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#1
03-21-2006, 12:59 PM
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rare options on your GTOs
Hey guys. I finally got some GTO resto books to read over. They did have a lot of options that I never heard of before. How many of you guys have some of these strange options? For instance.. the instant aire pump that hooked into the engine, drivers seat cushion that let air breath between the seat and driver, the space saving spare tire (it sounded more like an inner tube), etc. I was just curious since I never heard of some of this stuff before. Some of it sounds pretty advanced for the 60s-early 70s.
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#2
03-21-2006, 02:47 PM
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Some other cool options that are oddball
Seat Belt Retainers (thanks to Mark Simiele for that one!) Reclining Passenger Seat Vigilite Setup Vacuum Door Locks Electric Seat Back Release VOE (vacuum operated exhaust) there's a strange one! Rear Defrost Cruise Control (auto trans only) Cornering Lights Mark is the king of the options for 1969's, we'll see if he chimes in on this one as his car is loaded
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We All Shine On |
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#3
03-21-2006, 02:52 PM
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Hi,
I have a retro-technology option on my '68 GTO. Instead of the "new" Endura front bumper, mine came with the factory installed W70 Front Chrome Bumper with a price reduction of $26.33. Mike
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1968 Pontiac GTO 462CID, 4-Speed Manual, 3.55 rear. Aleutian Blue exterior, 219 Teal Blue interior. Chrome bumper, AM & 8-Track and Rally II Wheels |
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#4
03-21-2006, 03:13 PM
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My father had a '68 Camaro new that came from the factory with a can of tire traction enhancer mounted up in the rear fender. In the snow, there was a switch mounted in the car which sprayed the liquid on the rear tires to help with traction on the ice/snow. Somewhere, I have an original can of the stuff. That was a pretty wierd option.
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Matt 1962 Grand Prix - Cameo Ivory|389 4sp|One-Owner Survivor 1964 GTO HT - Silvermist Grey|389 3x2s 4spd|A/C|Hurst Wheels|Frame-off|SOLD 1965 GTO Post - Mayfair Maize|421 3x2s TKO600|Pro-Touring| 1966 GTO HT - Barrier Blue|389 3x2s 4spd|Red Fenderliners 2005 GTO Coupe - Yellow Jacket|Magnacharged LS2 6sp|543hp/561tq|SOLD 2006 GTO Coupe - Spice Red|LS2 6sp|20k orig miles |
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#5
03-21-2006, 03:20 PM
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mwritter, you must have read my mind as I was just looking for the pic of this..here it is.
Not really rare GTO option but rare, nevertheless...Called Liquid Tire Chain in 1969 |
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#6
03-21-2006, 03:23 PM
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My '69 Judge has the blower-type rear defroster. Not terribly exotic, but I haven't seen very many others.
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#7
03-21-2006, 03:45 PM
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That's it, liquid tire chain. Now I have to go find that original can and put it on eBay!
I just did a quick search on it, and found a post saying it was 1969 only, only on the Camaro, and only 188 factory installed options. That's odd considering the picture above appears to be a Nova. It was slated to be on the '70 Chevelle, but was pulled due to low interest in '69. Must have been available over-the-counter as an accessory also, which would explain it being on a '68.
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Matt 1962 Grand Prix - Cameo Ivory|389 4sp|One-Owner Survivor 1964 GTO HT - Silvermist Grey|389 3x2s 4spd|A/C|Hurst Wheels|Frame-off|SOLD 1965 GTO Post - Mayfair Maize|421 3x2s TKO600|Pro-Touring| 1966 GTO HT - Barrier Blue|389 3x2s 4spd|Red Fenderliners 2005 GTO Coupe - Yellow Jacket|Magnacharged LS2 6sp|543hp/561tq|SOLD 2006 GTO Coupe - Spice Red|LS2 6sp|20k orig miles Last edited by mwritter; 03-21-2006 at 04:10 PM. |
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#8
03-21-2006, 04:44 PM
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The picture looks like a Camaro to me. A Nova would have window frame on the door, around the glass, like a post coupe.
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#9
03-21-2006, 05:00 PM
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You're right - '69 Camaro for sure. When I was tying my reply, I couldn't check the picture to be sure. At first glance, the vinyl top made it look like a post coupe.
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Matt 1962 Grand Prix - Cameo Ivory|389 4sp|One-Owner Survivor 1964 GTO HT - Silvermist Grey|389 3x2s 4spd|A/C|Hurst Wheels|Frame-off|SOLD 1965 GTO Post - Mayfair Maize|421 3x2s TKO600|Pro-Touring| 1966 GTO HT - Barrier Blue|389 3x2s 4spd|Red Fenderliners 2005 GTO Coupe - Yellow Jacket|Magnacharged LS2 6sp|543hp/561tq|SOLD 2006 GTO Coupe - Spice Red|LS2 6sp|20k orig miles |
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#10
03-21-2006, 06:25 PM
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that is some weird stuff. I dunno if I would want to have the spray stuff or not.. did it even work? Electric seat back release... so instead of flipping the seat up yourself you hit a switch to unlock it?? It would seem that both would take the same amount of effort to me?? Wasnt the VOE option discontinued bec of the commerical during one of the super bowls that a big wig at PMD saw.. and didn't want it anymore bec of the new noise laws.. correct me if im wrong
 I thought thats what the VOE was..something to make the exhaust louder or something like that. What the heck is the vigilite setup? I saw one GTO with the cornering lights and I think they are cool. Seat belt retainers sound interesting too. I thought they had weird options for my 56 chevy too... but I guess they had a lot more stuff 10 years later
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#11
03-21-2006, 06:29 PM
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The build sheet on my 68 shows G66 Sports Lift rear shocks. These were factory installed air shocks. The shocks are long gone, but the air fitting/bracket and hoses are all there. I've been told they're pretty rare.
I've seen those air pumps on e-bay before. As I recall, they could be had for less than $100, but it's been two or three years since I last saw them. Mom had a 68 Catalina wagon when I was a baby. Dad added child-proof rear locks. It was a big oval knob with a tiny locking tab that had to be picked out with a key or other sharp object to unlock the door. I think there are still parts for those in mom's garage. How about convertible shoulder belts? I've seen them here and in books, but never is person. Has anyone here ever seen factory convertible shoulder belts? |
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#12
03-21-2006, 06:38 PM
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There was a complete "over the counter" liquid tire chain kit on ebay about 6 months ago. Very strange accessory item. Wonder if it would have been of any benefit at the dragstrip for extra traction ?
Power-Flo ventilation fans in the kick panels (69-70 non-ac cars) has always been my favorite funky option. |
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#13
03-21-2006, 07:42 PM
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There was also the tissue holder,
the litter container, the highway emergency kit, the gas cap lock, the compass, and also the kar pak (a container that goes on the roof of the car) But I have never heard of the Vigilite Setup. What is it?
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I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. That or His Dudeness... Duder... or El Duderino, if, you know, you're not into the whole brevity thing... |
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#14
03-21-2006, 07:59 PM
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Ahh, my favorite subject, options! Yeah, people think I am crazy but I have always liked options better than high performance stuff. Have had "option fever" since I was a teenager and love adding them when I can. Some more rare items would be the shoulder seat belts with self adjusting retractors-only available until January 69, rear seat shoulder belts, heavy rubber ribbed trunk mat, cornering lights, driver/passenger visor mirrors, cruise control, Instant Air pump, reclining seat, vacuum door locks, engine block heater, wire wheel covers, eight track player, inside hood release, reverb, headlight delay, also a 1970 and up option and the others that Geetotiger and bxm1968 listed as well. Two GTO options that I have never seen are the self charging flashlight from 1971 and the 1970 Rear Lamp Monitor which utilized fiber optics to alert the driver of a lamp failure. The chrome bumper is a rare one too like runningbwdog said and looks real nice also. The seat back locks were standard when the power door locks were ordered and they also came out in 1970. I read that someone is going to reproduce the VOE exhaust. This was a another 1970 option but only on the market for a very short time due to mechanical and noise problems. From my material it seems like 1970 to 72 had the strangest options. Some like the liquid snow chains, seat belt retainers and some other strange options could be had over the counter at any GM dealer even though they were brand specific and I am sure some people bought them for use on quite a few GM cars of the day. Gus, here is a link for a photo of my optional factory shoulder belts-
http://ultimategto.com/cgi-bin/showc...9/69c_00081_10 I will attempting to add the ultra rare rear seat shoulder belts as well this summer. The best place to see all of the options for your year car is the Accessories Catalog, I took a picture of mine for 1969 here... Last edited by Mark Simiele; 03-21-2006 at 09:15 PM. |
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#15
03-21-2006, 09:08 PM
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Quote:
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#16
03-21-2006, 09:25 PM
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the 1969 accessory guide is on the internet: http://memturbo.com/pontiac/1969_us_...ry_catalog.htm
theres some neat stuff like the Child Safety seat and the Underhood utility lamp
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I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. That or His Dudeness... Duder... or El Duderino, if, you know, you're not into the whole brevity thing... |
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#17
03-21-2006, 09:59 PM
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I'm jumping in a little late on this post, but, like Make Simiele, I love the options. A few years back I found a 68 BB Chev Impala SS vert in a junk yard with the front and rear custom seat & shoulder belt option intact. Quite a rare option I think! Same belts as most other GM divisions. I have a few of the rare factory options on my 69 RAIII GTO Vert auto A/C car, I always figured the reclining passenger seat option to be the rarest, but I guess cornering lights, wood wheel, & stereo radio with power antenna would be up there on the rare list. I've only seen one GTO with the power vent system & the rear defogger. My old 69 Judge has the high lift shock option but it must have been dealer installed, because it is not on the PHS. If you haven't seen the original TV commercial for the 1970 GTO VOE option. (shot at the now gone Big Boy Drive Inn on Woodward Ave) , It is worth a look. Real cool option. Has It ever been posted on this site?? Wish I had a copy of it.
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 When removing an unreplaceable washer, the part will be heard hitting the floor and then vanish from the face of the earth!
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#18
03-21-2006, 11:09 PM
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http://www.pontiac-power.ch/Commercials.htm
A link to many cool pontiac advertisments, including he Humbler. Can view on line or right click on file, save as, and download to your computer Last edited by Bucksnort; 03-21-2006 at 11:17 PM. |
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#19
03-21-2006, 11:35 PM
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Quote:
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When removing an unreplaceable washer, the part will be heard hitting the floor and then vanish from the face of the earth!
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#20
03-21-2006, 11:56 PM
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Bucksnort thanks for a great link, love those old commercials!
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