecker sometime !!!

[SDMAN]

Tom, good to see you back at it on the GTO. Stop by and see what is up with the Studpecker sometime !!!

Sure. Whats the best evening/after work nite? Fri?

[Zanie]

I'm glad you are on the mend!
That is an awesome GTO. Love the stance!
you should fire up your old thread. then you won't have to answer so many questions.

https://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?33935-70-GTO-part-2

[andrewb70]

Tom,

Great to see you back on the project. Do you mind if I merge this thread with the old one? As Dan suggested, it will make it easier for people to follow.

Andrew

[SDMAN]

Tom,

Great to see you back on the project. Do you mind if I merge this thread with the old one? As Dan suggested, it will make it easier for people to follow.

Andrew
-----------------------------------------------------
Sure, thats fine with me. I won't have much in the way of new pics or progress to report anytime soon with bodywork and assembly only just getting underway.

[Reckn8]

monday / wednesday /friday usually

[PhillipM]

Ya Tom. M/W/F. Would love to catch up. Been a long time.

Phillip

[andrewb70]

Hey Tom,

I am just curious, you mentioned using both Glasstek and VFN fiberglass. What components are from what company, and do you feel that one is somehow better than the other, in any respect?

Andrew

[Zanie]

Hey Tom,

I am just curious, you mentioned using both Glasstek and VFN fiberglass. What components are from what company, and do you feel that one is somehow better than the other, in any respect?

Andrew

FYI: Glasstek was cofounded by the nephew of one of the cofounders of VFN.

[acegto]

So your GTO is now unibody right???

[mikes2nd]

I just got a new glasstek 70 front end, its very thin and didn't have the crosspiece in the back. I am thinking vfn is the way to go, my old glasstek was thicker and had a back crosspiece. Who knows?

[andrewb70]

Hey Tom,

Hope all is well.

Any progress on this build?

Andrew

[SDMAN]

Had to deal with some issues that forced me to put the project in storage. For several years. Required my full attention.
But its all behind me now and I recently started back into the car. Sold everything I had to sell. Made a few course corrections and its full speed ahead.
Someone who posts here a lot suggested I update my project on this site after seeing it posted elsewhere.

So can I post a link to another site where the car has a very complete and up to date thread?
Or do I need to re-post it all here. Wouldn't want to break any rules in my first post.

[SDMAN]

Hey Tom,

Hope all is well.

Any progress on this build?

Andrew
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Only some changes over the last 3 or so years. But I have pulled it out of storage and have had it in line at a local shop to start the final push to get it running. I am now at the front of the line. This shop is going to build and install the motor/trans.
I had to sell the complete manual trans setup as I can no longer safely operate a clutch. But the car will likely be much quicker with the auto.
I have an empty Reid Racing T-400 case with a Gear Vendors OD currently in the car for mocking up the trans mount and the front and mid plate on the block. This mock up is complete and the case goes to Jakes sometime this January. Will be full manual (Griner V/B) and built to live behind the new engine setup. We will use a lot of Coan internals. Likely be 8-6-8 clutch packs, billet planetary, upgraded shafts, etc.
I have an order for custom Speedhut gauges ready to go in. We just need to do a quick fit check on the dash plate to be sure were ordering the right sizes. I really like the 4 gauge/pod idea.
I sold the Procharger F1-C. And had Steve Morris set me up with a pair of 75mm billet compressor/race housing, 87mm turbine/1.0 A/R S/S turbine housing BW400 frame turbo's. V-band mount. Also had Steve spec the camshaft with Bullet. All that stuff is sitting in boxes at the shop.
I had the Roland Racing CV-1 Pontiac cylinder heads converted to the race-plate exhaust setup for turbo use. This removes the standard turn down exhaust ports and exits the exhaust ports in a much more efficient way, especially for turbo mount headers.
So the engine in its current configuration will be a twin turbo 555ci. On the S/M website there are a bunch of dyno runs. One of these dyno runs is a 455 Pontiac with 2 small turbo's. A road race motor Steve was freshening and making a few changes to. Camshaft, etc. This engine made 700ft lbs
at something like 2200 rpm. When I was working with S/M in getting the turbo's and camshaft spec'd for my project, I specifically referenced this engine and said that kind of power band was exactly what I was looking for.

So here is what a prototype CV-1 head with the convertible exhaust mod looks like.
And a shot of one turbo still in the box. waiting patiently.

[Interceptor5588]

Any updates available? This was promising to be a monster ...