REGAL Another dreamer

[ck80]

can't speak to nationwide, but in this market, nobody wants parts that are not near-mint. Few will spend the effort to recondition a used part, after all, the TV shows tell them to buy "new" repro stuff.

Axle is a sure sale, rest of it in OKC area, not so much

If that was a different gbody I'd agree with you. I also think the southeast probably has a much much larger building community than other places such as OKC.

Just last week I sold some parts that we forgot in the barn loft. One was a 1983 regal header panel, no bezels, and a couple small fiberglass chips. $325, and, when one guy was off to the atm for cash to pick it up another guy came by for a glassless door and was begging me to sell him the panel for more before the 1st guy returned. (I wouldnt)

Only because it's a turbo car are there little parts all over that add up - gauge cluster with tach, concert sound lower door panels with hangers/wiring, hardtop windows/trim, 5 pc factory spoiler, header panel, turbo emblems, list keeps going and going before you even get into core parts like the crank, heads, rods, Trans, seats/tracks, etc etc etc.

 

[Ribbedroof]

I'd guess a lot has to do with model-specific knowledge. Buicks are not my strong suit, and I can't fathom that bare regal headers will bring that kind of $$.

It took me 2 years to sell a mint '85 Camino header, loaded, with NOS headlamp doors, park lamps, and billet grille. Got $150, and it came dangerously close to hitting the dumpster

I have a friend that used to part a LOT of G bodies. He said all he ever got was requests for gauge clusters, un-cracked dashes, and bucket seats/consoles....all Chevrolet. He did "OK" selling Camino front clips, but scrapped a ton of decent B-O-P stuff. Limited space, and he found more lucrative "victims" to part

 

[ck80]

I'd guess a lot has to do with model-specific knowledge. Buicks are not my strong suit, and I can't fathom that bare regal headers will bring that kind of $$.

It took me 2 years to sell a mint '85 Camino header, loaded, with NOS headlamp doors, park lamps, and billet grille. Got $150, and it came dangerously close to hitting the dumpster

I have a friend that used to part a LOT of G bodies. He said all he ever got was requests for gauge clusters, un-cracked dashes, and bucket seats/consoles....all Chevrolet. He did "OK" selling Camino front clips, but scrapped a ton of decent B-O-P stuff. Limited space, and he found more lucrative "victims" to part

I'm stuck in the opposite shallow end of the knowledge pool. I probably parted around 200 buicks and another 50-70 cutlass 86-88 coupes. But GPs or Montes? Only every got their parts via swaps/bundle deals.

Mainly a function of being a 'buick guy' and the Olds I really got into more because I owned a couple 87/88 cars. Did own a coupe H/O parts cars along the way but mostly it was just trying to rebuild and hoard for the cuttys I drove and fixed.

 

[565bbchevy]

The short story is I bought this LS swapped 86' Monte SS last year that didn't run for $1,800 and replaced the fusible link and got it running and then parted it out.
Within a few weeks I had made $4,000 profit off this car, most stuff sold within a day on FB and I still have the rearend, tilt column with steering wheel, shifter, tail lights, sway bars and a few other items left over.
The pictures make it look good but the work that was needed along with the rigged stuff on the engine swap made me afraid to drive it more than a couple blocks just to make sure the trans shifted.

Those are my old Regal rims on the front so it would roll, t-top area and floorboards needed replacing and someone welded rocker covers over the originals.
The wiring on this was a pure fire hazard. And the A pillars were also rotted from T-top leaks.

I also was offered $3,600 for the car after I got it running from someone that knew the original owner but I passed on the offer.(I really didn't feel safe selling it as a running car)
My original plan was to double my money and keep a few parts but getting it running and selling the drivetrain first put me over triple.

And when it finally left. And my $30 homemade roller.
And you can also see were the mice built a nest on top of the dash, I didn't realize what it was until I saw urine stains running down the center of the dash.

 

[oldsmobile joe]

let me see, buy the car for $4800 or give the money to my wife and kids. hmm, i'd lose less if i gave it to my wife and kids.

 

[UNGN]

It appears to be a WH1 Designer series (The only T-Type with a GN spoiler) and it has astro roof.

With an '86-87 Turbo swap or LS1 Turbo Swap... & $20K, it would be desirable car that would turn heads. I could find $3K in parts (max I'd pay), but if the floor pans weren't rusted, I would resto-mod it and paint it back to WH1 Two -tone.

 

[69hurstolds]

Hmmm. Glad it tells you it's paid off. I'm sure the roof seals held up without any leaks. Just guessing they kept the drain lines clean. Because of that, I'm pretty sure the new drains are now the holes in the floorboards.

It's GENERALLY all there, but regardless, this isn't one of those "barn finds" that you can sink a ton of money into and make it worth enough $$$ at the end. It's a money pit, and if you're just pining for a T-type or have some sort of emotional attachment, the starting price is already killing a $5000 bill, you're probably going to sink a good 15-20K minimum to get it where most people would want to buy it from you without losing money. MAYBE. $20K and a ton of work, and then you have a $20K car that will still likely be nickel and diming you. It would be one thing if it were just a dirty daily driver needing a paint job, but the only difference between this car and a junkyard gem is that this one hasn't been picked over yet.

Someone may buy it though. Seems rather pricey as a hulk. It's a shame cars end up like this. It probably would have been a fun project if it had lived in a garage.

 

[84dragcutlass]

I think what people forget is that it's "complete" so they think its worth a lot. I mean come on all it needs is paint, rust repair, engine, trans, interior... basically a full resto just to make it worth anything. Not to mention what the mice have done to it so add wiring to the list. I've gotten a lot of parts cars over the years knowing what the parts were worth but its selling them thats the trick. Plus all the hidden surprises you always find along the way.

 

[blk7gxn]

I think this is the new norm. When you see GN's with low mileage bringing the coin they are currently, and it seems rapidly increasing on a regular basis from there and onward, its really no surprise to see any Turbo Buick following in the shadows. I hope someone can save the car listed, but as mentioned in other posts, it will cost BIG to restore it back to life, and often times people bite off more than they can chew, or expect to. Now if someone had one of these that had a missing title etc. etc., I could see someone forking over the coin for it , doing what they have to ( "cough cough") and selling the rest of the car off as parts, because there is a slew of good and valuable parts on this thing! There are many scenarios that could play out here, but over all, they don't make any more of these Turbo Buicks, and supply and demand as most know rule. Thanks for sharing the ad!

 

[Ribbedroof]

These stories of parting cars for 5-6K is starting to make me wonder why mine are still in one piece....