1968 Pontiac Tempest

Custom Convertible Convertible

V8

Automatic

235678P363448

Clear

Gasoline

If you are looking for a fun project car to putter with and drive at the same time I think this car may be for you. The car featured here is a neat GTO tribute car, meaning it is not a true GTO but it has been upgraded with GTO specific body and trim parts. and is very clean rust wise, mechanically very strong and it looks as good as it shows in the photos. It has an interesting interior, a faux alligator skin upholstery!!! It is different but a lot of fun too! After some minor tweaks here and there this car would be ready to cruise. The car garners a lot of stares and thumbs up, and if you’re stopped someone will come up to talk to you about it and admire it. The car has not been heavily modified beyond stock enhancements to give it that GTO look, so it is a great car to further restore or it even makes it a great candidate to further modify into a real Street Machine Terror. Mechanically this car is pretty solid and runs well. As you read through the write up you will see a lot of items have been rebuilt or replaced. This is a great driver and nearly ready to go. Now I should qualify that usually "driver" quality on eBay usually means piece of crap. Let's be clear this is a nice car, but by no means a trailer queen either, hence a great car to drive, and will show pretty well at most local car show as a work in progress. As I mentioned, the car collects lots of attention whether it's cruising down the street or parked. Would make a great car to drive and restore for someone who has some basic mechanical skills. and likes to putter. I am listing this car for a friend of mine who was planning on doing that very same thing I mentioned, continuing the GTO transformation and straightening out the flaws in the car, however he recently found out he and his wife are expecting their first child so it’s time to trim down the projects since the stork has arrived. It should be noted this is not a fire sale, so he is not desperate, just a common sense sale, knowing his time is going to be real limited with a baby in the house. Finish -- Grade B: Blue paint was applied in August 2005 by the previous owner. Overall it looks great and would shine up well with some wax, the endura nose paint is in rough shape and will need to be repainted. There is some chips on one edge of the trunk lid. It could be easily repaired without a repaint. Body -- Grade B+: This car has had new GTO rear quarter panels installed and the work looks great, very professional! The floors pan are original and solid, the trunk has some rust as shown in the photos. It has a new reproduction GTO style hood with open hood scoops and a the front end is 1969 GTO endura front piece with 1969 GTO front valance. You will need to locate some front blinkers to fit the front housings. In the photo you will see there is one taillight bezel missing, but the car comes with a set of used GTO taillights, but you will need to find the side GTO marker lights for the rear quarter panels. Front fenders are clean, however they have the Tempest side marker light which the GTO I believe had them down low on the valance, so you may have to fill those in to finish the GTO conversion. In parts alone it has a quite a value honestly. Trim Code info: 07B 52 - M2 ST 68-23567 PON 1527 BDY TR 217 R-2 PNT 07B= 2nd week of July 68 = 1968 2 = Pontiac 3567 = 2 door sport convertible, PON = Pontiac MI 1527= seq. # TR 217 = black R-2 = Red with 8 windows VIN Reads 235678P363448 2 = Pontiac 35 = Tempest Custom 67 = 2 door Sport Convertible 8 = 1968 model year P = Pontiac MI 363448 = sequential number Frame -- Grade A: Is straight and free of any rust or scale, no signs of any metal repair Bumpers - Grade C+/C: Rear Bumper is very straight with no rust but the chrome has faded with patina, front bumper is in very good condition but with a poorly prepped paint job on it, most of the paint has peeled off, nice original piece with correct original grilles. Bright work -- Grade B : Most of the trim is all original, front windshield, in grille trim is original and free of dents but will require polishing to restore luster. One of the rear convertible trim pieces is missing on the passenger side. Glass Grade B+ : Front windshield has a small crack on the passenger side about 4 inches long. It’s clear and safe for driving. Side windows are also free of chips, with some light scratches. Some of weather-stripping and window "fuzzies" have been replaced. Interior ???: So the interior has been completely changed over to a white alligator faux skin upholstery. Seats are not original, but fit well. It's a different look for sure, but a lot of fun, a real conversation piece! It would not be difficult to locate an original interior and convert it back to original. The transmission is shifted through a B&M Shifter fitted in an original console. Carpet looks replaced as well, installation is fair but looks nice, not a professional installation. Dash features "idiot lights" with Sun-Pro temperature, volt meter and oil pressure gauges below the dash. (all work as designed) No Radio, and dash has been damaged from an aftermarket radio that was installed and then taken out. It would be cool to add a factory in dash tach and gauges. Under dash wiring needs some clean up. Starter switch is loose in the dash. Convertible top is free of any holes or tears, electric top, but it is not hooked up, all equipment appears present. Wheels Grade B: Factory Pontiac Rally II 14 X 7 Rally steel rims. Trims rings and center caps are in nice shape but the center caps are more late 70's models.Tires Grade OK: Some Generic Radial Tires 205/70R14. Decent tread, holds air, rolls down the road smooth, no idea on the age. Suspension Grade OK: The car tracks down the road nicely with no pull, and was said to have a had front end alignment and was checked out ok. Exhaust Grade OK: Aftermarket headers dump into a custom 2.5” Dual exhaust, into small "Flowmaster" style mufflers and 2.5” tailpipes that exit behind the rear wheels. There is a slight exhaust leak when cold, probably the passenger side header. Rear-end Grade OK : 10 bolt Differential contains an open 3:08 rear-end gear, free of any leaks or noises Ignition Grade A : Stock appearing factory later model HEI style distributor updated with a new cap and rotor, and newer spark plug wires with new AC Delco spark plugs. Air Conditioning/Heater Grade F: Non/A/C car, heater core disconnected (probably not good!), Heater control panel controls all move freely, fan switch and blower motor all work. Transmission Grade OK: GM 350 Turbo-Hydromatic Automatic Transmission is free of leaks and fluid is clear and clean. I have not run the numbers on the transmission so I am unsure of it’s origins other then it is a Chevy style transmission and installation and fit is good and it fits well. It has a firm shift pattern and the factory detent has been correctly installed to the carburetor to work as designed by the factory. Grips well in normal and heavy acceleration. Shifts well with aftermarket B & M Shifter. Brakes Grade OK: Manual Drum Brakes on all four corners, Brakes perform to factory specifications with no pull. I have not mechanically inspected them, but was told they were recently serviced. I have driven the car without issue around the neighborhood. Engine Grade C: Engine is a 1975 Chevrolet Small Block 350 CID TYZ code. It features a stock non-EGR intake with a freshly rebuilt Factory Quadrajet which has an electric choke. Installation is clean and professional. Engine is equipped with headers and aftermarket open air element but appears otherwise stock. Little is know about the engine other then the previous owner said it is a low mileage engine. Engine is clean inside (valve covers removed for inspection) and is free of any noises or knocks, and there is no smoke at start up or under acceleration. Starter grinds a bit when engaged, needs shimmed. Cam specs are unknown but the engine the pulls 25 inches of vacuum and pulls smooth right off idle without hesitation through acceleration. Engine pulls hard under acceleration, no black smoke, and carburetor responds well. Car runs cold with a 5 blade clutch fan, oil pressure holds a steady 40 lbs of oil ressure when warm, and engine stays consistent at 150-180 degrees when driven around the neighborhood. Summary: This car is “10 footer” that looks great driving down the road, and it is presentable enough for most local car shows or cruises as a clean work in progress. It is a very nice car to drive with smooth acceleration, and clean comfortable cabin. The suspension and brakes work as designed and the driving experience of the car is comfortable for local cruising. Operation seems very reliable and without issue and the engine pulls hard off idle up to 5000 rpm. The car as is should make a great reliable, daily driver that would be a blast to drive everyday to work while you putter on it only making it nicer and more valuable. The paint is very presentable, but it will need some minor touch up finish this car off nice, however the car still draws quite a crowd “as is” and easily could be driven without shame. It's a perfect car for someone who has painting skills, but if you had to wait a year to save up for paint there is no shame in driving as is, it looks great! If you are a paint guy you could easily drive and enjoy this car now and then come this winter repaint it yourself and be ready for the next season. The initial restoration is a good base for further work, and all the right stuff was bought to make the transformation. Mechanically it sold and all the the maintenance items (battery, alternator, brakes, fluids, radiator, etc) have been checked out, are new or replaced, and are in good working condition! You should be able to drive this car without issue. So if doing a full restoration or building a bad news street terror is outside your skills level but your looking a for a good musclecar to play with that is affordable this the car for you. When you consider the full restoration numbers matching cars run $30K plus and most of the cars below $8K are, shall we say, "in need of a lot of work". I also think if you did a nice job on this car finishing the tribute transformation and restoring the interior you will increase the value of this car remarkably. That said I have tried my best to represent this car as honestly as possible, however it is sold as is and there is no warranty implied or otherwise stated. Shipping is the responsibility of the Buyer, however may I suggest two great local shippers that will help you get your car from Traverse City to anywhere in the US including to international shipping ports for international buyers. I have used both and advise you call both for a quote and problem free fast shipping.- Advanced Motors LLC @ 231-346-3400 ask for Dimitry - Double Time Transportation @231-929-8981 Questions.....call me at 231-350-3491 (Reggie) or Call Jeremy the owner at 616-262-7522