February Calendar Car: Joe Dean’s 1970 Pontiac GTO

Avery Finnivan

30 Mar 2018

Click Here to Begin Slideshow Taking the spotlight on the February page of RacingJunk's 2018 calendar is Joe Dean's sleek, speedy 1970 Pontiac GTO. This car has quite a history with Joe. Of all the cars in his garage, it's been there the longest, since 1978. The story starts a bit before that, though. Joe had a GTO in high school, but he sold it, and immediately regretted doing so. How many of us have made similar mistakes? Fortunately, it wasn't long before he came across this fine replacement and purchased it for a sweet $400. It was in fair shape, so he used it as a daily driver for several years; his wife drove it for a year as well. In '82, he decided it was time for a change. Not one for half-measures, he gave the GTO a full restoration, culminating in a promotion - no longer would this car serve as a daily driver. The restoration granted such good looks and performance that Joe decided to include it, alongside two other GTOs from '68 and '69 (the latter belonging to a friend of his), in his '83 wedding ride. "We had a lot of fun that day," he recalls. It certainly sounds like it - not every wedding includes high-speed laps around Main Street! As time went on, Joe upgraded the car a couple of times, though the bulk of it has remained unchanged since its very thorough '82 update. He repainted it in 2002, giving it the gleaming blue coat it currently boasts. The aspect which he's most often replaced, though, is the engine. "It's had a few motors," he notes. At the moment, it's running on a ’70 455 with a 400 Turbo transmission, 3000 stall, custom built by S&S Transmission, and 370 gear. This formidable combination gives it enough push to run in the mid to high 12s when Joe races it at Lebanon Valley. He's not satisfied, however. "I'm building another, faster engine," he says, excitement audible in his tone. The new pump fuel powerplant, he hopes, will give his GTO 500HP with which to blaze down the asphalt. Joe Dean is a man of good taste, and quite a few of his fantastic cars are featured in the RacingJunk calendar. If you'd like to see the rest of them, you can pick up the calendar over here on our store.

January Calendar Car: Joe Dean's 1970 Pontiac GTO — Click Here to Begin Slideshow Taking the spotlight on the February page of RacingJunk's 2018 calendar is Joe Dean's sleek, speedy 1970 Pontiac GTO. This car has quite a history with Joe. Of all the cars in his garage, it's been there the longest, since 1978. The story starts a bit before that, though. Joe had a GTO in high school, but he sold it, and immediately regretted doing so. How many of us have made similar mistakes? Fortunately, it wasn't long before he came across this fine replacement and purchased it for a sweet $400. It was in fair shape, so he used it as a daily driver for several years; his wife drove it for a year as well. In '82, he decided it was time for a change. Not one for half-measures, he gave the GTO a full restoration, culminating in a promotion - no longer would this car serve as a daily driver. The restoration granted such good looks and performance that Joe decided to include it, alongside two other GTOs from '68 and '69 (the latter belonging to a friend of his), in his '83 wedding ride. "We had a lot of fun that day," he recalls. It certainly sounds like it - not every wedding includes high-speed laps around Main Street! As time went on, Joe upgraded the car a couple of times, though the bulk of it has remained unchanged since its very thorough '82 update. He repainted it in 2002, giving it the gleaming blue coat it currently boasts. The aspect which he's most often replaced, though, is the engine. "It's had a few motors," he notes. At the moment, it's running on a ’70 455 with a 400 Turbo transmission, 3000 stall, custom built by S&S Transmission, and 370 gear. This formidable combination gives it enough push to run in the mid to high 12s when Joe races it at Lebanon Valley. He's not satisfied, however. "I'm building another, faster engine," he says, excitement audible in his tone. The new pump fuel powerplant, he hopes, will give his GTO 500HP with which to blaze down the asphalt. Joe Dean is a man of good taste, and quite a few of his fantastic cars are featured in the RacingJunk calendar. If you'd like to see the rest of them, you can pick up the calendar over here on our store.

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