New Guy in CT - 73 Century Gran Sport Stage1 4spd

Posted a while ago and promised to introduce myslef. My name is Rhett, I'm from Connecticut and I've got a 73 Century Gran Sport.

I bought it 2 years ago in Tehachapi CA - The original owner special ordered it new, drove it for 100k miles and parked it in 1987 in an airplane hanger in the desert. He was a prison official and could drive at whatever speed he chose, so he bought a Stage 1 car in 73 because "it was the fastest car I could get with Air Conditioning". Being fairly close to LA, he was a frequent cutomer of Kenne Belle and set the car up per KB guidlines including:
KB118 cam
KB Headers with sidepipes
Edelbrock B4B manifold
1000CFM Thermoquad
Hays Stinger S-4 ignition
KB distributor recurve

Around 1980 he was driving in LA traffic frequently, so he removed the M-21 4 speed and installed a KB TH400 with switch pitch converter and remote cooler.

The car was highly optioned as purchased, with power windows, tilt, A/C, radial tires,power bucket seats and trailering package. It's one of 92 Stage1 4spd cars, and only 41 of those were A/C hardtops. It is 1 of 1 with the option combination.

The car is mildly beat up like a 100,000 mile car but while it is desert dry, the interior and vinyl top are mint with no sun baking or chalkiness. It even has the original quarter glass moldings in mint shape. All drivetrain components are numbrs matching, including the tranny on my shop floor.

All of the original parts came with the vehicle, including the original manifolds, Air Pump and hardware, 4 spd set up and even the original tailpipes and intermediate pipes right down to every clip and washer. The only parts missing are the 242 Quadrajet and the mufflers. All drivetrain components are numbrs matching, including the tranny on my shop floor.

It also came with all notes and invoices from Kenne Bell and other So-Cal speed shops for the modifications, and naturallly all the ordering and delivery paperwork.

I've got the car running and registered, but still am wrestling with a vacuum leak and ignition issues. In current tune (barely running), it has run 15.1 at 94 mph on an uncalibrated quadrajet. I plan to get back to it this summer, but I've been busy getting my 65 Gran Sport ready for the PSMCDR race in Michigan this September. The eventual plan is to set it back to stock and race it for a couple seasons (on a sacrificial 455), but leave it unrestored

Glad to be a part of your site, and look forward to any G3 technical or chassis set up tips. [img][/img]

So much for loading pictures.. whats the secret?

Welcome Rhett. There's a tutorial:
https://www.g3gm.com/t1052-how-to-post-pictures-take-two

Got it - lets try this again...

Welcome. You need to see the original test of that car someone posted here like a month ago. Very unlike the lame tests they do nowadays. i love the side pipes...i have them on my chevelle.

Was it the 1973 Car and Driver test with the Charger and TA?

I like the sidepipes too, but the packing is all blown out.... I'll eventually go back to a stock system. It's too bad because they are mint (after the surface rust was cleaned off....)

I don't think it was car and driver. Go on you tube and punch up 1973 buick gran sport, its the first video. Vintage road test.

ok - the video.. that was old Car and Track footage I think, they did a 73 Cutlass S too. Thats was pretty cool footage, love the car drifting uphill with smoke pouring out the wheelwells..

Funny because that car is optioned very close to mine with the same production mistakes - 455 instead of Stage 1 emblems, chrome headlight doors and chrome grille trim - also no Stage 1 sticker on the air cleaner...yet it was definitely a Stage car..

Rhett, I absolutely LOVE your car. I had a buddy who had the same car, color and all, except not the Stage 1 or 455 and his girlfriend was broadsided in it. I , as well as my friend, was in mourning for that car. JB

Welcome to the site! I have a great affinity for those 73 GS's. In 1977, 78, and 79, my good buddy Bill Layson drove a midnite blue 1973 GS 455 non stage one car. It was an automatic and had black interior.(i think.. it's been a while!!) I had my 73 Laguna at that time and we used to go to the same school and work at the same place, so they were parked by each other a lot. They are definately cool cars!

You know, i would have sworn Bill's car was a Regal... Did they make a Regal GS 455? It's been a long time.

love it, any inside pics.

This is what it looked like when it came off the trailer

wow ... what an interior .... love it !!

One thing this forum was lacking was members with Buicks. You have the holy grail of g3 Buicks.

Awesome survivor car !!! Great find !!!!

Keeping the smog stuff on?

Hey sweet car ! Where inCT are you im just over the border from Danbury in NY theres a few guys here from MA too.

Welcome

I'm in West Hartford, but I'm a Westchester boy by birth.
Thanks to everybody for the welcome. I was a GM tech in the early -mid 80's, and serviced alot of these cars. I realized that while I see alot of G1 and G2 cars (and have both), G3 cars are RARE, especially here in the northeast. When I take this car out, real car guys fall all over it.

I'll probably return it to stock (Including the Air Pump) someday but right now enjoying the "KB 13 second recipe" tune. I will probably at some point race it in the Pure Stock series on a sacrificial 455 (so as not to blow up the numbers matching motor) but no plans to restore it - it's only original once, no matter how rough.

I remember when I really realized how cool G3 cars were - I had a customer with a 75 Malibu Classic coupe Brown with a tan Landau top and swivel bucket interior - fully loaded with whitewalll 'vette rallys and a 4 bbl small block. I've been a Buick man all my life but that car has stuck with me to this day......it just looked right.

Wow.

Nice cah!

I know a guy in Katonah with 4 73 GS' all mint and one race car .Hes got a 73 GS sun coupe stage1 455 (sliding sunroof) . The GSCA has a lot of members in the area. Heres the sun coupe

Yep - Phil Roitman. It's a small world.

Nice guy, I've met him up at Lebanon Valley.

Notice his grille and emblems on the suncoupe car are how they are supposed to be built!

I'm actually going to a suspension seminar held by the NE GS-GN club in Chappaqua next month

ant7377 wrote:I know a guy in Katonah with 4 73 GS' all mint and one race car .Hes got a 73 GS sun coupe stage1 455 (sliding sunroof) . The GSCA has a lot of members in the area. Heres the sun coupe

That's awesome. The only other Sun Coupe I've ever seen was an Apollo. Was that an option for many Buick Models?

We definitely need more Buick Guys.

Bigpig455 wrote:Yep - Phil Roitman. It's a small world.

Nice guy, I've met him up at Lebanon Valley.

Notice his grille and emblems on the suncoupe car are how they are supposed to be built!

I'm actually going to a suspension seminar held by the NE GS-GN club in Chappaqua next month

Yeah! Hes a real nice guy. My brother and my friend Dom might be there. I will let you know. John, the president and his son are great people,they will help you out with anything. Do you go up to musclepalooza memorial day weekend at the Valley?