GTO restoration

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i have the opportunity to be in possession of a beat up body of a 1970 GTO its been around the corner from my house for years and ive never seen it move...the engine and other parts are most likely ruined or will need to be repaired, and the inside is questionable...i dont want to buy this if it will cost too much to restore, but to restore the engine, and everytihng under the hood, and possibly lots of the interior does anyone know a ballpark number on how much it would cost to restore it...and if anyone has done a similar job on a gto please let me know on how it went thanks

[MrPbody]

pjenks,

We recently "did" the engine, transmission and front suspension in a '70 Judge. AWESOME car, BTW.

Realisticly, you're looking at well over $10K to get the body and interior into top notch shape. Look at the front fenders VARY carefully. With all the good aftermarket body parts now available, for some odd reason (numbers), '70 GTO fenders are NOT available new. Performance Years has advertised they're "coming", but they aren't here yet. Finding good "used" fenders is about impossible for less than $1K each. The front bumper is another area of concern. If the Endura is all there and not too badly delapidated, it can be restored. You NEED a good body man, familiar with Endura, to get it right.

Engine parts are no problem. If your car has the original engine, all the better! Unless it's cracked beyond belief, it can be saved. Certain "codes" for '70s are getting hard to find. If numbers "match" isn't a major concern, engine stuff is all out there and relatively cheap. 400 Pontiac is among the best performance values of any engine family. Lots of "bang for the buck".

Is it worth it? YOU BET! '70s are among the most prized of ALL muscle cars. There are those that feel '70 is the "meanest" looking car ever made. It DOES conjure up visions of steam rollers and wreaks of muscle when properly sat and "tired".
'70 is also considered the last true year of muscle car production., After '70, compression ratios dropped, followed closely by horsepower and torque...

Nice examples of restored '70 GTOs (non-Judge) are selling between $20K and $35K. Is the car a 4-speed? Ram Air? (scoops will be made of plastic and be "open" with a trap-door) Hood tach? Rear sway bar? A/C? 8-Track? All of these add value if original. Even the vinyl top is desirable among collectors.

Restoring such a car is a monumental task, to be sure. If done right, the end result is more than worth the effort. Most small parts are readily available through a variety of restoration houses. We recommend Ames Performance and Performance Years, as they do NOT sell Chevy parts. Year One, OPGI, The Paddock, etc. all sell Chevy stuff. There's no assurance you're getting true "Pontiac stuff" from them. Ames and PY sell ONLY Pontiac "stuff".

Get the car! Do it right! Be the envy of every Chevelle and 442 guy in your neighborhood!

Jim

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the engine isnt in terrible condition it is rebuildable and it si the original engine, everything is original except there is possibly a paint job done different on it...i know that it is an amazing car but at this time im not sure if i have the cash to do sometinhg like this....im not looking for originality and how much it will be worth when im done i want this to be restored and built by me and my father and kept in the family so price to sell it for doesnt matter much to me and him but thank you for your help i am goign to hafta go get a better look at it