Restoring my Grandmas 69 GTO
 

My Grandma bought this GTO brand new on 6-20-69 for $3637.54. She traded in a 66 GTO 4spd tri-power car for a credit of $1550:eek: My grandma (Nana) was 52 years young when she bought the 69 with a 4spd:D
I grew up 2 bocks from Nana and she was baby sitter for myself, sister and brother. I rode in this car ALL the time. It was her only car until 1988 and she drove it almost daily. It was very common for her to "burn the carbon out" and race it up to 90-100mph. Third gear is as new in this vehicle as she almost always shifted from 2nd to 4th.
She loved this car and gave it to me before she passed away 9-10-2001, she was spared seeing 9-11.
I have been working on a body off restoration for years now as time (read that 4 kids and wife) and money (read the same way) do not allow me to get much done fast. I plan on posting photos of what progress has been done to date and of progress made as I go. Please fell free to post comments.
Ps, my spelling and grammar suck, you have been warned!

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...th69GTO001.jpg



http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMAG0958.jpg

Here are a few shots when I started taking apart. Original mileage!

Cool story and great pics...especially the first one...
Should be a good thread and looking forward to seeing it play out.

This photo was from around 89 or so. Nana was not it driving anymore, her sisters husband bought her a Ford Fiesta:gag: She never did like the Ford as NOTHING was ever as good as her old goat.
The last ride I remember taking in the goat was when she drove me and my girl friend somewhere. I had lost my lisence for 6 months, too many tickets. I had a 66 GTO and was 19, enough said! Anyway Nana was hammered drunk and scared the crap out of us! Nana got sober a short time later and finished out her life that way.

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMAG0961.jpg

Here is my folks with the 66 that was traded in on the 69.
Red int with headrests. My Mom is 3 months pregnant here with me.

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMAG0959.jpg

OUCH
 

Original mileage does NOT always look pretty!

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...anasGTO023.jpg

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...anasGTO022.jpg

Very, very cool. Knowing the story, makes looking at the pictures much more interesting. So many of the cars, are just "here" & there's no story behind them. Well, at least not a complete story. ;)

I agree with Greg, I am very nostalgic, & enjoy looking at old photos like that.

Great story, i look forward to watching the restoration progress!

Any clue where this picture was taken? I have a picture like this taken of one of my 78 T/A's Someday, I plan to take the car to the same spot & 'recreate" the same photo where my car was originally photographed.

I can relate. Mom bought her GTO 10-16-69 She had bad knees and dumped the clutch and did a burnout in the parking lot. So dad bought her the auto.
It was her daily driver until 83. Parked it for 19 years, pulled the body ect ect ect.
Have fun and take many pictures on everything. When you go to put it back together you will be thankfull.
enjoy and thanks for sharing.

patrick

that is just too cool

Great story! The best projects are the ones that mean something!

I bet every dent and scratch has a story to it.
enjoy the car,you are a lucky one :o)

Great story and photos. Eagerly awaiting more!

X2!

Cool story, cool lady. Looks like Grandma hit the garage a couple of times.

Ultra cool story and car.
Can't imagine either of my Grandmoms driving a 4spd GTO anytime anywhere !
Your ol gal was a real trooper. :)

One of mine did buy a new 64 Bonneville Convertible in fall of 63.
They brought me home from hospital in that car in winter of 63.
Been a Pontiac Man ever since.

That first picture is pure solid gold wall hanging quality. :first:

oh yeh, wanted to pass this tip along too.
When you scan old snapshots - do a preview first - it should have an option to make the scan a full pane/full window/full size transfer that fills the whole window.

Garage, ya right! This car, until I got it ,was never undercover. There are a lot of inches of rain in a year in the Pacific NW. Not much snow and no salted roads, but man have we got rain!

other than the 4 speed your Grandmas car looks exactly like mine. I have never seen another antique gold car with a Brown vinyl top. My car was also bought by a 55 year old lady in California. I have owned this one since 1987. keep the pics coming.

LOVE THEM 69's
 

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Wow, that is very cool. Yes, I really don't see many antique gold 69's. I saw a gold judge at the GTOAA nats this summer, but don't recall the last time I saw one in person before that. Not a single one at the 2010 co-convention and there was well over 1000 cars there I believe.
When I was growing up I did not like the gold and I hated the vinyl top. Now I would not have it any other way. My grandmas car came with the black top and sometime around 1980 she had a new top put on while doing repair to stop water leak by back window (shocking). For some reason she went with a brown top. It's going back black!

cool story my mom had a 66 gto she traded in on a 69 also it was that same gold but a four door custom s 3 on the tree
good luck on the project

Not many get to restore a cool car with a family history like yours !! Keep us posted.

Very nice story. My Grandmother bought a Mach 1 back in 69 as my Grandfather was a Ford man. It seems like that generation liked the same cars we all do today. My dad was an Oldsmobile man, but I still remember when I was 13 I rode my spider bike up to the local BOP dealership my dad bought his cars from and saw a 69 Judge. I have always liked Pontiac ever since. Seeing your pictures brings back good memories of an America unfortuantly is long gone. Good luck with your restoration and please keep posting the pics!!

great car, great pics, and even better story!! Keep the pics coming...here's a pics of my first goat(around 1980). Was originally a silver/black 4-spd with hide-aways...always loved the '69's;)

Here is the body before blast cleaning.

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...anasGTO017.jpg


http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...anasGTO018.jpg

Few more. As you can see this car means alot to me. I dont think I would have chose to restore this car if not for the sentimental value.

And after cleaning.

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...anasGTO014.jpg

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...anasGTO016.jpg

Great car and a great story. Good luck the rest of the way. Your grandmother would be proud!

Hey Whore - you were a pretty good lookin guy in that 67 picture. LOL?

My memory must be getting really bad! When I was posting these two pictures I was wondering why was the car still not on the twirler? Well this is not Nanas car! If you look close the car is still wearing green half its GREEN paint.

Bob, those two young people had no idea all hell was going to break loose in a few more months! Oh, my poor Mom!

In Cleveland Ohio, It would be concidered a slight rust show car!

The incorrect photos does remind me of a few things. I had a few body men come to look at my car to give me ideas and see if they would be a candidate for the work. I wanted to have the work preformed in my shop and not just send it away to a collision repair shop just to be tucked in a corner, worked on in spare time and held hostage. Well more than one guy suggested I use one of two other bodys I had lying around. You know just switch vin tags. I did not like that idea for more than one reason. I knew iI was going to have to replace lots of sheet metal and spend more money but in the end I wanted as much of the original car as possiable. One guy started talking about fiberglass, I kind of shooed him out of there right away:D
In the end I found Mike who works with a painter friend of mine. Mike has been working on my car with me for a few years now and we have made some great progress. I would consider him a profectionist and will cut no corners. We have become very good friends and Mike has taught me some very valuable leasons. Most importantly I have been involved in every step of the way!

So I was just looking at the thread in the Judge section about how many 1970 RAIV Judge convertables there are and I see some pictures of the black one with parchment int restored by Gary at Leval One out of Colorado. Well I sold that shifter and console to Gary.
I bring it up here because I bought a 69 LeMans that was owned by an old lady that had passed away, her god daughter was selling it. It was in very excellent cond and the interior was near perfect. I ended up parting that car. It was a hard decision but I new I could keep the better stuff for my car and sell my parts and come close to breaking even. I want to have as much OEM parts on this car as I can.
Example, I had bought and sold about 6 or so deck lids, we all know how hard they are to come by. Well the one I kept off this car I parted did not have an ounce of rust in it, perfect! I have tons of parts I kept off this car down to nuts and bolts not to mention stuff like radio, unused lighter, wire harnesses, etc.
Any way that console and shifter ended up in that Judge so I know I have some worthy stuff for my car. I pull it out from time to time when I am looking for something and still cant get over how nice some of it is.

Wonderful story and photos. I wish I knew something about the history of my Goat like you do. Keep us up on the restro with lots of pictures.

Great story and from your earlier pics(with it's paint still on it) it doesn't look too bad compared to alot of what's left to go from. Knowing your car's history is something really neat and with yours being in family and all makes it that much sweeter.... I wish I knew more about my car yet I can tell it didn't have an easy life for sure... Love the pics and keep us posted on the progress.... Mike

How'd the top stand up under that vinyl? From the pics, it looks better than mine was...but similar.

Awesome story! We still have my Gramma's 1975 Firebird that she bought new. My 12 year old son rebuilt the engine last year and it runs great now.

Enjoy the process. The family connection sure makes it worth the effort.

Just got off the phone with my Mom to clarify this story. My Mom was pregnant with me when my Dad got stationed to Midway Island. My Mom went with him and they sold the 66 to my grandparents. I was born on the island as well as my sister.
When we got back the plan was to buy back the 66. Well my Grandma smoked in it and it was a little to beat up so my folks went out and bought this car. It was between this green one or an antique gold car. Three days later my Grandma went and bought the gold one.

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...D1BA9-orig.jpg

Momento from Midway.
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...66298-orig.jpg

And this is what you find under the back seat of your Grandmas car.
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMAG0972.jpg

Nana kept this off the 66 and had it on the 69 till it broke at the base.
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...1CF87-orig.jpg

I dont know where that picture was taken, I will have to ask my folks. Neat idea retaking the picture.
Thanks everyone for your comments.

Ya know Greg, the top was not to bad at all. Some pitting but nothing that required replacement. I very carefully hit it with sand to make sure it was very clean.
The metel that needed replaced was both quarters, both lower cowels, 3 piece trunk, inner and outer wheel wells and back panel between window and decklid.

Here is a shot of the body after I put it in exopy and joined it with frame of the 69 Lemans I parted. The frame in the foreground has been blasted and powder coated. Went with Inline tube SS brake and fuel lines.The wheels are just for rolling around not the finished ones.

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...anasGTO455.jpg

Here we have aligned the doors and deck lid with the original quarters before we cut them off.
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...asGTO524-1.jpg

Here is the first quarter we cut off. Trunk has been already been replaced in this photo. Thats Mike, Mike PY board.
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/Greg082.jpg

Nice shop!! Really dig those bicycles, oh and good progress on Grandmas car. Keep the pics coming!

Thanks Charles, I love my shop! And yes, I plan on telling more of the story as I go.
Thanks again for all the nice words guys, you too Bob. Lol

Cool stories and nice shop. I'd love to have a family heirloom like that. Looking forward to more pics.

GTO's
 

it is just amazing how happy people are when they are with there GTO.
Nothing but :D:):p:third::usa2:SMILES
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