(sent to me by CC reader Nate. First posted 4/10/2017)
I was in a gas station yesterday morning when this car pulled in behind me and I chatted up the owner, an L.A. County D.A.’s Office Criminal Prosecutor .
He said he’d helped his Dad choose one of these in 1977, the one (color choice) they wanted got away but the dealer sold them a black fully loaded demo for less, they bought it and kept it for years, as the father got older the son (man I was chatting with) decided to find one for Pops, located this one in Mo. with zero rust and only 42,000 original miles, they drove it together to Fla where Pops lived until he died last year. He told me the name of this special edition, I forgot to write it down. (Valencia; ED)
Dig those crazy seat covers !
Says he wants to keep it as a hobby car in loving memory of his Father .
-Nate
I actually really like it! Much more interesting than the ’79 I rode to school in for a couple years with my friend and his grandma. I swear, though, every G-Body Bonneville was that same brown color!
I understand his sentiment. I have my fathers actual last car owned, bought new in late 1990. Not worth a lot to anyone, today, just another old “H” body Buick Sedan. In good nick and worth maybe a grand on the market. But, not for sale. For some reason I cant. (which my father, being a logical business highland Scot type, would upbraid for even doing so, the man aside form not having pointed ears, was a Vulcan)
Nice car. The color matches Spock’s uniform.
That’s a beauty. Please don’t sell it for $1000, I can imagine its demise. What’s the story behind the newer wheels? Looks to be in great condition???
When I inherited the car upon mu mothers passing. it had been used by each of my sisters three sons, in turn as they reached driving age. Mom let them use it if they promised to be available when she needed to be taken somewhere, and they all kept that promise. However, it did suffer a few pangs of teen drivership. the Factory stereo was taken out and replaced with a late circa 2000 state of the art system was the one major change wrought my teen males with use of grandma’s car. As for the wheels, it came to me with the original 14 inch steelies shod with as factory sixed tires, but Blackwalls and still the factory wheel covers…. This car came new with whitewall tires and she woud have the again. However, the 14 inch rims and tires looked too small so I found a set of 94 Lesabre alloys and the seller throew the ires in free, 2 were almost new, and two were as wron ans the tiny n=blackwalls, I found two new matching tires in the larger size and had the things mounted. The car looked and actually rode and handled better, I also, on a run to my local ‘Auto recycling center” found and installed a Strut tower brace that also increased good handling. It is a good car, a little worn after 26, going on 27 years. The clkearcoat is failing, has some dimpling from a hail storm it suffered when a driver in Missouri. Thye mouse fir headliner is falling down, now held in place via artfully placed staples. Some of the plastic fttings are failing in the interior, the dash pad has deformed, which is a “thing: with these early Buick “H” bodies, but a specific Buiack dasjh cover hides most of that. The A.C. compressor has gone the way of all things. And now both front windows have stopped working, Seems to be a no doubt small insignificant ear that may entail taking both door panel apart. something I just don’t seem to get to….Healthy drivetrain and braking system. battery also has gicen up the ghost after over 6 years of service, a record for a battery in Phoenix, I am certain. So she sits decommissioned, right now. Insurance droped and registration up as of the end of this month. No need to fear my selling it.. Just can’t do that….Seems wrong. I would vet any buyer strongly.. So I figure, it will be a future “Barn Find” After all. isn’t that why there are “Barn Finds”
Light blue is one of my favorite colors for a car. I had those wheels on my newer-style LeSabre 15 years ago, thus my question. They look pretty good! I bet we had a dozen+ of those 88/98/LeSabre/ParkAve’s in my family. Just remembered my maroon LeSabre actually..then 2 newer-style LeSabre’s and finally a Lucerne. An Enclave would be the only Buick I’d be interested in today. Forgot how much I liked Buicks all those years ago haha!
I actually really like the lines of these H-body Buicks. This one looks to be in really good shape.
That clamshell hood was a thing of beauty. Really elegant shape, and that clean shut line matching up to the bottom of the windows – elegant.
Wow, finding one with the original Valencia interior in such great shape has to be a rare find! Kind of a shame that it’s the brown/beige one, though – the one color choice that sort of tames that Valencia fabric down.
I keep forgetting what a nice job Pontiac did on the dashboards on these. Much nicer than the Olds treatment, if you ask me.
I’m the owner of this car. (Nate’s a great guy, btw, I really enjoyed talking to him.)
When I turned 16, my dad was looking to buy a new Pontiac so that he could give me his ’71 Catalina so I could take over the driving duties for my own and my 2 younger brothers’ activities. I couldn’t believe my dad actually bought this car; he usually didn’t go for flash or luxury, but he liked this one, the dealership owner’s personal demo. It was black with a black vinyl top, fully loaded, with the Valencia interior. It…was….stunning.
My brother’s friend drove him down to college in my dad’s car in 1983 or ’84, on the way back got hit by a train. Apparently he let his foot slip off the brake pedal as he was looking thru the map book, didn’t feel the car drive onto the railroad tracks, and didn’t notice the freight train approaching at 20 mph. He survived without a scratch. The Bonneville Brougham, not so much. Must have been an interesting phone call…
Fast forward to 2012. My dad was living in Florida and had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. My brother and I wondered if we found a Bonneville with the distinctive Valencia interior and gave it to our dad, whether that would somehow spark some memories from that time of his life. Coincidentally, within a few days I found one on eBay in Missouri with an immaculate interior and shipped it to Tennessee so my brother, who is a born mechanic/engineer, could rebuild anything that needed rebuilding (not, however, the engine or transmission; with only 42,000 original miles on the Pontiac 400 4-barrel, it ran like new.) He also replaced the stock steering wheel with one from a Trans-Am, since that’s what he did with the original car. We then drove it down to Florida, where it remained with my dad until he passed away. When we all reconvened in Florida to take care of his affairs, I decided to keep it.
I agree with Mr. Cavanaugh, I don’t like the color either. I was on my way to a body shop to get an estimate for a paint job when I ran into Nate at the gas station. After consulting with the shop and my brother, we’ve decided that it’s gonna be painted black, just like our old car. Next stop, new black vinyl top.
Good for you. Hope the memory aid helped at least a little.
Thank you for sharing your story- I hope after the car is done, you’ll come back and let us know how it looks!
Great story! And you’re right, it will be much better in black. My Holy Grail would be finding a deep red one with the red Valencia interior.
Thanks for adding the background story, looks like a beauty! Do you have any other photos you could post here? Love to see a couple more angles.
So did the car have any beneficial effect on your dad?
From when it was in Florida
While in Florida
Thanks! I really like those 77-79 Bonnevilles, though I’m especially partial to the coupes. That car would look real sharp in black. I had forgotten that they had body color keyed Rally II’s. So cool!
I don’t remember ever seeing body color wheels back in the day. My brother found a pic of a gold Bonneville with them on some Pontiac website, really liked them, got some cans of color code matching paint & a stencil kit and sprayed them himself.
Here’s a black one for comparison.
Yes, those Rally II wheels are nice! When I ordered my 79 Firebird I had a choice of argent colored Rally II’s or body colored. I chose the body colored which looked amazing in Nocturne Blue.
> Kind of a shame that it’s the brown/beige one, though – the one color choice that sort of tames that Valencia fabric down.
Beige was the only color choice for the Valencia trim in 1977, offered on the Bonneville Brougham. For ’78, the Brougham got new loose-cushion seats and the previous Brougham interior moved to the standard Bonneville, along with the Valencia option witch added a second color choice of red (with white trim). Since the Grand Safari wagon shared the Bonneville’s interior trim, the Valencia trim was available on wagons this year only. Valencia trim was dropped for ’79, though I recall another multicolor trim scheme became optional. I vaguely remember how it looked and can’t remember the name.
Valencia interior is the bomb! So cool and much better than regular velour or pleather that was offered. Neighbors of mine had a black coupe w/o the vinyl landau and the Valencia interior. It was so nice ! The brought it new… I bet they wish they still had it.
The Olds treatment offered on their 79 Cutlass line, “Mojave”, was pretty nice as well !!
Nice story that the owner was able to find the car in great condition and that he’s keeping it in his father’s memory. That Valencia interior is really something…striking, and much more memorable than a boring solid color!
Glad to hear your comments Jimmy ~
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This really is a fine old GM product and it’s good to see someone is going to take care of and cherish it .
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I’m a Bowtie Guy by nature and was a foreign car Journeyman Mechanic for most of my career so this one slipped entirely under my radar when it was new .
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I’m sorry I chatted you until your ears bled, you’re an interesting man with a nice car backed by a great story .
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-Nate
Jimmy – don’t bother about painting it other than its original color – it’ll become the biggest drama, and unless you’re doing most of the work, bleed you dry – leave as is and enjoy it – otherwise, do a close door respray. You’re old man wouldn’t thank you for creating a financial catastrophe.
Thanks for the advice, that was my first instinct. However, for some reason the paint has flaked off one of the door jambs leaving the original primer underneath, so I’m gonna have to respray it as well. So I’m gonna have to spray all of them to make them the same color. The color match for this color isn’t going to be exact, and also if it’s ever damaged, repairs will be visible. Black, however, is black, I was going to do 1-stage since that’s what it was originally. I was able to inspect a 1-stage black paint job on another car in the shop, looked really nice. The shop gets great reviews, including for color changes.
I’d love to just leave it as it is, but it looks much rattier than in Nate’s pics.
Any advice and experiences will be greatly appreciated.
Rear seat
Great car, the ’77s are my favorite of the downsized Bonnies. My grandparents had a couch in Hobe Sound that was rather like the Valencia interior, similar brown striped scheme. I, too, would love to find one in the red, but this is truly a diamond in the rough these days.
Nice set up with the 400 and presumably the THM 350. Should be a nice driver.
Also, as a fellow member of the bar, a Pontiac Bonneville somehow seems very appropriate as a prosecutor’s car 🙂
It really looked nice in person, I was lucky to get decent snaps with my ancient iPod thing.
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As a used car builder for decades I agree that a color change will be the wrong move but i also understand you’re trying to respect your Dad and cherish those memories .
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Proper color change is a mind bending thing, I stopped doing them over twenty years ago .
If it has to be black, just remove the door latch strikers, skip the trunk / firewall etc. and _YOU_PERSONALLY_ have to O.K. the masking before any paint is applied or kiss those cool seats GOOD BYE ~ please don’t make me say ‘ I toldja so ‘ after your heart is broken and the interior ruined beyond repair .
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I know an _amazing_ painter in Gardena, he *must* be watched closely at every step but will not steal anything and does show quality painting . ping me OFF LIST if that’ll help .
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-Nate
Nate, look at what you started.
But seriously, thanks. Imagine my surprise when I saw the car while doing my daily trifecta of car news: Autoweek, Jalopnik, and Curbside Classic, with an occasional side dose of Autotrader.com/Oversteer. My brother got a kick out of it too.
So how do I ping you OFF LIST?
VWnate1 (at) yahoo (dot) com.
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-Nate
Removing the seats completely might be even faster then mask them properly, its just a couple of bolts. Nice car btw!
Interesting how that upholstery echoes the 1959 Bonneville:
How about this one?
Also in red
Went with wife to trade cars a couple weeks back. All they had was black or gray variations in teh model we wanted. We were talking to the young salesman and mentioned that he was probably too young to remember when you could buy a car with the same color interior as exterior. He was too young to remember and amazed that you could get a green/blue/red/whatever color car with matching interior. Ahhhh, those were the days. And these old Bonnies are just so nice to see again today.
A buddy of mine did a great color change on a 1977 Cordoba …by literally disassembling the entire interior and painting the bare metal. He had an empty garage to store the parts in….and time. Had it trailered to the paint shop. Then put it all back together. Because he did it in his spare time, it took 4 months, but he’s glad he didn’t do it fast/cheap. He did not mess with the engine compartment, as passengers wouldn’t see it.
Great car and great story. What a kind thing to do for your dad. I always thought the Pontiacs came off best in the 1977 downsizing. My own dad, however, hated all of them–“too boxy!!”–which led to his holding on to our 1976 Monte Carlo for…well…quite a long time indeed…
Among my favorite B – C body cars of the ’77-’84 era are the ’77-’79 Bonneville and the ’80-’84 Olds Ninety-Eight. They have a common bond, of course, in their increasingly rare for the era detachable fender skirts.
That steering wheel! I’ve never seen such a thing! Is that factory and part of the Valencia package?
Kudos to the owner, it will look awesome in black.
It’s from a Pontiac Trans Am
That wheel had me a little intrigued too. It looks OK, but not truly consistent with the rest of the package, which looks fine to me
This is the steering wheel that my dad’s car came with. This car had the standard skinny tan one. I couldn’t find one like the original, so we went with the Trans Am wheel.
The Trans Am wheel fits in better than the original! I like it!
You guys made my day. I have always wanted to see a 77 Bonneville with the Valencia interior. I have the 77 dealer book with that swatch and have wanted to see it in a car. Very cool that it has the 400 Pontiac engine too. Was this the last great full size Pontiac? has to be
But it’s NOT a full-size Pontiac! It’s “downsized” ?
dman is correct
1977 lost 700 lbs
This pic looks almost identical to the car my dad’s 1971 which he gave me when he got the 1977
I remember seeing this interior in one of these during the 1970’s in my old neighborhood. The exterior color escapes me but it for sure had that interior. I also remember it having the Y code engine which would have been the 301 2BBL. Delivering newspapers during the mid 1980’s got me up close and personal with this car but for the life of me I can’t remember the exterior color but I don’t think it was the featured car’s color. I wish we could have the color and creativity and exclusivity today that these car had in spades.
WOW ~
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I’m an old vehicle nut who always enjoys looking at oldies but I had NO IDEA this one would garner this much interest .
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It really doesn’t look so bad in person in spite of the dead paint job .
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Most of the Mo. vehicles i’ve seen/worked on/imported to Cali. had rust bubbles I didn’t see any on this fine car .
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For me, the ‘ Three Box ‘ design is very pleasing, Conservative and designed to a function and the form simply followed the function .
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If you’ve ever ridden in these you’ll know what great cars they were regardless of the GM Division that slapped on the labels .
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-Nate
77’s were still full sized, and interior was generous.
I worked in a large luxury bodyshop for several years, and we flat out refused to do color changes…I watched another shop go from bright silver to charcoal gray on a W140 Mercedes that was owned by a St. Louis Blues hockey player, and they dinged him for something like $7500…shot the jambs, underside of the hood and decklid, radiator support and fender aprons, etc. No way on earth I’d ever try to do a proper color change, no way, no how.
Having said all that, the gold exterior color is pretty bad…
And thus my dilemma.
Could I trouble you to explain the drawbacks of a color change from an owner’s perspective? Or is it more of a PITA for the shop?
Thanks
How about go other way round, get a decent black Bonnie and change the entire interior between the cars and then sell the gold car. Best case scenario, you might even make some small profit with the sale, or be well below the cost of respray.
It’s just tedious and labor-intensive. To really do it right you should remove the interior door trims and shoot the whole door, but to do that, you should really remove the doors altogether to get the lower part of the jamb the new color too…it’s a matter of degree. How much perfection are you chasing?
For that matter, you have the issue of dying/painting the vinyl top or replacing with fresh vinyl…what if they find rust under the top? How far are you willing to go? The more 30 year old clips and trim pieces you disturb, the more you’ll break. Can some of the trim even be replaced with new/NOS/salvage parts if you damage some of it?
It’s a giant PITA.
I reside in Korea, where labor is cheap and much work takes place in open-air shops. As a result, I have seen close-up how they do it here. They do just that-
pull the engine, and remove the fenders, hood, doors, and trunk lid. Off come the tires, it goes on dollies, and the suspension components are wrapped.Also, the entire interior, including the dash, is pulled.
My Dad had a ’77 Brougham; a revelation at the time vs prior full size cars. Quiet, better handling, great ride, improved fuel economy… GM really nailed their first downsizing generation. A guy I worked with after college had a ’77 or ’78 Grand Safari wagon with the interior under discussion here. I never knew it had a name but I had never seen it before or since. Nice string!
Had to be a ’78, only year it was offered on wagons
Color change tend to lessen the value of the vehicle aswell. And as previously stated,a major PITA to do right. Sure, if your doing a full rotisserie restoration, it can be done successfully, but most color change jobs are way less involved that that , and it shows.
Personally I go as far as picking a nicer hue of the same basic color. Perhaps going from a plain dull blue, to a metallic blue. 1 stage white without clearcoat to a pearl white.
Also, one can 2-tone it successfully at times. Black from say ground up to greenhouse. Then keeping gold jambs is more acceptable.
In the end its just a car though. Don’t stress things too much.
You could get a non-vinyl-top bonneville in a two tone color, like green
Remember lots of these.. “Two door” versions as well.
Or red
This color combination I have on mine 87 Caprice.
Or blue
Or gold/cream
So I suppose if I did the black/gold, it would look something like this.
So, WDYT?
Tasteful?
Bold?
Too much?
Makes my eyes bleed?
Here’s Oldsmobile’s version of this color combo
“So, WDYT?”
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Doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks Jimmy ~ _you’re_ footing the bill and saving a memory .
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I remember guys who wanted me to do them a VW Beetle in _PURPLE_ (gah) .
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They paid, loved the car and took *very* good care of it .
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Do what you want, just realize it won’t ever be exactly “Just So” like Pops old one was .
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-Nate
You can also find a company and do full vinyl car wrap. Or perhaps your brother can do it? You can buy just the material.
In Europe, its not uncommon to see it done on high end cars, with special colour tone or working cars wearing its advertisment.
The price should be way less then a ful reprint and its reversible easily. The outlook looks way better then poor repaint and if you choose, they can mask all internal body parts as well, probably hard to tell its not a repaint. Considering a black colour is tricky to make done properly, with the vinyl wrap its perhaps a way to go!
Try to get a quota. Some basic faq you can find there http://wrapform.com/faq/
Btw this caddy is done in the vinyl wrap, originally is white. The vinyl foil even protect the original paint. More pic in the advertisment
https://www.rajveteranu.cz/11092-cadillac-deville-se6200-sedan-plzen
This reminds me of a 1978 Bonne 4 dr I bought new. $6250. I remember it as a nice riding, quiet car. But, the standard 301 was a real dog. Sold it in 1980 and bought a new Datsun 510 station wagon. What a difference in gas mileage!
The beige Valencia interior (77-78) was still fairly subdued. The red Valencia interior (1978 only) was more garish.
The Valencia interior was dropped in favor of a new two-toned interior for 1979, which I recall was white velour with black diamonds printed on it, but I’ve never seen it outside of a dealer ordering guide and don’t recall its name.
It’s beautiful, and what a find. Nate, thanks for capturing and sharing this one with us.