Frosty

Addition or addiction or both? Nice work Mike.

That is what hot rodding is all about 31pontiac. I really do like the look of it. The only thing missing (for my taste) is the super wide M/T tires/cheater slicks. However, I also appreciate what you have as well. It looks like it could run on a dry lake bed today and be right at home. Excellent work.

Keep up the good work!

Awesome job there Dave. It looks like it might be factory. The only thing I think is missing is the either word "Pontiac" or the arrowhead on the shifter ball.

So did the museum close up shop altogether or did it move to bigger and better digs? I just hate to see an auto museum close and go out of business, especially after watching the Walter P. Chrysler Museum open, close, re-open briefly, and then close permanently to be turned into office space. Now it's Maserati's U.S. HQ.

Unless there was an optional steering wheel (like the Trans Am Formula or the infamous wood grain steering wheels on the F and A bodies), the big car steering wheels were generally color matched to their interiors (or faux wood grain in later 70s and 80s). So if you had a red interior (even if it was a triple red), then you had a red steering wheel. Now if the interior matched the paint, then I guess you've accomplished what you wanted. I suppose, back in the day, that some dealer would be willing to paint a steering wheel to match the color of the car to make a sale, but that was not a factory practice or option. You might reach out to a company called Quality Restoration Inc. They specialize in restoring clear and plastic steering wheels. They might have the color information you are looking for. They are out of San Diego. http://qualityrestorations.com/pontiacs-clear/

Thanks for sharing the photos '31pontiac -as always. Definitely more than a few British cars being restored plus several American brands lying about. So where is this place?

So technically speaking, when you are at work, you are trolling..... That's another bad holiday image that will take a fifth of Wild Turkey to help get rid of.

Well first off you can order the information on how the car left the factory. A company called Pontiac Historical Services Online (or PHS for short) has all the detail on how you car was built. They can give you replica build sheets and window sticker. It costs about $75 per VIN. It will tell you the color, options, and what dealer the car was shipped to. It's well worth the money. http://www.phs-online.com/

Concord, right off M-60 - between Homer and Spring Harbor - not far from Albion either if I recall. I spent a few summer baseball camps with my boy at Spring Harbor College, which is why I remember Concord just being up the road a bit. As for the Car of Year stickers, no, but honestly I haven't looked. I see a ton of replica and original stickers at the Detroit Swap Meet, which will be in Novi MI this year on January 6-7, 2018. If I get down there again this year, I might look around again. Do you have a photo of what they look like? Now there is a dealership name I have not heard in quite a while.

Welcome aboard our John. I loved the old AC Fire Ring decals on the fender. You don’t see those things any more.

Agreed. The 64 and 65 GTOs were the highest optioned LeMans, as Sprint 6 stated with the GTO option added on top of the LeMans. So your VIN should decode as a LeMans, first three digits are 237. Then you need to look at the accessory codes on the data plate on the firewall and look at the fifth accessory code, it should be “N” for the GTO option. Then you should have a 389 otherwise you should have a 326.

When was the last time you heard of a USA-based company buying out a Japanese firm? In the 1980s and 1990s it was the other way around. There is a Takata facility off I-75 in Auburn Hills here in Michigan, on Opdyke Road near University Drive. I use to drive by it to stop at Tim Horton's on my way to work in Pontiac or Auburn Hills. I can't wait for them to change the sign.

For everyone else, here is what TBN and TAN mean: https://www.spectrosci.com/resource-center/lubrication-analysis/literature/e-guides/guide-to-measuring-tantbn/

SnoWht - thank you for that wonderful walk around. I can't wait to see it totally fixed up, painted, polished, and (as Wille says) On the Road Again! So what are your next steps?

I totally understand and support your decision. Please let us know what you come up with.

Last Indian, I do enjoy our back and forth discussions. I think we both learn something in the process. So let me ask you this, do you recommend running an engine cleaner - in an attempt to clear all the sludge and carbon build-up - like you mention above - prior to a fresh oil change? If so, how often do you do it? Every oil change, ever other oil change? Every 10,000 miles?

Dang it Frosty!! I'm starting not to like you again (Translation: I wish I had thought that....wise acre!)

Thanks for sharing. So what kind of steering system is the other person got? A rack and pinion set-up or a more traditional power steering gear that is mounted forward of the axle?

I remember the late Pontiac historian John Sawruk was asked this question. His response was 10W30 was preferred over 10W40. He also recommended conventional oils over synthetics for stock or near-stock engines. BTW 10W40 oil works fine too. John said the 10W30 was thinner, so cars with hard starting or residing in cold weather climates could to start easier. Since 10W30 and 10W40 were both spec'd for Pontiac engines back in the day, and not other formulas, he said stick with what works. He said to stay away from the 5Wxx oils as they were a thinner viscosity and Pontiac engines had such loose tolerances (as compared to today's modern LS engines) that thinner oils could get through these tolerances and cause leakage. Nor could they reap the benefits of a 5W weight oil since the last Pontiac V8 was built in 1980. Also, he recommended staying away from synthetics for similar reasons. Early on synthetics could cause leakage and seal swelling. The swelling issue has been largely fixed by oil OEMs by reformulating their oils. However an expense synthetic is not recommended for a stock Pontiac engine unless you have an engine builder who has tightened up the tolerances and recommends it. Besides why spend the extra money for no apparent benefit?

I think it might be cheaper to repair it than replace in your case. OPGI charges $206.99 plus shipping and handling for OEM replacement tach for a '65 GTO. So if you can get it repaired for $150, you will be money ahead. However, if you can find one a slightly used one somewhere on your side of the pond, then it's worth replacing. https://www.opgi.com/gto/BL00265/

Hmm....a Pertronix Flame Thrower distributor is essentially a stock GM OEM style without the points. Most people have little problem driving the stock tach off of it. My recommendation is just get the tach repaired and then try hooking it up. By most accounts it should not need a tach filter. If it doesn't work, then we can address the tach filter issue

Sadly the lack of ZDDP (a.k.a. zinc dialkyldithiophosphate ) in today's modern oils is what provides the molecular protection preventing metal-to-metal contact in older flat tappet engines. So selecting an oil brand with adequate ZDDP or adding a ZDDP additive is becoming more imperative today. The reason ZDDP is going away is that OEM manufacturers are expected to warranty their new car & truck emissions systems to last 100,000 miles or more by the federal government. In order to do that, the car companies have to eliminate phosphate contamination in the catalytic converter, which can come (in part) from the motor oil. Therefore the oil companies have to reformulate their gas and oils to eliminate phosphates, but in doing so, the ZDDP goes away too. Brands like Amsoil, Brad Penn, Lucas Hot Rod & Classic Car Oil, Royal Purple, Valvoline VR-1, Mobil 1 Synthetic, and Pennzoil synthetic and conventional oi are all suppose to have high levels of ZDDP in them. Note: I intentionally left the diesel oils like Rotella and Delo off the list, this is just a conventional motor oil list, not diesel oil. A lot of guys swear by the Delo and Rotella. I am just trying to keep the list to regular motor oils. While the brands I've listed work fine, they tend to be expense too. So I also look for oils with an API rating lower than the current standard - which is SN. If I can find something between SF-SL, I personally buy it for my '72. Sometimes I get lucky and find cheap Wal-Mart, Meijer, or gas station private branded oil with one of these ratings. Its still a needle in a haystack search, but sometimes I am rewarded. So this is a long winded answer to your question, but now you have more information.

Okay, let's back up a couple of steps. First it sounds like your stock OEM tach for your '65 GTO is dead and doesn't work at all. If that is the case, there are plenty of guys out there that restore and repair non-working gauges. I sent my clock to YearOne many years ago and had it rebuilt with quartz movement. So you could call them to see what they charge. I am sure there are other guys closer to you that do this service too. Or you could simply buy a stock replacement tach from whomever the cheapest. Second, you want the tach to work with an HEI distributor. Which one? Stock GM, MSD, Mallory, Pertronix? Let's assume it is a stock style GM OEM. The HEI and other electronic distributors create a different signal or pulse than do original points style distributors. For this reason, your OEM tach that was circuited to read the points style does not recognize and cannot read the signal it’s receiving from the newer style distributor. The fix for this situation is to purchase a tach filter or interface device. They are available through several aftermarket manufacturers. They can be found on most GM cars in junkyards that have factory tachs in them. The factory style filter looks like a condenser with a wire and connector on each end, one of which plugs onto the HEI distributor, and the other onto the tach lead wire. Hooking this filter device in series between your distributor and tach should allow your factory tach to work in harmony with your new electronic distributor. Bottom line, you could re-build or buy a stock replacement tach and then get the tach filter to make it work. You don't need to buy a specially configured tach unless you want to.

So are you looking for a third parts cars to (A) repair the body damage on the '93 and (B) has a solid drivetrain to put into the '95?