1966 Pontiac GTO - Nomadic Goat

"Tiger Gold is one of those weird colors that was a special option," Steve says. "There aren't too many records about the hue and the mixture. The paint code doesn't translate into the right shade when reproduced today. We mixed up a few batches using the recipe from PPG, and they were either too yellow or too gold," Steve says.

They were finally able to get the right look when Andre purchased a '66 color chip table on eBay. This was the same table used by dealers to show their customers the paint options. Using this, they recreated the mixture in a computer program. The new formula was applied to a test piece and compared to an area of the car that was never repainted or exposed to light-it matched perfectly. The fresh finish was finally wet-sanded with 1,000-grit paper and stepped up to 3,000-grit before being polished with 3M products.

With the Goat wearing the right paint, detail work began on the exterior. The bumpers were sent off to The Bumper Boyz in Los Angeles to be rechromed, and all the trim was either restored or replaced with NOS parts from Andre's stash.

Grip
Moving to the chassis, mostly NOS parts were again installed where new parts were needed, as were spiral shocks and Coil Spring Specialties factory-spec springs front and rear. The bushings were sourced from Performance Suspension Technology and are stock-style rubber. Andre did, however, take the opportunity to make a few subtle upgrades. A 1.25-inch front sway bar replaced the factory 0.937 up front, and boxed rear control arms were swapped in with an 0.875-inch rear bar.

To protect the underbody and suspension components from road debris, PPC Coatings in Stuart powdercoated many items black, and even powdercoated the driveshaft clear. Reproduction red fender liners add style and protection to the wheelwells

Motivation
When an engine sits idle for 20 years, things tend to lock up. When Steve took the heads off the numbers-matching 389, the damage became very clear. The rust through the cylinder walls was so extensive that a simple cleanup wouldn't suffice, but Andre was adamant that the GTO remain numbers-matching and reuse the same block. The solution was to resleeve three of the cylinders.

New BRC Performance pistons, forged 6.625-inch Eagle H-beam rods, and a machined factory 3.75-inch-stroke crankshaft make up the rotating assembly. The pistons are dished to lower the compression to 9.5:1, allowing Andre to run pump gas "ping-free." Ken's Speed Shop in Brooksville, Florida, did the machine work

To make up for the power loss from the compression drop, Steve employed a custom Comp Cams camshaft with a duration at 0.050 inch of 219/228-degrees, and 0.462/0.480-inch lift. Comp pushrods actuate the 1.50-ratio rocker arms andthe fresh factory 1.92/1.66 valves and springs installed in the 093 heads. Mounted on top is the factory Tri-Power induction system.

A full factory date-coded ignition system ignites the mixture, and a pair of Ram Air manifolds and a Pypes exhaust with an X-type crossover expel the fumes. Behind the engine is the freshly rebuilt Muncie four-speed with a Zoom clutch. Out back, the original 10-bolt housing is filled with a Safe-T-Track and 3.55 gears, also rebuilt by Steve.

Out And About
With the project completed, Andre, then 43, took to the streets of Hobe Sound, Florida. The last time he had driven the GTO, he was 22 years old. "My favorite moment was driving it home from the restoration shop in 2006." Andre says. "I hadn't driven the car in 21 years. The first time I went through the gears with my wife in the car was fun, too. She had never experienced anything quite like that. Now the GTO accelerates strong, like it's still 1966, but it drives and handles much better than when it was new."