Owner Bio: Don Roberts
With a half-century of drag racing under his belt, Don tells HPP he bought this '64 back in 1998 because it represented "the first year of the GTO, and I wanted to clone the original-ringer Car & Driver test car." Not surprisingly, Don's favorite moment in the Goat came on the racetrack when he won Bracket 3 at the '99 GTOAA Nats. The stunning, red Pontiac also took Concours Silver in the Modified class at the same event.
A contractor by trade, 61-year-old Don owns quite a collection of Pontiacs, which includes a '65 GTO post, which he purchased new and watched get built at the Pontiac plant, a '61 Catalina, a '67 GTO, and a '65 convertible.
| Strip Tuning Log |
| Run/Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/8 E.T./MPH | 1/4 E.T./MPH |
| 1. 15 psi in slicks, 32-deg timing | 2,000 | 6,000 | 1.54 | 7.25/93.39 | 11.51/113.54 |
| BEST PASS CORRECTED | 7.05/96.03 | 11.20/116.75 |
| 2. Same, 14.5 psi in slicks | 2,000 | 6,500 | 2 | 7.30/93.05 | 11.58/113.27 |
| 3. Same, 38-deg timing | 2,000 | 5,800 | 1.66 | 7.34/93.68 | 11.58/114.38 |
| 4. Same | 2,000 | 5,700 | 1.65 | 7.38/93.24 | 11.64/114.18 |
| Run Notes: 1) Spun tires at launch, rev limiter kicked in; 2) Raised limiter to 6,800, good bite, fair run; 3) Cooler engine temp, good launch, straight run; 4) Too short of a burnout, spun tires on launch. |
| Strip Specs |
| Year/Model: | '64 GTO |
| Race Weight With Driver: | 3,195 lbs |
| Curb Weight: | 3,050 lbs |
| Fuel Level When Weighed: | 8 gallons |
| Fuel: | Sunoco 110-octane |
| Engine: | '67 428 |
| Cubic Inches Before/After: | 428/444 |
| Engine Built By: | Owner |
| Power Adder: | None |
| Induction System |
| Air Cleaner: | Custom Ram Air |
| Carburetor: | 3 Rochester 2Gs |
| Jets: | 0.078 Center/0.084 Ends |
| Spacer Plate: | Homemade phenolic, 1/2-inch, 2-hole |
| Intake Manifold: | '66 Pontiac Tri-Power |
| Fuel System |
| Pump: | Holley-Blue electric, 140-gph |
| Lines: | 31/48-inch |
| Regulator: | Holley, set to 6 psi |
| Heads |
| Casting: | Pontiac #16, small-valve |
| Head Porting: | Jim LeHart of Central Virginia Machine |
| Flow Numbers: | 280-cfm intake at 28 inches |
| Valves: | Ferrara SS 2.09/1.77 |
| Bottom End |
| Pistons: | Ross forged, flat-top, 4.181-inch |
| Rings: | Perfect Circle Moly |
| Rods: | Eagle 6.70-inch, forged-steel |
| Compression Ratio: | 11.1:1 |
| Crankshaft: | Pontiac 421, offset ground to 4.04-inch stroke |
| Rotating Assembly Balanced: | Yes |
| Camshaft |
| Brand: | Crower solid-roller |
| Duration at 0.050: | 274/288-deg |
| Duration Advertised: | 300/310-deg |
| Lift With Specified Rocker Arms: | 0.544/0.544 |
| Lobe-Separation Angle: | 112-deg |
| Installed Position: | Straight up |
| Rocker Arms: | Crower SS roller, 1.65:1 |
| Ignition |
| Distributor: | Delco, modified with Crane electronics |
| Amplifier: | Crane-Hi 6 |
| Coil: | Crane Fireball |
| Wires: | Taylor 8mm |
| Spark Plugs: | AC-7 |
| Total Timing: | 35-deg |
| RPM Total Timing is Reached: | 2,000 |
| Exhaust |
| Headers: | Hooker |
| Primaries: | 171/48-inch |
| Collectors: | 3-inch |
| Exhaust Pipes: | None |
| Mufflers: | None |
| Crossover: | None |
| Drivetrain |
| Transmission: | Turbo 400 w/6 Kevlar discs, performance rebuild |
| Converter: | TCI 10-inch, 2,800-stall |
| Shifter: | B&M Pro-Ratchet |
| Rear: | GM 12-bolt |
| Rear-Gear Ratio: | 4.10:1 |
| Posi: | GM |
| Axles: | Moser |
| Chassis and Suspension |
| Brakes F/R: | SSBC 11-inch disc/stock drum |
| Wheels F/R: | American Torque Thrust 15-inch 15x4.5/Rally IIs widened to 15x8 |
| Tires F/R: | 185/78R15 / M/T 10.5x26x15 slicks |
| Tire Pressure F/R: | 40 psi/16 psi |
| Suspension Front |
| Springs: | Moroso-Drag |
| Control Arms: | Stock |
| Stabilizer Bar: | None |
| Shocks: | CE 3-way-adjustable, set at 90/10 |
| Suspension Rear |
| Springs: | Stock |
| Control Arms: | Hotchkiss modified |
| Stabilizer Bar: | 0.875 |
| Shocks: | CE 3-way-adjustable, set at 50/50 |
| Other Features: | Air Lift air bags, 5 psi left, 11 psi right |
| Chassis Mods: | CE 6-point rollbar |
| The Rest |
| Interior Mods: | Summit poly race seat, plexi windows |
| Exterior Mods: | VFN fiberglass hood, trunk, bumpers, custom ram air set up through inner headlights |
| Safety Mods: | RJS 5-point harness, SFI-approved drivetrain parts, driveshaft safety loop |
| Paint: | Grenadier Red |
| Launch Technique: | Foot brake to 1,800 rpm |
| Best 1/8-mile ET, MPH Prior to Event: | 7.36 at 92 |
| Best 1/4-mile ET, MPH Prior to Event: | 11.84 at 108 |