GTO to Tempest Sprint feature; questions and kudos

[Wickersham Humble]

First, kudos to contributor Trent Christian for the neat conversion idea, and the very spiffy build; congrats!  I did the GTO to Tempest conversion about 5-6 years ago to depict a favorite ride I had about 1967, before the Draft caught me in mid crazy youth, a '65 Tempest Custom 2-dr hardtop (326 base motor and 3-speed stick -- of course!) which I loved.*

I'm always shocked at how mediocre my builds look in photos; guess that's reality, vs. my octogenarian eyes, huh?  That year had a separate base model that didn't share the Lemans/GTO grille configuration; it looked (meant to, oc) cheaper -- but was still nice enough.  My conversion wasn't hard under the hood; just build-down the Goat powerplant, and go with a single exhaust, etc.  The 1965-65 basic models had a distinctive chrome (aluminum, actually) molding strip that ran over the fenders and door where the LeMans/GTO had a pinstripe, etc. and hard to get 'thin' enough!  I just scribed a rectangle around the hood scoop, and filled the gap. Ironically, I lost it, had to make a replacement from scratch; found the original -- and then gave the repro to a fellow forum member who solicited one!  Kismet!

I wondered: were the Sprint/Tempest tail lights different from the LeMans that year?  All the pics I've seen of Sprints have the base-line fan-shaped lens, etc. Also, I wondered if he mistook the windshield-washer cannister for an overflow reservoir?  And is it the brake master-cylinder vacuum booster housing he names 'the brake drum'?

I obviously had the same fit issue with the front grille/headlight/bumper assembly in my kit; not exemplary!  Included are two shots of the 1/1 Poncho, plus my Ducati Scrambler from 1968

I hope he contributes more innovative builds, and keeps up the good research.  The pics show engine compartment and interior detail to die for!

Wick

*Also done my first car, 1955 Chevy Delray rod in 1961, and 1951 Ford Club Coupe from 1964 -- I was a real throw-back, I guess!  Cheap to keep!

Edited October 5 by Wickersham Humble
forgot detail

[tmchrist]

Thanks for the kind words James. Yes, the vacuum booster is what I referred to as the brake drum behind the master cylinder.  Got that term from my dad when I was growing up, he also called the drums on the wheels “hub” drums. He loved his Pontiacs, had a ‘63 Catalina convertible that was stolen from in front of our house one night around 1967… the same light blue paint like your Tempest.

I do have plans for future articles and I very much appreciate the encouragement. 
 

 

Edited October 19 by tmchrist

[tim boyd]

On 10/18/2025 at 11:16 PM, tmchrist said:

Thanks for the kind words James. Yes, the vacuum booster is what I referred to as the brake drum behind the master cylinder.  Got that term from my dad when I was growing up, he also called the drums on the wheels “hub” drums. He loved his Pontiacs, had a ‘63 Catalina convertible that was stolen from in front of our house one night around 1967… the same light blue paint like your Tempest.

I do have plans for future articles and I very much appreciate the encouragement. 
 

 

Trent, please add my kudos to you, your article and the model you built for it.  I've long considered building something like this, and you have done an excellent job of showing us the way.  There are so many more of these [what I call] "mainstreamer" project topics out there that deserve a model/kitbashs replica. 

I am very, very happy to hear you have additional articles planned and I for one will be very happy to see and read them. 

Cheers...TIM  

[Wickersham Humble]

Hey!

I ain't overly proud of my rendition of Tempest from GTO kit -- done some time ago; I do better engines now -- but I wanted to get it knocked out.  The 326 is easy to adapt from 389; virtually the same engine (same crankshaft for sure, long stroke/oversquare) and it was a torquer, even with the two-bbl carb.  In those golden days it was 'two doors/three pedals, or no deal' for me; this had the old Chevy/Saginaw three-speed with the four-bolt side cover, not the great later all-synchro Saginaw box.  Before PMD had the Saggy, it bought three-speeds from Ford, who innovated the feature (as far as I know, and I know quite a bit!) Trivia: the Saginaw box had a Borg-Warner planetary overdrive in the tail-shaft housing as an option, and it could be combined with a Saginaw 4-speed to make essentially an okie five-speed.  Trivia X-2: the 1963 Tempest/LeMans iron V-8, the one that replaced my Buick 215 alloy version, was actually a 336-cu.in. mill, but GM edict forced PMD to downsize the bore in '64, for the first A-body intermediates!  DeLorean, again.

Making a credible grille was the hardest thing on this replica, and it only came off so-so, vs. pics of the 1/1 car.  The thin aluminum trim from headlight to taillight was just thin styrene strip, but not really thin enough to reall replicate the original -- still, it serves.  I know of no source for '326' fender callouts, nor 'TEMPEST' logo, etc. alas.  

Oh how I wish I could afford another '65 Tempest coupe, but now all are about the price of a GTO, according to my bro-in-law, who spent years wheeling and dealing GTO's and muscle cars for a living.  My first car was a '55 Chevy Delray coupe (hot 265, etc -- even lakes pipes; another replica I'm working on -- in 1961, and both our kids came home from the hospital in a '55 210 sedan, restored by me,.; another ride that has priced itself out of sight.  

This is my '61 Tempest coupe, pre-LeMans, and former '62 LeMans ragtop (had the 4-bbl. slant four, easily kept up with CA freeway speeds!) which someone else restored.  Just put a 4-bbl. on the 215, plus duals so it sounds pretty rasty.  Not; has a PowerGlide adapted from the Corvair...  My first article for SPECIAL INTEREST AUTOS Mag was on the Tempest history in 1976; could still interview the guys who built and raced it back then!!

As mentioned, I'm buying a '67 Sprint OHC six (engine only, cheaply) which may just be a conversation piece in the shop...

Ole' Wick