Network
This original, numbers-matching 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge looks just as good as when it left the factory
Words: Kyle Hyatt; Photos: Courtesy of Coker Tire
The Pontiac GTO is often credited as the original muscle car and holds a special place in the hearts and minds of car enthusiasts. In addition to the GTO’s muscle, few cars could match it in terms of outright style, particularly when equipped with the optional Judge package that included iconic outlandish stripes, wing, and Hurst shifter.
The original 400c.i. engine was completely rebuilt and lovingly reassembled by the artisans at Bodie Stroud’s southern California shop. It features the 10.25:1 compression ratio along with factory intake and exhaust – with the exception of the Pypes tailpipes.
As is the case with most muscle cars, GTOs were regularly subject to various modifications by often well-meaning, but less-than-qualified enthusiastic owners. Such changes, coupled with the tricky handling characteristics and lackluster brakes, also led to many GTOs meeting with the crusher due to accident or misuse. All of this adds up to the fact finding an original, numbers-matching GTO, particularly a Judge, is next to impossible – but not entirely impossible.
Wade Kawasaki, President and COO of Coker Tire, initially heard about a GTO from a high school friend while on vacation in Hawaii. This friend purchased the GTO from the original owner, who had ordered the car from the dealer on Maui, and had it shipped over to Honolulu with the intention of restoring it.
The GTO was in pretty decent shape, having been kept on a small island. It had very few original miles on the odometer, as well as a clean interior, but had suffered some damage to the left front fender and left rear quarter.
The friend who bought it eventually decided he didn’t have the time or resources to devote to another project and offered the car to Kawasaki. Naturally, this was an offer he couldn’t refuse, so he had the car shipped to the Wheel Vintiques factory in Southern California and set about finding someone to do the restoration.
Wade had heard of Los Angeles-based car builder Bodie Stroud from numerous friends and colleagues and had seen much of the work he’d done in recent years. He had the idea the Judge would be the perfect car to feature in the Wheel Vintiques booth at the 2015 SEMA Show, and so approached Bodie to do the work on the car. Bodie accepted and began the months-long thrash to get the car ready for SEMA in November.
While typically known for his more creative and custom work on cars like Tim Allen’s 1968 COPO Camaro, Bodie is also well respected as a restorer. His meticulous research and skill in fabrication undeniably made him the best man for the job.
Bodie left no stone unturned in the restoration of the GTO, working with the best products from Original Parts Group, including trim pieces, replacement parts, emblems, and body parts. OPG’s products and technical advice was critical to the GTO’s restoration. Bodie also enlisted the help of Trim Parts and Classic Tube for the most accurate and well-made restoration products, to make the GTO look as good as, if not better than, the day it left the factory.
The PPG Cardinal Red GTO Judge looks as if it just rolled out of the factory with its 400c.i. big-block engine, GM 10 bolt rear end, factory steering box, factory suspension, and a revitalized original interior made pristine by the high-quality parts from PUI Interiors. Authentic Firestone Wide Oval raised white letter tires from Coker Tire are wrapped around Wheel Vintiques Pontiac Rallye II wheels, giving the car a truly period correct look.
The only areas where Bodie really left the realm of factory replacement parts are in the exhaust system, supplied by Pypes, and the suspension. The old Goat received a full complement of Energy Suspension bushings, as well as Bilstein shocks. These limited modifications serve mostly to help tame the GTO’s handling characteristics and are not visually apparent.
“These cars are so special, and finding them in this condition is pretty rare. We would be doing a disservice to the car if we did anything crazy with it,” said Bodie. “As the restorer, it’s my job to peel the years back and really honor the history of the car and the guys who originally designed and built it. It was such a pleasure to get to bring this car out of the barn and back to life. It turned out great.”
The results of the restoration absolutely do not betray the relatively short timeframe allotted for the work. Bodie and his crew worked day and night for two months to have the car perfect and ready for its worldwide debut at the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
Displayed in the Wheel Vintiques booth at the show, the car received much attention and adoration from attendees, and in a crowd of wildly modified and over-the-top customized vehicles, the perfectly restored muscle car truly stood out.
