Dave Scragg, GTO 1970

Specifications

• 461 Stroker

History & Story

In January 2006 I traded my Blazer, Brew III, to my nephew, Kevin Altmiks for a little cash and his 1970 GTO. When the transaction was complete I knew what my license plate would say…Brew IV. My 1970 GTO had gone through a previous restoration years before. The GTO was showing its’ age and my first thoughts were to the Kiss principle (Keep It Simple Stupid) and just redo the paint. The cost for that would have been $8,500.00. As time went on the “Kiss” principal was forgotten. From input of friends and my personal wants the project grew from a simple paint job to a total frame off restoration. My first job was to strip out interior, then engine and transmission removal. From there the body was removed from the frame and set on stands in my garage. Next Simon Johnston (friend) and myself replaced the trunk sheet metal and the rear inner wheel housings.The body was then ready for paint removal, so it was sent to RMC for a bath in the dip tank. The dip tank cleans all paint, caulking, and filler from the body and shows all the sins. From RMC the body was taken to the body shop, ECS coatings, where vigorous cleaning was done to remove residual paint stripper. Now we sanded the body from top to bottom, 21 tubes of seam sealer were used and the complete body was epoxy primer coated. The bottom side of the body was then painted with chip guard and black acrylic enamel paint. Then the interior and the back side of all the panels were painted Code 65 Carousel Red Acrylic Enamel paint. While the body was in the paint shop, I had stripped the frame down and taken it, the rad support, inner fenders, rear diff, brake backing plates, A frames, wheels, drive shaft to BoonTec for sand blasting and powder coating. They did an excellent job. All the frame components were reinstalled including all SS lines. Once the frame was completed it was transported to ECS Coatings where the body was waiting to be dropped on the frame. With all new body mounts they became one. The body parts were fitted and installed. With my baby back at home I proceeded to assemble the interior complete with dyno mat sound proofing, new wiring harnesses, and head liner. Next the GTO went to the body shop where it sat for eight months before they could get to the finishing. All body work on the GTO was completed and long blocked three times. Then the day I was looking for, all the body parts were removed and painted with Code 65 Carousel Red (1970 Firebird Color) and sprayed with three coats of clear, wet sanded with 1,000 and three more coats of clear.
The GTO was completed one week after the 2008 Powerama, which I was hoping to enter but it was not possible. After one season of removing all the little issues the GTO was complete, I thought. Since then every winter something else gets improved. My GTO has shown very well, winning many awards, including a 3rd at 2009 Powerama, where my UPS delivery man who had visited me many times during the restoration with parts had one last part to deliver at the Powerama, 2nd at 2010 World of Wheels, 2nd at 2010 Powerama and a Silver Concourse Modified, at the GTO Association of America Convention in Portland, Oregon in 2011. I must thank my wife for being so understanding and all my friends and relatives form helping me in many ways. We have had great fun and met many new friends because we have the GTO. -Dave Scragg -AIIPC EC President 2012

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