Before George Scott was born, his family's connection to this '69 350 H.O. LeMans was made by his grandfather, Bud Scott, via his dealership, Midway Pontiac in Orwell, Ohio. Bud sold the low-option, light-weight "Junior GTO" to Bill Miller in 1969, and before it left the lot, George's father, Jack, detailed it. The A-Body remained in Orwell, and when it eventually returned to Midway, George couldn't pass it up.
Bill owned it for approximately 34 years and "he drove the hell out of it," for the first few, according to George. He then tucked it away in his garage for the better part of the next three decades before pulling it back out. The LeMans looked a bit weathered by then, and it's not known why, but some haphazard bodywork was performed. This concluded with mismatched paint and fenders coated in primer. The low mileage on the odometer certainly wasn't reflected in the Pontiac's tired external appearance.
In 2005, the worn warrior was sold to Myron Hines, a family friend of George. Myron didn't keep it very long before he drove it back to Midway Pontiac Chevrolet where Bud took the keys off his hands as part of a trade-in. Jack, George's father and the dealer's co-owner and Service manager, was persistent that George buy it. George, fresh off three tours of duty in Iraq, agreed and spent $2,500 to get his new ride.
He had his hands full with the repairs that lie ahead, but he had the support of a tremendous group of talented Pontiac hobbyists at the ready. Yet, George wanted to do as much of the work as possible and farm out very little.
Since the body appeared to be half refinished, he wanted a fresh start. "Surprisingly, there weren't any major rust spots or rot," he says. He elected Bob Malic-the dealership's paint and body guru-to strip the lithe A-Body, repair the dents and dings obtained over the years, and repaint it. Bob worked closely with Rodney Millkin as they redid the body and applied several coats of the factory Burgundy hue in modern DuPont basecoat/clearcoat over the blocksanded DuPont primer and a coat of sealer. The LeMans rolled out of the paint booth looking brand-new, but there was still much more work to be done. Outside, George was able to preserve the original bumpers, glass, and most of the trim pieces. His father provided N.O.S. parts for whatever he wasn't able to save.
Underneath, George didn't skimp on anything. He procured N.O.S. AC Delco bushings from Ames Performance. Some of the larger suspension components were removed and powdercoated black for a long-life finish, and wear items were replaced. George installed everything with the assistance of coworker Mike Steen. The factory 9.5-inch drum brakes hiding behind HF-code 14x6 steel wheels with hubcaps and reproduction redlines size G70-14 were also rebuilt to ensure shorter stops.
 Here's the original order...  Here's the original order form. |  This LeMans isn't even broken...  This LeMans isn't even broken in yet. |  |
 "I drive this car about 1,000...  "I drive this car about 1,000 miles a year," says owner George Scott. The power of this numbers-matching LeMans probably lends itself to some serious white-knuckle driving on public roads. | | |