1968 Pontiac LeMans. RADICAL Street / Drag Racer / Show Car Frame-Up Resto!!

VIRTUALLY FLAWLESS 1968 PONTIAC LEMANS "BUILT TO THE HILT". THE ULTIMATE "SLEEPER" STREET MACHINE. LOOKS LIKE GRANDMA'S CAR AND BLOWS THE DOORS OFF EVERYTHING ON THE STREET. EARTH POUNDING IDLE. SCREAMS AT FULL THROTTLE. AND BRAND NEW RESTO! ALL YOU GTO'S, EAT YOUR HEART OUT!
If you've always wished you could have a mid 60's super high performance car, this is a great opportunity to own one of the very finest and fastest remaining cars left. Take a look at the pictures, watch the videos, and read the details. This car is the best of the best. Enjoy!



https://youtu.be/UCmzuzJhQCc
https://youtu.be/_64Zd5VC8xs
https://youtu.be/CA5ul_fpqks
https://youtu.be/ewWvOUdd9NY
https://youtu.be/q2ZyqeweQJ4
https://youtu.be/MBzfCPba33U


When this car is waiting at a red light, the earth pounding audio of the engine idling, instantly grabs your attention. Just snapping the throttle at 40 MPH puts the car sideways and wakes the neighbors. Sitting still, it looks like a 100 point show car, but gives no clue as to the monster it really is.On inspecting the car, one finds a level of perfection rarely achieved in a streetable restoration. Every detail is so perfect, it's hard to imagine the man hours and investment that was required. The hundreds of receipts that come with the car give a clue of how much was invested to make it into what it is now. As you study the car, the attention to tiny details of design and execution are way beyond what you'd expect.
It started in 2003, when the restorer bought a really nice '68 champagne gold Pontiac LeMans 350 V-8 Automatic, with tan seats and only 57,000 miles since new. Over the next three years or so, the car was completely disassembled, leaving only the rear body shell partially attached to the frame. Virtually everything was disassembled. All mechanical components were removed, as was the entire front end sheet metal and the full interior.
The factory 350 V-8 was replaced with a 1975 455 big block Pontiac "blue" V-8.Edelbrock Performance Cylinder Heads2.110" diameter intake valves and 1.660" exhaust valves with hardened seatsComp Cams High Tech Pushrods and Magnum steel roller tip rocker armsCrane hydraulic flat tappet camshaftEagle PistonsHardened race rods and forged race crankshaft850 CFM Holley Double Pumper carburetorPro Torque starterHigh Flow aluminum water pump and brand new 4 row radiatorProBillet DistributorAluminum Air CleanerThunderVolt plug wiresFinally, it was Dyno tuned and balanced, and produces approximately 500 Horse power and well in excess of 500 Lb/ft torque
The factory exhaust system was replaced with Hooker Super Competition high output headers, Flowmaster Delta Force 3" exhaust pipes and high flow racing mufflers. The exhaust note is not like modern "buzzy" or deafening roaring sounds. More like deep, bottled up thunder. I cannot describe the sound, nor could my video equipment handle recording it correctly. Once you've heard it, you will NEVER forget the earth pounding rumble and nasty snarl of this monster Pontiac.
The Factory Turbo Hydramatic 350 automatic was replaced by a heavily reinforced Turbo Hydramatic 400, built by B&M with a "Hole Shot" high-stall speed torque converter. It has a Phase 1 shift kit and is wide ratio. In normal driving, it shifts smoothly, but under full load, it becomes much firmer, but never slams into gear.
The factory differential was replaced with a modified TA Positraction rear end and 3:55 gears.
Front suspension is all new, and was converted to competition disc brakes. Virtually everything under the hood is new or restored. Under the hood looks like the the car just came out of the factory. Same for the undercarriage. From under the car, it looks like a "frame off" resto, although the restorer only loosened it enough to refinish the frame and underfloor like new.
Each section of the sheet metal was disassembled, stripped, prepped, primered, and shot with the factory-correct 1964 code 713X Grenada Red paint color. Each part was colorsanded and polished to show-quality perfection. Unlike most GM cars of this era, the repaint did not use modern, California Air Resources Board-certified paint materials, so it doesn't have that "thick paint" look that you see on most modern restorations. Instead, it retains that awesome hard, high gloss look of the hand rubbed lacquer that GM used when the car was new. Virtually all rubber weatherstripping and detail was removed during painting and most was replaced with new. Window and door fit is WAY better than when new. This car barely rattles at all, unlike most 68-72 A Body GM cars. Hood and trunk fit is show-quality. Bumpers on the original car were flawless, so the original bumpers were re-used, and fit perfectly with nearly flawless shine. All exterior lamps, bulbs and lenses were replaced, all work correctly and are bright, headlights are properly aimed and much of the wiring is new. Grille is NOS. All body ground connections have been cleaned and re-secured. The battery and box are moved to the trunk, and a race-required shutoff control is mounted on the rear bumper.
Cars of this era tended to have "floaty" ride and mushy ride. This car, as modified, still rides and drives very comfortably, but it's "all business" when you start to push it. I do not have the details of suspension replacement parts, but it all looks new. and it works beautifully for a street cruiser, yet it still handles very well under pressure and could be a great track car (with competition tires). The wheels are aftermarket replicas of correct GM 14" Rally wheels, but stronger and wider than factory. The correct trim rings are new. Tires are brand new condition Cooper Cobra R/T Radial GT P235/60R14's and there's a matching spare wheel and tire in the trunk. Clearly the most aggressive factory-look 14" M+S street-look tires you could mount on the car, which adds to the unmodified-original appearing "sleeper" character of the car. From 10 feet, it looks like a brand spanking new 1968 Pontiac, straight out of a time machine. The only giveaway is the shutoff handle on the rear bumper. Even the flip down rear license is new, correct, and covers the fuel filler and locking cap. The interior is virtually all new, and is now black. The original door trim panels, dashboard cover, carpeting, console, headliner and trim are all high quality modern reproductions, and can't be told from new. The dash and original instrumentation are restored and refinished as new. The factory seats were replaced with new black-tex wingback reclining bucket seats, and the original seat belts were replaced with full Simpson racing seat belts and shoulder restraints. Illuminated Auto Gauge brand tachometer, water temp, voltmeter and oil pressure gauges adorn the forward section of the console.As an interesting side note, every tiny detail of this restoration, was focused on weight reduction. Every non-functional accessory was removed, from HVAC to rear window regulators and cranks, to under dash accessories, to rear seat and headliner. It LOOKS totally stock, but is hundreds of pounds lighter than when built, which comes through clearly in a high performance driving experience. The rear seat area is nicely upholstered and can still be sat in. The headliner parts and crossbows come with the car, if you want to finish off the ceiling.
Interestingly, after the "build" was completed in 2013, this car was parked in the garage and was not driven until I acquired it, a few months ago. It was transposted by enclosed truck, and The short ride you will see in the first video is the first time this car was driven more than a few feet, since it got parked, seven years ago. It still shows 57,000 miles, and the speedometer works. There's no sign the car has actually ever gone through a puddle, rubbed a curb, or even drove around the block. A fresher 1968 "A" Body would be very difficult to find. And, I believe the car would be perfectly usable as a summer part-time "driver", with no reliability concerns, although, I love it as totally "new" as it is now.
I acquired the car, when the owner and his wife re-located to a retirement mountain home in Colorado, and the car had to go. We're good friends and he knew the car would be kept in good hands. He is a total perfectionist, but it's a shame he never really had the opportunity to drive or enjoy the car. Nonetheless, it certainly doesn't belong in the snowy mountains of Colorado, so now it's your chance to own this one of a kind monster LeMans.
GTO's of this era in nice but not mint condition sell for considerably more than this LeMans, and it would be very unlikely you could find one this perfect, or this fast. With the world as strange as it has been lately, solid investments like real estate, gemstones, precious metals and investment-grade collector vehicles have been appreciating very well. It would take at least a year and well over $75,000 to create anything like this car, in today's world. The person who does the restoration always loses and the person who buys it generally always wins. At less than half the replacement cost, this car is a bargain, and will be both reliable and valuable, as the value goes insane over the next few years, Very few survivor 68-72 General Motors "A" Body cars like this exist in anywhere near this nice condition. Remember, it was very, very nice and had very low mileage, when it was acquired in 2003.
Here is the VERY short list of imperfections: There is a tiny 1/16th of an inch paint chip on the low part of the right front fender. Easily missed by all but the most detailed inspection and very easily concealed by a tiny touch-up. There was a radio antenna on top of the left rear quarter panel, which was welded over and metal finished before painting. That area has a faint circular crack in the paint finish, about 1-1/4 inches round. There's a VERY slight and virtually un-noticible hairline scratch from sanding, on the right rear bumper. I BELIEVE there were originally small triangular rubber caps inside the inner edges of the rear bumper. It looks fine as-is and I may be wrong. And, the paint finish on the spare wheel is not quite the same color as the four wheels on the ground. If I didn't point these out to you, you'd likely have never noticed any of them, but as a retired concours d'elegance judge, specializing in post war GM cars, I would have probably docked the car 5 points out of a hundred, and when buying vehicles in this category, you need to know what you're buying. On the other hand, I see lots of cars right here on eBay that are nowhere near this car's quality, priced way higher than this car.
One last thought: This car has less than 100 miles on essentially a brand new machine. Everything was built as carefully and with the best components as possible. And it's from an era where things were simple and straightorward with no computers to go haywire. This could be the most reliable and easy to maintain car you ever buy!
Driving restored high performance vehicles is about the most fun you can have sitting down. What a great opportunity for a whole new chapter in your life! Please feel free to contact me for more information. 310-500-6574. Check my other youtube movies to see my restored and hot-rodded vintage Crown and Gillig school buses. Thanks for your interest!!!
Al Jennings