My slow 1980 Buick Century Build

[mybigwarwagon]

This will be a slow build, but I will do it as my back will allow me to stay hunkered over long enough to work on it.

About 4 months ago I got a call to pick up a car for scrap. When I got there I fell in love with the car. It is a Buick Century with a 3.8L V6 and an auto trans. No major rust a minor wrinkle on the drivers rear door. Even with the blown head gasket it fired right up and drove on the trailer.

Disgusting interior color though. Matches a Moray eel I saw in an aquarium.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

After 2 months of being a yard bird I tore the 3.8 apart to fix the head gasket just so I could drive it to TN.

Milk shake in the radiator

Hard to see but the rad is full of stop leak. Took the shop 4 hours to rod it out.

Intake manifold was solid with stop leak. Took me 3 hours with a coat hanger, garden hose, and carb cleaner to get it opened.

Free tool found behind the destributor in the exact spot where I later dropped an socket and nearly couldnt get it back out.

I believe this is the reason it overheated to begin with. Thermostat is in pieces.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Waiting on the heads to come back from the shop.

Original 29 year old waterpump. I replaced it just in case.

BAck together and ready to go.

Took the wobbly useless factory mirror off and put on a sport mirror off of a Bonneville. Have the passengers side but havent got it on yet.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Here she is at the Tn welcom center on I40 the day I got it all buttoned up. I put up the tools and drive to TN. Looks like a matchbox car.

Trip went really good for taking a dormant 29 year car out of hibernation and driving it 800 miles. But she earned a name "The Green Gremlin" On the way home a tank of bad gas finished off the 29 year old fuel pump and I got to lay in the pouring rain in a parking lot to fix it and replace the fuel line that snapped off when I loosened it.

At midnight in the middle of BFE the rad hose blew. I managed to coast/push it off into a gas station parking lot where I found that the engine side of the hose blew. I the hose around backwards putting the rad end of the hose on the water neck, then wrapped duct tape around the rad inlet till it was big inough to hold the hose, put three clamps on it and drove 200 miles home. No problems.

A week ago I got a call from a gal to come get a Buick. I had no idea what kind of buick it was. Here is what I found.

It has a 307 and 200r4. The trans has no reverse so as soon as I can afford to get it fixed it will go in the Century. The engine runs perfect. After sitting for almost a week I went out, hit the go pedal twice, and turned the key, and she started instantly.
It also has lovely power mirrors that work great that I will be sticking on the Green Gremlin soon.

I plan to keep the Granny car look and paint it the original green, but ad a little performance as I find time money and parts to do it.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Got a new donor car in. Body is straight so I will be selling parts from it. It is a 1985 Pontiac Bonneville. 3.8 auto with the rare bling bling edition dash. Wonder how hard those will be to get off.

 

[Blake442]

I kinda like the interior color... 😳

Your car and my wagon would make good pair! I just wish mine had those nice lookin' Buick rallye's...

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Thats a good looking wagon there. I sat in the Pontiac for a good while today looking at it and I almost talked myself into leaving the green dash in the Buick. Not sure yet I need to sleep on it more. I do know that the brown seats in the bonne are not near as comfortable as the GreenGremlins.

 

[Buford T. JuSStice]

Noticed your build while googling. I own an '80 Century Wagon like Blake442 which just so happens to have the Rally wheels on it.

Either way, Century's rule!

Ironically, also, much like Blake442, I own a Caprice like the one in back of his Buick. I don't know what his is, but mine's a 9C1.