A Different Kind Of Project

[shrapnel]

This car isn't really a project car, but I have had it most of my life and keeping it in good shape has been somewhat of a project. Still it is worth a look.

I was driving through the neighborhood last summer and saw this gas station a guy had built in his driveway. I stopped and talked to him about the look and how impressive this whole vintage station/garage was that he erected in his driveway.

He told me to come back anytime and take pictures, today was that day. Overcast but not too dark.

I have to say I love this car and have kept it for over 41 years as an every day driver for the years I was in school and the first years of our marriage. It is now only taken out on nice days, it still turns heads and I love to drive it.

It is nice to have a car that came in a day when engineers actually paid attention to the lines and look of a car. I hate what the automotive industry has become today. You can't tell one brand of car from another, it is truly another era comparing nice lines from the past to something shaped like a turd designed in a wind tunnel...


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[Frank46]

Haven't seen that nice of a GTO aka "The Goat" in a long time. Great matchup with the old time gas station. Vintage all the way. Frank

[crabo]

Very nice! My bud had one just like it in college. I had a 65 Mustang fastback.

[EMC45]

Sweet car!

[Bren R.]

Beautiful, clean and not monkeyed up!

Bren R.

[Moonie]

What year is that Goat??? Also, can you post pictures of the motor? Beautiful car

[Walter Laich]

licence plate says 1965

[Maven]

Nice car, shrapnel! Btw, are you the same "shrapnel," whom Mike Venturino has mentioned in several of his articles?

[shrapnel]

Nice car, shrapnel! Btw, are you the same "shrapnel," whom Mike Venturino has mentioned in several of his articles?

Yes, I be that guy. It must be noted that even though the stories are true, there is more to them than you might expect...

Here is a picture of the engine of the GTO...

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[Maven]

Two of my friends buy, rebuild, resell older cars. One of them "specializes" in 1968 - 1970 Camaros, which he sometimes turns into Firebirds. Both do excellent work, but the one who's a full time mechanic is outstanding.

[elk hunter]

Nice indeed! A real keeper.

I well remember my first ride in a GTO, I really wondered if I'd live through it, the driver was crazy, but the car was superb.

My fast car of that era was a 1962 Galaxie 500XL factory high-pro with a 405 HP, 406 CI tri-powered engine and four speed. Wish I had it now, not that I would drive it the way I did then. When the GTO'S came out they were lighter and faster than my Ford, man did that bruise my ego.

[BoolitSchuuter]

Old school muscle, ya gotta love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:drinks::drinks:

[Buckshot]

............Shrapnel, she's a beauty, and no doubt. I suspect all the numbers match? Of course I'm sure you've had many offers to purchase it, and an all matching Poncho of that model and vintage would have any casual asker swallowing their tongue. Many of us around here on the board are of an age (I'm 59) where if WE didn't have one, we had freinds who had a muscle car of the fantastic 60's era.

Myself, I was into sports cars and had a '61 TR-3A, then a '67 TR-4A-IRS, and then a '69 Triumph GT-6+. I did manage to buy a '65 Ford Mustang fastback in between the '61 & '67 Triumphs. It was a 289 4v and 4 spd but wasn't the hi-performance model.

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When my daughter was about 17 I wanted a project we could do togther, and this was the result. We did a "Body off" rebuild. Put a Chrysler Volare front end under it so we had power steering and brakes, and a Ford 9" RR out of a Bronco in back. Replaced the stock rear leafs with a smoothie pack. The bed was done in clear Red Oak with all polished stainless hardware. My Grandmother had given us her '69 Ford LTD several years before so we used the 429 V8 4v and C-6 trans in the pickup. What they wanted for headers for big block Fords was unbelieveable so we used the stock manifolds but piped'em into 2-1/2" pipes, FLowmaster mufflers and dumped in front of the rear tires.

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Christian picked out a gray tweed for the upolstery, and black carpeting. The complete cab interior was done. I used a tilt/telescoping steering column from a '78 Cadilac. I made a new instrument panel out of 1/4" aluminum. The tach and trans temp guages were low on the column. In the dash was the speedo, oil press, oil temp, volts, gas, and water temp. Otherwise the dash retained all its original knobs. All the glass was replaced with tinted stuff and all the door and window hardware was polished stainless. Of course the tail lights were stock other then the chrome FORD script across the lens and the blue dots.:mrgreen:

Christian helped me all the way with it. I also taught her how to MiG weld! We boxed the frame, amongst other stuff. Thankfully there wasn't a whole lot of body work to be done, but she's told me that if she NEVER picks up another piece of sandpaper it'll be too soon. She got pulled over 3 times while she owned it. Just cops wanting to talk to a cute redhead driving a pickup like that :veryconfu Lemme tell ya, it was NO problem getting on the freeway, or passing someone8-)

...............Buckshot

[Moonie]

licence plate says 1965

I was too mesmerized by the car and the belief it hid a tri-power to even notice it had a license plate on it lol.

[shrapnel]

............Shrapnel, she's a beauty, and no doubt. I suspect all the numbers match? Of course I'm sure you've had many offers to purchase it, and an all matching Poncho of that model and vintage would have any casual asker swallowing their tongue. Many of us around here on the board are of an age (I'm 59) where if WE didn't have one, we had freinds who had a muscle car of the fantastic 60's era.

Myself, I was into sports cars and had a '61 TR-3A, then a '67 TR-4A-IRS, and then a '69 Triumph GT-6+. I did manage to buy a '65 Ford Mustang fastback in between the '61 & '67 Triumphs. It was a 289 4v and 4 spd but wasn't the hi-performance model.

...............Buckshot

I had over 17 of those cars too. I didn't keep any but I do have a couple pictures. My sports car, which is hard to decide which to drive it or the GTO, is a 2002 Thunderbird. I also had a 1972 Honda Motosport 350 that I loved to ride and jump...

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[Buckshot]

............Shrapnel, Neither of my TR's had wire wheels, which I desperately would have liked to have had. My dad said I'd be an idiot to swap from solid steel to wire wheels, and he'd have been right. My TR-3 was pale blue. I' love to have one of the old "Bulldog Uglies" now. Nothing like cutdown doors and side curtains! I'd put in new 'bored over' TR-4 liners and pistons but heck, even before that it wasn't too hard to blow of MG's :-) I had a Yamaha 250 DT-1 and I was always getting hurt. The last one where I'd thought I'd broken my neck, I decided I wasn't cut out for dirt bikes:groner: If my wife could have found a buyer, I think I might have been sent down the road when Ford brought out those retro T-Birds.

...............Buckshot

[Roosters]

:kidding: Shrapnel what would it take to get that money pit off your hands ????
If your not interested in selling it, how about loaning it to a fellow caster for a couple of months ???? Be as safe as in your mothers arms !! I never drive over 50:kidding:
Sweet ride.

[HollowPoint]

Looks like an original interior. I always like seeing what they looked like when they were in original condition. Most of the ones I get to work on are just deteriorated pieces by the time I get hold of them. They have to be re-built, re-springed, re-padded and re-covered.

I just finished working on back to back GM vehicles of that general era. One was an Impala. I still have the old side panels sitting in my shop. They need to be re-built and re-covered.

The other was a Monte Carlo. I mention them because the interiors look very similar in design; although the materials are different.

It's great when folks take good care of their vehicles. Fortunately for me, most folks don't do that. If they did I'd be out of work.

HollowPoint

[tacklebury]

Beautiful. I'd longed for a '67 when I was young, but just never found one I could afford. I made models of it, but that was as close as I ever got.

[OnHoPr]

All those cars did was burn up Gas, Tires, and Oil. Nice!

[white eagle]

wow those were the days
very nice

[starmac]

I had a 67 and a 69 ragtop, but only wish I had kept them. And yep they were equally hard on gas and tires, though I suspect both would last longer these days. lol