It’s Friday, and you know what that means – time for another Junkyard Outtake! As always, I’m your man on the scene with cameraphone in hand. Let’s see which gems are waiting to be picked this week!
Yesterday several readers noticed the Impala on my trailer and wanted to know more. Since it actually ties into today’s parts run, I decided to oblige them.
It’s a pretty typical 9C1 (police package) car, with all the ugly wear that one would expect to find on a vehicle that came out of a small-town department. I rescued it from certain crushing at the hands of an impound operation; it was one of their many abandoned vehicles that were for sale. I literally had to climb over several Saabs (seems the local ex-dealer decided to rid themselves of everything not worth fixing, mostly blown-up NG 900s) to get to this, the apparent gem of the backlot.
This would be the reason it got dumped. Fuel sprayed from a damaged plastic line or fitting caused a small fire, which melted most of this 3800’s plastic top-end components. It was a milder case than most, but still bad enough that someone decided to walk away from it and never return.
Being as I was needing plenty o’ plastic, I decided to hit the U-Pull on my way home. A recently deposited Bonneville provided everything I needed to get the car running again, save for gaskets and other consumables.
While I didn’t take any pictures of the rather forgettable donor, I did shoot a few more noteworthy cars. (The mood drops in three, two, one…)
I was a bit taken aback upon seeing this. So straight! So clean! Where was I when this car’s owner threw in the towel?
Two-door LeSabres are a bit of a rarity to begin with. Two-door Electras, such as this one (thanks to our readers for the correction!), even more so. But to find one as intact as this one was – well, that just doesn’t happen every day.
The last LeSabre coupe I saw was in 2006, an ’85 “Collector Edition” left to sit under a pine tree by an elderly owner. He was willing to sell – but for an astronomical price. It rotted away under that tree; eventually the condition sunk to where I didn’t bother trying to persuade him anymore. In time it, too, wound up in a junkyard.
The last Electra coupe I saw? Pretty sure this is the first, last, and only that I’ve laid eyes on.
The Olympic rings are a dead giveaway that we’re looking at an ’84.
Looks like an Olds 307 to me. Maybe not the world’s best power plant, but it ought to have motivated this two-ton Buick decently enough.
So much velour! Not perfect, but still savable.
All four 15″ Buick sport wheels, and even two of the caps, are still present. It just makes my heart sink.
If the LeSabre – er, Electra – was tugging at my heartstrings a bit, this Regal grabbed on with both hands. My first car was an ’85 Limited in Midnight Blue (a darker shade than this one)…
…with this exact blue velour interior.
This one was above average body-wise, but it hadn’t been spared from the tinworm.
My biggest regret seeing it in this condition is that I didn’t get here sooner. See, my winter project is an ’82 Regal, soon to be the recipient of a ’70 Buick 350/2004R combo and a super clean ’86 tan interior with all the bells and whistles. I have all the body parts I need (times two!), but I still need a good pair of front bumper fills and other pieces that this car likely once had.
Removing almost all of the front clip allows us a unique view of the engine.
That little 3.8 six looks lost back in there – but rest assured, it’s all there. And it’ll probably stay there. It took me months to sell my last one, which ran like a top and had a mere 86K miles on it. (And I didn’t get squat for it, either.)
The wood is fake. The rust-holes aren’t. (Road salt – boooooo!)
This late eighties 98 Regency is quite similar to my faux Touring Sedan.
Looks like just another blue-hair special. But wait! What’s that in the cab?
Factory leather! And to think, I spent days cutting and dying Toronado and Touring Sedan parts to accomplish the same thing. Timing is everything, eh?
Remember this one? Looks mighty picked over now, one month later. Clearly folks around here know what the answer is.
As I wrapped up my tour of the GM department and the truck section (my usual stomping grounds in this yard), I decided to venture off into foreign territory. The Impala had been the unlucky recipient of about six NMO-style antennas. I wanted to remove the majority of them – and to do so, I’d need a bunch of those 3/4″ rubber plugs commonly seen on former police cars. Having found none up to this point, I wandered off into Ford country to look for some P71 Panthers.
I was a stranger in a strange land, surrounded by vehicles odd and varied.
Like this one – what appears to be an eighty-something Marquis.
Some sort of V8 holds residence under its hood. 302, perhaps?
Wagon wheels. Because they fit, I suppose.
The interior is awash in a sea of green vinyl. Seeing this, the yard inventory’s claim of 1981 seems to make sense.
Next week, it’s back to the Back Forty for more vintage goodness. (The Junkyard Outtake winter plan: one week of Back Forty, one week of something else; keep alternating until the supply is exhausted or until spring returns and the yards reopen.) Happy hunting!
Love these boneyard tours Keith…
I’m no GM expert, but is that gray Buick, a LeSabre or Electra?
I would have guessed it to be an Electra.
That’s no moon…..er…..LeSabre….that is.. An Electra coupe.
A non Park Avenue trimmed one too, thats pretty rare. It could be an 83, Buick started slapping those Olympic official car stickers as soon as they were the sponsor, I’ve seen a couple of 83 Buicks with them.
The Regal is an interesting duck too, it looks like it had the rare cornering lamps, looks like she was loaded up, with the reclining passenger seat, the opera lamps,looks like she had the locking wire wheels too at one point. There isn’t enough left of the interior to see if the “Electronic Touch Climate Control” was there.
A non-poofy seat Grand Marquis? Or would this even just be a Marquis? Sans the Grand? I’ve never seen such a beast, that’s a rare one too. Looks like a 1979-1980 or so model.
And a real full on Jerry Lundergaard Oldsmobile 98, whoo-hoo.
I’ve been digging through pictures ever since that first comment, trying to figure out whether or not it could be an Electra. I was unable to find enough evidence to determine 100% – but I think there’s a good chance it is. Will have to look again next time and get the details.
I decided not to go into detail on the Regal, but you’re right there too – another rare bird as equipped. It’s only the second one I’ve seen with cornering lamps (the other being an immaculate ’86 with paper problems, which I parted out and saved everything for my ’82). The entire dash was gone, so no way of knowing if it had the electronic climate control or not. My ’86 did, and my ’82 will likely be a recipient as the resto proceeds.
The opera lamps are another option I’ve only seen here and on my ’86 parts car. I would have tried to get them off – if the plastic lenses weren’t ready to crumble – but my ’82 didn’t come with them and I don’t plan to apply any. (I always preferred the oval courtesy lights anyways.)
I’m 100% certain, it’s an Electra. It was the skirted rear wheel wells that tipped me off, when I first looked at it. The LeSabres didn’t have that deep skirt. Others more knowledgeable in GM details, can spot other distinguishing characteristics I’m sure. I.E. grill, trim etc. But that’s the first thing I spotted.
Keith, the tell on the Electra is the taillights. If you compare your junkyard car to the back end of Dave Skinner’s LeSabre piece from this morning, you will see the difference. Also, the rooflines are quite different. This shared the same body with the Coupe DeVille, although GM did a pretty thorough job of giving the Electra, the Ninety Eight and the DeVille unique-appearing rooflines on the coupes.
Could be a last year D-Body coupe. You are correct on the taillamps. The Electra/PA had the fancy closeout filler for the fuel access with the license plate mounted to the bumper. The LeSabre had nothing but an open cove with the plate mounted to a flip down bracket. I don’t recall the LA Olympics decal on the 83 models and I’ve owned quite a few 83-84 Buicks over the years so I’m guessing that this is indeed a last year(1984) D-Body coo-pay. What I find kind of funny about the whole deal is that there is an Electra name on the panel above the glove box along with the Limited nameplate which would also distingish this particular example as an Electra. LeSabres and LeSabre Estates never had the Limited nameplates on the trim panel. Too bad this example has the 307. It would be triple points if it had the Buick 4.1/4V V-6 in it. Same for the Regal. Engine wise anyway.I’ve also built a hot rod V-8 swap Regal. Only I had a non-Stage1 455 laying around. Used a 200-4R from an 83 T-Type with a 3.42 8.5 axle from a 84 T-Type. Not as torque’y as my 86 GN but what NA motor is?
I tried to make out the nameplate on the dash in the full-res pics, but it was too blurry. Guess it’s a case of “easy to read if you know what it says” 🙂
It’s been years since I’ve seen a 4.1 in the wild; even 15 years ago I don’t recall seeing them often. My ’82 had one, but it also had a broken connecting rod when I bought it. Last one before that would have been maybe two years ago, when I had a crack at an early ’80s Turbo Regal that had its original turbo goodies installed on a (swapped-in?) 4.1, which was likewise blown up and had been sitting since 1990.
What you mention sounds like a familiar formula. Mine was going to be 430/TH400 (“switch-pitch”) as pulled from a ’67 Riviera, but ended up selling that motor/tranny after being offered too much money for it (just as well, hardened valve seats wouldn’t have come cheap).
Thought about dropping in one of the many Pontiac or Chevy motors I have laying in wait. In the end, I settled on a Buick 350 from a ’70 Skylark (low-compression 4bbl), and a 200-4R from an eightysomething Grand Prix. We’ll see how long the tranny survives behind that 285-ish HP lump 🙂
I think that nameplate surrounding the clock is electroluminescent.
I know that it was on the Park Avenues of this vintage, not sure if the electroluminescent goodness trickled down to the regular Electra.
Besides the taillight treatment, I always immediately distinguished the ’77 to ’84 Electras from LeSabres, as the Electra had deeper rear wheel cutouts.
As seen in the attached pic. LeSabres had full wheel openings.
While the Electras always had their rear wheel wells partially covering the rear tire, like a skirt. More deeply than the LeSabre. As you can see in the three Electras on the left, compared to the four LeSabres on the right.
Yes, and that lower opening def adds class and elegance to the car, in a very subtle manner. So much so… that many would or do not notice it… or, that it’s even there.
It also allows, as I mentioned in a post earlier this evening, for the full length body side molding that harks back to ’60s and 70’s GM full sized cars. I fully endorse that sweeping, full length molding on the big cars… But, I just personally hate when its broken and then continued past the rear wheel opening as on the white LeSabre featured today on the site.
It looks much more balanced when its inside the wheel openings, but on the lower rear opening cars, or especially those with skirts, the full length is not only appropriate, its almost necessary.
“We’ll see how long the tranny survives behind that 285-ish HP lump :-)”
Never mind that 10-bolt rear.
I got curious about the production numbers on these, and they were pretty rare, even when new, and obviously much more so today. According to the Standard Catalog of American Cars, Buick made 8,885 Electra Coupes in 1983 and 4,075 in 1984. In 1983, only about 28% of Electras sold were in Limited trim. Based on that, we’re looking at this car being one of 2,399 1983 Limited Coupe models or one of only 1,100 1984 Limited Coupes. Limited indeed!
Agree with everyone else – that first Buick is no mere B body LeSabre, but a C body Electra. 2 doors were certainly not common, which I learned when I owned its Oldsmobile brother.
Yes, the Marquis is just a plain Marquis. There may have been a Grand Marquis as the top trim level on these, but the entire line being designated “Grand Marquis” did not come until the Marquis name migrated to the Fox body in 1983. As I recall, these were really pitiful sellers in 1980-81. The body on that one looks quite good for Minnesota.
For some reason, I like the looks of this Electra coupe better than the LeSabre coupe that was also the subject of a recent post.
“There may have been a Grand Marquis as the top trim level on these, but the entire line being designated “Grand Marquis” did not come until the Marquis name migrated to the Fox body in 1983.”
IINM, from roughly 1975-82, the lower-line full-size Mercurys were just “Marquis”, while the upper-line were “Grand Marquis”. As Jim stated above, the “Marquis” name was moved to a smaller Fox-platform car in 1983, and all of the full-size Panthers then became “Grand Marquis”. So if this a 1981 model, it may very well be just a “Marquis”.
As for the engine, the 302 is probably the safest guess, but in an ’81 it could also conceivably be a 255 (built only from 1980-82) or a 351 (dropped from civilian models after 1981, possibly available only on towing package-equipped cars towards the end). Unlike the downsized GM B-bodies, there were never any six-cylinder Panthers. All were V8s.
Mercury still offered a police package for the Marquis until 1981 believe it or not, its funky to see a silver faced 140mph “certified” speedometer.
In Canada this went a lot longer. My dad owned an 85 with the 351.
Yeah I believe that through 1982, the Mercury Marquis came in “Marquis”, “Marquis Brougham”, and “Grand Marquis” trims. By the early ’80s the Panthers were up on the chopping block, with the FWD Foxes intended to replace them. Then fuel prices fell and everyone wanted to buy the big RWD cars again.
FWD Foxes???
it looks like a marquis s, or if it was canada, a meteor.
double side vents up through ’87 (’88 they went to the bulkier look).
if you look at the tail panel. black dividers between the taillights and license plate cover.
so it’s a base. the upmarket ones had bigger taillights.
josh
I still find it amazing how well those velour seats hold up.
Did you see how many miles were on the Regency?
A lot. Approaching 200K, if I recall.
Cool junkyard. Where’s it at?
This sounds crazy, but if I were super rich, I would track down the Lesabre coupe and Marquis, plus many many other junked and non running malaise era (and every other era) cars down and give them frame off checkbook restorations. Might also choose a different color and some subtle modern interior and mechanical updates. They would go in my 200 car garage until I got tired of them and wanted something else. Somebody needs to start saving these “box” land yachts.
Tracking them down wouldn’t be a problem. Getting them bought, only somewhat (perhaps one of those blank checks could be used to convince a yard worker to sneak them out the back gate? ha ha). While you’re at it, better buy the security tapes, and hire one of the counter guys to help ID the people who carted off any of the missing parts; perhaps they could be bought back. (Hey, I never said it’d be cheap!)
But titling them would be a definite issue.
You’d almost be better off busting out yet another check and hiring a gofer, who could hunt around and find you a rusty wreck with clean paper, then build one from the two. But they’re only original once… so where’s the fun in that?
How hard is titling an old wreck with no title? Is it as hard as becoming a naturalized citizen? This idea may be going a bit far, but if I had the money, there is no doubt that I would have someone restore, or restore myself various cars, including ones that may not be considered worth it. The idea of saving classic Detroit steel from the crusher is just something that intrigues me.
It all depends upon what state you’re in. In NC, it’s a bit of a hassle, but can be done. Cost is in the $200 range…half of that is the normal rip-off Highway-usage-tax & title fees (which everyone gets slapped with)
It’s bad enough to see the Regal there, but it’s a real shame to see the Deuce and a quarter. Those are getting really scarce on the ground around here.
Indeed. It’s a downright disgrace that a vehicle in such nice shape for being thirty years old, and a rare one at that, got dumped.
That poor Electra coupe! I haven’t seen one in years–even the four-door is pretty scarce around here. I really, really like the 1980-84 Electra/Park Avenue coupes. I wish someone had saved it.
You are not alone. I think the Electra and the Regal being there are sinful.
It’s hard sometimes, I know when we own vintage cars and need parts, it’s great to find them in bone yards or for a deal online to get what we need.
but in all honesty, with my life-long love and passion for cars… it just kills me to see these cars ‘go away forever’.
Shame about that Regal. Hopefully it will be picked completely clean before EOL time. I bought an ’83 Limited with knocking 3.8 at an impound auction 10-15 years ago with the intent of plopping a 350B or 455B into it — I even scored a turbo hood a the scrappers…
“IT” happens though….and the landowner where it sits decided it was his…so it will sit & rot down there until some douchebag steals it & hauls it to the local scrapper. *sigh*
I love the ’81-’83 Regal Limited coupes.
I plan on going back to the yard tomorrow (bought a couple junk injectors on Monday, aarrrgh). I’d like to do a follow-up on these cars, with a proper camera… what angles would you folks most like to see?
I’d like to see more interior shots of the Electra–gauges, back seat etc. Maybe a couple more of the Marquis and Cutlass Cruiser?
But really, any pics would be good 🙂
+1 I love instrument panel shots.
What a shame to see such solid old cars on their deathbed. My best guess – some youngsters inherited grandma’s cars & decided they weren’t ‘cool’ enough, so they traded them in on ‘cool’ modern jellybean cars. The dealer – with same mentality as the kids – sent them to auction & only the junkyard saw fit to bid on them. It’s a sad fact that these types of cars rarely get the love & appreciation of their muscle-car siblings. We need to start a “save the land barges” movement, before they’re all gone!
I would like to see a few more interior shots of the Electra as well. We’ll never see seats like that in a new car again. Somewhere along the way, somebody decided seats that are as hard as bricks are the way to go.
ALSO, if its not too much to ask – maybe a few shots of the W-body Grand Prix? Always had a soft spot for the early W coupes with the hidden door handles. My current curbside classic is a ’91 Regal coupe.
I kinda like the early W’s too, the all monochrome Grand Prix SE, 1988 Car of the Year from what I recall, we still had a poster of that honored recognition hanging in the upstairs accounting office at the Pontiac dealership I worked at in the mid 90’s. The Cutlass W was also very clean with the flush wrap around rear glass.
It seems that these cars have not yet seen the same boom in interest after reaching a certain age that 50’s chromemobiles and 60’s muscle cars saw. 70’s dreadnoughts are only now beginning to attract collector interest, so when will these 80’s “box” land yachts become icons? Sure, a lot of us like them, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll find a lot of them at a car show or high end auction.
I hope someone takes the wheels off the Electra, they definitely have value to Buick folks!
You probably already know, but for folks who don’t – those are the 15″ 5-on-5 (big car/light truck) pattern wheels.
I debated grabbing them, but with the rubber being junk and all the caps now missing, I’m not sure whether it’s worth $88 to have them on the shelf.
They would look good on your LeSabre! Or maybe compromise and just take the two with center caps.
So I read somewhere that some ’77 & newer Estate Wagons could be had with a 7″ wide Buick Road Wheel. Talk about the Holy Grail of Buick Wheels.
I’m also looking for a Rally-wheel-equipped ’77 & newer Pontiac Wagon — I REALLY need a set of those wheels.
The Grand Marquis made a huge comeback after ’83. It seemed to be sell better then big Mercurys did in the 70’s, but someone would have to look up the numbers. Imagine if Ford killed the Panthers in 1981, they would have had to bring back the tooling after gas prices eased, and interest rates went down.
I just read everyone’s opinion on the 1980-84 Electra/Park Avenue’s.Don’t worry,they are not all gone.I have one of each.I have a 1984 white Park Avenue 4 door with the maple red velour interior.It only has 45,000 documented miles and the 2 door is light briar brown with the dk briar brown top and interior.It is an Electra Limited.It has 63,000 documented miles on it. A friend of mine also has a 1984 Electra 2 door,but it has the Park Avenue option and “rare sunroof’.My Electra has all the standard power options but in addition to that it has seat memory,opera/coach lamps,cornering lights,twilight sentinel,and power passenger recline. Hopefully at some point i will be able to post some pictures on here of my Buicks.I’m glad i found ya’ll.
HELLO am looking for a inside door pull panel driver side and passenger side it a strap bezel oem for a 84 Buick regal limited four door