1971 GTO Convertible Obsession

[doublecurious]

Hi. I know someone that is, maybe not obsessed, but definately driven to fully restore a 1971 GTO Convertible. I agree that it is a very cool car. Here's my question. Anyone with any input to help me understand the draw to this car? make? model? Etc.

Here's the next question: Besides the vehicle itself, those of you that have restored or are currently restoring what manuals, books, tools, etc. have you found necessary or helpful when setting out to restore a vehicle?

I hope this makes sense.

Thanks in advance

[MrPbody]

Not dure what you mean by "understanding the draw to this car". I assume you mean "why THIS car?" Rarity, GTO, ragtop, what else is there?

The book store has this book for restoreing GTOs and Lemas and Tempests, The name I forgot, but it's phone book size and it has a red GTO on the front . I used that book to do my 1972 GTO, it was very helpful, but it lacked good pictures of stuff like the front end.

I would also take out a book on "how to restor" a car, they talk about taking pictures of stuff before you take it off and how to place bolts in ziplocks, as well as soking bolts in WD 40.

I enjoyed and hated doing my car, howeber I look foreward to doing it again.

The draw of the car, hmmm, not sure what yourtalking about, but the 71 and 72 GTOs are really the only GTOs that look like they are going 110mph sitting still, I think it has to do with the Endura dose and long hood scoops, on top of that the 72 has side air extractors that work!

As for as tools, I would invest in a small oxygen tourch for heating up bolts. At least 2 full sets of open ends and 2 sets of 1/2 inch sockets as well as a 3/8 set.

Also a Pickle fork, shorty open ends, nut spliter, BP Blaster fluid, or WD 40, pipe wrenchs, C clamps, a good bench vise, at least 3 hydo jacks and 6 jack stands, differnt sizes of block wood for jacking and a Dremel tool, and a good pipe to get leverage on with your ratchets.

OVEN CLEANER, I stress this, because it works better then anything but sandblasting. wire brushes, as well as drill mount wire brushs. Putty knife for the firewall factory seal goo, as well as anything you need to scrape off.

A good camera, take pictures of everything, and keep a log of what you do and bolts you snap so that you dont just grad handfulls of differnt sizes because you tossed the broken or rusted ones and cant remember the sizes. I would also buy a bolt guide tool, it slides over the bolts and tells you the size.

If you cant take your body off the frame and put it some place, use blocks of wood to raise the body off the frame, because replaceing the rubber mounts under the body is crazy with one side jacked up, and my god if it falls your hand will be traped!! I was able to raise the body about a foot off the frame and roll it out, but it was tricky to lower it back and get it lined up with all the rubbers.

This leads me to the next insider, the nuts the hold the body to the frame are inside the body, they can not be gotten to! If you spin one you have to cut the body open and fix it, I had to do this on all but 2 of them, the fix it easy,

Cut a boxed shape "C" where the body nut is at out of the steel and bend the flap up to expose the body nut, then when your done you can just bend it back. I used a big washer and a nylon inpregnated nut with a lock washer (big washer, then lock washer then nut),to replace the silly box nut. After you bend it back you can iron sodder the flap back, your dremel will work great here. the only body/ frame bolts that are not in the body are in the front right under the fire wall.

Buy the GTO body mount kit as it has more bolt/rubbers see the Lemans ones dont have bolts in some of the rubbers as its not a HP.

Hope this helps, I know the A body very well, when I do it again it will take me 1/2 the time, as wth anybody who gets to do it.

I hope this helps