1971 Buick Electra Parts Car

1971 Buick Electra

I picked this car up from Vintage Auto Wrecking (right before they went out of business) for the grand sum of $150 and that included a title. It was a pretty intact car - it came complete with all fluids still in it, deluxe interior, power windows/locks, cruise control, speed alert, rear window defogger, massive transmission coolers, a beefy hitch, and - unfortunately - a minor rod knock.

It was missing a carb and a battery, so I tossed those on it, put a gallon of gas in the tank, and fired it up. It ran OK, didn't smoke, but has a regular knock in the engine. It's probably a rod knock, but it doesn't change in pitch or intensity with more or less throttle - the best description I can think of is that it sounds like the oil pan got dented and the crank taps it on each revolution. It could be as simple as a bad lifter or something, but without taking it apart, I won't know, so an engine extraction and at least a partial tear-down is in the plan. Anyways, while I had it running, I put it in gear and moved it back and forth in the driveway and the trans seemed OK as well - it dropped right into gear and moved without complaint. Even the brakes worked fine.

What do I want it for? For starters, the motor, trans, and rear are being saved, as are many of the options. The glass is intact and specific to a 2-door model, so I'm going to be hanging onto that. The body panels are a weird mix of complete "looks like Swiss cheese" rust problems, to "not so bad"/salvageable, to pretty good condition - so a few of them will be worth keeping as well. The trunk and hood seem OK and have the factory louvers (for ventilation) that are specific to 1971 (as I understand it - I know they're not on my 1973 Electra and I don't believe they are on the '72 models either...), so they'll be saved as well, possibly to be sold. The front bumper is in excellent shape for a daily driver - no peeling chrome and only one ding in it. Beyond that, there are a lot of small odds and ends up for sale, so ask if you want something.