$18,500
South Pasadena, California
Category
Coupe
Mileage
42600
Posted Over 1 Month
For sale is my 1969 GTO convertible with low miles. It is an all original numbers matching GTO that I purchased from the second owner a few years ago. That owner had the car since 1973 so the history and low mileage is verifiable. It was in Arizona and now California for all of its life, and the frame and body is void of any serious rust. It is a driver that needs bottom end motor work. In listing this car a couple weeks ago and continuing to drive on the weekends and to work, a noise came up that sounds like a rod bearing. The car is currently at my mechanic's for diagnosis. I drove the car there, but would not drive it out. I had washed the car and was readying it for the next owner when this happened. Honestly glad it happened when it did. Estimate from a reputable rebuild operation like Jasper's of Anaheim CA, is $7,500 for a total rebuild of this original motor. The car will then have a 3 year 100,000 mile warranty. My mechanic is a certified Jasper's partner and can do the install. So this auction does not include that service obviously, and I am selling the GTO for my original offering price less that expense of a quality rebuild. Options: It has factory options such as power top, air conditioning and the fun power antenna. It comes with two sets of wheels, the 5 originals, and the aftermarket 15 inch wheels now on the car. This car has been great fun for me but needs to go to a new home. Paint: The car was originally a more pale yellow (Mayfair Maize) and is now a late model GTO yellow color which is very close to a corvette yellow. It has had just the one repaint done by the prior owner. It is a 6/10 in my opinion, and there are some dings and marks which you can see in the photos. Nothing serious to buff out or fix but it was a less than perfect paint job to begin with as they left the glass in and trim on and simply masked everything. I don't see any rust on the body but would ask that you do a PPI to make sure. That can be done at the prospective new owners expense by calling Alex Romo Auto Repair in Duarte CA. Engine/Drivetrain: The motor was running so well before the rod bearing noise, so this should be an easy rebuild. The car sat for so many years and hence the low miles but I think it also made it tough for the motor. I have redone the rear end, it has an Auburn posi-traction unit, and 3.73 gears. I have driven the car on lots of long trips up to this point, and now it needs that engine service/rebuild. Suspension/Brakes:Suspension in rear was redone and is excellent, I was waiting on the front end as I was planning to upgrade and go to an aftermarket set up. Because the car is a low mile original numbers matching car, I opted to just keep it as is. The bushings and shocks need to be replaced. although the car drives fine now, just the squeaks you get when things are beginning to wear out. It looks like they are all original, so they are overdue for replacement. Brakes work great although they are manual drum. Interior: The interior is all original, meaning the seats are OK, but tired and worn. They look to be the original and the prior owner stated they were. The carpet is also OK, and looks to be original, but could use replacement if this was going to be a show car. The dash has a water temp gauge installed in the proper location, but it is a non-original item. Obviously necessary in Arizona. Dash is in nice overall but has one of the match original grain covers on it. Don't know what it looks like underneath. What it needs: If you want a restored GTO this is not it. It runs, but now needs a rebuild due to the sound coming from the motor. Compression is good, this is isolated to the lower end of the engine and is most likely a bad rod bearing noise. As for what I believe I would do first if I were to keep the car: Engine rebuild, Replace the front bushings, and repaint the car a different color, add a 4 spd and power windows. The manual window tracks get worn, and one on passenger side rear is hard to manage and has difficulty going up and down properly. That of course is all big bucks so that is why I am selling. Please see payment requirements before bidding. Thanks for looking and good luck.
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