Volume 12



Spring 2014 Chapter of the Gran Sport Club of America; 625 Pine Point Circle; Valdosta, GA 31602 912-244-0577

[pic]

Dave Anderson’s1985 Buick T-Type “Wrecked Blue Times Two”

First and foremost, a special thanks to Steve Russo for his never ending dedication & help in making this blue beast come back to life again! I am truly blessed to have him as my close friend. This is a car that should have been parted out and headed to the junkyard for scrap! Its life to the best of our knowledge was harsh. Having one front end collision under its belt, it was repaired and semi restored with a rebuilt motor, trans & a fresh complete paint job only to be wrecked again shortly after! Not only that, it was rumored to have also fallen off the tow truck! Steve, knowing that I liked TR’s in addition to my knowledge & parts collection, acquired the car with the hopes of helping me fix it up. It was intended to be a decent car when I returned back from California in 2006 to drive daily without the worry of ruining something too nice or rare. The other cars that I have acquired in the past have been restored or fixed up to the point that they ended up being too clean for daily use…. This seems to be a disease with me and it looks like this car is heading down the same road as well.

Looks are deceiving as the damage appeared not to be structural since the collision was right above the front bumper. Continued on page 3

|Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the GS Club of America, the Chicagoland Chapter of the GSCA, or any of the officers of these |

|automobile enthusiast clubs. |

|Chapter Volunteers | |Member’s Change of Address |

| | |Chicagoland members who move are requested to notify our membership chairman before |

| | |the next newsletter mailing. We do not want you to miss a single edition of your |

| | |newsletter. Please notify us of e-mail address changes as soon as you change |

| | |providers. |

| | | |

| | |Membership Renewal |

| | |Please check the label on your newsletter. If your membership is up in January, June |

| | |will be your last newsletter. Obtain an application from the website or past issue, |

| | |and mail to 4010 Raymond Ave; Brookfield, Il 60513, along with a check for $20 made |

| | |out to “CCGSCA.” Please, don’t let your membership lapse, for too long. |

| | | |

| | |Volunteers for the Chapter |

| | |Contact Bob Nunes if you are interested in helping our Chapter continue exchange |

| | |ideas, gathering local car show and cruise night information or plan activities for |

| | |our members. Fresh ideas are needed to keep the Club exciting. Distributing the work |

| | |among many volunteers makes it easy for all. The tasks do not take much of your time,|

| | |and you will always have plenty of help, while hopefully having fun. |

| | |Upcoming Events |

| | |Mar 29 – Texas Buick Nationals – Temple, TX |

| | |April 12 – Dyno Session at Sound Performance - Bensenville |

| | |April 24-27 - Buick Race Day – Norwalk, OH |

| | |May 10 – Castle Buick Car - Show North Riverside, IL |

| | |May 17 - CCGSCA Race #1 – Route 66 Raceway |

| | |Jun 8 - CCGSCA Race #2–Byron Dragway Samantha Rix Race |

| | |Jul 4 – Fourth of July Car Show at Sleepy Hollow |

| | |Jul 5 - CCGSCA Race #3 - Route 66 Raceway |

| | |Jun 6-8 - GN / T-type Central Get Together |

| | |Jul 27 - CCGSCA Race #4 – Great Lakes Dragway |

| | |Aug 1 & 2 - BPG Buick Horsepower Nationals – Hebron, OH |

| | |August 15-17 – MidWest Buick Challenge – Osceola Dragway |

| | |Sep 6 & 7 – BOP Shootout - Byron Dragway |

| | |Sep 7 - CCGSCA Race #5 - Great Lakes Dragway |

| | |Sep 27 - CCGSCA Race #6 “The Finals”, Byron Dragway |

| | |Sept 19 & 20 - East Coast Regional’s – Cecil County Dragway |

| | |Oct 11 – BOP Race Cordova Dragway (12th rain date) |

| | |Oct 15-18 - GS Nationals – Bowling Green, OH |

|Director ~ |Loyd Bonecutter |708-485-8477 | | |

| |loydb@ | | |

|Co-Director / ~ |Steve Russo |815-795-4737 | | |

|Gran Sport |s.russo@. | | |

|Co-Director / ~ |Mark Holda |630-747-7652 | | |

|Turbo Regal |M.Holda@ | | |

|Activities ~ |Paul Brelie |224-484-8057 | | |

| |ELATED3@ | | |

|Race Chairman |Joe Garcia | | | |

| |jrg3517@ | | |

|Treasurer ~ |Bill Grupp | | | |

| |jackbot@ | | |

|Secretary ~ |Barb Holda | | | |

| |Metaz_56@ | | |

|Membership ~ |Loyd Bonecutter |708-485-8477 | | |

| |loydb@ | | |

|Graphic Artist ~ |Paul Vilser paulvilser@et | | |

| |Beth Andrews draena710@ | | |

|Publisher ~ |Loyd Bonecutter |708-485-8477 | | |

| |loydb@ | | |

|Advertising ~ |Beth Andrews |847-845-7342 | | |

| |draena710@ | | |

|4th of July Show |Bill Grupp | | | |

| |jackbot@ | | |

|Midwest Challenge |Loyd Bonecutter | | | |

| |loydb@ | | |

|Cruise Chairman |Chris Gatch |312-485-2983 | | |

| |cgatch@ | | |

|Volunteers ~ |Bob Nunes |630-310-6662 | | |

| |Rich George |630-551-3120 | | |

| | | | | |

|Membership Policy & Dues | | |

|The Chicagoland Chapter of the Buick GSCA is open to all Buick enthusiasts and | | |

|owners of Buick powered cars. Membership is $20 per year, and includes a | | |

|quarterly newsletter and much more. Apply online at the chapter web site or | | |

|send dues with check made out to CCGSCA with membership form to: | | |

|Membership Chairman | | |

|Chicagoland Chapter GSCA | | |

|4010 Raymond Ave | | |

|Brookfield, IL 60513-1846 | | |

| | | |

|Chapter Web Page | | |

| | | |

Continued from Page 1 So with the entire front damage clip removed body work commenced on the remainder from the doors back with the intention that this car was to be a nice “daily driver”. The entire floor was also replaced from a parts car I had due to the typical rust found on the floors. New & Used parts were sourced to rebuild the front which included fenders with the holes already cut out for the cornering lamps which is why I added that option with all the correct O.E. wiring. With smiles on our faces we were at the point to bolt the front clip on and paint the car only to discover that the fenders didn’t fit….Even with the core support sitting on top of the frame with no bushings, the fenders on both sides clearly were not going to go on with ease. Our smiles turned to concern with a look of “Oh S#!t” as it dawned on us that the frame horns were bent up and we needed a replacement frame…. At that point I looked at Steve (with thoughts of torching the car) with all the body work done I said roll this on to the trailer for storage because this is not an easy fix and we had other pressing projects ahead of us waiting.

Fast forward to the present, we revisited this “project” in 2013 and I made the decision that if I am going to replace the frame then we are doing this correctly making sure everything is up to snuff & working. That included all new brakes, suspension, fuel & brakes lines, rebuilt rear-end, engine inspection & all new gaskets as it was already a fresh rebuild. The remainder of the interior components like the dash & column were completely removed. The body was separated from the bent frame and place on a rotisserie where the firewall & undercarriage were addressed & undercoated for protection. The replacement frame was blasted & painted with all new lines installed. All the remaining suspension / drivetrain parts were checked, rebuilt/replaced, cleaned/painted and assembled on to make a rolling chassis. New body bushings including the infamous additional GNX bushings were placed on the frame and finally the body was reunited with the frame to resemble a car again! I added the rear seat “B” pillar supports and cross frame to frame horn supports as well. The front clip was assembled on with easy and finally the car was ready to shine again with a fresh paint job in the factory blue color.

The next stage is the interior which is where the car is currently at today with sourced OE material for the headliner, door panels & seats. She will be on the road again soon so look for her!

To all of you that doubt your current TR project or feel that these cars are not worth it just give it time.

There are a ton of reproduction parts coming out and this car features some of them including the headlight doors, marker lights, rubber bumper fillers, turn lights, wheel well moldings all which fit well & look equal to if not better than the originals! It won’t be long before these cars will have the parts availability like you see with an older Chevelle or Camaro which will turn the table from sending these cars to the junkyard or from being parted out. The Buick Turbo Regals are the performance cars that survived from the 80’s and with the prices for the 60’s & 70’s muscle/classic cars continuing to become financially out of reach for the average car enthusiast they most likely will look to the newer years for an affordable car project. The Turbo changed Buick’s image and surprised the public what a V6 could do. It is one of the most sophisticated engines to come out of GM in the 80’s and I believe it still holds rank in the charts. I remember the day that racers cringed seeing these at the track and even old school Buick guys hated them too.

Yes, I agree this project was a tad on the going overboard side with respect to today’s desired models to invest in and I do recognize that this car is not a GN let alone an 86/87 Intercooled version but who cares? I have one and it is nice to have something different that you don’t see anymore. What is the sense of owning something that everyone else has? If you want that go buy a new car! I did this restoration because I wanted people to see the “other” models that Buick made and to keep the Buick spirit alive. We do not have the luxury of Buick making performance cars let alone the V6 anymore whereas the Camano & Mustang arenas keep living on for the newer generations to enjoy.

Noted Factory Options:

Digital Dash / Climate Control / Twilight Sentinel

Concert II Sound / Map Lights / Vanity Mirror

Trunk Release / Power Seat / RH Remote Mirror

Added Options:

Cornering Lamps

Color Coordinated Bumpers

Thanks Dave for sharing your project car!

|[pic] |[pic] |

Please contact Bob Nunes if interested in helping the Chapter. New ideas and ways of doing things are welcome.

Director’s Garage Loyd Bonecutter

What a winter we just went through. New term to me Winter Vortex brought the third biggest snow accumulation on record, and it was just darn cold for nearly three months. The natural gas bill just to keep the home somewhat warm is incredible. Needless to say no garage time this winter, to even go out to dream.

Finally it was in the 40s today, but it still seem cold with what remains of the larger drifts or plow deposits remaining. The cold weather did bring out lots of folks to our Christmas/Holiday party that went very smoothly due to our committee of Steve Russo, Beth Andrews, Barb Holda and Melanie Mauser. Midnight Mike our usual disk jockey was already booked so we had the Italian Stallion – Mike Heavrin playing the music. Being a car guy Mike did a fantastic job. The calling the raffle tickets and the paper plane toss was Paul Brelie who did a fantastic job. Beth and Barb did a great job welcoming our members and collecting the dinner fees and renewals for the evening. Could not have a better bunch of members support our Chapter, and thanks for all who attended the first ever event for the new Park Place.

Our February meeting brought a reprieve in the snow, but the day was cold enough to keep many away. Paul Castle was a great host with lots of things and good prices on purchases. Camper Dave walked out with a lot of goodies for his race Regal. Paul did a great job explaining his early love for Turbo Regals from his early days at his father’s Buick dealership, and how this benefits us with parts availability for our cars. It really is impressive what has become available for our cars in the past couple of years.

Our March Chili Cookoff saw nine wonderful selections to judge. We definitely made up in quality for our usual quantity. Jack Fisher came in swinging with a delightful offering that made third place. Barb Holda who had been practicing on her delightful Chili came in second. Brad Burger who never gives up came in with what was the most pleasing flavor of all by the votes tallied for first. Michael Baker not only presented us with good information to know for our collector car insurance, but some insight on the sinkhole that swallowed the eight very valuable Corvettes in Bowling Green. Finally Mike Phillips brought our group a great discussion on the age old question about transmissions builder versus engine builder when the thrust bearings are beat to death in our Buick engines. Paul DuBois who is the master of digging into engine problems offered great insight on pressures on either side of the transmission cooler that may offer some help, or at least guidance when this happens.

Would like to thank the following new members for joining our little group of Buick lovers: Bill Jr. Benenhaley and Amanda Mauser who are second generation members in our chapter, Sammy Akel, Dave Ernst, William A. Graval, Thomas Powers, Ross J. Romas, and Tim Wilson.

Great having you on board and hope to meet you at an event soon. With our new additions and renewal we are at 161 members now.

Congratulations for making our Chapter a fun place.

Please be sure to use your CCGSCA discount at one of the Insurance Agencies advertised in this newsletter.

Bob’s Entertainment Section by Bob Nunes

Let me start by saying:

Was driving around the back woods of Montana and I see a sign in front of a broken down shanty – style house, saying “Talking Dog For Sale”. I rang the doorbell and the owner appears and tells me that the dog is in the back yard. I go to the back yard and see a nice looking Labrador Retriever sitting there. “You can talk”. I asked, “Yep” the Lab replies. After I recover from the shock of hearing a dog talk, I say, “what is your story”. The Lab looks up and says “well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young”. “ I wanted to help the government, so I went to the CIA” “In no time they had me jetting from country to country sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping!” “I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years.” “The jetting around really tired me out and I knew I was not getting any younger so I decided o settle down.” “I was awarded a bunch of metals.” I then had a bunch of puppies and now I am just retired.”

I was so amazed; I ran back in the house and asked the owner what he wanted for the dog. “TEN DOLLARS” he says. “Ten dollars” I say. “This dog ia amazing why on earth are you selling him so cheap”. He replied, “because he is a liar he never did any of those things.”

The following are some things you might find interesting:

|1965 |Engine |Carburetor |Description |Number GS made |

|Two door pillar coupe |400 cid |4 bbl |LR |2282 |

| |Three speed manual - 405, Four speed manual - 614, Automatic - 1263 |

|Two door hardtop |400 cid |4 bbl |LR |11351 |

| |Three speed manual - 604, Four speed manual - 3077, Automatic - 7670 |

|Two door convertible |400 cid |4 bbl |LR |2147 |

| |Three speed manual - 123, Four speed manual - 598, Automatic - 1426 |

| | | |Total production GS - 15780 |

| | | | | |

|1966 |Engine |Carburetor |Description |Number GS made |

|Two door pillar coupe |400 cid |4 bbl |MR |1835 |

|Two door hardtop |400 cid |4 bbl |MR |9934 |

|Two door convertible |400 cid |4 bbl |MR |2047 |

| | |Transmission breakdown not given |

| | | |Total production GS - 13816 |

| | | | | |

|1967 |Engine |Carburetor |Description |Number GS made |

|Two door pillar coupe |400 cid |4 bbl |NR |1014 |

|Two door hardtop |340 cid |4 bbl |NB |3692 |

|Two door hardtop |400 cid |4 bbl |NR |6967 |

|Two door convertible |400 cid |4 bbl |NR |2140 |

| |Transmission breakdown not given |

|Information from a sheet that came with Bob’s GS |Total production GS - 13813 |

Please note your membership expiration date is listed on the address label

Joe Garcia GSCA Racing Chairman

CCGSCA Race Series Rules, Procedures, and Other Stuff

Because of how tight scheduling is the first race that is rained out may not be re-scheduled. Any subsequent rainouts will be re-scheduled to maintain a minimum five race schedule. In the event we run all six scheduled races, the points from all six races will count towards the final standings.

Payouts for each race will be given to the first and second place finishers. If we have a significant car count (to be determined) we will pay to the semi-finals. Competition fee for each race will be $15. Ten dollars goes towards the race payouts and five dollars to the final points standing payout. The Payout schedule will be available at each race.

We will continue the “Run On Your Dial-In” and “Best Reaction Time” programs this year (explained below). These programs have contributed to improvements made by all our consistent racers with reaction times and dial-ins. Thanks to the CCGSCA for sponsoring these two programs and increasing the payouts for the 2014 race season.

There is no entry fee for either program.

1. BEST REACTION TIME: Every race will payout $35.00 and 10 points to the best reaction time during eliminations. It must be a clean run with no fouls or the BRT will not count. This is available to all racers, every race, Unlimited Wins.

2. RUN ON DIAL-IN: Every race will also have a $35.00 payout and 10 points for running on your dial-in during eliminations. It must be a clean run with no fouls or the RODI will not count. If two or more racers run on their dial-in in the "same race", the winner will be determined using the third decimal place (thousandths) of the E.T to determine closest to the dial-in. For example, on a 10.00 dial-in, a 10.001 will beat a 10.005. If the racers tie to the thousandths, then the first to run on his dial-in will take the win. Available to all racers, every race, unlimited wins.

IMPORTANT: You must notify the race director as soon as possible when you run on your dial-in. You must also notify the race director if you think you have a reaction time that may be a winner. If you fail to report a reaction time by the end of the race, and it turns out it was better than the winning reaction time, you will not be entitled to the winnings. It is not the responsibility of the Race Director to hunt down winners of the bonus money and points.

Missed Race Points (This has been changed from last year)

This is a 6 race series. If you attend 5 out of the 6 races, you will be given 25 points towards the final points standings for the one race you missed.

A few reminders;

You Must Be a Member of the CCGSCA to race in this series. As a member you will get your membership fee back and then some from all that is offered. For example; bonus race payouts, reduced race and spectator fees, tech sessions, pizza, chili, and unlimited turbo V6 and V8 Buick knowledge just from Loyd alone!!! Please make sure your membership is in good standing. You will forfeit any winnings if your membership is not current. No exceptions.

Please sign in with me as soon as possible after you arrive at the track, and please try to have exact change ($15). If for some unforeseen circumstance you don't get to race, you will get your money ($15) back.

Qualifying will be determined by best reaction time. There will be two qualifying rounds. A sportsman ladder will be computer generated by the track and racers will be placed on the ladder by reaction times. Lane choice goes to the better of the two reaction times. Lane choice needs to be agreed upon by the two racers as soon as possible to avoid confusion in the lanes.

Racers will line up side by side in the lanes according to lane choice.

The top five qualifiers will be awarded extra points toward the final standings.

Courtesy staging is recommended. Try not to double bulb your opponent. If you accidently double bulb your opponent, back out of the lights and re-stage. Deep staging is not allowed.

Make sure the tower has your correct dial-in before staging. Notify the starter if it’s incorrect.

Please do your best to make the call to the lanes. It's difficult to keep track of everybody. It is your responsibility to be in the lanes when the racing starts. I will try to give extra time if needed between rounds, within reason, if you are making a repair. However, I must be notified so I can let the tower know we need a little more time.

Byron, GLD, and Route 66 simulcast on the radio. Ask for the frequency from track personnel.

All track rules apply. Please make sure you have the proper safety equipment required for your speed and elapsed time. GLD, Byron, and Route 66 are all NHRA tracks.

For more reasons than just camaraderie please try to pit together as a group. At GLD we have our designated area at the end of the staging lanes. At Byron we have been unable to really claim an area. Byron’s pit area will be posted on the CCGSCA web site before the race. Route 66 has plenty of room. Whoever gets to the track first start a pit area with lots of room.

Miscellaneous Stuff:

√ Door Cars Only – Buick Motor or Buick Body

√ Trans Brakes and Two Steps are allowed

√ Data Loggers are allowed

√ Any Wheel and Tire allowed (street, drag radial, slick)

√ No delay boxes

√ No Throttle Stops

√ No Optical Eyes

√ Bracket Racing - Sportsman Tree - Sportsman Ladder

Race Schedule

1 May 17, 2014 – Route 66 Raceway

2 June 8, 2014 – Byron Dragway Samantha Rix Memorial

3 July 5, 2014 – Route 66 Raceway

4 July 27, 2014 - Great Lakes Dragway

5 September 7, 2014 - Great Lakes Dragway

6 September 28, 2014 – Byron Dragway

Classifieds

A 1972 Skylark Custom Hard Top with 22,300 original miles a fresh Catlin built 455 with 9.6:1 compression, new engine harness and car has disk brakes on front and four new tires. Car comes with fresh trunk lid, core support, inner fenders and front fenders and hood. Needs paint $2500 firm.

1971 Skylark Custom Convertible with AMP 470 cu. in. Buick engine. This car has run a best of 1.68 60ft at 11.60 115 mph. For more information call Steve Blankenship at 1-815-218-9366. Steve also has a garage full of parts collected such as 2-400 trans 1 with shift kit other is full manual,455 starters,alt, corvette manual disc brake master cyl, harmonic balancers, pullys,timing covers,71 grille,hei distributors, stock valve covers, aluminum valve covers, stock rocker arms,455 stock intake manifolds 10 in 3500 stall convertor, new elbach rear springs ,gs hood inserts

[pic]

Dave Anderson’s 1985 T-Type completed

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download