 Get a luxury Pontiac vinyl-top...  Get a luxury Pontiac vinyl-top look but none of the bulky fat with the less-expensive-than-a-Cordova-top painted roof! (Another rarely seen option.) On most GTOs, the fenders angle in at the rockers, leaving a gap behind the trim. In this case, the lower fenders were cut and welded to ensure a smooth look in this area. |
 When was the last time you...  When was the last time you saw a hood and front bumper fit on a '68 GTO as well as they do on this one? It took the resto shop many hours to get the gaps that straight. Nightshade Green Code V, is a seldom-seen color. |
 The '68 400 H.O. specs tell...  The '68 400 H.O. specs tell a tale of 10.75:1 compression 360 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque. Already factory equipped with #16 D-port heads with 2.11/1.77 valves, streamlined exhaust manifolds, an 068 cam, and a Q-jet on a cast-iron dual-plane intake, Stan did only a basic rebuild and installed a stock spec Crane cam. Note the optional factory under-hood light. |
 Because the unassisted stock...  Because the unassisted stock drum/drum brake setup was barely sufficient, optional factory four-piston caliper disc brakes were ordered up front by the dealer. Stan has since added BF Goodrich 235/60R15 tires mounted on refurbished T/A-style 15-inch Rally II wheels for a more muscular look. |
 Attention to detail is evident...  Attention to detail is evident under the hood of Stan Ubben's Goat, as well. Also note the absence of a power brake booster on this disc brake-equipped GTO. |
 Currently having under 84,000...  Currently having under 84,000 miles on the odometer in the factory Rally gauges, this GTO was ordered to do the basics: look good and run better. AM radio and rear-speaker options add to the interior comfort. Stan and Claude Lee Upholstery only had to use Ames Performance Engineering's carpet, seat covers, and padding kits to get this Parchment interior as gorgeous as you see it. Everything else is fact-o-ry original! |
In an obvious attempt to generate showroom traffic and neck-snapping second-takes, this factory-optioned two-tone and hideaway-headlights hardtop was specifically ordered by the selling dealer. Rather than going to Joe and Jane Smith Pontiac shopper, it ended up becoming one of the dealership's very own technician's first new-musclecar purchase.
"I darn near bought a '66 396 Chevelle before going overseas in the [army] military," a 60-year-old Stan Ubben confesses. In June of 1967, Stan returned from his draft-induced military service and landed a mechanic's job at Ken Nelson Pontiac of Dixon, Illinois, two months later.
"One morning in 1968, I walked into work and found this '68 GTO in my bay with a dead battery," says Stan. With visions of cruising and racing on the brain, Ubben approached the dealership owner with an offer to buy. Working with a Pontiac salesman up front, Stan found a buyer for his old car. For a princely price of $3,450 in March of 1968, Stan drove off the lot with the brand-new Nightshade Green and Ivory-topped '68 GTO you see before you (two months after it arrived). The Mt. Morris, Illinois, resident confesses, "I was scared to death and shaking like a leaf when I drove the car off the lot. I had never spent so much money in my life!"
For the next seven years, the GTO, Stan's first new musclecar, became the family vehicle with frequent-flyer miles racking up at the, "drive the car faster, daddy!" requests of his daughters. In 1975, the non-vinyl, Ivory-topped Goat was relieved of family duties and driven on special occasions. Sharing a popular notion with '70s musclecar owners, Stan expresses, "I thought about selling it a few times, but I always felt that it had been mine for so long, it should stay with me." Stay with Stan it did, being licensed and insured for summertime cruising and, no doubt, occasional street romps. Who could resist flexing some Goat muscle when you had a factory 360-horse 400 H.O. motor under the hood and a Muncie four-speed between the Parchment bucket seats?
Eventually, the GTO lost the twinkle in her eye and strut in her step. Specialty driving or not, the '68 was tired. No stranger to fixing classic Pontiac muscle, Stan put his years of experience to work. Having opened and operated his own shop, Stan's Performance, since 1973, with the aid of several good friends, he disassembled the GTO to the point of having the body put on a rotisserie in the summer of 2002. Doug Aken's Mount Morris Auto Body Custom and Restoration used six coats of Spies Hecker primer, two acrylic urethane 3688 etching primer coats for metal "bite," two Vario 8590 for primer bonding, and two spray polyester 3508. Then four coats of base paint were applied and wet-sanded with 1,000-grit sandpaper before three coats of clear were sprayed and wet-sanded with 1,200 and 1,500 grit.
In-house, Stan disassembled the chassis, before sending it to Doug for POR-15 and POR-15 Chassis Black (for the satin black GM look) protection underneath. Properly refreshed stock A-arms and spindles were installed along with urethane bushings, a 1 1/4-inch T/A-style front stabilizer bar, a '70 GTO rear bar, Delco gas shocks, and Moog springs.
Plenty stout from the factory and well-maintained over the years, the 400 H.O. wanted for very little. A very basic rebuild was in order with a set of new Clevite 77 bearings, Sealed-Power piston rings, and Crane "068" flat tappet camshaft (212-/228-degrees duration at .050 and 408/.407 lift).
Aside from obvious timing chain and performance valve job, everything else in the code 16 heads and code WS block was left stock. Yes, the distributor is stock down to the points, but a Q-jet tweaking and AC Delco wires and Rapid Fire plugs got this mighty 400 up and running as strong as ever.
Stan used a TA Performance mandrel-bent 2.5-inch exhaust system (factory size is 2.25-inch) utilizing Walker Turbo mufflers and Buick GS-style exhaust tips to give the GTO its mean growl without frying the chrome finish on the rear bumper.
A stock-size 10.5-inch clutch and flywheel were put in along with the factory Hurst-assisted M20 wide-ratio Muncie tranny. Out back the 10-bolt, 3.55 Safe-T-Track factory gears were still good, and with a set of new bearings, they were left to their own devices. "I wanted to keep it as original as possible," was Stan's motto.
The real magic for Ubben occurred in August 2003 upon the day of the restoration's completion. Without the presence of butterflies in the stomach, Stan had quite a different feeling when he drove his newly restored GTO. "When I picked up the body shop owner and we took her out for a spin, it was the best and most fun moment of the entire restoration."
Few Pontiacs can get so much attention out of a fresh restoration. However, this beauty has garnered both the '04 Tri-Power Pontiac at Cordova and Ames Performance Pontiac Nats at Norwalk First In Class wins. At the Norwalk event, this stunning GTO caught our editor's eye and snagged the HPP Editor's Choice Award, as well.
Style, color, performance, and handling were the words that owner, Stan Ubben, readily uses to describe what he loves most about this beauty. "The color and the more powerful motor...plus it didn't have the options like A/C, which I didn't want on a musclecar anyway. I was a musclecar freak then, and I am one today." Make that one very fortunate musclecar freak!
About The RestorationThe restoration of Stan Ubben's GTO was certainly a labor of love considering the fact that he is the original owner and has strong emotional ties to this Pontiac. As a result, great care was taken to make his GTO even better than new in some areas. Here are a few photos of the resto process.
 Upsy-daisy! Despite having...  Upsy-daisy! Despite having a beautiful sheen to the paint, years of road duty had taken their toll on the underbody. |  Almost thoroughly gutted,...  Almost thoroughly gutted, the interior shows the effects of water and dirt over time. Note the dash-mounted ignition dangling. |  The healing begins with the...  The healing begins with the completely stripped body awaiting painting on the rotisserie. |
 No rust in sight. POR-15 was...  No rust in sight. POR-15 was applied into every nook and cranny to keep this GTO looking good for years to come. |  Only a car guy (or gal) can...  Only a car guy (or gal) can appreciate the beauty of bare and freshly painted metal of an automobile's underparts. |  A beautifully pre-painted...  A beautifully pre-painted body is ready to be reattached to its frame. |