[barrierblue66]

Originally Posted by Tim john

GTOLVR66@aol.com is Platinum Al's email address. Great guy and have had him do several steering wheels for me. I have his address and phone number as well if needed.

Tim john---

Thanks for reminding me. Going to have him do my '66 wheel. The ring is perfect, just missing the woodgrain

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by GT182

Glad to hear it's 389 Paul. For some reason it didn't look right.... probably because of the 2bbl and the intake. Sorry I made you nervous but I had to ask.

Has to be a 389 out of a full size Pontiac... Charles and I say so too. BTW... my dad's 64 Star Chief had a 389 with a 2bbl Carter.

Gary

Just curious as to why? The stamp on the distributed pad on the block is GTO and the heads are GTO. What makes you feel it's from a different car?

It appears that when someone put the GTO 389 in the car, for whatever reason they put an intake and carb from another Pontiac on it.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by YNOBIL

Looks good Paul. It's a balmy 34* in Chicago today. Perfect weather for cruising around with the top down.

Thanks Bill. I saw your car this weekend at MCACN. Looked great.

[kate`s67gto]

Congrats on the very nice 66 GTO convertible.
I believe the carter AFB is a 4 bbl. I think i see 4 squirters. Unless my eyes are playing tricks again.

[barrierblue66]

Sure looks like the intake on my '63 - 389, with the heater hose (minus the valve) entering the front instead of at the rear of the block. But the water pump looks like the later model 7 bolt, where my '63 is a 4 bolt. I think the housing is a little different also. All this is by memory which has started failing me lately

[Andre]

You guys are confusing me... I don't see a 2bbl carb anywhere. I do see a Carter AFB, and pretty much everything else that looks like my '64 GTO's upper end. I however did not research the block casting to determine if it is '64 vintage.
If I remember correctly, '63 389 does not have the holes for a block mounted starter, and using one of those engines in a later model has additional challenges.

[geeteeohguy]

I see a Carter AFB 4bbl in the pics. Not a 2bbl. You could wrap the original wheel with a leather cover and 'run it' as is. Better than the Grant, and low $$. I would replace the PUI seat covers with Legendary or something that has real pleats. The flat looking PUI covers really stand out in an otherwise very nice looking, solid GTO ragtop. Congrats....you have a nice one to work with.

[Greg Reid]

Paint the drums red Paul. '66 got red drums behind the Rally 1 wheels. The rusty drums distract from the nice wheels.
It's obvious at a glance that it's a '64 and earlier intake, and from what b-man posted about the casting number, it's a '64 GTO block also.
It is a 4bbl Carter, which would be correct for the engine.... So, what's the problem?
Sounds like a pretty rare and desirable engine to me, even though not as desirable on your car as it would be on a '64...I say RUN it man.

[Andre]

As another observation, and I can't see too well because of the picture, I'm not so sure about the lower mount of the alternator. Something seems amiss. I'm kind of wondering if it might be out of alignment, and that is why they could not install the second alternator strap. It appears to be a '66 PS setup, as the '64 has a cast iron mounting bracket.

Belt misalignment would contribute to the dirty nature of the engine compartment due to black belt dust covering everything.

As a note- my friend Rick ran 13.50's with his '66 Lemans convertible using a 64 389 motor I traded him that had 132,000 miles on it. No mods to the motor at all.

[Old Blue 66]

Here are better pics. This carb looks different than the Holley/EBrock carbs Im used to seeing.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

Paint the drums red Paul. '66 got red drums behind the Rally 1 wheels. The rusty drums distract from the nice wheels.
It's obvious at a glance that it's a '64 and earlier intake, and from what b-man posted about the casting number, it's a '64 GTO block also.
It is a 4bbl Carter, which would be correct for the engine.... So, what's the problem?
Sounds like a pretty rare and desirable engine to me, even though not as desirable on your car as it would be on a '64...I say RUN it man.

I did not know that. Cool info.

Im gonna make the call based on what Ive been able to figure out on the stampings that it is a 64 GTO 389 with matching heads.

And based on what everyone is saying here - a 4bbl. That thing just looks small.

1964 389 325 HP 79 J A 10.75 009 9770716 1-4 3649S GTO Option Block Casting # 9773155

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by Andre

As another observation, and I can't see too well because of the picture, I'm not so sure about the lower mount of the alternator. Something seems amiss. I'm kind of wondering if it might be out of alignment, and that is why they could not install the second alternator strap. It appears to be a '66 PS setup, as the '64 has a cast iron mounting bracket.

Belt misalignment would contribute to the dirty nature of the engine compartment due to black belt dust covering everything.

As a note- my friend Rick ran 13.50's with his '66 Lemans convertible using a 64 389 motor I traded him that had 132,000 miles on it. No mods to the motor at all.

Good observation. Heres a pick of the power steering pump. It does appear that there is dust mixed in the with oil on the pump just below the belt. BUT... if I run my finger along the edge of the belt, its clean and the belt is smooth in a place where I would expect wear.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by barrierblue66

Sure looks like the intake on my '63 - 389, with the heater hose (minus the valve) entering the front instead of at the rear of the block. But the water pump looks like the later model 7 bolt, where my '63 is a 4 bolt. I think the housing is a little different also. All this is by memory which has started failing me lately

It is a seven bolt. And appears to be leaking. Any idea where from? You always see coolant at the top but never can tell where its from.

[Satyr1966]

It is hard to tell where coolant is leaking from up there. Anywhere related to the water crossover & its connections to the heads & the front cover often leak. Also the front cover to the block can leak. It does look like there is a new unpainted water pump & of course that could be leaking too. Sometimes you need to clean things up & catch it in the act to find the source or sources. Very nice car! I too like the color. My first '66 was a martinique bronze LeMans with a black vinyl top. The color looks great in a subtle sort of way.

[fyrffytr1]

If your carpet is just faded you could spray it with dye to bring the color back.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by fyrffytr1

If your carpet is just faded you could spray it with dye to bring the color back.

It was replaced at one time and cut poorly. It needs to go.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by Satyr1966

It is hard to tell where coolant is leaking from up there. Anywhere related to the water crossover & its connections to the heads & the front cover often leak. Also the front cover to the block can leak. It does look like there is a new unpainted water pump & of course that could be leaking too. Sometimes you need to clean things up & catch it in the act to find the source or sources. Very nice car! I too like the color. My first '66 was a martinique bronze LeMans with a black vinyl top. The color looks great in a subtle sort of way.

That's right. Lots of places up there it could be coming from. Clean it up and let it dry thoroughly and then start it up and let it come up to temp. Watch for it.
Another way, if you have a Stant pressure tester, is to use that. It's basically a small hand pump that screws onto the radiator cap fitting. You latch it on and pump it up to ~30lbs or so. Any leaks will show up. You can get one for 50 bucks or so on ebay or maybe borrow one from the local Auto Zone for free. They have lots of tools to lend out.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

That's right. Lots of places up there it could be coming from. Clean it up and let it dry thoroughly and then start it up and let it come up to temp. Watch for it.
Another way, if you have a Stant pressure tester, is to use that. It's basically a small hand pump that screws onto the radiator cap fitting. You latch it on and pump it up to ~30lbs or so. Any leaks will show up. You can get one for 50 bucks or so on ebay or maybe borrow one from the local Auto Zone for free. They have lots of tools to lend out.

The most basic of ideas often go overlooked. Thanks Greg.

[gtomike1967]

Nice car Paul, congrats! Does the heater work? It was COLD on Saturday
I agree with everyone that all the things you mention are minor fixes. I personally think its fun to decode all this kind of stuff and do some work on the old cars.

[Andre]

Based on the few clues I have to work with, I'm going to guess the replacement of the water pump was done haphazardly and not torqued to spec, failing to seal properly resulting in coolant weeping by the gasket over time. You can check the bolts but you probably want to r/r and paint at the same time.