Judges came with a variety...
Judges came with a variety of decals and stripes depending on the exterior and interior colors of the vehicle. Pontiac chose to accent this white/red Judge with decals and stripes featuring blue as the primary color, giving the car a "Captain America" treatment, as this Judge's owner calls it.
If ever there was a vote taken among Pontiac hobbyists concerning the great models they'd want to see last forever, the GTO Judge would be near the top of the list. The bold styling of the '69 model lit the automotive world on fire. Though the original Judge concept was supposed to be a single-sales-season endeavor, it continued for the '70 and '71 model years. They carried on the tradition proudly through decreasing sales indicative of a waning musclecar era, but today they are highly-coveted collectibles.
Though the '70 Judge is most recognizable in its special hue of Orbit Orange, any GTO color was available. Early in the model year, prior to the release of Orbit Orange, a Polar White Judge was used in advertisements. Jeff Legutko's early-build Judge shares that hue.
Jeff, a 45-year-old insurance agent from Haskell, New Jersey, refers to his Judge as "Captain America" because of its red, white, and blue color scheme, and hey, an over-the-top car like a Judge should have an over-the-top name, right? Ironically, his vehicle was manufactured at the Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, factory. It was invoiced on December 18, 1969.
Pontiac chose a Polar White...
Pontiac chose a Polar White Judge for its advertising in 1970. The ads promised, "The Judge: A Special GTO from Pontiac. We take the fun of driving seriously. Very seriously."
Built for speed, its options include: The Judge (code 332), four-speed close-ratio manual-trans (code 358), Safe-T-Track (code 361), special-order axle (code 362), ride-and-handling package (code 621), power disc brakes (code 502), HD radiator (code 701), Rally gauge cluster with clock (code 488), hood tachometer (code 491), AM/FM radio (code 402), rear speaker (code 411), remote mirror (code 444), custom sport steering wheel (code 462), and console (code 494). What's missing from this list? Power steering.
With a retail price of $4,412.27, it was delivered to Star Pontiac in Staten Island, New York. This Judge sat on the dealer lot for an incredible nine months (perhaps as a demo) before being sold on September 30, 1970, to Catherine Mair of Staten Island.
Jeff's Pontiac came with the standard Ram Air III 400ci engine (code WS), and was equipped from the factory with a cast crank, connecting rods, and pistons. Its cast-iron heads (code 12) featured 72cc combustion chambers, 2.11/1.77 valves, and 1.5:1-ratio stamped-steel rockers. Giving the Ram Air engine its growl was an "068" cam with 288/302-degrees duration and 0.414/0.413-inch lift. Compression ratio was an advertised 10.5:1.
Beneath the hood is the standard...
Beneath the hood is the standard 400-cube Ram Air III engine, rated at 366 hp. The Ram Air is functional, activated by a cable-controlled knob located under the dash.
A Rochester Q-jet (code 7040273) fed the cast-iron, dual-plane intake (code 9799068) air and fuel. The ignition system included a points-type distributor (code 1112024) routing electricity through Packard wires to ACDelco R44S plugs. Exhaust rumbled through factory ram-air exhaust manifolds (codes 478140, left/9799720, right) to 2.25-inch duals featuring aluminized tailpipes.
Pontiac rated the Ram Air III Judge at 366 hp. Power was transferred through a special-ordered close-ratio four-speed and a 3.90-geared Safe-T-Track rear, in the case of Jeff's Judge. Back in the day, the power made it to the pavement through a set of G70x14 bias-ply tires.
Acquisition And Restoration
Jeff bought his Judge in 1999 from a PPG paint-sales service representative who procured it from a friend of the original owner's family. "The exterior was in primer but mostly complete, with only trim missing. Bodywork had already been started, and N.O.S. rear quarters were installed," Jeff says.