Whatever G-Body I end up with, the RWL tires will go on for sure.
REGAL Buick Somerset II
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Whatever G-Body I end up with, the RWL tires will go on for sure.
Out of the early 78-80 regals, the '80 looks the best. If the body/interior are good, most newer mechanicals will swap in for the rest. Given the choice between the '81 somerset and the blue '80 I would go Blue '80. It would look sportier.
The somerset will be plusher and more couch-like, if you want to squish into the seat and float around town, that would be the pick.
The somerset will be plusher and more couch-like, if you want to squish into the seat and float around town, that would be the pick.
for the $4k asking price if its really as solid as it looks in the pictures then I would jump on it. And its a hard top car ( no leaking t tops or rust under the vinyl )
Surely a motor swap would have to be in the cards though.
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-engines-and...on/1341460943?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Around here for less than $8-$10k you wont find much more than a patched up rusty Monte or Cutlass. But you may find a good GP or Regal
Surely a motor swap would have to be in the cards though.
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-engines-and...on/1341460943?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Around here for less than $8-$10k you wont find much more than a patched up rusty Monte or Cutlass. But you may find a good GP or Regal
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Yeah, I'd be fine with that. I'm not racing or modifying anything I will aquire. Nor would I want to buy anything monkeyed with. Buying OEM, keeping it OEM. Price will depend on the vehicle. I'll go a lot higher if warranted and 100% meets my criteria.
Late to the party on this one. My '81 has alot metric fastners on it. The '79 MC, 81 Malibu, '86 parts car I have had had all the same metric/SAE fasteners except wheel studs. Have to remember the US tried to convert to the metric system in the mid/late '70's. The '78 & up A/G's should be using the same type of fasteners on all the same parts except wheel studs, certain transmissions, smog pump components, power steering pumps & hoses.
Times were pretty bad in America in '78-81 - hostages, malaise, high gas prices, high interest rates, inflation, 55 mph speed limits, etc. but got way better by the mid to late 1980's and things have been on a roll since. What was acceptable in 1980 for driveability is pretty far removed for 2018. 1986, less so.
I wouldn't want to drive a 14" tired, softly sprung, no swaybar'd, slow ratio steering, 3.8L V6 in 2018. Not with ALL of the traffic around me going 25-30 mph faster than it did when the car was built. Bolting on the best bits from the later cars can make an early car liveable a modern world. That is the only reason ALL of the earlier cars (except the very desirable ones, W31, Manuals, etc, of course) didn't go to the crusher.
If you couldn't easily bolt a better motor into a G-body, there wouldn't be a G-body forum and the early cars would be worth their weight in scrap.
"Nostalgia" can drive like @ss sometimes. Keeping a non rare, non important, non significant car 100% stock is masochism. People do it, but they are only hurting themselves.
I'll have to disagree with those last 2 paragraphs.
There are many, myself included, that enjoy just cruising in a stock, originally 110hp but now probably closer to 90 with age and wear pristine gbody even with its old 3.8 engine. 14" tires are fine at 35, 45, 75 mph. Feeling like you're riding on a cushion of air on the floaty shocks instead of feeling every nick, crack, or bump in the road jarring your spine and teeth... that's a.o.k.
Nothing against anyone who wants to build a drag car, or "restomod" their ride, even those who slam it to the ground. They built so many of these, just like the tri-fives, that there's plenty of cars for each to do their own thing.
But yes, there is plenty of room and enjoyment in having a nice 14" floaty cruiser. When I want 500hp glued to the road feeling every bump, there's a late model mustang in the garage for that.
Yeah, I mean I currently daily drive my Mercedes Benz B200 Turbo and this car is a hoot to drive and own. So I get my thrills in that, especially taking sharp corners in the twistys and watching the cars behind me try to keep up.
The car I get is just for cruising and showing off its style for the year. I admire these classic cars more for how the owners treated them. Original owners with keeping it pristine and unchanged means a lot to me as a buyer.
Any car can go fast if you inject enough money into it, but its tough after that to regain the car's true intended purpose.
The car I get is just for cruising and showing off its style for the year. I admire these classic cars more for how the owners treated them. Original owners with keeping it pristine and unchanged means a lot to me as a buyer.
Any car can go fast if you inject enough money into it, but its tough after that to regain the car's true intended purpose.
The Problem with the "Low mile" or "all original" Non performance versions you might run across today, they are usually low miles because the original owners became elderly and couldn't drive anymore and they got parked. People back in the 1980's that drove "generic cars" are the same people that drive Hondas and Camry's today. They don't take care of their cars because its just transportation to them. They don't now and they didn't then. The suspension likely needs a full rebuild, the Radiator is rotten, the exhausts are rusted from the inside, the rubber is all crumbling, all of the vacuum hoses are cracked, etc.
By the time you get done fixing all of the crap with non existent "stock" parts you could a purchased an upgraded car from an enthusiast for the same amount of money. If you have a 1966 Shelby Mustang its a big deal if it is "all original", because the first thing people did was beat the hell out of them. If you have a 1978 base 3.8L Buick Regal, nobody cares. They ALL led a pretty cushy, sedate life compared to ANY Shelby.. If anyone thinks that someday, in the far distant future, somebody will care, they are kidding themselves.
Now if it was a low mile Turbo Coupe, somebody might care. Even then, way more people would care if that same low mile '79 Turbo Coupe had a swapped ''86/87 Drivetrain and a Pro touring suspension.
If you want a car to remember how bad things used to be, I see some value in that. But, unless you are trying to win an award at an AACA national meet, keeping a base model, lowperf early 80's G-body stock for stock sake doesn't make any sense to me.
By the time you get done fixing all of the crap with non existent "stock" parts you could a purchased an upgraded car from an enthusiast for the same amount of money. If you have a 1966 Shelby Mustang its a big deal if it is "all original", because the first thing people did was beat the hell out of them. If you have a 1978 base 3.8L Buick Regal, nobody cares. They ALL led a pretty cushy, sedate life compared to ANY Shelby.. If anyone thinks that someday, in the far distant future, somebody will care, they are kidding themselves.
Now if it was a low mile Turbo Coupe, somebody might care. Even then, way more people would care if that same low mile '79 Turbo Coupe had a swapped ''86/87 Drivetrain and a Pro touring suspension.
If you want a car to remember how bad things used to be, I see some value in that. But, unless you are trying to win an award at an AACA national meet, keeping a base model, lowperf early 80's G-body stock for stock sake doesn't make any sense to me.
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