[geeteeohguy]

Hi all. Just got back from a Route 66 /Southwest vacation in my old '67 GTO ragtop. Car has the born with 400, carb, and points distributor. I changed the 670 heads to #15's from a '70 455 about 15 years ago, upgrading the studs.
Rebuilt in 1988, re-sealed with a BOP rear main seal in 2011, about 85,000 miles on the rebuilt engine and 255,000 miles on the car. The smoking gun is a 2.56 Safe-T-Track I installed about 15 years ago when I dropped the compression with the 87cc heads.
We had zero running issues. Averaged 20.6 mpg, and most driving was done over 70 mph. We ran 80-85 in AZ where the speed limit was 75 posted.
Total mileage was 2,715, with oil usage being 1/2 quart for the entire trip. Very happy and surprised with that. Last time I did this trip in this car 30 years ago, I used several quarts of oil due to the leaking rope rear seal. The car had a 3.36 gear then, so mpg was less as well.
The only issue we had was having to replace both rear axle bearings in Cortez, Colorado. Coming back from Mesa Verde I noticed a squeak at low speeds, so I jacked it up and it was loose on the driver's side. I had checked them prior to departure, but it is what it is. Luckily, NAPA ordered them, got them the next day, and a local custom shop pressed them on. We drove the 900 miles home without incident.
A couple of surprises: the car always started right up and ran fine, even at 8400 feet elevation.
The 37 year-old top did not leak during two afternoons of long drives through thunderstorms and pouring rain.
And finally, 30 years ago, nobody much cared about this car. This time, we were like rock stars. EVERYBODY loved the GTO, and it got us VIP treatment everywhere we went. My buddy (another retired co-worker) was so impressed at the manners and smoothness of the goat that he is now in the market for a '68-'70 hardtop!
So: original Q-jet carb, original points distributor, no overdrive, and no electrical modifications whatsoever allowed us to take a 2700 mile road trip in style and comfort. And to think, most under 45 think it can't be done with out an LS swap, fuel injection, a tremec OD, and modified suspension. These old cars, when maintained and kept within factory specifications, are IMO more reliable than the newer cars. My '67, which I bought 40 years ago as a used car, has never been off the road or out of service or restored. It now has almost 258,000 miles on the clock. Sorry about the long winded post!!