[dataway]

Beautiful Sunday morning the wife and I were up having our morning coffee. I suggested a "GTO family fun day" .. which means I put the wife to work helping me with projects to finish off the GTO. I listed some low impact jobs we could do, trim, assembling the hideaways, installing the seat belts etc.

She checked the weather on her phone and said, it looks great for painting, only 4mph wind, high 70's, low humidity ... you should repaint that rear quarter and finally be done with the paint. I asked her if she really wanted to get involved in that kind of thing today .. she was up for it.

Then I realized ... and told her ... you realize don't you that would mean backing the car out of the shop ... which would be the FIRST time this GTO has moved under it's own power since I tore it apart in 1983. I had one of those nervous nauseating feelings in my stomach.

We committed. Pulled out the Quick Jack, cleaned everything off the roof and trunk, hooked up the battery. Cranked it a while (hadn't been started in a few months). Fired up and went to high idle, oil pressure good, no ticks, clicks, bangs, knocks or squeals. Let it warm up a while and the idle drop, clicked it into reverse and my fresh self rebuilt tranny smoothly and quietly applied the expected force to the rear wheels ... and she backed out like I'd been driving it every day for the last 40 years.

Didn't even see the Gen light on ... did a quick check on the charging voltage .. 14.11 ... using my untested self rebuilt (new diodes and bearings) original alternator. Jeez this all seems to be going bizarrely smooth.

Put the eazy-up over the car and started sanding the quarter. Got it all sanded and taped off, got out the painting gear. So I'm standing there stirring this can of beautiful Verdoro Green paint, ask the wife to turn on the shop radio .... and it immediately begins with "Magic Carpet Ride" ... the very song that my 17 year old self designated as my GTO's "signature song" ... I realized all of a sudden that the car I drove to high school graduation in 1976 had just started up and drove, and I was about to finish the paint, and with that music playing .... I had one of those "moments". I broke out in goose bumps like a turkey, I couldn't really even speak ... I held up my arm and showed my wife and looked her in the eyes. I almost had to go calm down.

Conclusion ... everything went incredibly smooth, no smoke, no noises, no leaks, temp remained spot on 188-190, 35 psi at idle, paint went on well. Started back up immediately ... clicked it into drive ... pulled back into the shop.

A pretty awesome "GTO Family Fun Day"

[chuckies76ta]

Right on, Nice to see everything come together..

[Andre]

This post needs a few pictures.

[dataway]

My mother in TN, who has a camera I set up so she can watch activities in our backyard in NY sent a very excited email ... "I saw it! I saw it"

Photo of her in TN examining the car in 1977 after I painted it brown and repaired front end crash damage.

And a photo the night before I moved it outside to paint that left rear quarter again.

[kingbuzzo]

great story - i heart when the entire fam is involved like that

[Keith Seymore]

Nicely done.

For me - usually at that point is when there is an unexplained gust of wind, blowing over the easy up and filling my fresh paint with dirt.

So I was glad that did not happen to you.

K

[einstein]

Thanks for letting some of us live a vicarious moment.

[Verdoro 68]

Sounds like a pretty good day. Congrats on the milestone.

[tempest1964]

I got goose bumps when I read the 'Magic Carpet Ride' part. Way to go dataway!

[1965gp]

That was a fantastic story about a fantastic day.

[dataway]

Thanks folks, really wouldn't have been possible without the help of the people on this forum.
That day was a pretty good payback for the countless times I walked by the GTO under a tarp, or in a barn, a backyard, neglected ... and felt sick that I was not, and did not, treat it the way it should have been treated. You know the countless thousands of these cars that rusted away in yards and barns with the owner telling himself ... I'll get it back on the road some day. 98% of the time .. they end up sold as a rusting hulk. I lived in fear that I would be that guy and watch it towed away as a pile of parts. Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that that is not going to happen to this one.

[locomotivebreath]

Wow , that’s great ! I’m almost to that point with my solar red 68 that my dad parked in 1978 . I’ll be 45 this year and started buying parts when I was 12 , buts there’s been wars , divorce , sick family etc . Dad is gone now , but I’m in the home stretch ! Congrats my man !

[Tim john]

In the photos above I see "Firestone Super Sport" tires installed. I ran the same tires from around 1975 to 2015ish. G70-14 on my 67 H.O. GTO. I always loved the big solid white letters of them tires. I sure wore a bunch of them out, always kept a set or three in stock. I have not seen them in years, makes me smile to see them again.

Tim john---

[71GP76TA]

Originally Posted by Tim john

In the photos above I see "Firestone Super Sport" tires installed. I ran the same tires from around 1975 to 2015ish. G70-14 on my 67 H.O. GTO. I always loved the big solid white letters of them tires. I sure wore a bunch of them out, always kept a set or three in stock. I have not seen them in years, makes me smile to see them again.

Tim john---

I have a good set of F or G /70x14's with half tread that I'll sell.

[Tim john]

This is me in the late 70's with said Firestone tires on my 67 H.O. four speed GTO. Next best tire I ran were the solid white letter tires "Formula 1 Super Stock" they had a herringbone tread pattern, they had much better "bite/grip" than ole Firestone's. Most of the successful dirt track racers ran the Formula 1's around here. I use to run the rears with single digit pressure for the widest footprint I could obtain. I was never a good street racer, babied the car all the time, never speed shifted it, always shifted < 5,000 but my car served me well for over 40 years while all my friends were beat to death and graveyard dead.


Tim john---

[dataway]

I hope all of you that are still in the battle of resurrection accomplish your goals, specially if it is a car with memories or meaning to you personally.

It appears to be the only way to almost go back in time that I have found.

No one to leave it to when I go, can't see myself ever selling it ... could be I'll be buried in this car ... seriously.

(BTW ... I don't think I had the Formula 1's because they were more expensive than the Super Sports)

[4dblnkldude]

Great thread! Great pics! Great stories! These cars all have stories, memories, and just a general awesome feeling when a moment (like this) or any other milestone happens. I've had my 69 bird for almost 30 years now and love the hell out of it!!!