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Car
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For September 2000 |
Bret Sanford's 1966 GTO |
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BRET SANFORD’S 1966 GTO After reading many ‘car of the month’ stories, it seems that a lot of Club members either owned or drove some type of Musclecar during the ‘60s. Born in 1961, I was a bit young to get behind the wheel at this time. But I still have fond memories of the Fremont Drag Strip and watching the stock and modified cars race. Though I didn’t get a driver’s license until 1976, I knew long before exactly what kind of car I wanted - a 1970 Chevelle 396. After searching for a few months, I finally located an original 396 with four speed and cowl induction. If you were in high school at this time the ‘70 SS Chevelle and the ‘69 Z-28 were “THE” cars to own. I drove my Chevelle for two years and then parked the car and have never driven it again. Fortunately, unlike many people I have talked to, I never sold my first car. Plans for a frame-off restoration are scheduled in the near future. The GTO featured this month is a ‘66 Hardtop Coupe I purchased in 1982. I spent seven years completing a frame-off restoration. With the exception of the engine machining, I performed all the work myself. The car is painted the original white color. Other options include rally gauges, four speed, console, tri-power, tinted glass, map reading lights, rally wheels, Safe-T-Track, rear defogger, power steering & brakes along with a working reverb radio. I’ve used the car mostly for show the past few years, but I still like to drive it as much as I can. My most memorable award was a first place at the 1995 Oakland Roadster Show. I have owned and restored a lot of muscle cars over the past twenty years. My first GTO, purchased in 1980, was a ‘70 hardtop. At this time muscle cars were just starting to become collectible. Almost all the parts needed for a restoration could be purchased from my local Pontiac Dealers. I’ve since sold my ‘70 GTO, but I still have two SS 396 Chevelles (a ‘69 and ‘70), a silver/black ‘66 GTO hardtop, as well as the ‘66 featured here. Although I have only made it to a few of the club events, I hope to have more time in the future to enjoy more.
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