1964 Pontiac GTO - This Beauty is More than Skin Deep

Do you desire a Pontiac that appears just about concours stock yet isequipped with enough performance upgrades and creature comforts to bothscare the locals and pamper you with each passing mile?

If so, then youand Bruce Ling of New York City have something in common. And to giveyou an idea of what is possible with said line of reasoning, we presentBruce's '64 GTO as restomodded by Jim Mott of Jim Mott Restorations inKimberly, Idaho.

Most stock restorations are guided by the owner's needfor correctness to please him or to earn status and awards at events.Most modification projects are geared toward going faster and lookingthe part. This project, however, would combine the two to create amodified '64 for GTOAA's Concours Modified and later be driven, which ispressure enough. Throw in Bruce's stipulations that the mods be hiddenand most all of them had to be sourced from GM--not the aftermarket--andyou will begin to realize the scope of this endeavor for restorer andowner alike.

"Jim and I became close friends during the restoration ofmy concours stock '65 GTO," Bruce says, "so we were both looking forwardto another project and taking it in a different direction. Though Ioriginally was looking for an automatic A/C car for my wife, Mary, weactually found a GTO that was too good to pass up." He's referring tothis once factory black with red interior, four-speed, Tri-Power '64 GTOthat was nearly rust-free and was holed up in Oregon. Bruce snapped upthe Pontiac and decided to keep the four-speed and have A/C added.

Onceat Jim Mott Restorations, the left rear quarter was replaced with arust-free donor, and a new trunk floor was welded in. Then the body wasseparated from the frame. Once necessary frame and remaining bodyrestoration were underway, the modifications began.

ENGINE AND DRIVELINE MODS

The factory short-block was tucked away, and a '65 421 short-block waspurchased. It was torn down and the block was treated to an overbore, analign boring, and decking. A 455 crank that was cut 0.010/0.010 underand polished was chosen to add more stroke (4.210 versus 4.00). The rodsare stock refurbished cast pieces, and the pistons are customFederal-Moguls to work with the new bore and stroke and to reducecompression to a pump-gas ratio. A Ram Air IV-spec cam (308/320 degreesduration with 0.516/0.516 lift) is employed with 1.65-ratio stampedsteel rockers, custom-length pushrods, and Rhoads lifters. The heads are'64 GTO issue and have been ported for a 15 percent flow increase overstock and were updated with screw-in rocker studs, TRW replacement1.92/1.66 valves, and a three-angle valve job.

A factory '64 Tri-Powerintake ingests air and fuel from three numbers-matching carbs, withmech-anical linkage and custom jettings. K&N air filters replace thefactory units for better airflow into the engine.

Ignition is handled bya PerTronix unit tucked under the stock cap on the correct distributor,a disguised MSD blaster coil, and Taylor 8mm wires. Timing is set at 34degrees, all in by 2,800 rpm.

Ram Air exhaust manifolds usher thecombustion remains into a custom 21/2-inch-diameter dual-exhaust withlike-sized DynoMax mufflers.

While Jim and Bruce admit the combinationdoes suffer somewhat from the reduced flow of the '64 induction systemand heads as compared to later factory and/or aftermarket equipment,these factory pieces are part of the philosophy of the build, so theywere retained.

The M20 Muncie four-speed was completely rebuilt, theflywheel was updated to an 11-inch unit, and a Centerforce II clutch wasinstalled. At the far end of the stock-rebuilt and balanced driveshaftis a Safe-T-Track rear with 3.08 gears.