Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

1966 Pontiac GTO Convertible Barn Find

1966-pontiac-gto

UPDATE 1/13/14 – Jim S. just tipped us off that this Goat has been relisted here on eBay. This is the same seller, so they must have decided to do some work to it since it was last for sale. The engine and brakes have been gone through and the car is now running and driving. Instead of the previous $20k asking price, it is now being offered for $24k with the option to make an offer. Special thanks to Jim for the tip!

To the untrained eye, this may just look like a mountain of junk overflowing from a barn, but a barn finder will instantly recognize what’s actually hiding under all these boxes. If you haven’t spotted it yet, there is a 1966 Pontiac GTO convertible peeking out. After spending the last 30 years in this barn, it has finally been dug out and is now for sale here on eBay for $20k or best offer.

1966-gto-convertible

Given the condition of the barn and the mountain of junk that was piled on this GTO, it is surprisingly solid. It will obviously need work, as there is plenty of rust throughout. When it was parked in the barn, it had only covered 19k miles of road. The original owner’s story is that they used it occasionally from new, but when it developed an exhaust leak, it was parked and never driven again.

1966-pontiac-gto-interior

Even with most of the top missing, the interior has fared well. It shows some signs of weathering, but is complete and salvageable. Parts are plentiful for the GTO, so anything that is beyond saving should be easy to come by. Our biggest complaint here is the automatic transmission, but this shouldn’t be much of an issue for most, as it will still be fun to launch it by revving up against the torque converter before releasing the brake pedal.

1966-pontiac-gto-motor

The 389 V8 is looking rough, but the seller claims it turns over. Let’s just hope that it won’t need much work to get it running again. Obviously sitting for so many years unattended means it will likely need seals and gaskets replaced, but with any luck the rings are still good and the motor has good compression. After some work this engine should be good for about 330 horsepower and 430 pounds of torque. With this kind of power, we would want to make sure frame is structurally sound before any stoplight drags.

1966-pontiac-gto-rear-corner

This might be the kind of barn find that many of us dream about finding, but we think the seller’s asking price is a tad unrealistic. If it were a Tri-Power car than it might be worth this kind of money, but given its options and condition, we just don’t see it going for the seller’s asking price. We have been wrong before though, so what do you think?

Comments

  1. Avatar Brian

    Woww! Thats just like the one I have in my barn…

    Like 1
  2. Avatar paul

    Gee what a shame they just displaced an entire city of rats you can just make out rat city hall in the dash area.

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Rolly Doucet

    In the late’70s, one of my employees found a ’66 GTO in barn. The car was almost completely dis-assembled before the owner lost interest and stored it in a barn. All the parts were there, nothing missing. But the real kicker was the car parked next to the GTO. It was a ’62 or ’63 Pontiac Bonneville equiped with the 421 cu in engine. That car was intact, and in running condition. Both cars were covered with pigeon poop. The GTO was brought to our shop, and put back together, I don’t know what ever happened to the Bonneville. My former employee still owns the GTO, he lets his son drive it occasionally.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Jim-Bob

    While I may think the price is a tad unrealistic, I think the owner will get every penny of it, given the current state of the old car market. As to the car itself, it looks like it is fairly rusty from the pictures. However, the owner was careful to shoot them at an angle that does not show the state of the quarter panels or the corners of the fenders and doors. In one picture, you can see what looks like peeling metal at the bottom of the passenger’s quarter and another shows a peek at the rust in the bottom of a fender. If it only has 19k miles and was parked in a garage so early, why would it have that rust? For that matter, why would the exhaust have failed? Also, what does the frame look like? If it saw road salt and was not cleaned afterwards and left to sit, it is likely that the frame is fairly corroded at this point. It’s definitely worth a look in person because it has tremendous upside if it is as good as it could be, but a tremendous down side if it isn’t.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar KE100

    Is it just me or is that air cleaner to chrome for that engine? The air cleaner seems to be to nice. Hmmmmmmm…..

    Like 0
  6. Avatar ken

    Red heater hose?Non original battery.Fishy to me.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Wiley Robinson

      What’s fishy about that? It’s been in the barn for 30 years, which means it was on the road in the Northeast for 17 years. That’s plenty of time to need a new battery, bust a heater hose and get massive holes rusted in the quarter panels.

      Everyone acts like the owner is a jerk for stuffing it in the barn for 30 years but when he put it in there it was just a 17 year old worn out car. I used my 1993 Mazda MPV for a shed for a couple of years when it was 17 years old before selling it to a scrapper for $450. It’s a miracle this thing wasn’t crushed for being a peice of crap back in 1983. Hoarders aren’t jerks, they store stuff for us while it’s worthless:)

      Like 0
      • Avatar Jim-Bob

        My issue is not that he stored it the way he did. It is what it is and the question now is what can be done with what remains. My issue is that detailed pictures of potential damage areas were not taken and that no picture given provides a clear picture of the bottom portion of the car where rust is most likely. You have to be analytical when looking at online auction ads to avoid being screwed. Reputable sellers understand this and provide enough pictures for a prospective buyer to make an educated decision without having to make too many educated guesses. (That and I love being analytical and logical! :) )

        Like 0
  7. Avatar JimH

    It’s advertised as “One owner.” Not sure that helps it’s value at all.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar James Austin

    Forget launching with your foot on the brake pedal… this is a convertible, this is put the top down, soft music on the stereo, crusing back country roads, in the daytime, and main street at night with your wife or girlfriend…

    Like 0
    • Avatar Larry

      Yea, that would be awkward your wife and girlfriend ;-)

      Like 0
  9. Avatar jim s

    that is going to take a ton of work/money.i wish it had been stored better! ebay shows 5 offers and 128 watcher so there is some interest. great find

    Like 0
  10. Avatar David G

    Isn’t the P/W option fairly rare in these cars? Think i also saw a hood light attached to the firewall but not being a GTO guy, can’t tell if those were noteworthy options. Trying to make something special of this car but dunno if i can make it $20 k special with its other issues, regardless the going rate on them. The look of the storage area and indeed signs of her rust-outs seem to trump that potential to good degree. I’m betting 119k miles somehow…

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Barzini

    I don’t like to nitpick ads but this one has some problems but I agree with Jim-Bob. Also, GTOs did not have VINs stamped on the engine blocks until later in the 1967 model year. It can be date code correct but there are no numbers to match. It’s got some great options (power windows, wood steering wheel, etc) that are not even mentioned.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar geomechs Member

    One thing I see is that the car is fairly complete. That alone is worth a lot of points. Start hunting down trim pieces in addition to actual repair parts and the cost of restoration will increase exponentially. I like the car otherwise but to echo what’s already been mentioned: I’d have to examine it personally before I’d ever commit.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar rene

    love it!

    Like 0
  14. Avatar dj

    I’m all for the barn finds. But those who get the “barn finds” just to flip it and make a quick buck I don’t like. They’re are those out there today who do just that. They ride the back roads lookiing for these just to sell them. If they were looking for them to bring them back to their former glory, I would feel different.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Joe

      I hear what you are saying but their is an upside. A few years ago one of these flippers discovered a one owner all original 81K 68 912 lyeing dormant for 20 years in the garage since it’s owner passed away. Sure he probably got it for a lot less than I paid for it but hey I’m greatful to now have it in my garage.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Barzini

      DJ, I agree. I don’t like the effect of flipping because it prices more people out of the collector car hobby. I have been watching 1966 GTOs for a few years. Several times I’ve watched flippers buy driver quality GTOs and then apply a huge mark up. For example, Southern Motors (MI) is now selling a 1966 GTO they bought in Massachusetts for about $10k more than they paid for it. (It sold on eBay last month for $22k.)

      Like 0
  15. Avatar 88R107

    Bet it draws the $20,000 or close to it. Looks like it needs a lot of work but probably worth it.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Jason

    Who parks a car for 30 years because of an exhaust leak? That seems strange to me.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Wiley Robinson

      Somebody who was fed up with all the other little issues their old car had so they got a newer one and pushed this one aside.

      Like 0
  17. Avatar stu

    If that’s not 119,000 miles, I’ll eat my hat.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar yanmarley

    Love the car, it’s pretty straight & complete, however the listing photos appear – as Jim-Bob noted – to have been taken from the perfect angle to show the absolute minimum of the rust issues that any real purchaser should be looking at. With this many photos how come not one shows either side view ’cause it appears there may be some serious rust in the door bottoms, rockers and bottom of front fenders. Pretty slick.

    Like 0
  19. Avatar seth

    I agree with Stu, more likely over 100,000 miles. When it was parked was not worth the trouble to scrap it. Even then exhaust system did not fail at under 20,000 miles. Was just another old car when most people tried to get rid of American cars when they hit 60k miles.

    Like 0
  20. Avatar SETH

    As Wiley correctly said, this was an old tired junker that was not worth fixing when it was parked. Lots of non oem parts as this was just an old car and put in what fits. Did not matter what went in

    Like 0
  21. Avatar Charles

    In 1972 I had the chance to a 66 GTO in a lot better condition for $900.00. It was a solid but well worn GTO vert with about 100K miles on it. No one wanted muscle cars in those years. Gas prices rose from 41.9 cents a gallon to 57.9 cents and everyone thought the world was coming to an end.

    Dad drove a 67 GTO coupe, and Mom drove a 66 Bonneville, with a 421 tri-power. There was no way they were going to let me get a muscle car.

    I had mowed grass, delivered newspapers and emptied the garbage cans at the school lunch room to save the money for my first car. I had saved $2,200.00 which was pretty good amount of money for a 16 year-old in 1972. My parents wanted my first car to be something like a Datsun B-210… Yuk, Cough, Puke!!!

    My actual first car ended up being a 1957 BMW Isetta, however within six months I talked my parens into letting me buy a 1966 Plymouth GTX with a 440/4 speed. Some friends of mine and I removed the GTX emblems from the sides of the car, and the metal insert on the breather that said 440 Commando, and we hid them. The car had Crager SS wheels with redlines on them. We swapped them for a set of steel wheels and hub caps for mom to inspect the car. It looked like the typical little old lady Plymouth. The car was a Satelite with the GTX option, however I lied to my folks and told them that it had a 318 engine in it. To my relief Dad was working out of town, and mom did not know what she was looking at. By the time they figured out that the car was really a muscle car, the deal was done.

    Then I had to make a B average or better to keep the car, so it all worked out. The GTX was a whole bunch of fun, however I never got past GTO fever.

    In those days no one would have ever believed that those cars would gained the popularity or command the prices that they do today.

    Like 0
  22. Avatar Dirty Dingus McGee

    @Charles

    Nice story. However;

    1) The GTX wasn’t offered until 1967
    2) It was based on the Belvedere
    http://www.allpar.com/cars/plymouth/GTX.html
    3)In addition to emblems, hood scoops and trim would need to be removed.
    4) B-210 Datsun was first offered for model year ’74(perhaps you are thinking of the B-110?)
    http://datsun1200.com/modules/mediawiki/index.php?title=Datsun_B210

    Not trying to piss in your Cheerios, but I owned a ’67 GTX convertible, and 3 B-110 Datsuns, so I’m kinda familiar with both.

    Like 0
  23. Avatar Charles

    One of several typo’s. Sorry. I typed this out quickly, and did not take the time to proof read it like I should have.

    The GTX was a 67. And yes, it had the hood scoops. I was 16, and to me the GTX emblems on the side just in front of the rear wheels were a bigger give-away than the hood scoops were. The car was pale yellow with black interior. Even though it was a muscle car, it looked boxy and plain on the outside. Besides, the Belvedere and the Satelite shared the same body shell. Satelites of that year were mostly just a trim option. Like I said, dad was out of town and mom did not know what she was looking at. When mom looked a the car she saw a plain yellow boxy shaped car, and did not realize that it packed a 370 HP 440 bigblock.

    As for the Datsun, I am not that familiar with them, and obviously remembered it wrong. A family friend owned one. My parents thought that would make a good car for me. I thought it was butt ugly and did not want to spend my hard earned money on one.

    You are not pissing in my Cheerios. It sound like you know your Mopars and Datsuns. You also have a good eye for details. I can respect that.

    However, I have made it 57, despite spinal injury that was supposed to criple me, four spinal fusion surgeries, some devine intervention, and lots of luck I was able to recover and walk normally. Then surviving a brain tumor that was supposed to be terminal. Even after a stoke and lots of radiation, I still am pretty much OK. I work full time and pay taxes, and the rest of it is just stuff that don’t matter much.

    There is not much that anyone can say to me on these forums that has much if any effect on me.

    Some minor details may have eluded me over time, but the main part of the story is accurate.

    Bet you wish you still had that 67 GTX vert?

    A 64-67 GTO is still on my bucket list. As well as a 63 Corvette split window coupe, and a 74 Super Duty Trans AM.

    Like 0
  24. Avatar Alan

    Good idea for the seller to get the car running. That should help with the sale. It is too bad that eBay does not show the amounts of the offers made on auctions like this, it would be very interesting! In the first auction, there were 51! And, there are 7 already on the re-list.

    I agree that the seller has taken photos which minimize/don’t show the rust. A “real” seller would disclose all, so that buyers would have a better understanding what they were looking at to restore. And, while it is possible that this car may have flipped the odometer, and be 100K + in the miles, a look at the condition of the driver’s seat and the pedals does not indicate a lot of wear, so probably not.

    Back in the day, a neighbor brought home a ’67 GTO convertible, red with a white top and interior. 4-speed. It remains in my memory as one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Fast, too!

    Like 0
  25. Avatar bradshaw from primer

    I had a nice automatic 66 gto I bought in 77….drag raced it out at Green Valley Raceway between Dallas and Fort Worth…..Had the 2 speed Pontiac version of the Powerglide….3 speed didn’t happen until 67……but bags of torque off the line, without doing the brake deal…and winding up to 5200 rpm (about 55mpH) and then BOOM, the big shift, and winding on out…..did the 1/4 in 16.00 at 88 mph….not bad…….felt good booming along…drove it to El Paso several times…..cruised well at 100 mph for hours…was a true GT. Good a/c too.

    Like 0
  26. Avatar waynard

    I don’t know what pictures you guys are looking at but this listing is pretty clear as to the substantial cancer as well as the condition of the upholstery. This car looks like it was in/under 6 or 8 inches of water, not in a dry barn. And no way is it a 19K mile car.

    I’ve asked the owner to provide chassis pics. If he’s offering to put it on his lift to show it to a potential buyer, he can take pics of the undersides and post them just as easily.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Alan

      @ waynard, take a look at eBay listing # 310800252520.

      The pics in that original listing for this car were what brought out the comments. Additionally, they were the photographs used in the current listing when it was originally posted. If you look at the details of revisions made to the listing, you’ll see that “victoria4hill” added/deleted photos on the 15th. What is in the listing now is a whole new set, apparently taken after the car was “cleaned up” and made to run. Hmmm, I see that the new listing now has 10 offers…

      Let us know what you get in the way of a reply from the seller….

      Like 0
  27. Avatar Mark E

    Granted, the pics are MUCH better on the second listing than the first. Also, it’s good the car is running now.

    BUT…and here comes a BIG but…with all the cancerous rust coming through the fenders and rocker panels and the car’s location in a snowy/rusty state, I would not be willing to bet a ticket out to see the car that the underneath is so wonderfully solid. As for the mileage, I seriously doubt you’d have that much rust on a 20k mile car, even if the barn had a damp dirt floor!

    Like 0

Leave a Reply to geomechs Cancel reply

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.