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TONY BILLECI’S 1966 GTO
I grew up in Pittsburg, California in the 1960s. One
theater, one bowling alley and one local drag strip. We had a makeshift
drag strip at Camp Stoneman, the old Army camp. I remember going with my
father on the weekends to watch the locals race. Even though I was too
young to drive at the time, being only about six, I loved to watch the
cars. Then, for some reason, in the mid 60s, the city ran a bulldozer
across the strip, ending our weekend fun.
My bother, along with most of his friends, went off to
Vietnam in 1968. I remember their parents driving their cars to the
grocery store and running errands in pumped up Pontiacs, Mopars, Chevys
and Fords. What a waste!
As I grew older my interest in cars remained. During
high school, my friends and I were into Mopars. We would head out to
North Main in Walnut Creek or G Street in Antioch looking for some sort
of trouble (spelled F-U-N to a kid.)
After my high school sentence ended, I loaded up my
stuff and settled in San Jose, dumped the ‘Cuda and got married. My
son, at four months of age, was responsible for my first Pontiac. You
see, the Chevy I had was a 454 SS El Camino with bucket seats. A two
seater, and now we were a family of three. I spotted an ad for a ‘69
Firebird in the paper. What I found was a beautiful Sprint 6 ‘Bird with
fresh paint, new upholstery and a rebuilt engine. All this for a mere
$1400 from the original owner! What a steal! The Chevy was sold and the
Pontiac joined the family.
The Firebird was fun to drive and soon there was a
battle between my wife and me as to who was going to drive it. The only
solution was to buy another one. Another ‘69 Firebird to be exact! Our
neighbors thought it was ‘cute’ that we had matching cars. At this
point we became members of P.O.C.I. and started doing club stuff. This is
when I really started noticing GTOs. At club events there would be a few
Firebirds, Grand Prix and 2+2s and there would be lots of GTOs. I
especially took a liking to the ‘68 & ‘69 GTOs. This would have
to be my next car.
My search began in the fall of 1989 after the Bay Area’s
little trembler. I remember my wife saying “I don’t want one of those
long ones!” Meaning a ‘66 or ‘67. Muscle car prices were running
pretty high in 1990, so the search wasn’t that easy. Completed cars
were out of my budget, since we had just purchased a home and had another
child. So, I started looking for a fixer upper.
It was amazing what kind of crap people were trying to
sell at unreasonable prices. Wrong engines, wiring nightmares, rust
buckets and fake GTOs/ They were all out there and everyone wanted top $$
because they saw one on the classic car channel or in Hemmings or
something. After about a year of searching I was getting frustrated and
desperate. Then an ad for a ‘66 GTO “complete car” caught my eye.
What I found was a disassembled GTO, most of which was in boxes, but it
was all there. Kinda like a big model kit. The kid who was selling it was
going to Europe and his parents wanted the car out of their driveway. I
had to have it and the price was right. Now the “long” GTO was mine.
Driving a ‘66 GTO with no interior, bumpers, grill, lights or hood,
while sitting on a milk crate for a seat, over Hiway 17 from Scotts
Valley to San Jose proved to be quite a challenge.
I called my wife at work and told her that I finally
found my GTO. However, I did not describe the car to her. I only said
that it was a “diamond in the rough” and not to expect a lot. I was
almost divorced that day! Not only did I buy a project car that needed
reassembly, but I also bought one of those dreaded “long” GTOs that
she hated. I convinced her to give me a year to put it together, hoping
she would warm up to it over time. I let her pick the color and even let
her drive it once in a while. My plan worked and she did start liking it
after it started coming together. It took about a year to complete the
car and 10 years later it still looks and drives good.
The car was originally built in Fremont and now has a
‘68 400 with #16 heads in place of the 389. It has the two-speed
automatic with a 3:23 rear. Its original Palmetto Green has been replaced
by Porsche Guards red. (Remember, she picked the color!) It lived most of
its life in Santa Cruz and now resides in San Jose. It is no racer or
trophy winner, but it scoots pretty good and looks good enough to get
offers constantly. And that divorce? It did finally happen. We got to
fight over the kids, the house and even the Pontiacs.
My four month old son started this whole Pontiac thing
and is now fifteen and working on a ‘64 LeMans of his own. But that’s
another story.
A few good words about the Golden Gate Goats:
This is an incredible car club! Even though this club
is centered around the GTO, it really has more to do with the people and
the events. My two kids and I have made so many good friends these past
few years. several of the events have been very educational for us. The
USS Hornet, Filoli, Niles Canyon Railroad & the Wine Tours to name a
few. The cars are the common interest and the key to holding the whole
thing together. I encourage the “ghost members” to come to an event
to see what your club is all about. You just may have a good time and
meet some really good people.
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