Sky High Flyer

[Blake Noble]

I'd never thought I'd see the day when I would own, of all things, a Buick, but here it sits in my driveway. I'd also never see the day when I would choose a Buick over a Trans Am, but again, here the Buick sits in my driveway and not the car I've aspired to own since I was a kid (well, okay, a second-generation T/A is what my heart really desires, but that's beside the point).

The Monte, I think, went to a good home. The 383 stroker that I thought the Regal would have resting under its Grand National-sourced bonnet will find its way under the hood of my old car. The new owner also has a Monte LS parts car which will donate various bits and pieces to make my old Monte as good as new again.

I didn't get short-changed, though, as far as the powertrain goes. The Regal does have an engine that is just as good as the 383, although it might not be as performance-oriented. It's an engine I know my way around quite well, which is a big plus. It's a '71 Olds Rocket 350 out of a '71 Cutlass the previous owner used to have.

The exterior finally brought it all home. If I personally owned a Regal instead of the Monte, I would have blacked the chrome out, slapped on a Grand National hood and spoiler, and called it a day. I do plan on a set of black Torque-Thrust IIs for the car. I'm also debating on if I should paint the whole car black sometime in the future.

The interior needs to be finished up as it's half blue, half gray. As soon as I source the parts (it's easier to find a Regal around here than a Monte), I'll get this sorted out and finished. I'm also hoping to find a set of nice bucket seats to recover as well.

In short, I love this Regal just as much as I loved my Monte. I just hope this relationship is going to be less love/hate and more love/love.

[Blake Noble]

Long-term plans for the Regal: paint it black, finish the interior, drop a LS1 with a six-speed manual in it. I'm going to find a '70 - '72 Cutlass S fastback to drop the Rocket 350 in.

[Camino LS6]

You're as crazy as I am! :AH-HA_wink:

[the_yellow_dart]

These coupes just had class. They're one of the few '80s cars I like, period.

[Camino LS6]

These coupes just had class. They're one of the few '80s cars I like, period.

Agreed.

The color of this one really work well with the bodystyle - lots of the T-Type cars were this silver.

[Blake Noble]

You're as crazy as I am! :AH-HA_wink:

I'm almost 19 and I've owned 6 cars since I've had my license and I continuously think what I'm going to do next with the fleet. Maybe it's a birth defect (but a good one).

I already know what the complete fleet is going to look like in a few years: I'll have the Regal, two Cutlasses, hopefully another MC/SS, a Trans Am, and probably something newer to drive around. Five cars for one guy. Screw owning just what you need.

These coupes just had class. They're one of the few '80s cars I like, period.

Indeed, even with the sinister blacked-out trim, bulging hood, and racy spoiler, there is an air of class about the Regal even when it's ripped and buff. The Monte had it too, but probably less so in the SS trim mine was built in.

And thanks, dart.

Agreed.

The color of this one really work well with the bodystyle - lots of the T-Type cars were this silver.

Thanks Camino.

Short-term, I have no problem with the silver paint that is already on this car. (Now the original blue would be another story ...)

[Intrepidation]

Nice, looks like its in great shape for the age. I've seen a few of those for sale around here and they look terrible.

[Camino LS6]

There was a great Steel Blue color those cars came in too (lighter than what you'd think of as Steel Blue).

Was that the original color?

Edited October 10, 2009 by Camino LS6

[Blake Noble]

Nice, looks like its in great shape for the age. I've seen a few of those for sale around here and they look terrible.

Thanks DF. The previous owner did a good job with repairing the body. The trunk looks like brand new. The only place he didn't paint was the underside of the trunk lid, which is still the original color.

There was a great Steel Blue color those cars came in too (lighter than what you'd think of as Steel Blue).

Was that the original color?

The original color was darker than Steel Blue (I think I know the color you're talking about; it was a light, silverish-blue) and somewhere around a few shades lighter than Navy Blue.

EDIT: Is this the color you were thinking of Camino?

I think this is close to the Regal's original color, if not it exactly:

Edited October 10, 2009 by whiteknight

[ocnblu]

Holy crap, that's a sweet car. What's the 8th digit of your VIN? I like the silver, too. With black Torquethrusts it would look fantastic. Best of luck with this one!

[ZL-1]

Why do people do this to cars?

[Z-06]

Great car Knight.

Why do people do this to cars?

Because they can.

[Blake Noble]

Holy crap, that's a sweet car. What's the 8th digit of your VIN? I like the silver, too. With black Torquethrusts it would look fantastic. Best of luck with this one!

The VIN's 8th digit is "A." On the title it does say it used to be a V6 when it was new once upon a time. I wonder ...

And thank ya, Blu.

Great car Knight.

Thanks smallZ-06chevy.

[A Horse With No Name]

Sweet car. Used to have a friend who had a car the color of the light blue 'camino is talking about, they are striking in that color.

80's Grand National/GNX is perhaps my fav. 80's car outside of the 80's 911's and 944's. Along with that, I like the first gen RX-7's.

But anyhow, awesome car. GOOD trade.

And like Camino said, your as nuts as I am.

Chris

[Blake Noble]

So this is what I'm going to do with the Regal until I find a nice LS1/6-speed and a '71 Cutlass S needing a heart transplant:

• Black, 17" Torque-Thrust IIs in the front, 18" Torque-Thrust IIs in the rear.
• Upgrade the suspension with parts from Beltech; install some really beefy front and rear sway bars. This is also to correct the ride height and the raked stance as the Rocket 350 makes the front of the car sit really low in the front and really high in the rear. I want the car to sit taut and level on its haunches all the way around and handle more tight and precise.
• Upgrade the brakes to Brembro or Wilwood discs all 'round.
• Finish the interior. Change all of the blue panels to gray and swap out the woodgrain to the black GN pieces. Install a console out of a GN or another car which will make the interior look like stock. Swap the position of the automatic shifter from on the column to the floor.
• Paint the exterior black. Color key the bumpers, loose the rubber rub strips.
• I'm debating on if I want to buy a set of GNX fender flares for the car. I don't think I'll go for GNX fender vents, though.

Pretty short list. The car is pretty much the way I want it already, it just needs a few finishing touches. I'm thinking about driving it around Somerset for the last weekend of Somernights Cruise already (that's the fourth weekend of this month) and why not? It's not like this car will be disrespected although it isn't a polished piece. I drove it around yesterday just to see how well the car worked as a whole (and quite awesome if I do say so myself) and it caught the attention of a few rednecks, so ...

Edited October 10, 2009 by whiteknight

[ZL-1]

Because they can.

Well they should be banned from being on the roads, then.

Great looking car, whiteknight.

[mustang84]

Nice Regal...I'd like to have some sort of G-body in my garage some day.

[Intrepidation]

As a I said last night, what separates donkers from ricers is that besides the craptastcic wheels and suspension, they seem to do a pretty good job with caring for the rest of the car, and usually its a least a car worth putting money into. Ricers just fail at life.

[Blake Noble]

Sweet car. Used to have a friend who had a car the color of the light blue 'camino is talking about, they are striking in that color.

It is a nice color. But I just love how stealthy and mean these cars look in all black. They also blend in quite well too.

80's Grand National/GNX is perhaps my fav. 80's car outside of the 80's 911's and 944's. Along with that, I like the first gen RX-7's.

The Monte SS, Regal/T-Type/GN/GNX, Cutlass, and Trans Am are my favorite GM cars from the 80s, followed by the 924/944 from Porsche.

This decade wasn't too bad as far as cars go. It had its moments, but not too many of them. I think of a huge Venus flytrap growing out of a pile of K-Cars and Tauruses.

But anyhow, awesome car. GOOD trade.

I don't think I could have asked for a better trade myself. Well, maybe a '78 T/A in black would have been better, but that's just me dreamin'.

And like Camino said, your as nuts as I am.

Chris

Maybe we should start a club or something.

Thanks 'Stang.

Great looking car, whiteknight.

Thank ya sir.

Nice Regal...I'd like to have some sort of G-body in my garage some day.

Thanks 84. And if you ever think about acting on getting a G-Body and you know you could do it, don't wait. These cars aren't as common as they used to be. :AH-HA_wink:

As a I said last night, what separates donkers from ricers is that besides the craptastcic wheels and suspension, they seem to do a pretty good job with caring for the rest of the car, and usually its a least a car worth putting money into. Ricers just fail at life.

It's true. All of it. Humongous rims destroy an old car's appearance, but at least they are preserving an old or future classic in the process. I've also noticed '80s model donks usually go for a cheap price when they hit the market, despite the obvious large amount of cash dumped into them, provided they didn't paint over rust and so on.

Edited October 10, 2009 by whiteknight

[ocnblu]

Yup, IIRC, the "A" engine digit was for a 3.8L, fire-breathing 110 hp V6. Not sure what the digit was for a turbo, but there is a website dedicated to VIN digits so you can be certain. I think the Rocket has a tad more than that.

The only problem with removing the rub strips is there will be holes in the bumper because the strips snap or even bolt into those holes in the face bar. Removing them for painting is a good idear, but maybe you'd like to reinstall them afterward? Also, because the quarter glass is flush-mounted, it might be difficult to mask around that and have the paint look good and not peel back from that area eventually.

[Blake Noble]

Yup, IIRC, the "A" engine digit was for a 3.8L, fire-breathing 110 hp V6. Not sure what the digit was for a turbo, but there is a website dedicated to VIN digits so you can be certain. I think the Rocket has a tad more than that.

The Rocket 350 has 360 lb. ft. of torque in '71 model year engines. It was about 320 for the '72 model year.

Grand total of torque in the fleet: 680 lb. ft. I can, officially, twist a Camry in half.

The only problem with removing the rub strips is there will be holes in the bumper because the strips snap or even bolt into those holes in the face bar. Removing them for painting is a good idear, but maybe you'd like to reinstall them afterward? Also, because the quarter glass is flush-mounted, it might be difficult to mask around that and have the paint look good and not peel back from that area eventually.

To color key the bumpers, I'm just going to buy new fiberglass Grand National reproduction pieces. Same for all of the exterior trim (glass trim, grille, headlight surrounds, etc); they'll be repro Grand National parts too.

Edited October 18, 2009 by whiteknight

[Camino LS6]

So far, the blue I was thinking of hasn't been posted...

[Delta Force79]

Great looking Regal, aside from the mismatched interior...its a very classy yet mean looking Regal. BTW I have the exact same steering wheel in my Olds lol.