About Us

par4n1 · 11:01 PM

I looked at several cars in several states before I bought this. I answered an add in Hemmings. The add read "1968 Pontiac for sale in Va." I called and he said I better hurry if I was serious because its going in my yard sale in the morning. I was ready to make the drive across the state when he told me he lived in the same county as I do. With in an hour and 3500.00 dollars later I drove the car home. I am the second owner and car has 62K original miles. Some kin owed him some money and in lew painted his car. Very ratty paint job so it was stripped and reshot. Ive added and will add many comforts and options but it will always wear Tempest badging. He said he drove it to many parades and homecoming games as he was a shriner. I told him I would continue the tridition of throwing candy out it when ever I came to a stop light. He has since passed and I regreat not being able to show him the car in a finnished state. The car proudly wears its original set of tags.

dataway · 07-08-2016, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by north

I guess I belong to a unique club... downhill cloner. I cloned a GTO from a GTO Judge! Back in the 80's I bought a real 70 Judge (orbit with black guts and 4 speed) and since I didn't like Judges I pulled the wing and swapped the glove box emblem and repainted the car with a lousy black shoot (with just the GTO decals) instead of the orbit orange. I even put trim rings and a factory wood shift knob to get rid of the T-handle!

Has anyone cloned a GTO into a LeMans?

You are probably in a very exclusive club

dataway · 07-08-2016, 03:58 AM

Freakin sharp Tempest ... love the color.

I'll say it again, can't wait to finish the GTO (that I've owed for 40 years) and get rid of it and find myself a low mileage lemans or tempest to buy ... just can't wait. Zero pressure, zero expectations with a Lemans or Tempest, nobody to impress, nobody to prove anything to ... just fun.

PontGuy · 07-08-2016, 09:51 AM

Darth- post some pics, I think anything that is not a GTO counts here.

No doubt nice "non-cloned" Lemans and Tempests have become rarer than GTO's. When I bought mine I specifically searched for a Lemans vert. Not that easy back before the internet days. GTO's were not all that expensive back then but most had been ragged to near-death, in fact I built a 68 GTO on its last legs into a dirt track race car back in the day. Anyway I knew how easy it was to swap a big engine into a Lemans. And having owned both in the past a Lemans was what I wanted.

I searched for a year or so before seeing this one on the side of the road locally with a 4-sale sign on it. Probably paid too much, but it was exactly what I had in mind and I set it up exactly the way I wanted. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

dataway · 07-08-2016, 04:00 PM

You bring up an excellent point about the Lemans and Tempests ... way more of them that were not cut to piece to make a "hot rod" out of them. Just daily drivers that someone took care of, didn't beat to death etc. Any GTO has lived a life of street races, burnouts, blown engines, abused drive train, cut up dashes for tachs, stupid engine mods etc. etc. While many of the Lemans and Tempest were simple daily drivers for some family. I don't think I've ever seen an unmolested GTO in the kind of shape that I have seen low mileage Lemans and Tempests. 15 years ago you could still find a Lemans in wonderful driver condition, all original for a fraction of what a beat up GTO would bring.

AdamIsAdam · 07-08-2016, 05:18 PM

A clean LeMans also makes for a nice clone. 😉
That's what mine was/is. I would have been fine with a LeMans, but it is what it is

Vince GTO · 07-08-2016, 09:28 PM

My wife's car. My current project.

AdamIsAdam · 07-08-2016, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dataway

You bring up an excellent point about the Lemans and Tempests ... way more of them that were not cut to piece to make a "hot rod" out of them. Just daily drivers that someone took care of, didn't beat to death etc. Any GTO has lived a life of street races, burnouts, blown engines, abused drive train, cut up dashes for tachs, stupid engine mods etc. etc. While many of the Lemans and Tempest were simple daily drivers for some family. I don't think I've ever seen an unmolested GTO in the kind of shape that I have seen low mileage Lemans and Tempests. 15 years ago you could still find a Lemans in wonderful driver condition, all original for a fraction of what a beat up GTO would bring.

Hey, maybe I'll de-clone (or unclone) my car. What do you think? It's still got the side louvers, which is probably the hardest part to change over.

will slow gto · 07-09-2016, 12:54 AM

LeMans is such a great name for a car, just like Bonneville, Grand Prix, GTO, Firebird, and Trans Am. Was there any doubt Pontiac had it going on during the 60s and into the 70s!?!