Our "new" Flame Orange '72 Stage 1 convertible - Zone Office car

Discussion in 'Members Rides' started by BUQUICK, Dec 31, 2010.

  1. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.

    Earlier this month we purchased this Flame Orange '72 Stage 1 convertible from my friend Shad (he's also a member of V8Buick.com). He's owned the car for over 5 years and knew I really liked the car, so when he decided to sell, he called me first. I was thrilled! We were not in the market for another car, but just couldn't pass up an opportunity to buy a real '72 Stage 1 copnvertible. It's 1 of 81 built.

    Anyhow, this car was built on the first day of production and therefore has an ultra low VIN (#00048). It has been verified as the 2nd Stage 1 convertible built for '72, and the 3rd Stage 1 overall (the first '72 Stage 1 was a hardtop). This car is one of the 25 identical Flame Orange Stage 1 converts built by Buick during the first week of production, which they sent to 25 different Buick Zone Offices around the US. (For more info about the Zone office cars, check out this thread: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=219786 )

    This car has 117k miles but has all matching numbers: original block, heads, intake, stage 1 carb and distributor, original BB trans, original 3.42 posi rearend. The only items that appear to have been replaced are the master cylinder and the radiator. The smog pump has been removed but we plan to put one back on so that it looks complete under the hood. The car is very solid and will be a very easy restoration when it finally gets its turn someday. In the meantime we are planning to just drive it. we'll probably drive it to the GS Nats in 2011 and also make a pass down the track to see what a truely stock '72 Stage 1 convert will run after 117k miles.

    The custom wheels pictured were not included as part of the sale, but the car came with the original 15x7s which we have put back on the car now. I'll put some updated photos up as soon as we get some new rubber on them.

    The car was originally invoiced to the Buick Zone Office (18-001) in Atlanta, GA in August of '71. A month later in late September of '71, the the car was re-invoiced to Byrn Motor Co in Murfreesboro, TN (18-419) where is was finally sold to an individual. The Stage 1 registry alreadly has 3 of the 25 Zone Office cars registered, so this car will be the 4th one. There are probably more out there that just aren't registered yet.

    Here are the factory install options: Stage 1 performance option, turbo hydra-matic 400 transmission, power disc brakes, power steering-fast variable ratio, Sonomatic radio, stereo tape player, rear speaker, through bumper exhaust extensions, super wide oval group (G60-15 tires with 15x7 chrome road wheels), air conditioner, color coordinated custom front & rear seat belts, soft-ray tinted windshield, front and rear bumper guards, bumper strips front & rear, outside rear view sport mirrors, title steering column, convenience group (lighting), instrument gauges with rallye clock, & rallye steering wheel.

    The guy standing on the left in the photo is my friend Shad that was the previoujs owner, the guy on the right is my dad, who I convinced to buy this car. I didn't have to twist his arm very hard before he agreed to buy the car.
     

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  2. V8Sky

    V8Sky "Scarlett"

    Nice buy Gary!
     
  3. dl7265

    dl7265 No car then Mopar

    Congrats Gary! Very cool. Time to wrap up the GTO now :Brow:
     
  4. GoldBoattail455

    GoldBoattail455 462 -> TH400 -> Posi

  5. staged70

    staged70 RIP

    Just wow. 25 identical Stage 1 convertibles how many were built like 81 or something total?
     
  6. gsfred

    gsfred Founders Club Member

    There's a 72 orange, white top, white interior that is advertised as a stage1 in my area. Asking price is 70k. Could be one of the 25.
     
  7. Postsedan

    Postsedan 13427 L78

    I`m very happy to see this car in the Steele family. I believe this car will receive the ultimate restoraton in time.
     
  8. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.

    I had V8Buick board member, Mike Trommetter (user name Mike Trom), make a reproduction window sticker for this car based on the Sloan Docs. Car cost $5,548.67 A scan is attached.

    If you need a window sticker for your Buick, Mike does an excellent job!
     

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  9. 1 bad gs

    1 bad gs Well-Known Member

    congrats on your stage1. why is the hood blacked out?
     
  10. buickfan

    buickfan Silver Level contributor

    Great car in the best buck color!
     
  11. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.


    The black hood
    : two owners back, there was an angry girlfriend that took a key and scratched the tops of both fenders and 3/4 of the way down the passenger side (look at the passnger side photo and you can see the long, deep scratch on the fender, door and part of the 1/4 panel). Well she also scratched "F**K You" into the front of the hood. Well, the guy we bought the car from decided to take the car the annual Good Guys show the night before the event, and rather than have the "FU" on the hood, he sprayed the hood flat black. This summer we plan to strip the hood and paint it back orange.
     
  12. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.

    I agree, Flame Orange is a great color. I'm not if you remember, but I think we met at the GS Nats a few years ago, under a tree during the rain.
     
  13. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.

    Here's a short version of how the previous owner found the car. He was in the back yard of his friend's house and could see a car sitting in the back yard of another house with flat tires and grass literally grown up to the door handles. He hopped the fence and went over to see what the car was. He wasn't familiar with Buicks but saw the front license plate that said "1 of 81" He got online and did a little searching and found that the car was a '72 Stage 1 convert, 1 of 81. He also read that the 5th digit of the VIN should be a "V" so he later when back, jumped the fence again and looked through the window and saw the "V" verifying that it was a legit Stage 1 convert!

    He got in contact with the owner of the home, and the woman said it belonged to her son who had inherited the car from his father. She said the son lived in CA and would not be interested in selling the car. Months later he asked the lady again about the car, and she said her son had gotten married, moved back to TN, and might be interested in selling the car. He get in contact with the guy and he said his dad was a Buick enthusiast and had this car and a GN. Anyhow, he said he'd sell the car and they made a deal. The tires were pumped up, installed a hot battery, poured in 4 or 5 quarts of trans fluid, a little fuel in the carb, and the car fired up and was driven away!

    Somehow the new owner, Shad, found out that I liked Buicks and called me to get some info about Buicks. We've been friends ever since. He knew I really liked the car and when he decided to sell the car 5 years later, he called me first. I was really thrilled, but I'm in the middle of a house project so I asked my dad to buy it, which thankfully he did.

    The original wheels with a new set of BFG radials should be on the car soon and I'll post a couple of updated photos.
     
  14. 69SkyInNJ

    69SkyInNJ Resto Neophyte

    Sweet story. Best of luck with that beauty! :TU:
     
  15. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.

    Well the weather finally improved so the car could be rolled outside to snap a couple of photos with the original 15x7 wheels back on it. The tires are P255 BFGs. I've still got to order a correct set of lug nuts from CARS and also dig up 1 old used center cap for my dad. I've got an NOS set of center caps but they would stick out like a sore thumb on this old bomb :) and we want to keep it looking evenly worn.

    Next steps are going to be to stitch up the split in the front seat, get the convertible top working (the motor seems to work but the lines need to be replaced), and fix the last remaining exhaust leak (already fix one). Then the hood will be striped and painted back to orange.

    At that point she'll be ready for some top-down cruising this summer. We're still pumped about getting this car.
     

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  16. staged70

    staged70 RIP

    Gary have you seen the Orange Stage 1 convertible on Then and Now's web site:)
     
  17. Postsedan

    Postsedan 13427 L78

    What a Beauty!
     
  18. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.

    Well it was 40 years ago today that our car was invoiced to the Atlanta Zone Office. It wasn't alone, 21 of the 25 identical Flame Orange Stage 1 convertibles were invoiced on 8/26/71 (one more was invoiced on 8/27/71, two on 8/30/71, and one on 9/1/71).

    I'm working to gather content for a small website dedicated to these 25 Flame Orange GS convertibles, here's the domain name I've chosen: www.stage1zoneofficecars.com
     
  19. GS44667

    GS44667 Worlds First Stage1 Conv

    Gary since you know so much about those cars and their prodution date's and Vin's.Do you happen to know the last 72 Stage1 convertible built Vin?

    who has the last Stage1 conv built for 72?
     
  20. BUQUICK

    BUQUICK I'm your huckleberry.

    I don't have any specific info on the VINs for all the '72 Stage 1 convertibles, but according to the attached info that was compiled by Mark M. (gsxnut on this board), the latest invoice date for the '72 Stage 1 convertibles was 6/29/72.
     

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