Help plz

[ArnoldBRuHh]

I js got my Ls(16 Y.O.) and recently got into cars, so i dnt no much about cars. For my first car my aunty gave me her 68 GTO Pontiac, but the problem is she hasnt used it for almost 10-15 years.. What should i do to put this car on the road and start driving it?

[MrPbody]

First things first. That car is NOT "worthless". Immediately "title" it in your name (before you start speding money on it).

All the safety equipment must be checked and repaired as necessary. Remove the drums and look at the brakes. If they need replacement, do it! Rebuilding the wheel cylinders is rapidly becoming a "lost art", between the "just change it" and 4-wheel disc systems. If you don't want to go through the process of learning about the wheel cylinders, by all means, install new ones (NOT remanufactured).

Check the suspension bushings for cracks and gross displacement (rubber squeezing out). If needed, rebuild the suspensions. A car this old is liable to need all that anyway.

See if you can put a 15/16" socket/ratchet on the crank bolt and turn it, relatively easily. If it turns, remove the spark plugs and "squirt" a little oil in the cylinders (about 1 teaspoon, no more). Change the oil with a good quality 10W-40. Use a Wix, NAPA or Purolator filter. NO ORANGE FILTERS! Replace the plugs (with new ones). R43 or R44 (AC Delco) are called for. If the engine WON'T turn by "hand", pull it out...

If it's an automatic trans, service it. It will be a TH400 (M-40 in "Pontiac language"). Replace the filter and use high quality fluid.

If a manual trans, check the fluid level by removing the "fill" plug, about 1/2 way "up" on the passenger's side. Stick your little finger in there, about "level". If none shows, add 90W "gear oil" until it does.

Replace all the belts and hoses if it really has been "sitting" for 15 years. Add a new battery, and see if she'll "fire".

Once you've done these things, get back here and report. If it "fired", there's other things to do. If not, we need to trouble-shoot to find out why not.

The GTO, while a very "special" car, is not much different than any other car of the era (from a "fix it" POV). For general repair and service, asking knowledgeable friends and neighbors is okay. For Pontiac-specific questions or problems, ask a Pontiac "guy". Chevy and Ford "guys" (or gals) mean well but often apply their own myths and superstitions to the Pontiac. Thanks, but we have plenty of our "own"...(:- The Pontiac is a completely DIFFERENT animal. It must be approached "as such".

Most cars of that era, unless changes have been made to the engine, won't run properly on today's gasoline. Pontiac engines are especially sensitive to detonation. Unless changes ARE made, you MUST increase the octane over 98 to avoid internal engine damage. The easiest way is to "mix" 3 parts 110 "race gas" with 93. There are no "magic cures" or "witch doctor" potions to eliminate this issue, no matter WHAT your "friends" tell you. A bigger cam? retarded timing? "Patches", "bandaides", NOT going to fix the problem.

Get Jim Hand's "How to Build Max-performance Pontiac V8s", published by SA Designs, to learn more about the particular "quirks" of the Pontiac V8.

You have a "diamond in the rough" there. Restored and running well, a '68 GTO is very sought after and quite valuable. I would restore it (to the point where it's reasonable to drive) and KEEP it!

Good score!

Jim