[Andre]

Okay, I see the posi tag... that might have been one part I would have actually put on the car. Maybe I'll save the radiator cap, oil filler cap and gas cap for myself. That way I can tell everyone that I did the restoration myself.

For today's entry we have the new pistons and rods that are going into my original block. These came from Ken "The Dude" Keefer. The pistons have a dish machined in them to bring the final compression down to a reasonable 9.5:1. While we have 110 octane fuel readily available in my area, $6.00/gallon makes it expensive, so this is a better alternative.

This rod is quite a bit beefier looking than the original rods that were in there, and should be able to take some abuse.

[rzrektd]

Originally Posted by Andre

Okay, I see the posi tag... that might have been one part I would have actually put on the car. Maybe I'll save the radiator cap, oil filler cap and gas cap for myself. That way I can tell everyone that I did the restoration myself.

Hmmm since your being a smartie...
Are you going to lie about the vin swap too?

Should anyone care to verify my statement. The following quote is pulled from post #3 of this thread --> http://216.178.81.108/forums/showthread.php?t=456697

Originally Posted by Andre

I have an absolutely mint frame from a '66 Lemans 2 door hardtop that just came from California. I'm using the body, but I'd be willing to sell the frame bare, or as a roller. I'm in Florida, probably a 8 hour-9 hour ride from you.
The underside of this car was so nice that when you wiped away the dirt, it was like brand new.

Unless Andrea's pocket is deep enough to pay for a restore on both a 66 GTO and lemans and only cares to document one, this pretty much seals the deal on this awesome vin swap job.

[Bryan Jensen]

Originally Posted by rzrektd

Hmmm since your being a smartie...
Are you going to lie about the vin swap too?

I'm sorry, but I'm sick and tired of reading this post. Do yourself a favor...if you're going to have this "I have no Earthly idea what they're doing to my car" attitude, go hang out at Barret-Jackson with all the OTHER rich-snobs who claim they have no time to work on their cars. Congrats bud, all you learned out of all this is 50,000 left your bank account.

GRANTED, to be coming from your side of the fence. I understand. There is so much you can do until it needs to be done by professionals. I.E., my body is in the bodyshop. There's no way I'd even try to tackle bodywork on a car I'm trying to be show-quality. But the whole car?? pffff.

You say you don't have the technical abilities...well here's a TIP...it's called PICKING UP A WRENCH AND TAKING APART STUFF UNTIL YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUT IT BACK TOGETHER. I didn't even know what a headliner was when I started. But you know what? I bought myself a Crescent tool set from costco, talked to LOTS of older guys who know how to work on cars...and took it from there. Now I know stuff about GTO's and Pontiacs comparable to people in their 40's and 50's!!!

You think you're going to outsmart guys who bust their knuckles like me every night in their garage just because you show them your RADIATOR CAP??? I'm not even going to go there.


I don't want to cause problems. But this is how I feel about cars like this. I'm a very active member in a local GTOAA chapter...but it's for this reason I stopped "restoring" my car. At first I wanted a bone stock 67 gto...but then I came to realize: Too many rich snobs who think their cars are all that when they mabye only had five minutes of work time clocked in on it. But then I also came to realize about a month after I joined that in general the guys who make GTO's however they want and make them go faster...handle better... They actually know what they are talking about, and know their cars inside and out!!! They put in the hours and time that the "restoration" side of the club do not!!! I'm sick and tired of how people LIBERALLY use restore on a car that is OBVIOUSLY NOT restored:

Webster's Dictionary Defination of a restoration

restore: To bring back to an original condition

THERE RIGHT IN BLACK AND WHITE...to restore something is to bring it back to it's original bone stock nuts-and-bolts configuration as it was new...I don't care if it's a goat or a Chevy or a Painting...if it isn't 100 percent JOHN-DELOREAN original...STOP SAYING IT'S RESTORED. To the word restored in a car is my biggest pet peeve!!! Since when is a car with 22 inch boyd coddington wheels and shaved door handles a restored car??? It drives me nuts. If you're making a car into something OTHER than stock, say something like "redoing" the car or "resto-mod" or something!! but please no more "restore!!!" (unless it truely is a factory restored 100 point car).

So also, stop saying your car is restored when it isn't!!! I.E. I say I'm redoing my car and when I'm done I'm going to put a big sign in my garage that'll say "THERE WILL BE NO RESTORING IN THIS GARAGE!!!"

Off my soap box, but I had to say it. I'm the next generation (18 years old) of our Pontiac hobby!!!

[rzrektd]

Originally Posted by Bryan Jensen

I'm sorry, but I'm sick and tired of reading this post. Do yourself a favor...go hang out at Barret-Jackson with all the OTHER rich-snobs who claim they have no time to work on their cars. Congrats bud, all you learned out of all this is 50,000 left your bank account.

GRANTED, to be coming from your side of the fence. I understand. There is so much you can do until it needs to be done by professionals. But the whole car?? pffff.

You say you don't have the technical abilities...well here's a TIP...it's called PICKING UP A WRENCH AND TAKING APART STUFF UNTIL YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUT IT BACK TOGETHER.

You think you're going to outsmart guys who bust their knuckles like me every night in their garage just because you show them your RADIATOR CAP??? I'm not even going to go there.

OWNED.

ROTFLMAO

[bdk1976]

Originally Posted by Bryan Jensen

I'm sorry, but I'm sick and tired of reading this post.

Then don't read it...just like I have made the choice not to read your posts if I can help it.

Does anyone else find the irony of this joker complaining about a 'rich man's resto'?

[tp's lemans sport]

Bryan says he 18, he should be feeling the way he does. When I was 18 I wouldn't think twice about tearing apart anything. I can remember getting thrown out of an apartment because we were rebuilding an engine on a Honda motor cycle in the kitchen. When I had young children I did a lot of my repairs on my cars. As we age you can't do things that you could do when you were younger. Here's an example laying on your back under a car you cant' get far enouigh away to see what you are working on. Another example is how much flexiblity and mobility we lose, when I was 18 I had a 32" waist now its 38".

Some people have jobs that require clean hands, you can't go to meetings with grease on your hands. These jobs are more professional and usually pay well, they create disposable income and those funds are used for hobbies. Some guy like boats, some like planes, see how fast your money goes with those hobbies.

There's room for everybody in this hobby, 30 years from now when Bryan is living on 20 acres and in his workshop he has 20 vintage Pontiacs valued at $15,000,000. He'll be singing a different tune.

[rzrektd]

Originally Posted by tp's lemans sport

Some people have jobs that require clean hands, you can't go to meetings with grease on your hands. These jobs are more professional and usually pay well, they create disposable income and those funds are used for hobbies. Some guy like boats, some like planes, see how fast your money goes with those hobbies.

There's room for everybody in this hobby, 30 years from now when Bryan is living on 20 acres and in his workshop he has 20 vintage Pontiacs valued at $15,000,000. He'll be singing a different tune.

I have to have clean hands for work. I am an engineer for a lucrative company and I have meetings with Kenworth and Peterbilt. I get real dirty...I just know how to use soap.

Unfortunately you are correct...there is room for everybody in this hobby.

[Pecosbill]

What in the world is the matter with you guys, anyway? If any of you have spent any time talking with Andre you will find that he indeed knows how to turn a wrench and is a wealth of knowledge about our hobby. I, for one, am currently involved in a frame-off on a 64 convertible and so far I have removed every nut and bolt myself. Does that mean I begrudge Andre for the path he has chosen on his 66? Heck no. In fact, I'm learning a great deal from his pics and posts.

The great thing about these cars is we can each choose to do what we want to do to our cars, however we want to or can afford to do. It doesn't make a hill of beans if one guy wants to do it all himself, if one guy wants to farm out the work, or if another guy wants to restore, customize, clone, hot rod, or whatever else he wants to do with his car. If you don't like it, then shake your head, close your browser and keep your superior thoughts to yourself. Or better yet, use POSITIVE comments about what you are doing to convince others that yours is the route to go, instead of using negative comments to try to tear down what others are doing.

My first inclination was to invite this punk out for an old-fashioned ass-whippiin' but then I remembered (vaguely) what it was like when I was an 18 year old know-it-all...the lessons in life came harder and harder the more arrogant I was. Then one day it dawned on me what an absolute jerk I had been and how absolutely ashamed and embarrassed I was by my past behavior. Bryan will come around eventually....and he too will be embarrassed by his youthful lack of tact and discretion. I just hope he doesn't lose too many teeth in the interim.

Now let's all take a collective deep breath and drop this aspect of this thread. Andre, please ignore all of this and get back to posting your excellent, informative and helpful pics. And Merry Christmas to you all!

[400 4spd.]

Originally Posted by bdk1976

Then don't read it...just like I have made the choice not to read your posts if I can help it.

Does anyone else find the irony of this joker complaining about a 'rich man's resto'?

So, I'm not alone!

Good pictures, Andre. Can you tell me more about the disc brake set-up you're using? All a/market, or mix of GM?

[ctgross]

I've enjoyed seeing the progress on this project.

As far as the comments from the young man above , envy/jealousy must be hard to swallow when they are mixed as such.

Grow-up....your attitude is surely to foster some a$$ whipping in the future.



Thanks for the pics and continuing reports.

[Bryan Jensen]

My apologies....I'll end it here, and I don't want to cause problems.

...It's a great looking car. Coming good so far. Good luck with your new goat!!!

My only two things I had an issue were the following, and don't take it as in insult:

1.) Don't try to lie and make people think you did all that work yourself. Your hurting yourself, and if you say you did the (restoration...how I hate that word), people are going to ask you all sorts of heavy technical questions you won't know...and you're going to look like an idiot! Be honest with what was done to it and you and other enthusiasts will feel a lot better!

2.) Just don't let your lack of knowledge keep you from trying to do something on your car on your own, that's all. Even if I send something out (if it's locally) to the machine shop or the like, I'm over there learning whatever I can about what they're doing...or if they're nice enough...I give a hand and work with them so I can learn myself!!

[Bryan Jensen]

Originally Posted by rzrektd

Hmmm since your being a smartie...
Are you going to lie about the vin swap too?

Should anyone care to verify my statement. The following quote is pulled from post #3 of this thread --> http://216.178.81.108/forums/showthread.php?t=456697




Unless Andrea's pocket is deep enough to pay for a restore on both a 66 GTO and lemans and only cares to document one, this pretty much seals the deal on this awesome vin swap job.

I like this guy, we need more guys like this in our hobby

And, yes...I might change my tune someday. I am going onto college very soon and once I graduate from College...med school...and grad. school... and become I.E. a Psychiatrist, we'll see

But for now, let me work on my car the way I want and I'll stay out of yours.