I bought a 72 Centurion convertible about three weeks ago. I had been looking for an older convertible for a few weeks, when I saw this one sitting outside an Aamco transmission shop. It was dusty, and it didn't look like it had moved for a while. I thougt why not see if they'd like to sell it, or at least I could have a look at it for future comparison. I had looked at a LeSabre, A Galaxy from the sixties and even a Camaro from 71. Well, there'd always been too much stuff to fix on them. I was running a pretty tight budget, and having someone weld a new floor for me wasn't really the type of job I was looking to have to do. As it had been with the LeSabre I'd looked at. I'd set myself a price range between 2-3000$, so I wasn't really looking for something too shiny. Just something that would get me around, without a roof. Anyway, the car had been handed in to the Aamco shop to have some work done to it. They had changed all motor mounts. Rebuilt the transmission, installed a shift kit, changed the front brake pads, and replaced the power steering hose on it. Then the guy who owned it couldn't come up with the cash to pay for the repairs, so he gave the shop the title and 500$ to save himself from ruining his credit. So it was now in the shops name, and they weren't sure what to do with it. The guy I spoke to said they were thinking about restoring it or selling it, but for now it was just sitting outside, and they would take it back inside for the weekends. I test drove it, and it drove smoothly, no noise, no smoke, no bad shifts, mechanically it seemed fine. I also thought, that if the guy who had all the work done to it, thought it was worth doing, then at least the car hadn't been completely neglected. I asked a few questions, and the guy from the shop had no idea on what kind of history it had, or what was working or didn't. We found the switch for the top after some searching, and we took it down half way. He said he didn't want to take it down further if we couldn't get it back up again. The lights worked, but not the brights, and some other stuff wasn't fully functioning. My mom, and girlfriend who happened to be with me didn't look too happy. It was a dirty inside, all weatherstripping was gone, and the small window on the passenger side was sitting at an angle like it was about to fall in. I asked how much they wanted for it, and he said, they wanted to clear the costs of the repairs they's done. So he would need 2000$ to not have to worry about it any more. I thought, 2 g, I'll have to think about it. My girlfriend was smiling, seeing herself in the convt. My mom, who'd come out from Brussels to visit us, was more sceptical. I thought, I have to wait till my mom is gone, so she's out of the way at least. Then I can have another look at it. A week later I was back with the two g's, I thought, why not, you only live once. The car is not from California I think, it's got some rust at the bottom of the body underneath the small wimdows. On one side it's rusted through, and the other has been fixed , you can see the new sheet of metal if you take off hte little plate to access the window from the inside of the body. I think they fixed that when the car was repainted. Originally gold or something, no dark metallic green. Question #1 The car is missing one of the bolts that holds the window in place, in it's mechanical lift construction. Anyone who knows how you can most easily replace one of these? Iput a normal bolt without a nut on the other side through it, just to keep it in place. But I wouldn't mind actually fixing it. Half of the light had broken bulbs or had corroded sockets, which was why the brights didn't work. I've now fixed this, except for the indicator lights which doesn't work. The hazards works fine, but the indicators only come only occasionally, and very irregula. There seems to be a voltage drop or bad connection somewhere. I changed the flasher and replaced the socket holdin it. I then pulled the steering wheel of to clean the contacts for the indicator switch. Then I couldn't get the steering wheel back on again, because of the spring. So I ou: cut it, to reduce the pressure, so I could get it back on but with no luck. This resulted in a tow to GM and xxx$ to have it put back on. Luckily my girlfriend has AAA so the tow was free. Now it squeeks when I turn , and I got a mail from GM asking if I was satisfied with their work. Not really, but since I was such an :spank: idiot to start with, I don't really feel like touching the subject anymore. I would love to go back in there again to try and figure out what's causing the indicators to not work, but after this I'm a little put off. Maybe with some supervision.... p The top is now down, and it is staying down. It only comes up one third and then the motor runs out of power, or it slides into a jam. I took the motor out and cleaned it, then the top actually came up, but it came down a little sideways, so I'm not sure if it's alligned correctly. Does anyone know how to make sure the top is alligned correctly, so when you attach the worm gears it is coming up absolutely straight? Also if someone knows how to clean the plastic back window. It's made of a plastic transparent canvas or someting. When it's wet, you can see through it, but then it dries, and kind of fogges up? The weatherstripping is non existing, and even some of the chrome lists that holds it are gone. So if I want to have a rainproof car, I'd have to fix the top coming up, weatherstripping and the back window, so I can see through it. Since the car doesn't have a mirror on the passenger side, I coudn't look back any way. By the way, the wipers and the sprayer doen't work, someone has installed a little switch that is connected to the original switch, but nothing happens when I flick it. This also come under the rainworthyness of it I guess. But since I live in L.A. it doesn't matter too much. A home depo tarp is it's roof at the moment. Looks like a horse blanket:grin: . Well, that's kind of it at the moment, any suggestions or help is always greatly appreciated. Anyone who knows anything about this kind of car who's in the L.A. area? I'm not planning on fixing it completely, I'm a student and all money I spend is borrowed money, so it will be kept at a minimum and I'll try to fix what can be done myself.
JOIN US! http://www.socalgs.com/ Join the SoCal GS Club. $15/yr and we have many convertibles in the club. We have members as far away as San Francisco and Nevada. Many members in and around Los Angeles. We try to help each other as much as we can.
Congratulations. Let the games begin Congratulations on the Centurion. You have stumbled upon a fairly rare car. Centurions were made in 71-73 only. They were an upgraded LeSabre. There are threads that discuss the differences between the 2. Lets answer some of your questions: You have the much feared "Scissor" style roof. It's called this because the side rails fold inward and lay behind the rear seat instead of folding straight back and storing beside the rear seat. It has been said that this roof design was chosen because GM wanted to create a 4 door convertible. It's a complex roof, but it does have the advantage of leaving you a full sized rear seat, which is unusual in a ragtop. Look on Ebay and other sources and try to find a GM repair manual for this top, it explains everything about it including the proper adjustments. If you look down in the corners where the roof folds you'll see a serrated adjustment. This adjustment provides some upward spring pressure to help the roof up. When the roof is folded there should be about 1" of bounce to it. You should be able to push down on the header and it should bounce back up 1". Adjusting this will make the roof go up all the way. When the roof is completely raised and latched at the windshield disconnect both drive cables on the end that's not attached to the motor. This synchronizes the system and adjusts those cables. If you ever see these cables at a swap meet grab them. You'll eventually need them. There are 2 cables that run in channels of the roof just above the side windows. They are CRITICAL!!! Make sure they are there and that they are attached at the front, the back and the mid-bar closest to the windshield. The one over your head when your in the drivers seat. This cable controls the motion of that bar and you'll screw your roof royally if these cables aren't doing their job. Your rear window shouldn't be plastic. These cars came with a glass rear window (mine even has a defroster). Someone went cheap on a roof replacement and left you with the plastic. When you replace the roof in the future get a glass one put back. Figure $400 for the roof and another $400 for the rear glass panel. Makes a huge difference in visibility. For now you can use plastic polish or toothpaste (it's a mild abrasive) to buff the surface of the plastic. If the cloudiness is not on the surface of the plastic there's nothing you can do. Sorry. There's lots more to adjust on this roof, but those are the basics and should get you going. These roofs tend to tear just behind the rear windows down by the body. For your lights: Check your cables and their connection at the battery. The '73's came with the stupid side terminal connections. If the 72's have them that's probably the problem. Take everything apart and clean it well. Reassemble and smear lightly with vaseline grease to prevent future corrosion. Be sure you check all of the ground straps. These were often braided straps of metal without any protection. Just work your way down the electrical system with a test light and see where the electricity stops. Get the weatherstripping as soon as you can. If you can't afford reproductions then hit the junkyard and get used ones. An old one is better than nothing. You can also get a new window regulator while your there to replace that broken one. I'm guessing that you have a tilt steering column and the tilt spring is what caused your problems. Go to the auto parts store and buy a tilt steering spring compressor $15. Simple tool means you can put your wheel back on. With that you can open the column with confidence and grease everything until the squeak is gone. The windshield washer is another nifty idea from GM. When you press the wash button it's supposed to squirt a bunch of times. When it works it's good. There are kits to rebuild the pumping section. It's part of the wiper motor itself. Start with a small kit that replaces the valves. If that doesn't do it you can replace the pumping section. Combine this function with wipers that park themselves and you have one of the most complex wiper systems out there. You can buy little electric pumps that you can use to bypass the factory system (it sounds like that's what someone did) but these burn out in a couple of years. Follow the washer hoses and see if you can find the pump. Easy repair is to replace it and use the switch. Harder repair (but much better) is to fiddle with the factory pump until you get it working. These cars are easy to work on, there's plenty of room. There are technical books that focus on just 72's that can provide a wealth of information. Use this board liberally and you'll soon be in love with your Centurion. Wait that doesn't sound right....
Hi, thanks a bunch for the help, I'm a little deep in the finals here for the semester, so the car will remain untiuched for a few weeks now. Sounds great with the club. I bumped into someone at school who's got an old chevy with hydraulics. He mentioned something called memory lane, where there are alot of cars for parts and other stuff. I'll save it for hte weekend:grin:. The top situation is that the cable that goes to the front of it, is already ripped. It's gone through the canvas for about eight inches. I suppose it's there to stretch the top so it's a snugg fit. Maybe I can re-attach it with another cable, and connect them somehow. The rip in the top I'm not too worried about. I drove it on the freeway during the weekend, and I noticed that the speedometer stopped at 53 mph How could this be? Would there be dirt or something that blcoks the needle, or is it mechanical? Well, I'm still more interested in getting the indicators working first... By the way we had a great day out in the car on Saturday. Six people to the beach and then between parties.. Pretty sweet Many thanks for the feedback..... Kimson
here are some posts that might give you some insight. http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46143 http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39182 http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37501 http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14465
Hi thanks for the links. I'll try to get the top up and synch the gears. One of the bars has cut a hole in the side of the top, on the same side as the cable has ripped through. I'm not to concerned with the hole or the cable hanging there. But if I do run the top up and down, will I cause further damage to it if the cable isn't connected? It will probably take all summer to fix everything to make the car rainworthy, but the desert climate helps... I have a few more questions regarding some parts that came with the car, but not in the right place . On the passenger door, there is an armrest, that is screwed in place. It now layes in the garage, waiting to be put back on. I unscrewed the top part of the interior of the door, but the lower part is connected with plastic clips? It looked like it was, and I wasn't sure how to remove the interiorpart from these, without maybe damaging them. Anyone who knows how these come lose, without breaking them? A screwdriver on each side and bend or??? I also have the small chrome list on the outside at the front of the driver's side. It connects with two small metal pretzels or what I should call it. They feel really tight, and I'm not sure how to get this pice back on? Did all cars come with these? I've seen some pics with cars not having them. There is also a rip on the driver's side of the front seat. The thred has come lose, and where the seem was, the seat is spit. Any suggestions on how I could get this back together without buying a new seat cover? I think my next purchase will be a cheap digital camera so I can show everything I'm talking about, it feels like i would help alot. Many thanks for all the help, as soon as I get a chance, I'm out there inthe back fiddling with it One last question, the car has surface rust on alomst everything, like in the ash trays, and other places. I guess it's been sitting outside, without the roof off, or it's been really close to the ocean previously . Anyone who knows of a good solution to scrub this stuff with. I tried an ash tray today with the old Coca Cola trick, to see if it would actually work, but I'm sure there's better stuff out there? Also, is it possible to get like a cover for the top when it's down. I looked at a LeSabre from the same year that had a two piece fiberglass cover in the same color as the car. It looked pretty good, but I don't know if these things are still made or are laying around somewhere? Man thanks Kimson
Hi Kimson! Glad to hear of another buick owner, and a full size buick too. The coca cola trick is to go to a restaraunt that has a coke fountain, then request some of the syrup for free or little money. The straight syrup should work. If you dont go that route try POR-15. It does wonders. For $15 you can get a starter kit with all you need. But if you dont want to see the Por-15 get the clear kind, I did for my car's body so the rust is there but hopefully dying. And it doesnt look that ugly. Any other questions direct them towards this site. Here is the link: http://www.por15.com/ For the seat split i have the same problem. I would go to an auto apolstery shop and see what they can do. Good luck!
http://www.classiccaddies.com/new_page_2.htm An NOS one went for $530 yesterday on ebay....they are floating around, but expensive. Plus, you have to paint to match the car.
Thanks once more for the replies..... After a little searching on the site, I found a solution for taking care of rust. BuickAL sells some magic potion, that removes just the rust, after a little soaking in it. It was even non-toxic. As to the top-cover, I'll get it, if I stumble on it. It's still the indicators that are my priority. I mean the dash is cracked in four places, so the car will have to be gradually brought into shape. My girlfried sponsored me with a dash-mat. I'm also after a dig. camera, they shouldn't be to pricey these days. They were even threatening with rain yesterday, something we wouldn't want to see if I happen to be somewhere, where I've driven, and need to get somewhere else. It's a little bit of a game at the moment, driving it. But it hasn't rained yet, for the time I've had it, so it's been pretty good...:grin: :grin: :grin: Kimson
You will ruin your roof if you raise and lower it with that side cable disconnected. There should be a branch off the line with a ring fitting on the end. This screws into the bar above your head and controls its motion. If this bar doesn't move correctly the top can bind and bend under it's own weight. There are lots of shops that can sell you this cable or you can fudge something together. Just make sure it's attached front, back and on that middle bar. As for boot covers. There are 2 styles the fiberglass one is called a parade boot, I think because people would sit on it during a parade. They are rare and expensive I certainly wouldn't let anyone sit on it. These take up more space, need to be protected from scratches and frequently are hard to install. The other style is more common and inexpensive. It's a peice of vinyl with snaps and tabs that fit under the chrome trim around the base of the roof. You can find these for sale on E-bay frequently. You can fold these up and stuff them in the trunk.
Hi It's getting frequent here ..... Sounds good about the cover, it's something more like that I'm looking for. Regarding the top, I think I'll let someone else have a look at it, who's had some experience with them, or I'll start to have a look at it after I get the digital camera, so I can at least let someone have a second opinion, by looking at some photos. I also saw a 73 Centurion/LeSabre convertible for sale today. Sadly, it just passed me on the street, I could see the for sale sign through the car, attached on the driver's side. It was burgundy, and it looked like it was in pretty good condition. It had the top up, and the back window was missing. It was driven by an old man. So maybe he's had the car for an eternity? It sure would have been nice to have a closer look at it, and to see how much he would have wanted for it.... Well, maybe I'll bump into it again... Kimson
