how do I verify my 1970 "GTO" is in fact a real GTO?
The VIN on the dash and body tag on cowl have correct numbers for a GTO. The engine is a non- numbers mathcing pontiac 350 cubic inch. The speedometer only goes to 120 mph. The face of the dash looks LeMans. The trunk lid is LeMans. Is there a number on the frame or somewhere else to verify that the car is a GTO? I do not have any original paperwork, just a copy of a title from 1975 out of North Carolina. I am in Connecticut. Thank you for any help or advice, Joe
8 Answers
you can send the VIN and a fee to pontiac historical service , phs-online.com. they can tell you exactly what that car was ordered with , options,trim ,drive train numbers, it's awesome I did it for my car a few years ago. well worth the money !
also you can veiw a copy of the GTO catalog on yearone.com and in the 1st few pages is info on how to break down the VIN and data plate with engine & head codes and other info. good luck, nice car !
if it was a GTO it would have had a 400 or 455 engine , i've never seen anybody swap out a 400 or 455 for a 350,especially a pontiac 350. if you look at the front of the engine on the passenger side just below the head you'll see an engine code usually 2 letters YS .WS . that will tell what engine you have also on top of the engine where the distributor is you'll find the date code , that and the engine code will identify you engine
In the years since 1970 anything could have happened. The 350 is not original, no point in researching it. Do look here tho: http://ultimategto.com/cgi-bin/statsexplorer.cgi?year=1970&f1=style+popgto+clrpaint+dtmatrix+vinmatrix+dataplate+price The 455 was rare that year, and its very unlikely you have a Ram-Air. This is easy to fix...400 blocks are easy to find, any 400 from 1967 to 1971 is okay and will bolt right in. If you want a correct date-code engine, the site I listed will help you track one down. You can find decent rebuilt 400 HP engines from S+J in Washington that run on pump gas. By all means contact PHS to get the proper data for your car. You might also want to carefully remove the passenger seat and peel up the carpet. If the car hasn't been taken apart, you will find the original build sheet under the carpet. It might be in bad condition, so be careful if you want to remove it and preserve it. It will help you confirm if you have a real GTO, or a Lemans with a VIN tag from a totaled GTO. It happens. A lot. Good luck!
Canadian made GTOs had 350 engines. Check the VIN for the assembly point.
h90943 is incorrect. The only GTO to ever get the 350 cubic inch engine was the 1974 model. By the way, it was a Pontiac 350(about 354 cid actually), not from Chevy(or Buick or Olds).
I would guess that your 1970 GTO was repaired/restored with some non-GTO parts. A lot can happen over the decades.
Guru9PLJG9 answered 2 years ago
If the VIN starts out with 242 then it is a GTO. Anything else, like 237, 235 or 233 is a tempest or lemans.
