I have been a post surfer for a few years and have gotten alot of great information from this website. I am looking for some input from guys who know these Gransports. I have a 1971 Buick GS 350 that I have owned for about 9 years. It was previously owned by my father for many many years (since the late 80's) before he passed away. My cousin owned it prior to that. A full restoration of this car was to be my dad's retirement project, but he did not get the chance. This car was given to me and I have drove it regularly for several years waiting for a time when I could get it restored myself. This car has been in our family since about 1978 and has always been garage kept. I recently decided to get a price on a full restoration of the car. I have received quotes ranging from $35,000 to $40,000 for a complete frame off restoration. The NADA book value for classic cars estimates this would be a $20,000 car is top condition since it is not a GSX model. I love the buick gransports but I am not about to spend twice what a car is worth, when I can take the money and purchase a rarer GSX that is worth what I pay for it. Here is a little info about the car..... 1971 Buick GS 350 Vin Code 434371H------ 2 Door Hardtop Model Desc. 434 on title (not sure what this means, can someone tellme?) Bittersweet Mist Exterior Black Interior - Bucket seats - full console N-25 Exhaust rear bumper All front and rear suspension rebuilt in 2003-2004 Core support rebuilt in 2004 350 engine rebuilt in 2004 - Original except for a stepped up Crower cam 350 turbo transmission - original. Will need rebuilt... Reverse is out Open GM 10 Bolt rearend rebuilt with Eaton Posi and 3.73 gears Black Vinyl Top Estimate 145,000 miles on car, maybe 6,000 miles since 2004 The interior is complete and in very very good condition with exception to the 40+ year old chrome trim parts that have faded, chipped, ect. This is where I started my tinkering with the car. I replaced the carpet, redone all the seats and put an repro tach in the dash opposite the fuel gage. My dad put an old style trio gage set under the dash, above the console for temp, oil pressure, and voltage (he wasn't a fan of an idiot light). The exterior has the typical cancer of a midwest car around the fenderwells, trunk, ect. Other than the faded paint, it actually doesn't look bad for its age. There are several paint bubbles where rust is waiting to come through. These have been there for at least 15 years that I know of. Keeping it in a garage is really the only thing that has preserved the body as much as it is. The people who looked at it for restoration said "it was a very good candidate for a frame off" and "that they would be starting with a very decent car". So what does everyone think? Is this worth considering the investment or just selling for what it is? I will have to get this uncovered and out of the garage to get some pictures. It is definitely not as pretty as most of the cars on this website, but it is definitely not a bucket of rust.
Welcome to the group - what's your name? From your desciption of your Buick it sounds look a good resto candidate. My question would be, is the sentimental value great enough to keep the car, and do you really need a frame off show car - or would you be happy with some body work and new paint so you could drive it to your local car shows, cruise nights, etc... This would be a much cheaper alternative. When you have 10 posts, put up some pics of your Buick.:TU:
Very few Buicks will ever be worth what it costs to do a frame-off resto. Don't do it as an investment or you will be disappointed. Do it for the love of the car, that you have no intention of parting with, and enjoy the car. Do as much work as you can yourself to save some money.
Break out some POR-15, do some rust cleanup/paint touchup, buff it out and enjoy it. :TU: Remember, it's only original once!
We've had ours for 40 years, and haven't done a frame off restoration. Fix yours to suit your needs and wants. Welcome, to the board!
First off, welcome! I'm new here too but there is a ton of info and lots of helpful people. Secondly, I wouldn't put that kind of money into the car. I would do what some of the others suggested, do a little here and there. Make the car a good driver and enjoy cruising in a vintage Buick.
I think I agree and if it isn't worth a frame off then maybe I can look at doing a GSX paint job on it with all the trimmings. It definitely doesn't have to be original. I really don't think changing the color will hurt the value a bit. I don't see the car leaving the family anytime soon anyway. My youngest son has already laid claim to it. But it definitely will need a little body work and paint before the body gets much worse. I will get some pics on here as soon as I get a few more posts.
>>Hi Ryan, Good idea. Make the Buick your own - and that is very cool that your youngest son is interested in the car. Have him help you where he can so he starts to learn the ins and outs of the Buick.:TU:
I restored my 70 Skylark Custom to look like a Saturn Yellow GSX and I will never regret it. It took me years due to rust repair around the rear window and my inexperience with welding and like you, I didn't want to invest a ton of money by hiring someone else to do the work. It was a little ole lady car with 37k miles on it when I bought it in 1998 but needed lots of work to even be a driver. I took it on last years Hot Rod Power Tour and it is pictured from the rear on the Power Tour page of Hot Rod magazine and web site. I could not believe how much attention it got on the tour and car shows I have attended since I finished it. It is not just another 69 Camaro or SS Chevelle, keep it, restore it to look like you want it to look and enjoy it. Bob
If you can do alot of the work yourself, and you are not in a hurry, do it. If not, then just do what you can to keep it road worthy. I'm doing a frame off on a 65 Rivera GS, but am doing most of the work myself, as I too, do not want to spend 100k on a pro frame off restoration. Rob.
So anyone here a have a GSX for 35K? Your car while not really worth doing a 35K restoration is a nice car with a good balance. Do a GSX theme if you want and enjoy it. Pics when you can !
Do most of the work yourself if you have a spot to work. Very few cars are worth the money of having someone else do all the work. I started with little or no idea of what I was doing. If you know somebody that has done this type of work have them give you advice and a hand from time to time. You are ahead of me in knowing about this board before you start your project. V8buick is a great place for people that are new to this type of work because you can almost any question answered here. It's about the jurney not the destination:beers2: :beers2: :beers2:
If its been in the family that long, you have the biggest advantage ever the history report...keep it in the family my experience....fix what you can see and enjoy it!!!but if you want it to stay in the family for another generation or two frame off is the way to go. My car site on seen needed the typical wheel well fixes and some tlc, my complete tear down showed me other wise. :beers2: Post pics
