Went and looked at the GTO last night. Cool yes, but in much worse shape than the last time I saw it and definately NOT worth the $1,000 asking price, even with the supposedly running '79 GP as a parts car. Seller thinks it's really worth something and he's 'just about to pull it inside and start restoring it'. He thinks the floors are rotted out, and he's right, but I don't think he knows that the frame is basically gone from the axle back. Doors are shot, rot-out in door jambs, hood rotted out at front edge, deck lid rotted out under spoiler (if I had to compare it to something it definately looks like a '71-'72 Lemans Sport/T-37 spoiler), frame rotted out more in kickup area behind front wheels. In other words, in really bad shape. The GP was actually worse but had a surprisingly good white/red interior, bucket seats, and console with floor shift.
The seller claims it's got a 350 Pontiac out of an older
Catalina. If it had a 400 or 455 then both cars might be worth a grand, but the way they look, I'm gonna pass.
It was pretty dark when I went out there, so no pics yet, but I'm going to try and go back and get a few.
After having looked at the car, I seriously believe it had to have been a dealer-assembled hot rod, kinda like a Yenko Camaro. The GTO sticker emblems on it's nose, front fenders, and deck lid appear the same as a '74 Ventura/GTO. The spoiler looks like early '70s Lemans Sport, and the screaming chicken on the hood looks like it's straight from the T/A parts bin. The only thing I have to suggest it was for sure a dealer 'custom' and not some private owner's creation is the glove box door plaque reading GTO by COE and corresponding Orson E. Coe Pontiac deck lid emblem.
So I'm 99.99% positive it left the factory as a plain 'ol 301 G/A with rallye wheels and a console with bucket seats, but left the dealership as a '79 GTO. But until I can talk to someone who actually worked there back then, I'll never know.
I'll get pictures rounded up GrandAmMan, but I wouldn't reccomend having your buddy drive very far for this vehicle. But I'll keep you posted.