I just purchsed a 70 GS 455 with manual 4-speed and was hoping someone here could help me decode the cowl tag. The vin is 446370H207501 and the cowl tag reads: ST70 44637FL1 136895 bdy TR 189 58 F PNT 12C Any help greatly appreciated!
Okie, Did you buy the car at the Leake auction in Tulsa this weekend? I think it was the car I saw there. Bob
ST70 - body style 1970 44637 - Buick(4) GS455(46) 2-door coupe(37) 136895 BDY - Fisher body # - no relation to VIN TR 189 - Trim code - Burnished saddle buckets (189) 58 F PNT - Paint code - Burnished saddle (58) with a dark brown vinyl top (F) 12C - Fisher completed assembly 3rd week (C) December (12) 1969. HTH PS - welcome to the board :TU:
Bob, yes I bought it at the auction in Tulsa last weekend. I knew it wasn't "correct" and I probably overpaid for it, but I loved it for the way it looked and for the manual 4 speed and 455. I took it for a trip today and it runs strong, shifts easy, and is very fast! I'm female and the easy shifing is a big plus for me. Overall, I am very happy with it. There are a few things I will want to fix - it has a small oil leak, the AC, horn, and radio don't work and I need to check to make sure the temp indicators are working. According to the decoding that Marco made (Thanks Marco!) I guess all the colors are wrong. You probably remember that it is blue with white interior and white vinyl top. I don't see any traces of brown anywhere. Oh well, I doubt I would have bought it if it had been brown. I don't know a lot about Buicks so if you noticed anything about it when you looked at it at the auction that you think I might need to know, I would be very happy to hear from you.
If the small leak is from the front seal on the timing cover or the rear main, the job to fix it is not small. If it is the rear get the new type rubber seal from TA. Do NOT use the original type rope seal or you will be doing it again soon.
Ohhhh, I don't like hearing that! But thanks for the info. If I find I need the dreaded "rubber seal" I'll be sure to order from TA.
It could be as simple as a valve cover gasket or an oil pan gasket that requires only a retorquing of the bolts. You really need to take a close look to determine the source(s).
My convert was leaking oil from the fuel pump mount when I bought it two years ago, turns out one of the bolt holes in the timing cover was stripped:spank: When you look for the source of the leak, have the car good and hot from driving, put it on ramps or a hoist, then crawl under the car w/ plenty of light and look for the source of the drip (from the ground up helps) Many oil leaks, like mine and the front/rear seals Jim described only take place when the engine is running and for a very short time after, making them hard to find on a cold engine.......... Good luck, and enjoy that fantastic, rare classic!!! :TU: :grin: :3gears:
Blue 70 GS Hello. I am looking at a blue 70 GS at a dealership in TX. They didn't have any history on the car and have been trying to find something on the internet. I typed the VIN into google and came up with your postings from back in 2004. Not sure if you will get this but am very intersted in anything you can tell me about the car if you do. It sounds like it was blue with white interior when you got it and the pictures I have seen are the same. Thanks in advance.
Tony, Looks like it sold for $17k in June of 2004 at the above noted auction, if that helps. http://www.leakecarauction.com/line_listing.asp?PastAuction=TULSA04
Interesting - don't you love Goggle! Assuming its the same car, you should try to contact Okie above, just click on the "Okie" and you will get access to her info. - Bill
