GTO and the big A-bodies

What are the thoughts on a quasi barn-find first gen GTO? It's under an acquaintance's tarp and hasn't run in 10 years. Intact but rough and weathered. No visible rust, California car since new.

It's worth saving, for sure, but should it be restored to data plate originality or will having a little fun with it in the form of some 13" disc brakes and other restomod type improvements be seen as sacrilege?

Along those lines, is removing the iron lump for an LSX going to get me tar-feathered in any circles? Progress baby.

I'd personally would keep it as close to stock as possible, including the engine.

J

Early goats are moving up in price. Along with that, "barn find" cars are hitting a premium these days, because they tend to be mostly original. Personally, I say berkeley it, do what's the most fun to you. There's still plenty GTO's going around. it's not like you're cutting up a 71 hemi 'vert or something. HOWEVER- if you look at it as an investment, you want to nail that data plate, and hope you can get it on the block at Barrett-Jackson.

I wouldn't stray too far from stock on that one, especially if its a 64 or 65.

if it is a 64... nothing but stock.........

Don't screw up a GTO.

There's plenty of Tempests out there for you to put Chevy engines in.

Trans_Maro wrote: Don't screw up a GTO. There's plenty of Tempests out there for you to put Chevy engines in.

Why screw up a perfectly good Tempest. Especially if it's an overhead cam model. They are starting to show signs of interest too.

Because if you're going to devalue a car by "making it better" you may as well start with the model that is worth the least.

The OHC 6 is a cool setup but still very much a niche market.

'64 GTOs were one of the lowest production years w/ 32450 built. Less the 6644 convertibles = 25806 coupes and hardtops. Consider the survivors after almost 50 years.

I'm not a purist by any means but I'd wanna keep this one original if it's all there and numbers matching.

What year, what options. It can make a lot of difference in the value of the car. Also, if you're going to buy it make sure it's a real GTO first, there are a ton of clones out there. It's well worth getting a copy of the original build sheet from http://www.phs-online.com/ to confirm just what it is.

As for modifications, my personal opinion is that anything that can be bolted on is acceptable - you can get modern brakes and suspension without ruining the car, just keep the original parts in case someone else wants to put it back to original.

Modern LS engines are great, but as a life long Pontiac owner and enthusiast I'd say keep the original engine. At least, put it on a stand for safekeeping and build a performance Pontiac engine for it - it's easy to get 500hp streetable horsepower out of them with the parts available on the market today.

Thanks for everyone's input, cleaning it up and getting it roadworthy again is probably the best course of action for now. Also the cheapest. Hooray!

The mod/preserve continuum remains intact.

My ex brother in law had a 64 convertible twenty years ago and sold it. Been kicking himself ever since.

bdutro wrote: Thanks for everyone's input, cleaning it up and getting it roadworthy again is probably the best course of action for now. Also the cheapest. Hooray! The mod/preserve continuum remains intact.

This sounds fiscally wise.

Just don't change anything you can't later put back to stock. Big power disc brakes? Sure... Just keep the stockers stored for later...

Trans_Maro wrote: The OHC 6 is a cool setup but still very much a niche market.

Thanks for restating my point. The OHC 6 is a cool setup and very much a niche market ride! Guess which cars go up in value? Those which are cool and once were very niche market cars.

There are possibly as many GTOs on the road today as Pontiac ever made. In fact, considering the history of a lot of "Must Have" cars, there may be more GTOs out there either now or in the future than Pontiac ever built.

I believe long-term the OHC 6, especially if it's a Sprint, will end up with a higher price tag than anything but a truly perfect, untouched GTO.

I went the LSX route in my '68 GTO. I'm happy with it, but unsure if I would do it again. At the end of the day all that matters is if you are happy with what you are driving.