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Needs Everything: 1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible Project

When a seller starts out by telling you his car needs everything, that’s a strong indication that what lies before you is not going to be a pretty sight, but when it’s a numbers-matching 1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible maybe that’s enough to get at least one person on board to consider resurrecting the poor goat from its backyard pasture in North Port, Florida.  Oddly, the owner has set the opening bid and the buy-it-now price at the same amount of $6,500, so if you’re spotting some potential the car can be found here on eBay.

We don’t get any background as to exactly how the Pontiac ended up in the state of disrepair it’s in now, but a front-end crash may ultimately be what led up to this degree of deterioration.  No information is given about the circumstances regarding the accident or how long ago it may have occurred, but whatever happened seems to have been a fairly serious mishap with the seller unsure of whether or not it resulted in a bent frame up front, though I’m guessing there’s a good chance this may have been a hard enough hit to cause it some damage.

Attractive or not, the car seems to be very complete like the seller states, but with this much rust and bent metal, there’s going to be quite a few panels that won’t be salvageable, unless maybe you’ve got beyond a master’s degree in bodywork.  With the amount of damage the nose and front fenders endured during the impact, unless it miraculously somehow popped up I can’t imagine the hood didn’t also buckle, so that’s probably a donor hood from another car as it appears relatively straight, but there’s enough rust present it might make more sense to source a better part than try to save this one.

There’s really just not much left of the convertible top, and that piece of tattered material on the ground that was once a tarp lost its usefulness ions ago to protect the now exposed interior, so little inside will be of much use either, which is sad as that factory 8-track player is sort of a rarity.  We also get a glimpse of the floor from the driver’s side area, which is wasting away out there in those elements, but the seller mentions that the frame seems solid, although we don’t get to take a look at it.

One positive is the 400 YS engine, which along with the automatic transmission are stated as the original factory components.  The motor is said to have fired about a year ago when fuel was poured down the carburetor, so unless something has changed since that time at least there’s a good chance it’s not locked up.  A clean Florida title is included and the car is a roller, so if you’re a glass-half-full kind of guy with a positive mindset and envisioning light at the end of a very long tunnel, bring your trailer but first make sure there’s plenty of savings in your bank account for what lies ahead.  Are you seeing any hope here?

Comments

  1. Rex Kahrs Rex Kahrs Member

    I’m not a neurologist, but the seller is quite possibly out of his ever-loving mind.

    But there would be no doubt about anyone who’d give him $6500 for this pile of junk.

    Like 16
  2. Oldschoolmuscle

    needs everything?? Needs everything brought to the crusher..

    Like 12
  3. mike

    Must be for the VIN and title…A reborn Lemans coming soon

    Like 5
  4. Jerry Bramlett

    Flashback to one year ago: https://barnfinds.com/matching-numbers-convertible-1970-pontiac-gto-1/ Then it was for sale in Punta Gorda, Florida, for about $13,000. Punta Gorda is about 10 miles south of North Port.

    I still think it’s worth about $3,000 as a parts car. However, the VIN and trim tags need to die with this body. I do not believe this car can be rebuilt for a reasonable amount of money. The only good sheet metal is the firewall.

    Like 0
  5. Big Bear 🇺🇸

    Hey!! It’s lawn art!!! 😂

    Like 1
  6. CCFisher

    That’ll buff right out.

    Like 3
  7. Joe

    Needs one last trip……to the junk pile.

    Like 2
    • John

      I’ll bet there’s a few amateur restorers out there that “see gold” and will bid it up to 15000$. Then get another 50k into it and realize the huge mistake they made.
      Seen worse go over 10k on here

      Like 0
  8. Autoworker

    At one time it was a beauty. Maybe if you had kept it inside and dry.

    Like 4
  9. chrlsful

    if keepin it wraped up on all 6 sides w/the blues – U B singin the blues, esp in Fla.

    Like 0
  10. Mark

    Not sure what the build sheet was printed on, but Pontiac should have used the same material on the car……

    Like 2
  11. Marshall Belcher

    When you buy a classic car ready to drive you look at this gto an wonder if the car you bought looked the same at one time.. the show iron resurrection on motor trend does junk like this from time to time. I personally could not do this to a buyer.

    Like 1
    • Mark

      Mighty strong words as you are implying that the Martin Brothers are somehow deceiving their clientele…….

      Like 0
  12. BlackTa

    To be fair it really only needs 4 parts, a body, interior, frame, and a drivetrain.

    Like 7
  13. Jerry Bramlett

    This car was on Barn Finds last September. The eBay BIN price then was ~$13,000.

    Like 0
  14. V

    the clock reads 7:00 so thats correct. the car was finished early that evening. YS engine code for 1970 reads pontiac 400 engine. the gto fenders read 455 ho…i had a chevy impala had the same problem this car has. the problem being every time i took the car for a drive someone would hit it. always in a new spot. this car must put people in a brain fog because theres enough dents to go around. put the gto in a duplicator and it will have all new parts…

    Like 0
  15. Oldschool Muscle

    I commented before,But I would dismantle all the mechanisms for the convertible top and cut out the windshield section that could come in handy If I had another convertible project..Only if the parts are still usable.

    Like 1
  16. Ken Michaels

    Don’t be too hasty GTO convertible with A/C auto trans ect could be a high dollar car and everything is available thanx to China

    Like 0
  17. Pete

    Shut up and take my money. LMAOOOOOOOOOOO hard pass.

    Like 0

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