Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

65 GTO

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #31
    Re: 65 GTO

    Chopped the trunk out, man the sawzall cuts through the braces like they are nuthin, oh wait with all the rust its almost nuthin. Welded in the new tank braces, covered all the stuff that will be enclosed with encapsulator, trimmed the pass side and started welding. Cleaning and trimming seems to take more time than anything else.





    I'll finish the rest tomorrow, and paint the control arms while its still warm. Weather is supposed to go back to the low teens to below zero on Tuesday. The joys of living in the north. I was working in my t-shirt for a few hours today, it was almost 40 here and the wood burner was cranking out the heat. THat wont be happening the rest of the week, gonna freeze my tail off out there, and I'll be lucky to get it over 50F.

    Comment


    • #32
      Re: 65 GTO

      Wow this thing is undergoing an amazing transformation.

      Good for you to have the drive and determination to not let the amount of work this car requires overwhelm you.

      inspirational.
      There's always something new to learn.

      Comment


      • #33
        Re: 65 GTO

        Originally posted by Thumpin455
        They only had boxed rear arms when there was a rear sway bar, and the boxed frame was an option in 71-72. Most I have seen had frames like this one and no rear sway bar. The 70-72 GTO had a rear bar standard, my 70 actually handles halfway decent too.
        I don't know GTO, but I know Skylark and Malibu (GS/SS) - and they did have boxed frames from 1965, it's one of the ways to tell if you're getting a clone or a real car (outside of the vin). The boxed arms are standard, the sway bar is optional on the SS and GS.... 442 - dunno.
        In any case, awesome work on the car - you're inspiring me to get to work.... especially since it's rainy and 55 degrees here. 8)
        Doing it all wrong since 1966

        Comment


        • #34
          Re: 65 GTO

          I dont know about Buick, but thats how it worked in Pontiac land. Quite a few of the things other divisions had were shot down by corporate, like forged rods and cranks. Could be that the others had them, I dont doubt it at all.

          Comment


          • #35
            Re: 65 GTO

            The disc brake conversion came in this week, just waiting for the paint on the control arms to cure so I can press in the bushings and put the frame back together. The joys of watching paint dry, at least there is plenty to do while the paint hardens.

            Still some welding to do, but for the most part the floors are in there. Need to get some blasting done on it now. Spent a few hours sanding the roof last night, what an enjoyably mind numbing opportunity.





            Comment


            • #36
              Re: 65 GTO

              Originally posted by Buickguy
              Originally posted by Thumpin455
              They only had boxed rear arms when there was a rear sway bar, and the boxed frame was an option in 71-72. Most I have seen had frames like this one and no rear sway bar. The 70-72 GTO had a rear bar standard, my 70 actually handles halfway decent too.
              I don't know GTO, but I know Skylark and Malibu (GS/SS) - and they did have boxed frames from 1965, it's one of the ways to tell if you're getting a clone or a real car (outside of the vin). The boxed arms are standard, the sway bar is optional on the SS and GS.... 442 - dunno.
              In any case, awesome work on the car - you're inspiring me to get to work.... especially since it's rainy and 55 degrees here. 8)
              Nope. Here's the deal.

              Boxed frames were standard on convertibles. They were not available in 1964 or 1965 for other than convertibles. In 1966, Pontiac offered the "heavy duty frame" option for posts and hardtops. This put the convertible frame under those cars. BTW, there are slight differences in the frames themselves even among the different A-Bodies. Again, IIRC the Lemans/GTO frame is either 4 or 6 inches longer in the tail section (everything forward is exactly the same) and I believe may be the same as the El Camino - but longer than the Chevelle/Skylark/442. From rear crossmember forward even the body mount positions are the same.

              IIRC the control arm braces were options in 1964 as dealer installed options. In either 1965 or 1966 they became standard equipment for cars built with manual transmissions. The first year they were still dealer installed. The second year they came with the braces from the factory. I have never seen any evidence that there were differences in lower control arms based on sway bar, but I could be wrong there. I'm under the impression that all GTOs got the same rear lower control arms.

              Great to see another Poncho being brought back to life! Keep up the pics - I'm enjoying the deja vu!

              Comment


              • #37
                Re: 65 GTO

                Thanks for the info, always good to find out more. If you want to help out send me some .030 wire, it seems almost everyone in town is out of it and Im on my last spool!

                Comment


                • #38
                  Re: 65 GTO

                  Great work on a great project! I'm glad to see you coat all that hidden metal, thats really important. I'll be watching this one for sure. Man, I'm totally spoiled with my rustless cars. Although my RR had a bit of metal to replace and my Firebird has some around the back window, nearly not as much as you are tackling. Nice Job Good Luck!.

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Re: 65 GTO

                    Impressive! If nothing else, your industriousness is to be applauded. Swing by Wilmington sometime and bring me a bucket of ambition - I had more when younger.

                    Dan

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Re: 65 GTO

                      Thanks guys, I spent the afternoon sanding without the heat on. Decided not to light the fire since it was above 30 in the shop. I spent 5 years in South Carolina, its gonna be a while before I head back that way, and it takes me a while to do stuff. I only post what I get done the day I actually work on it. Today I didnt get anything interesting done so no pics, if only I could work all day every day like when I was a kid. I want this one to last a bit longer than it did the last time it was repainted, so its getting rust preventative everywhere I can get it, I dont need it coming back in 6 months. I am looking forward to getting done with body work so I can get back to building engines and transmissions, then making things go fast...


                      The Pit of Despair Mustang is worse than this one in some ways, but at least the windows arent rusted out in that one.. Just everything else...

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Re: 65 GTO

                        Originally posted by Thumpin455
                        Im a mile from Lake Superior in Michigan, google Marquette and you will see the area, right along M28. No gearhead alive can drive past my place without noticing it. ;)
                        Hmmm - I've been to your part of the world. I have good friends just to the south of you in Iron Mountain & Kingsford.

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Re: 65 GTO

                          I didn't see and maybe I missed it..
                          but are you running a pontiac stear wheel.. if so I have the center cover.. and an am radio and a few other little things I saved from a 66 tempest..
                          I'll have to look and i'll make a list..
                          p.m. me and i'llsee what I got.. and if you can use it..
                          it's yours

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Re: 65 GTO

                            Originally posted by IRONHEAD
                            I didn't see and maybe I missed it..
                            but are you running a pontiac stear wheel.. if so I have the center cover.. and an am radio and a few other little things I saved from a 66 tempest..
                            I'll have to look and i'll make a list..
                            p.m. me and i'llsee what I got.. and if you can use it..
                            it's yours
                            Thanks man, as I progress and find out what I need I'll be in touch.

                            I have only gotten boring stuff done, probably breaking out the welder tomorrow and doing some patches and finishing the floors.


                            The package shelf has a ton of holes in it, good thing it is covered up. I can slather on the POR or encapsulator and not worry about it, just get the flaky stuff off. Need to patch the floor under the seat, its really swissed under there, and the dash needs a bit more work. My hood's lens was heavily pitted so I gotta cut another one for it, couldnt see anything while I was doing under the dash.

                            The blaster needs both valves replaced, a new hose, and its a bit small, so I think I will order a larger new one instead.





                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Re: 65 GTO

                              amazing.... keep up the good work
                              Doing it all wrong since 1966

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Re: 65 GTO

                                Got the rest of the blasting done, there is a bit more to do but now I can start on the metal work. If it isnt bare metal its getting cut off and replace at this point.


                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X