[Greg Reid]

I don't know much about these but I someone here might like it. Looks fairly unmolested and that side stripe screams 1973 to me.
Price seems very reasonable but again, I don't know these cars..
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...ibextid=dXMIcH

[rolling money pits]

One thing I think of with 72s is being able to tell if it’s an honest GTO.

[Greg Reid]

That's a good point. A smart seller might provide the PHS docs.
A closer look at the pics show some possible 'salt air's type rust. Looks like it has possibilities though.

['ol Pinion head]

The seller is dreaming, but "he knows what he's got" LOL.

As far as ordering PHS, the VIN will show its a 400 4bbl '72. Most were automatics. A 400 4bbl auto '72 T41 optioned LeMans isn't going to worth anything less than if had the GTO option. The non GTO rubber nose car can be ordered with the same suspension, everything but the swirl on the dash. For decades, 400 Auto rubber nose cars of this era have been low hanging fruit, ones in rough shape don't get TONS of $$$$ sunk in restoring them, most get parted for much more performance oriented versions.

[north]

If I'm not mistaken the presence of 400 emblems on the rocker make it not a GTO as they used no rocker molding emblems?

[poncho-mike]

I've had a couple of T41 Lemanses over the years, still have a couple of convertibles. This one has the rocker mounted engine displacement emblems, which the GTO definitely didn't have. I noticed it has the turned dash insert, which none of my Lemanses had.

['ol Pinion head]

Originally Posted by north

If I'm not mistaken the presence of 400 emblems on the rocker make it not a GTO as they used no rocker molding emblems?

'72 was an odd production year, what ended up being an unplanned for model year. An end of the line for many parts for the 4th Gen Pontiac A-body. On as originally built cars, have ran across original alum rocker trim with 400 emblems several times on '72 GTO's. Cars that had been in long time ownership, back into the 70's.

The style of tailamps originally installed was another one that doesn't always go by the book on '72 GTO's. The common '70-72 smoothie style, as well as the fragile Ribbed '71 GTO/ '72 Lux LeMans style were both installed originally in '72 GTO's. The rhyme or reason to that is basically up to conjecture. Was it excess supply of the ribbed style, who knows?

Over the last few years another anomaly I've run into on '72 model Pontiac A-body's involves one of the late '72 model seatbelts. This was a planned parts deal.

A little history, there were no optional custom (brushed buckle belts) for late '72 A, F, G, X bodies. In preparation for the 3 point seatbelt/ Fasten Seatbelt Federal regulations, Irvin Industries produced a distinctive buckle type seatbelt that ALL late '72 Firebirds & Nova/Venturas received. The button on the buckles of this style belt have a large rectangular dark grayish blue background with a floating blue & silver GM logo. Late '72 A-body's used thir own style of belts belts receiving the first of the small exploding buckle design seatbelts.

The extreme oddball deal came about as '72 F-body's quit being built due to the UAW Strike that ended '72 Norwood production on April 6th. Someone @ GM was in close communication with Irvin Industries & with a large excess supply of the already manufactured late '72 model F/Xbody buckles & male ends, Irvin came out with multiple colors of A-body seatbelts that utilized these distinctive style buckles.To use them up, these A-body belts were only used on Fremont plant builds, basically in May & June. Not by coincidence, the rear lap belts for those late '72 Fremont built A-bodies used the exact same model number retractor as had been used in late '72 model X-bodys.

After putting a lot of work restoring my late '72 T/A belts, I'm very happy I don't have to try & put together a flawless set for a late '72 Fremont built 455 HO GTO or LeMans, that would be another great challenge.

[GTOnly70]

I think the seller is dreaming if he really thinks this car only has 27k miles. As far as price, yes it is overpriced, but I don't think it is that egregiously out of line, especially for a rust belt state. Looks like a pretty decent starting point (at least from what can be seen in the pics), unlike some of the overpriced projects/junk posted on this site.

[poncho-mike]

OPH,

In 1983, I bought a one owner 1972 GTO, orange with tan interior, 400-4V, auto with column shift and bench seat, with 3.23 gears. It was a very late car. The original owner parked it about 1978 with about 80K miles because it developed an exhaust manifold leak. The mechanic who worked on it rounded the head on an exhaust manifold bolt and told him he needed to pull the head, and BTW it needs a new exhaust system. I bought it cheap, ground the head off the bolt, and removed the manifold. The exhaust was fine. I drove it for about five years, until the a/c failed.

About two years later, I bought a 1972 Lemans sport convertible with T41 front end. It was an automatic with a/c 350-2V car. It was a late 1971 calendar year build.

Then about 1986, I bought another orange 1972 GTO, column shift automatic with bench seat and a/c. It was a fairly low mileage car that the owners had driven. It was bone stock,, including being a hub cap car. Unfortunately it was a vinyl top car and it had rust issues around the back glass.

I noticed several differences between the cars. I attributed some of them to the convertible being based on the Lemans Sport, while the two GTOs were based on the base Lemans.. The very late 1972 GTO had a Y3 block, but the cast date matched as did the VIN stamped into the block. Everything else on the motor matched. It also had different seat belts from the other two cars. The very early 1972 GTO didn't have the chrome cross-hairs on the front turn signal lenses. The two GTOs had original paint, the Lemans convertible was probably repainted at some point. I noticed a lot of minor differences between the two, but they didn't bother me.