The seller of this 1969 Pontiac GTO thinks it was turned into a “The Judge” clone at some point. I think it’s great that they have made it clear that it isn’t a Judge (the PHS documentation is included). It’s listed for sale here on eBay and is located in Northwood, New Hampshire. Current bidding hasn’t made it to $3,500 yet, but of course the reserve isn’t met at that point.
This car looks basically solid at first glance, but a closer look shows that the sills have already been replaced. The seller states that they started restoring the car a year ago and have installed new floors and new rear quarter panels. The trunk floor is said to be both “great” and original, although the trunk lid is not as good. There is another one that the seller will swap it out for, however. You can see the Liberty Blue the car was originally around the nose.
I’m encouraged by the relatively solid trunk lid (yes I see the rust, but it’s not too bad) because if the seller plans to replace it, the rest of the car must be pretty intact as well.
While this is a later 400, it runs “great” and is backed by a new clutch, pressure plate and release bearing and a four speed transmission. The seller tells us the car is “99% complete.”
Based on the interior pictures, I’m guessing the majority of that missing 1% is in the interior. The nice thing is that everything necessary for a restoration, if that’s what you want to do, is available from several reproduction parts suppliers. Would you restore this car, or turn it into a Judge clone again?
Although we can tell from this shot that the sills have been replaced, the overall frame and underside condition looks pretty darned good. I think this is a great project for someone, especially if you are wanting a driver rather than a show car. What do you readers think?
The decal on the front fender is authentic.
This one would scare me. First of all the frame looks rough. As for the body itself my biggest concern is that someone tried doing repairs without knowing or using correct methods. If I had this car I would strip it right down and bead blast it. Then you would know why you are dealing with. Trying to repair this as is could mean you would be chasing rust forever.
That 400 is a 2barrel would be nice to no what it came out of could be a mid 70s slug 🍋
There was a guy in my area who bought a mildly used Judge. He never had much for problems except that it ran rough. Factory muscle cars of that era were always a little lumpy when cold but usually smoothed out after they warmed up. This one didn’t. Actually it didn’t have a lumpy idle that you could associate with a wilder cam; it seemed a little deeper than that. One day the guy got a little heavy in the foot and really put the car through its paces. At about 6K rpm something went thunk and the PCV valve blew out, followed by a lot of smoke and some oil.
We ran it into the shop and pulled the motor. Pulled off the heads and we saw the problem; #6 piston had collapsed. Further investigation revealed that it had been installed backward, from the factory! The cylinder was as bad as the piston so there would either be a sleeve installed or the block would have to be replaced. Just then the GM DSM decided to pop in for a visit. He saw the debris, examined the car and immediately determined that the owner didn’t habitually horse around like the rest of us tended to do. He recommended a ‘Policy Adjustment,’ which was approved by the ‘General.’ Five years, 40K miles, and GM supplied a fitted block and all the stuff necessary to install the engine. Those were the days….
The PONTICA IS A GREAT CAR. YOUR FIND WAS GOOD. I HAVE ONE NOW AND WORKING ON IT… GOOD FIND… YOUR PRICE SHOULD BE $ 3500 AND UP
Here Come Da Judge !
99% complete???? Is this guy a senator or a congressman?
I’ll wait for the Blue 1970. A lot of people disagree but, I like a 1970 the best of the 1964~1972s followed closely by the 1967s.
Should list the wife and keep the Trans Ams.Easy to find wives,dime a dozen, hard to find nice Trans Ams.Their (cars) cheaper to operate.and only make noise when you want them too.lol
My wife ruled against this Judge………