Pic of buddies 65 GTO and my 63.

[biomedtechguy]

This book was a wellspring of information.

 

[super-bee_ski]

Thanks SB Ski..
My dad raced his 389 TriPower 4 speed car in 1965 at LaPlace Dragway. He won a first place trophy for beating another 65 GTO. 12.8s on 10" slicks with a "stock" motor. It had the mail order Bobcat kit installed. That was the lowest level of 3 Bobcat upgrades, the 2nd still modding the 389, but the top level was to swap in a 421. Once we get the Ford 9" posi based rear axle assembly in her car we should be able to easily beat his time.

Good choice!
Yup, I'm a FAN and I remember the Bob Cat treatments.
My 67 HO GTO (Regimental Red, 4-speed car) had that treatment, 400 CI original WS block.
A guy in Springfield Ohio, Jim Hilliard did it for me. (actually Donnelsville)
He and his Son David always raced at Norwalk.
Yup, that is one sweet car!
12.8 was (is) fast!
Your dad knew what he was doing!
Thanks for sharing this!

 

[super-bee_ski]

This book was a wellspring of information.
View attachment 639612

Yeah, Milt was the Guy!
I think he passed this past year!

 

[biomedtechguy]

400 CI original WS block

It was great for me especially to read about all of the track experiences these guys had. Usually traveling around from racetrack to racetrack on the weekends on a shoestring budget representing Royal Pontiac and the brand as well. Their incredible hands-on knowledge and experience made HUGE money for the dealership and Pontiac, and many of their mods and hand built work would be assigned a part number by Pontiac so they could sell those parts over the counter. Royal (in Royal Oak Michigan) was at the epicenter of Pontiac performance from roughly 1960-1971.
These men had an old school dedication and love for what they did.

 

[biomedtechguy]

I especially like reading about the "muscle car era" now because when I was in high school I used to go to the New Orleans public library in downtown New Orleans to read the old Hot Rod etc magazine articles and even the ads were great. Having a connection with street and strip racing vicariously through my dad's younger exploits and their purchase of a 69 Roadrunner new in 69 was cool, and then getting a 1970 Karmann Ghia VW that I put a header on was nice for the "cruising scene" but my 71 Charger R/T I bought in 78 put me firmly into the whole street scene around the Lakefront, and many of my friends had cool older muscle cars too (69 Roadrunner, 70 Roadrunner, 69 Pontiac Firebird, 70 Z-28 LT-1 Camaro, 70 SS Chevelle, 76 454 Camaro, etc...)

 

[super-bee_ski]

It was great for me especially to read about all of the track experiences these guys had. Usually traveling around from racetrack to racetrack on the weekends on a shoestring budget representing Royal Pontiac and the brand as well. Their incredible hands-on knowledge and experience made HUGE money for the dealership and Pontiac, and many of their mods and hand built work would be assigned a part number by Pontiac so they could sell those parts over the counter. Royal (in Royal Oak Michigan) was at the epicenter of Pontiac performance from roughly 1960-1971.
These men had an old school dedication and love for what they did.

And, ridiculous Corporate GM dis-allowed 400 CI < bigger displacements in their intermediates

 

[Endangered Species]

If I wasn't a mopar guy I would own a Pontiac... Especially the early ones. They are bad azz

 

[biomedtechguy]

I heard a real deal factory "swiss cheese" lightweight 62 Catalina fire up its 421 2x4bbl at Mecum in Kissimmee.RADICAL!

 

[383man]

Biomedtechguy that one beautiful GTO !!! I think the 65 GTO is my favorite non-Mopar car also as it has sweet body lines. That's one reason I made sure I parked next to my buddies as I like it a lot and wanted some pics of our cars together. I am a Mopar lover to the Max but I love all cool American muscle and the 65 GTO is one of the cars I love. In fact I like all GTO's from 64 up to 71. I like the 65 better then the 64 and I also like the 65 better then the 66 & 67 but as I said I do like all 64 to 71 GTO's. I saw a black 69 Judge with the cool factory stripes and boy I tell you that was one super sweet Judge. Thanks for posting them pic of that cool 65 GTO Biomedtechguy !! Ron

 

[383man]

Both nice cars. I would rather have the 63.

Yea me too but I do really like that 65 GTO. Ron

 

[biomedtechguy]

I like the 65 better then the 64 and I also like the 65 better then the 66 & 67 but as I said I do like all 64 to 71 GTO's.

Thanks.
Same here. The 65 has a functional air scoop the 64 did not, and the stacked headlights and rear horizontal chrome piece are a great visual along with the body line that runs along the top of the sides of the car's sheet metal, rising by the front of the rear quarters.
The 64/65 look shorter/smaller than the 66-on too.

 

[Ron H]

Funny story...my mother a T-Bird fan having four of them over the years, liked my older brother's '65 GTO body style so much she had to go out and buy one, a ragtop as she liked converts. She kept the car less than a year as its power scared the hell out of her doing a few unintentional burn outs. She laid down a 15+foot tire patch before she knew it wondering why she wasn't moving fast as she thought! Then with the smoke and odor she thought something was wrong with the car. We sort a "explained" the situation to her and she made up her mind she didn't want to drive a car with this much go trading it in...for another T-Bird.

 

[black64]

Nice cars. I had 66 GTO 389 tripower black on black back in the sixties, would like to have that along with my 63 dodge and my 40 ford.

 

[Dibbons]

While my '65 Plymouth Valiant bracket racer was being built by me at Community College, I paid $100.00 for this '63 Pontiac Grand Prix to use as my daily driver. I painted it a solid blue with gold pearl. I chose the blue from a paint chip in a paint store catalog. Looking back on that foto today, I think it might have been Petty Blue!

I swapped the 389 for a 421 with aluminum intake and it was factory equipped with limited slip. I grudge raced my best friend's '69 396 Chevelle automatic at Fremont Raceway back in the '70's once. I was way ahead off the line until my transmission shifted into high gear way too soon, although I held the console gear selector in second. He passed me up before crossing the finish line.

The Rotohydramatic transmission had some quirks:

As with previous Hydramatic transmissions, auto safety experts criticized GM for the Hydramatic design which had a shift quadrant sequence of Park-Neutral-Drive-Second-Low-Reverse (P-N-D-S-L-R)

Roto's downfall was the 2-3 range or 1-2 gear change because it is not only a huge ratio jump from 2-3 range or 1-2 shift from 2.93 to 1.56, but also there is no fluid slippage in the coupling because the coupling drains (4 tenths of a second) to engage or apply the front clutch and so the trans goes to full mechanical connection.

 

[biomedtechguy]

LAND YACHT!

 

[Auggie56]

Nice muscle cars people. I passed on buying a super clean adult owned 65' GTO in 69'. Twelve hundred bucks and the fiance said to buy it now while I'm singe or forget about it once we are married. Man, I was such a fool back then.