It's Alive!!

[StevenGuthmiller]

My 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix is far from being done, but it is breathing fire again after 28 years!

I've had it at a local shop going through all of the mechanical stuff, & I do mean all of it, for the past several months.

Finally got to hear it run yesterday after over a quarter decade of silence, & it was sweet music!

Still need to go through a lot of the chassis stuff yet & then it'll probably be several years at least to make it "not" look like a pearl wrapped in an old potato sack,

Need to save up more cash for all of that.

In the meantime, I'll bring it home & start cleaning the nearly 30 years of dirt & grime off of everything.

That alone should make a big difference.

 

Steve

 

[Ramfins59]

Very nice Steven.  Looks like you've still got a lot of work ahead of you.  Any more pictures of the rest of the car??

[FordRodnKustom]

Very cool. I can hear that 400/428 rumbling from here. Nothing like a vintage Pontiac. Good luck with it!

[Harry P.]

Very cool. Have fun with it. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Thanks guys!

This car is like a family member to me.

I bought it right out of high school & it's seen a lot of milestones.

I took my wife to 2 proms in it as well as using it for the "get away" car at our wedding, so it has sentimental value to her as well.

It's probably not the best candidate for a resto, but when I suggested we get rid of it & buy something else, my wife said "hell no"!

I'm sure when it's all done we'll have more into it than it will ever be worth.

But it will most likely be passed down in the family rather than ever sold anyway.

I'm not looking for a perfect "nut & bolt" restoration, we just want a nice driver that we can relive some of our younger days in.

 

Very cool. I can hear that 400/428 rumbling from here. Nothing like a vintage Pontiac. Good luck with it!

It's the 400.

Just a "J" model, not an "SJ".

But it's still the original engine & tranny that the car was born with......completely rebuilt of course.

 

Very nice Steven.  Looks like you've still got a lot of work ahead of you.  Any more pictures of the rest of the car??

Here are a couple of shots fresh out of the shed where it sat for 28 years.

I guess you could call it a "barn find".

Except I knew it was there!

 

Steve

 

[Ramfins59]

Very nice looking car Steve, thanks for the pictures.  Lots of luck with it.  

[unclescott58]

Very cool. Just a J? Not an SJ? What's wrong with that? Of coarse an SJ with the 428 would be great. But, that doesn't discount a plain J with the 400. That's still cooler than 99% of the cars on the road today. It's just missing a little of the SJ frosting.

[High octane]

Glad to hear that you got your car running and good luck with the rest of your project.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Very cool. Just a J? Not an SJ? What's wrong with that? Of coarse an SJ with the 428 would be great. But, that doesn't discount a plain J with the 400. That's still cooler than 99% of the cars on the road today. It's just missing a little of the SJ frosting.

Oh don't get me wrong, I love my Model J!

This car had all of the bells & whistles of the day.

Pearl white interior, power windows, vacuum door locks, AM FM radio with "reverberator", air conditioning with "Temperature Control", 350 horse 400 with a Quadrojet 4 bbl, automatic transmission, dual exhaust & a limited slip differential.

Not to mention that ground breaking first ever radio antenna in the windshield!

I loved every minute of driving this car, & hopefully we'll have a little "reunion" soon!

 

Steve

Edited November 12, 2015 by StevenGuthmiller

[unclescott58]

Seeing the list of equipment on your car Steve, you can see I'm right. You have nothing to be ashamed of in owning a J.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Seeing the list of equipment on your car Steve, you can see I'm right. You have nothing to be ashamed of in owning a J.

I've always thought of the Grand Prix as being a "luxury muscle" car.

All of the same goodies as a full sized luxury Pontiac with the same performance as a Firebird.

Uh.....Except 700 lbs. heavier.

 

Steve

[charlie8575]

I like that color on it. For years, I've been trying to get a 1969-72 GP model, and they're all either priced in orbit or get launched very, very quickly. 

That is really one tool I would be ecstatic to see Round 2 de-mess-up from that horrid custom and return it to a stock car.

Charlie Larkin

[StevenGuthmiller]

I like that color on it. For years, I've been trying to get a 1969-72 GP model, and they're all either priced in orbit or get launched very, very quickly. 

That is really one tool I would be ecstatic to see Round 2 de-mess-up from that horrid custom and return it to a stock car.

Charlie Larkin

I have one of the annual kits that I need to build at some point.

First thing I have to do is remove the vinyl top detail.

Personally, I never liked the look of vinyl tops on the '69-'72 Grand Prix.

But, then again, I'm a little biased.

 

Steve

[John Goschke]

Looks like a very solid car, Steve! Great color combo and very desirable equipment. Seems relatively uncommon to have one without a vinyl roof – they look better that way, plus you won't have the rust nightmare the vinyl tops usually cause.

Good luck getting her back on the road!

 

[Danno]

Sweet!   

 

Congratulations on getting her fired up!

[Ron Hamilton]

You are going to make me restore this one. 

I originally built this one in late '69, early '70.