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NOOB Introduction/Questions

12K views 92 replies 13 participants last post by  BearGFR 
#1 ·
I just bought a 68 GTO. I have never dealt with restoration before but am a A tech mechanic.I have some questions and im sure I will have more. The car is almost driveable. I think just a day of tinkering will get it going again. It has a 428 in it (i know NOM) It starts with a little fuel in the carb but shuts down. I have a new gastank for it and sender. Then I will blow the lines out and install a few see thru filters till im certain there is no rust. Should fire after that. Carb is already rebuilt. Undercarriage is very nice. Floors and trunk are very nice. Bottoms of the rear Quarters are holey but repairable everything else is good. Has a Hood tach (not hooked up). Also has hideaway headlamps (not hooked up. This should be entertaining) So thats about all i can say for now. My first immediate question is where to find a wire harness for hood tach? How to verify it works before I buy harness?
 
#33 ·
ok so new top was being installed today.......COLD RIDE 15 miles down the highway with no top! Todays high was 19! I loved the odd looks though. So when I get it back ill retake some photos. Its coming along nicely. I just need to install cluster and it should be reliable road worthy. I need some advice though on adjusting the windows. The rear window and door window dont line up nicely. So any insight on that would be good. Also the rubber on the rear window where it touches the door window could use replacing. Any advice on how to get that apart is greatly appreciated.
 
#34 ·
The rubber seal on the quarter glass slides out the bottom of the chrome piece. It is a T channel. Get the replacement set first and you will see how it interlocks. Get the set with the metal insert inside, like the originals. The all rubber seals don't work as well. Once you have the new seal, you won't be afraid to destroy the old one getting it out. I use a visegrips and start pulling down from the bottom. They seem to have some sort of glue or are rusted from age and can be very hard to pull out. By starting at the bottom and stretching the rubber, it will break free and slide out. Clean the metal track of any debris or rust. Lots of soapy water to keep the new one lubricated will help. It may take some patience to pull the new one up by hand and a small screw driver to feed it into the channel along the way.

Adjusting the glass isn't something I'm going to attempt to describe. It can be very frustrating with all the different adjustment that are possible between the 2 pieces. The quarter glass has the most adjustability to get it vertical and to stop at the right place for the door glass to seal. If you have a good local body shop with an old school body man, I would ask them how much to do it. You may be able to save a little on the cost by doing the R&R of the interior panels yourself.
 
#35 ·
Ok we'll coming home from the top place the rear end begins howling bad. Probably a blessing because the gearing is not good anyway. I was doing about 50 to 55 and it seemed like I was turning some RPM. So any suggestions on what gearing this thing should have? Also where to get gears?
 
#41 ·
66 Pontiac

Yes Hello,

I'm in the process of putting the finishing touches on a 1966 Pontiac GTO with a 389 Tri-Power. It's and automatic. I have noticed that the belts are off direction wise, this car does have A/C. I have done some research and found that the engine calls for a 3 groove crank pulley. I have a couple of questions:

1. Where can I find a 3 channel pulley for the Crank?
2. Is the 389 Tri-Power internally/externally balanced?
3. Does anyone know where I can find/buy a blue deluxe style seatbelt with the Fisher logo?

Help and advice is greatly appreciated?

Thank You
 
#45 ·
1. Any of the restoration books should have an AC pulley or e-bay
2. all 389's are internally balanced
3. those are the deluxe seatbelts and can be hard to find, try E-bay, i have a blue set with the GM logo, but i was able to save my deluxes by soaking them for a month in miracle oil and working them loose.
 
#46 ·
Well I need a little guidance.......I purchased a fully rebuilt 1968 YS 400 for the car and am getting ready to install that. Now I came across what appears to be a chevy 12 bolt rear end. It has 2.73 gears and is a POSI. I want to put this in the GTO and keep the stock 10 bolt for a later rebuild when money is flowing better. Will I need anything special to bolt this thing up? The shock mount brackets look different but they might work but cant tell. I was hoping for a little guidance from the powers that be. Also I am converting to HEI and could use a little help as to which ignition wires to use and how to wire it up. Thank guys!
 
#47 ·
The 12 bolt sounds like it's out of a Monte Carlo. It will bolt right in. I didn't find what you are running for a trans. If automatic, the 2.73 gears will be OK, especially for cruising. If you have a 4 speed they are going to be a PITA for getting going from a stop.

The HEI requires full 12 volts. You will need to run a new wire to bypass the original resistance wire. There are kits to make that easy or others may have a self-rewire option.
 
#48 ·
One easy way to wire the HEI is to do what I did. Go buy a generic headlight relay, mount it on the firewall and wire it up so your existing coil wire (12v + side) is used to energize the relay instead of going to the coil. Use the switched path through the relay to send 12v to the HEI straight from the battery (through a fuse). No muss, no fuss, and you preserve your original wiring in case you ever want to go back 100% stock.

Bear
 
#50 ·
That IS a slick trick. Good thing the relay works off the reduced voltage/amperage, which ever it is...;)
 
#49 ·
i like that relay idea. I always like relays to take the "load off." OK and I am running a turbo 400 that gear should make this girl be a nice highway cruiser. Low engine temps. I have one final question. What does that thermal vacuum switch do? And where does it hook to?
 
#52 ·
you will love that 2:73 posi with the T-400, Pontiac motors make a lot of low end torque and can get that tall gear turning pretty quick. Should be able to roll down the freeway at comfortable RPM, bury the speedo if 120 thrills you, and still be able to lay rubber on the streets any time your foot feels the need. Have a 12 bolt with 3:55 sitting in the shop and i am really not in any hurry to change out the 2:XX peg leg in my car because of the above stated and the fact that the 473 gets mid teens in gas mileage if i keep my foot out of the hole....most of the time...:D

Thanks for the credit BEAR, i'll pass some to JetStang as he confirmed the article i had found about it and had it in his LeMans also. Noting like a 5.00 fix that can save a few hundred in time.
 
#54 ·
That switch controls when the vacuum will go to the distributor. It is, obviously, controlled by temp. I always removed and threw them away and ran the vacuum full time. The switch was only to meet emissions levels back then and didn't do anything for performance or economy.

You should be able to find a hose routing in a Motors Service manual.
 
#57 ·
Today's distributors are curved for full advance at idle and drop under load (low vacuum). You should consult the manual for the HEI you plan to install, but I bet they will call for manifold vacuum.
 
#58 ·
A couple more issues that arose today upon final assembly. One is the alternator bracket that bolts to the front of the water pump no longer lines up. The 428 I took off had more holes around the perimeter of the water pump then this one does. Any ideas on that? Also I learned that 12 bolt rear is out of an Oldsmobile because it doesn't have C clips. Will I have fitment issues?
 
#59 ·
The 428 has a newere water pump. You'll most likely need a correct bracket for the '68 pump.

I hope you didn't buy the 12 bolt, because it isn't really a 12 bolt. You've been deceived. It is an 8.5 10 bolt inside with a 12 bolt cover. It is a little stronger than the 8.2 but not as strong as a real 12 bolt. If it ever needs parts or repair, they are hard to find and expensive.
 
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