My 1964 Pontiac GTO Rebuild

These are photos, videos, and comments from my rebuilding of the 1964 Pontiac GTO that has been in the family since August 1965 with about 8,000 miles on it. This website is intended for both car people and friends that aren't into cars. So some explanations may seem overly complex or overly simplistic depending on your background.

Click on the photos to view a larger version in a new tab. I originally tried to keep the videos to 1 minute or less but wasn't very successful.

The rebuild started in Dec. 2019. The license plates on it are from 1979 but I found a registration from 1984 so I'm not sure when it was driven last. It was always outdoors until my barn was built in 1988 and it had a car cover on it during the last 8-10 years before going in the barn. (Leaving the car cover on may have made some body rust worse.) The engine was torn down in approximately 1989 and everything was coated in WD-40 after the teardown. The intent, of course, was to rebuild the engine shortly after the teardown but that didn't quite happen.

I also have many other photos and videos. Some are to be used as reference when I start putting things back together and some to remind me of details that I went through that would be of little interest to most people. If you have questions or comments, I can be reached at CALocklin@chartermi.net.

Links to photos, videos, and comments on my progress:

      January 2020 postings - Initial engine cleanup, cleaning some chrome parts.
      February 2020 postings - Engine and Carb work.
      March 2020 postings - More carb work.
      April 2020 postings - Carbs done. Trying to finish the engine.
      May 2020 postings - Engine still on hold. Removed trim; painted heads; took starter apart to rebuild.
      June 2020 postings - Engine still on hold. Starter is done; pulled 2nd parts car out; wiper blades removed.
      July 2020 postings - Finally making some real progress on the engine.
      August 2020 postings - Engine basically assembled but some external parts still missing.
      Sept/Oct 2020 postings - Engine done. Gutting the parts cars.
      Nov/Dec 2020 postings - Not much. Sand blaster updates, door spring surprise, and floor vent cleaning.
      Jan/March 2021 postings - Again not much. More cleaning and a bumper bracket repair.
      Apr/May 2021 postings - Still some cleaning. Also rebuilding the power steering gear.
      Jun/Aug 2021 postings - Welding and fabricating practice.
      September 2021 postings - More welding and fabricating practice on a wheel well.
      October 2021 postings - Finishing up the welding on the wheel well.
      November 2021 postings - Fixing dents in the left fender.
      December 2021 postings - A clip nut tool and starting rust repairs on the left fender.
      January 2022 postings - A couple bending tools and more rust repairs on the fender.
      Feb/Mar 2022 postings - A big surprise starting to repair the left fender from my own car.
      April 2022 postings - Another bench grinder repair, tar cleanup, and starting on another fender.
      May/June 2022 postings - More comples fender work around the wheel opening.
      July/Aug 2022 postings - Using a shrinker and stretcher for wheel opening. New fender fixture. Fixing an oopsie!
      Sept 2022 postings - Another oopsie, rust pitting reviews, and a lost pen.
      October 2022 postings - Fenders done, neighbors car, making shim washers, tool organizers.
      November 2022 postings - Starting work on the radiator core supports.
      December 2022 postings - Working on the second radiator core support - much more damage than expectd.

Photos that were taken when the car was still being driven in 1968 and 1970:

Summer '68 at my friend Harry's house.		Summer 1970 in front of our house.		Winter 1970 in front of our house.

Note the pin striping - thin at the top and two thicker ones at the belt line. It was added by the original owner and I plan to restore it the same way.
Note also the spinner wheel covers and the remote controlled mirror mounted on the front fender. The remote mirror was a rare option that was only available late in the year as far as I can tell. Unfortunately, the mirror was so far away that it significantly limited the range of view; it looked good but wasn't very functional.

The car just before starting repairs:    (You should be able to view a larger image by clicking on the photo.)

Options on the car:  Black vinyl top, power steering, simulated wood steering wheel (note that it's still not cracked!), center console, backup lights (for you youngsters, yes, they were optional back then), rotating focused map light, tri-power engine w/ 348 advertised horsepower, wide ratio 4-speed transmission, police package brakes with sintered metal linings, tinted windows, spinner wheel covers, remote side view mirror on front fender, exhaust splitters on both sides behind wheels (originals long gone), 2-speed wipers (yes, 1 speed was standard), and probably some others that I'll add as I remember them.