The original Muncie M-20 four-speed was
freshened up and pressed back into service. It uses a Hurst floor shifter and
transfers power to the original 3.42-geared, open reared. “Safe-T-Track will
soon be installed” Rick says.
Using
diagrams from the '73 LeMans/GTO assembly manual, Rick replicated the factory
Ram Air air-cleaner top. Unlike the factory plastic version, this one is in
metal. Aside from the material, it is identical to the factory-built lid in
every detail.
As many Pontiac hobbyists know, a
functional Ram Air system was planned for the '73 GTO, but cancelled at the
last minute after a dozen or so systems were built. Perhaps the most
interesting detail of this particular GTO then is its correct-appearing Ram Air
system fabricated out of metal using an English wheel.
Here's how it came about: The '73
LeMans/GTO assembly manual illustrated a factory Ram Air system for the GTO.
From those illustrations, Rick reproduced both the Ram Air-specific air-cleaner
lid and the front spoiler. The workmanship on both is remarkable. There is
literally nothing that would tip you off that they are not factory pieces other
than the fact that both of the factory- built items were plastic.
The
optional Custom Cushion steering wheel and Rally Gauge cluster are factory
original.
When it came time to paint the GTO, Mike's
wife, Debbie, suggested they come up with a color combination other the
original Regatta Blue and blue stripes - it was not as striking as she
envisioned. Rick agreed, and although the blue stripes were reapplied, they
were under a new color - Cameo White. Dean Dillon at Professional Collision
Clinic in Oshawa, Ontario, applied the color and clear.
Rick's mental image of the '67 GTO at the
gas station and its attractive female occupant also inspired him to update the
nose of his GTO. “The black grilles were just too bland for something as
special as a GTO,” he said. “I customized the front end to look just as I think
it should have been by taking the design cues of the '67 and adding them to my
'73”
The
custom grille - inspired by the ’67 GTO - really woke up this ’73’s visual
impact, according to its owner.
The entire project took Rick seven years
and three months, and the results speak for themselves. His next project is
another '73, this time a radical LeMans custom with a Grand Am nose. We can't
wait to see that one!
