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The appeal of the GTO is simple, Wade said-it was the first
street muscle car, credited with launching an entire era.
Pontiac came out with its first model in '64. So for Jenna
it made sense, when she was almost old enough to drive, to
look for another GTO she too could restore, her own creation
instead of a generic vehicle from a dealership showroom.
Jenna's not exactly your typical 17-year-old girl-her interests
range from sewing and scrap booking to engines and chrome.
The only girl to enroll in a power mechanic class in high
school, Jenna is squashing tired stereotypes. "If guys
can do the ballet, I'm sure that girls can work on cars,"
Jenna said, who admitted her male and female classmates react
differently to her GTO. "My guy friends think it's pretty
cool and the girlfriends don't really care."
Jenna and her father, a production worker at a steel company,
bought the car from his co-worker in September, 2003. The
car was in bad shape, covered in rust, with dents in the fenders
and chipped paint.
The challenge before them was overwhelming. "The project
we had started seemed like it would never become a reality,"
Jenna recalled.
The greatest hurdle was re-installing the 400 cubic-inch
350 horsepower four-barrel V8 and getting it to run. They
lucked out when they discovered the big block engine was original,
the previous owner having no idea it was a number-matching
car when he sold it. They also re-built the car's original
three-speed automatic transmission (THM 400).
The majority of the car's parts are original, but were in
need of some tender love and care. They re-painted the grill,
the rubberized front bumper, the spoiler, the dash and glove
box, re-chromed the back bumper, re-upholstered the seats
in black vinyl authentic to its original style, sand-blasted
the Rally II wheel rims and sanded the front fender.
The rear quarter panels on the back fender, the interior carpet
and headliner were replaced and new tires and a four-barrel
750 Holly carburetor was also installed. They did most of
the restoration themselves. A mechanic helped with the motor
while Jenna's uncle, an upholsterer, assisted with the interior.
Her vision was finally taking shape. When Wade fired up the
GTO after re-installing the refurbished 400 power train, his
daughter was overjoyed. "My heart was racing. I knew
we were finally done. We were coming to the end," she
recalled.
Before long, Jenna was behind the wheel of her restored '69
GTO for the first time, backing the car out of the driveway,
a bundle of nerves. "I was scared to break something,"
recalled the Grade 12 student, who has since got the hang
of it.
"I can't tell you how proud I am of the finished product.
My dad and I put a lot of time into the car and I can honestly
say it was worth every minute."
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