Historic Tin Indian Drag Racing Pontiacs - Tin Indian

'66 "Tin Indian" GTO
When Merle Green bought his '66 GTO for $150 back in 1979, his friends thought he was crazy to buy such a beat-up car. Even back then, $150 didn't buy much, but he knew what he was doing. "I was looking for a solid '66 GTO to build a high-option car out of," Green recalled. "It was in need of a lot of work, but it was definitely worth saving."

Although the car was pretty shabby, Merle saw its potential. Back then, there was nothing in the way of reproduction parts, so restoring a GTO required searching dealer parts departments for NOS pieces, and swap meets and wrecking yards for serviceable used parts.

Nevertheless, Merle restored the GTO, adding a variety of optional equipment and painting it Marina Turquoise. He then gave it to his wife Janice and she used it as a daily driver for a few years. Merle took it off the road to treat it to a more thorough restoration in 1984 and was planning to add more optional equipment.

Several years passed and in that time a very interesting thing happened. In the late '80s, Fred Simmonds, current Manager of GM Drag Racing, who was then Manager of Focused Marketing at Pontiac, was able to uncover shipping manifests for Pontiacs dating back to 1961. Simmonds began searching for the shipping manifests for the Super Duty-era Pontiacs and also ran the VINs for people in the hobby he knew.

It was then that Merle Green learned of his GTO's storied past. He had Fred look for the shipping manifest for his GTO and it came back as a white '66 GTO, radio and heater-delete with Tri-Power, four-speed and 4.33 gears-tagged to Knafel Pontiac.

Further research confirmed it was the four-speed Knafel "Tin Indian," the car with which Arlen Vanke and Doc Dixon had racked up 27 local and regional "stock eliminator" wins during the '66 season (a second car was added later in the season but was not raced, according to Vanke). To say he was surprised was an understatement and it prompted him to rethink the restoration. "I immediately changed course and began collecting parts for a proper restoration to its race configuration," Green said. "It deserved to be put back to the way it was originally raced."

Newly-inspired, Merle set out to get the parts he would need. A correctly date-coded block, heads and intake were located in Ohio through the Glasgo family and became the basis for the engine restoration. The GTO was an early-build car delivered in late 1965, and came from the factory with a WS-code Tri-Power 389.

That meant that the late-season XS package was not available, but could legally be added with over-the-counter parts. That is what Knafel did back then and that is what Merle did as well. The engine was rebuilt by Indian Adventures to XS specs, which included the 9785744 (H) camshaft. A set of 1.75-inch primary 4-tube Doug's headers with 3-inch collectors were installed, which were legal for racing, as was an electric fuel pump.

Incidentally, the XS package included a functional Ram Air system with an opened-up hood scoop, pan and seal, which were also added. A Muncie M-21 close-ratio four-speed transmission was rebuilt for the "Tin Indian" and mounted behind a Centerforce clutch and pressure plate. Finishing off the tranny components was a Hurst Competition Plus shifter and Line-Loc, like the GTO had in its racing days.

The GTO's chassis was restored to stock by Ed Centofonte, and the only deviations from factory were the pieces used in its preparation for racing. They included rear air bags, Monroe 90/10 front racing shocks and the Hurst 14x6 wheels, shod with 8.00/8.50x14 M&H Racemaster slicks in the rear and 205/75 R15 Firestone whitewalls up front. The stock 10-bolt rearend was rebuilt with a 2-pinion Safe-T-Track differential and 4.33:1 gears, just like when it was raced.

Inside, the original black Morrokide bucket seat interior was restored by Merle, with the help of American Auto Seat Upholstery, who installed the ACME headliner. Since the GTO was a radio and heater-delete car, optional equipment was very sparse, except for the wood wheel, which was retained for the restoration. Merle used PUI door panels and carpeting from ACC, giving a correct and factory-fresh appearance.

Obviously, in order to return the "Tin Indian" to its race appearance, Merle had to be meticulous in the duplication of its 1966 paint scheme, but there are some notable changes. Using photographs from the era and consulting with the Knafel family, Merle had Buddy Healy lay down the urethane enamel in black and white mixed with clear. John Cloutier applied the gold and silver mylar and replicated all the lettering and decals. The overall paint scheme is representative of later in the '66 season, when Quaker State came on as a sponsor. Earlier in the year, the GTO was raced with a white body and black lettering. Also, note the driver's side is painted to match how the scheme would have looked if Arlen drove the GTO, and the passenger side represents how it was lettered later when Doc Dixon drove it.

In the years since Merle Green's '66 "Tin Indian" GTO was completed, it has become a regular fixture at various Pontiac shows, particularly the Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals.