??? Who all has a K5 AND a G-Body ???

[350350]

Inspired by a similar post here, I am wondering how many of you have an El Camino, (we all know that Z3PR does!), Malibu, MonteSS, Cutlass, Regal, etc.???

I'm thinking of starting a business selling upgrade parts for the '78-'88 G-Bodies because there is so much potential for them and it seems like, for the most part, the aftermarket has fallen on their faces when it comes to serious upgrades.

There ARE some good parts out there for the no-brainer stuff that has been absolutely begged for by G-Body guys for decades, but there is an entirely untapped market for things that I've been doing to G-Bodies for a long time, as I'm sure many others have had to do for themselves as well.

However, the longer I'm in the car business, the more I realize that for every DIY'er like us out there, there are at least 10 more out there who can't, or don't want to, change their own oil. And honestly not everyone is mechanically inclined. We're all gifted in different ways, and what is simple for us GearHeads isn't simple for a Brain Surgeon, and vice versa...

Anyway, show me your G-Bodies, and let me know if there's stuff you'd like to see in the aftermarket that nobody makes. There are limitations even for the DIY'ers too... Castings for example. I have connections!!!

My G-Body is resting peacefully in my Grandma's Garage right smack in the center of the U.S. of A. next to her Buick, and he gives me reports on it now and then. She's glad to have it there, and it's a great place for it to lay low while I'm thinking up plans for it, and saving up cash. I'm thinking 576 RamJet/6-Speed? In the mean time, though, I'm going to buy a '78-'83 Malibu Wagon to use as a spare grocer-getter, kid/dog-hauler/parts-getter/test mule for my diabolical plan to get rich selling hop-up parts for the G-Bodies.

I'm sure that THIS time my plan can't go wrong. THIS is the one that'll make me RICH, RICH I say!!! [Evil Laugh]Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha [/Evil Laugh]

I plan to use my power for Good and NOT Evil, just for the record.

Paul 'X' /forums/images/graemlins/screwy.gif

 

[350350]

OK, I'll get this started I guess!!!

First, my very first Malibu as it was when I drove it home from the sleezy little dealership-in-a-toolshed.

I then yanked the little 200ci V6 and put in a 400 small block that was pretty healthy, but very streetable. A mild cam, edelbrock intake, holley carb, the usual 'first motor' type stuff... It was pretty fast, and lots of fun to drive.

Sadly, it met a horrible fate being T-Boned by an old man in a Buick, which sent me across the intersection and squeezed my 6' wide car into a 5' wide space between a signal light pole and a street light pole, and I came to rest shortly after I broke off the fire hydrant that was in between them. It wasn't gushing up like in the movies, but it was power washing the hell out of the underside of my car!!! Worst part was it was my fault! There weren't any other cars in the intersection and I'd never been through there before, and just plain didn't see the light at all. I was trying to read the road signs to find my way through town... One stupid moment and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears lost...

It didn't take long to swap my good motor and trans into one of my parts cars and get it on the road again, but took a couple of years to get all the body parts gathered to put a solid, rust free body together without any bondo and paint it up nice.

Slowly it rose to its prime, where it had a 406 with 5.7" rods, balanced, forged flattops, the biggest cam I could fit in a 406 with 5.7" rods without the counterweights actually hitting the rod bolts, race prepped 700R4, Grand National 8.5" 10-bolt rear end, and Corvette 16x8" aluminum wheels with 245/50-ZR16 Goodyear GSC's all the way around. They barely fit, but with the polyurethene suspension bushings, massive sway bars, and full size station wagon springs, the suspension was so tight that it didn't travel enough to let them rub.

It was not at all set up for the 1/4 mile, more for auto cross, but it ran a severely traction limited 13.81 at Milan Dragway outside of Ann Arbor, MI, when I lived up that way back in about 1999.

So, on to the next G-Body, our Monte SS, an '88 that was pretty rough when we got it. It had an older 305 in it when I got it, but it was really hacked up and cobbled together, so I pulled the motor and trans and put a junkyard 2004R in it with a shift kit, and built a rompin' stompin' 305 out of spare parts I had laying around. I used the stock 305 short block, a mild cam that came out of my 406 at one time or another, probably way too much for a 305, and the stock heads. Shorty headers and 2-1/2" true duals all the way out the back and it ran so good that even *I*, a man who thinks that a 350 is a nice little economical motor, couldn't believe how good that Monte ran! It would roast the 255/60-15's on the back and sometimes even break loose on the 1-2 shift due to the shift kit I put in the tranny. It was a sweet ride, but I had about 6 or 7 projects going, and I blew the tranny out of this one while I was building my TPI V8 S10 4x4 Blazer, so the Monte got sold to finance another project...

And last but not least, my $750 Screamer, 1983, 455 Buick powered Regal! Motor ala demo car, $125. TH350 trans traded for other parts I had laying around, free. Bought the car with a rod knocking for $200. Shift kit for trans, $30. New tires, $300. Dual exhaust, $200.

The paint was so badly oxidized that if you leaned up against it you'd get white 'chalk dust' all over your clothes. It had so much surface rust that it was actually a really ugly car, and it was absolutely joyous to roast 'fast' cars at the stoplights with.

So you can see I've had many G-Bodies, and these are only a few I selected out of a whole scrapbook... I've had so many I can't remember them all. I could probably walk you through completely disassembling one and reassembling it over the phone in the dark with Def Lepard blaring in the background.

Doesn't ANYONE else out there have one of these??? This family of vehicles covers '78 to '88 Malibu, Malibu Wagon, Monte Carlo, El Camino, Cutlass, Cutlass Wagon, Regal, Grand Prix, Monte SS, Grand National, Regal T-Type, El Camino SS, Monte SS Aero Coupe, etc... I'm not sure how it's possible for everyone out there to NOT have owned one of these at some point in time over that decade... /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

Paul 'X' /forums/images/graemlins/screwy.gif

 

[Z3PR]

G-body and a K5. /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif

 

[350350]

El Caminos Rock!

I'm currently looking for a Malibu Wagon, mostly so that when it has to be used as a spare vehicle, it can haul 2 kids, 2 adults, and 3 dogs. Otherwise, it would be an El Camino...

In any case, it will eventually have an LT1/6-speed!

 

[mrk5]

I have a K5 and an E-body /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif (cuda that is)

 

[350350]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a K5 and an E-body /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif (cuda that is)

[/ QUOTE ]

??? Pictures ??? (Cuda's Rock!)

 

[85army tank]

/forums/images/graemlins/k5.gifI have no pics but i will make a compleat list of g bodys i have owned or own now.
1. 1980 2 dr cutlass painted like a 1979 hust olds(black and gold)350 rocket from a 74 cutlass car i had in high school fast as he11 to

2.1980 2dr cutlass blue junk 3.8 was trying to build a 455 car and hadent had a cutlass in a few years so i bought this from my at the time girlfriends mom.Nothign ever happend with this car.

3.another 1980 cutlass for a parts car for above car lt blue allso

4.1979 buick regal bought for the front clip to replace the one on my girlfriend at the times 1979 regal that i smashed.

5.1981 cutlass 4 dr 3.8 DD only.

6.1980 cutlass 2dr t top car two tone burgandy and a rose color.started as a 260 powerd turd and i ended up puting a 400 to 450 hp 455 in it.it was crazy how fast it was sept no traction.

7.1985 buick regal 2dr white burgandy inside power everthing real soft seats 3.8 for 3 years of owning and DD.then at about 150 thousand miles the 6 started to get weak so i put in a 350 olds motor true dual exhust rebuilt 350th tranny new carb and tons of other parts too.Then sold to friend.

8.1979 cutlass 2dr tan 3.8 61 thousand miles i traded a 76 blazer for this.At the time i had my 455 powerd 80 cutlass and this 76 full time 4 wheel drive blazer. My girl friend lived about 2hrs away and i needed some thing with better gas milage.

and now for the ones i own now.
9. my current g body is a 1979 hurst olds black and gold 1 of 1100 and some odd number cars.it still has the orig alum gold painted rims hurst dual gate shifter.It no longer has the orig motor which was a 350 olds from the factory but it has a 1970 350 rocket with number 5 heads on it and a blown out timming chain.i all so have a rebuilt 350 olds for it but it has the low compr number 8 heads on it.So i am going to put the #5 heads on the new motor.This car is in real rough shape.needs doors hood trunk lid and the rear frame rail fixed.The inside is in bad shape too.But i think i got a good deal on this car $25. dollars plus some labor.

10. 1978 2dr cutlass brown 260 power it is a running driving car that is going to be the parts car for my hurst. /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif

 

[kgillyk5]

Sorry...Just K5's & W's /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif