Hi everybody since about 2 years it`s been building up inside of me and I don`t want to ignore it anymore. As an owner of a 1971 GS it`s hard to realize, but it`s the truth: I like colonnade muscle...GS and 442, but also the GTO, not so much Chevy Was just looking at a quite worn specimen yesterday, must have been a very nice car in it`s heyday but rough right now (I`ll add some pics). Guy wants 7k, but a lot of the metal needs tlc...the interior is shot, the preowner painted it, some weird green accents too...console too. Roof has a dang, back window out (sellers states that a pole, driven by a storm, dropped on the car`s roof), repainted in a blackih green, was Jade originally Original 455, the auto transmission still has a tag riveted to its body, engine seems never messed with. I think, even if I`d get him down 2k, it`s still not worth investing, all the usual suspects seem rusty, nice bondo work, less metal. So back to my original quesition: Do the colonnades use the same interior panels, interchangeability? Are they available als NOS or , more cost efficient, repros. How about quarter panels, didn`t find anything, patches from donour-cars, self made...??? Considering all that and weighting it against the price of a nice preserved model, they are, from a realsitic point of viw, not preservable at reasonable costs, right? Jens
I may be mistaken, but, I don't think a lot of restoration parts are available for that car. Your location makes it more tough to find potential donors. If the car runs and drives and you like it and it can be had for a reasonable price then go for it. It seems like one that could be made quite presentable with some TLC. BBB makes it cool, too.
There is very little aftermarket support for the 1973-77 A bodies. There is some interchangeability between them but there are more things that don't interchange, especially between different makes. I found a surprising fact about the 73-77 A bodies. All the doors are the same regardless of make or year. They just use different skins.
Hey 1973GS, you mean like the basic (inner) structure of the door. Skin means "outer " skin in that case, right?
I don't know what to tell you, but some people can sure f....up a car. I had mine since 1976, 3 years old, and I had to fix rust problems back then. I could imagine one being stored outside would be like. I have had to buy full cars to preserve and keep spare parts for mine. If you can do the paint & body work, that would be a tremendous help financially. The rest of the restoration is easier to digest. I do have a bunch of small stuff for a 73 that I will be selling at the nationals come May, but no sheet metal like you need. Fernando
Yes, that`s my thought also, paint and bodywork would be immense on the car, and though you might get it for 5k, if you don`t have the time and/or skills, you`ll be deep into the resto of a colonnade that might eat up double the worth.... last year I was close to buying a quite pristine `74 GS Sun Coupe, low mile original car.... Inner door panels specific to the cars, right? No chance going for Chevy panels e.g(they might be a little more common??)? Jens
I would think long and hard before embarking on that project. I think you will have substantially more money invested in it then you would in a 70-72, and will end up with a car that is worth less then the earlier models.
I’m surprised you passed on that silver 74. I remember you mentioning it when I had mine listed. I came to my senses and kept mine. Find one in good condition you can enjoy from day one and don’t hesitate to pay up for what you want or you will never be satisfied. The only body parts available are from donor cars. They do make reproduction floor pans, interior trim pieces are difficult to find but many interchange from other 73-77 a bodies. If you are on a budget find a clean century or regal 350 car and transplant a big block. That jade green is a beautiful color, and 99 percent of restorers have more money in their cars than they are worth.
I had 76 Cutlass S 442, before i changed due to family reasons to current Electra ( not enough space on Cutlass). Mechanical parts were available well ( suspension, brakes, etc..), but interior/ exterior parts were mostly out of lucking while searching Ebay, or some member answering and willing to ship worldwide. But i have fond memories of it, it was good to drive, and i really liked it. Looked good to my eyes aswell. Only thing i hated, BADLY, was swivel buckets. Oh boy, my back started to hurt just for seeing them.
@Hey 73Stage2 I still carry pics of your car around in my mobile and show it to people, show them how that bumper mod transforms it, for me, into one hell of an underrated supercar....stylish, mature, would be a way to go for me too. A good thing you kept it Story behind not getting the silver-gold one was that I couldn`t sell mine for a reasonable price in time and wasn`t interested in selling it way under it`s worth...and a little too much emotional connection for sure Still, I have the lead on that car, I know where it is and I`ll definitly will be looking for it in the future. Yes, I think it will be too much investment for a car that won`t satisfiy me in the end, it`s too worn...If I had access to parts, I could imagine embarking on such a journey, but no junkyards full of old cars around here, or garages and storages full of spare parts, even though this exists too... Thanks for your thoughts on that subject J
