How rare do you want to go?...
How rare do you want to go? This '71 GTO Judge is 1 of 374 made, 1 of only 11 with a three-speed, and only 1 of 4 with a three-speed still known to exist. Its gorgeous exterior is Lucerne Blue (code 26).
On February 11, 1971, Pontiac issued Car Distribution Bulletin No. 71-71 canceling the GTO Judge. What was intended as a successful one-season promotion beat the odds and made it to its third model year, but sales were down from highs of 6,833 in 1969 and 3,797 in 1970, and Pontiac could no longer make a case to continue the low-volume, limited edition model.
One of the lucky few to order a '71 Judge before its cancellation was Leroy Judge (yes, he and the GTO Judge share the same name), who served in the U.S. Air Force. As part of the GM "Serviceman" program, Leroy ordered his Judge in late 1970 from his military Base Exchange (BX). According to Jim Mattison of PHS Automotive Services, this program allowed overseas active-duty military men and women to purchase a Pontiac at a 32-35 percent discount off retail, and have it delivered to the Pontiac dealer of their choice stateside (or transported to his or her duty location.)
All Rise For The Round-Port
For '71, Pontiac produced 374 Judges (RPO 332). All were equipped with the LS5 455 H.O. round-port engine featuring four-bolt main caps, a 4.15x4.210 bore/stroke, and a 335hp rating. Internals included a nodular-iron crank, Arma-steel cast connecting rods, and cast-aluminum pistons.
Likewise, all '71 Judges received Pontiac's round-port heads (No. 197) featuring 111cc chambers, polished and tuliped 2.11/1.77 valves, 1.50:1 stamped-steel rockers, and a (lowered for '71) 8.4:1 compression ratio. The "068" cam, first used in Tri-Power engines, directed the valvetrain with 288/302-degrees duration and 0.414/0.413-inch lift.
Other engine components include a No. 1112073 distributor, sending spark down 7mm Delco wires to AC 44S plugs, and a Rochester Q-jet carburetor (code 7041273) sitting on top of a Pontiac aluminum, dual-plane intake (casting No. 483674) with a separate cast-iron heat crossover (No. 9796395).
To make judicious use of the horsepower, a Hurst three-speed shifter, 11-inch clutch, and Muncie three-speed trans transfers the power through a steel driveshaft to a Pontiac 12-bolt, open rearend (code XU) housing 3.31 gears.
The Judge shared the same suspension as the GTO, featuring 310-/122-pound coil springs and 1.125-/0.875-inch sway bars front and rear respectively. Braking is handled by a GM dual-reservoir master cylinder and (when optioned) a power brake booster, directing single-piston Delco-Moraine front calipers and stock rear shoes to contact 10.94-inch rotors and 9.5-inch, finned rear drums, respectively, to reign in those ponies. A set of 14x6 Rally II wheels wrapped in Firestone Polyglas G70-14 bias-ply rubber put the power to the pavement.
The Order
PHS Automotive Services confirms that this Judge was invoiced on January 16, 1971. Its options include: an AM radio-pushbutton (code 401), console-front (code 431), power steering (code 501), Soft Ray glass-all (code 531), air conditioning (code 582), Rally Gauge cluster (code 718), eight-track stereo tape player (code 412), wheel-opening moldings (code 491), power disc brakes (code 502), electric rear-window defroster (code 534), ride and handling springs and shocks (code 621), hood-mounted tachometer (code 721), and Cordova top (code SVT). Its MSRP (with military discount) was $3,511.89.
Curiously, one of the rarest components on the Judge is its standard three-speed Muncie M-13 transmission (code RM). Only 11 three-speed Judges were made for '71.
From One Judge To Another
In 1993, GTOAA Judging Staff Coordinator (now Concours Chair) Jon Wacholtz, a tile-company owner from Austin, Minnesota, found the one-owner Judge advertised in the Apache Junction, Arizona, Tradin' Times. "Within a month of seeing the ad, the Judge was sitting in my driveway," Jon recalls. His GTOAA qualifications make him the perfect candidate to perform a concours-restoration, and he spent two years on the Judge project.
A Ram Air hood/air cleaner...
A Ram Air hood/air cleaner assembly (similar to the design used on '70-'72 Firebird Formulas) forces cold air through dual-snorkel hood openings, down through two circular, rubber boots, and into the air cleaner and Q-jet. Unlike the '69-'70 Ram Air GTOs controlled by an underdash cable and actuator, the '71 GTO Ram Air system remains open to the outside air once the engine reaches operating temperature. The recipient of all that forced cold air is Pontiac's famous 335-horse, round-port, 455 H.O. engine. This officer of the court was optioned out with power disc brakes, power steering, and A/C, yet retains the standard three-speed manual trans.
Troy Allison, the Judge's...
Troy Allison, the Judge's current owner, added a Formula steering wheel to the Ivory interior (code 262), but the rest of the cabin is factory-correct, including the Rally Gauge and clock cluster, pedal trim package, eight-track player, and center console. The Judge emblem placed on the glovebox door reminds passengers they're traveling in a very special GTO.
A Hurst T-handle came as standard...
A Hurst T-handle came as standard equipment on the '71 Judge, regardless of whether the factory-installed transmission was the Muncie three-speed manual stick (M13) or the optional Muncie M22 rock-crusher four-speed. The latter had the shift pattern on it.
Bucket seats with headrests...
Bucket seats with headrests sewn in white Morrokide with Comfortweave inserts were standard on the '71 GTO and Judge, but very few owners ordered the Ivory interior.
Here are the original AM radio...
Here are the original AM radio and HVAC controls.
Pontiac's Car Distribution...
Pontiac's Car Distribution Bulletin No. 71-71 cancelled the Judge. GTO fans have been waiting for more than 37 years for it to return to the Pontiac model lineup.