[dataway]

Save those photos that look like original OEM stuff ... more help for the community looking for how things were done at the factory.

[nytrainer]

Nice project but I'll request posted pics and specs of your new shop too now that I plan on subscribing to your build thread and living vicariously through you

[Go-Tee-O]

Still has both 2-piece brake rotors. Haven't mic'd them.

Also has the uber-rare 4-lug option!

[Go-Tee-O]

Was hoping the 4-row radiator might be usable.....perhaps not.

[Go-Tee-O]

If you look closely, it still has the spiral shocks on the front. And they seem to work!

[Go-Tee-O]

I guess these are replacement shocks on the rear?

Also, apparently someone couldn't afford a $5 pack of coil spring spacers at Kragen, lol!

[Go-Tee-O]

Originally Posted by nytrainer

Nice project but I'll request posted pics and specs of your new shop too now that I plan on subscribing to your build thread and living vicariously through you

Ha, I'm usually the one living vicariously! But since you asked, the shop is 24x36. Kia included for reference

[dataway]

A good radiator shop can do amazing things with old OEM parts ... don't throw that radiator out.

That wood in the spring is an old trick .... it was probably running NASCAR with a minimum height spec ....the wood holds the car up to pass over the inspection block, then the wood pounds out on the high banks and drops the car down That's my story and I'm sticking with it

[dataway]

Originally Posted by Go-Tee-O

Ha, I'm usually the one living vicariously! But since you asked, the shop is 24x36. Kia included for reference

I think that is a nice shop .. mine is only 24x32 ...but, under the house, so stays pretty warm and is easy to get to.

[71 T/A]

Originally Posted by Go-Tee-O

Oh, as far as color, I don't plan on going back to the Expresso Brown. I'm kind of partial to Liberty Blue, possibly Crystal Turquoise. In any case, the vinyl top is out.

My 69 GTO came Espresso Brown and I painted it Burgundy, which looks great. Never went back to the vinyl top, a rust magnet for sure.

[Nocar]

Keep the vinyl and like the 428!

[Go-Tee-O]

Got the hood off, hood hinges, and the trashed windshield. I knew there were some holes in the driver's side A-pillar. Looks good at the roof. Some rust on the top of the dash, not the worst I've seen.

[Go-Tee-O]

If you look closely, you can see the skin of rust that formed on top of the water that sat in the some of the intake ports. Might be a clue as to why the engine won't rotate, lol.




I'll be glad to get all the orange-rusty stuff out of the engine compartment.

[Go-Tee-O]

Got the front end off. Not too many surprises.



Whoever said that California cars don't rust??




Most important tool, lol



Just a little bondo.

[Go-Tee-O]

*facepalm*



Should have built a bigger shop

[Go-Tee-O]

Front end coming apart

Still has the spiral shocks on the front, and they still work!



One of the spring tags survived, as well. This car is a real mix of OE and OMG

[Go-Tee-O]

Got the engine and trans out today.

Frame is solid.



Frozen XH 400. Trans had decent looking juice in it. Distributor won't budge :/



What's better than a JC Whitney replacement expansion plug?



A JC Whitney plug that's oh-so-close to possibly shorting out the battery cable!




Hopefully will get the 428 block on the stand tomorrow and start building.

[dataway]

Very cool stuff ... pain in the butt yes, but very cool to see some original stuff like that.

[GOAT WHORE]

OE and OMG, to funny! Looks like you might be lucky to even have this car with that JC Whitney deal.

[north]

OE and OMG is going into my permanent lexicon!! What a flawless way to describe that kind of car we've all come across in our wrench turning lives!!

It brings back memories of a similar 69 GTO I had in the 80's...
We called the guy I bought it from Goofy:

a 76 400 (factory dished pistons to get to 7.6 to 1) with a set of 76 455 heads to net about 6 to 1 compression
a square bore holley on a factory spreadbore intake which resulted in a somewhat limited throttle opening!!
I guess to compensate for those two problems he upped the gear ratio, only problem was that he only changed the ring gear not the pinion gear! a tad noisy and more metal shreds in the diff than oil
valence, fenders, rad support were all one welded together unit, luckily he couldnt weld so a tap of a hammer and the welds all let go
and finally this car had a special way to find itself back home... just like Hansel and Gretel it started dropping oil pan bolts driving it home followed by ever growing oil drippings.