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Barn Find 4-Speed: 1970 Pontiac GTO

It is very seldom that a muscle car from the beginning of the muscle car era is found alive and well in original condition. This 1970 Pontiac GTO was stored in a Georgia barn since the 1980s and has recently been brought out into the light of day, and made to run and drive properly. This car has very minimal rust with all the original sheet metal still intact, as well as the original and matching drivetrain. Bidding is at$9,999 and the reserve is not yet met. Find it here on eBay in New Jersey! 

The odometer reads 70,938, and although I would normally assume it has rolled over on a car this old, I find it very hard to believe that it is 170,938. The driver’s seat is unsurprisingly showing the most use, but has only a couple of small tears and no extreme wear. This looks like a car that was driven, enjoyed, and cared for until for some reason it was parked. You’ll notice a 4-speed shifter sticking out of the floor, and three pedals down under the dash. That’s a recipe for a lot of fun!

That 4-speed manual transmission is hooked up to a 400 cubic inch Pontiac V8, and although 455s were available during this time, a 400/4-speed combination is nothing to sneeze at. This car will certainly get out of its own way, and the driver will thoroughly enjoy themselves during the process. The engine bay is in good condition cosmetically, and some minor detailing would go a long way. This car runs, drives, and stops. A new master cylinder has been installed, as seen in this picture. This is the numbers-matching correct drivetrain for this car.

Last but not least, this Pontiac is equipped with a Positraction rear end, which will be necessary with the engine and transmission combination. My favorite thing about this car is that from certain angles, it doesn’t look like anything particularly special. It has a very unassuming appearance in a pleasant but not overly bright color, and for a car like this that is the way I would want it! Would you get this car fully cleaned up to be a survivor? Or use it as a solid starting canvas for a restoration?

Comments

  1. Avatar 86 Vette Convertible

    Interesting car but a few concerns. There’s the obvious beach tag on it, so it’s likely seen a lot of damp salt air in it life. Add that to the rusty trunk and no underside shots of the floorpan & frame, wondering how bad they’re rusted out. Cowl tag area is pretty rusty too. I’m no GTO expert but wasn’t there supposed to be a tag on the trunk? I’d have to see it on a lift before I’d go heavy into this one, along with a good once over.

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    • Avatar Steve R

      There were seven pictures of the cars floor pans. I’ve seen better and these didn’t do a great job of highlight the frame. However, it was far better than what most sellers include.

      Steve R

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  2. Avatar Pete

    Truly an awesome combination for a GTO. However be advised. This car has been nailed in the drivers side and had some work done to the door. The trunk lid looks like it has some touch up paint on it. Perhaps in other areas as well which it being located in the rust belt is not surprising. Also see that beach sticker on the windshield? Yeah that’s not a good thing, That means it was bathed in ocean spray more than once. You can see evidence of the rust worm in the lower rear quarters where mud has built up in the lower edges. If you run a magnet over the were rust usually accumulates your going to find some bondo or lead filler. Still though if you love the color and mechanical combination it would be worth it to you to do a full on restoration. I think you can get by with keeping the original interior, maybe change the steering wheel and a nob or two. I am thinking 20K on top of the sale price to get all that done. If a classic dealer gets their hands on it that thing will be relisted next year for around 40 to 50K I’ll betch ya. LOL

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  3. Avatar DR Member

    Sierra Yellow originally…blech.

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  4. Avatar Ed

    No way this a 70K original car. I have owned several 1970 GTOs with mileage ranging from 46K up to 180K. That drivers bucket is way to beat/trashed to be a low mileage car. Not the original paint either…the shade pictured is not a 1970 GTO offered color. It is not even close to being Atoll Blue nor Bermuda Blue. Sport mirrors are aftermarket.

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  5. Avatar Grumpy

    Well I am a Ford guy, but I have worked on a lot of the General’s car’s from that era. One of the underbody pic’s sure look’s like an automatic tranny shifter mechanism.
    Any GM guy’s than can clarify?

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    • Avatar Ed

      Looks like a auto shifter tranny linkage but I believe it has something to do with locking steering and gear shift lock. Early anti-theft.

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      • Avatar JW

        I think your correct ED, our 70 Mach1 had that with the FMX tranny and when we installed the AOD it had no provision for it in the linkage, we couldn’t unlock the steering wheel so we completely removed it at the column then took a hose clamp and strapped the “EYE” on the column where it attached in the up position so now it’s like a non-locking steering column but it also will start in any gear so we have to be careful.

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  6. Avatar Larry Q

    Clean it up. .prep the running gear..mash the gas…dump the clutch…shake all that stinking rust and rot loose..shift to second and enjoy

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  7. Avatar JW

    In 1972 I had a 70 GTO with the 400 and a auto trans, it was Tan or Gold. It was OK but with the weight difference I prefer the 65 to 67 GTO’s I had , they were lighter / quicker / better styling in my honest opinion. I am not talking Judge here just the basic GTOs.

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  8. Avatar Buick Fan

    Butt ugly, blech…

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  9. Avatar Troy s

    Top engine for ’70 was the RamAir IV 400 in the old goat, which is in contrast to the Buick, Olds, and Chevys that now had some real cubic inches that made some serious power; that 455 in the GTO wasn’t much. But there is more to a GTO than just being quick, they’ve got style, more than any other car of it’s type at the time. The “cool” factor is huge here.
    The blue paint with the black interior is perfect, and those rims just add to it, I mean, really this ride just tempts you to hop in and turn the key. Bang! Off you go, running through the gears and smilin’ all the way!
    Great car.
    I

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  10. Avatar Loco Mikado

    “It is very seldom that a muscle car from the beginning of the muscle car era is found alive and well in original condition.”

    Since when is 1970 the beginning of the muscle car era? It had been going on for 6 years or more in 1970. More like the beginning of the end of which it was. Lets get the facts straight. I don’t really like to criticize but blatant wrong facts get to me.

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    • Avatar Andrew Tanner Member

      I’m not wrong, I just have a different view of the timeline than you do. If we agree that it began in 1964, which we seem to, then 1970 was only 6 years into the muscle car era, as you said. If we say the era ended in 1980, or even 1979 with the introduction of the Fox Mustang and the beginning of phasing out the second generation Camaro in 1981, then 1970 is only about 1/3 of the way into the era. If you are of the mindset that muscle cars ended with emissions regulations in 1973, then you are correct to say that this is not at the beginning. It isn’t a matter of facts, just a matter of opinions. Thanks for reading!

      Like 0
  11. Avatar sluggo

    I always liked this body style and that nose is iconic. Modern paints do a better job sticking to that material as well

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  12. Avatar mark

    Not a GTO but close……came across this T-37 in South Georgia this past weekend…….

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  13. Avatar Nate

    That looks like a Pontiac Lemanns turned into a GTO. No gto badge on the trunk deck and Lemanns interior\dash and the clutch petal doesn’t match the others so possibly an added 4 spd from an auto?

    Like 0
  14. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Ended: Dec 22, 2017 , 4:00PM
    Winning bid:US $12,299.00
    [ 18 bids ]

    Like 0

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