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Running Gear Resto

'65 GTO handling upgrades

Nobody ever claimed that a 1965 GTO was a great handling car. Powerful and impressive, and smooth riding, too, but the chassis lumbered around corners and lacked sufficient braking power by today's standards.

Since this GTO project is a "restomod" (meaning that it allows for some updates and improvements), the car's owner, Larry Weiner, revamped the chassis to correct some design flaws of the original. In other cases, some of the components were left stock, but rebuilt or reconditioned, such as the steering shaft and Saginaw box. The steering system's center link was replaced as well, which is available from either Year One or Ames.

Shocks

The original control arms were stamped-steel components, but Hotckis provided stronger and lighter tubular upper A-arms for less deflection and to reduce unsprung weight. They are also adjustable for precision chassis tuning. Bilstein shocks provide better damping of the upgraded suspension, and the lower control arms in the rear are now boxed for greater rigidity and to provide an attachment point for a rear swaybar. To reduce body roll, Hotckis added beefier sway bars, measuring one inch in the front, 1-1/8 inches in the rear.

Also, the new suspension bushings are made of graphite and polyurethane, and are stiffer than the original rubber bushings, producing more predictable handling. Not only that, polyurethane is impervious to deterioration from oil and road grime. To prevent squeaking, grease fittings are included on all the joints.

Brakes

To bring the GTO to a clenching halt, Stainless Steel Brakes supplied four-wheel disc brakes with larger, 13-inch rotors, along with new cast-iron spindles engineered to fit this particular application. The spindles are the same in configuration as those found on the hefty '95 Impala.

Since brakes work by converting kinetic energy into heat, better dissipation of that heat improves stopping power and resistance to fade. For that reason, the rotors are vented, and the slots on the face help to keep the low-dust pads free of debris and deposits.

In addition, the master cylinder is a later-model double-reservoir unit (instead of single), designed to accommodate the fluid delivery requirements of the four-wheel disc-brake package.

The three-piston "Tri-Power" calipers (named after the GTO's triple-carb V8) are made of one-piece billet aluminum with corrosion-resistant, stainless steel fittings and tubing. The stainless steel brake lines from Classic Tube are also new, and more durable than the original steel lines.

Wheels

To make room for the larger calipers, the wheels were increased in size from 14 to 18 inches. The Oasis Retro alloy rims are patterned after the GTO's popular but rare Hurst wheels, with the identical hub but bigger spokes. Instead of using the two-piece, riveted construction of the original Hurst wheels, the new Oasis Retros are made of one-piece cast aluminum for increased strength and reduced weight.

With the bigger rims, lower-profile tires are required to fit into the stock wheel wells. Currently, the sizes selected are 275/40ZR18 for the front, and 295/45ZR18 in the rear, but those may change once the car is fully loaded and back on its wheels, depending on how the stance looks. For a tighter grip, instead of the old, wandering bias-ply rubber, Weiner chose Goodyear Eagle F1 GS tires.

All of these changes should make for crisper handling and stopping, which is a good thing considering the extra horses under the hood. By the time this GTO resto is done, it'll not only look better than an original, but out-perform one as well.