Vehicle Description
RARE 1973 Pontiac GTO! You will definitely stand out in the sea of Camaros and Mustangs with this GTO. I gain more attention and discussions at the local car shows than I ever did with my 66 GTO!
History:
This PHS Documented GTO was originally delivered to Charlie Sturgill Motor Co. in Lexington, KY. The original owner only wanted the basics, and ordered this car with the following options:
-WLS- Rally II Wheels - $87.00
-AM- Radio- $65.00
-GTO Option- $368.00
-Sport Option - $88.00
-G60x15 Tires - $42.00
-Bumper Strips - $24.00
The car originally shipped with a HD Muncie 3spd manual on the floor (which I still have), manual steering, and manual DISC brakes. This car is 1 or 926 GTO’s that were shipped with the sport option and Manual Trans. From the research I have done, the car spent many years “in a shed” as it had not been licensed for over 10 years according to the DMV when I transferred the title to my name.
Recent:
The uniqueness of the 73 GTO is what attracted me to this car, and I saw a lot of potential for a nice street/strip setup. After getting the car home, one bolt leads to another, and I ended up pulling the front clip and frame. I was impressed on how solid the under carriage was, and went ahead and sandblasted the frame, inner fender wells, suspension, etc. and coated in Epoxy Primer. In disassembling the entire car, the ONLY bolts that were rusted were the bolts holding the original rear sway bar to the lower control arms! The odometer reads approx. 78K miles. I am thinking it could be original miles, as this car still had all of the original front-end suspension components! During the rebuild, all suspension parts/springs, etc. were replaced with quality Moog and Energy Suspension parts.
Moving on with the build, the 400ci motor was upgraded with a 461 Stroker Kit from Butler, along with a nice roller cam, rockers, ceramic coated headers, custom 3” Stainless Exhaust, etc. The Cylinder heads are period correct 4X flowing 240cfm with new stainless valves, Viton seals, etc. The engine is 9.3:1 compression and runs well on mid-octane pump gas. Completing the fuel system is a new “Tanks” fuel tank with in-tank Walbaro Pump. Since I like to hit the drag strip on occasion, I purchased a Stage II Turbo 400 Automatic from renowned Jakes Transmissions with the $800 low gear set option. A B&M shifter was installed, which works well in full auto, or ratchet shift mode. The trans has a Continental 10” Converter, which is very popular among Pontiac Enthusiasts. Completing the drive train is a custom 3.5” driveshaft, billet yoke, and original 8.5” “corporate” rear differential with an upgrade to an Eaton Posi with HD Billet cap, Moser Axles, 3.42 AAM gears and UMI Adjustable upper arms.
There are too many details to include here, such as fully rebuilt seat belts to factory specs, rebuilt hood hinges, etc. Lights, blinkers, fuel gauge, speedo, etc. work as they should. Nothing was “hacked” on this car, so it could be put back with the original 3spd, etc. with ease. The original Muncie, bell-housing, flywheel, clutch, pedals, etc. are included with the car. This is a great opportunity to own a unique GTO at a much lower price point than the earlier year models! I am not in a hurry to sell the car, so please only serious inquiries. Be sure to check out the attached video! When accessing the video via YouTube, you will see another in-car video while driving the car available on that channel.
EDIT... If desired by the new owner, I could reinstall the original brake/clutch pedals and HD Muncie 3spd Transmission. Call me for details.
