Paul Rhodes
65 GTO
Richland, WA

 

Customer Ride 147

 



1965 GTO 2 dr HT. Owned since 1972. Found it derelict in a field in Ione, California. Paid $325 for it then. Built in Fremont, Calif (I have copies of orig build sheets for THIS car). Have the original 65 389.....and the stock hood. Both in excellent condition.

Now: Has 1969 GTO 400 engine. T-400 1968; built by Gropper Trannys: here. Super job on it. Hurst Pro shifter. 68 10 bolt posi with 4.10 gears. Lakewood bars. D/L loop. Alumicote headers......tri-Y type. Edelbrock TORKER M/F and reworked (and air horn milled off/no choke/crossovers blocked) R-3310 780 CFM Holley with 2" lift/extension. Electric fuel pump. Stock bore and pistons and crank. Cam Dynamics cam street/strip. Reworked Accel distributor. MSD ignition box. HUGE chev 4 core radiator. NASCAR HP water pump. Electric fan cooled. Autolite battery. Ceterline ORIGINAL wheels. All stock steel sheetmetal....never been cut on. It still has the orig reverb unit from the Fremont factory. Navy blue+ black (one off color) applied by George Sharp in 1981(!).The hood is a Lemans flat steel one with the old Harwood scoop.

Original color was silver blue with black vinyl top: dumped those long ago. Did drag race it at Sacramento and El Paso dragways......and Renegade raceway in Washington.....then stopped racing and just attend cruise events with it. Time? Not sure now. Probably 12.9-13.0. It sure does launch HARD and the shift from 1-2 is awesome.....the whole front lifts and floats O so slightly as it blasts on out. A real rush for sure. My tranny doc REALLY built the T-400 excellent. I watched hin do it with Transgo new parts and tork converter.

All the stock stuff like wipers and turn indicators and heater work. Has an 8T(!) tape player by BlauPunkt even.....every engine instrument I wanted.....like in a plane.....oil temps (both) and fuel press.....vacuum.....oil.....8 day clock from one of our Nam AD-6 Skyraiders.......from my tour in the Navy all that time ago.

It does draw attention when I take it out. Racing skinnys in the front and fattys in the stock rear wheelwells.

Matt Goble a fine young man here and his wife did the re-do.......I am delighted with his work.....he goes the extra effort to do first class work and a pleasure to recc his work anytime. I am delighted with the NEW stuff from Performance Years installed.....makes the old girl (I call my car RoxAnne and have for a loooooong time: my mistress: sometimes shes a sweetie pie and other times a cantankerous b%$@#: what else is new? A HOTROD is ALWAYS that!) look soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. Better than NEW!!!


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