Hi, my name is Scott , I don't currently own a Buick, but am hoping to purchase my parents' 1970 GS - Stage 1 this spring or summer. My parents are currently out of state for the winter and the car is sitting in their garage (where it has for the better part of 23 years). The car is pretty much original, except the motor, which had serious oil pressure problems when I was in high school. In 1981, my dad was fed up with it not running properly and smoking, so he was going to give it to me for my HS graduation present. I was excited and wanted is so badly, so I scoured the local newspapers and happen upon an ad for a 1971 Stage 1 motor, at a Buick dealership that was going out of business. It was a short block and had been ordered from the factory in 1971 or 72, as a warranty replacement for a customer. For some reason or another, it was never replaced and sat on the shipping crate until I found it. They charged us $650 for it and what a day it was when I went with my dad to pick it up. We had to clean the resin off it, which took a week or so. During the time it was soaking, we pulled the motor and trans from the car and I got my first taste of engine disassembly. My dad took the trans to a local shop and had them go over it with a fine tooth comb and do a total rebuild on it. He also had the heads rebuilt and hardened valve seats installed, so it could run on unleaded gas. I took all of the parts off the old motor and set them on the workbench, awaiting time to install them on the new motor. This is when I figured out that if you look at and engine logically, it's not too complicated to see how each part makes the whole thing run. Well, after a month or so of waiting (and assembly), we started to install the motor and trans, one Saturday morning. We had an issue with the chain on the lift snapping the whole thing crashing down onto the radiator core support. It made a tiny dent in the oil pan, which we didn't think was a big deal (were we wrong!!) Once we got it in and all the wiring connected back up, it was time to see if she would start. It took some ether and a can of gas, but she came to life without too much difficulty. That's when we realized that something wasn't quite right, due to the loud knocking coming from the engine. My dad though that one of the rods was knocking, but I had borrowed a stethoscope from a neighbor, and we pinpointed it to the dent on the oil pan. We had to take it all back out and take to oil pan off and smack the dent out. We decided to wait until Sunday to put it back together. Sunday was a beautiful day and we got an early start. We got it all put back together and fired it up and it ran, well, like a brand new motor. Once we let it warm up and did a full tune up on it, my dad decided to take out for it's maiden trip, down the block and around the neighborhood. When we got the car in 1976, it had approximately 80,000 miles on it and already had oil pressure problems, so my dad never got to drive it when it was in it's best performance stage. We bought it from my uncle, who was the second owner. He lived in Kentucky, so it had no rust (amazing what 5 years in Michigan salt can do to car). It had holes rusted in both doors, by the time I was supposed to get it. I guess that's why my dad decided to give it to me, it didn't have many more years left (or so he thought). I watched as he drove off down the road and made a right at the end of our block. He babied the car until he was out of site of my mom, then we heard him let loose on it. The neighborhood kids that were standing at the corner saw it and were standing there amazed at it. I, unfortunately, didn't get to see the smoke billowing off the tires as he launched it down the back road of our neighborhood, but we could surely hear it!! He went down the road and out onto the main street and came back approximately 7 blocks, and turned back onto our street. He pulled it into the garage, and got out with a white face and closed the garage. We thought something had happened and he was afraid to tell my mom (It's actually her car). He turned and knew that I was going to ask when I could drive it. He said that there was no way in he** that he was going to give me that car, unless he wanted a dead son. I stood there stunned (as most people would be). He said that the car was way too fast for me to drive, and that I would probably be dead or in a hospital within a week. He knew that I was majorly upset, but I knew that he was probably right. (and I hate to admit that was right) Over the next year, I graduated and joined the Air Force, but never forgot about that car. I was always asking about it when I called home from Portugal, and Texas, which were my two first assignments. I finished out 10 years in the AF in 1993, and came back to where I grew up. During that entire time, the car sat in the garage (it was moved 40 miles away when my parents had a house and huge pole barn built, north of where I grew up, in 1988). My dad drove it up there, very carefully and parked it in the barn. They never sold the house in town, and when I came home from the AF in 1993, I rented it from them until 1998. My dad's health was getting bad, so they sold the new house and property and moved back into town, dragging the GS with them (to my delight). The car had brand new GM fenders installed and doors from a salvaged GS. It has some body filler on the driver's side quarter panel, and a crappy Maaco paint job (just to protect it as best as it can be for now). It is still sitting in their garage with approximately 121 miles on a brand new motor!! I had a dream the other night that I was driving my fianc around my hometown in Kentucky with it and have been thinking about it since them. My dad said before they left for Florida, that he was going to try to sell it when they get back, in May. He said that he would let me have it for $4500, instead of the $6500 that he was going to ask for it. It's not in the best shape, but just needs probably another $3000-4000 and it will look showroom new. It has a lot of sentimental value to me too, I remember blowing Cudas and Chevelles away when I used ride around with my uncle when he had it. I thought it was the baddest car in the world. I have attached a picture of the car from 2 years ago, when my dad had it sitting in the driveway with the "for sale" sign on it.
Scott, That was a very amusing story.:TU: Welcome to the Board! I can tell you got the Buick blood in ya,good luck with your GS.youv'e been very patient and the payoff will be worth it:TU:
is it just me, or does the olds cutlas look surprisingly simular to it?? nice tale man. too bad it's not in my drive way!!!
Welcome, Scott. One thing about a good Buick- you always remember the old days like they were yesterday. I have good memories too about mine that will never die. When I was 16, my dad gave me his '66 Riv. That was 28 years ago. My dad has been gone for 18 years now, and I can still hear him saying "that was a good car, it would pass anything but a gas station". That is still true today. :3gears:
Thanks everyone for the greetings!!! I spoke to my parents this morning and my dad decided to let me buy the car for $3000, instead of $4500!!! Whooo Hooo, I'm ready to drive it home now. Scott
Welcome to the board scott. Nice story and awesome car:TU: You gotta love a rare car like the buick GS Stage I!:3gears: -Cody
Scott, This may sound stupid,but have you always lived in MI? Is your last name Crisp? I was originally from Lake Station,Indiana and went to school with a Scott Crisp.I graduated in 1981(in Pa) though.Just thought it was a wierd coincidence after reading your story that the year you graduated and how close you could be to Ind.If not excuse me because I can be an idiot some times.Doesn't hurt to ask I guess. Pat
Hi Pat, Yep, my name is Scott Crisp. Coincidence huh? I've lived in Michigan since I was 3 1/2 years old (except for the 10 years that I was in the Air Force 1983-1993). I am originally from the eastern end of Kentucky, which is where our Buick is from too. I live a ways from Indiana, I'm about 35 miles NW of Detroit. Maybe it was one of my relatives that you knew. Scott QUOTE]bignastytoyota said:Scott, This may sound stupid,but have you always lived in MI? Is your last name Crisp? I was originally from Lake Station,Indiana and went to school with a Scott Crisp.I graduated in 1981(in Pa) though.Just thought it was a wierd coincidence after reading your story that the year you graduated and how close you could be to Ind.If not excuse me because I can be an idiot some times.Doesn't hurt to ask I guess. Pat [/QUOTE]
New Member It's not in the best shape, but just needs probably another $3000-4000 and it will look showroom new. It has a lot of sentimental value to me too, I remember blowing Cudas and Chevelles away when I used ride around with my uncle when he had it. I thought it was the baddest car in the world. I have attached a picture of the car from 2 years ago, when my dad had it sitting in the driveway with the "for sale" sign on it. I tell you what... thinking that this car was the baddest is not far off, I have been in some fast cars, and being a Mopar guy I'm a little biased, but I cannot remember being planted in my seat harder than going for a ride in friends 70 Stage1 4spd on street tires, third gear pulled as hard as first. You would regret everyday if someone else buys this car, It belongs with YOU
