The question than is what is "the" car. If the front fenders, hood, trunk lid, doors, trunk pan, floor pan, and rear qtrs are replaced with repro or a parts car is still a correct vehicle? What if the roof needed to be replace and you sectioned one in from a parts car? What if you had to fix the firewall with something from a donor? I just don't see a nice clear line. The problem is this car is going to need all of the above except maybe a roof.
O.K., I have to ask now, compared to this Platinum Mist '71 GSX 350, how does that other '71 GSX look now? (The other one being the Bittersweet Mist '71 GSX 455 ... the one that needed all that work from PA area and originally from Florida/Alabama ... http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=144135&highlight=bittersweet+gsx) I know one looks a lot better to me ... now. If anything I can say about this topic, it is that there very well may be a time and a place where a re-body resto may just have to take place.
Hawken, I personally looked at the 71 GSX 455 car in PA, before the resto, and there was no comparision between the two. The PA car may not have looked nice in the pics but the body was solid and so was the frame. The 455 body did have a few issues (don't they all) but once knocked apart and blasted it would have been a straight forward restoration. The 350 car here probably needs a frame, plus everything attached to it, unless you are willing to spend tons of time blasting and filling the control arms, etc, and the body looks like it needs a bottom. You would probably need to section the original body into a donor body to have something to weld to. Duane
In agreement in saying "I know one looks a lot better to me ... now", I meant that the Bittersweet GSX looks a lot better now compared to this Platinum Mist car - now being able to compare the two. The owner of this Platinum Mist car seems to have collected some good parts along the way, though. I wish him/her well.
Question Did the 71 and 72 GSX have a 'GS' emblem on right corner on the trunk like a regular GS? This GSX has an emblem even the old photo of the car. George
George 71 -72 GSX's and GS cars factory optioned with rear Spoiler did not have GS emblem on corner of decklid.