I’m looking at a 67’ GS and was wondering if there were any experts out there that could help me out with a few things pertaining to the originality.
lots of 67 gs folks on here. i own a 67 gs400 conv and learned so much on here. have list of your concerns and some one will answer, lets start with the VIN number. johnny
Trying to keep it under wraps until the deal is done. Mainly would like to know if 3 speed manual cars had a consolette? Does this shifter and bezel look correct for a 67’ GS factory 3 speed manual car? Does this trunk mat look original or reproduced? This is a Fremont car. Is the power steering bracket correct for an Emissions car? Looks like a location for the smog pump on the top? Thank you in advance.
Califoria cars had the AIR pump. the ps bracket looks to correct, but the AIR pump is missing. Trunk mat looks correct, but the spare cover is something added. Consolettes were n option, so many car did not have them. I purchased a GS400 new in 67. 4 speed bench seat, no consolette. Check the engine #'s as well as trans. Not all had the vin#, but had a build date that should be before the car was built. Good luck with your purchase.
I have some ‘67s and have studied them for a while. I agree with all of things Fred stated above. To confirm the original engine you can look for the NR code on the deck of the block between #2 & #4. Since this is a Fremont car, it probably won’t have a VIN on the engine or transmission. I saw the car you are asking about online yesterday and thought it looked like a neat car. Hopefully the aftermarket trim that is on the side of the car can be removed? I noticed that someone added a piece of vinyl across the top edge of the back seat. I assume the seat cover was split due to age and sun exposure. The 3-speed manual is pretty rare with only 373 installed in GS400 hardtops. I’ve seen a few cars with the 3-speed manual over the years but they had the optional consolette except for one car. This is the only photo I have of its interior and it doesn't show the shifter boot very well.
I'm a '66 guy, I have 2 Fremont cars, one is a 4 speed. Also have a 3 speed (stick) Baltimore car. The shifter boot you show is correct for the 'lower' boot for a consolette car. It and the retaining ring are repo'd, it's the same for Chevelle. That lower boot seals the hole in the floor, there is another 'Upper' boot that fits in the consolette. I think the original retaining rings were unplated and painted black. You likely show repo parts. If there was no consolette, it uses a different boot, which is not reproduced. Shifter knob would have the shift pattern on it for no-consolette cars, plain knob for cars with consolette since pattern is shown on consolette. Sometimes the VIN is stamped on the transmission, at least on 65-6 with BW T-10. 66 and 67 shifters are attached to the crossmember and not the trans. Buick did this to keep the shift handle from vibrating. It's not the best for performance shifting tho. No trunk mats on my Fremont 66's. Baltimore cars had a foam-backed mesh covering. Black-Aqua splatter paint is correct for '67. 66 had Grey/white splatter tho some had the black/Aqua. Check out Gary's website (post above mine) for more info.
Some more good info. The owner claims no 3 speed cars came with consolette. I know so little of them were made it is hard to figure out who is right and who is wrong on that. At least I now know the bezel and boot are reproductions. The side impact strip is riveted on. That is one of my biggest hang ups. I had a 67’ Nova SS that had one repaint in the 70’s and had that same impact strip added. Unfortunately the only resolution to fix that is to weld the rivet holes up and repaint the entire car. It was an issue for me when I bought my 67’ Nova and you can bet it came up in conversation when I sold it.
The seller is incorrect about no 3-speed cars with a consolette. The consolette was an option on the 3-speed just like it was on the 4-speed and there are several documented examples out there with it. As a potential buyer it's best to just let the seller believe what he wants and avoid correcting his facts on something that is insignificant. A buyer doesn't want to risk making the seller upset while working a deal. That's a real bummer about the side strips being riveted onto the car. So either learn to live with them or plan on a very expensive removal that will snowball into an expensive project. It's still a cool car either way. The consolette for a 3-speed was the same as a 4-speed except the shift pattern medallion was obviously different. As Walt mentioned above, a car with a consolette would have a plan shift ball with no pattern. Here are examples of the smog pump that would have been mounted on the power steering pump bracket. I have never seen a '67 GS400 with a smog pump but with manual steering.
