ent in 1991. The deal was fairly equitable then, but the rarity factor today would definitely dictate a different trade.
The GSX had 58,000 miles and was complete. The one fault was rust on the passenger side front floor pan. The air conditioner had dripped condensate into the cab and initiated rust.
Ray’ s forte is restoration. He explains,“ I love to restore.”
Starting with such an original, Ray built a masterpiece. At the GSX Reunion in Ohio, out of 27 show cars in concourse judging, Ray had the highest score – 396 out of a possible 400. The closest GSX to him was“ three or four points” behind. In total, the Reunion had an astounding 97 GSX cars there, or almost one out of every six cars built. When Ray took the body off the frame, he found an incredibly original GSX. Matching numbers could be the
theme of this build. The heads, intake, carburetor, distributor, alternator, starter, even the air conditioning compressor matched, number-wise and in date codes. Starting with such a good car made the restoration much simpler.
Ray says,“ I mean, all I did was send parts off, have them rebuilt, and whatnot. The only thing I tracked down was some original A / C hoses with the right date codes.”
Air-conditioning hoses on what one source lists as the hottest mid-sized muscle car ever seems quite odd, as A / C is a power-robbing accessory.
Ray is being overly modest with his assessment of the difficulty of the restoration. He takes his time and does restorations the OEM way. He plated the bolts, for example, to factory. Ray restored this car inch by inch. The 396 points out of 400 attest to his high standards.
The restored bucket seats felt and looked like brand new.
The GS logo – not GSX – appeared on the door panels.
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