Jim I remember quite well! I still have that magazine around, I'll have to find it now. Back then only 20 I was driving a '65 Skylark with a 300 engine. Got rear ended in '78 and saw that issue decided to sell the '65 and bought my '70 GS which is the same one I own today. It wasn't until I saw it at the GS Nats I believe in 1987 we were in the same class "Street Machine" He took first though the car never was turned on. I took third that year. Have to say it was perfect looking. Man thoses shots do bring back the memories Best of luck Rick Martinez
"Jimmy Austin" brings it all back. I think he is the person that originally chromed it. Are the springs and brake calipers still chromed? Buick did offer the 4.78 gear from the factory as a performance option. It is in the Master Parts Book and carries a GM number. I drove it on the street with that gear a bit and so did my wife. Once, she scared both me and the worthy opponent next to us from a stoplight so bad I still remember it. The 4.78 did cause a lot of noise and smoke from the back tires. Ridiculous street gear. You will note that the 4.78 is mentioned in the April 1978 article.
Yeah, my buddy Eddie St. Angelo in RI ran a 4.78 gear in his 68 GS400. Ran in Super Stock with one of the first sets of Stage 2 heads. Ran low 11s at 122 mph 4 speed car...... with those 4.78s it was mid 7000 rpms thru the traps. Needless to say there was a fair about of carnage!! Bruce
Jerry If you get a chance shoot the springs and calipers and tack them on this post. Love to see it again. Brings back memories of laying under the car and polishing the chrome!
Jerry - Please consider registering your QQ Stage1. Please see my website for additional details. Thanks!
Parts price Hx --read and weep Just today looking through some old resto bills for the ongoing resto of the B day X from Lizard Lick. Apparently, parts were so cheap it was decided to purchase a new rear spoiler and front grille rather than refinish and repaint the original ones. On June 9, 1981 the dealer that originally sold the car sold to Brian, my seller. the following Front OEM GS grille =$35.25 OEM rear spoiler= $111.00 Total bill= $146.25 for both Let's see a new grille is more than 20 times that now and a NOS spoiler maybe 10 times that.
if we only knew what we knew now..we would have bought everything we could find back then.. jim here's that pic u wanted.. anytime your in la give me a call I keep a polinshing towel on the wall with your name on it..
Nice Find. Say what would a GSX be valued at sitting in a garage like the one picture you showed knowing it needed a complete restoration? Still bring $$$ or depends if Stage 1 or not? Just wondering,
Update Today I located the Penn. Buick Dealer's son that originally owned and drove our GSX. His name is Mel, he is still at the dealership, his father is still alive, age 76, and he often has wondered whatever happened to the car. When it was sold in early 71, it was still under dealer and GM warranty and had never been titled. He thinks he may still have the old order records for it in the attic. Apparently this is an old dealership as Mel has been there since 1963. He thinks his father may still have an old pic of the car taken in 1970. He aslo volunteered he may have a couple of old Buick items in the dealer attic: A set of perhaps NOS late 1960 s chrome wheels he thinks came off an Electra; A number of NOS late 70 to early 80s Regal deck lids. Apparently they once installed continental lids on and they just removed the regular ones from new cars. If anyone is interested in these items pm me.
Just a piece is historical trivia. If you look closely at the window sticker at the top of the post you will see in the bottom right hand corner the words " Mels" car written in by hand. It turns out Mel is the Buick dealer's son who drove the car for the first 9 months of its life as a demonstrator. He is the same Mel I spoke with on the phone the other day who after 34 years is still with his father's dealership.
