So i made an impulse purchase of a 1971 Buick Riviera Grand Sport. It's my all time favorite car and i have wanted one since highschool but was not sure i would ever manage to get a 71 Grand Sport because i know only about 3000 of them were made. I got it out of a storage unit for next to nothing saw it was pretty rusty but i can get a lot of body work done for essentially nothing with family member who does concourse restorations professionally. So i jumped on it. However in the light and after looking more closely at the car and consulting with my family member i quickly realized it was realistically going to take buying a whole new body. The car previously had a vinyl top and underneath was a pretty unwelcome surprise. The roof and supports are just gone there is not even really enough left to weld to and on the rest of the body there is a lot of bad body work. The bottom half is all pretty solid and rust free so maybe find a body that's rotten on the bottom. That's the bad part. The good part is the car does run and drive ( though safety and legality are not there) and is fully complete other then the GS air cleaner. Fall of last year i found a 72 non grandsport about 75% restored super cheap and bought that too and have been driving and finishing it since. Now comes the question what to do with the 71? On one hand its a very rare ( though not very expensive ) car and the car i truly want but the amount of work the body needs is daunting. so the way i see it i have a few options at the point 1.) find a dead bottom rotten body and cut the roof off and restore the 71 like i planned originally, but is it really worth it or am i just wasting time and money on a car thats just too far gone? Get all good parts off it for the 72 ( all the GS parts posi track rearend, A/C, etc ) and scrap the rest 2.) use the body and all the good stuff off the 72 to restore the 71 . This would work just feels wrong to cannibalize the perfectly good and restored 72 3.) Make the only convertible 71 riviera 4.) Rat Rod! Looking for opinions on the best thing to do with the car attached lots of pics FullSizeRender (5) by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM FullSizeRender (6) by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM FullSizeRender (7) by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM FullSizeRender (8) by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM FullSizeRender (9) by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0619 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0620 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0621 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0640 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0638 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0637 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0636 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0624 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0623 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0641 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0642 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0643 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0644 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0647 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM IMG_0648 by arschmitz posted Apr 26, 2017 at 9:35 PM
As the value of a Boattail isn't up there and as you have no sentimental attachment, I think the most cost effective route to a Boattail you will love is the answer. If the '72 is in good shape as you say, grab the posi and other parts- your option 1. With the level of rot in the '71 in your pictures, you're looking at a ton of time and money. Or, if you really want a GS, find a better car to start with. You'll be dollars and time ahead. My two cents as a fellow Boattail owner...
Yeah that's the option iv been increasingly leaning towards. While its really hard for me to give up on a car i like so much and is so rare, and it would have been nice to restore the `71 with my son when he gets older I think its just more or a project then what the car is worth despite its rarity. It's not a loss either way the parts on it i can steal for the `72 are worth far more than what i spent on the car. It also frees up a garage bay as my wife as been wanting to get a classic for herself
Wow - That 71 is not worth considering for even a second. Part it out or try to sell whole. either way let it go and don't fret. The rear axle has good value as does the engine assuming its the original TA code. While technically its not a Stage 1, very close to it as it has the big valve heads. Note the 3.42 rear axle ratio is undesirable for highway cruising so consider what type of driving you will be doing before installing in the 72. Around town its great.
JZRIV Thank you yeah this is just kinda confirming what i already thought. The 71 also has power windows, AC and black interior, ill try and get is the 3.42 posi rear end just not as good for gas milage or are there other draw backs on the highway? The vast majority of my driving is just 4 miles each way to and from the baby sitters ha ha ha. I do however take the occasional trip from maine to boston or to PA which is all highway. In addition to the different rear axle my understanding is the transmission itself is specially sport tuned on the GS?
save the eng and trans,get a southern or western body,71 gs riv had stg1 heads,same tranny as bb,342 posi rear
Problem on open highway at todays speeds is the 3.42 puts the engine RPM in a less than desirable range for extended periods. Thats why Buick installed a larger diameter pulley on the A/C compressor on 3.42 equipped cars to slow it down. Sure as long as the engine is in good shape it'll do it but its just not as quiet and comfortable. If you can stay 65 or under its OK but cruising 75 or 80 I don't like it. Once you drive say a 3.07 and a 3.42 equipped car at 75 mph the difference is significant especially with 600 miles of interstate ahead. Pretty sure only difference in the 71 Riv trans between the GS and non-GS would be the speedometer gear due to different rear axle so if you take the 3.42 for you or to sell you'll want the speedo gear to go with it. Easy to remove.
71 and 72 gs rivs had regular stg1 heads,73 riv gs heads only had stg 1 intakes,73 came with 8.5 10 bolt rear,posi fits in a body 8.5 rears,chev also had the 8.5,but there c-clip,the carrier work in the bop,so you wont need c-clips just use the whole bop housing with orig axles,8.5 uses one of the pinion bearings from a 12 bolt,it has bigger axles and bearings than 12 bolt,has 7/16 ring gear bolts vs 3/8 for 12 bolt,large range of gear ratios with one carrier
