Pontiac GTO Forum banner

Some questions/concerns before I buy this 65

2K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  georgegervin44 
#1 ·
Hi, new to site. Just wanted to get some advice on this 65 GTO. The price is only $10500. It is a real gto according to the vin; 237375Z. It is a 389 with tri power. It was originally yellow but painted over white with white interior. There is not much rust at al. The body looks straight but the driver door does not line up properly. The seam by the hinges is much closer than the seam by the door lock. You have to push the door to force it closes. The door seems like it is hanging down a bit but the pins seem okay. You cannot move the door up and down while it is open and the hinges seem to be in the same spot according to the paint but it definitely shifted. On both sides of the roof at the top near the rear windshield is uneven and bubbly, not like rust but a slightly lumpy surface like someone took a paint brush across it. The owner had said that Pontiac had used lead back then in that area. Anyone know if that is true? The chrome around the headlight is pitted. The hood will open and stay up on its own. The engine is rusty baby blue, the 3 carbs are rochester GM. It is a 4 speed. Not sure if it is original, Muncie or what. The rear end has 10 bolts. The owner "believes" that the trans and rear end are original and correct. Based on the paint on the engine and how the rust pattern is, it seems as though the heads and manifold probably came on this block. The white interior is moldy smelling, driver side seat ripped with springs collapsed on the outer edge. the rest is just dirty. The original radio is there with a separate reverb switch on dash (not sure if this was stock) and the dash pad is cracked. The steering wheel doesn't look correct as well as the rusty wheels. There are headers on the engine but one was dented so as to fit in engine compartment. The car does start. Haven't driven it yet. I'm not sure if the codes are all correct but if so, the price seems very reasonable. It might be better spending more a getting a better one. Just had some concerns with the door, and how much of a pain to correct that and with the "lead" on the roof down panels. Any thoughts or am I being too picky on this? Thanks for any replies.
 
See less See more
#3 · (Edited)
Gto?

:cool: In 1965 there was a GTO Option on the LeMans. That means it's impossible to tell if a car had the GTO Option from the VIN. The only way to tell what options the LeMans came off the assembly line with is by the PHS Documentation. You also cannot tell if the engine is original to the car without the Build Sheet.

The rough roof has rust under the paint. Yes, they used lead where the quarters met the roof, but that's theonly place. Besides it looked "normal" coming from the factory.

Cravat Emptor.
 
#4 · (Edited)
What exactly is the PHS documentation? Is it something direct from Pontiac? How can I get them as well as the build sheet? The rough lead spots are on both sides by the top of the roof. The are more like pimples than bubbles, as it does not look or feel like rust but it may well be. Overall, not much rust on the car. A car restorer told me that they usually remove the lead so as not to have this reoccur again. The driver door is another issue which could be from an accident. I'm not exactly sure how to tell, but that door has the only seams that do not line up. Just trying to figure if this is worth the $10500. I had one as a kid in the early 70's and always wanted another.
 
#6 ·
The rough surface on the roof maybe from it having a vinyl top. If that was the case, PHS will tell you if it was a vinyl top car.

Based on what you have stated (pics would help), IMO the asking price is too high. Sounds more like a $6-8k car.
 
#8 ·
Would I be able to contact GM and get that info instead of paying $65 to PHS for a car that I may not buy? Just curious. Sorry about the absence of pics. I have a couple that were sent to my yahoo account from a cell phone, but when I tried to copy and paste each photo to the message, when you click the link it opened up with my email inbox instead of the individual photos. I will get it done. Thanks to all for the response and have a nice Thanksgiving.
 
#9 ·
No, you can't get Pontiac data from GM.
If you're serious about this car, it is about the smartest $65 you can spend.
It will confirm if this car was originally a GTO.

If I am considering any "collector" Pontiac, I always order the PHS document package, even if the seller has a PHS package for the car. There have been too many fakes (both cars AND modified PHS documents) to take a chance on a car.
 
#11 ·
I am supposed to look at this car again on Saturday, provided that it is still for sale. Based on the few photos, does it look reasonable for the asking price? I see another in similar shape for 5K but it is an automatic. I saw another project that was a rusty mess and they want 23K. I can't seem to find any others to compare it to in the same price range. The photos do make the car look better as this does need restoration but it does run, and the body seems straight. I haven't run a magnet over it yet but looking in the trunk and underneath the fenders it looks like all metal. If this is a real GTO with a correct engine, would this be worth it? If I bought it, I would try to make it as original as possible except adding power steering, possibly A/C. Was power steering and A/C an option on these? I would restore it to the point of making it a weekend driver. I miss driving the one I had as a kid, so I wouldn't be putting 60K+ into a show car to trailer around. Any more thoughts on this? Thanks again for the input!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top