1966 Grand Prix 421 Tri-power 4 speed Rebuild
 

OK guy's ... I'm going to share my rebuilding experience with all of you ... please understand that this thread will reveal my total inexperience in full car restorations. I've owned and driven many cars but never have I attempted to rebuild one ... and certainly not to this degree. This is a full restoration ... either ground up or frame off ... still haven't decided that one.

Background:
I was on FB and someone asked if anyone wanted the car. The price was very reasonable and I jumped on it. My wife thought I was nuts but be that as it may I went ahead an purchased the car. That was the easy part.

The hard part was that it was in Canada ... 2,000 miles away ... and I couldn't find anyone to pick up the car ... unless I wanted to spend $4,000 - 10,000! ... yes I got quotes that high. So I decided to go pick it up myself. Again ... my bride thought I was crazy and she was worried for my safety (lol) but I was going to get it and get it I did.

At the same time my youngest son was suffering from tremendous emotional issues and addiction issues which was breaking our hearts each and every day. My young boy who was my best buddy his entire life was hurting and my wife and I tried everything in our power but nothing was helping. I asked him to take the trip with me but his depression wouldn't allow him to say yes. (As a side note I also asked him earlier to go away with me for 3 months into the mountains and just fish, cook, walk, hike or whatever (he loved the outdoors) but he wouldn't bite on that either.) One of the reasons I bought the car was to see if we couldn't do the project together since he seemed to have an interest in mechanical things (he was actually a computer software engineer for HP).

So one friend from our church lent me his trailer and another lent me his time and skills and off we went! Towing a 3,000 lb trailer with my 2004 Tahoe we sped off through Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montanna before crossing into Canada. We got to the hotel in Canada around 2 a.m. so we made the 2,000 mile trip in 36 hours with the trailer.

Woke up early in the A.M. and went to the farm where the car was sitting in a field. After 3 hours of hijinks we finally got the car loaded. It came with a 455 in it and the original 421 tripower engine was sitting on a pallet. We loaded it in front of the GP ... half on the trailer and half on the tongue ... lol ... thanks to help from a "Hutterite" named John who lived "across the street" from the farm where he and his 189 people "family" living in the same house ... yep ... farmed 40,000 acres! ... yes, 40,000 acres! ... and with John's invaluable help we were loaded and left to go back home.

2 days later we were home in Michigan unloading the car into the garage where all the fun would happen! Total trip time 3 days 23 hours ... total miles ... 4,000 ... total cost ... under $2,000 including my new electronic braking sensor for the trailer! ... total cost of getting through customs ... ZERO! ... the professionals may have to pay for their cargo but individuals do not! ZERO DOLLARS and about 10 minutes at a very busy customs crossing.

I will post pictures of the car pre-putting it in the garage ... the farm ones are obvious ... the others are the trip home ... and the last one is tucked away in the garage. I will share more later ... the trip was November 3-5 2013.

Some more pics ... threw in the dinosaur since it was so cool in the middle of "Nowhere'sville" Montanna ...

Let me say first up, and as a fellow '66GP owner, how much I'm looking forward to reading your thread as you progress.:D

And what a great colour combo. One of the best.;)

Sorry to hear of your sons troubles. My youngest daughter is a youth worker specifically dealing in substance abuse in kids aged from 12 to 21!! In fact when she started her career she was in a few cases younger than the people she looks after. We have heard some very sad stories from her but equally, she has seen many kids shake off the demon and have moved on in life. I certainly hope your son is one of the success stories. I'm sure he will be.

Good luck and keep focused

Ian:ausflag::ausflag::ausflag:

Looks pretty solid for sitting in a field. Neat car also.

Sorry to hear about your boy. My wife has lost both a brother and a nephew to addiction and emotional related issues. Keep making the efforts. That 3 month get a way sounds like a good way to simplify life again.

I wish you the best.

OK ... before we get to where I'm at now ... and how I got there since November ... I must share that most important event in my life to date.

My son, who had been suffering from depression and addiction (hearing voices etc) and a total lack of joy and hope ... took his own life one week after I got back. My world ended that day ... never to be the same. My best buddy was gone ... and I will never be able to communicate how much he was loved and cared for since the day he was born until his last day. My attempt at a father-son project was just another failure in my attempt(s) to help him in any way possible. The car project was put on hold ... maybe forever? I just wanted to curl up and go away to a cave somewhere ... but there was still my oldest son, his lovely wife who is like my own daughter, and a grandchild on the way (who is now here Praise God!) and of course my ministry as an Ambassador of Jesus' as a pastor of a church. So I had to find a way to move forward in the midst of unspeakable sadness, frustration, yes even some anger, but yet throughout it all there was an understanding and confidence that what my son was no longer suffering and it was that understanding, and only that understanding, which allowed me to move forward.

Sometime in April, when the temps finally hit the high 30's and low 40's I decided to go out to the garage and look around and see if maybe ... just maybe ... I could get the motivation to work on the car ... something I don't know how to do.

So I began, ever so slowly ... and that time alone in the garage ... getting frustrated and going through things VERY SLOWLY ... was like a therapy to me. I was going to see this project through ... and then my oldest son could keep the car after I'm gone ... and make memories with my granddaughter ... but who knows.

Anyway, now that I got that off my chest ... (sorry if it was inappropriate) ... and had one of my daily cries ... I will start later on sharing what has been done ... and what has to yet be done (that list is much longer!)

Thanks for listening and God's peace ...

Thanks for your words of encouragement about Danny ... I can't tell how much every single bit of kindness and encouragement means.

ROHRT ... the car was in the field for the last 2 years and in a barn for the previous 12-14 according to the owner's son and wife.

Ok, I'm hooked
 

At first it was for the totally cool car, but after reading your story, I'm as much interested in your journey with this project as anything else. Much encouragement to you, brother. Keep at it. Looking forward to following along. Looks like you've got a great project there.

Alan

That is very funny b/c I drove nearly the identical car home on a similar epic journey: one-way over 3,000 miles.

Pretty sure I have posted the story here somewhere, but it was just as happy an adventure. Complete with a TX customs stop where a big Belgian Tourine (dog) was inspecting the vehicle over my shoulder while the BMF Border Patrol officer was asking me what was "in the car" and I told him "421 tripower", which is NOT what he expected talking to 2 scruffy rednecks from VA with CA tags (that were not registered to me).

We did have a fuel filter clogged with rust after first 20 miles, resulting in being imprisoned in a massive parking lot by 2 Cal Tech cops and a starter wire fall off within 70 miles of home, but it was a good trip.

You are on your way to Big Car adventure my friend. It is far from the 'dark side' in my view, so you will NEVER hear me refer to it as such. But then, the Blessed Virgin is always affixed to my dash, so I may have a different perspective.

Thumbs up and Godspeed
 

I have been struggling for 5 minutes as to how to start this post.

So, I will simply say that I cannot even imagine the gravity of your loss and I am sorry to learn about it. If we ever cross paths in person, I will be happy to listen to anything you want to share because I believe it is healthier to express heavy feelings than not. ...And I have experienced more than my share of loss (in my opinion) and I am a good listener.

As for your GP, that is such a sweet machine and you're going to build one of the true high-water-mark Pontiacs ever produced, in my opinion.

To that end, nobody here is gonna think less of you for asking basic questions.

Best of luck to you as you begin this journey, and may it be both fulfilling and healing.

May God bless you my friend for sharing your story so far. So sorry for your loss. I almost lost my son when he was 12 as I saw him lying in a coma in a hospital bed for 7 days.

I'll be watching this thread in great anticipation to see your progress on this GP. It looks like a great car! I've owned several 'big' Ponchos and wish I had one now.

About a month or so ago I walked into the garage to see if I wanted to start the project and slowly but surely I began to start cranking the wrench and taking things apart ... I wanted to see what I really had.

I had previously decided I wanted 8 lug wheels and I knew I needed at least a front windshield and rear tail panel (the original was dented badly) so I found a parts car in Illinois for $1,100 that had all 3 in excellent condition as well as a rebuilt turbo 400, a rear seat (black with cloth inserts ... sort of rare I believe for GP's), fenders and quarters (could be used for patches ... the fenders are actually not bad at all), an excellent trunk lid, excellent hood, a/c box, excellent fender wells, lots of moldings (including extras), 4 doors with excellent glass (2 on the car and 2 extra), excellent rear glass, buckets brackets in the floor, a full dash including the rally gauge cluster!, a power antenna with a broken mast, door panels and rear panels (not great but could be used for cores), a/c dash pad (only good for a core), gas tank, good floors, and excellent boxed frame ... not bad for $1,100 ...

So I start removing stuff from the GP to see what I got ... and there are surprises both good and bad (not really too bad) ...

When I put the key in we cranked the 455 engine that was in it and it just spun freely but since it had been 14 years since it ran and there was no gas hooked up or water I just had it shut down. That complete engine is for sale btw ... or trades! :)

The floors were sprayed when new with some protective layer ... and it looks like brand new under that stuff ... I will have it all removed. We decided to take the body of the frame at this point but not 100% sure. Typical rust in lower fender behind wheels and lower rear quarters behind the wheels. Other than that ... real solid. The amount of mud in the car is amazing ... he must have driven it all over his farm! Ugh ... lol

So as of now the 455 is out of the car. The 421 tripower is almost totally done. Tranny is out of car but I have to find someone to look at it. The rear seats were mint but the fronts have to be recovered. The console looks like mint but it's not out of the car yet. The door panels are mint except they need new carpet on the bottoms. The steering wheel is in excellent condition. The dash is badly cracked but I found 2 a/c dash pads with MINOR damage and I plan on restoring them myself. The owner added tow bar is out of the car. The gas tank is out. The moldings are almost all off (without breaking any of them!) except the door moldings ...

Question: It looks like the door panels have to come off the take those moldings off ... is that correct?

Fender skirts removed (need the molding for the passenger side) Rear tail panel removed ... I practiced taking off the moldings ... it was much easier than I had anticipated. I'll removed the moldings from the 2 excellent ones that I have now.

Front and rear bumpers removed. I have a rechromed rear bumper waiting for my next trip to NJ ... will still have to have the front bumper rechromed and a bad dent taken out (anyone want to sell a rechromed or mint one?)

Next week: Radiator getting redone. Gas tank getting redone. Sender being rebuilt. Hopefully finish the engine ... just have to hand the accessories ... having an issue with the balancer sleeve going in too far and I know it's the right one. I have to check whether the timing chain/gears that were used in the rebuild are correct since I was told (thanks Jeff from Hillman Restorations ... he is one heck of a gentleman and a great guy to speak with) ... he explained that the sleeve "stops" at the lower chain gear. I'll find out today or tomorrow what's up with that.

I still am undecided whether to take it off the frame. I have the opportunity ... locally ... to purchase an almost redone body from the firewall to the tail panel ... almost 90% done ... he's asking $2,000 (the rest of the project burned and melted!) and that includes a rally dash and am/fm radio! I'm still chewing on that option vs. repairing my body.

I'll post some more pics and take some more pics tomorrow as well.

some more ... the red car is the parts car.

The done engine is the 421 ... looks great ... can't wait to set it up under cover in the garage so I can stare at it waiting to put it in the car someday ...

I'll take some more detailed pics of the car with the trouble spots as well as the great stuff ... tomorrow

:)

Very sorry for your loss. I will be watching this thread closely.

Advice on the rebuilt engine - if it is not too late - I would not button the top end up completely. You will need to take valley pan off and apply assembly lube/cam lube to the lobes on the cam again AT LEAST just prior to cranking engine up for first time. Recommend drizzling it on there and the rotating assembly and hand turning crank multiple times prior to firing up. If it sits for more than a day or two the stuff will run down and off the parts it is desperately needed on to prevent wiping a lobe.

Thanks Deadhead ... I'll talk to him today or tomorrow with that info ...

Update:

Been continuing to take stuff off the car. The sandblaster is ready and waiting for me! :) I'm going slow ... it takes me 3 hours to do what some of you can do in 15-20 minutes ... but that's OK ... I'm having fun trying to figure out how to take things off and apart without cutting, slamming, or denting anything as it's removed.

I was going to take a trip to the radiator man to make sure that's up to snuff but I decided to wait till this week. Now that the radiator, fuel tank, and condenser are all out I will take them to him tomorrow after traffic court (that 2010 Challenger continues to get me in trouble! lol) I will taking the 40 minute trip. I will also be bringing in the tranny to get looked at and have any issues dealt with this week. I'm hoping the company I go to will be proficient with muncies ... last will be packing up my am/fm radio to send out to get totally restored (I purchase a brand new (nos) am/fm slider and plate for it so it's going to look good as well as sound good!)

As for the body work a friend of mine who attends my church has volunteered to do the body work for me. Need lower rear front fenders patched and lowever rear qtrs. patched. That's it and it'll all be under the moldings when done. He said he'll make it look like it was never done. He is a great guy and very meticulous. That'll probably happen sometime in July?

Took more stuff off and out of the engine compartment. It's almost 100% stripped ... a couple of hard to get to bolts for the a/c box ... I'm trying to keep the hood hinges on the car because the hood shut better than a new car ... but may have to remove that one. I want the fit and finish at the end to be just right.

The engine is done ... hanging pulleys and accessories ... I didn't have the water pump pulley but is coming my way through Jeff Hillman from Hillman Restorations ... gotta tell you guys ... he is a gentleman and great guy. Knows his stuff for this car to be sure.

Purchasing a hand held sandblaster for small parts and brackets and screws, bolts, etc etc. All big parts I'll just have my sandblaster do ... he is VERY reasonable and talented.

I used to own (for 6 months before selling) an asbestos removal company and I remember that if we took the right amount time and care in building containment chambers then the job went quick on the takedown. This is similar ... if the proper time is spent making the right decisions up front ... I believe the overall project will move faster AND be done with more excellence. At least that's what I'm hoping for! :)

I'll post some pics later and tomorrow.

some pics ...

one more ... having trouble uploading before

I could use some help with the door moldings. Do the door panels have to come out to take the outside door moldings off? Are there nuts on the inside of the door that I have to get to in order to remove the molding/trim?

Thanks for your help ...

Front fender rust
 

The rust on the front fenders is typical. I think you will have to go a long way and pay PLENTY of money to find fenders which are rust free in that area.

So, consider this. My own fenders on my '65 Parisienne (very similar fender) were bad down low. My body man got two other fenders, both with similar rust and selected the best two to use on the car.

He then cut the bottom off the "good" fender and used the section above the swage line from the bad fender. You will find the shape is virtually identical. So he reversed (turned upside down) the section and folded a new lip along the bottom.

Bit hard to explain all that but I think if you look at your own fender, and look at the curved section above the swage line, you will see the shape is the same.

Worth thinking about

Ian :ausflag::ausflag::ausflag:

Subscribed. I as well love the mid 60's GPs...the BIG lil' GTO. And a 421 Tripower manual to boot!

http://frankspontiacparts.com/usedpa...ntiacparts.htm

5th fender down . Two rights but no left side. His stuff is generally very rust free.

I got a very nice core support for my '66 from Frank's a few years back...

btw, regarding the lower door moldings I'm pretty sure there are "pal" nuts that hold those babies on. You can't just pry those moldings off from the front.

Ian thanks for the heads up! My parts car has mint fenders other than that same place so we can take out the portion above the rust spot and above the body seam and patch it in! I can't wait to get to the garage and check it out.

Took radiator, condenser, and gas tank in today. These people at Ferndale Radiator are AWESOME (shout out to Mel). He immediately knew that the tanks on my radiator were not original (though they work) ... so he's going to check to see if he's got the original Harrison tanks. He told me what to look for so I learned a lot today! He is also going to test, clean, and repaint the condenser. He told me the gas tank was too rusted inside to restore it.

He taught me something that I never heard or thought of that you may want to know. When people restore tanks using POR-15 or the equivalent ... they are great products and do a great job ... BUT ... Many times the sealing isn't 100%, not because of the product but because of the restorers lack of knowing what to do and when that happens sometimes rust can get BELOW the resurfaced walls of the tank and once that happens the tank is shot. He had nothing to gain by telling me that since I wanted him to restore the inside of the tank. He said "get a better condition tank." Can't fault a guy who walks away from easy money for himself to give me his honest and professional opinion.

So I'm back looking for a gas tank ... may have one located in Ohio though :)

Any help on my ?? about the outside door trim? Do I need to take off the inside door panels?

Ken66 ... just saw your post about the door moldings. If they have those nuts then the inside door panels must come off. Okey Dokey ... :)

61 ... I saw those on there. The Cat fender has filler and I'm not sure how much etc etc. I think that Ian's suggestion sounds like the best option ... I'll know when I look at the parts car fenders today or tomorrow.

Door molding is cake compared to the rest. ONce you get the panels off you will see it is no Prob.

Subscribed!!

I think I have a spare '65 tank...
 

If you strike out, PM me the dimensions of your tank, or better yet, PM me so we can trade email addresses so you can send a pic or two of your old one.

Hi Engine ... I "may" have found one that is coming to me today ... all restored ... for a great price ... so we'll see ... I'll know by late afternoon ...

I subscribed to this thread earlier in the day after reading the first paragraph. I knew when I saw pics of the car and your story of the long journey to get it, I was going to want to follow it.
I just came back to it on a break and reading post #5 was one of the few times that I've read something on this forum that literally made my jaw drop. I did NOT expect to read that!
I am so sorry to hear of your loss and you and your family have my prayers to be sure... but I hope you will go on to finish the car and have many wonderful moments with it and that new grand daughter.
Love the turquoise/turquoise on that car!

Update: Got real lucky (I think) and found a restored Gas Tank (using a POR 15 type system) with sender including neck and vapor tube for $125 ... but it was 4 hours away so I put a call on FB if anyone I knew was going through Columbus Oh to help me by picking up the tank ... I would treat them to a great Italian meal.

Less than 36 hours later I receive a call from a wonderful young lady I pastor at our church who is heading home from Northern Virginia and would pass right by the body shop who was selling the tank! She picked it up at 7:30 tonight and is delivering it to my house in about 20 minutes. Score.

Bigger Update: Just purchased a '66 Bonneville Coupe ... running complete car ... which includes 2 mint rechromed bumpers all packaged up! It comes with 2 mint qtrs. from Arizona in a box. NOS taillight lenses and bezels ... boxes of NOS/REPOP interior stuff ... bucket seats from a '65 ... complete new break lines from inline tube ... extra a/c compresser mint condition and a/c brackets ... boatload of extra parts in mint condition ... he just wanted out and I could use some of the stuff. I'll be selling a lot of parts when I see them. He has extra sets of molding in mint condition ... headlight bezels mint ... extra grills in excellent condition ... serious boat load of parts and a complete running car to boot! Picking it up Monday and driving it back to Michigan.

I should now have every part I need for my car. All that is left is to finish taking mine apart ... sandblast ... and begin putting it together again! Seems simple enough ... LOL

My wife is ready to hit my head with a frying pan ... but I know for the price I paid I did REAL WELL.

Oh well. Tomorrow I'll be working all day on the car.

Greg thanks for your kind words and thoughts ...

Question: I'm going to put a Rally Gauge speedo cluster in the car ... are the plugs that plug into the warning lights the same as the ones that go into the 2 gauges? I see the wiring diagrams and the wires are the same for both versions BUT was wondering whether I need to make some connections?

And how can I test the oil pressure and water temp gauges while out of the car?

Thanks

Phil

Gas Tank Delivered ... MINT! Awesome ...

Not at all the same. There are threads here on how to build the harness, or you can remove from other car or have M&H make one. Not that big a deal to modify, but would be quicker and easier to replace with correct one from another car.

I have the harnesses from 2 rally gauge set ups already. When I read the wiring diagram for a full size Pontiac it seems that the wire colors are the same for both rally and non-rally gauge cars so I was wondering:

1. are the plugs the same?
2. do I just have to modify the plugs?

It seems that on both versions of the car there is the similar/same set-up:
Water Temp: has two wires going to plug (Pink and Green ... Pink coming from Ignition Switch and Green coming from the firewall ... these green and pink wires are just plain stators at the end which form the 2 stator plug into the Temp Gauge.

Oil Pressure: Has two wires going to plug (Pink and Blue ... Pink coming from Ignition Switch and Blue coming from the firewall ... they form a 2 stator plug into the Oil Pressure Gauge.

So I'm going to look at my non-Rally speedo that I have (extra parts) and see what those receptacles look like into the Warning Lights. If it's different I'm thinking all I need to do is switch out the harness from the non-rally version to the rally version since it'll still need to be plugged into the same plug on the firewall and will still need to be connected to the ignition switch?

:) I may be wrong ... but the search/hunt is fun!

I will seek out the threads here that talk about it ...

The biggest difference to overcome is that the '66 regular cluster uses a plastic wire loom with fold in bulb holders. '66 rally cluster has metal bulb holders that push in to the speedo housing and no wire loom. Some of the other wiring is different as well. Too complicated to re-type. Better to look at the threads with Pics.

If you have a rally harness that is ac or non ac, matching your ac/non ac car, then you will want to use that. '65 should be same as well.

Hey Dead ... yeah I read the thread and see the bulbs ... I'm labeling everything on the rally harness now ... not sure if a/c yet ... lol ... but I have another harness in the garage that is rally gauge AND a/c which I need ... but it's an auto on the floor car and not the 4 speed which is in my car.

So because of the bulbs etc are you suggesting that I use the a/c rally gauge harness I have and then adapt it to the 4 speed (is there any adaptation necessary?)

Thanks for your help. It's a pretty interesting puzzle going through the wiring diagrams.

Phil, before you go too far down this road, you need to find the correct oil presure sending unit. I understand they are difficult and expensive to locate.

There's a fair bit about this on these very forums. Do a search first.

Maybe you can fit the rally gauges later if and when you find the right sender

Ian :ausflag::ausflag::ausflag:

Use the auto console A/C rally gauge harness. That will work best. The console deal just has a plug in for N/S switch and bulb in storage compartment & shift indicator. Jump the N/S circuit, and you may want to use the bulb if you have a 4 speed console.

You will kick yourself HARD if you have to change out the speedo cluster later. Taking dash pad off and snaking all that mess out from behind the dash is major aggravation. I did it last year, to fix my speed alert speedo, which has since gone bad again. Easy fix other than getting it out, which is an all day job, taking breaks to avoid collateral damage.

Hi Dead: I looked at the harness I took out of the parts car ... looks like I did it really well without cutting wires ... it is an a/c car and I see the differences in how they wired both units ...

I'm going to use the harness from the parts car (after checking for continuity and resistance where necessary) ... then check out the accessories to make sure they work.

I think I already have a sending unit for the rally gauges ... I'll check my stash of parts that I used for my '65 Bonnie when I had it. I hope I bought one and didn't get gun shy by Sue's saying "another part?" lolol If I don't have one I'll get one somehow ... or maybe we need to have these made up and do a run of 500? LOL

took tires off the GP today and started removing the 8 lugs off the parts car to switch them but had to go out. I need to move the parts car (GP) out in order to put the running '66 Bonnie in that garage when it comes back with me on Monday night ...

I began restoring a really nice a/c dash pad today and it's starting to come out amazing ... gotta finish it next week but upon looking at my 4 dash pads I now know that the '65 and '66 are totally different. Not only the front edge shapes ('65 blunt angle and '66 rounded edge) but also the center a/c vent is TOTALLY different. The '65 has a much smaller "hump" in the pad and a smaller a/c vent which has straight sides ... the '66 is a much larger "hump" and the larger a/c vent is shaped on an angle coming down the sides to fit into the larger "hump" of the pad.)

I will have a restored '65 a/c pad to sell or trade for a similar '66 pad if anyone is interested ... I'll paint the '65 any color you want OR leave it in primer when it's done for you to paint.

Also I will have a restored '65 a/c pad with atc to either sell or trade for an a/c '66 pad. This pad is in such nice shape with only one "nick" in the pad ... it is turquoise and someone can use it as it with no issues if they want to ...

I have a core '66 a/c dash pad (probably 2) that will be available ... very reasonable ... one black and one turquoise ... for sale or trade (with me adding $$$) for a '66 a/c dash pad!

Mel rocks! Gave me some really good advice, too.

Went 1400+ miles in 2 days and picked up the '66 Bonnie parts car.

2 extra rechromed bumpers ... MINT
NOS headlight bezels
NOS headlight flanges
New ashtrays
New sunvisor swivel mounts
Mint rearview mirror
Mint condition a/c compressor, and hose
New rear qtr out panels
Mint dash he was putting together with a mint working am/fm radio!
New fuel tank sending unit
New brake lines from Inline Tube

There's more that I can use for my GP then there's more that are for the Bonnie that I haven't decided what to do with yet. It runs like a top! It runs better and stronger than my friend's 70 Charger with 383 and 4 bbl! It rocks so I've got to decide what to do. It came with bucket seats from a '65. New carpet, NOS package tray, new headliner, a console in awesome condition and a shifter, NOS taillight assemblies, extra NOS lenses, extra grills in excellent condition (in a box somewhere ... haven't seen yet), and the list goes on and on. Crazy good deal I think.

Tomorrow is my first day in the garage in awhile and organize the garage and begin to take apart more of the GP ... I want to go to sandblasting in July if possible ... we'll see if I can get the body off the frame by then.

Have to bring my last pulley to the engine rebuilder (thanks Jeff Hillman!) tomorrow. So much to do ... so much fun! :)

I'll keep you all posted. It'll be time for more pictures soon.

Oh yeah ... just remembered ...

Mint arm rest bases and pads
Mint dash map light ...

There's more as I open the boxes ...

Was running the '66 Bonnie for kicks and giggles in the church parking lot and was amazed that it was spinning tires and leaving smoke all over the place! It was fun ... but I was curious so took off the air cleaner and ... wham ... Edlebrock Carb with electric choke ... almost new. I stared laughing.

Last pulley (water pump) brought to engine rebuilder. He said I was missing a bolt for the a/c bracket to head. I found it. He said I needed the 2 spacers for the bracket to the block and the bolts/washers ... found it.

LAST thing ... (I hope) ... is the valve covers so he can prime the engine. Are the '66 421 Valve Covers the same as used on the GTO?? Can someone post pics?

When the engine is COMPLETED with accessories hanging off it I'll take some detailed pics and post them.

Thanks for the help with the valve covers.

Oh one more question ... is the water pump pulley painted the engine blue or black like the ps pump pulley? Thanks ...

You should have chrome valve covers with the pyramid for a 421. Anything will fit to do the run-in, but that is what is correct.

Water pump pulley is NOT engine blue! Painted for 65, painted semi gloss black or possibly cadmium plated for 66.