Members

Names(s)
Tim & Estre Nichols

Vehicles(s)
1939 Street Rod & 1965 GTO

Bio:
           We thought we would tell you a few things about our 1965 GTO Convertible. It was back IN 1974 OR ’75, I was working at Camden Wire 11-7 shift running machines near the time clock, there was a bulletin board with this ’65 GTO for sale. The owner was a fellow employee from Fish Creek Landing. Within a couple of days we went to his house to test drive the car, yes it was a ’65 GTO, but it had lost much of its charm. The upholstery was worn along with the convertible top. It needed upper & lower ball joints, rear end was leaking, in other words it needed work!

It was a GTO, being 23 years old now was the time to own my dream machine, that is if my wife say it’s ok, you know folks when this car was new and I was 15 all I could do was imagine owning one. So I had to convince my wife on this investment. Now I had to negotiate with my wife $650 for this was not too bad of a deal. Finally she agreed. During our ownership it shared honors with our 1967 442 which I had bought in 1972 for $890. I had driven the GTO one Camden winter and at least a couple of years had no garage to store it in. The items that had to be done to the GTO were taken care of such as the convertible top, tires etc.

Finally in 2004 we had a complete frame off restoration done by Mark Choquette to bring the car back from the grave here in Camden. All the rust was removed, new sheet metal installed, all new upholstery and many items rechromed. The 4 speed was rebuilt along with a new flywheel. Just about everything was either refurbished or replaced. Let me back up, all of the above had to be done because when our house caught fire in 1998 the GTO was a little too close; the sheet metal was warped on one side and melted the convertible top and seats. The insurance company declared it as a total loss & I bought it for $2,000 as salvage. There it sat for several years, still Mark took the restoration. During the time the GTO was idle it gave me time to acquire most parts needed.

Now 34 years later we have decided to sell it. Yes I know it’s not all original, I know it doesn’t have everything it was born with but it is still a GTO, a New York State GTO. But that’s Ok. We have owned a 1939 Pontiac Street Rod that will need some TLC and we will be back on the road again!
-Tim and Estre Nichols

 
Built & Maintained by Patterson Coachworks