My '68 GTO is getting very close to completion and the bodyshop would like to put the "GTO" decals on the car, but I can't seem to find any documentation of the exact proper location for those decals. Can anyone help?

Ed Raden
'68 GTO
'62 GP

My '68 GTO is getting very close to completion and the bodyshop would like to put the "GTO" decals on the car, but I can't seem to find any documentation of the exact proper location for those decals. Can anyone help?

Ed Raden
'68 GTO
'62 GP

Ed, to my knowledge, they never had them on rear quarters. I own a 68, I remember them in 68, I never saw those decals back then. The only GTO identification was on the front fenders (GTO 6.5 LITRE), L/F grille and R/RR trunk lid,interior door panels and glove box door. My 70 had GTO in decal only on fenders and trunk. I believe these decals you see on some 68 GTO'S are an afterthought option and look to be the same as the decals on my 70. The 69's have the GTO emblem in the lense on the rear quarters.They look nice and are pronounced on the car, you know, people notice them easier,but I never saw them back then. If you have them installed, just look at some of the pictures of them on the GTO picture sites after voting for our site #1 and scroll "DOWN" to those on the muscle car site. Sean Mattingly's site comes to mind. Some cars have them and some don't. It's a matter of what you like and they look okay to me. Some members would know how they are judged in shows. If they're allowed or not, if they're part of original equipment, etc, etc. They don't show as original in my resto book
Good luck on your car.

Ed,
The decals were standard equipment on the 68 GTO rear quarters, and were assigned part numbers:9788231-black, 9788232-red, 9788233-white, and are shown in the original sales material from 68. Sean Mattingly's website shows several good pictures of the placement, in fact, Sean has most of my original sales material from 68 at the moment. Here's the website address:
http://www.ultimategto.com/

Hope this helps you out on your project.
Kurt

------------------
"folks nowdays just don't do nothin', simply for the love of it..."
Don Henley

...I used the _G_T_O_ 1/4 emblems from 64-67. much nicer, and more representative of the styling for era. Toss the decals.

Trunk emblem, Quarter emblems...you'll be very satisfied with this personalized touch.

H.I. Stud

I believe that the decals were correct for '68 as Kurt mentions and I also have prowled Sean's site but I can't seem to find a nice straight on view of the side marker light and decal that would allow me to make a good approximation of the proper location.

I appreciate the suggestions of the '64-'67 emblems, but I am striving for correctness as this car is a basically unmolested 34K mile car that just needed fresh paint. Thanks.

Ed Raden
'68 GTO
'62 GP

Every one I ever put on in the past was installed on the peak of the quarter panel approx 4 inches in front of the side marker . They were all decales also .

I checked by my GTO resto guide, and the standard and performance '68 Pontiac dealer literature and still found nothing I can use. I do have the dealer's reprint of the Motor Trend Car of the Year article and there is one fair picture of just the decal and marker light, I'll probably scale it after I measure the decal and side marker light bezel. I'd still like to get better documentation on the location. Anyone have a factory Assembly Manual?

Ed,
You've probably already put on your decal, but here's a picture of a 68 GTO from a dealer brochure, just in case you still need one.
Kurt http://ultimategto.com/1968/great08lit4.jpg

Ed,
I have a '68 dealer's brochure, and the decals can be placed either in line with the top points of the side marker light, or centered between the top and bottom of the side marker light. Either way, the decal should be about one and a half inches ahead of the light. Decal placement depended on where the car was built, and either way is correct. I've seen them both ways.

Might be one of the oldest Threads I have re-lit! This thread was started the year I bought & started my 68 Restoration, so its kinda cool in a way seeing I am finally nearing completion. :)
Did the decals really go this high up like in the photo? Didn't expect to see that.

Also, there was mention of the decal colors and what decided the color the 68's got. With Verdoro Green would they all have been white? Or was black an option too? My car has nothing white. White Decals might look out of place. Hhmmmmm.

This thread is 18 years old :eek:

I've seen the decals all over the place in vintage pics - some up high, some down low, some way far away from the side marker light.

I centered mine up from the marker light and put them about and inch and a half away. To my eyes that's the only way it looks right.

I think white is the only decal color for Verdoro Green from the factory.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...7&d=1424280903

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1563924635

I never realized red was an option on the white & black cars. Interesting.......

Your car Looks great!

Original Fremont factory

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...2&d=1563927176

I have the original Kansas City, I'll try to post it tomorrow.

I've never seen it up high or anyplace else, mine looks similar to yours.


Frank

Here is my original Arlington car, looks low to me. I don't think the factory took a whole lot of care in the placement.

Also the diagram from the trim manual

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1563939686

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...3&d=1563939766

The factory seemed to be pretty inconsistent in their placing of the decal. I'm sure they just slapped them on coming off the line.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YW81xivJa_...1600/68gto.jpg

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1563939339

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1563939344

I wonder if they originally had a template that was such a pain to use that the guys on the line just started sticking them on :)

My car is an Arlington car too. I just dug up some pics from when it had original paint and the decals were straight and centered like the red car above. Mine is a Friday build, I guess I got lucky.

I wonder how many made off the line with partial decals or no decals? I remember Keith Seymore posted that the decals on his dad's '68 washed off when they took it through the car wash for the first time LOL.

It wouldn't have been that hard to make the whole decal into a template if they slanted the right and left side of the transfer paper to match up with the arrowhead angle.

That's the method I thought they would have used, simple enough.


Frank