[roger1]

I found another post here with an A/C wiring diagram for a '68. The high fan current does go through the fan speed switch on the dash control. No so for a '69.
https://www.gtoforum.com/threads/gto...22042&slide=11

[dataway]

That would explain the often melted plug attached to the blower motor switch on the 68 dash.

69 system makes more sense, at least the high current wiring is probably shorter, and if the relay is on the engine side it removes a fire/smoke hazard from the interior.

[dataway]

I forgot to put in those two center rubber bumpers on my rear bumper ... think they are just for collision or jacking considerations? Pretty sure I can't jam them in there with the bumper installed ... and it was a real pain to get line up right.

[n20ta2]

How were the plastic rear bezels? Mine were nice when I bought them, I'm going to order a set for this car if there still decent.

[roger1]

Originally Posted by n20ta2

How were the plastic rear bezels? Mine were nice when I bought them, I'm going to order a set for this car if there still decent.

They seem perfect in every way. I'd rate them 5 star so far.

[68gtoMN]

Originally Posted by roger1

Several things done since my last post.


My original squirrel cage fan was rusted badly so I bought a used original from Paul (GTO.PAUL). It was perfect and just needed to be blasted and painted. I mated it to a new blower motor from Napa. Roger that is actually from GTO.PAUL, who has been my good friend and fellow club member for 40 years. If you want to know anything about a 1969 GTO/Judge, Paul is your go-to guy. I could write an encyclopedia about what I've learned from him. Plus, he has more parts quality parts than any collection I've ever seen.

Roger, see my update above in RED text - giving attribution where it belongs. Like always, it's a guilty pleasure to see your work. Thank you so much for sharing it all with us!
Kurt (68GTOMN)

[roger1]

Oops.
Got your screen names mixed up. Thanks for setting the record straight Kurt!

[roger1]

Disassembled, blasted and painted the intermediate steering shaft and then installed a new boot seal. I just need to pack with grease and install the new retaining clip to finish it.



I had to use my press to remove and reinstall the round pin in order to get the boot on. And what a pain it is to install the clip that holds the boot on the shaft.



I've pretty much got my dash ready for installing in the car. All new bezels, new A/C deflectors, original HVAC control with a new fan switch, new lens and lever knobs, the Dakota Digital VHX gauge set and the RetroSound Daytona Motor 4 stereo receiver unit.









RetroSound doesn't make Pontiac knobs for this receiver. And they design it so the stock bezels can't be used. I knew this before I bought it but figured I would somehow be able to make Pontiac knobs and bezels work with it. I had to make several modifications and fabricate new mounting brackets but was able to do it. I also had to use other style rear knobs that RetroSound makes that would fit and allow the controls to work correctly. It took me a lot of time to figure it all out but I am happy with how it turned out and looks.





I've got quite a bit of the dash wiring done and started the engine wiring too. I did several modifications to the American Auto Wire dash and engine wiring harnesses to tailor it to the Dakota Digital gauges and the Edelbrock fuel injection system. I also mounted the control boxes for both.









Got the inside HVAC box installed with a new Spectra heater core inside.



My wife helped me install the windshield today.
We first set in in place so I could adjust the rests at the bottom and get some marks to help lining it up. Then removed it to install the ribbon seal tape.



Installed:



Removed the alignment marks and cleaned:

[Brewster]

Great detail and love the progress even though Im more of a purist.

[Scarebird]

That looks superb.

[tininjun68]

The dash looks excellent! I wasn’t one for modernizing the gauges but they don’t look out of place. The whole entire restored dash looks like no detail was overlooked. (Like the rest of the ENTIRE FN CAR). 😁 Keep up the great work!!

[Andretti]

Nice modification to the radio, perfect fit now. So looking at the rear quarter I'm guessing you're going with a hidden antenna?

[roger1]

Originally Posted by tininjun68

The dash looks excellent! I wasn’t one for modernizing the gauges but they don’t look out of place. The whole entire restored dash looks like no detail was overlooked. (Like the rest of the ENTIRE FN CAR). �� Keep up the great work!!

Thanks!!
Yeah, the Dakota gauges do look good in there. They have a few different choices for colors and I chose the black so they don't stand out as being modern aftermarket at first glance. Even though I'm doing a restomod on this car, my intention is for it to be a mild one and retain a factory look as much as I can while modernizing where I just feel I need to in order to make myself enjoy the car more when it's done.

So I did a test fit on my dash and found an issue.



The dash speaker kit I bought isn't going to work. The speaker on the driver side wont clear the center A/C duct. Bummer, the place I bought the kit from (classiccarstereos.com) said the it fits a GTO with A/C but it does not. I was impressed with the company however. I called them yesterday and they told me they would give me a complete refund and pay for the return shipping. Without the original box and after 2 months too.

So I already decided to go another route and ordered this speaker from RetroSound:
https://www.retromanufacturing.com/products/4x10-inch-ultra-thin-dash-replacement-speaker

[roger1]

Originally Posted by Andretti

Nice modification to the radio, perfect fit now. So looking at the rear quarter I'm guessing you're going with a hidden antenna?

Thanks. Glad to see the appreciation for the radio. It took me a lot of time but I was determined. I don't like the electronics in the American Automobile Radio stereos and don't like the way the controls work on the modern conversions they do on original radios. I don't like the option of a non-working original in the dash for looks and then use a hidden stereo either. So that left me with adapting a RetroSound so it could use original knobs as my only option.

My original thought was to go with a stock type rear antenna but found out they are not reproduced. I don't care for the generic ones they make and don't think trying to find a reconditioned original for like $700 makes much sense when it's not that important to me. So maybe I will go with a hidden. But really I could just listen to mp3s and probably would be happy. I do have a large collection.

Btw, I am planning on mounting a pair 6X9 speakers in the stock locations in the top well.

[dataway]

Roger, have you ever used wire ferrels and a crimper for them? They install a compressed ferrel on stranded wire for easy insertion and good contact in control boxes that use the smalls screw lugs. I think they are code these days in Europe on stranded wire applications. I find they make modifications, removal etc. much easier.

[roger1]

I had to do a little searching to find what you were talking about and found these on Amazon. Are these like you are describing?
I'm not sure if they would add any reliability to how I hooked up my Dakota controller box but they do look clean.

[ZeGermanHam]

Roger, I recently ordered that 4x10" RetroSound speaker for the dash of my '66. If you're curious, the real-life bottom mount depth of it is about 2-1/32". That's a little less than the published numbers, which is a good thing.

I know it's apples to oranges, but the factory original 4x10" speaker that I removed from my '66 with A/C measured at about 2", so the RetroSound speaker should work for me. Hope it does for you as well. Like you, I am pairing it with two 6x9" speakers - Alpine R-S69.2 R-Series in my case. I have bench tested all of my speakers, and the RetroSound 4x10" will be great for providing front fill when used in conjunction with other speakers. It gets plenty loud, is nice and clear, and I think you will like it. It doesn't have much in the way of bass, but that's what the 6x9s are for. You will get better sound quality out of this speaker than you would have with the previous one that didn't fit, too, so I'd consider it a happy accident.

[vertigto]

I went with JL Audio's dual 3.5" 4x10 replacement speaker recommended by Classic Car Stereos with the bracket for AC cars they say is necessary.

https://www.classiccarstereos.com/jl...-90-watts.html

Will be interested to hear how it sounds with my Hermosa and 6x9 C2 JL Audio rear speakers.

[dataway]

Originally Posted by roger1

I had to do a little searching to find what you were talking about and found these on Amazon. Are these like you are describing?
I'm not sure if they would add any reliability to how I hooked up my Dakota controller box but they do look clean.

Yep ... exactly. Not sure how much they do for reliability compared to the proper wire gauge in the proper lug .. but they can sure make removing and reinserting easier. They became code in Europe to prevent shorts from stray wire strands. They are kind of standard procedure these days for industrial control systems.

[roger1]

Originally Posted by ZeGermanHam

Roger, I recently ordered that 4x10" RetroSound speaker for the dash of my '66. If you're curious, the real-life bottom mount depth of it is about 2-1/32". That's a little less than the published numbers, which is a good thing.

I know it's apples to oranges, but the factory original 4x10" speaker that I removed from my '66 with A/C measured at about 2", so the RetroSound speaker should work for me. Hope it does for you as well. Like you, I am pairing it with two 6x9" speakers - Alpine R-S69.2 R-Series in my case. I have bench tested all of my speakers, and the RetroSound 4x10" will be great for providing front fill when used in conjunction with other speakers. It gets plenty loud, is nice and clear, and I think you will like it. It doesn't have much in the way of bass, but that's what the 6x9s are for. You will get better sound quality out of this speaker than you would have with the previous one that didn't fit, too, so I'd consider it a happy accident.

Thanks. Good to know it sounds good. I'm pretty certain it will fit but I think I may have to fabricate a bracket to hold it in place but that's not a big deal for me.
Those Alpine speakers are capable of high power. Are you going to use an amp with them? If so, are you going with a 2 channel amp or 4 channel to connect the 4X10 too?

Originally Posted by vertigto

I went with JL Audio's dual 3.5" 4x10 replacement speaker recommended by Classic Car Stereos with the bracket for AC cars they say is necessary.

https://www.classiccarstereos.com/jl...-90-watts.html

Will be interested to hear how it sounds with my Hermosa and 6x9 C2 JL Audio rear speakers.

Have you test fit the front speakers yet? If your '70 is the same at the dash as my '69, I think you may have a duct clearance issue like I did. My understanding from talking to Miguel at Classic Car Stereos is that they buy the mount from Custom Auto Sound and they have Custom Auto Sound speakers installed. Then Classic removes those and installs better speakers like the JL Audio you chose and the Kicker that I chose. However, the speaker change can affect the fit in the application Custom Auto Sound designed them for.
Anyhow I hope yours fit OK and you don't have to send them back.
Same question to you too. Are you going with an amp? If so I would think in your case you would go with a 4 channel to power all 4 speakers.