I saw a car at the swap meet in Moultrie this past weekend. I cannot confirm if it is a real Stage car, or a true GS for that matter, as I had nothing to write the numbers down. I can however, tell you this is a beautiful car. It needs very little to be perfect, and could easily win most local shows as it sits. Some of the things I did notice were the core support needs minor work in the normal places, the paint is almost flawless, the N-25 Bumper is in great shape, and there are a few cracks in the grill, unnotceable at first glance. The interior is great, and the overall appearance of the car is great too. I've linked a website at the bottom, and you can see pics of the car. The owner is in his late 60's, and he is obvioulsly a re-seller. He acted like he didn't know anything about the car- maybe he didn't, or maybe he was just acting like he didn't in case it isn't a true Stage or even GS car. My gut feeling tells me he'd take 20K- a decent deal for this car if everything checks out- and he told me if I could get someone to buy it, he'd give me $1000.00- so, if one of you decide to buy the car- count my $1000.00 in as a refund back to you from me!! Take a look and tell me what you think. Good Luck:laugh: http://drivingdreamcars.com/
My gut feeling tells me to be cautious. The guy sells cars and he obviously knows that a Stage 1 car is worth some money (he advertises that it is 1 of 801). There is no way a guy would sell a numbers matching Stage 1 for $24,000 in this condition. And for 71 if it is not numbers matching it would be very difficult to i.d. it as a Stage car. It would not be too hard to clone a Stage 1 from a 455 GS. A 455 GS would be worth $24,000 if it is numbers matching. Maybe it is one of those great finds, but I think to beware. Need some motor numbers, tranny id and a trim tag before we get too excited. Regardless, it is a nice car.
I was there and checked the car out. It is a very nice driver quality car. It is not a Stage 1, and I don't believe it is a big block car. The lady that was with the man kept talking about the Olds transmission, it was a 76 Olds trans. Numbers gone. 350 Fan shroud. etc...... I would think somewhere in the 12K area. Nice car though. Mark
I'm pretty sure this car has been run through Ebay a few times without selling. Do you remember if it has a '72 N25 rear bumper? The seller was a dealer and he kept mentioning the "GTX rear bumper".
The rear bumper was an N-25, but it was a 71 bumper....I don't know all the different ways to authenticate the car as a true GS or Stage 1 car- sounds like Mark got a better look at it than me- so- I guess this is a dead end...thanks all!!
Mark, that is a 455. Look at the valve covers. Not just the chrome but big dots are much futher from the end than a 350.
71' real tough to tell. same VIN. Maybe the only way is find the frame part# behind the drivers side rear wheel. It is different than 350. Also most know the driveshaft difference but those can be changed.
Do BBB's have different steering shafts & ragjoints than the small block cars ... like A body Chevrolet small blocks vs. big blocks? I have friends who have used that inspection tip on so-called advertised Chevelle SS's for many years and has saved them a lot of heart ache.
The rag joint is the same, but the flange is held on to the intermediate shaft with a pinch bolt on the big block cars and welded on the small block cars. This is a good indication of a big block conversion since most people aren't aware of the difference and don't change the shaft. Same thing with the small oval hole in the big block crossmember.
Then does this hold true for ALL GM A-bodies (Olds & Pontiac also included)? And, how many years? '68-'72 or earlier?
BigBlock steering shafts only apply to Big Block Buick GS cars and Bigblock Chevelle SS cars. Pontiac bigblocks are a slightly smaller physical block and use standard steering shaft
