1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Is Completed

[mrmike]

Having my fill of pickup trucks for the time being, I am going back to what I like building the best...muscle cars! But, this time I am not building a Mopar or a Ford, but another GM product...a '69 Pontiac GTO Judge! I have liked GTOs from a distance and when the Judge was introduced, I thought...WOW! What a great looking car! 400 cubes, 4-speed trans, orange paint with reasonable graphics, ram air hood, hood mounted tach...awesome car!

I bought this kit earlier this year and I have been staring at it sitting in my stash. I have decided to build it!

My paint is Model Master Hugger Orange No. 28108.

Instead of More To Come..., how about Here Comes Da Judge...

Edited November 18, 2012 by mrmike

[bbowser]

Looking forward to it. My old boss in high school was a 50-something librarian who's hubby worked at Delco, thus getting an employee discount on GM products. One day she came home with this exact car! We were stoked, I remember it fondly.

[Bartster]

Very nice choice, Mike! l had a '69 back in '81 before they were unattainable by mere mortals, lol. Mine wasn't a Judge, but still fun. l'm looking forward to this build. Please, carry on, sir. Bart.

[mrmike]

It is unfortunate that mere mortals like us cannot afford these wonderful cars today. The collectors and speculators have driven the price of these cars so far into the stratosphere today that even rusted out hulks are commanding big money. I had a '70 Duster 340 from '74 to '76 and it was a money pit. It was a fun car to drive, but still a money pit! I traded it for a '76 Dodge D100 pickup...my first brand new vehicle!

[1972coronet]

This is going to be a lot of fun to follow , Mike .

One of my preschool friend's parents had a '69 Judge (bought it new ; I first saw the car in '73) in white with black interior , column auto !

Isn't Huggar Orange the same as Orbit Orange / Carousel Red ?

[Sport Suburban]

Very nice project!. I myself am building a 70 GTO Judge from the MPC kit. I'm doing mine in Orbit Orange.

To answer the question above, Hugger Orange is the same as Carousel Red, but Orbit Oange is more yellow.

[mrmike]

Thanks guys! John, Raoul is correct. Carousel Red is the same as Hugger Orange.

I have the engine assembled and almost ready for a coat of Pontiac Engine Blue.

I must first deal with the joint seam on the bottom of the engine.

The wheels are headed for the purple pond for chrome stripping. Is it me or do these wheels look kind of "flat" or shallow?

Here Comes Da Judge...

[charlie8575]

Here Comes Da Judge...

As you wish, Mike....

Good to see you back at the bench.

Charlie Larkin

[Monty]

Mike, in regard to the kit wheels - you can do better. Do a search on here for SEL's resin Pontiac wheels. If memory serves, they make verions with and without the trim ring.

I don't recall anyone who has purchased them being disappointed.

[mrmike]

Thanks Charlie! I really didn't go anywhere...just got moved to the Trucks section. How was your cousin's wedding?

Monty, I am familiar with Scale Equipment Limited and their line of wheels. I just don't want to go and buy a set of wheels when I can use the kit supplied wheels. I was just questioning if the wheels seem "flat" or shallow. I have purchased SEL wheels in the past and they are great products.

[1972coronet]

Thanks for the answer , Sport Suburban . I couldn't recall if those colours were one-in-the-same .

You're right , Mike , those wheels do look a little "flat" ; they look like negative-offset (?) front wheels for a dragster ! And , please tell me that those aren't supposed to be the stock Pontiac Rally II wheels ; they look nothing like them ! Have you ever made your own "adjusted-depth" wheels before (e.g. , use the wheel centre , but add a deeper rim) ?

I'm also waiting to see what you use as a basecoat / primer for the engine colour

[charlie8575]

The wedding was nice...but "interesting..." yeah, that's the word. Next time we catch up or I can make it to Lowell (I MIGHT be able to do it this month,) I'll fill you in on the details...you'll laugh, you'll cry, possibly both at the same time.

I did see some of the pictures MassCar guys brought back. Some very nice stuff showed up and I'm glad the show looks like it was a success quality-wise.

Of course, watching MassCar clean up was nice, too!

Charlie Larkin

[slammedi'am]

Nice man...I just started othe one I have lol

[mrmike]

Thanks guys! Charlie, no meeting in Lowell in October. We are having a BBQ at Del's house. Maybe in November?

The purple pond was opened for the wheels to take a bath in.

The engine has been painted along with the trans, carb and intake manifold.

The distibutor has been drilled out for plug wires.

Here Comes The Judge...

[bandit1]

nice so far...also...

Did you know pending on the year "Pontiac Engine blue" was in different varied shades?

http://www.pontiacpower.org/enginecolor.htm

[charlie8575]

Thanks for the heads-up, Mike. November is nice and clear for me, so I should be able to spare the afternoon.

Charlie Larkin

[blunc]

I know carbs are seldom seen after a model is finished but I think the kit makers could make them look more real...they used to make them better. not picking on the builder here.

By the way...your carb is on backwards...if it matters...

[Chief Joseph]

I know carbs are seldom seen after a model is finished but I think the kit makers could make them look more real...they used to make them better. not picking on the builder here.

By the way...your carb is on backwards...if it matters...

More like the details of the carb piece are backwards; the secondaries are on the front! The air cleaner has a little slot that allows it to sit on the primaries, which are incorrectly positioned in the rear. Typical Monogram.

The build looks like it's going well! The wheels are way too big for stock, but the model looks okay with them. I won't even tell you about the rear bumper's problems, though-- I don't think I've ever seen anyone complain about it so maybe it's no big deal to anyone but me

[mrmike]

Sean, I did not know that there was different shades of blue for the different years of Pontiacs, but I am not surprised by it.

No problem Charlie!

Mike and Joseph, a little research does go a long way! I gently removed the carb and installed it properly.

So much for following instructions. They are wrong, too!

Either Purple Power has changed their formula or the chrome plating is really thick on these wheels. This is after 20 hours in the pond and only half of the plating is gone.

Here Comes The Judge...

[Chief Joseph]

No, you have to put the carb back the way you had it; the fuel inlet and the linkages are now backwards, plus the air cleaner won't be centered over the card. The incorrect primaries & secondaries are just something you have to live with due to the way Monogram designed the part. The only way to fix it is to rework the top of the carb and devise a new way to mount the air cleaner. The light metallic blue is the correct version of Pontiac Engine Blue for a 69, and you even have the intake manifold in aluminum, which is correct for a Ram Air IV engine with its aluminum intake. Unfortunately, the exhaust manifolds don't look like RAIV pieces, but they'll be hidden when the motor is in the chassis.

[1972coronet]

That Pontiac 400 looks beautiful , Mike ! Goes to show what can be accomplished with the proper selection of colours and chrome ; your craftsmanship is certainly a factor as well .

Personally , I wouldn't be concerned with the defective carb , as the air cleaner will just cover it up any-how . And , I like this kit's air cleaner ass'y by the way , as it's got to be the only air cleaner that Monogram got -right- in their entire 80's-issue Muscle Car collection ! Of course , the most disappointing ones are the open element 'cleaners on the '70 Chevelle SS 454 and the '71 "Satellite" ; just wrong !

Keep up the great work !

[blunc]

I hate to say this but Joseph is correct, even though the casting of the details on this carb and intake manifold are a joke and seem like Revell made very little effort to make even a general representation of this carb/manifold.

Here's a shot of a 400 I started for a Monogram 69 Judge a few years ago, it's got a couple Holley's on it but the primarys are located properly.

[blunc]

by the way, the fuel inlet on the pontiac version of the quadrajet was in the center front of the carb along with a large vacuum line that went down to the valley cover in front(and below) the carb which is where GM put the PCV valve.

Edited September 30, 2012 by blunc

[mrmike]

Thank you guys for the information and the support! i have removed and repositioned the carb for the last time. I think it might be time to go build a Mopar after I complete the GTO. At least I know how those go together. I just checked the wheels in the purple pond and the remaining chrome is coming of with a light brushing so it's time to pull them out. I know this will not be a completely 100% accurate reproduction, just a good looking model.

[mrmike]

With the wheels finally stripped of its chrome plating, I can move forward with painting.

Last night I painted the wheels with Model Master Aluminium Metalizer.

This morning I paint detailed the wheels.

The body is ready to be painted and the interior is ready to detailing and assembly.

Here Comes Da Judge...