68 GTO Project

[67speedfreak]

Man love the car and love the color.

I will own a 68 GTO with hidaways someday. Next to the Camaro it is my favorate.

Brian

[Code Red]

Its all installed!!



I need to dial it in: Set the final ride height and align it again.

Sorry its short - I had a hard disk crash and need to sort it out.

It never ends, the rear springs are giving out - so they are next!

Jon

very nice - italian accent

[Roadbuster]

67speedfreak and CodeRed:
Thanks for the comments! Glad you guys like it!

I got a few more pictures of stuff done:

Power steering cooler - since the pump now runs the Lee P/S box and the Hydroboost. I mounted it low in front of the radiator but behind the front valance. Gotta hook up the horns and clean this area up!


Hydroboost installed with the lines run behind the fender. I think they look clean routed out of the way. I will hide the other lines as well.


Powersteering pump cleaned up and the satin finished mount installed


This how low it sits right now:


I have a fender-well clearance problem running this low. There are two problem points. One is this little bump in the top of the inner fender which I just touch the inside of in bump:


The other is at the rear of the front fenders. The front fenders on a GTO are shaped like a C and cut in at the front and rear. The rear of the front fender is where I have an issue with the wheels turned about halfway.

So I ordered new wheels and tires. The new fronts should move the outer edge of the tire inward 1/4 inch and they are 0.7 inches smaller in diameter. This should fix my clearance problem.


I have only zipped up around the block so there is more tuning to do but it rides and handles great! A massive improvement over what I replaced!

[Roadbuster]

Some stuff I have been doing while waiting for the wheels:

Had to modify this window roller to get my drivers window to align right. The top one is for a 69 GTO, and they don't make one for a 68. The bottom is after modification and it is not perfect like a factory one but it close enough for me to get the window alignment right using the adjustment in the window track. To do this I used a drill, a dremel, a die, and a file. Took about 30 minutes and I am happy with the results.



Rear suspension updates:
Mark at SC&C is very helpful and I am following his recommendations on the suspension setup.
New springs: 175lbs/in, 11 inch free length Hypercoils from Speedway Motors. Here they are next to the tired stockers. The stockers should have a 14 inch free length - not these.



New Varishocks from SC&C:


With the new springs and shocks in the back, it dropped it about an inch from previous. This just killed my ground clearance since my headers are now just 2 inches off the ground. When I get the new wheels and tires the rears will be a little taller and I will adjust the front suspension to set the ride height, since the fronts are a little smaller than current.

Jon

[Roadbuster]

My new Forgeline wheels came in with tires! I ordered them from Frank at Prodigy Customs and got in on this deal. Great service from Frank!

18x11 and 18x9 SO3 with Toyo R888 tires


Rear tire: That is a 12 inch straight edge on top


Old vs. New rears:


New vs. Old Fronts:


Aligning it:


Side view: It is a little higher in the front but I now have some ground clearance. I drove through a parking lot and over some small speed bumps with no problem.


Love this shot: The rears really fill out the wheel wells


Front view:

[MrQuick]

very nice

[dmc69]

lookin good!

[shortrack]

LOVE IT with the new wheels/tires....!!

[tom_a]

Nice wheels. What size are the Toyo's front and back?

Thanks,

[craigs73]

what brand tires are those never mind i seen what they are i like the tred pattern do they have good traction?

[Motown 454]

Car looks very nice !
Wayne

[ponchopwr70]

Wow your car looks really good I like it alot!

[icebird84]

Excellent GTO

[bamadale]

that is on mean-looking GTO. love the orange paint,the suspension mods, and the new wheels!

[Roadbuster]

Thank you everyone for all the praise.

Nice wheels. What size are the Toyo's front and back?

Thanks,

Tom_a,
They are Toyo R888, 305/35R18 out back and 255/35R18 up front.

Craigs73,
They are sticky - I just took a quick drive yesterday and did not really scrub in the tires. I can tell they are an improvement but I have not pushed it yet to determine how much of an improvement. From my quick little test drive it is a major improvement.

Jon

btw anyone know how to do a double quote?

[GHOSTDANCER]

Good looking GTO

[Karch]

Looks sharp...I haven't noticed this one before.

Wheels look great too.

Are you stepping up to a 455? I have a std short block if interested.

Also, can anyone recommend an alignment shop, preferably west side or SFV? I have the same UCA, yet to install, and I really don't want to have to train someone how to adjust these.

Thanks.

[67speedfreak]

Car looks great !

love the new stance and the wheel and tires look great.

[ed1le]

Sweet Goat! Love the orange and the new wheels look awesome!

[1971CHEVELLE]

Really nice car