Entrusted with selling elderly neighbor's two Buicks...G-Body and W-Body, what to do?

patgizz wrote:

novaderrik wrote:

Gearheadotaku wrote: The Regal could also be a great body parts donor for someone restoring a Grand National. Regardless of how, the car has value, just need to find the right person.

i could use the doors and a few odds and ends from it for my T Type.. that tilt column would be a nice upgrade for me, and it's the right shade of blue. so is the plastic piece on the top of the dash that covers the defrost vent and dash speakers.. are you certain that engine is a 3.8? the 4.1 looks identical but had a 4 barrel quadrajet carburetor on it. which transmission does it have? it could be a TH200, TH350, or TH 200-4r overdrive trans in 84 or 85..

that is the farthest thing from a parts car i've seen in a long time. if anyone buys it to part i'll hunt you down and kick you in the junk

get over yourself... it's a 30 year old base model Regal... if i was to buy it for parts, i'd be using parts from a lesser model (base Regal) to save a rarer and more valuable version of the same car (my T Type). solid doors are impossible to find for these cars, i've been looking on and off for over a decade. and it's not like i'd be taking it off the road- i'd put my old doors on it and my old non tilt column in it and selling it as what is still a pretty solid car, only with blue doors with rust holes in the lower rear corners.

Small update.

Regal: The tires are dead dead dead, so need to figure something out there. I don't like the wire wheel covers, much prefer the Rally wheels. Not that I'd toss the wire covers, it's just an old lady look IMO.

I'm going to throw a battery at it (does it have to have side terminals like the one that's in it?), try to get it started, order the bumper fillers from G-Body Parts and rattlecan (get cans from Paintscratch I guess), detail it, and go from there.

Lacrosse: Not that anyone cares, but put a new Interstate battery in the Lacrosse and it fired right up after sitting for two years. Bought three used Michelin Defender XTs, will find a fourth, going to find an r/h mirror glass, maybe get the bumper repainted, and list for $8k. 27,900 miles. Love GM cars, no codes, no fuss after sitting.

Denton wrote: Small update. Regal: The tires are dead dead dead, so need to figure something out there. I don't like the wire wheel covers, much prefer the Rally wheels. Not that I'd toss the wire covers, it's just an old lady look IMO. I'm going to throw a battery at it (does it have to have side terminals like the one that's in it?), try to get it started, order the bumper fillers from G-Body Parts and rattlecan (get cans from Paintscratch I guess), detail it, and go from there. Lacrosse: Not that anyone cares, but put a new Interstate battery in the Lacrosse and it fired right up after sitting for two years. Bought three used Michelin Defender XTs, will find a fourth, going to find an r/h mirror glass, maybe get the bumper repainted, and list for $8k. 27,900 miles. Love GM cars, no codes, no fuss after sitting.

If you change your mind and decide to sell the Regal as is PM me. I'm not too far from Atlanta and have a trailer with a winch, plus a compressor in the truck, so could be in and out in no time.

Denton wrote: Small update. Regal: The tires are dead dead dead, so need to figure something out there. I don't like the wire wheel covers, much prefer the Rally wheels. Not that I'd toss the wire covers, it's just an old lady look IMO. I'm going to throw a battery at it (does it have to have side terminals like the one that's in it?), try to get it started, order the bumper fillers from G-Body Parts and rattlecan (get cans from Paintscratch I guess), detail it, and go from there. Lacrosse: Not that anyone cares, but put a new Interstate battery in the Lacrosse and it fired right up after sitting for two years. Bought three used Michelin Defender XTs, will find a fourth, going to find an r/h mirror glass, maybe get the bumper repainted, and list for $8k. 27,900 miles. Love GM cars, no codes, no fuss after sitting.

I think one way or another this sells because if the drag racing guys don't want it the donk guys will. I hope it doesn't end up as a donk.

I'd throw some Rally wheels on it if you have them. It's easier to imagine this as something really cool rather then a "Grandma Car" and a better looking set of wheels would help that.

Cotton: We are going to try to get it running. Picked up an Interstate Group 75 battery today at Costco, will find Marvel Mystery Oil at the store and maybe some Seafoam for the gas tank. Fingers crossed it turns over.

Contradition: I'll look for Rally wheels, there's several sets on CL. I can easily see getting in deeper than I want to on this. My brother has really taken a liking to the idea of it being a project car so we'll see.

Denton wrote: Cotton: We are going to try to get it running. Picked up an Interstate Group 75 battery today at Costco, will find Marvel Mystery Oil at the store and maybe some Seafoam for the gas tank. Fingers crossed it turns over. Contradition: I'll look for Rally wheels, there's several sets on CL. I can easily see getting in deeper than I want to on this. My brother has really taken a liking to the idea of it being a project car so we'll see.

I'm interested either way. Personally I would leave the wire covers on it, but I prefer something like that completely stock. It would be cool to have a car like that and a Grand National side by side in the same garage.

In reply to Cotton:

I'm with you. Would blackwalls with wire wheel covers look terrible?

Cotton wrote: I'm interested in the regal as well. I'd keep it stock thoough....always liked those.

and by "stock" you mean replacing the now siezed 3.8 with an LR4/4L65 right? Because that is all I can see looking at that car. I want it too. Had an unhealthy love of G-bodies in HS but never got to own one.

In reply to Denton:

I think they look better with whitewalls. I just sold a mint 87 Caprice Brougham with 65k miles and when I replaced the tires on it they had to be whitewalls.

Bobzilla wrote:

Cotton wrote: I'm interested in the regal as well. I'd keep it stock thoough....always liked those.

and by "stock" you mean replacing the now siezed 3.8 with an LR4/4L65 right? Because that is all I can see looking at that car. I want it too. Had an unhealthy love of G-bodies in HS but never got to own one.

Lol an OD trans would be a nice improvement, but I'd keep the 3.8 if it could be saved.

Is there an alternate 14" tire size?

Denton wrote: In reply to Cotton: I'm with you. Would blackwalls with wire wheel covers look terrible?

Yes.

Man, I want that Regal. My dad drove an '85 Limited 3.8 like this one.

I would love the regal if if I had the $$$ to buy and modify. Just detail it inside and out. Some light suspension work then the GMPP 350/290 crate and an O/D trans.

Cotton wrote: In reply to Denton: I just sold a mint 87 Caprice Brougham with 65k miles

Damnit I want one of those too.

So I wanted to update this thread with some new info. First, a huge thanks to Denton for making this happen. I left Nashville at 6:30 last Wednesday (the 23rd) and was home a little before 4 that afternoon.

It was impossible to back my truck and trailer to the car because of the driveway, which has a 90 degree bend at a small landing then a steep downhill section to the street, but amazingly after a decade or more of sitting the tires aired right up, the brakes worked great, and the car rolled easily. Thanks to Denton's help we had it loaded in no time and the trip home was uneventful....just a nice cruise from Atlanta to Nashville.

Currently the car is in my garage while I prep it to start for the first time in many years. I was going to just put fresh gas in it and let it rip, but decided to dig deeper and prep it a little more thoroughly. While I'm doing that I have a few parts on the way like bumper fillers, hood shocks, emblems, etc. once running I'll put new tires on it, paint and install the bumper fillers, replace the power antenna and shocks, then have it professionally detailed. This car will be going back 100% stock all the way down to the 14 inch white walls. I'll post updates as progress is made!

Denton wrote: In reply to Cotton: I'm with you. Would blackwalls with wire wheel covers look terrible?

Yes. Blackwalls with rallys? Sure, but not with the wire covers. Whenever I see a wire wheel cover with blackwalls, I just assume the owner didn't want to take the time to find whitewalls. But that's me, and I might be an shiny happy person.

In reply to Esoteric Nixon:

Yeah I'm keeping with the whitewalls and wires for sure.

This car is very original....Denton had a lot of documentation on it like window sticker, shipping docs, warranty book, etc that has been a lot of fun to look through.

Love a good g-body.

Put the Regal on Ebay. G-bodies are a kinda cult thing. I'm a member of that cult.

There are scattered G-body folks all over the place. Put it on Ebay and take what you get. That Regal is a bit scabby, but you'll find someone who will pay $2000 for it. Clean it up and describe it as a rust-free survivor and they'll come flocking.

I had an 87 Cutlass Salon that I regret selling almost every day. We're freaks and we will pay stoopid money for Gs sometimes.

Good to see that the car went to a GRM person. I'm hoping for more details.

curtis73 wrote: Put the Regal on Ebay. G-bodies are a kinda cult thing. I'm a member of that cult. There are scattered G-body folks all over the place. Put it on Ebay and take what you get. That Regal is a bit scabby, but you'll find someone who will pay $2000 for it. Clean it up and describe it as a rust-free survivor and they'll come flocking. I had an 87 Cutlass Salon that I regret selling almost every day. We're freaks and we will pay stoopid money for Gs sometimes.

I'm the one that bought it from the op. I'm also a g-body fan.

Sweet! When does it get a 455?

G bodys were my first love before i found foxbodys. The doors off my last one sold for more then the rest of the car. i should have held onto em for a few more years!

Quick update. The Regal is now running and the little 3.8 sounds very good. I'm doing an oil change and replacing the valve cover gaskets later this week, then will attempt a short test drive.

New front and rear bumper fillers have been installed. I used ppg base mixed from the original paint code and glasurit clear, which I already had on hand.

I'm having a professional detailer coming Thursday to work his magic on the paint. With a finish in this condition (rough and fragile) I don't take chances...best to leave it to the pros.

The interior is fantastic. A light cleaning is all that's needed.

If all works out as expected I'll do tires, shocks, and a new muffler next, but that will depend on how the test drive goes. If all goes well I hope to have a very presentable low mileage regal by mid May.

great story