front suspension

spindles

hardware

these photographs represent most of the work done up to this point.
right now i'm waiting on delivery of shock absorbers, sway bars, disc brake conversion kits and upper and lower control arms for the rear end.
also thinking about exhaust system, fuel and brake lines, transmission crossmember and wheel/tire package.
stoked to be a member of the community here as it seems like there are a lot of really talented people working on some great projects...
i've already learned so much from just looking over some of the other threads!
thanks!
danny

Loved the backgroung history, and the present as well.
Joe

front suspension
 

started playing with the A-arms the other day.
just trying to get an idea what exactly it's going to take to get this bolted together...

axle shafts
 

trying to make sure the original axle shafts are in reasonably good condition before planning to reinstall.
i have already replaced bearings and races, and applied primer coat, as you can see in the photograph.
both shafts are straight, splines look good, and there doesn't appear to be any outwardly visible signs of wear or damage.
what else should i be looking for?
are there any significant drawbacks to using the original axle shafts?
danny

Keep up the good work. Its all in the details which you seem to have a handle on. :D

thanks!
also been making more progress sealing up the fuel tank.
applied two coats of self-etching zinc primer, then two coats of epoxy primer under a paintable rubberized undercoating.
still thinking about final finish...
silver could look nice, but i feel like black might help the tank 'disappear' under there and at the same time be a more practical choice since the car will be a driver.
your thoughts???
are there any particular requirements to finishing the outside of a steel gas tank that i might be missing?
thanks!
danny

steering linkage
 

started bolting the steering linkage together.
these are new moog parts- centerlink, idler arm and inner/outer tie rod ends and sleeves along with the original steering arms.
danny

power steering
 

the original power steering gearbox appears to be in reasonably good condition.
it worked fine and did not leak when i shut the car down for disassembly, so i see no reason to break it open right now.
i'll remove the rag joint when i decide what to do about the steering column and shaft.

i have read about upgrading the internals for a faster ratio, but no one here in town does this work and i do not want to send it off in the mail.
for now i'll just go with the original equipment and keep it in mind for an upgrade later on down the line... once the car is back on the road.
what do you think?
is this a sensible approach given the circumstances?
thanks for your thoughts!
danny

Great work
 

Amazing work, the history of the car is great as well. Cant wait to see the finished project.

steering linkage
 

tie rods and steering arms are in place...

trimmed down the front gussets on the upper A-arm mounts to eliminate sharp contact while front suspension is drooping...

brake/fuel lines
 

pulling the old lines out of cold storage... these are the really fun parts of building a car in alaska in the winter!
danny

brake/fuel lines
 

brake and fuel lines are eligible for retirement... not planning to re-use any of it.
i'll probably just get some straight tube and a tubing bender and see what i can do with it.
danny

That car was really important to your parents. Thank you for sharing real life story. Keep up the good work!

good to see another person from Alaska building a gm A body. keep up the good work :thumbsup:

Great story and progress! You're lucky that your folks drove, IMO, the best looking GTO ever made. In 1979 my folk's family car was a Datsun F-10, ha ha!

RE: your questions....

1- Gas tank. x2 on the black. It'll help hide it...

2- steering. I'd look into either sending that out for rebuilding with a faster ratio- or replace it (new if the budget allows) or if used- then look for a later model box like out of a 90's caprice cop car, etc. There are some articles online that will tell you the specifics of what can be swapped. Car Craft also wrote something on this a couple of years back. With all the suspension upgrades you're doing it'll be worth it to have a faster steering ratio. You'll be happy you spent the time to do this when the car is apart.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...g_box_upgrade/

power steering
 

the power steering pump and gearbox are both on their way to lee mfg. in california for the 12.7:1 upgrade.
it looks like the whole operation, including shipping, will cost about $1000.
thanks for the solid advice guys.
i really appreciate it.
danny

Great back ground on the car and your family. You'll have a sweet ride and awesome memories when you get to take it out. Your doing a great job.

your gonna love the lee set up. great wok. keep it up!!

anti-sway bars
 

hellwig front and rear anti-sway bars

rear control arms
 

started looking at the rear end today... currie currectrac upper and lower control arms.

rear suspension
 

lower control arms and springs are in place...

Those will definitely help the handling. Nice parts.

rear anti-sway bar
 

hellwig adjustable rear anti-sway bar installed.
greased everything real well during assembly.
won't torque down the fastening hardware until the full weight of the car is sitting on the suspension.
danny

motor mounts
 

here is the original motor mounting equipment.
i had always planned to just replace these components with high-quality aftermarket parts, but they actually seem to be in pretty good shape.
these mounts only traveled about 120,000 miles before disassembly and as far as i know the motor was never really shaken up too much.
i bought a set of engine mounts from napa because they were in stock and only $8 each, but they looked like poor quality korean-made tin foil toys, so i returned them.
butler performance offers a pair of polyurethane/stainless steel interlocking engine mounts for about $150.
does it make sense to re-use the original mounting system, or should i upgrade to the butler product?
i would really appreciate any thoughts you have on this one guys...
thanks!
danny

40 + year old engine mounts, are you kidding. :rolleyes: Safety first. Try a set from Year One. Good factory replacements.

By the way I like your build thread. My first car was a 1968 GTO. I now have a 1969 GTO Judge resto-mod that I had since the age of 16. Now over 40 years.

Nice attention to detail. I spent two years detailing my parts. This is what takes the car to the next level. Keep up the good work.

That is looking great! Nice build.
Don't know how I missed this one. :knock:

Roger!!! You're back!!

Roger's 69 "resto-mod" is unbelievably nice. Yours is coming along nicely as well!

check your upper arms. the end on the axle looks upside down. got to love the sc&c suspension setup

thanks!!!
 

roger,
thanks so much for helping me out on this one!
the year one engine mounts have been ordered!

rallystyle,
good catch!
thanks for your help.
i got those upper arms rotated around right-side-up yesterday.

i really appreciate your input with this project guys.
i've said it before and i'll say it again- i've never built a car before so i'm grateful for the oversight!
thanks!!!
danny

power steering gearbox
 

got the power steering pump and gearbox back from lee manufacturing this week.
i'm so glad i decided to do this now... the parts look good as new, the turnaround time was plenty quick, and when all was said and done it cost about $300 less than i had originally calculated!
danny

rear control arm braces
 

there were no rear control arm braces on this car when i disassembled it.
the product i have installed is manufactured by bmr fabrication.
danny

front brakes
 

the brake kits were delivered this week!
this is baer's pro plus front brake system with 6 piston calipers and 14" rotors.
danny

Here some motivation for you. This my finished product. 1969 GTO Judge. Old school engine (428 engine with ram air IV heads. Add modern suspension, brakes and steering and you have one modern car.

shocks
 

oh yeah, and just in case you were wondering...
it's chassisworks vari-shock QS1 single adjustable shocks in front and rear.
danny

wow- stunning!!!
that is one gorgeous GTO!
thanks for the motivation!
danny

Awesome car, need more pics!

OP, great build! Trying to get my fathers '68 GTO restoration going in the pro-touring as well...keep up the great work!