1967 GTO - Total Recall

For the next step, he turned to GTO restorer Doug Gauerke of Lancaster, Ohio, for paint and body assembly. "When I received the GTO, some of the body panels were chemically stripped and some were not," Doug recalls. "Basically, the car was on its wheels without its bolt-on sheetmetal. The motor was already rebuilt, painted and installed."

He prefit the body panels and stripped the rest of the GTO to bare metal. Then he performed the bodywork required to make the concours candidate straight. Once satisfied, Doug removed the bolt-on panels and used PPG corrosion-resistant epoxy primer on the entire body, followed by block-sanding. He reprimed in some areas as many as three times. After that, Doug sprayed a coat of PPG white epoxy sealer and performed final spot-sanding where needed. Finally, he sprayed three basecoats of PPG Cameo Ivory, followed by three coats of PPG Concept Clear. To complete his role in the restoration, Doug wet-sanded the paint with progressive grits (1,500-2,000) of sandpaper, followed by a polishing.

With the body panels shining in their factory hue, he carefully bolted them back onto the GTO. As a final touch, he handpainted dual-line body pinstriping to match the Goat's red interior.

The Gut
Tom allowed the faded original seats to be recovered by Bill Nye, who also installed a reproduction 80/20 carpet and an NOS headliner. The door panels, dash, windlace and interior trim are all original to the GTO.

Goat Stories
Tom says the results have made the 20-year wait to begin the restoration well worth it, but it was hard for him to believe how he kept the GTO through three turbulent decades. "Over the years, between buying homes, having children, losing jobs, and getting divorced, somehow I managed to hang on to this '67 GTO. It's just like a part of the family and I intend to keep it that way."

After five long years, the restoration was completed in 2006 and Tom says he is honored by the compliments bestowed upon his GTO by the judges and peers in the GTOAA, even when the judging pressure is on. "It was a great achievement for me to win Gold in 2006 and 2007. GTOAA's judging standards at this level are intense and the competition seems to get tougher every year. The quality of the restorations is simply amazing. Judges at the GTO Nationals are true professionals and are very thorough. In 2006 at the Nationals, four concours judges spent 40 minutes judging my car. If something is incorrect, they will find it. I seem to learn something from them every year. Their time and contribution to the hobby is priceless."

Currently bragging only 76,000 original miles on the odometer, this GTO definitely looks as good as the day it was sold new. Believe it or not, Tom has a witness to prove it-the original owner. "An older man walked into my used car lot and introduced himself as the first owner of my GTO. He wanted to see it again and he told me of the day in 1967 when he and his father went to Householders Pontiac in Lancaster, Ohio, and purchased the Cameo Ivory GTO brand-new, stating that in 1967 a Goat was the car to have. I took him back into the garage to show it to him. After looking at his old Goat, he said it looks just like it did nearly 40 years ago and sure brought back a lot of good memories."

Conclusion
Perhaps Tom Hamilton has restored more than a good memory. He seems to have total recall when it comes to his GTO. "I have also been a matching numbers nut. If it's not original, I want no part of it. I enjoy looking at all GTOs, modified or stock, but my true love is for the 100 percent original cars. I feel very fortunate to own a piece of Pontiac musclecar history today." No riddle in that statement.