Looking at "survivor" 71 gs 455 Convertible - questions about over spray and trunk under side....

Reear end ID and location:

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

Quoting from the link above:
"Here are the axle codes for 1968-72. The codes are stamped on the passenger side axle tube and are SUPPOSED to be located on the tube just slightly above the centerline and 3-5" away from the differential case(pumpkin). You may need to use a putty knife or wire brush to remove grease, grime, dirt to see the code. Sometimes the code will be lightly stamped and sometimes not at all. You may need to wet the area with water in order to see the stamping if present."

 

Regarding the rear end - one post says drivers side and the other says passenger. I realize that both may be right and I fully recognize that I have not idea what I'm talking about - is there a consensus on where I should focus? Thanks again.

 

Driver side. I bought a correct 71LWB 342 rear couple years ago it was on the driver side.

 

And mine is on the passenger side. I'd suggest looking on both sides.

 

In '71-2, buckets/console weren't available as a regular production option in convertibles. The only way to get them was as a "Special Car Order" (SCO) so there are only a handful out there (prob. less than 10 ea. year were made). I don't understand Buick's reasoning there since obviously they could build them but...

I much prefer buckets/console for an automatic car as well to the point of it being a deal killer with the exception of my own '71 covertible since it wasn't an option per se.

If you really like it (not many orig. cars left) and if it all checks out, that's more important IMHO & I wouldn't worry so much about the cost (to a certain extent of course). You know what you're getting into. There are worse things to spend $ on.

 

...here's my take. Safety (thanks Ralph Nader). Convertibles in general were deemed unsafe (rollover). GM rapidly phasing them out starting in '70. Buick Skylark/GS convertible demand almost non-existent, and in '73 (Century) they were gone. Not economically practical to continue offering a convertible bucket option for so few cars in their final years...

 

I’m thinking more in the $15k-20k, nothing more, it’ll need a lot more than meets the eye with the dampness you described.

 

If you buy it, immediately remove the bench seat and door sills, pull the carpet and jute/underlayment out and let it dry. You can spray it with Natures Miracle, available at most pet stores, and let it dry. The Natures Miracle takes a few days to work (its an enzyme) and you may have to do it a few times. This may save the carpet, maybe. More importantly you need to dry out the floors! Check for any rust and treat accordingly.

 

....and to take this one step further, if your car was one of the few that was special ordered with buckets and console, there should be a stamping on the trim tag on the cowling below the driver's window with the letters SCO. If it's there you have one of the very few convertibles factory equipped with buckets. Fingers crossed for you.

 

The trim code on the tag will let you know if it had bucket seats or not.
Duane

 

Picture show a bench seat....., which I'm partial to with my 4 on the floor!

 

good luck

 

Definitely & as am I - That's a whole different story!

 

Good luck on this!

 

Thanks again for all the input from everyone. I did look at the car however I had to do a quick look because I had to catch a flight home right after.
It quickly became obvious that the car is not a "survivor" - it's had some paint work in the past that was shoddy and over sprayed here and there. The paint is probably 50% original and then mended here and there.
Zero evidence of significant collisions or rust. I looked down the quarters from inside the trunk and with the top in the half up position - no weld marks, no bodo holes, nothing.
There was some very minor rust forming at the bottom of rear wheel well in quarters (dime size - scaled yet not rotted out). A few rust dots here and there and a tiny bit crawling out from behind the quarter panel wheel well chrome piece (just starting, no rot just a whiff of rust).
The dash is showing some bubbling where the bottom of windshield meets the metal dash - not bad yet will get worse.
Some bondo at bottom dog leg of passenger front fender - some spider webbing yet no visible rust.
Body lines were good, not great - fender to door lines seemed a bit off yet not ugly. Trunk lid to body alignment was good yet there was some bondo at the upper left corner on quarter panel (where all the quarter panels crack. Trunk lid lip looked solid.
hood was good - no lip rust , no evidence of repair and hangs well.
Bumpers seem good - a little faded yet very streetable.
Over all the body was good - not show yet definitely not a rot box nor a bondo machine. It looks like someone did a quick refresh and didn't know how to do body alignment.
Interior is WET- door panels seem fine yet the carpets are soaked, seats had mildew dust all over them. all lights , locks and power seats windows work fine. Top rises and drops well. Front panel of convertible top seems solid, no rust where top meets windshield frame. Seats show minimal wear, panels are clean. STINKS like mildew. Looked at floors from ground level and they look dirty yet zero rust. There's no mold growth on carpet so that's a plus. With some major work and elbow grease I think the interior can be saved as a nice driver.
Brakes are shot - master cylinder is toast...all seals are probably done for. Idled for about 40 minutes with no issues. Believe it or not - I didn't have time to drive it - I wanted to spend the time looking for the deal breakers.
Starts up cold with one pump and a few turns. Idles down nicely - no ticks no bangs. A few coolant drips here and there - hoses are old.
Someone put an aftermarket carb and manifold yet originals are in the trunk (nice move).
Has sport gauges. Non original radio, dash is perfect.
Engine has matching VIN, Tranny is original, didn't get to rear end yet it has the posi tag hanging down. Couldn't find the engine code yet I wasn't looking really hard.
I'll add more details after I review my notes.
The owner is not a car guy - he has a beautiful house on a lake and obviously has plenty of money. He saw the car in 2007 fell in love and paid $38k. It has a GS club sticker on the window so I may be able to find some history from previous owner. He bought it from someone in the South (SC?) No known documenation comes with the car. He agreed to search for anything he had.
The owner simply parked this in a crappy side shed and forgot about it for 2-3 years. It went from ok condition to needing lots of help. Owner was interested to see everything I found and quickly backed off his $28k number. His brand new porsche convertible had just arrived and I think he's done with the buick. Seems like a straight up guy. I told him my price was going to be between $13k - $16k and he didn't seem pissed. We agreed to talk later this week and see if we can put a deal together.
It's a beautiful car - has some warts, zits and possibly a hefty case of herpes yet it could be improved for minimal money and left as a very enjoyable , non- embarrassing driver. If I can get him to a good price I'll pull the interior out, dry it and tackle the cosmetics with "ok" quality paint touch ups. I don't think he needs the money - his main concern is to not get ripped off.
I'll send some pictures tomorrow.
Thanks

 

Sounds promising!

 

I'm looking over my notes and pictures and I may have goofed on the transmission - the tag read 71 BS 1839 above this line was a random 379.
The VIN doesn't match any of these numbers - is there supposed to be a vin correlation on the t400?
Thanks

 

Is that a picture of the transmission in the car ? If so that is a correct 71BS transmission The Vin number is stamped on the transmission case a little bit past the linkage on the driver side above the oil pan there is no Vin number on the tag on the passenger side of the transmission .

 

Thank you Sir. Yes that is the tranny in the car I'm looking at. I think the Engine looks good as per the VIN yet I didn't have time to find the letter code. If you see anything fishy I"m wide open to comments.