Hurricane Harvey Flood Victim: 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge

I'll admit it: 2017 has not been my year. Don't get me wrong, it's had plenty of good moments and surprises, but for the most part, to put it bluntly 2017 sucks. Celebrities gone way too soon, President Trump is a jackass that fooled all of America, tension with North Korea, and natural disasters ravaging the United States coast to coast. Hurricanes were the big natural disaster of emphasis this year, with Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria being the worst. My mom was stuck in Florida during Hurricane Irma, and needless to say I was worried sick. When I saw this 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge suffering the effects from Hurricane Harvey, I felt a similar sick feeling. Find it here at Copart Auctions in College Station, Texas, with a current bid of $24,100 and a little under three days left to bid.

Originally intended as a low-buck, stripper Tempest option to compete against Plymouth's Road Runner, the Judge debuted as part of the GTO lineup in 1969. Considered the top trim option for the GTO, the Judge, which borrowed its name from a Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In TV skit featuring a young Flip Wilson (who repeatedly said "Here Come da Judge"), the Judge differed from regular GTOs nominally, with trim ring-less Rally IIs, special stripes, and a rear spoiler being the only differences. This GTO Judge is one of 6,833 built for 1969, and unfortunately was a victim of Hurricane Harvey. Outside, the car appears to have cleaned up nicely, especially considered that the car was completely submerged. The only thing that looks out of place are the Firehawk Indy 500 tires; I would swap them out for a set of Firestone Wide Oval radials.

Well, when a car is submerged up to its roof in flood waters, you can't expect the results to be good. Under this GTO Judge's hood is a Ram Air III 400 cubic inch V8. Rated at 366 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque and backed by a three-sped TH-400 automatic, the foam buffer that mounts to the ram air plate is missing, most likely swept away by the flood waters. That's the least of this Judge's problems, however; the wiring and electricals are most likely shot, and the engine will most likely need to be torn apart and rebuilt. Factory air conditioning is a nice option, and I think this motor will be savable; having said that, a mechanical restoration will be a lengthy and costly effort.

Almost worse than the engine is the interior, which is just as dirty and silt-covered. Featuring an all-black interior, there is a lot of dirt left over from the flood silt, but some of the interior looks to be salvageable. The giant zip tie around the steering column is to hold the keys, so I would obviously get rid of that right away. I would also ditch the carpet and floor mats, but try to clean (albeit painstakingly) the rest. Though obviously going to be a huge undertaking restoring the interior and engine, this GTO Judge deserves to be resurrected, and could be easily bought for an affordable price. What are your thoughts on this waterlogged first-year GTO Judge?