1964 Pontiac GTO Sunfire Red Serendipity

Just prior to his 81st birthday, Herb suffered congestive heart failure. His cardiologist told him that he needed triple bypass surgery and a valve replacement, an extremely risky procedure. During the consultation, the doctor went over the details with Herb and his family, and asked if it was his wish to proceed. Herb was silent for a few moments and replied, "I have a '64 GTO at home that I want to see finished, so you do what you need to do."

Mark, amazed by the proclamation his dad just made, told him, "You hold up your end of this deal and I'll hold up mine." Herb remained in the hospital for six weeks and, after regaining his health, returned home.

Picking Up The Gauntlet
As soon as he was back, Mark turned the lights back on in the shop and began to toil away on the Pontiac for the next 18 months. "Dad would stop in several times a week to check the progress," he says.

The body was still in great shape, even after sitting for so long. Mark, with the assistance of friends Bruce Howe and Dana Chamberlain, pulled and filled the dents and dings, while small patches were made for the floors, and the trunk received a partial floor replacement. The Goat was soon prepped for a trip to Doug and Brad Dorn at Dorn's Auto Craft in New Castle.

Since Sunfire Red was an abnormally difficult color to begin with, they took extra care applying the paint. The GTO was covered in three coats of PPG K38 urethane primer and thoroughly block-sanded before the addition of a coat of PPG sealer. Four coats of Sunfire Red PPG Deltron basecoat were sprayed on next and treated to 800-grit wet-sanding. Then came four coats of PPG Deltron 2002 Clear Urethane.

Mark wet-sanded the Goat, starting with 800-grit 3M paper, and gradually progressed to 3,000-grit before polishing it with 3M and Meguiars products. Thanks to modern paint technology, the Sunfire Red finally looks the way it should have when Pontiac offered it in 1964.

Back home, Mark was busy restoring the trim pieces. What couldn't be saved was replaced with parts from The Paddock. Tri City Plating in Elizabethton, Tennessee, rechromed the bumpers, bringing back their original luster.

Regarding the engine, Mark found something more era-appropriate in a '64 Bonneville Hearse at a junkyard. While it isn't the original engine, it's a 389 and is correctly date-coded. Rodefields Machine in New Castle cleaned the cylinder walls up with a 0.040 overbore, and then filled the block with new 4.10-inch Speed Pro pistons, which are connected to the factory 6.625-inch cast rods and 3.75-inch stroke crankshaft. A Melling high-volume oil pump provides lubrication and draws from a stock oil pan.

A reproduction 068 camshaft with 212/225 degrees duration at 0.050 provides 0.414/0.413 lift with the factory 1.50:1 rockers. The heads were rebuilt and feature 1.92/1.66 valves. Mark sourced a Tri-Power induction system from a friend and had it rebuilt and installed. "I just think it looks better under the hood with a Tri-Power," he states. Spark is provided by a stock Delco points distributor and coil, date coded wires, and AC R45S plugs. The Pontiac exhales through log-type exhaust manifolds and a factory-style exhaust system. A new stock stall converter was installed, and the two-speed Super Turbine 300 transmission and 3.23 Safe-T-Track rear were both rebuilt.

Underneath, the chassis was sandblasted and coated with epoxy paint for lasting protection. Eaton Detroit springs, AC Delco shocks, and Moog bushings were installed all around. An Addco 0.937-inch sway bar and bushings and Moog steering linkage components were bolted in up front, with Paddock reproduction control arms out back. All parts were purchased through The Paddock, and Mark performed the work with the help of Scott Kilgore and Tim Pritchett.