RESULTS FROM BONHAMS’ FAIRFIELD CONCOURS SALE FEBRUARY 2012 Hemmings Motor News WORLD’S LARGEST COLLECTOR-CAR MARKETPLACE THE STORY BEHIND OUR COVE! INVESTMENT APPRAISALS: COLLECTOR-CAR PROFILES: 1955 Studebaker President Speedster 1967-'73 Maserati Ghibli 1956-'58 Lancia Aurelia GT 1937 Graham Supercharged CoupeHMN SPECIAL FEATURE: ‘The floors ware sandelasted; the hotly was soda blasted ard theh reattacker tothe frame to have the necessary body wark performad. The body was then taken back off the frame for fishing. Here, te loarpan isin primer an the left and painted in DuPont Chromaprernier urethane on the right, earected. lors. The seats were stripped completely, the frames blasted and painted and then reassembled with new components. The dash and pillar yads were sent to Just Dashes for an overhaul; meanwhile, the shifter, instruments and instrument panel were also sent outfor restoration. ‘Theconvertibie top fabric was replaced with new, as well. After the old fabric was stripped, the top frame was media blasted and painted. During reassembly, the power top pump and lines were also replaced. ‘Yerrillo said the car's owner has yet to show the ear at any major events, but Grives it occasionally. He notes tha’ the Judge's better-than-new restoration went 40 replacement asthe orginal wes in need of repair, i ‘Minimal metal work was needed on the body. Here, a small patch f tacked into ore ofthe whee houses (left). The right frontfender, wich was an HOS ing color sanded. Te car was painted wih base, andod and sprayed with base again beforn it was relatively smoothly because the e: ‘complete and in good condition to “Look for original body panels, pancl alignment and owner history” Verrillo said. “You want a car that hasn't been ‘wrecked or heavily rusted.” It’s algo important to keep parts avail- ability in mind at the beginning of any restoration odyssey. Rven a mas+pro- duced GM car of the 1960 and early 1970s can be challenging—especially if it has some low-produetion features. “Pontiac parts are less widely available than Chevelle parts, to begin with, and there are fewer reproduction and reman. ufactured parts on the market,” he said. So when you arerestoring a Pontiac, its HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS« FEBRUARY 2012 harder to find used and NOSparts”” But in the end, a thorough job p formed on any ear, especially 4 rare one can pay dividends in longterm enjo: ment. “An ais'conditioned Judge convert ible is difficult to find,” Verillo said. “S it was really important for us to take ‘many steps to ensure longevity anddr ability” # Source: Prestige Mowr Cat Co. is26Rte.9 Chiten Park, Nowe York 12065 518-373-1403 ‘wwnprestigemotorcarcom= ‘Any werk necessary on the inside af the ear and in the trunk was periormed and masked off uefore the outside ofthe car was sprayed. To replicate the factor red oxide primer inside the car, Prestige appted DuPont sealer tinted ight red. ‘nthelit. you ear see some ofthe painstaking detal work perormed an te car. The gas tank wes replaced. as were allofthe fuel and brake Ines. The ‘exhaust system is a new repreduction unt from Gariner Exhaust Systems. The GTO griles were restored to new condition. The Judge used unique giles ‘with a ack surround, while GTOs used an argent peited surraind, ‘The fished car Isimpressiveand boasts some incredible etl work. For mace phouns af the final pmduct, check ‘ut this mnths Buyers Gud, starting on page 24, Le" HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS + FEBRUARY 2012 aBUYER'S GUIDE Here comes one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time BY MIKE McHESSOR ANG MARK. MeCOURT PHOTOGRAHY PROVIDED PRESTISE METOR AA For the story of this car's concanrs- level restoration, please see page 38. ‘our vesneerad at them on thestreet. Yor us wheeling arourd a imports tarted up with tall wings and racy decals. Well, what goes around, comes around. Mare than 40 years age, {in an attempt to recapture some of the sales they Inst to the saturated mnsclo car market, the Pontiae Motor Division gave the GTO a similar treatment, and ‘The Judge was bern, Psychedelic colors, pop art and antl- establishment sentiment were all the rage in 1968. Pontlae’s marceters wonted to reach a youthful and extroverted aud) ence, and they figured the best way to rah them was to tap into the deep cur- rent of popular culture. The GM A-body cars had been redesigned this year, and the GTO had benefited greatly. Its new Took was smooth, integrated and poor. ful, but it needed more punch to stand above the crowd, The RPO 382 option ($332.07) could be added to both herd. ‘tops and convertibles, and it brought a 6(:nch-long trunklid ‘spoiler (and cor- responding stronger trunklid support), Aashy concrasting tricolor stripes and decal lettering, and a choice of 21 bright colors, OF the more than 12,000 @TOs ‘built in 1999, 6,838 were crowd-pleasing Judges. ‘A minor restyle set 1970's Judge apart from its predecessor. ‘The fenders were accentuated with strong horizontal blisters, atop which rested bright new Accals, and the body-color urethane-foamn Endura front bumper was reshaped, moving the quad headlamps outside of the smaller trademark split grille. Tail- lamps were incorporated into the rear bumper, and the spoiler was reshaped 24 HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS « FEBRUARY 2012 into a podostal design. A 455-cu.in. VB was made available in addition to the standard do-cu.in. V8, and it woul carry on to be the only cngine for the 7 Judge, A scant 3,797 copies were sold i 1970, and in 1971, its last year, only 31 were produced. ‘Arined with the knowledge thal the ‘were only 11,004 Judges built amo 122968 GTOs during its throoyar nu theic valuahle status and the potent for cloning means that all Pontiac enth siasts must do their homework w considering one, ‘Those in the kr are aware that The Judge was mais an appearance package, and that mechanical, huge airfoil spoilers, a even the sperial Carousel Red and 0: ‘Orange colors could ke specially ante from the fectory without The Ju option. But for extroverts, limited duction car collectors, speed freaks,A hood-mounted tachometer was a $63 option ‘when new. Today, reproductions sel for between $200-$200, Used original units are availabe to. fans of late Sixties pop culture, the wild- est GTO of all Is tops. Sporty young and youngat-heart drivers will feel right at home behind the wheel of The Judge. ENGINES ‘There was no mistaking who held veto power over the competition: The Judge Could be optioned ‘with four engmes in 187, all bigbore Pontiac: muscle. ‘The sjandard engine, shared with the Grand Prix, Firebird and ‘Trane Am, was Dom tiac'¥B00-cnin. V-8, which, with its 4.12 bore, 8.75 stroke and 10.25:1 compression ralio for mamual-equipped transmissions Gautomaties had a 10.01 er), mage 350hn at5000 REM and 44542ibs, of torque at p The Rem Al engines (his sa Ram Ai I) used functional hood scoops thal could be opened endl close by the dvr va a cade mounted under he dash. 3,000 RPM. The Ram Air IIL upgrade, with its D-port head, brought 10:1 com: pression, produced 386hp at 5,100 RPM and the same torque, butat a higher 8,600 RPM. The ultimate Pontiac V8 was the 460.cu.in. Ram Air 1, which made $70hp at 5.500 RPM and 448-ftbs, at 3,900 RPM. Taking the leap to the High Output eu.in, V8 brought 10.25:1 compression ‘and 360hp at 4,900 RPM, but even more torque, totaling SOMfLbs. at 2,100 RPM. ‘This heavy-duty engine made its fig ures with or without Ram Aig, in man- ual or automatic form, All The Judge ‘Vals used a cast-iron duak-plane intake manifold with a four-harrel Rochester ‘Quadrajet carburetor. These engines all demonstrate Pontiac's - contemporary reputation for rellability, and they can De inexpensively tweaked for even greater ‘torque and power without binging on a finicky temperament, ‘TRANSMISSIONS All The dudge engines could be combined ‘with manual or automatie transmis- sions. The base transmission choice was the Noor-shifted Muncie H/D three-speed manual with a Hurst Too Handle shifter ‘Two Muncie four-speed manuals were optional; The M20 had wideratios, while the M21 was a closeratio, All of these ‘manval transmissions were attached to 1WAinch-liameter clutch dises in 400- The 1970 GTO Judge used blacke-out gle cen- ters and surounds in place of the argent ser surrounds used on standard GTOs. Original giles are prized among restorers, inch engines. The 485/fourspeed combo recelved a stronger U-lnch elutch, bat very few cars were so built, The heavy- duty TH-400 three-speed automatic’ lever sprouted from the console, and was optional for shiftless types. AU of these units are interchangeable with those from other Buick Oldsmobile-Pontlac Acbody cars (Chevys had a different nell housing bolt pattern), and both stock and ‘upgraded performance parts are readily joand inexpenalve DIFFERENTIALS Because The Judge was Pontiac's most visible and highest performing GTO, it was stuffed with heavy-duty parts all HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS +FEBRUARY 2012. 25BUYER'S GUIDE 1970 The Judge RAIL Low Average $35,000. $25,000 $160,000 Comvertible 570,000 $120,000 $250,000 | High | Hardtop. Extra 3623 168 | a 3787 the way from its none to ite roar ond. The standard 10-bolt ratio was 3.55:1, with the ‘manual three-speed, while the close-ratio fourspeed, when attached to the 400-cn, in. V4, could behad with8.90 or 4:8 gear ‘ng. The 495 71/0 was offered withelther 83] or 8.55 gears in its 12bolt rear, which ‘was known as the MeKinnon axle. The optional Safe Track two-pinion posi rear could be had with either 8.08 or 3.28 gears, while Sale-I-Track four-pinion dif- ferential dad 3.55, 3.90 or a very low 4.23 gearp, All thesc hypoid difforentials have eared a bulletproof reputation. BRAKES Pp i The Judge's stardard tiresmok- ye6 Ponte sil equipped them 26 bnerior sof pas are aval tough a varity of parts suppers. Just Dashes reworked the dash pad on bis car aking it ike now. The bench seat and four-speed combiration is intresting. with front ahd rear 9.5 x 2inch drums that offeied a mere 2692 s of swept area. Smart owners upgraded with the optional single-caliper 1094 inch frontdises; the rotors were switched rom a two-piece Ip a one-piece design during the model year. With the dise/ drum setup, total swept area wax a mich improved 8509 square inches. Inter- changeability of brake parts with other GMs makes it easy to replace or upgrade ‘The Judge for whoa to match the go. SUSPENSIONS Although cornering was never The sndge’s strongest trait, it became much ‘more fun in 1970 due to some important suspension modifications. A .s7s-lnch HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS « FEBRUARY 2072 antiroll bar was fitted in the rear for the Airsttime, and the front bar was enlarged (o 1195 inches in diameter, These bars wore coupled with stronger lower rear control arms for 400cu.in. cars, and those with four-speed manuals (and all 455 H/Os) gained extva frame rein- forcement brackets, The 1970 model's heavy-duty suspension is a good starting point—replace the upper and lower con- trolarm bushings, which tend to wear out, and then upgrade the ball joints, steering components, tie rods and shock bsorbers. CHASSIS Aswith theregular GTO, The Judge hard- topscould be Dullt oneither the standard‘The restores, Presiye Motor Car In Cltor Park, Mew York, performed the up- GTO Judge-specific and distinctive stipes and smitems ae avaible trom ‘olstery work on this ear. The soats wore tripped tothe frames and rebuilt, frame, which received new semi-gloss black paint for 455-equipped cars, or the convertible’s stiffer boxed-zail frame, As with any older ears, rust can weaken the structure. Check the differential mous ‘ings by the rear control arms and the body mounting frame braces. It isalwvays easier and less expensive to start with a solid vehicle. BODIES ‘Ren The Judge isn’t impervious to body cancer, despite using a space-age plastic néura nose. The lower fenders, both quarter panels and the area beneata y the aftermarhet today the hardtop's rear window, which sub- soquently affected she trunk floor, are all prone to rusting A check under the driver’s side carpeting might turn up some unpleasant surprises if the car Is from a heavily salted area. All the afore- mentioned metal can be replaced using readily available reproduction panels, Dut the Invesunent of money, time and energy could be better spent on a barc- metal repaint and performance mods! Sospend the extra money and buy a rust. free example to restore, instead. INTERIORS Because ‘the Judge was the topdevel GTO, it wes comprehensively outfitted with expanded vinyi Morrokide buckels HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS FEBRUARY 2012 with “comfort woave” inserts, standard headrests, a contar console ard a dash- board trimmed in woodgrain and engine- ‘turned metal ‘Door panels were fintished with thedis- Unctive original GTO crest. As with all A-body cars, these handsome interiors could be fitted with an amazing array of options and accessories, and most of the materials used are very durable. All the interlor ingredients from carpeting and upholstery, todoor handles and switches, to Blass and headliners are readily avall- ble and inexpensive to purchase, RESTORATION PARTS 27BUYER’S GUIDE oilPur 1970.71 Stripe Kt Fender and Tiunk sudge Decals Tachometer. Intake Manifeld Crossover, asm Ais Pan for Carburetor. Ram AirHood Scaops.. | Front airDan., Inner Giles (1960). ext Deck Spoiler. | Bahaust Mantolds Carpet set, Intetior Do9tPane's Upholatary Ke Trunk Foor esr Quarter Pane National Parts Oepat 352-387-0021 worwintionalpartsdepot.corn ‘Original Parts Group (OPGI) (00)-243-235 eewopgicom GIO Goodies sr are0s74 ‘winugmgoodiescom ‘Ames Performance Engineering 03-363.7 100 ‘wwacariesperfgmmancecom Ram Air Restoration Enterprise, Inc. ‘00-azt-2455 \worw.ramalrestoretloncom to restore due to fts good build quale ity and nearly unparalleled restoration parts avatlability It you want to build a Judge to factory specs or modify itte bbe your own, you can find the parts sou eed (NOS, GEM or reprnduction) from anumber of specialists. Fenders, teunk floors, valances and patch panels are hoelng cependucet, many from the origi tial dies or factory drawings. The Judge. specie stripe kits, badges und alrfoit ‘wings are available, as are almost all the chrame trim, lenses, moldings and other paris they share with GTOs and other A-boly Pontiecs; hidden pats like clips, serews and interior panola ein also be sourced, from Chevelles, Skylarks or 44428, The ease of aequlring stoak elee- tical systems, suspension parts, brakes and engine mechenicals makes The Turlgea prest projee PERFORMANCE PARTS All Judges were equipped with lange zLseallon fuel tanks; these are exeel- lent for feeding a gaschungry modified 400- or 455-lnch engine that offers tro: phy.seinning performance. Bolton some lightweight aluminum cylinder heads from Bdelbrock and a lewrestriction exhaust system, and top them off with a tuned alloy intake manifold and high: flow cartureior A new camshaft, lifters (olid, roller or hydraulic) and billet rocker azms can increas: an engine's usaile powerhand, but be sure to suit ably modify the stock luueication and cooling systems with a highflow ail pomp, deeper oil pan and an alwnirum radiator. An MSD distributor and vector: mance ignition vires keep everything firing in propor order 4 modified Mun cle four-speed or an upgraded antomatic transmission can help get the power to the ground quicker, while aftermarket five- or sixspeed manual gearboxes from Tremee will reduce revs at high. way speeds ‘CHASSIS UPGRADES The Judge handled quite well for a inus- cle ear eirea 1970. And it has the poten- (GTOs were acually ood handing car, thanks ta this sturdy boxed tama witha 1.125-nch tort anti-roll bar and 75-inch rear antt-oll bar. The restorer painted the fame in black urethane with s ‘atoning agent. 28 HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS «FEBRUARY 2012‘Standard rolling stock on The Judge wore 14x6-inch Rally HI witeels without tim rings, whlch were an option, as were raised white-leter tres, tial to handle even better with some sim- tle modern component upgrades, from ‘the thres on up, Mounting a set of perfor- janice tires on lightweight alloys or wid- ened Relly Tis from Specialty Wheels is sun excellent place to start Behind those rims, why not install a setof 12-inch 1LE Pehody rotors with tall Ghody spindies and a doted-out master eylinder? For more aggressive looks and braking, talk to the experts from Baer Brakes, Stain- leas Steel Brakes or Master Power, who happily offer up to 14-inch rotors and multi-piston calipers—and don’t neglect the brake lines and boosters. It would also be a wise move to replace the aged hydraulle shocks with high-tech ¢as- charged shocks, and upgrade to resilient urethane or polygraphite bushings from PST. Companies Ike Global West and ‘Moog offer ball joints, tubular A-arms and other suspension treats. Why not set those new wheels and tines off with a lowered body courtesy of shorter springs? And just like the other A-tod. ies, The Judge will ereatly benefit rom a ‘:1 close ratio steering box from a 1800s Grand National or Monte Carlo coupe | G10 Association of America PO.Box 455 | Timnath, Colorado 80547 wuwatess.on | PublcRelationseegtoza.ora Dues: $35/Vear; Membership: 4,000 | Pontiac Oakland Club international PO Box 68 | Maple Plain, Minnesota5s359 | wuwpociorg 877-305-3454 | Dues: $38?Vear; Membership: 1.000 es ‘The Judge's rear wing is being reproduced today. For 1970, the wing was anew design, and a thicker trunk id torsion barwas requived to allow ‘the fd to remain opt HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS « 23HMN SPECIAL FEATURE A Rare Judge Reconstructed The making of this month's 1970 GTO Judge cover car BY MIKE MeNESSOR PHONOGREPHY PREWIOET FY PRESTGF /OTOR-AR OO. Joe Verio of Prestige Motor Car in Con Part, New York, tracked down performed an extersive six-tonth restoration onthe er. ts interest detailed ownership history, made it atrsouve, this month's featured 170 GTO Judge convertible, it might be: Buy the best (cle you can find when searching for a restorailon candidate. Joe Verrillo of Prestige Motor Car in. Giifton Park, New York, helnsd locate this 1970 GTO Judge Ram Air IM manual shift convertible fora client in 2m, Then, the oncof.174 muscleera icon was com- pletely reworked to its present condition over the course of a highly focused six- nionth, full-time restoration at Verrillo’s I: there Is a lesson to be learned from ‘ocauge he wanted to purchase a triple black 1969 GTO Judge convertible he'd 38 HEMMINGS MOTOR Joeated.T went and looked at the ear, but It had previously had quarter panels, floor pans and wheelhouses installed. I didn't think it had beon restored to a level that reflected the car's §400,00}asking price.” Shortly afterward, the car featured hore was discovercd—a Popper Gresn Ram Air IT convertible with desirable options and a well-documented history of ownership, “We continued searching and found this three-owner can” Verrillo said. “It lcoked good, but was tiredand didn’tran well. T was atiracted to It because it had feotory air, it was an original bench-seat car andit hada lot of options, Plus, it was highly documented, It's a pretty rare car, {EWS + FEBRUARY 2012 1970 Ram Ai i, four-speed GTO Judge comvrtible tora client, ther features (a convertible with 2 bench seat and air condoning), corned with a ‘and Jt had a beautifil solid body as w as the original motor, transmission ai rear axle,” With the car at Prestige’s re: shop, it was disassembled and the ps inventoried. The engine and drivetr pieces were sent out to be rebuilt claiists, while the body and chassis attencied to in house. “We took the body down to-a she adapted our rotisserie to this sar, hired a company to come in, set up a: and soda blast the entire bods,” V sald. “The floors and chassis were blasted.” ‘The body and frame were then prim ‘and reunited inside the shop. With |a refinshing. The dash would aso need attemtin, ‘Though tho car was vory complete ad soli to begin with It did have some Naws. The interfor was worn, and benesth the carpet, the floors were i eed of The Ram Ar IL 400 engine was removed and set toe rebuldr for a compete overhaul was broken ona dyno beta twos reinstalled in the cet hody bolted back on the chassis, the panel fit could be monitored while body work ‘yas porfarmod, “We took it inside and gave it a quick Shot of primer, set the hare frame on Jackstands and puta new hody mount kit on it,” Verrillo sald. “We then holted the ody back down and fit the fenders and radiator support, then started doing all of the body work on the car: Onco we sot everything to where It was in primer, we took it all back apart and then finished the bodywork.” On a restoration this detailed, it isn’t unusual for the underside of the floor. pans and the chassis to receive as much attention as the more visible pieces of We chased all of the dents out of the floors, primed i ugain, masked it all off, and painted the floors, Verrillo said, “The chassis was in phenomenal shape, so there was no body work needed on the frame. Sometimes, we end up skim ing them with filler o cutting and weld. ingto make them look good.” ‘The parts of the car that wore origi nally painted in GM's low-gloss e! black were painted with top-ofthedine DuPont. Cheo a flattening agent added. Chassis pleces that were originally unpaintod were given a gray phosphate treatment ‘An NOS right front fondor was tracked HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS « FEBRUARY 2012 down to replace a rusted original one. NOS taillamps, an NOS front bumper, an NOS front spoilor and NOS exhaust tips ‘were also tracked down for the project. ‘Whatever we could get as NOS we used.” Verrillo said. “But, fortunately, vwe really didn't need a lot of parts for the car” After priming and block sanding, the body was painted with DuPont Chroma premier basecost and clearcoat, then finished with a fresh set of reproduction Judge stripes and emblems ‘The interior of the ear receive plete restoration as well. Prestige h much of the upholstery work in house, using: piocos from Legendary Auto Inte. 39