Restoring a 1969 Buick GS: Overhaulin's Motley Cruiser

Now you may wonder why I would take the time to review an episode of Overhaulin' on TLC. Simply put, Chip Foose and his team restored a car that is very similar to a car that is near and dear to me. The "subject" was a very, very rusty 1969 Buick GS Convertible (Automatic). And, oddly enough, in my own garage resides a 1969 Buick Skylark Custom Convertible (Automatic). Amazingly, both cars seem to have come from the factory with original white paint and a black interior. Imagine my surprise when I tuned in.

Though the car had been severely neglected, it did have a silver lining. It started right up! The car was removed from where it was being stored and then trailered to Quantum Tec-Star for disassembly. Chris Jacobs, the co-host of the show said to everyone upon seeing the car, "A-Team... welcome to Rustville." With chants of "Rust, Rust, Rust" and "GS stands for God Save Us", Chris high-fives Chip's team as they enter the garage as a sign of half-hearted encouragement. After a quick inspection, Chip and his team know they have an enormous amount of work ahead of them. To their credit, Chip and the gang acknowledge that this Buick GS is a rare car and will be "a really cool car when we're done with it".

During deconstruction, the usual was found. A rusted out trunk, rusted out rear quarters and upholstery that was beyond repair. I'm sure there were more rust issues like the rockers, core support and the inner fenders, but the show never displayed footage of any of those areas. After a few moments, we get introduced to one of the "insiders", none other than Vince Neil, lead singer of the 80's metal band Mötley Crüe. Gotta love the usage of the umlauts.

While the car is away getting sandblasted, the 'insiders' get together with Foose and decide on the paint scheme, motor and wheels. If you are a fan of the show you may have already figured it out: a two-tone paint was chosen along with 20" rims and one kick-ass motor.

When the car came back from being media blasted, there was even more bad news about the condition of the classic Buick GS. One member of Chip's team said, "We need a new car to fix this car". Some of the body mounts and both of the transmission mounts on the frame had rusted through. They learn that they will need to find another frame for the car. No easy task I'm sure. For the rest of the day, rear quarter panel skins, floor pans and trunk pans from Original Parts Group get installed.

Later, Tony from Memory Lane delivered a really solid 69 California GS to be used as a donor car for the build. Specific areas of need were: the quarters, the lower quarters, the fenders and the frame. Knowing that the show needed a donor car to complete this build, you really get an idea of how hard it is to find Buick parts.

Speaking of frames, somehow the show decided to use a frame from a '70 El Camino. Huh? After they find out that it was too long, they decide to use part of the original frame and part of the frame from the donor car.

After the power coated frame is delivered to the garage at Quantum Tec-Star, Hotchkis Performance begins installing the suspension with the hopes of getting the car to paint by the end of the day. The next day we find that the Buick GS has arrived at Lanzini Body Works for a little alignment, paint prep, sanding, primer, seam sealer and one unique paint job.

Speaking of paint, Chip decides on a BASF pearl white for the bottom of the car with a gold stripe in between and a purple for the top color of the two-tone paint scheme. In an added twist, he uses actual plant foliage as a stencil while spraying a darker shade a purple for a tone on tone affect. It makes for a very unique look, one that you'll either really like or scratch your head over.

Through the magic of TV, the '69 GS is completely assembled on the last day. The upholstery and the convertible top are installed by the crew at Bill Dunn Upholstery. The sound system which was designed by J&G Customs gets installed. The Buick motor (and not Chevy motor thankfully) that came from TA Performance gets installed. By the way... the specs on the motor are impressive. It's a 460 cubic inch Buick motor with 550 HP and 560 lbs. of torque. I imagine that might be a $10K motor.

In the end, the owner of the car loved the finished results. In my opinion, while the car is beautiful, it is not something I would pay to do to my car. I'm more a fan of a factory look. If there is anything I'd desire from this episode it would have to be the TA Performance motor. I'd love to get a little sideways with one of those motors under the hood.

Click the picture below to view over 100 pictures from this episode.