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  Home Stretch

  Feb 2, 2024

  Home Stretch.  At least that’s what I’m calling it for now.  I had purchased my 1970 GTO in 2019 from a fellow in Colorado only to discover that the inspector I hired to do the on-site pre-purchase inspection missed some important facts about the car, resulting in it being (in my opinion) overvalued.  The owner indicated that the body had received a rotisserie restoration and everything I can see points to that being the case.  And a very nice job it is too!  The chassis is in overall excellent condition.  However, the suspension and brakes needed attention.  Although the rear suspension bits had been replaced, the front had not been touched at all.  The disc brakes were terrible, and the front bushings were almost nonexistent to the point of elongating the bushing holes in the control arms, rendering them unable to be rebuilt.  Since these issues prevented the GTO from passing even a basic Pennsylvania safety inspection, I found myself at the proverbial fork in the road.

  Originally, all I wanted was an extra nice driver quality vehicle that I could take on the occasional fair weather jaunt and to local shows.  After discovering the front suspension ills plaguing the car, closer examination turned up various electrical and other performance issues. Obviously, discovering these issues immediatly upon arrival soured the experience and forced a strategic decision as to which direction I would take when correcting them.  Rather than keeping it pure classic, I decided to aim more for a modern, high-speed interstate cruiser capability, while maintaining the stock appearance as much as possible.

  On went a completely new and modern tubular front and rear suspension, including adjustable shock absorbers and upgraded four-wheel disc brakes.  Better radial tires and three-point seat belts were installed along with somewhat quieter stock-type mufflers for a showroom quality sound.  Many electrical gremlins were banished with a new dash, A/C, and partial engine wiring harness replacement.  Engine cooling issues were eliminated with a far more efficient yet stock looking radiator.  Replacing the ailing, non-original carburetor with modern fuel injection helps the engine start and run more smoothly with modern fuels.  Having the bucket seats rebuilt contribute to a very comfortable ride. The addition of a new overdrive automatic transmission and cruise control are icing on the cake.

  To date, the journey has been extensive, expensive, and at times physically grueling, testing my skills and abilities more than I would have thought.  Thank goodness for IcyHot^® ointment and factory service manuals on CD!  Though much work has been done over the last four years (has it really been that long?), we’ve done precious little driving and enjoying the car.  This realization threatened a return of sourness to the experience despite all of the results I managed to acheive.  So, after a late night "Come to Jesus" talk with the car followed by a very productive test ride, I made a Home Stretch “punch list” of items necessary for Jan and I to enjoy the car.  

  Items on the list include a tilt-steering column and a conversion of our original AM radio to AM/FM with Bluetooth capability along with the rest of the speakers necessary to function as a modern sound system should.  Also slated is the addition of a new Garmin navigation unit with a Bluetooth backup camera.  I’ve already identified and addressed many if not all of the very annoying rattles emanating from the trunk and rear bumper area.  Finally, if the clunking noise I heard from the rear axle on our last trip is what I suspect, then a new replacement rear axle assembly will be installed in the GTO as well. 

  When Legacy Innovations serviced my Pontiac BOP (Buick, Olds, Pontiac) axle, I think they got the freeplay a bit on the big side.  It exibits a "clunk" during light throttle shifting until the fluids get up to temp, and now has a definite "hum" around 40 mph.  It doesn't affect the safety or drivability of the car, but the noise can be annoying.  Too much time has passed and it's also too expensive to ship the car back to have it addressed.  So, the intended solution is a 9” Ford unit from the folks at Quick Performance, specifically created as a bolt-in replacement for our GTO.  Expensive?  Ubetcha!  But the increased strength and durability, coupled with ease of maintenance and parts availability more than justify the extra cost.  It's what I should have done in the first place.

  So, here we are on the home stretch.  Will our intrepid hero succeed and truly consider the car done?   Well, by now most of you who know me are rolling your eyes, as you already know that hot rods are never really “done”.  However, I will say that I’m finally going to be where I expected to be four years ago – only better.  Now, if this is really it for the GTO for a while, then what’s next?  Hmmm..  Did I hear someone say flight simulator?

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