GSX Stage 1 Muscle Values - #'s Matching vs. Clone

Mark

OK I just got to jump in on this one I think a real stage 1 or a real GSX is always going to bring the big bucks the problem is clones as I have seen are junk (there are a few that are not) but I have seen so many that could be spotted from a long way off is is a joke you also have to consider they dont want much for them when they sell lets face it we have all seen the fakes cheep but a nice recreation would take a lot of money time and knowledge to make it correct and I think you will see now that prices are going sky high guys will not be able to buy that dream GSX so they will start to do recreations and I would bet some will do a damb good job and have in it what they could have bought a GSX for 5years ago but didnt I would also say that a good recreation would bring a fair price if it was done up to what many of us here feel is a correct nice job I think many people would say it is still a clone but lets face it a recreation you can drive and have fun with in a real one you get a little worried about driving it as I have said you are blessed and dambed with a real GSX blessed that you have one dambed if you drive it and run down the value. look at what a clean skylark is now bringing on ebay we all remember buying them for less than 1k all day long but not anymore thoughs days are gone and I will bet as the GS cars gets a lot more media time prices on the skylarks will go right up as more and more people will do a clone so they can take it to the drive in and race it on the weekends and just have a blast in it and not worry about a 100k car getting messed up


on the same note what do you guys think a basic skylark would cost to make it a nice GSX recreation (Mark you would have a idea better than most I would like to know what you think)

 

Cloning...

What he said!

Basic Skylark, Skylark Custom, GS or GSX or drive a Clone....
Every time I fire it up, I get a grin from ear to ear and
then proceed to lay 2-3 ft of "rubber" to remind myself I am the
proud owner of classic Buick V8.....never forgetting the GSX
ran a 13.3 off the "show room floor". p

Gotta Love It!

 

Ryan

Are you asking assuming all the work was farmed out?

The changes from a 350 or a six shooter to a GS 455 X are rather long once you list them all. Some changes are just based on the change to a GS equipped car. Big ticket items

Engine
trans
rear end
hood
air cleaner
cross member
supension
paint scheme
some interior
steering wheel
perhaps wheels and tires
Usually disc brakes
shocks
spoiler front
spoiler rear
emblems and decals
grille
nose moulding
rocker molding ( at least paint)
trunk torsion bar?
rag joint
hood tach


if stage one also

carb
distrib.
fuel pump
pick up tube
valve covers
heads

LABOR


If you farmed the job out I am guessing 20k-35K to do a conversion not counting the cost of the car converted.

 

Yes, take all the nice, original, unaltered, plain-Jane base Skylarks/Skylark Customs and clone them all into either GS's or X's and I'll keep mine as is.
With any luck I'll get to make an even trade, mine for a nice, original, unaltered plain-Jane 41 Willys Coupe. :grin:

 

Jim
I agree 100% with what you have said regarding prices to "re-create". (I've been agreeing with you too much lately! :beer ) It is very expensive to do a 1970. Because of this expense, I've decided to do a 1971 or 1972. For those years to be "correct" most of the expense you mention in your post is unnecessary because as you know the GSX became an option for those years available on any GS. That option included stripes and rear spoiler only as I recall. The bottom line is that I can have a clone 71 or 72 for the price of stripes, decals and a rear spoiler. And frankly, that's all I want. I've got my 70 Stage 4 speed for the "purists".
This is just my .02...or maybe .04. :laugh: In any event, I'm really enjoying this discussion, since I'm considering do a clone, recreation, or whatever....
Cheers
Harvey

 

Real or clone or recreation $$$$$

Good Grief Guys I have seen perfect GSX clones were the guy had only 15.000 in them at the most everything matched except the cowl tag and drove the car all summer and won at small and big car shows and I'm talking first place, then you have guys buying the originals for 125.000 and not driving them except once or twice a year if there lucky and affraid to have anybody near them so whats more fun original or recreation and whats cheaper just make sure you do it right and research your car to the Max, Gary GSXMOZ,s was a very nice 71 Black and Gold GSX only needed minor things like he said in a weekend could have done, if he wouldn't have traded it I would have bought it no problem, every other site Chevy, Pont, Mopar, Olds, are cloning alot because the every day ordinary guy can't afford the nice originals but we sure can make them faster and better looking go for it. :TU:

 

I know it would take a whole lot less than that to buy my restored (non numbers matching but correct) 70 LS-5 / M-22 coupe. It's a Canadian built car with the GM of Canada documentation.

 

Of course it would take less than that Tim, its Canadian. :laugh: Must be the exchange rate factor. :Comp:

 

You can pick up decent GSX clones at any of the major collector car auctions that circle the country . They start at 15k and unless your eyeballing the cowl tag most will not know and sadly noone really cares. Ive seen cars pass the block as real GSX STG1 cars that wernt even GS's. Most of the fools ou: I mean folks in the stands havnt a clue how to tell the differance ..they just go by what the auctioneer is saying. Theres a slew of dealers that know this and are regular sellers at the auctions.They buy up skylarks,tempests,sattelites etc and turn them into GS's ,GTO's GTX's etc..and they all cross the block advertised as real cars. I personally know the buyer of the only 71 GSX convertible in the counrty ..only paid $15,000 for the car 2 years ago ...he really thinks its worth about $50,000 now ou:

 

Chris, my car was originally sherwood green, with a black vinyl top and a saddle interior...(ick!) before its long frame off resto as a GSX. Ive thought about returning it to its original form someday as a stage-1 GS but not in that color trim! Besides i love the saturn yellow and black stripes but i dont want to pay over $100k to get the "real" thing! :3gears: :beer

 

Harvey, i think it is probably worth more to most folk in its original state, but for someone like myself, and im sure alot of others who cant afford a real stage-1 4 speed GSX it has great value there as well. If its done right and its a true stage car its gonna be worth good money regardless. The only difference between my car and a true GSX is the QQ paint code...is that really worth more than $100k to most folks? To some yes, but frankly ill spend the money i save on more buicks. :beer

 

I saw those

I saw 2 GSX convertibles about 1 year ago at the Volo car museum. But they did not try to pass the off as real. But i do think one was a real GS 455 the other as i remember was GS 350 with a 455 in it. They were sweet wish Buick had built a few.

 

Ray
Your Clone GSX is very nice however,by making it look like an X you have devalued a very valuable GS stage 1 4 speed car by putting it into the clone world.
Your car would be awesome in it's original colour combination and would be worth more than it appears today.
Clones are clones they are only worth the parts and workmanship they have recieved...nothing more.
A real car has a PEDIGREE and is worth large $$$ because of it's exclusive non duplicatable pedigeed uniqueness.
Ray I hope some day your car will be Sherwood green again...very nice.

 

Very doubtful that i would ever do that Rich, but your entitled to your opinion! Like i said... to SOME people that cant afford a real GSX stage-1 4 speed this is the next best thing...to me and im sure many others, and as far as devalueing it, only to those who want a completely correct stage-1 GS. I wanted a real stage-1 4 speed GSX, and i almost have that so im not really worried about how much more it would be worth as a green car, like ive said ive been offered alot of $$$ just the way it is and its not going anywhere. I get alot more enjoyment and excited looks from people the way the car has been restored as a saturn yellow X and frankly thats all that matters to me. Although the thoughts of redoing it as an all black with white interiour stage-1 has been floating around my head very strongly! :beer

 

Moz, i remember seeing your 71 clone for sale not that long ago...wish i had the money then, I LOVE that color combo. Now that i have a little more $$$ to spend,... who bought it and can they be bribed into reselling it to me?
:grin: :grin: :grin:

 

Gary traded the car to RANDY PECK for his red 70 GS convertible, I think Randy still has the 71?

 

A non-properly restored Clone might be worth $15k, but if you take into consideration like what I am doing with my skylark I started with really low mileage Skylark that had buckets, rallye wheel, upgraded interior w/woodgrain, center console. I wanted to make this interior a highly optioned one so I got a 24hr clock, 4 speed spedometer, both the shorty console, and the consolette, AM/FM radio, and the GSX dash emblem. This alone cost me at least around $2k itslef with the parts not being restored. This does not include the 4 speed converstion I am going to. Which will cost at least another $2,500 once together. Now if you include all of the other options such as the ram air hood, hood tach, front and rear spoilers, GSX emblems, GSX striping, GSX trunk springs, and BBB stage 1 motor then you are going to see that price increase dramtically. And that is just a drop in the barrel. If you think about the cost of all the parts and the cost of restoring the car back to a Recreation then you talking well over $15K. Paint alone is going to cost at least $5k for me, having it done professionally. So we can see just like anyone else who is cloning, that it takes a lot of money #'s matching or not. If someone wants to bend down and take a look at my cowl tag I would have no problem at all, but I guarentee you that if they did not look at it when my car is finished there would be no other way to tell that it's not the real deal. I am trying to get my clone done into a pretty well optioned one, it takes that much more money to track down the parts and being able to buy them, but it's worth it. When I am done of course I will most likely have more into the car then what I can turn around and sell it for, but then again if I wanted to make money it would not be on a clone but a #'s matching GS or GSX. We all know that, but it is all in the eyes of the beholder, I can tell you I don't think I would ever sell my car, but if someone flashed the right amount of money in front of my nose I might tell you differently. But until then we can all only bring these cars back to a driveable and showable condition. I wish anyone who is doing either a clone or the real deal the best of luck, I know the cost factors are high, but it's worth it in the end. At least in my opinion.

 

Randy still has the car and has done quite a bit to it, to say that is near perfect is an understatement. I think he almost put it up for sale this summer but thank God came to his senses.

 

Gsx

Ray i still have the car and can be bribed with your stage 1 how about an even trade :laugh:. Everything is done i still have the a/c compressor to install and lines then its all done i turned out awesome also i put in a new motor last summer built by Dan Hopkins he builds awesome motors. I would post some current pics but the car is in storage at Dan's place otherwise i would i will post some when it comes out of storage.

Chris thank you for the compliment its always nice to get them if i dont talk to you i hope you and your family have a safe and happy holiday.

 

Im tempted Randy, but my Stage-1 4 speed aint going anywhere!!! :beer How bout a real clean 87 GN that will turn 11s and get 22MPH? I think im probably a few dollars short of what youd like to get for the car anyways. Isnt that always the problem? id own a fleet if i could..im stuck around $15k at the moment to spend. I got 2 nice ones but a third would be reall nice. :3gears: