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My '69 GTO Convertible Body-off Restoration Thread
Was in the works for awhile but I just acquired my GTO project car last week. I found it for sale in Phoenix, Arizona and trailered it home to San Angelo, TX.
Here's some photos of it I took upon arriving and unloaded: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 As you can see, the engine and transmission are out of the car and dismantled. The interior is all out of the car as well. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 Original matching numbers engine and transmission. The block has had most the machine work done. The heads are done and so is the tranny. I do have a couple of things planned for the drivetrain. I think I will save the transmission and install a beefed up 200-4R. I will use the engine but save the manifold and carb an purchase an Edelbrock ProFlo 4 MPFI system. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 It looks excellent from underneath. Hardly any surface rust. Just dirty. There is some rust in the bottoms of both fenders behind the wheels. I believe those will need patch panels. One small spot above the p/s tail light and a small spot on d/s rear wheel well lip. There is a hole in the floor from a leaking heater core. I can make a small patch for that. I've found evidence of bondo in the middle of panels using a magnet but the rockers don't appear to have any. It will need some work on panel alignment and gaps too. Hood to fenders, fenders to doors and at the Endura bumper to hood and fenders. I intend to make it all very close to perfect if I can. Doors to quarters and trunk lid look pretty good already. I've read that it is quite a challenge to get an Endura bumper to really fit well on any car. That will be interesting. Stripping the paint will reveal some things as it always does but at this point I think it is a great car for a restoration. I did buy it sight-unseen but the seller was good about providing me with a few iterations of sending photos of specific things I wanted to see. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 |
Well
I will jump in and say "nice find " ! how did you sleep > ? waiting for it to make it into your shop .. great colors nice options,,, rally gauges ac adjustable mirror disc brakes convertible no rust convertible ... no rust... and complete! |
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You have a good eye if you spotted the rally gauges sitting on the floor in a box. Here they are: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 As you can see by the 140 mph speedometer, this set didn't come out of a '69 GTO. My car didn't have the rally gauge package from the factory but the person I bought the car from intended to upgrade gauges but never installed this set. Here's the build sheet for the car btw: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 Not sure whether I'll use this replacement set. I might opt for the Dakota Digital VHX system and save the original gauges that are still in the car now. |
Cool car and great color combo. Looks like that psg side cylinder failed from the looks of the stained floor boards. Hope its an easy fix.
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You're starting with some great bones there as she looks solid. I think liberty blue with parchment is an awesome combination and I'll be looking forward to your updates.
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Nice car, good luck with everything. I’ll be watching your progress. Marc.
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Congrats on finding such a solid-looking convertible. Hope you have fun with it.
Your post triggered a few memories as I went to HS in Midland. San Angelo was an oasis by comparison. |
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Yes San Angelo is a nice place to live. My wife and I moved here when we retired after living in Austin during our careers. Austin just got too crowded for us. |
Hey look what my wife made for me yesterday!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 She's really good at building things. I asked her about it and she put this together yesterday. This will be perfect since this tranny will be stored for who knows how long. Still need to make a lid for it but she ran out of scrap wood. |
Glad you got it and aren't finding deep regrets with it.
One of the Top Notch color combos Have you frame off restored a car before ? |
A couple of times but I don't own a rotisserie and did them without.
No regrets even one bit. I was and am prepared to tackle any issues I run into. I'm pretty sure at this point that this car is better shape than the 2 other frame offs I did. I'll be posting a little later this evening about my progress today after I sort out the photos I took. |
This was the first frame off restoration I did:
Before: https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...09.59443/full/ After: https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...280.85463/full |
Progress
This is the first day I actually did a couple of things to the car. I had spent a few days organizing and taking photos of all the parts and then got them all stored away.
First I'll show what I uncovered today that was super good. I took the windshield out and was surprised at how good the the underside looked. It's in superb condition. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 So Scott, I wish it were rust free but it does have some as these photos show: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 I did a little sanding on that wheel well edge and it's full of bondo. I knew this already after I took a magnet to it the other days. I'll post photos of that a little later. The ones I took didn't come out very well. |
Welcome to the forum Roger, thanks for posting your pics are great, I envy the lighting it helps allot. Great work on that box by your wife, that kind of thing helps.
The 55 looks awesome, looking forward to the 69 outshining that, you really did find a diamond in the rough, seems every owner of that car probably had a garage. Good luck with the build, if you need any Pontiac specific help your at the right place. As you've seen, plenty of interested, helpful and knowledgeable people here. One other thing, I see you're not keeping it stock, nothing wrong with that it's your car. I don't mind the day 2 look under the hood, but inside I love the look of original. Enjoy, Frank |
Wow, your 69 vert is such a great project! Hardly any rust where the dash metal meets the cowl. Good luck, will be looking forward to seeing the progress on this car.
Here's a little inspiration, but that 55 of yours clearly shows you don't need any: https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds...o/2421721.html |
That is one great project Roger and a great color combination. Congratulations.
Goes to appreciate the south west. Projects in Ohio usually look as though Captain Nemo brought it up. (older people will get that :)) Please post as you work on it. Love the restoration threads and think they are the most helpful to others here. |
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If you looked closely at the fenders and quarter wheel openings you can see I have rust issues there. The fenders will need patch panels. The quarter wheel openings are going to need new metal too. But I was prepared for this as I saw the evidence before I purchased it. Actually this car did spend some of it's life in the east. Originally in PA then went to Ohio before landing in AZ. I'm sure it was the life in the east that led to the rust in the fenders and quarters. I do think it was garaged and taken care of while there because the floors and frame look really good. The car also has some things that it's life in Arizona helped with. The windshield frame is as good or better than any old car I've worked on. I've peeled off more of the old convertible top and the frame looks darn near perfect. |
I love that garage in the '55 unrestored picture (still have?). I remember the red stars too, sort of like the old Esso (Exon in US) stations up here using 3,4 and 5 stars depending on their size. Great picture of her restored sitting under that beautiful car port with that fuel pump.
If in the future you find a shortage of '69 resto pics, I give you permission to share your garage here. :) Carlos |
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https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...er1.82776/full I did sell that '57 pickup last week the day before buying the GTO. The buyer of the pickup was in Tucson and I drove it there and dropped it off. Then I rented the U-haul and trailer and headed up to Phoenix to get the goat. My garage photo was before my cab-off restomod on the the pickup. Here's how it turned out: https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...620.62967/full I've owned this car 25 years and finished my second restomod on it last year: https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...531.66957/full |
That night time photo of your shop makes me want to go hang out at your shop on weekend nights :)
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Wow...that is one beautiful workshop. Love it!
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Frank |
Thanks guys! Definitely my dream garage and man cave. I had it built by a contractor/friend and my wife and I did some of the work too. That was in the year I retired back in 2008.
Been working on the GTO a bit every day and took just took some photos of where I'm at now. https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...pg.109590/full https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...pg.109583/full I'll show a few issues to deal with but they are pretty minor. I don't think I mentioned before that there was one minor hole in the floor in the front p/s corner where it meets the toe board. It was caused by a leaking heater core. I could tell in the seller's photos that it also damaged the body mount bracket attached to the firewall. As I suspected, I think it will be better to replace it than try to repair it. It isn't a big deal to do when the body is off the frame. The hole in the floor isn't a big issue either. I can make patches for that easy. [IMG]https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=192 0,fit=scale-down//media/img_1851-jpg.109589/full/IMG] https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...pg.109588/full https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...pg.109584/full I didn't know this until now but will be a pretty easy repair. I will remove the brace to make the repairs then weld it back on. https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...pg.109591/full Looks like someone cut an access hole in the p/s inner fender. I'm guessing it happened when the heater core was replaced. The seller told me it was a prior owner that had it done. Simple fix. https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...pg.109594/full Looks like someone enlarged the slots in the bumper braces with a blow torch. I guess to help in trying adjust the endura bumper? https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...pg.109586/full Anyway, all this work told me even more that I've got a very solid car. Absolutely no evidence of any collision damage. |
Looking good, moving right along...
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Shame someone would rather torch the brace's than replace the core support bushings, shame about the inner fender too. Like you say though, not to shabby overall.
Those brace's should be easy to come by if you want to replace them, I would think they're plentiful. Frank |
Garage is awesome and shows well with that great photography work. Did you do the paint on these projects yourself? ElCamino looks flawless.
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Thanks!
I am kind of a photography buff but that photo of my shop was taken by a professional that owed us a favor. And btw, my shop was featured in a magazine article in special edition called "Great Garage Makeovers". They contacted me when they found photos I had posted on a forum. https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...ure.93014/full Yes. I've painted all my project cars. The Bel Air, pickup and El Camino were all painted in the room the GTO resides in now. I create a makeshift paint booth out of that end stall by installing two 24 inch fans in the window on the back end and an inlet filter wall with spray booth filters on the garage door end. Works pretty well. https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...017.59441/full https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...992.59277/full https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i...601.59046/full |
Dry desert cars basically rust free sheet metal is always fascinating to look at. Good luck with your project.
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Great paint booth and garage. Overall looks like you found a solid straight ride. Congrats
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Pretty impressive that you've accomplish so much with that garage and all the past projects. Gives me inspiration looking forward to things still on my bucket list! So if I fill up at your place, is the Fire Chief gas still 24.9 cents a gallon? :)
Star-Quality Texaco Garage http://www.wolverinecoatings.com/Pic...xicoGarage.pdf |
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As I mentioned, I bought the car with only seeing photos. There were a lot of photos so I thought I was getting a pretty good car. But upon disassembly, it's really much better than my impressions were. So that windshield I removed was the original. Today I removed the rest of the convertible top and I think that was original too. I don't think this car has ever had so much as a dent in it either. You can see really well behind the quarters in these cars and there's no evidence of previous body damage. I got the driver door guts all out today. Not even a spot of rust on the inside. I'm amazed. More photos coming in a day or 2. Quote:
I don't even have to tell you the story of why I chose 24.9¢. You are welcome to come and try to squeeze some gas out of that pump but you might not get very much! Here's a better photo of my Corvette. I sold the car to guy who put it in his private collection a few years ago. I talked to him the other day and he told me he has a black '69 GTO in his collection too. I will go over and see it one of these days. https://www.hotrodders.com/cdn-cgi/i..._2.102095/full |
Progress photos
Removed the evaporator box.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qc...-no?authuser=0 Removed the rest of the ragtop (and it was literally in rags) and then removed the frame. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...r=0&authuser=0 The rust is only slight surface rust. No metal is even close to being compromised. All the tack strip tabs are fine. I believe the ragtop was factory original. I'll blast this and coat with black epoxy primer from Southern Polyurethanes (SPI). Removed all the guts out of the driver door. Dirty inside but no rust at all. Undercoating in good shape. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Fh...-no?authuser=0 |
Done today:
I got all the glass and hardware out of the doors and quarters. Removed old exhaust system. Removed doors. Pretty much down to removing everything at the dash now before acquiring some steel to brace the body with. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 |
Worked on the car some this afternoon.
Got the dash and wiring harness out but have a little more to remove there. The wiring is pretty brittle and I'm inclined to replace it all with new. The upper ducting to the defrost vents was so brittle that it would just crumple in your hand. Notice all the pieces on the floor. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0 |
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Wow ... the entire dash comes out on a 69? Lucky you ... 68's are a pain with all the metal staying put.
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Nice...you're moving along pretty quickly.
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Amazing, no words!
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I just received my A pillar moldings back from Just Dashes. Beautifully done. I had my dash pad done by them also. Expensive? Yes but well worth the cost.
Their lead times are stretching out to about four months now. |
This is a re-post of what I posted this morning. With photos that show up now.
Stuart said moderators don't have the ability to turn editing back on but he was able to delete my posts so I could fix and re-post them. >>> Quote:
I am going to need to replace the dash or send this one out for recovering. I haven't done any research on that yet. I know it will be expensive. https://i.imgur.com/qcDm8jL.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GBAMZAd.jpg Quote:
The original dash harness is a non-rally but the seller of the car included a used dash harness w/ rally. I'll make the decision on what do when I inspect them both really closely. I do know that the inside and outside A/C harnesses have issues. May buy new or make my own for those. Not sure about the engine and front light harness yet. I have some studying to do on those. Not sure what caused this: https://i.imgur.com/U46a6lE.jpg |
2nd re-post from this morning.
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I did remove everything else from the dash and acquired the steel I will need to brace the body. Not exactly sure yet how I'm going to lift the body but I do have a preliminary plan. I will share that later. https://i.imgur.com/BvcEDdF.jpg https://i.imgur.com/69KENRC.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GMcfVNB.jpg |
In regards to the heater switch, I'd say the plug wasn't pushed all the way on.
The switch may be OK Saw this on Ebay this morning. Not mine so verify the part number https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-1969-Po...EAAOSwHZJfc49s |
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I also see in the Ames catalog that repros are $45. |
Plan for lifting body
I got the bracing done and mocked up the equalizer for lifting. Haven't drilled the holes for the chain attachments yet.
The red bar is pretty much where I figure the front to back balance point of the body is. The hoist and equalizer are rated at 1,500 lbs. The 12" long eye-bolt goes up into the attic and through a long piece of 2"X6" where it has a big washer and nut on top. The 2"X6" is sitting flat on top of 2"X8" joists on 16" centers. I also plan on using a come-a-long to connect between the eyebolt and which ever end of the car is a bit heavier. This will help keep it level from front-to-back and keep the body from spinning. A friend of mine gave me that idea. https://i.imgur.com/u0tieHh.jpg"]htt...om/u0tieHh.jpg https://i.imgur.com/E4TiNYo.jpg"]htt...om/E4TiNYo.jpg https://i.imgur.com/SId4b6x.jpg"]htt...om/SId4b6x.jpg I did remove all the body mount bolts. The 4 front ones were stubborn. The nuts spun but I was able to go through the holes in the front and secure them with vise grips. The other 8 all came out OK. |
The weather turned cold and rainy so I'm not ready to lift the body and roll the frame outside yet.
So, I spent some time using a paint stripping disc. First the good: https://i.imgur.com/zKdtRg0.jpg https://i.imgur.com/m46SRfo.jpg https://i.imgur.com/77BSfgR.jpg Generally looks good. About 80% had been stripped before. All the upper parts but not towards the bottom. They used a very aggressive grit by the looks of the scratches. Now some not so good. Both quarters are going to need the set of 2 patch panels around and behind the wheel openings. The previous repairs were done very, very poorly and will make it a bit harder to fix correctly. There were some patches laid on top of rust holes and welded on. Then bondo was laid on thick to feather it out. The bondo went half way up the quarters and all the way around the wheel openings. Some holes are not patched and were just had bondo stuffed into the holes. Driver side: https://i.imgur.com/0a4wMOg.jpg https://i.imgur.com/FnAv8LO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/e5nbgcW.jpg https://i.imgur.com/YSs1wqj.jpg Passenger side: https://i.imgur.com/rcn9uS2.jpg https://i.imgur.com/V7lnxuf.jpg https://i.imgur.com/N2CZVgH.jpg https://i.imgur.com/TuVcIRB.jpg No patch. Just bondo over and in the hole. I've seen a lot of GTOs that rust here. Does anyone know the root cause of rust in this location? https://i.imgur.com/eYRY6Nm.jpg No rust on this side but some kind of damage was repaired there and not done very well. It was built up with bondo. Hopefully I can correct with a little hammer and dolly work but the poor job done on this will make it more difficult. https://i.imgur.com/aBT1LYU.jpg The rockers appear good: https://i.imgur.com/KdJki1Z.jpg https://i.imgur.com/bV3ay96.jpg Cracks in the factory lead on both sides here. I will have to take the lead out and weld the seams to correct this. https://i.imgur.com/tSA93pK.jpg https://i.imgur.com/HiUILmq.jpg |
Very clean for 52 years! Those cracks behind the top well happen on all ragtops. The factory tack welds and lead smoothing are the cause of the problem. I've found that melting out the lead and then TIG welding fix this forever.
As for your dash pad you have three choices: a cap (cheapest choice and not as bad as it sounds but it has a stigma), Just dashes redo (about $700, the good is that it is new material so no fears of it cracking again, the bad is that they just don't look right if you are fussy; too "puffy" especially the top surface and around vents etc a nice used one (believe it or not they still turn up every now and then) is likely expensive ($1,000?) but the best looking, however the fear will always be there with 52 year old vinyl, will it crack during shipment, during install or that first hot or cold day? |
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btw, since you are doing bodywork on a nice never rusted or hit car with original sheetmetal you should try to keep the lower body "hollow" that all the 68-69 A bodies had. from the rear wheel opening to the back bumper the lower body (below the widest point of the car) has negative "hollows" in the sheetmetal obviously intended to visually lighten the car. Many guys flatten out these areas.
The attached photo is just a car off ebay but the white paint and the sun angle highlight this nicely on the front half of the car. This "hollowness" also continues into the quarter both in front and behind the wheel opening. Harder to see the effect on the back half of this car, perhaps because of body work or just the angle of the sun. In any case the effect of the hollowness on the quarters is similar to what you see on the fender and door of this car. |
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