Drove the GTO today....first time in 15 years!

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Wow! What a day!

Yesterday (father's day) I bought a new set of BF Goodrich T/A radials for the GTO. I've been pecking away at the car for 7 months now. Rebuilt everything, the engine, the transmission, the brakes the wheels. Started October last year. Everything has been rebuilt.

Drove it today for the first time in 15 years. This is a 1967 GTO that I bought new. Ordered it from the factory in July 1966 and took delivery at Meadow's Pontiac in Portland in November 1966. Hardtop. 4 speed. Ralley wheels. Instruments, tinted glass, console. Limited slip differential. Fast ratio manual steering. 360 HP 400 cu in.

I had lots of mechanical and electrical glitches. But I finally got it to run pretty well and drove it about 15 miles without the hood. Brakes pull a bit to the left and the Hayes street and strip clutch is rougher than a cob. Everyone I passed gave me the thumbs up!

It drives...noiser than hell and has it got go power!!!!
Drove it down to the Cape Thursday. Really interesting to drive again.
2nd gear is awsome!

I've been laughing all afternoon!



McSkagit

[Tim McCrain]

:cool1:

[Brian]

Thats when cars were cars! My suburbans' down for a leaking intake manifold so I had to fire up my '68 Nova. The kids love it.

Looking forward to the pics.

[Helmar]

Wow! What a day!

Yesterday (father's day) I bought a new set of BF Goodrich T/A radials for the GTO. I've been pecking away at the car for 7 months now. Rebuilt everything, the engine, the transmission, the brakes the wheels. Started October last year. Everything has been rebuilt.

Drove it today for the first time in 15 years. This is a 1967 GTO that I bought new. Ordered it from the factory in July 1966 and took delivery at Meadow's Pontiac in Portland in November 1966. Hardtop. 4 speed. Ralley wheels. Instruments, tinted glass, console. Limited slip differential. Fast ratio manual steering. 360 HP 400 cu in.

I had lots of mechanical and electrical glitches. But I finally got it to run pretty well and drove it about 15 miles without the hood. Brakes pull a bit to the left and the Hayes street and strip clutch is rougher than a cob. Everyone I passed gave me the thumbs up!

It drives...noiser than hell and has it got go power!!!! Holy ship!

I've been laughing all afternoon!

Pictures forthcoming.....

McSkagit

Not to many people know of Bud Meadows Pontiac and Jeep.
I used to work in the Jeep section as a line wrench back in the late 60's, early to mid 70's.
Fact is, I have a fresh 400ci Pontiac engine in this.
It even gets much better fuel mileage than the 350 chev engines.

Glad to see you got her back to life again Tim. Now, just do whatever you have to do to Keep it.

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Serious machine

That's a serious looking machine, Joe! Is that an early surburban? What model vehicle? 400 Pontiacs have some serious low end torque. Great engines. The crankshaft is massive. Too bad GM axed the Pontiac engines for "Corporate Engines" whatever they are?

I recall back in the late 70's or early 80's GM started putting Chev engines in Pontiacs, Buicks and Oldsmobiles. The buying public went ballistic.

Hanging on to the Goat is going to be tough! Sure has been fun putting it back on the road!

One of the glitches I have is that I can't adjust the drivers seat belt. The web has expanded and there is some corrosion on the metal adjuster. I've gained a bit "O" weight since I last drove the car. If I fasten the seat belt, I can't move the seat far enough ahead to be able to put the pedal to the metal....as they say. Only about 2/3 throttle.....which is PLENTY!

Got the tach working today. Had a glitch in the alternator. One of the diode pigtales was contacting the positive heat sink. Alternator and regulator working. Horn and radio working! Whoa! It's almost street legal!

Still cleaning the ol Goat up. Will have pics in a day or two.

Stay tuned.....thanks for your interest...

McSkagit

[Helmar]

Hey Tim.
That is what they call a logger Crummy.
Its a 1962 with a 64 hood on it. Seems to me it was getting something like 14mph driving it between Sandy Or and Gresham Or.
The winch is a PTO. The winch that was on it was a junker so I got one from my Dads wrecking yard off one of our old wreckers (tow truck) which with the cable it has on it, if I remember right, I put 150 feet on as that is all it would hold. It has something that was called a Meca Lock which you Mash hard on the brakes and flip the Meca lock and it held the brakes on.
You could drag all four tires on pavement.
Oh, it also has the commercial chains for all four tires too.

The reason it still setting is I was teaching my youngest son how to build engines. I forgot to mark the heads when they went in the machine shop.
We got the wrong heads back that were milled down so far that the intake would not seal like it should. My Son walked away from it after that and I had so many other things going, I never went back under the hood.
I have another set of heads that I can have redone for it.
Oh, there is also a Boom that fits the front of it.
You can drive up to another rig and lift the engine out of it as the way its set up with the PTO, it has 4 speeds in, 4 speeds out.

It was fun to drive as I would just hang the chains off the front and it resembled a battle wagon. Not too many people would cut me off in traffic.
The horns will almost make you deaf as they are air horns with a 12 volt compressor under the hood and a 10 gallon air tank bolted on the outside of its massive frame under the rig.

You asked and I did my own horn :HandHorn1: :BigHappy1:

[Dave C]

Hey Tim.
It has something that was called a Meca Lock which you Mash hard on the brakes and flip the Meca lock and it held the brakes on.
You could drag all four tires on pavement.
You asked and I did my own horn :HandHorn1: :BigHappy1:

I believe you mean Mico Lock. http://www.mico.com/products/displaysubinfo.php?id=43
This would be good to have on your tow vehicle so you don't launch it with the trailer and boat. :Scared1:

[Helmar]

I believe you mean Mico Lock. http://www.mico.com/products/displaysubinfo.php?id=43
This would be good to have on your tow vehicle so you don't launch it with the trailer and boat. :Scared1:

Yup.....Thats the company.
Mine runs on 12 volts and has just a toggle switch. Kind of like the old Hurst Line Lock, mash the brakes and hold the button down to lock the front wheels.

[sparks]

63 chev

Not to many people know of Bud Meadows Pontiac and Jeep.
I used to work in the Jeep section as a line wrench back in the late 60's, early to mid 70's.
Fact is, I have a fresh 400ci Pontiac engine in this.
It even gets much better fuel mileage than the 350 chev engines.

Glad to see you got her back to life again Tim. Now, just do whatever you have to do to Keep it.

that look like you had a 63 surburban i use to have a pick up that yr nothing like hitting your knees on the bottom curve part of the windshield