Have been working on the 70 GS455 for the past year or so trying to get it road ready and reliable again. Had a timing cover oil leak as a result of sloppiness when I forgot to put the oil slinger on and had to remove cover after about 30 minutes from RTV setting up! Didn't replace the gaskets and took a chance on applying more RTV and buttoning it up! Had a feeling that this might come back to bite me on the rear! Anyway... I decided that I didn't want to fool with the regasket procedure again and arranged for a local trustworthy shop to do the repairs. I strike out with the car on the 8 mile drive from home to shop this morning. Car seemed to run rich like the choke was sticking and I couldn't get it to come down from that idle. It was 38 degrees here this morning. I get on I-75 and head north- car starts missing terribly and is backfiring as I enter Macon. Now I'm realizing that she's going to die soon and I coast off the interstate. Walk a ways to a convenience store where I call for a tow (reimbursable through insurance). Back to car and tow truck arives shortly after I get back to the car. Smooth sailing on tow to shop. Here's the part that really makes me mad! :af: After unloading car, a young male adult who looks like a Jeff Gordon clone comes over to the car. I'm inside giving specifics to the shop workers. The tow driver and a senior mechanic were at the car with this young guy who they thought as I, that he was coming over to admire the car. He looks under the hood and remarks, "problem is that it has a Buick motor in it, he really needs to put a Chevy motor in it" I'm am so glad that I wasn't by him when he said that as I don't think my remarks would have been nice!:af: The senior mechanic was ticked by his statement and said "I've been working on cars for over 40 years and it doesn't matter what engine they have, they're all going to break and need repair eventually." I wanted to find that young Jeff Gordon look a like and tell him that I had something for his Chevy at home with my modified 87 Turbo Regal. Some people are just plain stupid and ignorant!! Hope the shop can get my GS straightened out today. Maybe when they do, I'll lay a nice patch in front of young Jeff Gordon's place of employment! :shock: That's how my morning started...... hope your's has been better!
Sorry to hear that Evans, I hope they get it all figured out for ya. Then you can show that little chevy punk what he's talking about. Can stand people like that....
Ignorance is bliss. I work in the service dept at a Chrysler Dealer. The techs rib me and my Buick and swear by Chryslers even though they work on busted up P.O.S' Chryslers all day! DUH! GAWD some of those DaimlerChryco's are junk! Todd
Hey Todd, I hear Ya LOUD & CLEAR on THAT !!! Chryslers are J-U-N-K ! Straight from the factory.........why else would they offer a 7/70 warranty ? Ya don't see GM or Ford doin' it. You might remind the "Dodge Boys" that the "B" (413,426,440) motor Chrysler has SOO much in common with the 400-430-455 Buick..........Kenne-Bell has sold intake manifold adapter plates, so that early Buick racers could use 440 intakes.........also handy for jet boat owners who needed to use a tunnel ram. Let's see what else....shaft mounted rocker arms, oil pump & distributer in the front cover, wedge head,etc.. Also, the new aftermarket Buick block will use a 440 crank. To Me, Chrysler is no better off than they were in the musclecar days......sure they have great looking bodies, but their engineering is SOO bass-akwards and CHEEZEE from the rest of the world that is right. I mean....look at the "B" body Mopars.....17-18 feet long, UNI-BODY, then HEY ! we'll stick a 440 6-pack, or a HEMIROID, i.e boat anchor....built for maintain'g speed at a nascar track, but not worth a damn in a door slammer at the dragstrip......even the 426 Max Wedge kicked its ass from the factory ! ...this excludes funny car motors.....which are not "real world" for us. THEN, after they bolt a pair of slicks on their 426 Hemi Road Runner.........they can't figure out why the doors won't close ? Can You say "chassis flex" ? They're total CHEESE ! You can also remind the "Dodge Boys" that when Muscle Car Review had the big dragstrip shoot-outs, that the 426 Hemi cars and the 455 Stage 1 cars were the last standing.........and that the Buick 455 Stage 1 KICKED.......more times than not ! Also, remind them that the GS Stage 1 455 was the fastest 4 passenger ( AC Cobra's were 2-seaters with 427 muscle & there were Gransport Corvettes that were similiar ) musclecar sold in America in 1970, the last good year of the musclecar era. Btw....where do You work ? I'd LOVE to come down there to set those "boys" straight. Jeff :jd: p.s. Then there's their "gear reduction starter".........WHY ? Everyone else runs their starter direct drive, right off the armature...........another "ABORTION" by Chrysler !
Evans, Sorry to hear about this! Everyone needs to know that I am the one responsible for getting you that carb a few years back... It sounds like its time has come and gone... I certainly would take the Regal over to the shop where the GS rests, and do a posi burnout for Jeff Gordon. This would be his reaction to a "Buick" motor causing all of this mayhem::jd: Let me know how it turns out. Love that Harvest Gold GS.... Russ Waters
Thanks for the kind words about my car Russ! That 72 800cfm QJet I bought from you is getting rebuilt as we speak. I had it built last year by a circle track Chevy (there's that word again..) racer but it didn't really seem right once bolted on. Mechanic told me what happened with the misfiring and stranding- said that upper rad hose (AZ Goodyear 107) I put on was binding under engine torque on distributor messing with the cap and firing. As a result, it pretty much messed up both my dist cap and rotor which had to be replaced. That's another reason to stay away from that particular hose. There is another thread on this site about upper 455 rad hoses that you can read all about. Car should be ready to go this afternoon. Looking forward to driving it again. An oh yeah... this morning we had to drop off upper rad hose and 455 divorced chokes by the shop where the GS is and saw young Jeff Gordon again. He works at a discount tire warehouse (used tires) probably making $6.00 per hour if he's lucky. If he comes over when I leave with the GS, I'm planning to confront him about his comments made yesterday morning trashing my car and specifically asking him what he drives on his salary. I still haven't ruled out a major, massive burnout but this shop is downtown in a heavily patroled area.
Good for you and the GS!!! I hope to ride in it soon. As far as the burnouts, I think the local police would understand the situation after they heard Jeff's comments... To "jeff" :moonu: Russ Waters 1970 Skylark Convertible 455
Greg: WOW! You are right- that guy does have me beat for having a worse day. I must remember to give thanks and remember that it can always be worse!
