Thanks, Nelson, I needed an "old f_t car...power steering, power brakes, power windows, factory A/C (VERY rare), automatic (probably going to put in a Buick automatic 4-speed when I get the $3500 it takes to do that. The SHIFTER itself is over $500 and as usual, only one company makes them, so... It had both tops, put a new white conv. top on it as it had the original 1966 top that was a mess, of course. Also, knock-off wheels--repro--and yes, Nassau Blue and white (code 450) interior. Car has been repainted--not the hardtop for some reason--and as all cars from that era, the repaint is NOT the same as the original metal-flake enamel. I guess they try, but I have yet to see a repainted Nassau Blue car that looks like it did in '66, which I remember well, and of course I have the original top to compare it to. Painting a C-2 starts at about $20K if I do the deconstruction myself (takes longer than a GS!) and help with the first sanding-off. Paint is SO expensive today--thousands for all the materials, and of course fiberglass has its own specific way of being prepped and painted, so, not gonna happen. This is fine...I wanted a DRIVER (all I could afford--good repainted cars in great shape with factory A/C generally start in the high $80's--so this will have to do). NOT afraid to drive it anywhere, and that was the goal. It is a really fun car, and while I miss my GS cars, I am enjoying the change after 51 years with Buicks. Cheers, Richard
Vettes are fun - I had a 67 427 vert many years ago. It had the factory side pipes that were gutted. It would shake the house when I fired it up! Mine was Nassau blue as well with the factory stripes around the cowl hood. And headrest seats!
Hi, Bill, WOW! Headrests! Very rare---1762/22940 made. I can add them--I did add aftermarket shoulder belts--but the headrests cost a bunch to add. Maybe when I get the rest of it sorted out I will. 427 with side pipes is a bit much for a driver in traffic these days! They are VERY front heavy as you know, and even the factory pipes are LOUD in your ear after driving for a while. With the 4 speed in traffic, 1st gear, 2nd gear, brakes--repeat, and enjoy 7 MPG on VP gas--a bit much for old me! Of course, when you are 20 that is exactly what you want! This came with a 327/300 and that is fine with me. I was buying the factory A/C + roadster, and that was a VERY hard get at my thin wallet. I looked for a couple of years and found one in Tampa, which is just across the state, so was lucky, I guess. LOTS of work to get it running right--engine is fine, but the rest of it is 53 years old and, unfortunately, was NOT taken care of at all. Now, that is my job, and it has been a learning experience to say the least. Rivets and glue--no bolts and welding! HUGE adjustment in everything you do--even jacking the car up for a quick look is a big deal. Anyway, I'm having fun and that is what the hobby is all about, right? Cheers, Richard
When we set up the Judging rules for the GSCA/BPG etc, I went out of my way to not have this kind of thing happen. My goal was to keep everything within reason, so we could have fun with our cars and not get this crazy. Case in point, my 71 GSX has 5 original tires on it. That is what I wanted, so that is what I did. The originals are slightly different from the repros, however with our judging guidelines, both are accepted equally. That way it stopped guys from "swapping" original tires between them. The only people I know with original G60-15 Polyglass GT tires on their cars are Brad and I. Guys do sometimes borrow tires and rims from each other to put their cars in Concours, especially if they are waiting for their parts to arrive. I myself had to borrow a front bumper from Gene Hill, and a grille surround from Nick, to get my 69 car finished. This allowed me to get to the shows I was scheduled to be at....and as stated above, both parts have been returned, but this is not the type of thing the OP was talking about. When you get to the upper stratosphere of car judging you would have to do all types of things like the OP posted. This is not the system I put together, however I did make our judging system a little more stringent then what is used by the BCA & the AACA, and I did this for a reason. I made it harder so when/if the guys took their cars to the BCA (Buick Club of America) they would sail right thru, and not have any problems. It sure was fun to watch our cars start to go thru the BCA shows and get high awards, plus have a bunch of happy owners. It certainly showed those BCA "stick in the muds" that these "hot rod" owners were serious about restorations. They deserved it. Duane
Some people are really "anal" about things, but I try not to judge them. Often these guys have an actual "need" to build the best that they can, it's like they have to do it. Over the years I have met/talked to quite a few people like this with Buicks, and have often dissuaded them from going this route. I have been approached many times to put together a 1000 point system for our cars, to "quote" judge the best of the best. When I start going thru what would be involved with building such a car, they usually opt out. There is simply not enough parts available to build a Buick like that, or it would be so costly as to be insane. Duane
It's a side of the hobby I don't understand. I get the drive to have a perfect car however i couldn't imagine having a car and not driving it. I'd love to beat a 70 GSX down the track.
Hi, Duane, Yes, and that was one of the huge learning curves for me when I decided to try a different GM brand for a while. I always knew that some marques were kind of different from ours, but the two big learning items for me were the renting of parts (buying a trophy as Joe posted) and the total lack of respect for any and all judging certificates. Cognitive dissonance at its best! I always appreciated the approach you took for this work. Cars were "judged" carefully, and your approach to be tougher than BCA has worked out VERY WELL for our part of the hobby. While my '72 was done as well as it could be--I never did find a driver's side pillar post weatherstrip or a passenger side front bumper cushion no matter how long and hard I looked--I was never given a point reduction as far as I know for the repro weatherstrip or the "flipped over" driver's side cushion. Belts and hoses and tires were obviously repros/newer style (tires--Radial T/A as most of us used as we DRIVE our cars) and were always considered OK for judging. I do have a couple of NOS "original" belts and an NOS hose or two put away somewhere, but would never consider using them on a running car! Good for you all using original tires...neat to see that on a super-good car if it can be done safely even if just for a show. After all, they are YOUR tires! Also, temporarily "borrowing" a few parts because things did not arrive in time for a show is, as you clearly point out, totally different from what they are talking about over there. Personally, I always installed the repro battery AFTER I got to a show and I was able to pass it on recently to another GS board member years after I bought it as I never charged it up. I would guess he is doing the same thing--I even warned him about the smashed fingers when doing the swap! Learning is a constant process in life; my experiences over there are certainly enlightening, and like some of us, they are VERY particular about the cars. HOWEVER, the reality is that my car is 54 years old, so I am doing the best I can with what is around. Paying $250 for an "original (restored) voltage regulator is not something I am going to do, nor will I pay $400 for a "numbers matching" rebuilt alternator. I have limited budget and am only doing stuff that makes the car SAFE, first, and then drive-able, second. When I can afford it, of course I use NOS or close parts, but for my Corvette that has so far been a fan--important for an A/C car, a choke rod that was not available in repro, and one or two other small parts. Everything else is a repro, and like most all repro parts, they are a challenge to install, to say the least. It is fun to see how the "other half" lives, and the cars are very attractive and fun to drive (once they are sorted out from poor care), but there seems to be a clear vein of insanity that runs through the devotees of the brand. Because I know the differences between '70, '71, and '72 GS cars in some minute detail--most of us do who have been at this a while and owned these year cars new back in the day--I thought it would kinda be the same with C-2 cars. BELIEVE ME, it is not! Finally, always wondered how many points I would have gotten for the peel-and-stick small black plastic clip on the inside-underside at the middle of the rear bumper near the license plate light of my '72 that held the wiring loom as it ran across the bumper? Hardest part I ever searched for that I actually found--only on later cars, I believe. Cheers, Richard
"I always appreciated the approach you took for this work." Richard, That statement makes it all worthwhile because it shows you got it. The thing about the Corvettes is they were only made in 1 plant, so for the most part they know exactly how they were built at any particular time. That is not something we had going with our cars as they were made at several plants. We had 3 different glass suppliers, and at least 3 different manufacturers for the carpets, just to name 2 things that were different between the plants. Duane
Thanks, Duane, You always provided the best, most accurate information available and I, for one, as I am sure everyone on the board agrees, respects your hard work and the calls you make on all questions. Having an expert around is comforting in a lot of ways, which kept me in Buicks for all those years. Thank-you! As for plants, of course with Buicks it was a challenge given the number of plants and so many suppliers. C-2 Corvette bodies were made by both A.O. Smith in Michigan and in St. Louis, but of course all final assembly was in St. Louis. Naturally, this is another point of discussion over there--where was your body made, etc. is a huge deal as you might expect from the C-2 crowd! Article in case you might be interested in such esoterica about C-2 cars file:///C:/Users/Richard/Downloads/a.o.smith.pdf FYI, I saw an NOS "big tank" (36 gal fiberglass tank used in 248 cars from '63-'67) for $20,000 for sale today... It is a great hobby; as I told my buddies in HS who looked down on the "greasers" who worked on cars...we had a way to drive around on the weekends, and thus had more dates back then. Not so dumb after all... Cheers, Richard
Duane, Sorry about that. I will check it out a bit later today and see what I can do to make it work. Cheers, Richard
I remember being in staging lanes at BG and two guys were looking at the car and asked if it was a real GS455. I said yeah....then one said to other "shame to cut it up to put a roll bar in it". I heard them and said hey it's not in the car show......they looked confused.....
Hi, Duane, The article was attached to this link: https://www.corvetteactioncenter.co...lps-st-louis-keep-up-with-production-248.html If that works, scroll down a bit to the "Attached Link" heading and there is the link to the PDF of the article. Please let me know if it works or not. Cheers! Richard
I know, right? Lots of "Resto-Mod" C-2 cars out there. Someone in our C-2 club has one. It is BEAUTIFUL, but those large wheels, even sedate ones, simply do not "look right" on the car to me, but hey, those cars start at about $200,000, so whatever you can afford, that is fine with me. They are nice cars! (Trust me, I am the poorest person in the C-2 club, and the only member with 1 Corvette...barely!) As for people complaining about your "sign of success" GS 455 roll bar--getting a 4000 lb car to go faster than 11 sec and/or over 135 mph--that is funny. Maybe they are not into racing? To me, there is nothing better than seeing a 100-point GS slamming down the drag strip in record time...always gives me a thrill. ALL the "big tank" C-2 cars were racers by definition...new from the factory they tore them apart and raced the heck out of them. Some actually were big time winners back then, and of course there are vintage racing C-2's that sell for BIG money today. (Still trying to figure out how they raced on bias ply tires, but that is another discussion...) Depends on your approach to the hobby, I guess. If I had stumbled into a big-block C-2 in my price range--DOUBTFUL--I would definitely take it up to the local track just to see what it could do! Cheers, Richard
Same thing happened to me in BG 2018. Sitting in staging lanes, guy looks at my car, then says to me, "The car looks too nice to do what you're going to do with it." I just told him I built the car to drive it. And it was also in the show in 2017 and 2018. Took 1st in class in 2017 too.
