[fyrffytr1]

Congratulations. That is a beautiful car.

[charles bledsoe]

Congrats on the advertisement!! You should see if you can get a copy of the digits and have them blown up to poster size. It would look nice framed. Nice stable of Pontiacs!

[squidtone]

Jeff,
just beautiful.
I like how the ad looks like the Pontiac Ads from the late 60's...big color photo with the white field at the bottom with the ad copy.

[Tempest]

very cool.
I will be sure to tell all my buddies that I know that car. (kind of??)
Thanks for sharing, your car is stunning.

[6 Grrrs]

I saw the commercial yesterday. Car looked great.

[Gator67]

Thanks guys! Last night Hagerty displayed my car (along with a 65 Corvette and a 67 Mustang) at the Penske Racing Museum in Scottsdale. They were hosting a cocktail party for big clients and partners. The museum is very cool. There are a bunch of winning Indy cars and a 63 Catalina.

[nodwyer]

Saw the add on barret jackson commercial last night. Very cool, are those hurst wheels.

[Gator67]

Originally Posted by nodwyer

Saw the add on barret jackson commercial last night. Very cool, are those hurst wheels.

Yes, original Hurst wheels.

[nodwyer]

I can only imagine the cost you have in your restoration. Im doing a little at a time, just a awesome looking ride.

[Gator67]

It's been a while, so I thought I'd give an update.

My 70 TA was finished in the spring and now resides in the garage between my wife's Firebird and my goat. The TA was a big project, but it turned out great. Like the GTO, it's a high #2 car built to be driven.

Work on my 70 Formula 400 pro-touring car has started. I thought it would be easier to do a pro-touring car than a "restoration" because I wouldn't have to find correct factory parts. But it turns out there are so many more decisions points with build like this, and because each car is unique, there isn't a clear template for how things should go. I have a thread in the 70-73 Firebird section if anyone's interested.

With regard to my GTO, I finally got around to switching the intake for a correct '67 unit. I tapped and plugged the heat passages under the carb, so I won't have to worry about the carb getting too hot. I also took care of some details that were bugging me…PCV routing, plug wires, wire looms, distributor vacuum line, brake booster vacuum line, brackets, fan belts, misc. bolts and nuts, and so forth. I know there are many other issues I could address (fan shroud, alt fan, hose clamps, etc.), but I'm satisfied for now.

I also made a couple other changes.

First, I removed the rear sway bar. For some reason it caused a clunking noise in the suspension when the chassis was torqued. The noise has always bothered me and I couldn't figure out what caused it. Regardless, the car is so much more enjoyable to drive now (never mind that it looks better from the rear--it hung down too low). I much prefer the quite suspension to the very marginal improvement in handling.

Second, I replaced the radiator. The car never overheated with the brass-copper unit, but I destroyed it one day, and I decided to go with an aluminum radiator to give me an additional margin of security--Mark 7 Machine and Radiator in Michigan, epoxy free construction, 1.25 inch tubs. The car runs cooler now, but what's more noticeable is that the temperature is much more constant around the rating of the thermostat. In fact, it doesn't seem to budge at all from 180 degrees regardless of whether I'm idling in traffic or buzzing down the interstate at 75mph. During the first long drive, I actually thought my temp gauge got stuck at the 1/4 mark. I had it anodized in black and the top tank is shaped to mimic a factory radiator. It won't fool anyone who knows our cars, but it doesn't look out of place at all.

Third, I installed an aftermarket starter. The factory starter worked well enough, but I felt it was only a matter of time before I had problems, The wires just seemed so close to hitting the block and the solenoid was almost touching the exhaust manifold. I went with a Meziere. Aside from the sound it makes when you start the car, you'd never know it's there (you can't see it from the engine bay).

All for now...

[nodwyer]

Nice Garage, oh the cars look pretty sweet to

[Gator67]

Gotta love the Hurst Halo!

[Gator67]

Is there a consensus on the routing of the coolant overflow hose? For some reason, mine doesn't look right. Wondering if it should go over the top of the radiator?

[Gator67]

Thought I would take a minute to update...can't believe it's been 4 years.

Not long after my last post, I replaced the Meziere starter with with a RobbMc unit. I just could not get the Meziere starter adjusted quite right, and was chewing up my flywheel, which I ended up replacing. I also sent out the heads for some work. I needed valve seals replaced, and not being one to leave well enough alone, I decided to have the heads ported (250cfm). I also found a nice 7027263 which I sent to Cliff to restore and set up for my combo.

The car performed much better after these changes, and has been super reliable for the past 4 years. So this winter I decided to treat the car to some TLC.

First, I've always had to jiggle the key to get the accessory circuit to work (radio, signals, etc.). So rather than replacing the ignition switch & cylinder with another '64-65 repop, I ponied up for an NOS 1116676 and cylinder I found on eBay. Not cheap, but problem solved and it's the right part.

Second, the aftermarket dual speaker set-up in the dash failed, so I replaced that with an original style 10 ohm 4x10. I purchased the speaker, made by S&M Electro-Tech, from our host. I must have tossed out the original brackets, so I bought another set from a member.

Third, the passenger side glass has never been aligned with the quarter window, so I'm in the process of straightening that out. I compared my glass with the original pieces and it looks like mine is somewhat flatter. Hopefully, I can get it close without having to replace the glass.

Finally, the car has always droned a bit between 2000 and 2500rpm. So I decided to replace the Race Pro mufflers that came with the Pypes exhaust with 20" Dynomax STs. I've been told that this should take care of the problem.

All this should be finished up this week in time to drive around to events surrounding the Scottsdale auctions.

[Mister Pontiac]

Wow Jeff, the 67 looks absolutely stunning! Just as I remember it. Sounds like some wonderful improvements/upgrades to the car. I'm excited to see you're keeping her in perfect condition!

Been a long time, my friend. Time does indeed fly. Hope to see you around the valley again one of these days.

[RedDirtRoad]

Wow! What a great thread
Your workmanship is outstanding
Good luck Jeff

[Gator67]

Thanks for the compliments guys! Finished up the little projects I mentioned in my previous post. Radio sounds great, no more drone at cruising RPM, and the RH glass is aligned...

Todd, we definitely need to catch up. I've been really busy with work and family and other projects, but I'm going to make it a point to re-connect with friends this year.

[lust4speed]

Did the 20" Dynomax Super Turbos end up too quiet? A friend has been going back and forth between the 14" and 20" ST's, and while he wants to eliminate the drone with his current mufflers, he doesn't want to totally silence the exhaust system.

[Gator67]

They are not too quiet for me. But maybe they are too quiet for someone looking to make a big impression with the sound of an engine, and that’s a priority over driving comfort.

[geeteeohguy]

Originally Posted by Gator67

They are not too quiet for me. But maybe they are too quiet for someone looking to make a big impression with the sound of an engine, and that’s a priority over driving comfort.

I've had a very quiet, stock exhaust on my '67 convertible since I bought it in 1983. In the past 130,000+ miles I've put on it, I love it. No fatigue, no drone, no crappy rasping sounds. And you can really hear the Q-jet when you nail it. I had 'lifetime' mufflers installed my Midas in 1987, and they are still on the car doing their job.