G-Body eBay Deal Of The Week 9/29/2013

This week's deal is a little old man's car (so they claim).  The interior is in very good shape and the exterior is ok.  There is some rust, but considering it is only $535, who can complain.

Here is the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Buick-Regal-Limited-1986-buick-regal-limited-coupe-2-door-5-0-l-/300975201460?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4613851cb4&vxp=mtr#ht_500wt_1182

G-Body Drag Racing at KC Mustang F-Body Meet

I was at the KC Mustang / F- Body Meet in Osborn, MO on September 21, 2013.  While it was mainly Mustangs and F-Bodies, there were a few G-Bodies on hand.  Here are some of the runs I caught.

If you want to see the other footage I caught, follow the link to my playlist on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdVhEhO0tp1fWE71mwRioYI3DBix2A5Fh

G Body eBay Deal Of The Week 9/22/2013

This week we have a project that has been sitting for 10 years and needs some TLC.  It is a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 442 clone with T-Tops.  It is in decent shape, but looks like everything needs to be gone through.  It is currently is $510 and has 4 days to go.

Here is the listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Oldsmobile-Cutlass-Base-Coupe-2-Door-1986-oldsmobile-cutlass-supreme-base-coupe-2-door-5-0-l-/171130997110?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item27d833c976&vxp=mtr#ht_500wt_1182

A First Look At Project Monte Carlo

Here are some videos from when I picked up the Monte Carlo.  The first is a walkaround of where it has been sitting for the last few years.

The next is after we got it on the trailer.  It had some moss like stuff growing on it.

The next three videos were taken while I was cleaning the car up.  The best part is.............it started!!!

G-Body eBay Deal Of The Week 9/15/2013

Our eBay Deal this week is a 1980 Chevrolet El Camino and it is a little rough.

The body is a little rough but complete.  The motor is a Buick 231 with a "knock".  You probably would want something bigger in there anyway.  Not the prettiest, but at the current price of $500, who could pass this up.

Here is the listing.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-El-Camino-Base-Standard-Cab-Pickup-2-Door-1980-chevrolet-el-camino-base-standard-cab-/281165015402?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4176bda96a&vxp=mtr#ht_500wt_1182


Honorable Mention

This week we have to include an honorable mention for this car.  They claim it is a Malibu turned into a dune buggy.  It is nicely done and very unique.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Malibu-Dune-Buggy-1981-malibu-dune-buggy-hot-rod-fast-street-rod-/130992047371?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1e7fbc050b&vxp=mtr#ht_500wt_1182

The Monte Carlo is Home!!!

This is just a quick update to to let you guys know that I finally got the Monte Carlo home. It has been in our family for about 15 years and sitting in a field for the last 10 of those. 

I took some videos and will upload those this weekend. 

The Most Amazing Shop Ever

In my last post I talked about the most amazing shop ever.  Maybe I should put some conditions on that statement. It is the most amazing G-Body shop ever.  Even more specifically, it is the most amazing Regal/Grand National shop ever.

The shop is owned by Richard Clark and it is in North Carolina.  It appears to be a private shop for his own use.  He has an amazing amount of junked turbo Buicks, most of them being Grand Nationals.  The shop is full of the parts he has collected over time which have been organized into sections.

There is a shelf dedicated to complete turbo engines!!!

Watch the videos below.  The first is the shop and the second is the graveyard out back.

Black Air Movie Review (The Buick Grand National Documentary)

The movie Black Air came out in 2011, but I didn't have a chance to watch it until recently.  (It is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.)  It is the Buick Grand National documentary.  I love Grand Nationals, so I wanted to love this movie, but like was as good as I could get.

This movie is as much an art movie as it is a documentary.  Most of the time the film is a strange black and white with a few colors added (mainly taillights).  The filming was done with lots of blurred images and slow motion shots and strange angles, but the worst thing for me was the music.  It was this creepy depressing instrumental that came and went.  Maybe it was to make you feel sad that the car was discontinued.

The content in this movie was amazing!  They had video of the assembly line in action while they were building the last car, which happened to be a Grand National.  The movie includes several interviews with people in the industry at the time and their reactions to the car now.  And of course there was footage of the Grand National in action at the dragstrip.

It is definitely worth watching.  The amount of history in this movie is amazing.  Plus, you will see one of the most amazing private shops ever.

If you have any videos of Turbo Buicks, they are looking for footage for the sequel, Black Air 2.  You can submit your footage until October 31, 2013.

G-Body eBay Deal Of The Week 9/8/2013

Every week we are going to try to find the best deal on a g-body on eBay.  It could be a cheap parts car, an incomplete project or just a beautiful car.

This week it is a very unique convertible Monte Carlo.

Here is the listing.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Monte-Carlo-convertible-1983-chevrolet-monte-carlo-convertible-chevelle-/130984054718?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1e7f420fbe&vxp=mtr#v4-42

I have to admit that it looks better than I had imagined a convertible Monte would look.  And at the current price of $534 who could pass that up.

Jeep Cherokee Steering Shaft in a G-Body Swap

Tired of that slop in your steering from a worn out rag joint?  Here is an awesome article over on bangshift.com that shows how to swap the steering shaft out of a Jeep Cherokee into a B-Body or G-Body.  They do the swap on a 1987 Chevy Caprice, but the steps are the same for the G-Body swap.  Enjoy!

http://bangshift.com/blog/driveway-tech-how-two-swap-a-jeep-steering-shaft-into-your-gm-b-body-or-g-body-car-with-a-trashed-rag-joint.html

G-Body Links

Here are some handy links for the G-Body enthusiast.  Check them all out.  Even though some of them are brand specific, they have information that applies to all G-Bodies.

For all of those parts you may be missing.
http://www.gbodyparts.com/

For the Turbo Buick fans.
http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/

Monte Carlo SS.
http://www.montecarloss.com/

If you dig into these forums, you will find some real good info.
http://gbodyforum.com/

I am not sure this site is being updated, but some cool information.
http://www.g-body.org/

Are there any that I missed?  Leave a comment and let me know.

G-Body Love

Why did I fall in love with GM's G-Body line of vehicles?

The Buick Grand National.

But not just because it was an amazing car.  It was an amazing BUICK.  I learned to drive in a 1976 Buick Century.  My first "cool" car was a 1972 Buick Skylark.  I loved Buicks when others discounted them. People ignored them because they had few performance parts and the ones they did have were expensive.  Some people knew about the Buick GS, but not many.  A Buick was what you got if you couldn't get a Chevelle.

Then came the Buick Grand National.  Buick could no longer be ignored.  By 1987 it was the fastest production vehicle in the United States.  Not only that, it did it while looking sinister and beautiful all at the same time.  I lusted for one, but unfortunately they were out of my price range (I was in high school at the time).

Fast forward about 20 years and it was time for my son to get his first "cool" car.  He chose a 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.  It was a little banged up, but still beautiful.  This re-ignited my interest in g-bodies.  I ended up buying a 1984 Buick Regal at a farm auction and loved it.  It was a beater, but still one of the most comfortable cars I had driven.  It was my daily driver until it fell apart.  I bought another '84 with a blown motor and planned to make one out of the two.  Circumstances changed and I had to get rid of all of my "toys".

Here it is five years later and I am about to begin another g-body adventure.  My son was going to scrap his Monte Carlo.  It has been sitting in a field for about six years and was in real bad shape.  I hadn't seen it in five years, but I bought it from him anyway.

Next week I go to pick it up.  My plan is to get it running again and make it my daily driver. How bad is it? You will have to wait until next week when I find out.