Tobin called Bill Lamb of Lowell, Massachusetts, to his garage to align the body panels, repair a few dents and dings, and prepare the GTO for paint. He prepped its body with three coats of House of Kolor KP2CF Epoxy Primer, each layer followed by block-sanding, and finally, PPG's DBC basecoat/PPG 2021 clear system in Granada Gold and 3M's Perfect-it polishing system.
For reassembly, the team used new weatherstripping, body mounts, door felts, and window seals, sourced from Ames Performance. They also installed a new Cordova top, using hard-to-find NOS material.
Engine
The 455 H.O. (code YA) was rebuilt by Steve Foster from Tyngsburo, Massachusetts. "We tried to keep the motor as original as possible," he said. "We were able to hone the engine and reuse the 4.15-inch original pistons, grind the 4.21-inch crank 0.010/0.010, and only needed to buy a set of CAT connecting rods. Comp Cams makes a nice '067' replacement with 273/289-degrees advertised duration and 0.410/0.413 lift, and we used it to replace the factory stick."
On the original No. 64 cast-iron heads, Foster also stayed as close to factory specs as he could. He performed a three-angle valve job (45-degree valve, 30-degree cutdown, and 60-degree relief) and installed SBI stainless steel 2.11/1.77 valves.
Fuel is fed from a Rochester Quadrajet (code EES7040568, rebuilt by The Carb Doctor in Line Lexington, Pennsylvania) into a Pontiac dual-plane cast-iron intake (code 9799068). A code-1112012 Pontiac distributor (upgraded with an internal Pertronix unit) sends spark through datecoded-correct wires to AC Delco R45S plugs.
When the engine was completed and broken-in by the builder, the two men installed it into the frame, reconnecting it to its original Turbo 400 and 3.07-geared 12-bolt open-rear end, which they also restored.
Factory-correct cruise control...
Factory-correct cruise control was bought N.O.S. from eBay and added by the current owner.
This GTO's interior is code...
This GTO's interior is code 255 Saddle with reproduction seat covers, carpet, and headliner from Ames Performance. The rest of the cabin is factory original.
The factory California-only...
The factory California-only emissions system was painstakingly hand-restored by the current owner.
Emissions
Bringing the California-emissions smog equipment to show quality was a challenge. "We hand-restored every component of the California smog system, including the gas tank, because no reproduction parts were available at the time," Lesiczka said. "It would have been easier to remove the smog equipment altogether, but it was especially important to me to restore the car with all of its original equipment."
Interior
This GTO was ordered with a code 355 Saddle interior. Though most of the pieces are still original, the seat covers, seat foam, carpet, and headliner were replaced with reproduction pieces sourced from Ames. "The original interior was near-perfect," Lesiczka recalled. "For the most part, we just had to clean it up and reinstall it." At the same time, the AM/FM "Redeye" radio was restored and reinstalled.
Shows And Awards
Tobin and Lesiczka completed the restoration in 2006, after which Lesiczka bought the GTO from Tobin and showed it at the GTOAA Nationals in 2008 in Saratoga Springs, New York, where it earned a Concours Gold award. "The most impressive part of the whole show was the fact that the top restorers in the country were coming to my car and could not believe that we restored it in a home garage," he said.
Other national awards include three consecutive Best of Shows at the World of Wheels (Boston, 2007-2009), as well as the event's coveted "Top Show Car" Crystal Award, and numerous other local and regional First Place accolades.