Questions about 1971-72 GSXs

Discussion in 'The "Paper Trail"' started by rkammer, Sep 26, 2021.

  1. rkammer

    rkammer Gold Level Contributor

    I'm aware that '71 & '72 GS could be ordered with any combination of the GSX options (stripes, front spoiler, hood tach, rear spoiler) but what did/does it take for a GS to be recognized as one of the 724 GSX cars in 1971? Just the stripe/Spoiler option? And, did all of the '71 GSX cars have S.C.O (Special Car Order) on their window stickers? The two '71 GSX original window stickers I've seen do say SCO on them.
     
  2. docgsx

    docgsx It's not a GTX

    Pretty sure it was only 124 GSX’s built in 71. And like 44 in 1972.
     
  3. rkammer

    rkammer Gold Level Contributor

    I'm aware of those numbers but my question deals with which GSX options made a 1971 car a GSX. just the stripe package? If so, a car could be a GSX without the hood tack or the front spoiler or any of the other options that made a 1970 GSX a GSX. And, I'm aware that a 350 car could also be a GSX.
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2021
  4. docgsx

    docgsx It's not a GTX

    One of the 71 GSX cars I bought, Cortez gold 350 in.³ automatic on the column, no hood tack, no front spoiler, had rear spoiler, stripes and dash emblem only. Real deal, original paint.
     
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  5. rkammer

    rkammer Gold Level Contributor

    Did you have the window sticker? Did it have S.C.O. on it?
     
  6. docgsx

    docgsx It's not a GTX

    I think RacenU has it now. Not sure if he could chime in.
     
  7. Dano

    Dano Platinum Level Contributor

    The stripe/rear spoiler/dash plaque was the GSX option (don't recall the order code) for the for the 124 & 44. Some of those 124 & 44 came w/other of what are thought of as "GSX" options (i.e. hood tach, front spoiler). There were other cars that came with those options (rear spoiler only, hood tach, front spoiler) as well but are not counted amongst the 124 & 44 GSX's however according to experts on these cars, many if not all of them that had the rear spoiler option did come with the GSX dash plaque because, if I understand this correctly, Fisher Body wouldn't have known whether the car was getting the stripes or not as they were applied at Buick.
     
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  8. Oldskewl59

    Oldskewl59 Gold Level Contributor

    I have not ever seen where you could order the stripe kit on a GS in 1971. I am pretty sure everything else could be.
     
  9. rkammer

    rkammer Gold Level Contributor

    In 1971 & 72 each item that went into a '70 GSX could be ordered separately in the colors that were available for the GSX option in 1971. These items were considered a special order and could be had with any engine, transmission or interior option. Other items that came on 1970 GSX as standard had to be ordered separately for 1971.

    WA5 GSX ORNAMENTATION INCL. REAR SPOILER, BLACK STRIPE ROCKER PANEL MOLDINGS,
    PAINTED HEADLAMP BEZELS, GSX EMBLEMS & HOOD AND BODY STRIPES - $210.64

    WA6 REAR SPOILER - $73.72 (included if WA5 was ordered)


    WA7 FRONT SPOILER - $26.33

    UB5 HOOD MOUNTED TACHOMETER - $42.13
     
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  10. Duane

    Duane Member

    …or sport mirrors, etc.




    The ordering process for a 71 or 72 GSX was complicated.

    Without going thru my notes I don’t even remember who told me how it was done exactly but there is a dealership bulletin that talks about it.
    (I do know I wrote up a wholesale car order form “facsimile” for my 71 GSX to be used as an example.)

    For 1971,
    A salesman basically took a wholesale car order form, specified the options the car would have, including the interior and exterior colors etc just like for a regular car……

    ….then he would hand write the “GSX” options the car would have on the sheet and turned it in.

    This would require the car to be built at the Flint plant, so beyond the cost of the options additional delivery costs were added for the dealerships that were not part of the Flint Production Plant’s home region.

    Case in point, if a 70-72 car was ordered by a dealership in the Phila area, Framingham Mass was our home plant. Therefore if a car was built at Flint and shipped to the Phila area additional costs were added. This also means if there was a Flint built car in the Phila area, then it basically had to be some type of special order car. Otherwise it would have been built in Framingham.

    For the 72 cars the ordering system was ever worse. There was zero factory info as to how to order one. Therefore the guys that ordered the 71 cars were probably the only ones that knew how to do this for the 72 cars. That is also probably why there were so very few of them.

    There is at least 1 instance where a 72 GSX was ordered by a dealership in Virginia (which also ordered some 71 GSX’s), and had the car shipped to a Canadian dealership. (Probably because that dealership didn’t know how to do it.
    Duane
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2021
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  11. Rich Johns

    Rich Johns Platinum Level Contributor

    To be counted a a GSX in 1971 and 1972 the GS car must be ordered with the WA5 GSX ornamentation package as noted above .
    Additional options like front spoiler, hood tach ,Sport mirrors all had to be ordered and were not part of the GSX ornamentation package.

    Back in the early 1990's when I had my real documented Sunburst yellow 1972 GSX 350 car I found another 72 GSX 350 Fire red with white interior in Alberta.
    Apart from buckets auto floor shift console it was devoid of options, meaning standard chrome mirror on drivers door, no hood tach, no front spoiler, no gauges.
     
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  12. rkammer

    rkammer Gold Level Contributor

    Duane,
    Based on the special order codes and that all other GSX items (that were standard in 1970) had to be ordered separately, does that mean that the unique GSX steering wheel was no longer available for '71 or '72 GSX cars? Was it available over the parts counter maybe?
     
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  13. Oldskewl59

    Oldskewl59 Gold Level Contributor

    So you had to order the WA5 pkg ( I completely forgot about headlight bezels) to get stripes, not separately like for example the rear spoiler. I didn't know all of that. So you could order a WA5 pkg and still not have a GSX? But you have the emblems? NVM..Richard answered that as I was typing.
     
  14. Duane

    Duane Member

    If you ordered a Sport Steering Wheel for a 71 GSX, then you got the thin grip 71 style wheel. The thick grip 70 wheel was a 70 GSX only thing, and yes they did make it into the parts division. I talked about exactly that in a recent thread.

    The standard wheel for a 71 GSX was the 2-spoke “bat wing” wheel. My 71 350 GSX had one.



    Rich,
    I always liked your 72 yellow GSX,
    ………..but some of the 72 GSX’s they built, were well the only thing you could really say about them was they were pretty ugly…..with the 14” rims, white walls, Volcano wheel covers, chrome only driver side mirrors, etc., and some of the color combinations were just horrible.
    Duane
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2021
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  15. Rich Johns

    Rich Johns Platinum Level Contributor

    A 1971 -72 GSX car received the standard no cost bat wing steering wheel ,optional upgrade was deluxe steering wheel ie ( Custom Skylark wheel) and beyond that wheel a thin rim rally steering, no fat rimmed 1970 GSX wheel was ever available or offered in 1971 or 1972 , it was only on a 1970 GSX.
     
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  16. Duane

    Duane Member

    For 1971 thru 1972 the “WA5” option was the GSX package. It was the stripe package. Anything after that is just cream.

    If you wanted a 1971 or 1972 GSX without stripes, then you got a regular GS with the added options, such as front & rear spoilers or a hood tach.

    Some of those cars are out there. (There are (qty 20) 1971 cars with what we call “GSX” options that are not GSX’s) I looked at one, it was a 71 GS 350 4-speed car. The lady that bought it new told the dealership she wanted a GSX without stripes. The salesman didn’t really know how to do it, so he ordered a GS 350 car with a rear spoiler, and then, through the parts department, bought a GSX front grill emblem and the GSX decals. Those parts were still in the trunk as in not installed.

    The lady got what she wanted, but it was still a 71 GS 350 car with a rear wing and not a GSX.

    There were also some 72 GS's that were built the same way. I have a rear spoiler from one.
    Duane
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2021
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  17. Rich Johns

    Rich Johns Platinum Level Contributor

    Yes, I have a 1972 GS 455 that is a factory rear spoiler WA6 rear spoiler ,also had GSX dash pad emblem from the factory but car does not have WA5 GSX ornamentation package, therefore it is not a GSX.
     
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  18. dynaflow

    dynaflow shiftless...

    ...I am resurrecting this thread (sorry, it's the way my mind works) for the following '71-specific question based on the GSX option bulletin 71-7 Nov 20, 1970. Although the options are Flint-only SCO, 2 lines on page 2 are basis for my question. "It should be pointed out that there will not be the usual delay associated with SCO orders. GSX option orders will be produced in the same time duration as any normal sold or stock order." Heretofore, SCOs were offline processes with low body numbers and "SCO" on cowl tags. Those 2 sentences seem to say that's not case for '71 GSX options. Do '71s with any GSX options have either a low body number or SCO on cowl tag?
     
  19. Duane

    Duane Member

    First off,
    Neither of my 71 GSX’s had “SCO” printed on the ID plate on the firewall, but both did have low body numbers. This was also true for the few 71 GS’s I know that came with GSX options.

    I don’t know of any “proven” 71 GSX’s with SCO on the ID tag.

    If you are lucky enough to have a POBF build sheet, the SCO will be printed at the bottom of the sheet, AND will list what the SCO was for.

    At this time, every “proven” 71 GSX that I know of has low body numbers.

    As far as sequencing, it says they would be scheduled the same as the other cars. This was most likely due to the fact that they had the parts required in stock. (For 70, there were problems with part quality issues so I am sure production suffered accordingly.)

    For 72, we already know some of the early cars did not have low body numbers, which would suggest the SCO process was not in place at the time these cars were ordered. Later 72 GSX’s did have low body numbers.
    Duane
     
    Last edited: Mar 12, 2023
  20. dynaflow

    dynaflow shiftless...

    ...thanks Duane. Based on bulletin wording and GSX being downgraded to GS options, not having SCO on tag kinda makes sense. Since options were still SCO thru zone office, I assume low body# remained how they were identified to plants, especially considering UB5, WA5, WA6 required drilling holes and painted parts...
     

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