[mike nixon]

That's a great story!

[joegpho]

Jesus MJohnson23, your story made me tear up!

My story has been on the internet since about 1998, when I was finally going "digital".
Short story - late 1978, neighbor bought a new 79 GP. He has this strange looking 69 Grand Prix - I barely recognized it because it had plain bottlecap hubcaps, caps that supposedly were NOT shipped on/with a GP in 69. He wanted it gone, so my Dad bought it for $400. He was the orignal owner; wanted something fast and different and this is what Mont Claire Motors in Chicago came up with:

It was a 69' 428 HO, 3spd on the floor, Model J.

I helped my Dad (ASE Certified and also an instructor) rebuild the carb, overhaul the master cylinder, and swap out that strange transmission (with FoMoCo embossed on the side) for a 4sdp out of a 69' Camaro. I learned to drive stick on this car, but I only drove it twice. It's probably a good thing - would you give a 428 HO, 3.55 posi equipped, 4spd, MANUAL STEERING, non-tachometer 69' GP to a 17 yearold?!? This was 1984.
We just didn't have room to keep it, and I didn't fight hard enough to keep it.
(I thought I would track it down and buy it back.)

We sold the car in the fall of 84' for $850. The car was driven for a year, the drivetrain pulled and the car scrapped. Even at the time we were selling it I estimated it was one of a dozen or less built.

I found out in 1990 that the car was 1 of 3. Thanks to Keith V, after a 12 year hunt (from 1990 to 2002), I have an original block/head/intake (etc.) 69 J M20 428 HO 4spd car.

(O.K. so this story does run long!)
At least we kept the VIN. Car was Midnight Green with Parchment interior, no vinyl top.
Options on invoice: HO engine, posi, AM/FM Stereo (which was functional when we sold the car), Rally Gauge w/clock (doh!), tinted glass, ride and handling pkg, underhood lamp and G78x14 WW tires - that's it.
Needless to say I love these cars!

[428ho4spd]

Originally Posted by mike nixon

That's a great story!

X 2...