Whether a stock restoration, a weekend cruiser, or modified for maximum performance, the vehicle’s braking system is hands-down the most important system. When I brought my first Pontiac restoration project home many years ago, my dad said, “I don’t care how fast this car goes; it damn well better be able to stop.” With that, […]
Mastering GTO Restorations: Transmission Guide
Pontiac’s transmission offerings for 1964–1974 GTOs were similar to the transmissions offered in other Pontiac and GM models. Transmissions were sourced from Muncie, Saginaw, GM’s Hydra-Matic Division, and even Dearborn (Ford). In addition to 3- and 4-speed manual transmissions, Pontiac also offered 2- and 3-speed automatic transmissions. This Tech Tip is From the Full Book, […]
Mastering GTO Restorations: Engine Guide
All 1964–1974 Pontiac GTOs used some version of what we now refer to as the “traditional” Pontiac V-8. It was produced from 1955 through 1979 and a modified version continued for another two years. By the time the GTO rolled around, the Pontiac V-8 had a decade of improvements under its belt and a special […]
Mastering GTO Restorations: Painting Guide
When considering options for painting, you may end up with even more questions. If you had been undecided about the level of your restoration, perhaps waffling between an upper-end, driver-quality car and a true concours-level effort, choosing the paint and exterior finishing will likely help sort that out. As with just about everything else, it […]
Mastering GTO Restorations: Bodywork Guide
Good bodywork is the foundation of a quality paint job. You can’t have one without the other. How many times have you looked at a shiny, new paint job at a distance only to inspect it up close and find a visual nightmare of poor panel alignment, waves, and sanding scratches? This is the result […]
Mastering GTO Restorations: Disassembly Guide
When evaluating your particular car for restoration, be sure you have a realistic expectation of the project, your skill level, and your intended use. This assumes that your car will be restored as a weekend driver/ cruise night car and not necessarily for concours competition. Hence, you need to define the level of restoration you’re […]
Pontiac V-8 Engine Performance Combinations
When building a max-performance Pontiac V-8, each engine is almost always unique unto itself. Depending upon the racing class restrictions, chassis hurdles, intended performance level and usage, and budgetary concerns, very few maxperformance efforts are exactly identical. This Tech Tip is From the Full Book, HOW TO BUILD MAX-PERFORMANCE PONTIAC V-8S. For a comprehensive […]
How to Improve Pontiac V-8 Performance: Tuning Guide
Any engine must be tuned optimally for it to produce as much horsepower and torque as it possibly can. That includes adjusting its carburetor and distributor until the fuel and spark curves are perfect at every possible speed. Achieving that can be an arduous and time-consuming process with much trial and error, but the efforts […]
Pontiac V-8: Oiling System Guide
The oil within any engine is its lifeblood. Internal components rely on a thin film of oil to prevent metal-to-metal contact that can otherwise result in significant damage. The oil pump must be able to deliver to those components an adequate volume of oil and with sufficient pressure. The oil must be filtered, of the […]
How to Improve Pontiac V-8 Engine Performance: Ignition Guide
A vehicle’s ignition system is responsible for igniting the mixture within each cylinder at the appropriate time. It generally includes a coil that saturates and stores energy and a distributor that routes spark to each cylinder at the appropriate point in the crankshaft rotation. Pontiac used a few different systems that all performed satisfactorily for […]