[Nicks67GTO]

That's cool. Thanks for the updated pics! It gave me some ideas.

[Nicks67GTO]

Got some work done in the last few weeks. I finished up with the steering column, installed the new Retro Sound Model 2 radio to replace the glovebox unit I had before, wired up the dash and Speedhut gauges and took her for a spin.

The steering column works awesome. I highly recommend this conversion. I need all the room I can get and its a nice help to be able to put the wheel all the way up. It was plug and play. Done deal. Very reasonably priced too and it steers much better than the old sloppy stocker did.

GMTILT.com Jim is a good guy and he gets an A+ on his product

The RetroSound Model 2 is kind of pricey at $300 bucks but its a bargain compared to some of those stock radio conversions. You get a ton of options for tuning, USB docks, auxiliary inputs etc. It honestly sounds as good as my Kenwood that was in there, maybe better. I'm 100% satisfied with everything but the knob selection. I'm in the process of making the stock knobs work but its kind of a PITA

Speedhut is awesome. These gauges work perfect. I have to calibrate my fuel gauge and my shift lights yet but everything else is working flawlessly and they look awesome. The GPS speedo is on within seconds of startup and the whole thing really cleaned up my dash and took it from Joe Dirt to maybe..... Pro Dirt?

Ive been plugging away at the Vintage Air but Its kind of time consuming. Im going to get the rest of the car ready to roll and then im going to get back to that part of it. Im in the process of trying to custom run some lines, I dont care for the stock line install of this system. I really want a cleaner look.

I also ordered the Eddie Motorsports hood hinges in matte black. My Chineese ones are total **** and I dont want to mess with stock ones so I spurged. Those hinges are the definition of project scope creep but Im sure ill be happy I spent the money. Matts classic Bowties has by far the best price on them.

Here's a few pictures....forgive the sloppy wiring. I just got it done and I like to make sure everything works on a drive before I stuff it all up under there

[GT182]

That dash looks great with "real" wood veneer on it Nick.

[rohrt]

Looking good.

What does it run for the Tilt conversion?

[Qball]

Originally Posted by rohrt

Looking good.

What does it run for the Tilt conversion?

At gmtilt.com, it's $795 with shipping. Very interesting....

[Old Blue 66]

Those gauges area must for me. They're beautiful. NIce work.

[Nicks67GTO]

Thanks guys. I'm not 100% sure what Jim is going to charge. Mine was the first GTO one he had done so I got a killer deal on it.

GT182 The dash is actually the stock 45 year old stuff. I haven't replaced the plastic or the woodgrain

OldBlue. The dash is great to look at. I am extremely happy I went this route over the Dakota Digital stuff.

[Nicks67GTO]

Got my Eddie Motorsports billet hood hinges in today.

It took way too long but that's because I got sent some 2nd gen Firebird hinges in the mail first. Matt's Classic Bowties and Eddie Motorsports had new ones to me in a week and call tags emailed in a day. An unfortunate mistake but it happens and I respect good customer service.

The new hinges are light years ahead of the old Chinese **** re-pops I had on there. I had one break on me 2 years back, had another one laying around and it was about to break. I was done with re-pop stuff so it came down to rebuilding some 45 year old hinges or getting something I knew would work..... I paid good money for these but I doubt ill ever have to buy hinges again. The truth is though I would call these complete excess. They are in fact just hood hinges.....really nice hood hinges. With that said Im no longer afraid to open my hood and leave it open. It shuts and opens perfect, the rear of the hood doesn't stick up and they look pretty sweet. Now if my body panels lined up worth a damn I would actually have something!

Matt's Classic Bowties had the best price on them by far FWIW. I got them in matte black to blend in with everything else since I don't care for a lot of flash and I drive my car a lot so its hard to keep really clean.

I'm getting my Vintage air Gen IV finished up tomorrow by a local radiator shop. They will crimp the line ends on and charge the unit for me. Ill report back on that this weekend.

Anyhow here's some pics....

[67GTONUT]

100% my next purchase..... Looks Great Nick!!!

[Nicks67GTO]

Spent yesterday cleaning up my ride height and washing the old girl. Both were long overdue and we had a big local show yesterday and I have a fun cruise today. This has been a battle. My car has a nasty A body pimp lean to the driver side. From all I gather its not too unusual really. I had the same frame shop that straightened my frame out originally, look it over last week. I thought I may have warped the frame a bit when I boxed it. The results were that it was straight as an arrow and way better than anything that ever left GM. So it was time to mess with some shims. Originally I had shoved a ton of shims in there just to get the car going with the other wheels and tires. This resulted in a high ride height in the front and a car that was all over the place side to side. Anyhow this is the kind of stuff that isn't really fun to do but the end results are good I think. The nose came down 1-1.5" and the rear came down just a hair as well. With the proper shimming right to left i'm within a 1/4" in the front and maybe a 1/2" in the rear. Its unnoticeable without a tape measure from all angles. I might mess with the rear a little later on to see if I can dial it in but for all intents and purposes that's good enough. I also have a bit of rake. I think the GTO's just look a little better with a touch of rake.....

[67GTONUT]

God Damn..... I love that car.....

Start new job in a few weeks..... 1st purchase is the hood hinges...

[gene simmons]

Nick,your gto looks great!

[arbys]

Great looking car and the rake is just right.

[Jeff Hamlin]

Originally Posted by arbys

Great looking car and the rake is just right.

INDEED!
Just above the rear tire always looks better then the factory droop

[darbikrash]

Ride height looks great! I also think the vinyl roof is perfect, I've always liked that look and think it's underrated. Wish there were more Pro-Touring type cars with vinyl roofs, it really sets off the body lines.

[Greg Reid]

Man, that thing is sharp!

[Old Blue 66]

This car just changed my whole perceptive on GTO's. It's beautiful. Don't change a thing. And you're right. These cars need to have rake even if it's just a little bit

[Nicks67GTO]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the kind words! I'm really happy with how it's turning out. It definitely got some attention at the cruise and show the last few days. Remember im in Iowa and the Pro Touring thing isn't really common around here. As an added plus I also got to meet forum member ROHRT {Ryan} at the cruise along with his wife and son and their 68 Firebird convertible. He ran me around the block in it. It was the first time I have been in a convertible I believe. Good stuff. It was a great last few days.

So I'm thinking about doing a chin spoiler from this guy....The reason being is that i'm going to get a finned aluminum power steering cooler and mount it on the bottom of my radiator support and I think this will cover it up nicely and add a little bit of subtle pro touring flair to the car.

Honest opinions. Do you think this will work with the car?

http://www.spoilersbyrandy.com/Pages/6667GTOLemans.aspx

[b-man]

Car looks great Nick, great color combo, perfect stance and nice wheel choice.

On the spoiler, I think you'd end up dragging it right off the car the first time you drove it after the install. Even on a car that's still at stock ride height you'd ruin it pretty quickly.

No matter how careful you are you're going to end up destroying it pretty quickly. It's a very nice product but unfortunately not the least bit practical being made out of steel.

I would rethink your power steering cooler mounting location, right under the core support is a very vulnerable spot.

[rohrt]

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

Thanks guys! I appreciate the kind words! I'm really happy with how it's turning out. It definitely got some attention at the cruise and show the last few days. Remember im in Iowa and the Pro Touring thing isn't really common around here. As an added plus I also got to meet forum member ROHRT {Ryan} at the cruise along with his wife and son and their 68 Firebird convertible. He ran me around the block in it. It was the first time I have been in a convertible I believe. Good stuff. It was a great last few days.

So I'm thinking about doing a chin spoiler from this guy....The reason being is that i'm going to get a finned aluminum power steering cooler and mount it on the bottom of my radiator support and I think this will cover it up nicely and add a little bit of subtle pro touring flair to the car.

Honest opinions. Do you think this will work with the car?

http://www.spoilersbyrandy.com/Pages/6667GTOLemans.aspx

Nick is a super nice guy. Nick's car drives every bit as well as it looks. The GTO seats are nice and comfortable with lots of leg room, the stereo sounded good, the car felt solid and the ride was comfortable. Felt more like a modern ride then a 48 year old car. The car get two thumbs up in my book.