70ApolloStaged
01-20-2009, 10:56 AM
Reason for the exclamation title: I thought I had lost my photos of my Stage1. I have a bunch and several people have asked for pics of it but I couldn't find them. I was a little worried since I am, and forever will be linked, to this vehicle. It is not for sale(I still own it) and never will be as long as I breathe.(already told the wife, if it came to it I'd let the house go and live in this car. lol)Buuuuttt, the photos I have are the only photos of it before I parked it 10 years ago, shortly after my wedding, to do a complete restoration back to "stock" configuration.
I bought this car in 1987 and spent every dollar I had as a 20 year old for the next 3 years on it to return it to it's former glory as it had fallen on very hard times when I bought it. I replaced everything from the control arm bushings upwards. Racebuicks did the bodywork and paint on it in his 2 car garage it was so long ago. A fine job he did too. My original goal was a warmed up stocker that could hit the cruise nights and car shows. Well, that lasted a very short time since the fresh Stage motor that Ruge automotive built for the car ran pretty darn strong. Being a racer first and foremost I just couldn't sit in a lawn chair and have people tell me how cool my car was all day. I wanted to run it to prove that a Buick was to be respected.
Over the next 9 years I upgraded the car time and time again but would never cut a hole in it or remove any factory power equipment and desired to leave the driveline oem style. The cars first pass ever down a strip was with an old JB300 cam, stock intake, KB headers and factory 3.42 gears. ET was 13.41@105 on a set of 275-60-15 Firestone radials. I was geeking out since that was very similar to the times on the "50 fastest" list of the day. Yes I had headers and a small cam but I didn't care since most times published in magazines are best ever type deals and my nearly stock car had just run numbers my Chevy friends said couldn't be done with a boat anchor Buick. lol
Final best ever for the car was an 11.04@126 on a 125 shot of spray form second gear to the 1200 foot mark where I lifted and held 6000rpm the other 120 feet since the 3.90 gears had me uncomfortably close to overevving the engine. The same longblock that ran the 13.41 years ago was still in the car with freshenings, and just about every external component upgraded. Same rearend and trans too. I was a proud GS dad but disappointed also since I know on a better track a 10 second ET was in the bag. Alas, I knew I was taking her down for resto and my wedding the next weekend was gonna be the final drive for the car, so I never got my 10 second ET in it. I did however get told to not come back without a rollbar since the track was so bad that day I was sliding all over on spray. My friend at the start line said he could see both door handles at one time or another as I went down the track. Maybe that's what spooked the tech guys. lol
Anywho, here's a couple shots in front of the church where I got married June 26th 1999. This car is part of my family as my son left the hospital when he was born in 1992 in it. I took my future wife on our first real date in it(she's a car girl) and there was no way I was leaving my wedding in the backseat of a limo.
I will post more pics I found of Racebuicks doing the bodywork and replacing panels, as well as some shots when she was still more stock than race.
http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s177/mrstage1/scan0004.jpg
http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s177/mrstage1/scan0003.jpg
I bought this car in 1987 and spent every dollar I had as a 20 year old for the next 3 years on it to return it to it's former glory as it had fallen on very hard times when I bought it. I replaced everything from the control arm bushings upwards. Racebuicks did the bodywork and paint on it in his 2 car garage it was so long ago. A fine job he did too. My original goal was a warmed up stocker that could hit the cruise nights and car shows. Well, that lasted a very short time since the fresh Stage motor that Ruge automotive built for the car ran pretty darn strong. Being a racer first and foremost I just couldn't sit in a lawn chair and have people tell me how cool my car was all day. I wanted to run it to prove that a Buick was to be respected.
Over the next 9 years I upgraded the car time and time again but would never cut a hole in it or remove any factory power equipment and desired to leave the driveline oem style. The cars first pass ever down a strip was with an old JB300 cam, stock intake, KB headers and factory 3.42 gears. ET was 13.41@105 on a set of 275-60-15 Firestone radials. I was geeking out since that was very similar to the times on the "50 fastest" list of the day. Yes I had headers and a small cam but I didn't care since most times published in magazines are best ever type deals and my nearly stock car had just run numbers my Chevy friends said couldn't be done with a boat anchor Buick. lol
Final best ever for the car was an 11.04@126 on a 125 shot of spray form second gear to the 1200 foot mark where I lifted and held 6000rpm the other 120 feet since the 3.90 gears had me uncomfortably close to overevving the engine. The same longblock that ran the 13.41 years ago was still in the car with freshenings, and just about every external component upgraded. Same rearend and trans too. I was a proud GS dad but disappointed also since I know on a better track a 10 second ET was in the bag. Alas, I knew I was taking her down for resto and my wedding the next weekend was gonna be the final drive for the car, so I never got my 10 second ET in it. I did however get told to not come back without a rollbar since the track was so bad that day I was sliding all over on spray. My friend at the start line said he could see both door handles at one time or another as I went down the track. Maybe that's what spooked the tech guys. lol
Anywho, here's a couple shots in front of the church where I got married June 26th 1999. This car is part of my family as my son left the hospital when he was born in 1992 in it. I took my future wife on our first real date in it(she's a car girl) and there was no way I was leaving my wedding in the backseat of a limo.
I will post more pics I found of Racebuicks doing the bodywork and replacing panels, as well as some shots when she was still more stock than race.
http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s177/mrstage1/scan0004.jpg
http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s177/mrstage1/scan0003.jpg