History
Imported and converted by Stack in 1974, the car was fitted with Chevy Rallye mags when my father bought it from a dealership on Parramatta Road in the same year. It had already been fiddled with, as told by the mags, and was running a lumpy can that better matched the Quadrajet carb than the standard smog-era profile. It quickly got a name as a bit of a traffic light menace around Sydney's west before unwanted fame demanded that it was turned into the family hauler, with extra driving lights, CB gear and a towing package including air shocks all being fitted to the once-proud tyre frier. As the years went on and family duties outgrew the big coupe's seating capacity and the old man's spare time allowances, the GTO was retired and rolled into the garage for the last time, a gleaming reminder of a golden period in Sydney's street car culture, Detroit's final foray into the muscle market and one hard car man's last real enthusiast car.
Over the years the car got fired up a few times and had couple of gasps of cool air when it was taken for a nostalgic blast down Castlereagh Road the night before a car show at my brother's high school. It then sat for another 5 years, motionless, until I spent 3 days preparing it for my own year 10 formal. 2 years passed before it fired another shot, and another 3 days were spent readying the car for it's date at my year 12 formal.
My parents split after I finished school and my father wasn't going to have the room to keep the car, so he handed the keys and rego to me in an emotional sit-down talk. I insured it with GIO under their previous classic and vintage cover to take it to a show the same week that the rego was signed over. I couldn't believe I was driving this car I had spent my entire childhood admiring, sitting in whilst making engine noises, and hearing all about. GIO looked after me well, and recommended Shannons after their C&V option became defunct. I switched to the laid-up cover, pulled out the engine, and began dismantling the car for a bit of a refresher, which my friends from high school helped out with. It's currently in progress, but drivable, and about to undergo a second rebuild involving going back to the original colour, an upgrade to 501 cubes and some period mods to hark back to the old man's golden days.
Modifications
RHD conversion performed by Stack upon arrival in Australia.
Honeycomb wheels, a factory option, were fitted shortly after purchasing in 1974.
Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, twin fours, and camshaft combo were fitted during the recent rebuild.
