Pontiac GTO Forum banner

That wonderful feeling...

2K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  integrity6987 
#1 ·
...when you've finally gotten EVERYTHING WORKING after months and months of hacking on a car. When you go on a weekend drive in the sun for hours, and NOTHING BREAKS. The dozen trips to a dozen mechanics, the hundreds of hours in the garage, blown engines, paint repairs, steering column in twenty pieces twenty times, oft I did wonder if it was worth it. And it was worth it!

The remaining imperfections I can live with, perhaps forever... perhaps I will tackle them someday (gas gauge reads empty with 3 gallons left still, hood alignment isn't perfect). It will never be a 1000-point car... but it's finally good enough FOR ME. She is done!



Now onto my Mopar...
 
See less See more
1
#3 ·
Yeah, the 3-pointers kind of clutter up photos with the windows down, but the safety benefits were too much to pass up.

I am delving into the Mopar with much more confidence now that I've gone through this experience once. It was both worse and better than the GTO in several ways when I got it in terms of work needed. It's a 440 and the car is a complete brute, a total contrast to the classier and more elegant GTO. But it's a blast to drive and it's good to have both for different moods.
 
#6 ·
I got there with my '67 back in 2011 after almost 30 years of ownership. Pulled and resealed the engine, rebuilt the transmission, rebuilt the ps pump, replaced the steering gearbox, installed a new wiring harness, did the dash, etc. etc. Now the car has absolutely no oil leaks, anywhere. I take it on long trips and it performs perfectly, like a new car. Don't know why I waited so long, putting up with oil leaks, broken clock, intermittent electrical issues, etc. I'm too old for that kind of crap these days...everything has to work!
 
#8 ·
Congratulations, after shaking it down you gain the confidence that its reliable and can get the true driving experience as if you had bought it in the late 60's. i'm going on 8 years since the resto and have had a few bumps in the road. Now that its back together since spring and i have the dual quads i had sitting around on and adjusted it's like driving a whole new car. 2 barrels for cruising and a spare 6 for when my foot gets heavy.
 
#9 ·
I agree totally. IT IS WAY MORE FUN TO DRIVE THEN TO WORK ON! When I got my 67 vert, it had a new paint job that was bad, shot interior, ripped top, and so on and so on. It did run but hadn't been driven for 10 years. I worked like crazy for 5 months and got it on the road, drove it with no top for 3 months. Been driving it now for over 2 1\2 years (it does have a top now), taking care of little things along the way. So what if the passenger visor keeps popping out and hitting my wife on the head. So what if one of the doors needs an extra push to latch properly, so what if the interior lights don't always come on because of a sticky switch. I'll get to those things someday,,,,,,,,,,,maybe
 

Attachments

#10 ·
There is nothing that makes you appreciate good restoration work more than trying to do your own car. It's already hard enough to restore a part or subsystem to the 80% level (broadly defined) on a 50-year old car... the last 20% is where it gets absolutely silly and crazy. 80% is fine with me, but I take off my hat to those with the dedication and money to achieve perfection.
 
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