According to the owner, the...
According to the owner, the box-stock 750-cfm Demon carburetor and Edelbrock Torker II intake manifold provide superb throttle response and full-throttle performance on the street.
With a plethora of new panels installed and body preparation complete, Classic Restorations applied three coats of PPG Metal Etch followed by three coats of PPG Epoxy primer with block-sanding between each. Four coats of PPG DBU Candyapple Blue base was accompanied by five coats of PPG 2021 clear. Each basecoat was sanded with 1,000-grit sandpaper between applications, while the clear was sanded with various grit papers, and the final coat was buffed to a mirror-like appearance.
What's nestled between the framerails is among the reasons Doug initially brought the GTO to Classic Restorations. "I wanted to install a powerful engine, and I read quite a bit about Ken Keefer of Ken's Speed and Machine in Brooksville, Florida, and the engines he'd built," says Doug. "I checked his Web site and found that he offers large-cube crate engines, so I had one built for my GTO and had Classic Restorations install it."
Ken started with an AllPontiac.com IA II block containing a 4.350-inch bore, a modified cast-iron Eagle crankshaft with a 4.350-inch stroke, 6.800-inch forged-steel Eagle H-beam connecting rods, and full-floating BRC forged-aluminum pistons with Hastings plasma-moly rings. The entire reciprocating assembly was balanced and rides on Federal Mogul main bearings and Clevite rod bearings. Total displacement equates to 511 ci.
The air-conditioning outlets...
The air-conditioning outlets are constructed of billet aluminum. A Kenwood stereo equipped with satellite radio is another creature comfort that makes this GTO suitable for extended cruising.
A pair of 87cc Edelbrock aluminum cylinder heads feed the hungry engine. The castings were fully ported, received 2.11/1.77-inch Ferrea stainless steel valves, and flow over 300 cfm at 28 inches. After slight massaging, the combustion chambers measure approximately 90 cc and produce a pump-gas-friendly compression ratio of 10.5:1. The oil-drainage holes were also modified to promote quicker return to the stock-replacement pan that houses a 60-psi Melling M54D oil pump and a crankshaft scraper.
Though exact camshaft specs are omitted at Ken's request, Comp Cams supplied a custom hydraulic-roller grind that contains over 260 degrees of 0.050-inch duration and 0.600-inch gross valve lift when combined with the 1.6:1-ratio Harland Sharp roller-rocker arms. The company's roller lifters, valvesprings, and associated hardware were also employed. A 9-way- adjustable, billet timing set housed inside a new cast-aluminum timing cover keeps the camshaft and crank in proper sync, while an SFI-approved balancer dampens harmonics.