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Originally Posted by Goatboyjohnny

Thanks Old Goat! I am super excited about it. About 4 years ago I had to sell my other 66 project, had family emergency, and it was not a priority. I have been casually looking for a good 6 or 7 months but hadn't even gone to look at anything until a couple weeks ago. I really wanted a goat but oh my have the prices of decent projects gone up. I paid
$2,300 for my last 66' and that was a complete car, minus drivetrain, but did need everything restored, it was a two tone post car and I knew a lot about the cars history. I had source a correct block and date coded Tri-Power setup, but that was about as far as I got before I had to/chose to sell... Fast forward the 4 years since then and I'm looking at rotted out, total basket case Lemans and Tempest for 2,500-4,000.. YIKES!!

So when I woke up last Friday and this baby on Craigslist for 3,500 I jumped on it quick. By that evening I was on the phone with the gal that had posted it, and her story about the car.

Her dad had bought the car site unseen and had it delivered to a resto shop in Dayton, OH. The restoration began from how I understand in 2007. Some point shortly after the work began the owner passed away suddenly, MAJOR BUMMER.. The daughters were in charge of their father's estate. No one in the family had ever even seen the car. While going through documents, one of the daughters found the title to the GTO, I guess that's when they remembered he had the car.. No one in the family had any idea where the car was, or what kind of condition it was in..They searched every body/resto shop in the Dayton area with no luck. The daughter that I bought the car from, and her husband both work at different dealerships in the Dayton area, and both put out feelers with bodymen, mechanics, delivery drivers.. nothing for over 2 years.. One of the parts guys that worked with the daughter on an almost daily basis had a good buddy that was somehow involved in the Paint/Body trade, she knew him in passing, and the parts guy mentioned it to him, and wouldn't you know.... HE HAD THE CAR!!... she said she saw this guy almost weekly, knew him on a first name basis.. Turns out the resto shop had gone out of business a few years prior, and no one could ever get ahold of the owner of this GTO, nobody knew he had passed.. The car ended up in this guys warehouse because he was a friend of a friend of the owner of the closed shop.. So sure enough she took the title and compared it to the vin tag and they matched... What are the odds.. I don't know for sure but it sounded like she didn't have to pay any storage, the guy being a friend of a friend and all.. so she's had it in her husband pole barn for a few years and finally got around to putting it in her name to sell it.. I was the lucky one who contacted her first. She had several people ready to "come and get it right now" but she was true to her word and let me have first dibs..

She had told me one quarter and the floors were done. When I got there and both quarters and wheelhouses, trunk floor, braces and drop offs, and the rockers had been done., I didn't even try to haggle.. All the glass except the back window (wich is the only part I still have) was there, but we lost the Windshield on the way home,, it cracked on us.. too many duke boy roads lol.

The fact the car is Burgundy too.. it was just meant to be !!! I hope some of you were able to follow my rambling story, and that I wasn't too much of a run-on sentence.. I am no writer lol.. I love these cars, all Pontiacs really, but especially GTO's, and I have met some of the coolest people because of them. I love when a car has a cool story!

Before I left I asked the daughter, Nicole, if it was alright to send her pictures of the progress, she said she'd love that, her husband too. I told her I'd do my best to do her Pop's proud.... Mine too ! I saw she was choking up as we pulled away. I'd love to take them for a ride when it's done... Bring it full circle..

Can't wait to interact with all you guys with updates and I'm sure lots of questions.

Thanks to all!!!

Anyone who is bringing Goats back to the road is a friend of mine! Well done.