Destroying 1973 GS stage1 4-speed for parts

I would find a donor and bring it back to a pretty nice driver.

 

I put the car in a small one car garage two nights ago, and here's some pictures we took.

 

Did you figure out what died inside it?

 

Here are More Pictures and' Warning,' some of these photos show pure neglect from the previous owners.

 

I'm not sure about any critters dead in the interior, but there's a lot of mouse turds everywhere!

 

Here are some photos of my white 1974 455 powered Regal that's stored at the same location. I'd thought folks not familiar with the 73-74 cars might get a kick out of seeing what the difference between the two years looks like in a side by side comparison. Larry.

 

Very cool!

 

Larry good for you for having the heart saving that car. It's rough. I mean 80 grit. And I love 73's. Good luck with the quest. Is the other 73 in the same condition?

 

Nice to see these poor cars are finally in good hands after 48 years. Labors of love for sure.

 

Worse. Glad to see you have it secured. Saved me from picking it up. It is a genuine 73 Stage 1 4 speed. 1 of 92. Hope to see it back on the road some day.

 

So what’s the plan for the car?

 

Here's my short-term plan, 1. get it running, sort out the mechanicals and make it roadworthy again. 2. Spray down all rusty areas with metal prep or ??? {Any Ideas Please} I'll have to buy it by the barrel. then gut the interior and clean and sterilize so it will be safe to drive again. I'm going to tag and insure and use it as a beater ride while I gather up parts for a proper restoration. I'm on a quest to find a decent 73-74 Century coupe with hopefully a good white interior for parts. The other 73 GS car is pretty rough and I am going to go get it next week, it's got a 455 in it and has some nice newer wide tires on it that I can use. Larry.

 

Way to go Larry, thank you for saving these 1973 Gran Sport's.

 

Honestly I wouldn’t spend too much time or money on the panels that are rusty. I would remove the really rusty material and leave the rest alone. It’s not like it’s gonna get much worse, drive it. I agree I would gut the interior.

 

How about this one?

https://www.cardealfinder.com/autos/buick/1973-buick-century-luxus-49147.html

 

Thanks Max Damage, but that looks to nice to cut up for body parts, I'm hoping to find a dry rust-free car/roller/shell in the southwest if possible {that usually means no good interior pieces}. I'm thinking if I can find a nice dry bodyshell and then cut along the factory body seam on the floor either under the rear seat area or behind the bucket seat area then cut at the top of the wind-shield post factory seams then literally fuse a clean back-half Century body to the 4-spd,VIN numbered Stage I front half? I don't know, maybe this is not the best way of doing this repair, but when you think about it, cutting good 1/4 panels and inner wheel wells on both sides out of a donor car, then cutting them out of the Stage car and prep to install would be a heck of a lot of work also. Any thoughts on this idea? Larry.

 

Good luck finding decent parts for them. 4 of the toughest items to get are the 1/4 window trim,4 speed boot,rubbers on the bumpers and good door panels.. That is the reason I parted ways with my 73 GS after 25 years..You are just going to have to find a nice Century and cut it up to save you a ton of headaches..

 

Thanks Pat, I'm good on the 4-speed boot, and the door panels look savable, plus the rear bumper rubber on the blue {parts car} looks decent. The sheet metal and white plastic interior parts will be the challenge. Larry.

 

I think you would be time and money ahead to buy the car Max Damage posted. It even has a white bucket interior.

 

I agree although the ad said "inactive or expired" but if not that than one of that caliber (seemed like a pretty good deal). Unfortunately at this point some cars have to die & be donors so other (rarer) ones can live.