If you're a long-time Pontiac purist, you're likely to remember the original '70 GTO Judge two-page print advertisement featuring a passenger-side-view photograph of a Polar White R/A-IV Judge blocking off a downtown Detroit street. Featuring MacManus, John, and Adams creative team's ad line, "After a few moments of respectful silence, you may turn the page," the double-truck-as it's called in the magazine business-successfully conveyed Pontiac's marketing message that the GTO Judge had returned for its second model year-and its 370hp R/A-IV optional engine was exactly what musclecar owners needed to rule their local streets and dragstrips.
In all likelihood, this same '70 R/A-IV Judge (with its hood-tachometer color changed from body color to satin black) was photographed and appeared in the '70 Pontiac High Performance dealer brochure and was used as the subject of a dealer poster, which hung in Pontiac showrooms nationwide.
Like other Pontiac in-house special-ordered cars that started life on the regular production line, the Judge was loaded with the all the options the Division could squeeze onto the internal sales order. For this special GTO, that included 26 options-the aforementioned R/A-IV, a Muncie M21 four-speed manual transmission, Safe-T-Track 4.33-reared gear, Rally gauges, hood-mounted tachometer, a custom wood steering wheel, Powerflow ventilation, tinted glass, remote side mirror, AM/FM stereo radio with rear speakers, remote trunk release, electric heated rear-window defroster, rear taillamp monitor, and more.
This Judge retains its code-258...
This Judge retains its code-258 Comfortweave bucket-seat interior, code-462 Custom Sports steering wheel, and code-404 AM/FM stereo.
The photogenic Judge remained in Pontiac Motor Division ownership for eight months-from its build in October 1969 until June 1970-and it's believed it was the point-of-interest at Pontiac's public displays at several domestic car shows, after which it was re-invoiced and sold to Jim Causley Pontiac in Detroit as a used car. After sitting on the dealer lot for just over two weeks, the Judge was sold to its first retail customer, Jack Trusel, a local motor-city musclecar hobbyist.
Find And Restore
In 2001, Dave Boyle-owner of Desert Motors, a Phoenix, Arizona-based GTO restoration shop-saw the R/A-IV Judge offered at a local auction and placed the winning bid. Though the once-proud Pontiac had succumbed to the ravages of rust and neglect, a R/A-IV drivetrain was still with it. He collected restoration parts for five years, and then began to return the Judge to its original condition.
He removed the GTO's rust-damaged body from its frame, stripped the chassis of its components, and bead-blasted the frame and its bolt-ons to bare metal. He powdercoated the frame, A-arms, and control arms to match the color of GM's chassis paint, and then installed Moog ball joints and bushings, stock replacement springs, NOS spiral shocks, the rebuilt code-XM Safe-T-Track 4.33-rear-geared rearend, and the 1.125-/0.875-inch (front/rear) sway bars. He also installed new brake components, including NOS 10.94-inch rotors, single-piston calipers, and new reproduction brake lines and hoses.
If Pontiac fans expected the...
If Pontiac fans expected the Judge's wild Carousel Red exterior color to continue for a second model year, they were likely disappointed and critical. So was Jim Wangers, the ad man who had a heavy-hand in the success of the original '69 Judge. Against his outspoken wishes, Pontiac introduced the '70 Judge in Polar White (code-10). Luckily, the Judge still retained its bright-colored stripes and pop-art decals to differentiate it from other '70 GTOs.
Much of the Judge's sheetmetal was rusted, prompting Dave to replace the rear clip, doors, fenders, hood, and trunk lid with healthy donor parts. "I welded in the rear clip to the factory seams, fit the body panels, and adjusted the gaps to better-than-factory tolerances," says Dave. Then he sprayed the body with PPG DP40LF Epoxy Primer to seal the metal from future rust, followed by several coats of PPG K38 High Build Primer Surfacer and DP74LF Epoxy Primer. Blocking followed; then four basecoats of PPG Deltron Polar White, color-sanding, five coats of PPG DCU2042 clear, wet-sanding, and final polishing using 3M products.
His research led him to believe the Judge's first private owner had damaged the factory R/A-IV engine during its warranty period, and the block was replaced with a dealer-installed R/A-IV service-replacement (SR) block, which retained the original code-614 round-port heads. According to him, the SR bottom-end suffered a sinister fate, too, when it spun the No. 3 connecting-rod bearing at approximately 34,000 miles, accounting for the Judge's extremely low mileage today of 34,616 miles.
The '70 Judge came standard...
The '70 Judge came standard with a 366hp R/A-III 400, but for $389.68 more, buyers could order the 370hp R/A-IV 400. This example shows off its restored and rebuilt service-replacement block, which is thought to have been installed by a Pontiac dealer after the original block failed during its original warranty period. The hood air inlet, more commonly known as the ram air induction system (code 601), is a combination of NOS and reproduction components.
According to restorer Dave...
According to restorer Dave Boyle, this is the Judge's original code-7040273 Rochester Quadrajet, which he had rebuilt by Sparky's Carburetors of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
No. 614 heads were Pontiac's...
No. 614 heads were Pontiac's third-year production version of the round-port head design-the first two were the '68 R/A-II No. 96 and the '69 No. 722. This set is original to the car, according to its restorer.