'74 GTV metal mods -- another supporter!

[PeteLaurel@domain.elided]

Hi Andrew,

Others may disagree, heck WILL if I know the a-d, but I bought our '69 GTV 
because it already had the mods you are talking of. I think the round markers 
and simple lines look the best. But at this point it is probably easier to do 
the body work than find a '69 :)

When I bludgeoned the engine bay of our '69 I was really skeptical of the 
changes. I removed the dual boosters brackets, moved the overflow tank to the 
drivers side, and added a cold air intake shroud from a '73. But I did this 
at my cousins body shop. Over the course of the 18 months it took to strip 
and paint our GTV, I saw a lot of eye opening sheet metal work.

I also read Thoroughbred & Classic Cars and Classic and Sport Cars (two 
excellent British magazines), and have seen articles that detail some sheet 
metal miracles they've done. My bottom line is that if you've changed it one 
way, a really good body person can change it back. And 99.9% of the folks 
staring at the car will not be the wiser.

As we were doing our archeology on the GTV, me rough grinding the paint down 
with a DA sander then following with a hand drill with a Scotch Brite wheel 
(don't ask; yes I always do things the hard way "it builds character"), we 
found that the rear quarter had been hit. The previous body work was the 
"drill a billion holes, rough it to shape and then put on gallons of bondo" 
method. My cousin welded in each of those darn little holes and then hammered 
it out smooth. I cannot tell that the quarter panel had all this work done, 
no matter how long I stare at the inside of the trunk. It is amazing. 

So I think hey, if we ever sell the '69, it will be a snap to convert it back 
to all the brackets under the hood. Easier than that quarter panel, that is 
for sure.

I think my cousin used like ounces of bondo on the whole car (he is an 
artist!). So a good body and fender person can "right" your GTV back to the 
billboard size side markers. I would weld up the holes though, and not just 
bondo over them.

Thanks for letting me vent my spleen. At least I feel better :)
Regards,
Peter Lundquist
San Mateo CA
'69 GTV
'87 Platinum

------------------------------