Saved a 401 nailhead from Demolition Derby distruction

[Southfork]

Score! The Dynaflow transmission crapped out on this guy's 63 Buick just a couple of nights before he was going to battle it out in a last-car-running, winner-take-all demolition derby, and he pulls the tranny and trys to replace it. No luck for him; that tranny doesn't work either, but mucho luck for me as I get the car (in stock car trim) with a good-running 401 in it. So he says anyway, but it was cheap, so if it doesn't run as well as he says, I can always rebuild it before i put it in my 31 coupe. By the way, the car has a factory tach in it at front of the console below the dash. Was that standard in all 63 Buicks??? Oh yeah, it's got aluminum drums on the front too. Lots of good parts fo my Model A.

[Kustm52]

Man, what a save....I would be interested in the console and shifter if you want to sell it. The tach wasn't standard, it was an option...usually found on Wildcats. I'd love to have it for my wagon...although you could probably put it on ebay and make your money back and then some. They usually bring over $200....the bucket seats bring good money too. I've got a '64 wagon I'm building a Wildcat wagon out of...something buick never built.

Brian

[Rooster]

Bitchin Score! I snagged a 62 a few years back, After the derby, For $25!!!! Still ran, but overheated and stalled out Quick once the radiator went. You know the story, sold off everything...woulda loved ta kept the motor but I'ma dumbass... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Southfork]

Kustm52, i will probably not be needing the console & tach, but I may, because of a deal I'm trying to work on another Buick. If I get it, I may change those parts. I'll let you know.

Rooster, you were lucky that 62 Nailhead engine was still good AFTER the demolition derby. Many of them get seized up after the radiators go, and of course, killing the radiator is a major objective when you ram another contender's car.

[Sailor]

That 63 Buicks with 401s is still considered demolition derby-fodder strikes me as pretty sad.

Otherwise nice score.

[Kustm52]

Very sad..but a lot of people in this country consider any old car junk....then there are the ones who think any old car is worth a fortune....no matter how bad it is.

Brian

[Southfork]

Sailor, that's just the way I feel about it!

When I approached the two guys who were going to run it in the Derby, they said that after they had already destryoed the car, they had second thoughts, but what the heck, they both worked for wrecking yards, and they see runnable cars from the 60's, 70,s and 80's going to the crusher everyday. I think they really are desensitized to it because they have to make quota on so much iron going on to the flatcars that are headed for the steel mills.

Just the fact that these "car guys" didn't even bother to pull off the wide-ribbed aluminum brake drums indicates how out of touch they are with traditional rodding trends.

[hillbillyhellcat]

It's been awhile since I have seen anything of real vintage at a demo derby... A few years ago I saw a '53 Chevy 4 door in one that was about 90 percent body filler, you could literally see the cracks in the bondo upon impact... It seems like they mostly consist of huge early '70s mopar wagons... What I can't figure out is where they come from, I rarely see one on the road or advertised for sale, just in derbys.

[Rooster]

Wow man, No kiddin? We got guys around here who just LOVE to make the restorers and rodders cringe! That 62 I got had ALL 4 drums on it, all GOOD too! So I didn't really care if the motor was good or not. But when the guys friend brought him back to the pits where I was waitin by the car he fired it right up then killed it before heat got on it again. I even drove it onto my trailer.
In the past two years I've seen an Edsel Ranger, a 60 Fairlane, scores of Cadillacs including one 60 4-dr flat-top a 58 DeSoto lotsa other late50's and 60's vintage stuff including about 50 Imperials out gettin their smack on! But I go to lotsa derbies too...

[Django]

They were going to leave the console and tach in for the derby? Dumbasses... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

When I was about 10 (1980) there was a '57 chevy 4 door in the county fair demo derby! It suprised me back then. I think now I'd run over and beat the guy silly! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif