New project for the beater GS

Discussion in 'The Bench' started by CJay, Oct 25, 2017.

  1. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    The beater is getting a new grill! WOO HOO!! When I got the 70 GS, it was popped in the mouth pretty good. The bumper was pushed in and there was little that remained of the original grill. There were two L shaped pieces of it that were basically just laying in the opening. I was able to salvage the painted lower piece which was bent up pretty good, the J moldings and the emblem. The rest was junk

    20150920_120344[1].jpg

    I finally got tired of the "no teeth" look. Plus a 70 GS grill is one of the coolest grills ever. CorkGS hooked me up with a perfect candidate for the beater for a great price to boot. I did a few quick repairs to it and installed the parts from the original grill. Miraculously, I even got the painted piece straightened out. I used rusty screws just to make sure it looks "period correct". Looks awesome !!

    KIMG0729.JPG
    Its going in this weekend. Pictures to follow. Should transform the look of the car. Currently, it looks like this-

    KIMG0416.JPG
     
  2. mrolds69

    mrolds69 "The Cure"

    Looks good Jason! That will look a lot better on your car. Good job!
     
  3. 71stagegs

    71stagegs bpg member #1417

    Its the Mona Lisa of Buicks
     
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  4. BYoung

    BYoung Stage me

    That is going to make a huge difference but will still retain the "beater" look. Nice work.
     
  5. telriv

    telriv Founders Club Member

    What happened with the carb. problem????
     
  6. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Right now I have a replacement carb on it and its running like a top. I need to find some time to put the original carb back on it and figure out what going on with it. So we haven't put that one to bed yet.

    Yup, Im walking a fine line here Brian :D
     
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  7. bostoncat68

    bostoncat68 Platinum Level Contributor

    It looks more used...and less abused... o_O
     
  8. 1972Mach1

    1972Mach1 Just some M.M.O.G. guy.....

    It's going to look great. Looks like you've got the proper "aging" to match the car....one of the signature pieces of a GS vs a Skylark so I definitely feel you are doing the right thing!
     
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  9. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

    When did you replace/fix the bumper? Missed that.
     
  10. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    It was fixed early on in the project. I basically did it old school- used the tree in front of my house, a come along, a few blocks of wood and the handle off my floor jack. Good as new!
     
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  11. jay3000

    jay3000 RIP 1-16-21


    :) Love it....
     
  12. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Grill is in! I had to take the bumper off as an assembly with the brackets, cross bars and hood latch support. Everything was rusted up. After heating all the fasteners up with some acetylene, I got everything loose.

    The bumper was all sorts of messed up. This thing was twisted, tweaked, bent and torn. It was still really pushed in, in the center. I had to put the bumper on top of some 6x6's and basically step on it in the center just to get it close. I took a picture of my "bumper fixture":D. Once I got it back on the car, I tweaked it and persuaded it back in shape using some pry bars, a long extension and whatever else I could find. Bumpers bend pretty easily. After a few well placed shims, I got it pretty dang close. The hood latch support was bent up like a pretzel at the base from the prior bump in the nose. I got that back into shape with a pair of vise grips, a dolly and a 32 oz ball peen hammer. Must of test fitted that thing 15 times!!

    The grill had one missing stud and the mount for it was broken. I was able to tap threads into what was left of the mounting hole and use a piece of threaded rod cut to length. I cut a piece of 3/8" steel fuel line to act as a sleeve and spacer. It hides the threads of the rod to make it look more factory.

    The grill really transforms the look of the car completely and still maintains it's "rattiness"! I love it

    KIMG0740.JPG KIMG0741.JPG KIMG0742.JPG KIMG0743.JPG KIMG0744.JPG
     
  13. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

  14. BuickGSrules

    BuickGSrules Gold Level Contributor

    Looks good! Let me know when you wanna part with it. It could be fun taking one of my 600+hp motors and throw in there, LOL.
     
  15. STAGE III

    STAGE III Lost Experimental 455-4 Bolt Main Block.

    It it its sooooooo purrteee.....gittin kinda choaked up ...sniff sniff gotta go got some rust er sumthin in my eye
    Lookin good buddy and I mean that all complimentary like;)
     
  16. BYoung

    BYoung Stage me

    Great work Jason!
     
  17. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    That would be funny to watch. Every time you romped on it, the body would emit a pile of rust:D:)
     
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  18. 71stagegs

    71stagegs bpg member #1417

    Cool Jason Mona Lisa has her smile back
     
  19. sriley531

    sriley531 Excommunicado

    That car is too cool for school j-cook! But be careful, the new grille spruced it up a bit, you don't want to make it too nice!! Then it'll lose that grungy-cool factor!
     
  20. wkillgs

    wkillgs Gold Level Contributor

    Those rust stains on the paint might come off with a scrubbing with Ajax...... IF you want to make it look better. Yardley did that on Ken's Wildcat, it did wonders for the appearance.
     

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