These are photos of the car...
These are photos of the car in action from back in the day. Note the chrome bumper; it was lighter than the Endura one. The Judge also sports an L88 hoodscoop.
A Reunion In Norwalk
Chuck brought the freshly restored '69 Ray Faro Pontiac GTO Judge race car to the '07 Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals. It was there that he and his wife, Ame, met up with Jeff and Eddie Faro, the son of the dealer and the nephew who raced the car 38 years before. Chuck invited them out specifically to see the Judge. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he knew he wanted to be there when they saw it.
To say Jeff and Eddie were overwhelmed was an understatement; it was clearly an emotional reunion for both of them. Jeff kept saying, "I wish Dad was here to see this."
Eddie beamed with pride. His contribution to Pontiac racing history was intact, restored to its original splendor. With that, his accomplishments as a driver were once again brought into the spotlight. "It was a flashback for both of them," Chuck says. "I was so happy to be there when it actually happened; it was an excellent moment for all of us to share."
The reunion took place at...
The reunion took place at the '07 Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals: from left, Jeff Faro, son of the dealership owner; Chuck Henley; Eddie Faro, Jeff's cousin.
To top off the restoration, Dennis and Jeff donated two pieces to Chuck that gave an air of authenticity that is rarely duplicated. Jeff gave Chuck an original Ray Faro Pontiac license-plate frame, and Dennis supplied an original dash decal from the dealer, urging the new owner to drive carefully.
Conclusion
The results of the 11-month, $100,000 restoration have rewarded Chuck with an irreplaceable artifact from Pontiac's racing history. He was also rewarded with a Gold award at the '07 GTOAA Nats in Columbus and a Second Place showing in the FX class at the '08 Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals.
So what's next for the Ram Air V Judge? "I'm going to have some fun with it. Actually, I've been driving it around," Chuck says. "I'm not going to race it or even find out how much power it makes. I tried to get it dyno'd before we installed the engine, but for one reason or another, it never happened. I have complete confidence in the engine and the builder. I had it up to 7,000 rpm doing a burnout in front of my house. It seems that for some reason, I'm not supposed to know how much power this engine makes."
Nevertheless, Chuck and Ame have brought back to life an exceptionally rare piece of Pontiac history, one that draws huge crowds wherever it's shown. We're guessing that since people now know how lucky Chuck is, they'll be crowding around him, lottery tickets in hand.