Long
Island GTO Club of N.Y.
P.O. Box 276
Levittown, NY 11756
WWW.LIGTOClub.com
The Great One
Monthly ROAR Club Newsletter
December 2004
I am having trouble with the newsletter software I was used for the first newsletter, so until I either find another program or fix the original one, I am using Microsoft Office.
So pardon the appearance of this newsletter.
Club News
I want to start by saying Thank You to everyone for braving the terrible weather we had the day of our first meeting.
Our meeting was very successful. Everyone shared their thoughts and ideas with the group.
There was some great energy in that diner that day!
It was also a VERY productive meeting. We covered a lot of topics. I shared our progress with Tom Symczyk (GTOAA) and he was amazed we covered all the bases in one meeting!
By the time the next meeting takes place, we will be officially a part of the GTOAA!
Our website is underway! Thanks to Vice President Ed Fasano! You can check out the progress of the site at: www.LIGTOClub.com . Ed has done a fantastic job on the site!
It is still under construction, but you can see it will be PACKED with information!
Ed is open for any suggestions for additions to the site, so check it out and be a part of creating this great site!
Also, a feature of the site is that you can have your very own email connected to the club! For example, check out Ed’s email!
You can choose anything you would like. Just submit the address you would like to Ed.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 15, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. at the Oceancrest Diner on Route 110, Huntington, NY. WOW! 2005? Where has the year gone???
Some of the columns that were in the original newsletter have been omitted due to lack of content.
For this meeting, there are some things that we need:
Pictures: Bring pictures or email a digital picture (to Ed at:ed70gto@ligtoclub.com) of your car so that we can post them on our website: www.LIGTOClub.com .
Some other information that you might like to jot down and submit
Vendor experiences – good or bad – why you feel that you would or would never - use them again.
Personal Experiences- For the “Featured Member Page” of our newsletter. This could be YOUR story about how you became a fan of the GTO, the search for your car, or other related stories.
This will be a great tool for all of us to get to know each other.
Classified Ads- This is an area for both WANTED and FOR SALE cars or items.
Events and Cruise Nights- Let us know if you have heard about an upcoming event and also where the great cruise nights are in your area.
Have you gone to an event? Review it for us and submit pictures if you have them.
Q&A- Have questions or answers for this section? Submit them for the newsletter!
The Great Ones – Have pictures of an incredible Goat that you have seen?
Tell us where you saw it and any owner information you might have and share it with us!
Favorite Cars – This can be any type of car that caught your eye.
Tell us where you saw it and any owner information you may have and share – share - share!
Technical Exchange- Have you read some great technical article or had a good technical conversation about the GTO?
Want to write a technical column for the newsletter? Be our guest!
Anything you would like to see in the newsletter? Bring it to our next meeting! Remember the newsletter can be formed to “fit” our club!
Remember, the newsletter can contain information you may have come across other places besides our club.
It can only be as informative as the information available to put into it.
Directions to The Oceancrest Diner:
The Oceancrest Diner
269 Rte. 110
Huntington Station, NY 11746
631-547-1232
Northern State Parkway: Exit 40 North (Rte. 110 North – Huntington). The diner is on the left side of Rte. 110 (the West side) about 1.9 miles from the NS Parkway. (Approx. 4 lights)
From the LIE: Rte 110 North. You will pass under the Northern State Parkway. Diner is on the left side of Rte. 110 (the west side) about 1.9 miles AFTER the NS Parkway. (Approx. 4 lights).
Wishes for a VERY Happy Holiday Season and a VERY Happy New Year! Next year we will hold a FANTASTIC Holiday Party! See You Soon!
Featured Year:
1964 GTO: The beginning of a legacy
PONTIAC'S NEW GTO OPTION HAS BUILT-IN SPORTS CAR APPEAL
Pontiac Motor Division has announced an exciting new 1964 sports car option called the GTO (Grand Turisimo Omologato). Using a basic Tempest design, it will be available in the LeMans two-door coupe and convertible.
E.M. Estes, General Motors vice president and Pontiac General Manager, said the GTO affords Pontiac customers an even greater opportunity to choose an automobile that more closely fits their personal needs and tastes. "GTO is a significant addition to Pontiac's list of individualized sports car developments," Estes said.
Along with many performance options that enhance the sports car theme, the GTO has its own special styling features including bucket seats, an engine-turned aluminum instrument panel appliqué and stylized air intake castings on each side of the hood panel.
The GTO standard equipment engine is a 389 cubic-inch V-8 that develops 325 horsepower. It has a 10.75:1 compression ratio and a four-barrel carburetor. A three-speed, floor shift synchromesh transmission and dual exhaust are standard. Four-speed synchromesh and automatic transmissions are available.
Built in a 115-inch wheelbase, the GTO has heavy duty, wide rim wheels for greater lateral stability and 7.50 x 14 red stripe - premium cord tires are standard. White wall tires of the same size may be ordered at no extra cost.
A four-speed synchromesh transmission with floor shift and an automatic transmission with a steering column shift are optional. When the optional console is ordered with the automatic transmission, the shift lever is on the floor. A tachometer is offered also as optional equipment.
The GTO suspension is sprung similar to other sports cars, providing a firm ride in keeping with the carÍs design. An optional, even firmer ride package is available and includes a 20 to 1 steering gear ratio for quick turning.
The GTO initials appear on the radiator grille, rear quarters and deck lid, while a GTO triangular crest is mounted on the front fender and the instrument panel. All other optional equipment for the LeMans series is available with the GTO.
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1964 was the first year for the Pontiac GTO. GTO was actually an option on the Tempest LeMans, with buyers selecting option RPO 382 and paying $295.90 extra. Three body styles were available, which included the two-door coupe, convertible and hardtop. The RPO 382 option included:
- Engine: 389 cu in, 10.75:1 compression ratio, 325 hp w/4 bbl Carter AFB carburetor
- Dual Exhaust
- Three speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter
- Heavy Duty Clutch
- Heavy Duty suspension (shocks, springs, stabilizer bar)
- 7.50 x 14 Red Line high speed nylon tires
- 14 x 6JK wide rim wheels
- High capacity radiator
- Declutching fan
- High capacity battery
- Chrome air cleaner and valve covers
- Bucket seats
- 3.23:1 rear axle ratio (3.09, 3.36 and 3.55 available)
Additional options:
- Engine: 389 cu in, 10.75:1 compression ratio, 348 hp w/ three 2 bbl Rochester carburetors
- Four speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter
- Two speed automatic transmission
- Safe-T-Track limited slip differential 3.90:1 ratio (included metallic brake linings)
- Heavy Duty Radiator
- Safe-T-Track handling (quicker steering ratio, heavy duty shocks
- Transistor (breaker-less) ignition
- Tachometer
- Sports steering wheel
- Exhaust splitters (dealer installed)
- Wire wheel discs (dealer installed)
- Custom wheel discs with spinner and brake cooling holes
- Center console
1964 Production
Available Engines:
Total: 32,450 |
1964 Performance |
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Car and Driver, March 1964
389-3x2 bbl V8 Note: As revealed later, the GTO tested was heavily breathed on by Royal Pontiac, a noted Pontiac GTO tuner. |
Car Life, June 1964
389-3x2 bbl V8 |
Road Test: 1964 Pontiac
Tempest GTO
In racing terms, G.T.O. means "Grand Turismo Omologato.
In
Pontiac language, these
three letters designate a special white-hot Tempest.
(From the Motor Trend archives, originally published
January 1964)
Pontiac Division of General Motors has a reputation for building cars that appeal to the younger generation interested in performance as well as luxury. Pontiac closed out 1963 holding third place in the sales race. Their popular personal car, the Grand Prix, was back-ordered most of the sales year. And now Tempest offers a new model that looks enough like the Grand Prix to pass for its little brother -- it's called the Tempest G.T.O. and offers performance with a capital "P."
Last year, Tempest offered a big, 326-cubic-inch V-8 for their performance-minded customers, and it was an immediate hit-both on the street and drag strips. This year they've gone one better-the G.T.O. has the same beefy 389-inch V-8 that's used in the Grand Prix, except that the G.T.O. uses the heads from Pontiac's big "421 H.O." V-8 to give it a rating of 325 hp at 4800 rpm with one four-barrel Carter carburetor or a whopping 348 hp at 4900 rpm when set up with three two-barrel Rochester carbs. G.T.O. Tempests also use a special camshaft and valve lifters, while the 10.75-to-1-compression ratio makes premium fuel a must.
Side view shows off Tempest's new, longer lines and lack of unnecessary side trim.
The "389" engine isn't the only thing that makes a Tempest into a G.T.O. Pontiac has wisely made this a complete performance package by including such goodies as stiffer suspension with specially valved shock absorbers, a seven-blade, 18-inch fan complete with cut-off clutch, dual exhaust system, special 14-inch wheels with six-inch-wide rims (fitted with red-stripe premium, nylon-cord, low-profile tires), and a l 0.4-inch Belleville clutch with grey-iron pressure plate for gearshift cars. In addition to all this, special trim and identification medallions tell onlookers this is a "G.T.O. 6.5-liter" automobile. Twin (fake) air scoops adorn the hood of the G.T.O. and are found on no other Tempest model.
Car had good traction, lots of power for controlled drifting on dirt roads. Rear-end treatment includes hidden tail and brake lights similar to those on Pontiac's popular, full-sized Grand Prix models.
We actually drove two G.T.O. convertibles during our test. One was a pre-production model that didn't have the stiffer suspension options. It left us with the feeling that, like love and marriage, a heavy-duty suspension and a powerful engine go together-you shouldn't have one without the other. Our first and lasting impression of the Tempest was one of more-than-adequate power. Add to this the wonderfully quick, precise shifts from the all-synchromesh gearbox, fitted with a sturdy Hurst shift linkage, and we could tell that here was a real automobile.
Wheel spin, smoke and along black stripe on pavement were characteristic of a full-power start in the G.T.O.
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Perhaps the most interesting part of the Pontiac GTO is that it was never supposed to exist. A mandate came down from the highest levels of General Motors: No high performance cars. Nothing that implies racing or going fast was to be in the GM lineup. In the '50s Pontiac had an old fashioned image as a manufacturer of conservative basic transportation and sales were suffering because of it. There were even plans to kill the division off entirely. Pontiac's salvation was clear: build a performance image. They proceeded to do so, and by 1962, the desired results - increased sales - were a reality. For example, Hurst shifters were found on Pontiacs with floor mounted manual transmissions. The relationship was apparently successful, as every manual transmission GTO was controlled by the Hurst product. Continuation of the success seemed doomed with the infamous January 24, 1963 memo from the top, which banned all racing activities. The rule stated that all cars would have to weigh ten or more pounds per cubic inch of engine displacement. Even as the memo was being written, work was underway to put a 389 cubic inch motor in the Pontiac Tempest, which at ~3400 lbs., would be in clear violation of the edict. Leading the effort was Pontiac chief engineer John Z. DeLorean, who years later would start his own car company, only to end in failure. |
Technical Chat
Featuring the 1964 GTO
1964 GTO Carburetor Applications & Numbers
| Application | Transmission | Carb Number | Manufacturer |
| 389-4BBL | M/T | 3647AFB | Carter |
| 389-4BBL | A/T | 3649AFB | Carter |
| 389-3X2 (Center) | A/T | 7024173 2-GC | Rochester |
| 389-3X2 (Center) | M/T | 7024175 2-GC | Rochester |
| 389-3X2 (Front) | A/T & M/T | 7024178 2-G | Rochester |
| 389-3X2 (Rear) | A/T & M/T | 7024179 2-G | Rochester |
1964 Exterior Color Codes
|
Name |
Code |
| Starlight Black |
A |
| Cameo Ivory |
C |
| Silvermist Gray Metallic |
D |
| Yorktown Blue Metallic |
F |
| Skyline Blue |
H |
| Pinehurst Green Metallic |
J |
| Marimba Red Metallic |
L |
| Sunfire Red Metallic |
N |
| Aquamarine Metallic |
P |
| Gulfstream Aqua Metallic |
Q |
| Alamo Beige |
R |
| Saddle Bronze Metallic |
S |
| Singapore Gold Metallic |
T |
| Grenadier Red |
V |
| Nocturne Blue Metallic |
W |
1964 GTO Cylinder Head Applications & Casting Numbers
| Application | Casting Number |
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4-BBL |
9770716 |
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3X2 |
9770716 |
1964 Interior, Folding Top & Cordova Top Color Codes
| Interior Color | Code |
| Black | 214 |
| Dark Blue | 215 |
| Light Saddle | 216 |
| Dark Aqua | 217 |
| Medium Red | 218 |
| Parchment | 219 |
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| Folding Top Colors | Code |
| Ivory | 1 |
| Black | 2 |
| Blue | 4 |
| Aqua | 5 |
| Beige | 6 |
| Saddle | 7 |
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| Cordova Top Color | Code |
| Ivory | 1 |
| Black | 2 |
1964 GTO Axle Codes
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Differential Ratio |
Std. Axle Code |
Std. Axle Sticker Code |
Std. Axle Code Color |
Safe-T-Track Sticker Code |
Safe-T-Track Color |
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3.08 |
D |
2D |
Orange |
3D |
Green-Yellow |
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3.23 |
K |
2K |
Brown |
3K |
Green-Brown |
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3.36 |
E |
2E |
White |
3E |
Green-White |
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3.55 |
F |
2F |
Blue |
3F |
Green-Blue |
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3.90 |
H |
2H |
Plain |
3H |
Green-Plain |
The following ratios were available with heavy-duty metallic brake linings:
| Differential Ratio | Std. Axle Code | Std. Axle Sticker Code | Std. Axle Code Color | Safe-T-Track Sticker Code | Safe-T-Track Color |
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3.23 |
L |
2L |
Brown |
3L |
Green-Brown |
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3.36 |
M |
2M |
White |
3M |
Green-White |
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3.55 |
N |
2N |
Blue |
3N |
Green-Blue |
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3.90 |
P |
N/A |
N/A |
3P |
Solid Green |
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4.30 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Black |
A sticker with the code was applied to the left brake
drum.
The color code was painted on the top of the rear end and axle hubs.
The ratio was stamped on the right rear axle tube.
Parts Corner
A list of Parts Sources:
Harry's U-Pull-It 300 Acres of cars by model, call for price list.
Off I-81
Hazelton, PA
Morrison's
West of Edgerton, WI On WI-59 just east of WI-184. Open M-F Only.
608/884-4436
Newville Auto Salvage
East of Edgerton, WI On WI-59 just west of I-90. Open Sat 8-2.
608/884-3114
Open Saturdays 8-2
Seward Auto Salvage
East of Edgerton, WI On WI-59 and then south on Vincent Road
608/752-5166
Boneyard Stan Advertises in Hemmings, all Pontiacs. Dry,
Phoenix, AZ Arizona Cars. Mail Order.
W&W GTO Heaven
Rocky Winchester
Birghton, IL
(618) 372-7184
Hansen's Pontiac Parts Large selection of Firebird Parts,
Steve Hansen some GTO and Big Car parts too.
Brentwood, CA
(925) 634-6012
transams@cctrap.com
East West Auto Parts Nice web page, listing all the cars
4605 Dawson Road they have, with at least a hundred
Tulsa, OK 74115 classic Pontiacs, plus other brands too.
(800) 447-2886
www.pontiacpart.com
Pomona Pontiac Over 50's & 60's Pontiacs and Barns full of parts.
909-622-3587
PontiacJon@earthlink.net
www.PontiacClassics.com