View Full Version : New DD: 2004 Pontiac GTO
About 2 months ago, I decided that my '98 Cadillac STS was no longer worth dumping anymore money into and that I needed a different daily driver. That same day, I got a text from a friend with a picture of this car for sale down in south Jersey. I called the number on the for sale sign that day and was told someone was coming back to look at it that evening and very very interested. Being 2 hours away, I just let it go. But I did call back the next day, a Wednesday, to see if it sold. The seller said they were having it brought to a mechanic on Saturday but she didn't take any deposit nor would she. I then decided to make the drive down right then to see it that night. It was as I expected and had been told so I agreed to buy it that night. My friend helped me out and had the car dropped off at his house the following day. That Friday after work, I rented a U-haul trailer and went down and picked it up.
Its a 2004 Pontiac GTO, LS1, T56, with 145k miles. 1 owner car from new, Impulse blue metallic, with the optional blue leather interior. I knew it would need some work before I could daily drive it so I was still driving my Caddy as I fixed a few small things. The first thing I addressed was a rubbing driveshaft. it has an aftermarket 1-piece aluminum DS that was rubbing on a rear seat belt bolt. Trimming that bolt was the ONLY modification that the installation of the DS called for and whoever installed it didn't do it. That was a quick fix. I also installed new rear cradle poly bushings and a diff mount insert. I also changed the diff fluid which made a world of difference. I even replaced a rusty looking factory strut brace with a used BMR version. Then about 2-3 weeks after I bought the GTO, the motor in my caddy sold on ebay, so the STS got torn apart and the GTO became my daily driver in the beginning of November.
I've also bought a few interior pieces that were either missing or damaged, a vent, a kick panel, power mirror switch, etc. The car does have some a dent and a crease on the drivers side door and fender. So far, I already got a fender in the same factory blue color, just haven't gotten around to putting it on. The radio system was replaced by the previous owner with a Pioneer touchscreen unit and MB quart component speakers throughout.
The rest of the car is bone stock. The transmission was also replaced recently according to the seller. Seats are in decent shape, just 2 split seams, one on back seat, one on drivers. In time they will all get replaced with new blue Katzkin covers.
Since driving it, I have noticed some clutch issues, so I have a new setup ready to go in. I got the generic LUK ls7 setup along with a new slave, TO bearing and hardware. I also ordered new master to slave solid stainless lines(factory rubber sections swell as the age) and a remote bleeder line.
I figured that if I didn't like the car or something was majorly wrong with it, I could always pull the drivetrain and swap it into my white GTA, lol. For the price, I just couldnt pass it up. The caddy part out will pay for this GTO and then some.
This picture is of the car the second day I had it. Not much to look at just yet but it'll get there.
https://scontent.fewr1-3.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/22490006_10214044252117718_5823523847273167992_n.j pg?oh=88fec4e7047c214a639798626f1fdb41&oe=5AB9AAD3
And a few days later after I added the strut tower brace and pulled the FRCs to repaint them.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4596/24261885157_37bac02aa3_c.jpg
BonzoHansen
12-17-2017, 08:07 PM
Much better than that caddy heap!
Blackbirdws6
12-17-2017, 08:38 PM
Congrats and enjoy. Love that color.
ar0ck
12-18-2017, 12:03 PM
Love that color and generation, congrats!
Featherburner
12-18-2017, 12:23 PM
Congrats and good luck with your new car. A couple things to look out for: brake lines rusting through and strut mounts/bearings(they're always bad). As for the split seams, that was a problem from new! They had problems on dealers lots with them splitting.
LS1ow
12-18-2017, 02:23 PM
Pics of the interior please !
3.4 grape of wrath
12-18-2017, 04:04 PM
Looks good! Enjoy.
sweetbmxrider
12-18-2017, 07:29 PM
Nice grab dude 8-)
madness410
12-18-2017, 08:45 PM
niiiiiiice
http://4.images.southparkstudios.com/blogs/southparkstudios.com/files/2014/01/1010-NICEE.jpg?quality=0.8
maroman88
12-19-2017, 08:27 AM
Blue/Blue is my favvvvvv
Still doing good with the GTO. I have yet to do the clutch change but I have all the parts ready to go. LS7 clutch, stainless hard clutch lines, arp hardware, etc.
I fixed some rattling heat shields.
Any damaged or missing interior parts were bought.
Bought a BMR skid plate to replace the missing oem one.
Gotta find time to fix an off-track window.
Still haven't installed the replacement fender or bought a replacement door.
Also, I took the first step in my Holden Monaro conversion.
More Holden parts have been purchased.
Also, today I just picked up a replacement drivers door and hood, both in the factory Impulse blue metallic color.
Now just need to find time to swap the fender and door. I changed the hood this afternoon already.
Finally got around to swapping out the damaged fender and door this weekend.
Recently finished up the LS7 clutch install, w/remote bleeder and stainless steel hard lines from Classic Tube.
Had to have the T56 input shaft replaced due to a failed pilot bearing.
Replaced the e-brake cables.
BMR skid plate installed since the oem was missing.
Replacement starter now actually allows the car to start, cold or hot.
Installed a Magnaflow catback system.
Did an oil change finally too.
Last week, I bought another trunk lid so I can shave the spoiler. Just need to get a welder.
EDIT: Tonight(8/10/18) I just bought the remaining emblems and side repeaters that I needed for the Monaro Conversion. Only have the front bumper, and door sills to go.
And finally, the new gauge face has arrived. Pearl blue.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/930/42129108970_e80382b6d4_b.jpg
Bodywork on the new trunk lid is basically done. Just needs a final sanding, some epoxy primer and a fresh coat of Impulse Blue Metallic. I'm painting the spare tail panel too so I can put the Holden emblems on that and still keep my stock gto trunk/tail panel untouched.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1853/43699703464_1d373c7381_b.jpg
Blackbirdws6
09-02-2018, 08:12 AM
Coming along nicely
Finally got a deal in the works for a front bumper conversion kit. All new Holden parts, getting shipped over from Australia.
I recently picked up a back-up camera that mounts in the location of one of the license plate lights and has a small built-in LED light for the plate. My issue is that now I would have 2 different lights for the plate so I'd need to swap out the stock bulb for something that matches that LED light. Problem is that the LED is not a separate bulb so its not like I'd ever be able to find an exact match so I was trying to think what my options would be.
One option is to buy a few LED oem size bulbs and see how close of a match I could get. From a quick test, it seems the LED is around the 6000k temp range and not overly bright. So a 6000k replacement would be my first try. I just feel I wont be able to match the brightness, if its more or less. (I could tint one lens or the other to fine tune brightness I guess)
The only problem with just changing the stock bulb is that now with the camera, there's a cutoff line(some light is blocked by the protruding camera) so the light pattern between the two sides would look somewhat different. I don't know how noticeable it'll be until I actually wire up a bulb in the stock lens.(I'm doing this all on a spare tail panel that will be getting painted soon)
Its not a huge deal, but it'd bother me and I want the car to look like it came that way.
A second option I came up with was to try to find a good quality LED strip light, about 6" long and mount that directly above the plate between the 2 oem lens locations. I would actually cut out a slot and have the strip recessed in so the LEDs themselves wouldn't be visible from behind the car. Having the light more centered would lessen the affect the camera would have on the spread of light across the plate.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1883/43699702084_af39508fff_b.jpg
I ordered one LED strip light that could work. Its 8" long and I'd center it above the plate. I wired it up and see how it looks just in the general area first. I figured id I really liked it, then I'd cut out a recess for it so it'll sit up in the panel out of sight.
This is the light.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1894/29521934297_d7cde4902c_b.jpg
The LED strip is a decent quality part it seems and the color is reasonable too.
However, I was looking at it along with the rear panel, and I couldn't decide on a good way to mount it, without requiring a large amount of fab work. Its doable, but I just don't have that time right now.
So I came up with a new plan. I took that camera/light out of the current location. I will be using both stock license plate lights, with my choice of whatever bulbs.
As for the camera, I cut a small square hole in the flat section right between the 2 lights. I then dropped the camera down into from above. That way they camera will be centered, I don't have to match bulbs, or do a bunch of fabrication. I had to figure out some type of retaining setup to hold down the camera in place solid but still allow it to be removed if needed.
I had to cut the hole slightly wider than the camera in order to be able to slide it up and in. Once in, the camera slides to the right over a small lip. Then I mounted a tab where I can put a screw through into to hold the camera in position. I epoxied small pieces of plastic in place to align the camera properly.
I did also cut the one side off the camera/lens assembly in order to have it fit. I then epoxied a piece on for a screw to thread into. I cut the leads for the led light short since I will no longer be using that light with this setup. I'll be using the stock license plate light lenses and may get a pair of simple LED bulbs for them.
It may not be the prettiest job, but the pieces are solid, and I just primered it quick to give it a uniform look even though it wont ever be visible. The rear tail panel and trunk lid will be going to paint in a few weeks along with the new front bumper kit(shipping from Australia Sept 24th).
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1870/42771095510_90675fb873_b.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1848/42771095530_3838a28d45_b.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1852/29642701337_573c210aa9_b.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1877/43693768095_b63a429b6b_b.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1885/29665134927_2de2181da1_b.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1888/29665131757_0dd8af287d_b.jpg
Blackbirdws6
09-11-2018, 08:17 AM
Good choice on the revised mounting location. I was going to recommend ditching the camera and getting one that mounted differently but you solved the issue.
sweetbmxrider
09-11-2018, 06:58 PM
That's funny, as I was reading the first part I thought to myself, "Cut a hole and mount it centered." Nice work dude.
All packed and now waiting for the boat to pick it up from down under. Brand new front end conversion parts purchased from Holden, packed, and shipped by a fellow enthusiast.
Some scuffs but getting painted anyway. Includes all fog/driving lights and bezels, foam absorber, and Holden grille assembly.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1959/29938245397_618e1be001_b.jpg
ar0ck
09-24-2018, 06:36 AM
Its going to be a sharp looking car Paul!
LS1ow
09-24-2018, 11:10 AM
im still waiting for pics of the blue guts
im still waiting for pics of the blue guts
Interior is still just DD quality, nothing special. But new blue leather seat covers will be bought next summer.
Update on the Monaro front end: It has finally reached our shores, but the shipping container has been randomly selected for a customs search/unpack. So that will cause some delay. As soon as I get it, I'll be having the bumper painted as well as having the hood, trunk, and rear bumper, repainted Impulse blue metallic. Then I can put all the rest of the Holden conversion parts on.
wrong generation
11-30-2018, 03:14 PM
Interior is still just DD quality, nothing special. But new blue leather seat covers will be bought next summer.
Update on the Monaro front end: It has finally reached our shores, but the shipping container has been randomly selected for a customs search/unpack. So that will cause some delay. As soon as I get it, I'll be having the bumper painted as well as having the hood, trunk, and rear bumper, repainted Impulse blue metallic. Then I can put all the rest of the Holden conversion parts on.
Sweet. Lmk when the dismantle / install party is.
Recently bought a NOS rack and pinion. Not 100% sure why though, lol. Kind of an impulse buy. In the past i've read how hard it is to find good racks for the car, and no longer available from GM(last dealer price was over 1k) and reman/rebuilds are 250-400 bucks. I paid 100 plus shipping.
Bumper arrived. Gonna send it out for paint towards the end of winter and I'll have the spoiler-delete trunk lid painted then too. The spring will be when I do the Monaro conversion.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4884/32020202447_7e9ccb2502_b.jpg
MDSheds_SS
02-02-2019, 06:42 PM
Nice pickup man!
Parts are back from paint. Trunk lid went on tonight along with genuine Holden vx taillights from Australia. Emblems on the back will go on tomorrow. Front bumper will go on sometime this long holiday weekend. I have to wet sand and polish the headlights and install the hids. The other conversion parts will be installed as soon as I can get to them.
sweetbmxrider
07-04-2019, 06:31 AM
The front bumper will definitely make an impact. Looking good.
Exterior conversion will be complete tomorrow once I add the 1/4 panel badges and aim the headlights properly. Here is a pic on the initial rough test fit.
Blackbirdws6
07-07-2019, 05:32 AM
Coming along nicely!
Only have the gauge cluster face, door sills, and engine cover left to install. Then I think the conversion is done.
Engine cover in the process of getting painted
wretched73
07-25-2019, 12:31 PM
Car is turning out real nice, that blue is growing on me
Still slowly working on the car. Recently replaced the sagging stock rear springs with brand new pedders brand zero-drop springs as well as installed new rear shocks which were blown. Ordered and recieved a set of 4 new tires which I need to make an appointment to get them installed. Replaced a broken trim panel on the interior and swapped out the Pontiac sill plate logos for holden logos. I even got around to fixing the driver's window which broke off the track guide. Common issue. Passenger side got fixed shortly after I bought the car. Tonight I just finished up installing a k&n cai setup. Bought it used on ebay but seller didn't include one support bracket and the heat shield was all rusty. So after stripping, treating and painting the heat shield, replacing the gasket around the shield, and fabricating a new bracket, its all in and fits great.
Next jobs are to replace the hood struts, front radius rod bushings and front sway bar links. Then maybe I can look into some power upgrades. Heads/cam/bolt -ons like my old '01 SS is the idea but I'd like a freshened up short block if I go that far. And finding a good used ls1 block is tough.
Oh, and the engine cover came out nice. However the easiest way to mount it is to buy used brackets from ebay Australia which I haven't got around to yet.
Not much of an update but did get around to doing a few more small maintenance items.
I finally bought new tires for it, made a huge improvement at 58+mph. No more random vibrations. Due to the old rear suspension sagging so bad, the rear camber was horrible and half the rear tires were completely smooth. Made driving in the rain scary.
I also installed the new hood support struts so now it doesn't close on my head anymore.
Last night I started the install of the radius rod bushings, front sway bay end-links, and rear radius rod bushings. What a pain it was to get the one nut off the back of the radius rod. a 30mm nut rusted on and the nut itself is maybe 3/16" thick so socket kept popping off under load. Had to soak it with pblaster a few hours but finally got it off. Then I had to get the old bushing out of the control arm. After a while of hammering prying, cutting etc, it popped out and I had to then clean up the bore to fit the new bushings. So much surface rust. Oh well, I guess that what you get with a car that's lived most of its life by the jersey shore.
During disassembly, I noticed my tie rod end was shot, so I ordered a new pair which should get here next week which is fine.
Also had to order new rear 30mm nuts since they seem to be one time use, and even come with a locktite substance on them new. I then cleaned up all the rusty hardware that I have to reuse, mainly some big washers and a few small nuts. The actual radius rods were in pretty bad shape, paint peeling rusty etc, so I previously bought a used set in much better condition.
I daily drive the car about 50% of the time but the other 50% of the time I use a '05 honda odyssey that was given to us. This winter I was hoping to pull the GTOs LS1 and do a simple build but the closer it gets to the winter, the less likely it seems that I will have the time, so maybe I'll collect all the parts and do the build next winter.
I will say this... between working on my 2001 SS when I had it and this '04 GTO, The Camaro was so much more simple. Less stupid issues, less common faults. With this car, you can roll down a window, make a turn, and your door will swing wide open, that's always fun. Several times I actually thought if I should sell/part out the GTO and build/get something else, but so far I'm holding onto it.
Another quick update... Car will be apart in my garage until at least December. I need to clean/replace a bunch of the basic hardware on the front suspension and it turns out there's a nut that's in poor shape and seems to be a one time use deal. Trying to order a replacement was a pain. out of 3 places that advertise having it, 1 stated "out of stock/discontinued", so i ordered from the second, only to get a refund a week later with the only explanation being some small text under reason saying "discontinued". So I ordered from the final option. Got a phone call the next day saying he has 10 of the nuts, but they are in Australia until at least the end of November. So now I wait. The more stuff like this that happens (non-availability of basic parts) the more I'm going to want to part the car out and stick the drivetrain in my '88 GTA. The car is cool and unique, especially with the monaro conversion, but its just annoying now.
still waiting for two radius rod nuts.... the car is looking more and more like a good donor for my gta....
update. ETA for 2 nuts is early january.... anyone wanna buy a gto roller?
Radius Rod Nuts came in about 2 weeks ago. Haven't had time to put the suspension back together yet, maybe this week/weekend. Car is covered in dust, still on jack stands. Owning a obscure car is fun...... I wonder what the trade in value is....
LS1ow
08-28-2021, 08:35 AM
So this....
Jesus Christ.
IROCZman15
08-28-2021, 08:55 AM
holy smokes! that is a major unlucky incident. Wow
Blackbirdws6
08-28-2021, 10:48 AM
Ahhhhhhh
sweetbmxrider
08-28-2021, 02:43 PM
Noooooo! I was enjoying this build! How bad?
ThoR294
08-28-2021, 11:26 PM
oh no... dont leave us hanging what damage was done?
As of now, car is done.
Rear window, trunk lid, trunk filler panel are all damaged beyond repair.
Rear bumper is gouged and scraped so would probably need a new one.
Passenger 1/4 got dented down enough to pinch trunk lid and driver c pillar has a dent and some waves.
Rear seats got messed up from the glass and water.
Package tray also got all wet and ruined. 3rd brake light piece shattered.
All in all, I figure parts/repairs could range from 3k-6k. A lot depending on what parts I could actually still find and their cost. Rear glass alone could be 500+. Half the car would then need to be painted, so thats the big cost.
I only have liability auto insurance and home owners doesn't cover anything so no help from insurance.
The current decision seems to be a full part out. All the Holden Monaro parts would be sold as a package. Australian VX series taillights survived so that was somewhat of a relief. Then I would keep the LS1/T56 for my white '88 GTA. With the value of GTO parts, I should be able to make close to what I could sell the car as a whole pre-damage. This damage along with other issues or possible issues they car may have had is why a full part out and not a repair is the most reasonable choice.
Oh, and in the last picture you can see the passenger front seat is out of the car...
So when the tree broke the rear glass, there was a squirrel nest that ended up landing on the rear speaker. When I was clearing it off, a little squirrel appeared and ran down into the car. It was hiding under the seats and I couldn't get it out so I had to unbolt the seat completely and pull it out to finally get the rodent out. The next day, when I pulled the tarp off the car to clean it more, the squirrel was back in the car but ran out right away. I taped off the back window to keep anything else out and now the car is at my father-in-laws in his garage. So yea, interior being wet and having a nest basically in it doesn't smell too fresh. The squirrel was the final straw.
wretched73
08-29-2021, 09:49 AM
Are you sure insurance won't cover? IIRC with my insurance there is a section that actually states damage from trees on my own property
I did call my insurance and asked. They said the tree removal was covered but not the car. Even if there was damage to the house, the deductible is 6grand since its wind related and the deductible is a percentage of the structure value. I will look again at the policy though and see if there is anything specific.
In the next few weeks, several trees will be getting removed from our property.
wretched73
08-29-2021, 10:13 AM
Just fyi, the statement I'm referring to was in my car insurance. Good luck. That's a bum deal
Comprehensive Coverage on my auto policy would cover the tree damage, but not liability alone. That was also discussed when I called since all my insurance is through the one company.
It does suck but if I sell enough of the parts, I should make back close to if not more than what I have invested into the car. Plus then the motor/trans would be a "freebie" almost.
Ill wait until at least spring to buy something else since I hope prices will ease a bit by then. And I really don't know what I'd want. Probably a 4dr/v8/manual... so limited options. In the meantime I still have other cars to drive and there is an older escalade around the block sitting in a driveway I may ask about buying.
I'll be starting to list parts for sale tonight but probably nothing on this site since its not an f-body.
Earlier I mentioned other issues the car has/may have. The major one is that the previous owner had a front end collision and the front "frame" section was replaced. The section from just in front of the passenger tire around to the driver side behind the headlight is from a different car. The welded seam was rusting and thats how I noticed it. The repair is decent but causes concern now that after I just redid the front suspension, the drivers wheel sits slightly forward in the wheel well. It is probably a cradle alignment issue but unless the front frame witness mark is located perfectly, an accurate alignment is impossible. That was what I was dealing with prior to this happening. I was in touch with an shop in CT that knows GTOs very well that was going to check it out possibly. There is also a section of the frame "rail" on the drivers side under the firewall that has a bubbling/flaking rusty section about 6"x8" that would need to be cut out and repaired. Car also leaks water through the door seals in heavy rain so the original carpet it pretty beat. I did buy a replacement though.
On top of all that, the radiator is leaking and needs to be replaced, passenger door lock doesn't work, parking brake doesn't work, and seats could use new leather covers.
Due to ALL of that on top of the tree damage now, I don't think any reasonable person would fix it. The motor/trans is ideal for my GTA, and a swap that I had wanted to do since I got the GTA 8 years ago. The GTO/Monaro was a fun car while it lasted but its time to move on.
sweetbmxrider
08-30-2021, 05:57 AM
:sad:
BonzoHansen
09-01-2021, 08:56 PM
That sucks, sorry Paul.
A little reminder for the test of us about insurance coverage.
maroman88
09-10-2021, 10:33 AM
jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez that blows :(
All Holden parts are off the car and loaded up to be delivered as a package deal to a new owner in south jersey today.
Upon closer inspection of the GTO front "frame" clip, its all sorts of screwed up. I'm really glad I didn't try to fix any more things. Front rails kick up at least 1/4-1/2" higher on passenger side. Probably also why one front wheel is like an inch too far forward and therefore alignment may never have been accurate. Lot of surface rust where the newer rails were welded on and the seam sealer is all falling off showing rust/rot. It was a fun daily driver and beater, but not worthy of project car status. When I first bought it 4 years ago, plans were to use it as a donor for ls1/t56 actually. The monaro conversion only happened because at the time, it was too decent to cut up.
Motor will be rebuilt, with upgrades, and dropped into something else. Transmission is already a fairly recent rebuild with LS7 clutch so no additional work needed there when swap time comes.
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