A Barn Find that's actually a barn find... '73 Buick Century on kijiji NS
MC said
April 1st
I laugh because it seems like the term "barn find" has been so overused in the hobby that when I actually see a car for sale in an old barn, covered with dirt and debris from years of sitting, it actually seem significant to me.
In another life I might attempt to drag this home and see what I could do with it, but it's not in the cards for me. With a $600 price tag, you almost couldn't go wrong.
It would be cool if somebody were to save it, but I suspect it might end up as scrap, since it's a 4 door and I'm not sure if there are many folks out there who would be willing to take on a project like this might be. The '73 - '77 GM Collonade cars never seemed to catch on in the hobby, but I've always liked them. But then, there are lots of guys who might drag it home, clean it up, get it running and try to flip it for ten grand. You never know, there might be something good hiding under all that dirt...
"Barn Find" parked for 30+ years. Last started 15 +- years ago. BIG BLOCK 350ci. Original paint with some surface rust but no filler. Was oiled underneath in the 70's. Light interior no rips but dirty from sitting. If interested in saving it or for the motor, Looking for $600 before it is sold for scrap in a couple of weeks. Located just outside Pugwash.
cdnpont said
April 1st
For 600 and close, I'd at least look at it. I suspect it'll be sold pretty fast. But it sure would be fun if just to clean it up and see if you could get it running. Make a video of the process.
Unfortunately, unless some cats have been present, good chance it'll be pretty mousy.
Cheviac said
April 1st
Interesting steering wheel looks just like a 68 Skylark.
CdnGMfan said
April 1st
Its going to get sold for scrap in a couple of weeks... Why, because you are tired of it taking space and people aren't beating down your door for a 4-door G-3?
I'll bet that thing would clean up nicely but it would be a big job. Baby oil on the vinyl roof would have been a good move 30 years ago.
The 350 is not a big block Buick, it was originally an outgrowth of the 215 V8 that went cast iron with the 300 and was enlarged to 340 then 350 cubes.
Cheviac pointed out the steering wheel. I've never seen one like that in a G3, and I have been observing these cars for 51 years.
For $600 what has anybody got to lose? If the rebar behind the bumpers aren't rusted out then that car may actually be in better shape than it appears.
Canadian Poncho said
April 1st
It'd take it in a heartbeat but figured it'd be long gone before I could get to it. I would be nice to see the underneath of course though!
MC said
April 2nd
Haha... I was thinking of you when I posted it, Todd. You could haul it to that nice spacious shop and pick away at it as you got a chance. If it turned out to be unsaveable, you could always part it out and then get much of your investment back as scrap.
The ad is still live as I type this... ;)
Canadian Poncho said
April 2nd
I think it's sold pending pickup. If the ferry wasn't still closed it'd be a lot easier to get to NS (we need a tunnel instead of a billion dollar new ferry!) . There seems to be a lot of neat stuff for sale in Cape Breton right now..
MC said
April 3rd
Yeah, it didn't say sold pending pickup when I posted my last reply. I'm glad it's not going to the scrapper in any event. At least not now. Honestly this is just the kind of old car that I would like to have, as I have no interest in a "hobby" that costs $50,000 just to buy in, and then all the other stuff involved, like things you find wrong after you bring it home, and just normal old car stuff. However, without a shop, and with enough other projects using my time and money, something like this is not for me either. The ideal circumstance would be somebody like yourself getting it, who would put in the sweat equity to bring it back to its former glory, or at least as much glory as could be had from an early 1970s 4 door family vehicle (which isn't meant as a negative, as nostalgia brings me back to the cars I remember from my childhood, not the 'fantasy cars'...).
Anyhow... hopefully somebody gets it that will treat it well. Maybe it will be on the market as a cleaned up "barn find" in a few months, with more zeros in the price tag, of course. :)
cdnpont said
April 3rd
If this Buick were good underneath and no mouse, it would be a great car to bring back warts and all. I'd Hagerty ensure it for about 200 bucks and drive it most daily.
I like the 4 door in this year, looked great, it's just that we don't see them anymore, ever.
My Mom had a 74, 2 door. Ugly tan, brown, but the 350 was a really great motor.
Canadian Poncho said
April 6th
Photos of the save. Buyer is thinking of parting it out.
question; What's to part? What parts would be of any value?
Canadian Poncho said
April 6th
No word on the frame. I can't imagine any of the parts being worth much.
MC said
April 7th
Do you know the buyer, Todd? Rear end seems to be sagging, unless it's just tied down to the trailer.
Can't imagine there is much demand for '73 Century parts. Maybe Bad Chad could do something with it.
Canadian Poncho said
April 7th
I don't know the new owner. He posted on a maritime classic car Facebook group.
MC said
April 7th
Ahh... makes sense. I don't do the facebook thing, so thanks for posting that. I wonder what the story is with the car. I would guess elderly people had it, and either stored it there or maybe whomever inherited it stored it there and didn't do anything with it. It looks mostly untouched.
I wonder why they want to part it out - the body doesn't look bad, and the rear bumper isn't hanging off.
Canadian Poncho said
April 7th
Not sure but the buyer said the prev owners would fire it up at least once a summer and roll it out of the old shed it was in. The dirt floor may have taken it's toll on the undercarriage though. I remember looking at that 427 '69 2+2 with 32000 original miles that was stored on a dirt floor and she was pretty rough underneath.
MC said
April 7th
The ad said that the underside was oiled in the 1970s, but a lot of time has passed. Could be rotten floors, frame, or suspension (given the rear suspension sag). Nova Scotia salt and humidity didn't take prisoners back in the day - a dirt floor could be the final blow.
Gillis said
April 7th
I saw some of the pics of it on the trailer. Theres a giant hole at the base of the passenger side rear window. About the size of a football. It might be a true barn find, but that barn was a leaky one
CdnGMfan said
April 7th
People are too quick to part things out. The only value they see in something. I know of 2 cars that were oil sprayed twice yearly that had nice equipment, but with new owners they were hastily junked.
Really on that '73 Buick the 4-barrel intake & carb, if it even has one, are the only reasons you'd want to grab anything from that car. They seem to be hard to find. A '73 would have an EGR valve.
I have a friend that used to buy & sell motorcycles. He went through a lot. He owned an absolutely mint 1975 Kawasaki KE175. When he tried to sell it, all he got were an endless procession of idiots and nit-pickers that threw out insulting numbers, showed how little they knew about bikes or riding, and generally annoyed him and wasted his time. Eventually my friend realized that there was no ass for this saddle and he took out his frustration. He jumped it off a mini cliff and it landed in a pond. He then sold parts off it and made money.
If that '73 Century got really scrubbed and was serviced & ready to go, and the price was reasonable, somebody would grab it and have a good car. Because it is a green smogger 4-door, nobody wants to even bother washing it.
MC said
April 7th
Gillis wrote:
I saw some of the pics of it on the trailer. Theres a giant hole at the base of the passenger side rear window. About the size of a football. It might be a true barn find, but that barn was a leaky one
Are you able to share those pics?
Canadian Poncho said
April 8th
The buyer posted a video of the car running. Seemed to run ok. Here's a photo of the back window...
Talk about needing a glass channel! I'm assuming there must have been a constant leak right onto that spot.
Prefectca said
April 8th
cdnpont wrote:
Talk about needing a glass channel! I'm assuming there must have been a constant leak right onto that spot.
Probably matching damage to the trunk floor!
MC said
April 8th
Canadian Poncho wrote:
The buyer posted a video of the car running. Seemed to run ok. Here's a photo of the back window...
And interior
Yeow! That's quite a crater!
I don't recall that two tone scheme divided with double pinstripe. Maybe it was a repaint? Lots of paint peeling with what looks like zinc plated steel below the rear glass. I recall my '76 Nova did something similar - I was impressed at the time that they were zinc plating panels in the 1970s.
Yeah, I imagine whatever got in through that hole caused similar damage to wherever the water settled.
CdnGMfan said
April 8th
I didn't notice that it was 2-tone. When I saw the damage that looks similar to the damage I saw on a '76 Monte Carlo with a vinyl roof cover. The hole was 2' x 2'. Obviously nobody took my advice to soak the top in baby oil every month.
Maybe somebody could make it into a Thatcher Wagon, or one of those orchard platform "trucks" that grace the Niagara region.
Get DVAP to cut out a roof from another G-3 sedan & fix it. So why aren't I?
-- Edited by CdnGMfan on Monday 8th of April 2024 10:51:55 PM
I laugh because it seems like the term "barn find" has been so overused in the hobby that when I actually see a car for sale in an old barn, covered with dirt and debris from years of sitting, it actually seem significant to me.
In another life I might attempt to drag this home and see what I could do with it, but it's not in the cards for me. With a $600 price tag, you almost couldn't go wrong.
It would be cool if somebody were to save it, but I suspect it might end up as scrap, since it's a 4 door and I'm not sure if there are many folks out there who would be willing to take on a project like this might be. The '73 - '77 GM Collonade cars never seemed to catch on in the hobby, but I've always liked them. But then, there are lots of guys who might drag it home, clean it up, get it running and try to flip it for ten grand. You never know, there might be something good hiding under all that dirt...
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/dartmouth/1973-buick-century/1689730956
1973 Buick Century
$600
Description
"Barn Find" parked for 30+ years. Last started 15 +- years ago. BIG BLOCK 350ci. Original paint with some surface rust but no filler. Was oiled underneath in the 70's. Light interior no rips but dirty from sitting. If interested in saving it or for the motor, Looking for $600 before it is sold for scrap in a couple of weeks. Located just outside Pugwash.
For 600 and close, I'd at least look at it. I suspect it'll be sold pretty fast. But it sure would be fun if just to clean it up and see if you could get it running. Make a video of the process.
Unfortunately, unless some cats have been present, good chance it'll be pretty mousy.
Interesting steering wheel looks just like a 68 Skylark.
I'll bet that thing would clean up nicely but it would be a big job. Baby oil on the vinyl roof would have been a good move 30 years ago.
The 350 is not a big block Buick, it was originally an outgrowth of the 215 V8 that went cast iron with the 300 and was enlarged to 340 then 350 cubes.
Cheviac pointed out the steering wheel. I've never seen one like that in a G3, and I have been observing these cars for 51 years.
For $600 what has anybody got to lose? If the rebar behind the bumpers aren't rusted out then that car may actually be in better shape than it appears.
Haha... I was thinking of you when I posted it, Todd. You could haul it to that nice spacious shop and pick away at it as you got a chance. If it turned out to be unsaveable, you could always part it out and then get much of your investment back as scrap.
The ad is still live as I type this... ;)
Yeah, it didn't say sold pending pickup when I posted my last reply. I'm glad it's not going to the scrapper in any event. At least not now. Honestly this is just the kind of old car that I would like to have, as I have no interest in a "hobby" that costs $50,000 just to buy in, and then all the other stuff involved, like things you find wrong after you bring it home, and just normal old car stuff. However, without a shop, and with enough other projects using my time and money, something like this is not for me either. The ideal circumstance would be somebody like yourself getting it, who would put in the sweat equity to bring it back to its former glory, or at least as much glory as could be had from an early 1970s 4 door family vehicle (which isn't meant as a negative, as nostalgia brings me back to the cars I remember from my childhood, not the 'fantasy cars'...).
Anyhow... hopefully somebody gets it that will treat it well. Maybe it will be on the market as a cleaned up "barn find" in a few months, with more zeros in the price tag, of course. :)
If this Buick were good underneath and no mouse, it would be a great car to bring back warts and all. I'd Hagerty ensure it for about 200 bucks and drive it most daily.
I like the 4 door in this year, looked great, it's just that we don't see them anymore, ever.
My Mom had a 74, 2 door. Ugly tan, brown, but the 350 was a really great motor.
Photos of the save. Buyer is thinking of parting it out.
Frame rot?
question; What's to part? What parts would be of any value?
Do you know the buyer, Todd? Rear end seems to be sagging, unless it's just tied down to the trailer.
Can't imagine there is much demand for '73 Century parts. Maybe Bad Chad could do something with it.
Ahh... makes sense. I don't do the facebook thing, so thanks for posting that. I wonder what the story is with the car. I would guess elderly people had it, and either stored it there or maybe whomever inherited it stored it there and didn't do anything with it. It looks mostly untouched.
I wonder why they want to part it out - the body doesn't look bad, and the rear bumper isn't hanging off.
The ad said that the underside was oiled in the 1970s, but a lot of time has passed. Could be rotten floors, frame, or suspension (given the rear suspension sag). Nova Scotia salt and humidity didn't take prisoners back in the day - a dirt floor could be the final blow.
Really on that '73 Buick the 4-barrel intake & carb, if it even has one, are the only reasons you'd want to grab anything from that car. They seem to be hard to find. A '73 would have an EGR valve.
I have a friend that used to buy & sell motorcycles. He went through a lot. He owned an absolutely mint 1975 Kawasaki KE175. When he tried to sell it, all he got were an endless procession of idiots and nit-pickers that threw out insulting numbers, showed how little they knew about bikes or riding, and generally annoyed him and wasted his time. Eventually my friend realized that there was no ass for this saddle and he took out his frustration. He jumped it off a mini cliff and it landed in a pond. He then sold parts off it and made money.
If that '73 Century got really scrubbed and was serviced & ready to go, and the price was reasonable, somebody would grab it and have a good car. Because it is a green smogger 4-door, nobody wants to even bother washing it.
Are you able to share those pics?
The buyer posted a video of the car running. Seemed to run ok. Here's a photo of the back window...
And interior
Talk about needing a glass channel! I'm assuming there must have been a constant leak right onto that spot.
Probably matching damage to the trunk floor!
Yeow! That's quite a crater!
I don't recall that two tone scheme divided with double pinstripe. Maybe it was a repaint? Lots of paint peeling with what looks like zinc plated steel below the rear glass. I recall my '76 Nova did something similar - I was impressed at the time that they were zinc plating panels in the 1970s.
Yeah, I imagine whatever got in through that hole caused similar damage to wherever the water settled.
I didn't notice that it was 2-tone. When I saw the damage that looks similar to the damage I saw on a '76 Monte Carlo with a vinyl roof cover. The hole was 2' x 2'. Obviously nobody took my advice to soak the top in baby oil every month.
Maybe somebody could make it into a Thatcher Wagon, or one of those orchard platform "trucks" that grace the Niagara region.
Get DVAP to cut out a roof from another G-3 sedan & fix it.
So why aren't I?
-- Edited by CdnGMfan on Monday 8th of April 2024 10:51:55 PM