70 GS455

My first attempt a thread. Bear with me. I bought a 70 GS455 from original owner last year. No rust car, numbers match, auto, bench seat, green/green. Was driven daily until 20 years ago then in their garage until I purchased. Needs paint & upholstery. Motor starts and runs good, no smoke.
I am torn between finding a hard core GS collector that wants a "one owner" starting place for restoration, or begin resto myself. Also, does anyone have a suggestion for a place to get the instrument panel freshened up?
Thanks! Mike

 

Welcome! Is "restoration" really necessary? Many would like to see a one owner car just preserved. send pics!

 

Would you post a few pictures of your car? Thanks.

 

Thank you for responses. Once the rain stops I'll pull it out an send photos. Certainly not a perfect car, but it is rust free and original. I'll look into what it takes to pull out instrument cluster.

 

If you are planing on selling the GS and it is all original
I would not spend any time or money on it A collector will like it the way it is
Just my.02 cents Canadien for what it is worth
Alain 1970 platinum 442 4spd factory A/C

 

Question: Are you looking to keep your $$$ spending down or you find with spending a lot of money. I ask because I spent a lot of money doing upgrades to my 70 GS and it looks great.

You have to repaint, I didn't because my car was a frame off restored in 2010. That's a ton of money to start.

Instrument cluster: I have the early built 70 GS and it had the pointed lens cluster. It reflected sunlight and it difficult to see the gauges.
I when with an aftermarket instrument cluster from Dakota that is digital. I love it, flat lens and everything is in pounds, oil pressure, water temp in degrees, battery in amps. You can get the gauges to light up in different colors. Mine light up in blue to match the color of my car.

Interior: Are you going to have to replace your interior?
I did, I bought mine from ledgendary. Came out fantastic.
Any engine work?

I had lot of over heating issues with my 455 (it's bored to 462).
Had to replace all coolant related parts to include an aluminum radiator.

Do you need to rebuild your QJet carb?
I had to buy a new carb, my QJet was not repairable.

Check your steering box.
Mine had play in it, worn out. Just bought a rebuilt one from one of the members on our forum, also bought a new rag joint.

Rims rust free?
I had some minor rust but found a suggestion to use #0000 steel wool with Dawn soap to clean the rust off. Worked great.

Exhaust in good condition?
I only had to replace the exhaust pipes that run over the rear wheel wells.

Battery in good shape?
I had to replace my battery.

Check your balancer.
I found mine to be damaged and had to replace it.

Any oil leaks?
I had to replace my front crank seal. Was the original rope seal.
Replaced it with a neoprene rubble seal and also replaced the front trimming chain cover and water pump. I bought from TA Performance. A very good Buick aftermarket company. Same place I bought my balancer from.

My tires are in good condition, so no replacement.

Interior replacement also included rear deck replacement along with new speakers and aftermarket radio with Bluetooth.

You can clearly see it doesn't take long to get very expensive.

If you can do most of the work yourself, you can save a ton of $$$$. Hope this info helps. Vet

 

Welcome from Florida and congrats on your purchase!

If you decide to pull the instrument cluster yourself, this article helped me a whole bunch with my 69:

http://www.buickperformanceclub.com/cluster.htm

 

Thank you all.
Some random items:

It is a/c car - fan making noise so I'll have to replace it in any case. I'm sure the a/c will need service, but no leaks.
I bought new upholstery from Legendary - still in box.
I tuned it, shocks, tranny & rearend seals. Carb is actually driveable but not perfect.
Have almost all new rubber for doors/windows on the shelf.
Grille is cracked but have OPG one on the shelf.
Random other small parts on shelf.

Photos next week. Rain is almost gone.

 

This want my Dakota instrument cluster looks like.

 

I have a better pic, without so many light reflections.

 

Agree with the above. Post some pics. Freshen up the safety items, some covers to put over the seats, drive the hell out of it! These cars are made to be operated!

 

I agree with you 100%. I have spent 3 1/2 years getting my Buick drivable.
It's almost there, a final tune and off we go.

I have to admit, what i was sold
as a turn key driver, was a huge lie from the consignment dealer.
The engine issues and high water temperatures issues are a huge deal. I finally able to cure these problems with a lot of help from members of this forum.
Thank you all so much. You all know who you are. Vet
PS, George is right, drive the heck out of your Buick.

 

Instrument panel looks good. Like the 160 mph.

Thanks again to all. Should have photos this coming weekend.
Mike

 

When you die, your wife will sell it or if she's gone, your son or daughter will sell it, but likely they don't know a thing about your car.
someone will get a great deal.

From going to car shows with my Buick, 95% of the people that go, don't have a clue what a Buick is. Ask me how I know. Vet

PS, like a will or a Trust, make sure your family can find all the paperwork on your car with good photo's.

 

With my two GS that I have restored was often told nice Chevelle
It happened more with the 1971 fern green Stage 1 that was a limited production Chevelle very rare
Such is life
Alain 1970 platinum 442 4spd factory A/C also been called a Chevelle