83 Buick Regal Estate Wagon 5.3 LS, bagged

[vandall]

Hi, still new to this forum.. Since this build is pretty tame by most comparisons I was thinking of not even posting it, but I'm hoping it helps some prospective LS swappers. I had posted an intro in the Wagons section, so here's a quick history snapshot:

I've had this wagon for quite a while now, probably 7 years. It had seen some light duty in it's previous life, really decent shape overall. I had intended to use it as a driver and then a later project.. but the problems came quickly - it would smoke on start up sometimes, on hot days (not too often) if I drove it very far it might overheat, it pinged like crazy under heavy load.. it leaked coolant near the heater core..leaked oil.. leaked water in to the passenger footwell... and it appeared to me the A/C system had been hacked apart and then hacked back together (more on that). And it was just gutless because I can only assume the little v-6 had been punished with the overheating. So the poor car sat neglected and would see occasional use to justify it's existence. At some point I just got fed up and tried to sell it.. but think I was too honest and no one was interested enough to take this beast on. So, I said F it, I'm gonna build it how I want it!

Here are some pics soon after I bought the wagon:

body and trim are pretty nice

surprisingly nice interior

twin pinstripes in maroon & even had the "Unleaded Fuel Only" sticker mostly intact on the filler door

rebuilt and painted some suspension components and re-did front brakes

added some super sweet KYB shocks (it actually did ride very nice, felt light and nimble)

Unfortunately this is the car's fate for the next 5ish years

 

[Longroof79]

What do you mean by "this is the car's fate for the next 5ish years"? Does it mean you won't be able to continue on it for the next 5 yrs?
Being able to find a car with a great original body and interior is a score, despite the other mechanical maladies. It would be worth upgrading to a nice new engine and trans.
Don't give up on the old gal. It's got an enormous amount of potential to be a super sweet cruiser.

 

[drogg1]

That interior looks mint!

 

[vandall]

No, sorry for the confusion... I was still in flashback mode - meaning the car would be off and on jack stands for those years to come. Along the way we had done some other work like tracing leaks, trying to get it running better, etc. One of the biggest hurdles was the dreaded headliner resto.. we chose to pull the headliner down and prep it for an interior guy to lay down new fabric. What a huge PITA. I broke some of the crazy clips that hold up trim, too, which I should have researched how to properly remove all of that beforehand. And the guy told us we should have just brought it to him to replace it with the headliner in place in the car. UGH 😕 Here are some more pics along the way:

You can see tape residue on the vent window.. a hint at another fun project

The old thumbtack trick

it's a lot of stuff for such a small engine

I even rebuilt the Rochester 2-barrel to no avail

 

[Longroof79]

Most guys would kill to have an interior that nice...and intact. I can't believe that the interior guy told you he'd be able to do the headliner while still in the car...
That board, or boards, have to come down to be able to do a decent job cleaning and recovering it.
So, what you were trying to say is that it will be an ongoing project for the next 5 yrs...gotcha!

 

[oldmansmonte]

Gorgeous car! That thing is like an assault on the senses for nostalgia.

 

[liquidh8]

Very cool, can't wait for more updates.

 

[vandall]

Well, that too. Haha.. it will be an ongoing project for some time. Here is one last look at the old set up after we had got the headliner buttoned up and detailed the car pretty well.. including removing all roof pieces before polishing and waxing. It looked great but no one was seriously interested in a car with mechanical issues I guess. I wasn't going to give it away but thought my price was fair. When I had posted it online someone noticed it and posted on stationwagonforums.com forum and they were talking a lot about the weird A/C system. I really hadn't thought that much about it except it looked like hell. Around that time I brought it down to our local Buick show in Puyallup that happens every June.

It was coincidental because at that show I met an older guy who claimed to have sold this very car when it was brand new at Cornforth Buick in Puyallup. I thought that was so cool! I wanted to get a pic of him with the car but couldn't find him later to do that.. I regret it. Anyway, I must have mentioned all the talk about the AC system because he told me that the dealership had actually installed the system after they took delivery! It was all very clear now - the hacked heater box, the giant iron bracket and weird pulleys, the mess of wiring running around the bay.. So that was an interesting how-do-you-do.

it had a very stock stance.. high and tight with a slight rake

before polishing we removed the stripes and I had got new 3M double maroon stripes but haven't yet put them back on... it's just so clean without

before my dad weed-whacked a rock in to the rear window it had the original Olympics sticker intact! I may find a replacement yet

when I removed the ridiculous skater sticker from the rear spoiler it pulled paint off so we repainted in a close-enough white

this AC panel is what started the mystery conversation

burgundy for days

 

[junkyard junky]

Nice car!

 

[Pasikiainen]

Super mint. Lovin these wagons!