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Customs Special order Buick

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by TCTND, Jan 4, 2021.

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  1. Budget36
    Joined: Nov 29, 2014
    Posts: 15,033

    Budget36
    Member

    Flew to Pa. to meet my now ex-father in-law. He had an early 80s Buick. This was in the early 90’s. He bought it new, he let us use the car while out there, but first thing he asked is if I knew how to drive a manual.
    It had a 4 speed

    I asked him and he told me he ordered it that way. Now this was over 25 years ago, but never asked him details so not sure if it was done on the line, or if the dealer he ordered it from did it

    I don’t recall the model of the car, may even have been a late 70’s, no clue on the engine either, but it was rear wheel drive.
    He was an asshole though, hope he’s changing clutches in the snow these days.
     
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  2. 302GMC
    Joined: Dec 15, 2005
    Posts: 8,399

    302GMC
    Member
    from Idaho

    Still can't grasp what the advantage would be. The Buick is 322 ci., the Cad 365 ci. Both were 4bbl dual exhaust. Perhaps the Cad engine could have been the "el Dorado 2 4bbl version, but that little tidbit would surely have been part of the ol' boy's story.
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2021
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  3. Hnstray
    Joined: Aug 23, 2009
    Posts: 12,355

    Hnstray
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Quincy, IL

    I am pretty sure all ‘56 Buicks were 322”.......364” was introduced in ‘57 models, though your point about minimal gain could still apply. The OP does not indicate the Series, i.e., Special, Century etc. There was a significant difference between the 2 bbl low compression Special series and the high compression 4 bbl Century or Caddy. It would have been a more advantageous and easier swap to start with an Olds 88 hardtop.....if it was actually done, that is. ;)

    Ray
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2021
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  4. 302GMC
    Joined: Dec 15, 2005
    Posts: 8,399

    302GMC
    Member
    from Idaho

    Oops, I stand corrected. Thanks Ray !
     
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  5. Deuces
    Joined: Nov 3, 2009
    Posts: 26,427

    Deuces

    Those early '80s Buicks had the finned rear aluminum drums out back.... You could probably still get those at a parts store....
     
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  6. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 35,597

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    The Cad engine in the Buick sounds a bit far fetched unless It was done at the dealership after it was received there.
    As far as I know Chevy and GMC trucks came down the same assembly line after 1973. I've seen a couple that had the wrong emblems or trim from the factory. That was back when they were new though.

    In the middle of 1968 my buddy's dad sent him the dealer order sheets for a 69 Olds telling him to pick out what ever one he wanted the way he wanted it while we were in Vietnam. His dad managed the Olds Dealership in Washington DC at the time. We sorted though it and he decided on a 69 Cutlass hardtop with a W31 and a number of trinkets. I decided that I wanted a 69 Cutlass S and wrote down the order numbers for a 69 Cutlass S 2 door post with 310 hp 350, M 21 4 speed, 3.42 posi and an am-fm multiplex radio. probably the shortest special order or even order list on any Olds that Williams & Swanson in Renton, Wa ever sold Dad and the salesman decided that I needed a hardtop rather than post car (costing 300 lb) an the car listed for 3656.60 when all was said and done and the dealer discounted the shipping, dealer prep and taxes on it. I got home on Sunday night and picked the car up Monday Afternoon. Tuesday I put chrome reverse wheels on it. The cars are OT for here but I found photos of both Rick's W31 and my Cutlass with my wife of 51 years with them a while back while going though some old slides when we were at Ft Hood in 1969.
     
  7. das858
    Joined: Jul 28, 2010
    Posts: 1,216

    das858
    Member

    In 1966 my folks bought a new Fury 4 door with a factory 383 4 barrel , 4 speed . The people that ordered it originally wouldn't take it when it came in with the 4 speed . My Dad always loved sleepers , and had to have it . Mom wasn't impressed, every time she would say no the dealer would knock off $50.00 or $100.00 dollars . The sticker price was $3600 .00 on the car , when it got down to $2600.00 my Dad said , we're buying the car !
     
  8. junkyardjeff
    Joined: Jul 23, 2005
    Posts: 8,681

    junkyardjeff
    Member

    This car was from my area and in 91 it was for sale for 3000.00 and back then it seemed like 30,000 but wished I would have found the money.
     
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  9. Hotrodderman
    Joined: Jun 18, 2006
    Posts: 188

    Hotrodderman
    Member

    Back in 81, I worked at a Chevy dealership and it was my job to check in all of the new cars off of the transport. We got in a loaded black and silver Chevy truck and the tailgate had GMC on it. The color did match though. We ended up ordering a tailgate and the bodyshop painted it.

    Hotrodderman
     
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  10. Pretty dumb dealer. Let's see here, he bought a new car every year? You would think, that if the sales manager could look forward, they would have quickly recovered from any loss from this one trade. I guess they never knew they could chance the colour of the car.
    Bob
     
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  11. I have a 76 GMC, just a beater, but it didn't look like it had ever had any major body repair or repaint on the cab. It has Chevy Silverado trim on one side. I just assumed that someone had replaced it as some kind of joke.
    Bob
     
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  12. I had a friend with a 77 Olds, and was he ever pissed when I told him that his car had a Chevy engine. He had popped the hood to ask me a question about something, and I was as shocked as he was to see a Chevy engine under the hood.
    Up until that point, he was a very happy Olds fan. Not so much after that. There was a lawsuit, where the GM had to make some restitution, but I don't remember all the circumstances.
    Here is a link to the settlement:
    https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/28/us/jury-orders-gm-to-pay-10000-in-switch-of-engines.html
    Bob
     
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  13. hotrodjack33
    Joined: Aug 19, 2019
    Posts: 4,743

    hotrodjack33
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    My Dad did just the opposite of the "1 off" high performance purchase...he went "1 off " LESS performance.
    My Dad went into a Boonton NJ Pontiac dealer to order a new '63 Pontiac Grand Prix. The only engine options for the Grand Prix were 389s. My Dad being concerned with gas mileage wanted the newly introduced 326 instead. The dealer said he didn't think it was possible, but would check on it. The next day the dealer called back and said for an additional $28, he could get the smaller engine.
    For years my Dad believed he had a "1 off" 326 Grand Prix...but I always wondered, considering the 326 and 389 look identical, that they gave him a 389 and the dealer just put the $28 in his pocket.
     
  14. Nobody would have known until the engine required major maintenance.
    Bob
     
  15. In 1967, one of the guys I knew, ordered a plain Chevy 2 dr (Biscane?) with a 396, 2bbl carb, and a 3 spd manual transmission. The car was special ordered through the air force auto club, and had multiple other peculiarities, but I just can't remember them all. To this day, it is the only 396 I have ever seen with a 2 barrel.
    Believe it or not, this was his idea of a performance car! I could beat him with my 327 powered Corvette, so that theory died.
    Bob
     
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  16. hotrodjack33
    Joined: Aug 19, 2019
    Posts: 4,743

    hotrodjack33
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I did eventually get it passed down to me and drove off and on for a year or 2, but living here in the Northeast, the Grand Prix body gave out long before the engine ever did.
     
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  17. Us western guys knew that that was the hazard of buying a car from down east. Then they started salting our roads, and we learned how quickly a car could die, and still have good running gear.
    Bob
     
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  18. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,969

    BamaMav
    Member Emeritus
    from Berry, AL

    I guess they couldn’t stomach the green and orange interior. I never knew him to buy Chevy’s after that, always Pontiacs. They must have really pissed him off.

    My Grandma had one of the Old’s with the Chevy engines. She bought it used, so she didn’t get any of the lawsuit settlement. She wasn’t real happy when she found out, either. She had traded in her 68 Olds 98 with the 455 on it, the Chevy 350 didn’t pull like the big 455 did.
     
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  19. indyjps
    Joined: Feb 21, 2007
    Posts: 5,393

    indyjps
    Member

    There was enough leeway in the program, they could request a specific program car when it was time for them to purchase.

    You could always tell who was in the shithouse, most superintendents would be driving cadillacs, tahoes, etc. Except 1 or 2 would be in cavaliers or saturns.

    I remember one guy that always had Tahoe's, he took his buddies out to celebrate a return to bachelor party when one of them got divorced. They had pornos playing on the flip down video screens. He drove around for a week with porn playing on the screen with no sound. Someone called the state police with the plate when their kids saw it driving down the road, the plate was GM corporate vehicle, it filtered down thru HR. He was stuck in cavaliers for a long time, he was about 6'4 350 lbs and pretty much sat in the middle of the car.

    When the aztek was around, not many sold, a lot became program cars, it was a running joke about what color aztek are you getting next.

    I wrote a letter to the program vehicle manager with an offer of 50% of employee price to buy a new aztek, attached financing verification from my bank. You know, since they were having touble selling them. Caught some shit for that. I measured one up and figured if I took the plastic off, made some brush guards it might look OK.

    I was a supervisor for skilled trades / tech, sometimes production in a stamping plant. Most on 2nd or 3rd shift. Lot of weird shit happened, lot of it funny, some of it pathetic from all sides involved, I'm sure you can relate.
     
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  20. Deuces
    Joined: Nov 3, 2009
    Posts: 26,427

    Deuces

    I remember that! I've even seen a few like those..
    Must have been a shortage of Buick and Olds motors for the assembly line.... Besides, how can you not like a small block????....:D.... hide.gif
     
  21. Deuces
    Joined: Nov 3, 2009
    Posts: 26,427

    Deuces

    I've seen one in a '68 er 9 Chevelle or Malibu wagon years ago.... So, those are out there....:)
     
  22. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,969

    BamaMav
    Member Emeritus
    from Berry, AL

    No, GM decided to cut costs and get rid of each division having it’s own engines. The Small block Chevy and the Buick V6 were kept and installed in everything, Pontiac, Olds, and Buick lost their other engines. I can’t remember about Cadillac, not sure if they got the Chevy or kept their engines. Really, they were just copying Ford, who had made the change to all Ford engines in all products several years prior.
     
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  23. GM was way late to that party. Both Ford and Chrysler had completely eliminated marque-specific motors in the 60s. Ford was first, they never had been big on that, with Lincoln having it's own and Ford/Mercury pretty much sharing the rest. The Lincoln motor did get used on some '50s/early '60s Mercurys and Edsels and even snuck into the T-bird briefly. Chrysler was as bad as GM in the '50s, but by the end of the decade had dumped most of them and consolidated their line too.

    IIRC, GM started sneaking 'other' motors under the hoods of some cars and when caught/sued/lost, that's when they announced their switch to 'corporate motors' and unceremoniously axed most of them. That showed 'em!.... LOLOL. Cadillac was the only division to retain autonomy on motors, and went on to build some of the worst POS motors GM ever sold...
     
  24. Fordors
    Joined: Sep 22, 2016
    Posts: 6,294

    Fordors
    Member

    The only 2 barrel BBC manifolds were built in ‘66-‘68 and they were for tall deck 366 and 427 truck blocks, being tall deck the manifold was wider and would not fit the 396 or 427 passenger car block.
     
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  25. John Tumolo
    Joined: May 3, 2009
    Posts: 1,760

    John Tumolo
    Member

    Got out of Army in 1966 and bought a 1966 Buick Skylark Gran Sport hardtop with the 401 motor. Wanted a stick shift and dealer (Kutner Buick) said it was rare but possible. Waited 12+ weeks and came with a bench seat and 3 speed trans. Ran good till one day decided to change the oil and discovered trans was cast FOMOCO. What the???Went back to dealer and was told they some times borrowed from other companies for "Special" orders. I am loyal to the General so pulled the trans the next week and installed a Muncie 4 speed and Hurst shifter. Wish I still had it. 100_4497.JPG ish I still had it.
     
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  26. 302GMC
    Joined: Dec 15, 2005
    Posts: 8,399

    302GMC
    Member
    from Idaho

    ^^^
    1966 Pontiacs used them, too, & probably Olds. Never have seen the reason for such a delay synchronizing low gear at GM's suppliers, Chrysler was even slower - probably lack of demand ?
     
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  27. At the time, I was certain that Chevy was not making a 2 bbl manifold for the 396, and I was dumbfounded when I saw it installed in his brand new car. It also cost me money, because I lost a bet, believing that all big blocks were 4 bbl cars. I have even owned a couple of 366s, and they were both equipped with Holley 4 bbl carbs.
    I don't know if it could have been a tall deck block in the car, because, at the time, 1967, I was not aware there was a .4 inch difference in the deck height of the truck blocks. Do you think that GM would have actually shaved a truck intake to fit in a car? I do remember it being cast iron.
    Bob
     
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  28. My buddy, Jimmy bought a 73 elcamino from his uncle who bought it new. It had the S-3 Laguna front sheetmetal/fiberglass package. When jimmy called G.M. to see if he could some parts for it, the told him there was never an El Camino with that trim package.
    Back in the mid 70s I was working with this guy who loved Hudson Jets. He use to take his maroon and white 1954 to P.I.R. [Portland Intl' Raceway] on the weekends. Was running a 302 SBC with a Muncie 4 speed and a 4.11 posi from a big-bodied Hudson , maybe a wasp or something similar. One day he drove to work in the nicest little 53 Hudson Jet, 2 door sedan I'd seen in baby blue paint. He said the books said Hudson never made a 2 door Jet in '53, only 54. Must have been a late release '53 with the new 54 two door body.
     
  29. Apparently, the transmission swapping between manufacturers went both ways. A friend's Continental MkII had a hydramatic transmission.
    Bob
     
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  30. The early GM musclecars didn't come standard with 4-speeds, a three speed was 'base'. Pontiac, Buick and Olds were all concerned about the strength of the available GM trans so purchased Ford's HD three speed (cast with a GM-configured case; it wouldn't fit in a Ford) in it's place. I believe they just dropped the three speed off the available list after a few years, Ford problem solved.... LOL
     
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