1970 GS455 Frame off Project - $29k

https://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/d/berlin-1970-buick-gs-455/7243054443.html

1970 Buick GS 455 - $29,000 (Berlin)
image 5 of 16


















© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap
dunham drive near valley drive
(google map)

1970 Buick Gran Sport

condition: like new
cylinders: 8 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 99999
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
type: coupe

For sale here is a 1970 Buick GS 455
This is a numbers matching car. It comes with the Sloane Museum documentation and the original build sheet. It was a special ordered car back in 1969. It is the original Harvest Gold color based on the paint tag. Highly optioned car with TH400 automatic transmission, power steering and brakes, tilt wheel, Factory A/C, power windows, and rear defogger. This car also has an AM/FM stereo with factory 8 track player! As far as I can get this car is 1 of 549 made. It is probably rarer than that because it is a special order car. The 549 comes from 455/auto/gold/1970. When you add posi, power windows, tape player, tilt, it is probably a lot lower in production then 549!
I have been working on this car for years. This has been a frame off restoration and I believe right now I am 95% done. The car is posted here because my wife and I have the opportunity to purchase our dream retirement home so my efforts are needed there and there will be no room for this car. This is a chance for you to finish it off and enjoy it. Here is my description of the car:
Frame:
Every part reused was sandblasted and epoxy primed, then painted chassis satin black. The new parts for the frame assembly are as follows:
Front Suspension – everything new (bearings, bushings, springs, tie rods, ball joints, brakes, rotors, brackets, links, shocks
Rear Suspension – same thing here (bushings, springs, air shocks, etc.) Has the reinforced rear control arms.
Rear end – factory original posi-traction. Posi was not available on the GS unless factory ordered. The build sheet confirms this was special ordered with posi. The rear end was serviced with new bushings and seals. Cleaned and checked for clearances. Has original gears which I believe are 3.43/1 ratio. Has original posi rear end tag.
Drive shaft – rebalanced and has new u-joints
Exhaust – original manifolds with a Gardner performance exhaust. Larger diameter pipes with aggressive sound. These are special made by Gardner in New York and they are factory correct in design with the factory correct muffler hangers and tail pipe hangers. Looks brand new from 1970!
Brakes – all new all around with all new e-brake cables and hardware. Correct Delco Moraine booster with factory correct proportion valve and hold off valve. All factory correct pre-bent lines with spring shields. This car came with drum brakes all around but the front was changed to disc brakes because anyone who has a drum brake car can tell you they do not do a good job stopping the car! The disc conversion was made using all Buick/GM correct parts. Good pedal and stops good.
Transmission – original TH400. This unit was sent for a rebuild. New clutches and seals and gaskets. It even has the correct modulator – not that cheap reproduction one! Lines are all factory correct and new. Lines go as they should to radiator. Torque converter is brand new and is the 2500 stall heavy duty version ( this was put in to be able to withstand the torque of the engine)
Cooling – Radiator sent out to be cleaned and pressure tested. All hoses are new and factory correct. Heater hose has the correct GM logo. Heater value new and has the correct rubber boot. Temp sensor new. Water pump new. New overflow tank.
Steering – power steering box flushed and cleaned. Fluid reservoir flushed and cleaned. All hoses new. Steers smooth with no noise
A/C – housing on the firewall was completely rebuilt and put back to factory specs. Inner radiator sent for a flush and clean and pressure test. Expansion valve is factory correct and original. POA valve was sent to be rebuilt and calibrated for R-12. Vacuum diaphragms were all cleaned and rebuilt as needed. Valve doors cleaned and work as they should. New condenser and evaporator. New muffler insulator. Hoses are all new except for the one going from the POA valve to the compressor. It was pressure checked to be ok. Compressor was sent to Original Air in Florida and rebuilt to factor specs. Both the compressor and the firewall housing have the correct factory stickers. The system has not been charged yet.
Wiring – except for the rear power window lines and the lines going to the drivers door, all wiring is brand new from Lectric Limited. All recreated to factory specs. Wiring is all held in place with the correct clamps and ties. Anything that was missing on the car was put back on the car. The car has the original distributor so it has a voltage regulator that is adjustable. Car puts out 14.2 volts as it should. Alternator in brand new.
Engine – 455ci – original quadrajet was sent to Michigan and rebuilt to factory specs. All floats, needles, seats, etc. are new. G&E racing engines in Wallingford did the rebuild. Block was checked for cracks, honed, cleaned, etc. Heads were opened up so now the flow is even more than the Stage 1 GS. Ports were honed and 5-axis angled. All new valves, seats etc. A more aggressive cam was installed. Heads were fitted with roller rockers for longevity of the system. The intake was changed to an aluminum one with better air flow. Ram air system is complete and factory correct and has the correct GS decals. All vacuum lines are where they should be. TCS control switch is there. The choke lever is a modified one due to the new intake. Dynoed at Carlquist Engines and you get the dyno sheet too! No hesitation at all. Very snappy in it’s performance. The carb is obviously adjusted to today’s high test gas as back in 1970 there was no Methanol in the gas. Remember there are many solenoids and vacuum actuators on the car that are really not necessary and most guys remove them to get more power. You can do this if you wish but I put everything back to original. Also because of the roller rockers, the original valve covers do not fit so I went with a set of T/A Performance tall valve covers with the BUICK logo embossed on them. They look awesome but again if you like the original look instead you can always go back to the stock covers and just get thicker gaskets. They sell them at TA Performance. The distributor is the original and was sent to a guy in Michigan for a complete rebuild. It has a heavy duty timing advance kit in it. All new springs, seals, points, condenser etc.
Body – sand blasted and 100% of the rust removed. This car has the following brand new: Floor, trunk floor, rear quarters, inner rockers, outer rockers, inner rear wheel wells, outer rear wheel wells, trunk drop off panels. All from AMD so they are heavy correct gauge metal. All joints seam sealed. So this car is RUST FREE! All emblems are correct and where they should be. All window trim is there. Rocker moldings are there. Wheel well trim is all there. It has a rust free inner right front fender. These always rot from the battery acid but I found a nice one online to replace it.
Trunk – painted with factory correct spatter blue/aqua. Has original jack. Also has spare cover. Original jack sticker installed and has the trunk mat also in houndstooth.
Audio – AM/FM was sent for complete rebuild and so was the 8 track player. Has the correct 8-ohm speakers front and back. Sounds great.
Dash – new instrument panel. Has original gauges. Defogger switch was replaced and is factory correct. Tilt wheel works fine. All new plastic gauge covers. New radio bezel too. The gauges and warning lights work. Signals and flashers work. Wipers work. Horn works. All new instrument bulbs. This car also has a set of after market gauges painted the dash color. This was done because it is better to get a detailed reading of the cars status especially after spending all that money on the engine rebuild. It comes with the factory temp sensor and oil pressure sender if you want to put it back to original.
Lighting – all lights are correct. Anything that was not original factory was put back to original. Tail lights are brand new. All have new gaskets.
So where am I in the restoration? All that is left is the interior. When I bought the car long ago it had a black interior with bucket seats. This was not correct. The code for the car is #124 which is Sandalwood color with a front bench seat, so I am in the process of returning the car to the original color and appearance. The dash is done. It has already been painted and reassembled. The rear package tray area is also complete. The package tray is installed and fitted with the speaker grill and defogger grill. The headliner is installed and the sail panels are in as well. The door and quarter glass is all in and aligned. The power window motors all checked and work great. The carpet is on its way and will be installed this week. All that I would need to do if I was to keep the car is the front windshield, the door panels, and the seat covers. The front windshield as it was broken when I bought the car. The door panels and seats can easily be dyed to save money. The tires and rims have not been changed as I planned on burning up those tires before buying new ones but what is on there now is on great shape. So not much left to do. I will just keep going until it’s done someday. The weather stripping is all new and already installed on the doors and the door frames. I found the right color seat belts online and they are ready to install.
As of now the car is not registered but I drive it around the neighborhood just to test it out as I fix things. If I still own it when it is done then I will register it and enjoy it while I can. No title as it is 50 years old. I know what I have invested in it so please do not try to low ball me. I am in no hurry to sell it and will continue to work on it as time permits. However if someone wanted this as a winter project that they can finish up and enjoy next spring then let’s talk money. It has been a labor of love for a long time and I will be sad to see it go, but in the right hands…..someone who will take care of it and finish it off as it should be will ease my loss. I am looking to get $29,000 but as I said I will entertain offers. You really have to come and see it to appreciate it.
What you get: You get the car, any paints I have left for the car, and some replaced parts from the car. You also get my documentation and probably over 1000 photos of the restoration. The car is being sold as is with no warranty.
You can text me at show contact info to ask questions or plan to stop and see it. We can go over what’s left to do in more detail. This write up does not do it justice. There is probably a ton of stuff I forgot to mention here.

 

2nd that. I bet many of us hoped we were this far along...

 

My Riviera didn't have a title when I bought it, bought quite a few things from Washington state without titles as well. Easy process here, there's a form you fill out and a police officer comes and checks the VIN to see if it's stolen, signs off on it, and you send it in. In a normal year, you get a clear Montana title about 2 weeks later.

 

Bill of Sale in many States.

 

I like that car.

 

Seems like a great deal. if I put 30k into my car it still would not be nearly this nice...

 

Looks good!

 

It is next to ridiculous to try and obtain a title on PA. I like the colors,and I am looking for another car. I just wish it had less options.

 

Owner is fellow v8buick member Rob Swenton.

 

Another 124 interior car w/PW (the green Stage 1 for sale being the other).

Shame to it get so far along and sell. Great deal seemingly.

 

Wow, nice GS. Wish it was closer!

 

Collector
This is right up your alley.

 

I keep looking at this,but it so loaded.

 

Real fast with class ! All the dirty work is done.

 

The only thing I spotted that may need to be redone is the headliner other than that the rest of it looks dead on.

 

Yes,I question the headliner,but still A LOT of work already done. I’d be curious to see inside the trunk to see how the panels were seamed and welded.
This had too many option at power steering. I have no idea what I would do with all those other do-dad’s.

 

I hear ya, My Stage 1 only came with one or two luxury items from the factory and that was power steering an 7.0's with G160 goodyears.

 

I think the headliner can still be stretched to correct - especially with the glass removed. Nice car, nice work. It seems like a good deal. Missing title would be a problem in my state (MD)