You will recall in our last issue that we examined a '66 GTO, which was bought at auction by an unsuspecting customer who had fond memories of a GTO from high school. Once he got the Goat home, he realized that all was not correct under the hood or anywhere else. So he decided to get it fixed. As a result more problems were found beneath the skin and the $25,000 purchase price is currently headed toward a $30,000 total investment to correct many but not all of its foibles.
This scenario is very typical today with the advent of so many different ways to buy and sell classic cars. They are referred to by many as puppy-mill cars for the frequency in which shops spit them out onto the classic car market. As we discussed in the last installment, these "restored to sell" vehicles look good to the undiscerning eye but many times hide a multitude of sins from the prospective buyer.
Lucky for this owner, his '66 GTO did match the VIN as a Tri-Power 4-speed model so it will always be valuable, yet it probably wasn't worth the $25,000 that he spent on it. So now with a modest budget of $5,000 the GTO will be brought up to showcar but not concours status and HPP is covering the event. Restoration began under the hood with the engine and then the drivetrain and suspension in the last issue and now our story will conclude with repairing resto mistakes in the interior, trunk, and on the body.
Perhaps after you read this story you will save yourself from a similar fate when you buy your next GTO.
After purchasing the correct...
After purchasing the correct looking reproduction seat covers, we had John Mendez Trim Shop recover the seats and hog ring the new covers to the seat frames. A hog ring is a metal 2-sided hook that clamps down the upholstery to the seat frame.
The door panels were probably...
The door panels were probably done at the same upholstery shop as the seats since they were stitched to look like the originals.
But again, the factory door...
But again, the factory door panels were heat-pressed with the same aforementioned process, as shown here. The armrest pads were cracked and the armrest support was painted instead of chrome when we got the GTO so they had to be replaced as well.
Its headliner was nicely installed...
Its headliner was nicely installed but I can't say the same for the ears of it.
They were constructed with...
They were constructed with common corrugated cardboard. The headliner material was glued to the cardboard then double-sided tape was employed to stick the wrinkled ears up to cover up the metal underside--cheap yes, effective no. This problem was corrected by purchasing an entire headliner just to get the two ears.
The rearview mirror was from...
The rearview mirror was from a different application so it was incorrect and in poor condition.
We purchased a reproduction...
We purchased a reproduction unit that fit nicely.
Both side chrome window trims...
Both side chrome window trims were rusted and neglected. The rubber was cracked and brittle. We replaced the trim with a new reproduction piece and new channel rubber. Note the stainless trim under the window is badly scratched. These parts are very expensive and not within our budget to purchase or replace.
On both sides the vent window...
On both sides the vent window handle might have cut your finger if you used it because the chrome was peeling off and all 4 window channel fuzzes were wasted. New parts are shown here. Again note that the trim on top of the door is in need of replacement but due to budget restraints, we were not able to complete this task.
Both left and right door handles...
Both left and right door handles had the chrome peeling off and the door handle gaskets missing. The gaskets were probably dry rotted and when the car was painted they never replaced them. This was a simple fix because we had the door panels off to replace anyway. New parts are shown.
Nice hole--we figure the GTO...
Nice hole--we figure the GTO had to pull a boat or camper trailer at one time. The old owner drilled three holes in the bumper to hold the light plug in place. Our fear was whether or not the bumper re-plater would be able to weld up the holes and re-plate the bumper well enough to hide the marks. Or would we have to hunt down a used bumper than have it re-plated at a greater expense?
Dalchrome of Ft. Worth, Texas,...
Dalchrome of Ft. Worth, Texas, repaired the holes and re-chromed the bumper and did a great job. Note the reverse light working. Upon removing the bumper to send it off the re-platers we noticed that the reverse lights were not connected. A wire was nowhere to be found and the transmission didn't host a switch. We purchased an aftermarket reverse light switch and ran the wire to both the lamp fixtures, and we replaced the cracked reverse lenses.
Moving up to the weather-stripping,...
Moving up to the weather-stripping, we found that the new trunk weather-strip wasn't even glued down. After a hot day we opened the trunk, the weather-strip stuck to the deck lid. My son, James Stires, later assisted with the gluing process using super weather adhesive to secure the strip.
In the trunk there was a spare...
In the trunk there was a spare tire but missing were the jack tools, spare tire hold down assembly, the trunk mats and spare tire cover. Under the new mats aqua and black splatter paint was reapplied. Note the jack tools are not the correct plating or the exact color but they were already at the shop so we decided to use them anyway because they may get the owner out of a jam in case of a flat tire. . .regardless of their colors.
The antenna assembly was incorrect...
The antenna assembly was incorrect as well. This is an aftermarket unit but due to the budget we didn't replace it. We considered that the new and correct antenna assembly would be nice but would then show the marks left by the old larger unit. We also found that the antenna cable wasn't even run inside the GTO but just wadded up under the fender.
This is a before and after...
This is a before and after photo of the incorrect black GTO emblem in the left grille. The black GTO emblem might have been an extra from the rear quarter panel of another car.
The grill required a white...
The grill required a white GTO emblem in the left grille. Note that the directional light lenses were cracked and milky due to it age, we replaced it as well.
Here's a tip: If you are looking...
Here's a tip: If you are looking to buy a Pontiac that has "P-O-N-T-I-A-C" spelled incorrectly on it, you can bet that it has other more costly problems. Surprisingly however, the body overall wasn't too bad, the bodylines were pretty straight but it could have used a good color sand and buff by a professional body shop. At 10 feet the car looked excellent.
MORE STUFF
Just when you thought it was over. . .here are a few more problems that we ran into and fixed but didn't document on film.
*The steering wheel was cocked so when you were driving in a straight line the wheel was clocked at the 7 o'clock position. This is due to a lazy tech at a front-end shop who aligned the front end without making sure the steering wheel is straight first. Another alignment was done when we rebuilt the front end so now the wheel is straight.
*The horn bar on the wheel didn't beep the horn--the horn was instead wired to a button under the dash. This is just another quick and dirty way of fixing a problem so that was repaired, too.
*The wood veneer inserted in the dash was two different colors and needed to be matched.
*The cigarette lighter didn't work.
*The cables to the heater switches were never attached.
*The headliner of this GTO looked to be properly installed but the interior dome light wasn't there. The wiring was simply covered up and deleted all together. When opening the door we had 12 volts to the wiring so we didn't have to remove the headliner but simply purchase a reproduction fixture and lens and installed it.
*Speaking of lights, the center console light didn't come on when the door was opened. Upon removing the console we found the wiring but it wasn't connected.
*The right hand door's jamb switch was badly corroded and needed to be replaced because it worked only occasionally.
*The light in the console also needed 12 volts to operate when the console lid was opened and it had to be hooked up.
Conclusion
Is this GTO worth 25K now? Well, it would have to sell for at least 30K just to break even. When the new GTO appears on the open road, vintage GTOs will probably become even more popular. This hype will create more puppy-mill cars to end up on the auction block or a car lot near you. So before you jump in with both feet as well as your billfold do your homework, educate yourself, and ask questions. If you were to you go to the Pontiac dealership to purchase a new GTO you would look up all sorts of information about it to educated yourself right? Well, it shouldn't be any different with a vintage GTO.
Here is our subject '66 GTO....
Here is our subject '66 GTO. Notice the dog and the handful of cash--it's a puppy-mill car--don't 'ya get it?
This bucket seat upholstery...
This bucket seat upholstery is completely incorrect. It's a shame because these seat covers were hand-sewn. A lot of money and a lot of time were spent to make them incorrectly. The '66 seats like so many GTOs before and after had heat pleats--a process by which a machine forms the vinyl with a heated press making it almost impossible to replicate by a local shop.