In the universe of classic American cars, nothing offers more versatility and bang-for-the-buck than these 1980's Mid Size GM cars. If you're looking for a cheap way into the hobby, this is your ticket!
I will testify that John the fireman was real and yes definitely a legend a very good man I had bought several cars from him every one I drove was sound even better than the 200 dollar cars uncle tony put me in and told me if they break down leave it and take the plates offi will get you another one tomorrow. Rip John the fireman
@@leviklisch6053 Do you still have that old Monte? If you ever wanted to fix her up, I can give you a budget recipe that makes a world of difference. I have an 87 Monte SS that is proof. You'd be surprised how forward compatible the G Body cars were with modern cars. You can do a direct bolt-on with modern disc brakes (front and rear) from a 2005 blazer. Even a master cylinder can be bolted on with no mods (and I recommend it). A couple aftermarket body stiffening braces for a few hundred bucks and it drives like a car made 20 years later.
I had a 78' Impala for several years. 350/350 powertrain that ran so smooth (and still made respectable power for 70's emissions era) , soft suspension and comfy seats that made it like riding on a cloud, a trunk that would hold almost anything, comfortable seating for 6, all while getting 18mpg. One of the best cars I ever had, I wish I could've kept it.
I had an 84 4 door until it saved Dad when someone forced him into a telephone pole (while overtaking dangerously.) I still miss the car but I'd rather have my Dad than the car. The driver's belt buckle was broken so I told him to use the middle buckle, which worked. Dad's knees did go through the lower dash.
You're lucky. My grandfather had an '84 four door and it blew the engine at around 35,000 miles. GM warrantied it, but he was trying to get to Florida from VA due to a serious family emergency and didn't need the delay.
Caprice's have saved so many lives they are tanks. I have been hit side swiped backed into and non my fault just crazies in parking lots. My cars still running strong. I have read story's of drunk drivers crashing into caprices and the caprices still just start up and drive away. I have a 2 door 78 it is hot rodded check my page for videos
@Stormy D. mine was stolen as well. They peeled the steering column. I got the car back luckily. It was around that same year too. At that time those cars were in the top 10 for theft.
@Stormy D. thats brutal. They stole mine and robbed a local apperal store the ditched it at the gas station that i went to everyday. The gas station guys knew me and the car and called the cops. The thieves all got 3 hots and a cot for a while.
Yup, I'm almost 60 years old and my past is riddled with G body's. 3 Monte's, 4 Cutlass's, a Grand Prix and 2 Malibu's. Love me some G body's Full Frame an almost 4 link rear and enough room in the engine compartment to run just about any combo you can think of. Whats not to like. Keep up the great work my friend...
As I say, regardless if what engine put in any g body, A body or B Pontiac , there's never a good enough excuse to not put a real Pontiac engine in it. I disagree with Tony on a over rated ls. My 80 LeMans with just a 350 real Pontiac engine spanks the ls swapped garbage all the time.
YES, you are spot on, 4 years ago I bought a 1990 LTD crown vic wagon, rust free from out in California, with 80K miles for only $2400. It did have some piston slap, so I rebuilt it and put in a 1990 mustang 5 speed. Its my daily driver and people just love the car.
@@mikesrestoration yeah it's a great car for blasting around in. It will be a sad day when they are not on the roads. I barely even see them as police cars any more
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist I've always liked the 81 body style more I think. I ended up with the 79 because a friend had it and didn't want it anymore. I love all older Grand Prix's!
Oh I know! I get stupid offers for it.. it's not by no means nice either ,but to me it's priceless! My friend got it for free, I paid $30 for the car and title,, then found $15 under the seat cover that day! I'll never sell that car. I'm daily driving my $130 4x4 ,4.3 s10 now. Don't think I've ever paid more then $500 for any vehicle I own and I have 22... Lol!
My first car was an 88 Cutlass Supreme, 307 quadrajet, Euro front with the one piece headlights. If I knew what I know now, I would have never sold it.
This is a beautiful Bonneville. My parents had an 82 identical to this one. I learned to drive on it when the odometer was at around 90k and the V6 was really showing its age with excessive blowby. It was such a comfy car to drive and always wanted to swap the motor with an Olds 307 with a fresh transmission. It would have really brought it to a new fresh life but my father vetoed it and it eventually died a year or so later. Timing chain snapped and he unloaded it. I still miss that car.
Uncle Tony's stories about the old times are the best. When I was a kid the parents had a 84 Cutlass 4 door G body 3.8 V6. Was from NJ. Some guy in NY picked it up at an auction sold it to them. had like alot of miles but was only a year old. A fat guy must of owned it the front bench seat was all flattened... Hey hey hey. Full frame 1955- to Ended in 1996 Budddy! LT1 Caprice/ Impala SS. Roadmaster/ Wagon. Last of the last. Body on frame RWD. 1977 Chassis :)
I'm still with you and I am 100% mopar. I do think it's so cool that you simply love cars and can appreciate a good car when you see one. You rock uncle Tony
I feel you Uncel Tony. My first "classic" car was a 1985 Monte SS and every time I see another G-body I miss it. My current fleet is an 03 Dakota R/T, 78 W100 factory 440, and a 91 Spirit R/T and every so often i toy with the idea of going back to the G-body. I haven't quite yet found what "my car" is, but thankfully I am young and still have a bit of time.
I'm working on my 87 Monte SS. I'm so surprised at how forward compatible it is with newer car parts. A 2005 Blazer's 4-wheel disc brakes (and master cylinder) can be a simple afternoon bolt-on project with almost no custom work. I also added a keyless entry system (with trunk popper) from a 99 Lumina. It took an $8 junkyard part, a new fob, and 90 minutes of my time to do.
UTG Please do a video on your method for patching rusty external body panels, and or replacing a rusted out floor pan section. Please keep up the good old school work!
I had an '85 Bonneville V6 with 52K miles and a '78 Malibu coupe. I loved the Bonneville more because it was lower mileage. I pulled out of my driveway one morning and stopped short because I saw my neighbor flying down his driveway in reverse. He looked both ways and gunned it and took out my front end. The car still had only 60K miles. He thought he hit the snow bank when he heard the crunch and I saw him hang his head in shame when he looked in his mirror. Thankfully, I got back almost what I paid for that car. I still want another even though I'm a Ford guy. Those rear drive G bodies were great in the snow with regular size all season tires and they still had that smooth ride while handling well.
When I was younger I hated the GM G bodies and pretty much all other smog/post smog era cars but now that the older stuff is much more scarce and the modern stuff is so cheap and soulless I've really grown to appreciate them. I had just started looking for a good deal on a factory 4 barrel Malibu when I ended up getting a free ratty 79 Cutlass with the super rare super slow 260 V8 and T50 5 speed combo with title and build sheet. I got it for free cause a tree fell on it and smashed in the rear of the roof and broke out the rear glass then after that it was parked in a chicken coupe and sh!t in for a few years to keep it out of the rain. I'm almost done with the bodywork as that's my day job and I got it running quick and easy but it wouldn't move in reverse so I pulled the trans. thinking it would be the clutch or maybe reverse wasn't fully engaging but that weak little trans. had dropped reverse. I cleaned out the case and put everything back together so it can still limp around but I'm planning to T5 swap it when I get enough cash. I already found out a 99-05 Mustang 5 speed is almost exactly the same dimensions and will come close to bolting right up with a bellhousing adapter. After I get another good 5 speed in it I'm gonna block off the heat riser somehow, advance the stock cam, lock the ignition at full advance with JB weld and try a few other little tricks I learned from you and some other mad scientists to see if I can get this little 260 to make some respectable power without putting money into much more than a spool and gear. I'm thinking since it's a heavy car with a small motor and overdrive 4.10 or 4.56 would be good. I wanna say 4.88 or 5.13 but I doubt my combo is gonna have the RPM to really make the most of anything deeper than 4.56. Thanks for reading all the comments! I don't mean to abuse that but just wanted to make sure you knew some budget guys out there are actually using the info you share with us.
I've messed with 260's did you know they made a diesel version? What your planning sounds good, I got to deck the block in mine and do some minor porting to help swirl down the cylinders, leave the intake manifold port exits smaller than the intake ports on the head, it helps stop reversion, same with the exhaust ports to the manifold, it's an economy engine but I've made decent power with some of them especially with 2 barrel carbs, if you keep the 2 into 1 exhaust, it's pretty decent without cats, muffler or open exhaust needs to be about 3 feet down after the Y, yes the heat risers blocked on the intake and a 160 thermostat helps.
@@danielright2044 Yep I know they made a diesel, I put a 160 T stat with a hole drilled in it in pretty much everything. I used to use a 180 in everything but 160 seems to make plenty of heat for me in the winter and keep things running much better in the summer. I was planning to at least try the stock 2 into 1 exhaust for a while first, I've heard it scavenges a bit like 4 into 1 headers and makes a decent torque curve for a smaller engine that doesn't make a lot on top end. What's weird about this 260's exhaust is it doesn't have a Y pipe, the pipe from the driver side manifold is routed into an inlet on the passenger side manifold. It also more than likely doesn't have the center exhaust port dividers either like a lot of Olds V8's and I can't really afford a good set of headers that will fit the car so it might possibly be better off with those weird stock manifolds anyway. Right now the exhaust is all stock but cat delete and a glasspack in place of the original muffler. The stock stuff is really small though so I was planning to cut it off near the front right before it necks down so bad and clamp on a short section of pipe with a glasspack and turndown.
I bought a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass when I was stationed at K.I.Sawyer AFB,I bought it in Marquette at a place called the Public Service Garage. About 6 months after I bought it I had orders to go overseas to Florence’s AB,Belgium. I sold my Cutlass to my father and he daily drove it till 2010.
The differences in ride stiffness and firmness throughout the G body family was done by adding or skipping not adding bushings between the body and the frame.
I remember after my Grandpa Died my mom inherited his 1986 Pontiac Parisienne it had 48,000 Miles on it it was so clean and perfect shape and it had a beautiful paint job on it. Then when my mom passed away my stingy older sisters sold it because they just wanted money. I wish i still had that car. I was only 15 at the time so I had no control over keeping the car.
Good one, Uncle Tony. My first car was and is a 1984 el camino ss. Just put it back together and on the road again. Over the years, that little pickup has had a 305 with a 150 shot, a real ctb code 1970 lt1, and a 496 big block. It has had turbo 400 trans, 10 bolts, and a 12 bolt from 67 chevelle. It now has a f body ls1 th400 and a 10 bolt with 2.73 gear. Nice cruiser. I have also had many other g bodies over the years, all great cars. So i second the fact that they will take all the parts you can throw at them.
The modular engine is the weak point. That was the beginning of the end for Ford for being easy to work on. I do have the terrible Triton 5.4 3V on my truck and it has lasted a long time... but it’s a ticking time bomb that won’t be worth fixing when it goes.
@CC Ryder are you kidding me? they are easy to hot rod they use the same drivetrain as the mustang there are lots of performance parts available for the 4.6 modular engines and the 4r70w transmission is strong the ford 8.8 rear end has lots of aftermarket support. Anything you can do to a 1999-2004 mustang you can pretty much do to a crown vic its just a bit heavier car. The computer stuff can be tuned with sct software so any shop that does dyno tuning for mustangs should be able to reflash and retune a crown vic for whatever performance modifications you decide to bolt on the thing like cams, blowers, turbo's, ect....
Great video! 77-90 GM B bodies can be fun again! I've figured out how to install a mechanical clutch linkage in these cars. Talk about fun to drive! It gives it a whole new personality... It opens a whole new set of options for those looking for a cheap and easy to work on hot rod... The linkage works on coupes, sedans and wagons... I'm trying to get someone like Year One, or Classic Industries interested in making a complete conversion kit. Easy stuff.. Keep up the great work Tony! Cheers! 🍻
I first fell in love with the G-body platform when I was 13, I saw a bad ass hotrodded Monte Carlo SS and instantly thought "wow, I got to own one of those some day". As I got older I grew to love them for the same reasons you mentioned, They were the final hurrah of old-school american cars. They were easily modifiable, so much so you're more likely to find one with a 350 or 383 then the 305 v8 that was an option on them. They were also attainable, as a broke coming of age teen, I couldn't rationalize 5 figures for a older project car, but a one I can get in running condition to build up for about 1,500-2,000(at the time) I drooled over it.
Yeah they are heavier, but they are also a bigger car. 4dr to 4dr it's only a couple hundred pounds. That's 80s, I don't know what you'd compare a 2012 Vic to.
I have a 86 Bonneville I built as a street racer back around 25yrs ago. Still have it, it's powered by a 700+hp 496 BBC backed by a 8 inch BTE converter that stalls at 5500rpm in a manual T400 trans with a 5-13 gear in a spooled 12-bolt rear. It runs pretty good.
First garage I worked at, the guy bought out the Yugo dealer that recently folded up , so I spent the better part of a year making 16 cars into about 10 usable ones. I'm not proud of it but I learned them pretty good 🤣🤣
@@nathanthomasstickney8123 Haha not really 🤣 Actually the back of the factory service manuals had a hot rod parts section where you could get cams and intakes and all kinds of crap. Haha and that does remind me , of the early internet days ....this guy named Dave Yugo and his underdog. He ran in the 13s or maybe 12s. That I got respect for , making stupid things go fast ! (My high school shop teacher told us some of you will spend a lifetime making stupid shit go fast, what a trip it's been) Edit:ok I lied he was running 14s. www.wsj.com/articles/SB927584783349821184
what what do you get when you buy a four-door Yugo ??????? for those of you who haven't heard it's called a WE GO !!!! LOL..... I've been saying this joke for about 20 years thank you thought you'd get a kick out of it
I was a used car dealer up here in NJ myself. Always frequented Skyline, Bordentown, & even Newburgh at times. Owned a couple G Bodies as well. Great cars, no question.
My father passed down his old 1983 Grand Prix that he planned on using for a racecar. It sat out in a shed for about 7 years, so obviously it has rust and engine issues. I put a new fuel pump and brake lines on and it idles and runs like a charm. G-Bodies are worth the buy. RIP John the Fireman.
They're all a bunch of 4 banger Camrys or Altimas now here in nyc. The V8 taxis are a thing of the past sadly minus some of the GM SUVs. Ahh the good ole days :-)
I agree totally!! I’m a mopar guy as well but man, I’ve always wanted to build a 78-80 Malibu 2 door, make it a manual trans, small block 400, put an SS Monte suspension under it and an SS monte nose on it. 4 wheel discs, what a beast that’d be. I’m still gonna do it. I’ve just got to finish my 70 GTX first.
I was always an 'old school' Mother MOPAR guy. Owned more then a few incl; a 68 Charger, 73 and 74 Challengers, 71 Duster 340 and a MINT 71 Demon 340. Got a ride back in 1988 in a 1987 Buick GN. Bought a 87 Turbo T in 1991, and my current 87 GN in 2001. She's a keeper and has run a few 11.30's on alky. Car still looks new, and I have all the stock parts to return her to stock if I choose to do so. Just bolt-ons BTW to achieve those 11.30's...........
My dad owned a 79 Bonneville sedan for a short time. He told me it had a 350 Chevy from the factory, and was a dark green metallic. Not sure if it really was optioned with that motor, but i do remember the old Chevy Orange color on the small block. G-body lines, reliability, ease of repairs, and all replacement parts available. Not only that, but G-body aftermarket and performance parts for them are everywhere..... Anything can be done to them, easily.
I had a ton of these when I was younger, we were buying them for $200-$500 in the 90s and they were so easy to work on. You could get parts anywhere, you could still get part anywhere for them. I did a 231 V6 swap as well in my driveway. Took one out of a Cutlass and put it in my buddies Monte. The only one I didn't like was a small block 400, maybe it's cuz I had zero experience with it and didn't know how to set it up, but that engine just sucked. Otherwise I still love these cars and except for the rear body mounts that rot out there's really not much that goes wrong with them. I did also have a problem getting them to bite off the line, and once I did get them to bite they would lean hard and turn the car, but that's just something that over time you learned how to correct with steering. But i could never set up the back end of the car to get it to bite and launch straight. Thanks for showing a GM, now you're driving down my road LOL
Bummer about the 400 small block! That's actually a fantastic engine. Low rpm high torque! I had one in an s10 with a 3500-stall converter th400 trans, with a pair of 441 casting heads and an edelbrock performer rpm cam and boy did that little truck boogie!! Its still running around here in Hawaii somewhere. Now I have 350/350 S10, it's just not the same haha!
@@daviddntait yeah I've heard that from many people over the years. But I was young at the time, 16 years old, I didn't know anything about those engines. It definitely was a low RPM torquey engine, but I could just not get it to go. Long after I got rid of it people were telling me the same thing as you, with the proper Parts and proper setup it apparently was a hell of an engine. Never did come across another one at the right price to put in anything after that. But if I ever do, I would like to try again, that engine still has me feeling defeated LOL
@@richdiscoveries oh man when I was 16 I could blow up an engine better than anyone! But yeah those 400 small blocks are very hard to find nowadays. Seems all they needed was a "loose" torque converter to help it spin up quick and a good cam to match and they were great! I hope you find one and show it who's boss! Have a good one sir
@@dannymyers5345 yeah they were! I used a pair of 441 casting 76cc chamber heads from a 70 camaro 350. Gasket matched the intake ports and put 2.02/1.90 valves in them and a heavy shave! Was a 10.5:1 compression engine. It sang let me tell you.
The 1996 GM B-Bodies are indestructible. I own three 96 Caprices, two of which are low-mileage B4U models. My daily driver has 400,000 miles with the original engine and transmission (Dexron VI is on a whole different level than Dexron IIE and Dexron III). They share the same frame and suspension with the 1970 Chevelle so there are a slew of suspension parts. These cars are comfortable, easy to work on, and just keep running, running, and running. The Optispark is great too, it's just that most people don't know how to properly replace spark plug wires and fix their electrical grounds so they blame it on the Optispark.
The Oldsmobile version was called The Little Limousine back in the day. They were everywhere. Kind of looked like a 2/3 scale 1st gen Seville. Looks great after all these years. I know a guy in San Diego who deals in 2001 to 2005 Honda Civics. I bought an 04 Civic EX from him. He finds the best low mileage Civics that he can find that haven't been modified. Just the cleanest ones. He changes the timing belts, tires, puts new brakes, wipers . Changes all the fluids then smogs them and road tests them before he sells them. He is a little expensive, but you know you are getting a high quality used Honda. So far ours has been doing great in the year and a half that we've had it.
Makes me miss my 83 cutlass 4dr. Bought it off a family friend who got it passed down from there grandma who bought it brand new. Can't beat a g body. Reliable and drive like a caddy
I was amazed to see you talking about a GM car. I have to agree. Many years back, we had an 81 Buick Century sedan with the 231 V6. It was such a smooth, quiet, luxurious car. It even had decent power with the V6, which was surprising. I remember it well. A friend had a Bonneville of this vintage - maybe an 84? What a nice interior that car had - and the dash on Pontiacs had full instrumentation, which I liked.
CAFE standards to meet gas mileage regulations snailed them. But take one today with all of the 3rd party engine & trans mods available.....fuhgettaboutit!!
Oh, I LOVE G-bodies! I had a mess of them through and shortly after high school (graduated in 04), I'd buy a crappy G-body and trade it for another one when it developed a problem I couldn't fix, haha! I had an 84 T-type, a 78 Monte Carlo, an 86 regal with a 350, an 80 Malibu wagon, and 2- 86 Cutlasses (both turd 307s) before I got a good job and bought my 78 El Camino. Swapped a RamJet 350 EFI crate engine and a T-5 into it with a 3.70 Truetrac 9" in it and had all the good suspension and chassis stuff, too. Once said job started to require me to drive longer distances to work, I stupidly sold it to buy a newer, more 'reliable' 4WD pickup. I miss it every day, and it would probably be a fast LS/6-speed car now if I'd held onto it.
Thank u for showing this particular car, my mom had this car, remarried and gave it to my dad, we kept it for yrs and my mom and dad are gone but the Bonneville is setting in my brothers back yard. Was a 305 4bbl...
You want the ones that were made in Mexico because they came with 350/ 350 and bucket seats and floor shifters The American cars came with 305's and 200 metrics with bench seats and column shifters
@@kyledavis4202 NO WAY LIAR NEVER HAPPENED POST A LINK (you wont find one) But I can post dozens of links showing you how the Crown Victoria used to explode when it got rear-ended
I shed a tear watching this video. My first car was a 1977 Delta88 that I bought for $500 when I was 15 years old. It was immaculate. White exterior with red cloth interior and it was so freaking reliable and smooth to drive. I used to drive that ship full throttle in the backroads around Elguin Texas back in 1998. Good times.
I love my 88 Cutlass Supreme Classic. Bought it brand new in November of 87 loaded with everything from the chrome wheels all the way up to the t-tops. Burgundy with gold pinstripe and burgundy bucket seat interior.
My wife's favorite car is the Monte Carlo SS in either black or that dark maroon. I like them too, back when I was a young man there were two in town, one was a pretty clean white one with a cammed 350, the other was a pretty rusty black one with the orange stripe(sorta rare now) but they had dropped a mid 70's buick 455 in it. That car was mental. He put traction bars on it and wider tires, it hooked pretty well, but the thing, man if you watched him go, the car had that "twist" in it, you know the power twist, and it would hold it till he hit 3rd(auto) gear. I on the other hand, my first car was a hand me down 1980 Olds Cutlass 4 door. Special ordered! Had the 350, had intermittent wipers, had AC..... had radio delete.... had rear window regulator delete...yes that's right the rear windows were fixed in a 4 door. Grandpa told the dealer he wasn't paying for something he would never use, made him take $5 off the price and order it that way. Not sure the radio delete was an actual option either, but hey. Unfortunatly, a 1980 GM 350 in a car had I think about 11 horsepower. There was miles of vacuum tubing under the hood that connected everything to everything and the engine was a pooch. But it rode nice and lasted me till i could buy my own first car. But it couldn't pass a guy on a bike, couldn't pass a mailbox post if I was rolling downhill, and couldn't pass a gas station. In the literature, GM even noted the 4.3 V6 standard engine had a better 0-60 time. By like over a second, lol. So yeah, I wasn;t a GM fan as a young man, but i have respect for all makes as an adult, everyone made good ones, and bad ones, and you just need to learn about them is all. If I was going to pick a car from the 80's for GM, it would be.... well ok the wife would vote for a Monte SS and I would second it.... but aside from that if I wasn't looking for a sports car it would 100% for sure be a caddy. Either in that lovely powder blue color from the mid 80's or in black. Something about those tail lights and the grill shape made those cars just drip "I am better than a caprice" even though they were on the same platform. Plus that interior...... "driving a pillow" is a favorite saying of mine referring to land yachts.
They weren’t my favourite either, but it’s what we had. That and the A and X body. G bodies like this were grandmas cars. They looked out of date, were out of date, weren’t exactly cheap, and guzzled gas (not something easily afforded on part time minimum wage). My first car was a 1986 J body (Buick Skyhawk) in 1996 with 40,000 miles on it. G bodies were still fetching double or triple that with sportier ones like the Cutlass Supreme a solid $5K and the Monte Carlo SS approaching $10K. The only bargains were the Grand Nationals and GNXs because their prices hadn’t got to the ridiculous point they are now-but still completely out of reach for a broke ass teenager. And it was a POS car. Pushrod four cylinder. Three speed slush box. 0-60 = YES (18 seconds). But it taught me how to drive and it was super easy to work on. Like every GM FWD car I owned I luckily avoided having to do CV boots or joints and I sold it to my sister who managed to get 80,000 miles out of it before it was scrapped.
@@Bartonovich52 That's cool your sis got 80K miles out of it - a long service life for the old "J" bodies. I was a GM tech for several years. The L,J, N and especially the F cars were my least favorite. However, I did like working on the W, H, and B&C body vehicles.
Really? I had a W car (1989 Cutlass Supreme... 3.1... was ok) but my wife when I met her had a 1992 Lumina Z34. That thing was god awful. In spite of the big DOHC 3.4 engine it didn’t feel any faster than my car and the maintenance costs were terrible. Had to basically remove the engine to change the alternator which was often because it was heat soaked and Delco made cheap alternators (went with a Bosche second time around and never changed it). Brakes were notoriously weak with the front rotors easily warped and the rear pads completely departing the vehicle on both of them. Intake gaskets were also a weak point. It was at that point I left GM for imported cars... mostly old RWD Volvos that are easy to work on and last forever.
@@Bartonovich52 Yeah man, 3.4 DOHC's (x code) have made me a lot of money over the years. And like you just mentioned, alternator r&r's were a problem. They paid somewhere around 6 hours, and I probably pulled one up about every week. The 3.1 was mediocre, but relatively easy to service. Getting into the late 90's and early 2000's was a much better time with the 3100, 3400 and 3800 engines with their intake manifolds failures.
Thanks uncle tony ! Just picked up a 1 owner 1987 4 door cutlass supreme with the stock 307 . You just reaffirmed my believe that these G bodies are bad ass cruisers !
When I worked at an auto parts store in Hollywood, Florida from the mid to late 80's there was an older black Feller coming in and buying parts for the Chevy 305 and 350 V-8s. This Feller was buying these G-bodies and swapping out the stock V-6 for a stock V-8. I have no ida how many cars he converted over. Another interesting story was a mechanic coming in periodically and buying the Edlebrock dual-plane intakes, matching cam & lifters kits, Holley 650 4 bbl carbs, and headers. This mechanic had a shop on the Seminole Indian Reservation down the road from the store and was installing these items on the 80's Plymouth Fury police cars the Tribal Police used.
Had a 79 Monte Carlo and an 81 Cutlass back in the 80s. My Dad had an 83 Caprice. Loved those cars! In fact that Cutlass may have been one of my all time favorites.
Tomorrow will hit 100,000 subscriber's I've been hear with ya from under 10,000 subscriber's .uncle Tony's family is turning in to an classic car army !cheers man ,from one of your younger bucks lol
That car is really in great shape, nice to hear you give kudos to a different brand. I’ve been a car guy since my father bought me a battery powered ride on car in 1961. I was only just about three and he taught me how to parallel park it and back it into a parking space. Boy , I miss all those years gone by.
In 95 I bought an 87 SS Monte Carlo Areocoupe, black with the palomino interior. It came with every option except t tops. The day I bought It I drove it to my shop and pulled the 305. I replaced it with a slightly lumpy cammed 400 small block and put on headers and dual exhaust. I had my friend who owns a transmission shop beef up the tranny while the engine was out. I added a posi rear end and it was my daily driver for ten years. I took it out to the track once and made three passes with it. They were all in the 13.40s through the mufflers on street tires. I left the track turned on the AC and drove home happy. Its no longer my daily driver but even though I don't follow Nascar anymore it still gets driven when the Nascar race comes to town twice a year.
My first car was a 1984 Pontiac Grand Prix with the Buick 3.8 that I got through my dad, who was a car salesman, for 800 dollars in 1993. The car had 86,000 miles on it and was in mint condition. I drove it for several years, first putting in a rebuilt transmission, then later a rebuilt engine. A year after installing the engine I ended up giving it to a buddy at the time who was about to start a family and desperately needed a car. I had a couple other vehicles at the time so it wasn't a big deal. But looking back.... part of me wishes I hadn't and I still had that car lol. Being nearly in my 50s now and working on modern cars, I really miss the simplicity and ease these cars were to work on and maintain. A good blend of the super simplicity of the cars that came before them, and the better fuel economy and drivability of the ones that came after. The G bodies are definitely an iconic period of time in the history of American cars.
There was a time that all I had was G-body Malibu, 2 door, 4 door, wagon and Elcaminos. I even took a Elcamino,,bolted a Grand prix nose to it and then added a Pontiac 400, 4spd., Snowflake wheels, splitter tail pipes and a shaker hood scoop old Trans-am parts of course. It was a neat car !
Uncle Tony I totally agree with you, I know you will get some people talking smack. Definitely like you said the last of GM full fame and rear wheel drive. They ride very smooth and their are tons of parts for them. Great project cars. I feel like they take you back in time, just like the cars in the 50’s era. I’m a GM man but they do not make them like they use to👍🏽
C’MON UNCLE TONY….START A G-BODY CHANNEL!!!! I still have a survivor 1983 Cutlass Supreme Brougham with the Buick 231 V6, AND it’s my daily driver!! At least once a week someone at a gas station, or even driving 60 mph down the highway tries to buy it from me. I’ve only owned 2 Mopars in my life, a 1981 LeBaron (looked like the Fifth Avenue/Diplomat), and I had a little built 1986 Shelby Charger, but I love the channel….I’d love your G-Body channel more though 🤷🏼
1981 Monte Carlo 1984 Grand Prix 1982 Cutlass Salon 1988 Cutlass Supreme Classic 1984 Monte Carlo Still only have one, dream every day of that 88 Cutlass and the 84 Grand Prix. Good on Uncle Tony for showing the most breadbox G there is!
Great video Uncle Tony , I love how you can relate to any car brand and go into great detail. You didn’t miss the boat you it was the other car enthusiasts who missed the boat . Keep up the great work and amazing content .
3:05 that's incredible, I have a 79 Grand Prix that I pulled the 231 V6 out of last year, swapped in a chevy 350 and converted from an automatic to a 4 speed, love that car have had it 9 years plan to keep it forever
I will testify that John the fireman was real and yes definitely a legend a very good man I had bought several cars from him every one I drove was sound even better than the 200 dollar cars uncle tony put me in and told me if they break down leave it and take the plates offi will get you another one tomorrow. Rip John the fireman
Lmao.
@@1HeavyHitr What's funny? LOL
Was he a tall guy? Had a body shop? Ended up with bad diabetes?
Taking plates off & leving it? Some states are running vins & sending bills to owners that leave cars on side of road.
@@willc5512 this is back in the day smfh
I have a 1979 Bonneville I bought for $400 at 16 years old. I'm now 24 and still driving it to this day. Love these cars.
Good for you,glad you are enjoying the classics
Im 17 and I just bought my great grandmas 1981 monte carlo as my first car.
@@leviklisch6053 Do you still have that old Monte? If you ever wanted to fix her up, I can give you a budget recipe that makes a world of difference. I have an 87 Monte SS that is proof. You'd be surprised how forward compatible the G Body cars were with modern cars. You can do a direct bolt-on with modern disc brakes (front and rear) from a 2005 blazer. Even a master cylinder can be bolted on with no mods (and I recommend it). A couple aftermarket body stiffening braces for a few hundred bucks and it drives like a car made 20 years later.
I had a 78' Impala for several years. 350/350 powertrain that ran so smooth (and still made respectable power for 70's emissions era) , soft suspension and comfy seats that made it like riding on a cloud, a trunk that would hold almost anything, comfortable seating for 6, all while getting 18mpg.
One of the best cars I ever had, I wish I could've kept it.
Rear wheel drive just as God intended.
You know it.👍
Damn right
*Stares in Honda*
Damn straight
wierd.... cuzz god is not real...
I had an 87 Caprice Classic 2dr.
Was one of the most reliable vehicles I’ve ever owned.
I had an 84 4 door until it saved Dad when someone forced him into a telephone pole (while overtaking dangerously.) I still miss the car but I'd rather have my Dad than the car. The driver's belt buckle was broken so I told him to use the middle buckle, which worked. Dad's knees did go through the lower dash.
You're lucky. My grandfather had an '84 four door and it blew the engine at around 35,000 miles. GM warrantied it, but he was trying to get to Florida from VA due to a serious family emergency and didn't need the delay.
Caprice's have saved so many lives they are tanks. I have been hit side swiped backed into and non my fault just crazies in parking lots. My cars still running strong. I have read story's of drunk drivers crashing into caprices and the caprices still just start up and drive away. I have a 2 door 78 it is hot rodded check my page for videos
86 culatlass supreme is one of my favriot cars i dont know why i just love the way they look
DoughBelly hell yeah or a Regal
DoughBelly me 2
Olds 307 runs forever
Mine was a 307 never could get the quadrajunk right though
Until the timing belt breaks.
Loved my 1987 cutlass supreme.
@Stormy D. mine was stolen as well. They peeled the steering column. I got the car back luckily. It was around that same year too. At that time those cars were in the top 10 for theft.
@Stormy D. thats brutal. They stole mine and robbed a local apperal store the ditched it at the gas station that i went to everyday. The gas station guys knew me and the car and called the cops. The thieves all got 3 hots and a cot for a while.
@Stormy D. i hit a deer with mine and that was the end of that lol
Yup, I'm almost 60 years old and my past is riddled with G body's. 3 Monte's, 4 Cutlass's, a Grand Prix and 2 Malibu's. Love me some G body's Full Frame an almost 4 link rear and enough room in the engine compartment to run just about any combo you can think of. Whats not to like. Keep up the great work my friend...
2700 bucks, I would rather have this car than a 2019 anything.
@midnitesquirldog1 You can find them here in Tucson and Phoenix AZ all day long in great shape like this.
@midnitesquirldog1 amen brother !
2700 is way to much for a old pos like that
The dirt track guys wasted all the G bodies in my area...
Tom Burgess They were saying the same about these junkers when they were new. I’ll take a 69 over any 83.
Wow that g-body is so clean. I love unassuming low mileage classics like this
And the beauty of a Pontiac is if it came with a 301, a 455 fits too!
GM really got interchangeability down right.
As I say, regardless if what engine put in any g body, A body or B Pontiac , there's never a good enough excuse to not put a real Pontiac engine in it. I disagree with Tony on a over rated ls. My 80 LeMans with just a 350 real Pontiac engine spanks the ls swapped garbage all the time.
I’m calling BS
LS has you on both weigh and power.
my brother had a 78 Bonneville with the 301, with tall 2.73 gears. Driving back and forth from FL to PA he averaged like 21 mpg!!
@@gmjunky87 Thats about right mpg for what it is. The real agony comes when its time to pass someone on the hwy!
I think the crown Vic was the final traditional American car. Big sedan. Moderate power and soft ride with fun body roll action
Amen
YES, you are spot on, 4 years ago I bought a 1990 LTD crown vic wagon, rust free from out in California, with 80K miles for only $2400. It did have some piston slap, so I rebuilt it and put in a 1990 mustang 5 speed. Its my daily driver and people just love the car.
@@mikesrestoration yeah it's a great car for blasting around in. It will be a sad day when they are not on the roads. I barely even see them as police cars any more
Mercy Crown Victorias Are are actually a product of Canada
You can still find a nice crown vic...
Still rocking my 79 Grand Prix I bought for $15 about 15 years ago now.
79 was a good year just like with the Cutlass supreme I got to say the Grand Prix SJ was beauty
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist I've always liked the 81 body style more I think. I ended up with the 79 because a friend had it and didn't want it anymore. I love all older Grand Prix's!
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist Yep! I looked around and bought two '79 SJs in recent years. One I have driven all over the eastern states.
Good luck finding a deal like that now....can't even find a decent daily driver quality one for less than $2500 now.
Oh I know! I get stupid offers for it.. it's not by no means nice either ,but to me it's priceless! My friend got it for free, I paid $30 for the car and title,, then found $15 under the seat cover that day! I'll never sell that car. I'm daily driving my $130 4x4 ,4.3 s10 now. Don't think I've ever paid more then $500 for any vehicle I own and I have 22... Lol!
The G body and B body are still my favorite.
Hey don't forget the A's
👍👍👍 The weight penalty stepping up to "B" body wasn't much either..
same here! My brother had a 94 9c1 and a 78 Bonneville. Loved those cars.
"I paid my dues, I can say these things". Precisely.
.
Love those g bodies especially the Monte Carlo ss
The Buick Regal is pretty sweet too
Grand National was my favorite still is
I prefer 1982-1996 gm a bodies. Those are good looking ugly cars..
Ugliest car ever made.
66 Plymouth 440 Shut up, fanboy.
That Bonneville is beautiful! I love it. I thought I was the only one who loved those year G bodies.
It really just comes down to that the 70's and 80's were the best days in America,and anything that takes us back to those days, is great!
My first car was an 88 Cutlass Supreme, 307 quadrajet, Euro front with the one piece headlights. If I knew what I know now, I would have never sold it.
I like'm, too! So glad I have a 2 car garage. Plenty of room for both a GM G and a Chrysler B instead of having to flip a coin.
Love me some Gbody's. Miss my 83, 84 cutlass supreme and 87 442 cutlass.
I miss my 84 olds 4 door with rear windows that didnt roll just had little vent windows.
This is a beautiful Bonneville. My parents had an 82 identical to this one. I learned to drive on it when the odometer was at around 90k and the V6 was really showing its age with excessive blowby. It was such a comfy car to drive and always wanted to swap the motor with an Olds 307 with a fresh transmission. It would have really brought it to a new fresh life but my father vetoed it and it eventually died a year or so later. Timing chain snapped and he unloaded it. I still miss that car.
You are honest, informative,, and entertaining that is why I subscribed to your channel in the first place.
My father had the 1979 Monte Carlo. Same car as Training Day. Was pristine. Compliments everywhere he went.
I've had my Monte ss for a few years now and I absolutely love it!
Uncle Tony's stories about the old times are the best. When I was a kid the parents had a 84 Cutlass 4 door G body 3.8 V6. Was from NJ. Some guy in NY picked it up at an auction sold it to them. had like alot of miles but was only a year old. A fat guy must of owned it the front bench seat was all flattened... Hey hey hey. Full frame 1955- to Ended in 1996 Budddy! LT1 Caprice/ Impala SS. Roadmaster/ Wagon. Last of the last. Body on frame RWD. 1977 Chassis :)
Good shit, Tony. Grand nationals prices are going through the roof.
Yeah I'd even be happy with a t type
Have been for 15 years or more
Are you serious? last time i tried to sell mine all i got was jokes. Granted no engine, but minty body and interior and under 100k.
@MenAtWork .....and your 383 will get smoked by the GN V6
@MenAtWork I'd replace that motor too and agreed on anyone dumb enough to swap out the GN motor 😄
80s GM cars sure are some of the best looking cars for me. Been having my 88 Caprice for about 11 years now.
I'm still with you and I am 100% mopar.
I do think it's so cool that you simply love cars and can appreciate a good car when you see one. You rock uncle Tony
I feel you Uncel Tony. My first "classic" car was a 1985 Monte SS and every time I see another G-body I miss it. My current fleet is an 03 Dakota R/T, 78 W100 factory 440, and a 91 Spirit R/T and every so often i toy with the idea of going back to the G-body. I haven't quite yet found what "my car" is, but thankfully I am young and still have a bit of time.
I'm working on my 87 Monte SS. I'm so surprised at how forward compatible it is with newer car parts. A 2005 Blazer's 4-wheel disc brakes (and master cylinder) can be a simple afternoon bolt-on project with almost no custom work. I also added a keyless entry system (with trunk popper) from a 99 Lumina. It took an $8 junkyard part, a new fob, and 90 minutes of my time to do.
UTG Please do a video on your method for patching rusty external body panels, and or replacing a rusted out floor pan section. Please keep up the good old school work!
Gold '86 Pontiac Grand Prix that I brought from my buddy and gave to my dad.....still miss that ride.
My friend had a stock Grand National back in 87. Sweet.
Great video Uncle Tony!
I had an '85 Bonneville V6 with 52K miles and a '78 Malibu coupe. I loved the Bonneville more because it was lower mileage. I pulled out of my driveway one morning and stopped short because I saw my neighbor flying down his driveway in reverse. He looked both ways and gunned it and took out my front end. The car still had only 60K miles. He thought he hit the snow bank when he heard the crunch and I saw him hang his head in shame when he looked in his mirror. Thankfully, I got back almost what I paid for that car. I still want another even though I'm a Ford guy. Those rear drive G bodies were great in the snow with regular size all season tires and they still had that smooth ride while handling well.
When I was younger I hated the GM G bodies and pretty much all other smog/post smog era cars but now that the older stuff is much more scarce and the modern stuff is so cheap and soulless I've really grown to appreciate them. I had just started looking for a good deal on a factory 4 barrel Malibu when I ended up getting a free ratty 79 Cutlass with the super rare super slow 260 V8 and T50 5 speed combo with title and build sheet. I got it for free cause a tree fell on it and smashed in the rear of the roof and broke out the rear glass then after that it was parked in a chicken coupe and sh!t in for a few years to keep it out of the rain. I'm almost done with the bodywork as that's my day job and I got it running quick and easy but it wouldn't move in reverse so I pulled the trans. thinking it would be the clutch or maybe reverse wasn't fully engaging but that weak little trans. had dropped reverse.
I cleaned out the case and put everything back together so it can still limp around but I'm planning to T5 swap it when I get enough cash. I already found out a 99-05 Mustang 5 speed is almost exactly the same dimensions and will come close to bolting right up with a bellhousing adapter. After I get another good 5 speed in it I'm gonna block off the heat riser somehow, advance the stock cam, lock the ignition at full advance with JB weld and try a few other little tricks I learned from you and some other mad scientists to see if I can get this little 260 to make some respectable power without putting money into much more than a spool and gear. I'm thinking since it's a heavy car with a small motor and overdrive 4.10 or 4.56 would be good. I wanna say 4.88 or 5.13 but I doubt my combo is gonna have the RPM to really make the most of anything deeper than 4.56. Thanks for reading all the comments! I don't mean to abuse that but just wanted to make sure you knew some budget guys out there are actually using the info you share with us.
Respecting you. 👍☺🍻
@@stuckinmygarage6220 Right back at you!
I've messed with 260's did you know they made a diesel version? What your planning sounds good, I got to deck the block in mine and do some minor porting to help swirl down the cylinders, leave the intake manifold port exits smaller than the intake ports on the head, it helps stop reversion, same with the exhaust ports to the manifold, it's an economy engine but I've made decent power with some of them especially with 2 barrel carbs, if you keep the 2 into 1 exhaust, it's pretty decent without cats, muffler or open exhaust needs to be about 3 feet down after the Y, yes the heat risers blocked on the intake and a 160 thermostat helps.
@@danielright2044 Yep I know they made a diesel, I put a 160 T stat with a hole drilled in it in pretty much everything. I used to use a 180 in everything but 160 seems to make plenty of heat for me in the winter and keep things running much better in the summer. I was planning to at least try the stock 2 into 1 exhaust for a while first, I've heard it scavenges a bit like 4 into 1 headers and makes a decent torque curve for a smaller engine that doesn't make a lot on top end. What's weird about this 260's exhaust is it doesn't have a Y pipe, the pipe from the driver side manifold is routed into an inlet on the passenger side manifold. It also more than likely doesn't have the center exhaust port dividers either like a lot of Olds V8's and I can't really afford a good set of headers that will fit the car so it might possibly be better off with those weird stock manifolds anyway. Right now the exhaust is all stock but cat delete and a glasspack in place of the original muffler. The stock stuff is really small though so I was planning to cut it off near the front right before it necks down so bad and clamp on a short section of pipe with a glasspack and turndown.
I bought a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass when I was stationed at K.I.Sawyer AFB,I bought it in Marquette at a place called the Public Service Garage. About 6 months after I bought it I had orders to go overseas to Florence’s AB,Belgium. I sold my Cutlass to my father and he daily drove it till 2010.
The differences in ride stiffness and firmness throughout the G body family was done by adding or skipping not adding bushings between the body and the frame.
When I was a senior in H.S, my dad drove up with a 1978 2 door Buick Riviera. Right from the show room. Work of art. Never forget it.
I remember after my Grandpa Died my mom inherited his 1986 Pontiac Parisienne it had 48,000 Miles on it it was so clean and perfect shape and it had a beautiful paint job on it. Then when my mom passed away my stingy older sisters sold it because they just wanted money. I wish i still had that car. I was only 15 at the time so I had no control over keeping the car.
Good one, Uncle Tony. My first car was and is a 1984 el camino ss. Just put it back together and on the road again. Over the years, that little pickup has had a 305 with a 150 shot, a real ctb code 1970 lt1, and a 496 big block. It has had turbo 400 trans, 10 bolts, and a 12 bolt from 67 chevelle. It now has a f body ls1 th400 and a 10 bolt with 2.73 gear. Nice cruiser. I have also had many other g bodies over the years, all great cars. So i second the fact that they will take all the parts you can throw at them.
What about crown vic's? Panthers follow that same lineage but are a bit newer, and just as reliable
P71's ftw!!
Panthers are a great platform nothing unusual to see one with 500k on it.
The modular engine is the weak point. That was the beginning of the end for Ford for being easy to work on.
I do have the terrible Triton 5.4 3V on my truck and it has lasted a long time... but it’s a ticking time bomb that won’t be worth fixing when it goes.
@CC Ryder are you kidding me? they are easy to hot rod they use the same drivetrain as the mustang there are lots of performance parts available for the 4.6 modular engines and the 4r70w transmission is strong the ford 8.8 rear end has lots of aftermarket support. Anything you can do to a 1999-2004 mustang you can pretty much do to a crown vic its just a bit heavier car. The computer stuff can be tuned with sct software so any shop that does dyno tuning for mustangs should be able to reflash and retune a crown vic for whatever performance modifications you decide to bolt on the thing like cams, blowers, turbo's, ect....
Bartonovich52 NO panther ever came with the junk 5.4. All were 2 valve 4.6 and never wore out or blew up
My first project is a 1984 Regal, I wasn't looking for a G body but now im hooked.
Got me a 74 Catalina. She's great!!!
Flip the air cleaner lid..Buddy had a Poncho with the 400 and the sound was pretty cool,different induction roar..
Great car!
Great video! 77-90 GM B bodies can be fun again! I've figured out how to install a mechanical clutch linkage in these cars. Talk about fun to drive! It gives it a whole new personality... It opens a whole new set of options for those looking for a cheap and easy to work on hot rod... The linkage works on coupes, sedans and wagons... I'm trying to get someone like Year One, or Classic Industries interested in making a complete conversion kit. Easy stuff.. Keep up the great work Tony! Cheers! 🍻
I believe G bodies are starting to rise in value
This is a chicago jam right here i love these short body Bonnevilles its good to see people appreciate these cars
Hey uncle tony thanks for addressing the G Bodies my favorite gm cars. That’s why I’m called Mikeymalibu. I got 3 of them
I first fell in love with the G-body platform when I was 13, I saw a bad ass hotrodded Monte Carlo SS and instantly thought "wow, I got to own one of those some day". As I got older I grew to love them for the same reasons you mentioned, They were the final hurrah of old-school american cars. They were easily modifiable, so much so you're more likely to find one with a 350 or 383 then the 305 v8 that was an option on them. They were also attainable, as a broke coming of age teen, I couldn't rationalize 5 figures for a older project car, but a one I can get in running condition to build up for about 1,500-2,000(at the time) I drooled over it.
Crown Vic.
You say 55 Chevy shoebox, I say 50 Ford shoebox.
You say 80s g body I say 2012 Crown Vic.
Potato Tomato, tamato patata.
Love thy motor.
I drive an 07' everyday. Got a 2000 that needs a little TLC I just added as well
Don't Vics weigh a lot more?
@@ZacLowing approx 3800 pounds
Yeah they are heavier, but they are also a bigger car. 4dr to 4dr it's only a couple hundred pounds. That's 80s, I don't know what you'd compare a 2012 Vic to.
Best daily driver out there
I have a 86 Bonneville I built as a street racer back around 25yrs ago. Still have it, it's powered by a 700+hp 496 BBC backed by a 8 inch BTE converter that stalls at 5500rpm in a manual T400 trans with a 5-13 gear in a spooled 12-bolt rear. It runs pretty good.
First garage I worked at, the guy bought out the Yugo dealer that recently folded up , so I spent the better part of a year making 16 cars into about 10 usable ones.
I'm not proud of it but I learned them pretty good 🤣🤣
Interesting
@@nathanthomasstickney8123
Haha not really 🤣
Actually the back of the factory service manuals had a hot rod parts section where you could get cams and intakes and all kinds of crap.
Haha and that does remind me , of the early internet days ....this guy named Dave Yugo and his underdog.
He ran in the 13s or maybe 12s.
That I got respect for , making stupid things go fast !
(My high school shop teacher told us some of you will spend a lifetime making stupid shit go fast, what a trip it's been)
Edit:ok I lied he was running 14s.
www.wsj.com/articles/SB927584783349821184
@@MrTheHillfolk interesting
okay here it is if you haven't heard it !!!!!!!! ( what what do you get when you buy a 4-door you go ? that's simple it's a WE GOOOOOOO !
what what do you get when you buy a four-door Yugo ??????? for those of you who haven't heard it's called a WE GO !!!! LOL..... I've been saying this joke for about 20 years thank you thought you'd get a kick out of it
I was a used car dealer up here in NJ myself. Always frequented Skyline, Bordentown, & even Newburgh at times. Owned a couple G Bodies as well. Great cars, no question.
My first car was an 81 caprice I paid $200 for. One of two cars I wish I still had.
johnny fett hell yea bro I paid $500 for my regal
My father passed down his old 1983 Grand Prix that he planned on using for a racecar. It sat out in a shed for about 7 years, so obviously it has rust and engine issues. I put a new fuel pump and brake lines on and it idles and runs like a charm. G-Bodies are worth the buy. RIP John the Fireman.
I would think the Crown Victoria would be the last of this lineage.
They're all a bunch of 4 banger Camrys or Altimas now here in nyc. The V8 taxis are a thing of the past sadly minus some of the GM SUVs. Ahh the good ole days :-)
Had a '78 Malibu & a '79 Cutlass. Both were 2dr V8's. The Cutlass had buckets and a center console. Loved them.
I love my 86 cutlass.timeless car
I agree totally!! I’m a mopar guy as well but man, I’ve always wanted to build a 78-80 Malibu 2 door, make it a manual trans, small block 400, put an SS Monte suspension under it and an SS monte nose on it. 4 wheel discs, what a beast that’d be. I’m still gonna do it. I’ve just got to finish my 70 GTX first.
In my bias opinion, I wouldn’t touch a GM
In my unbiased opinion, GM made some great cars.
lol i wouldnt buy a chrysler, bias. i would totally buy a chrysler, unbiased
I was always an 'old school' Mother MOPAR guy. Owned more then a few incl; a 68 Charger, 73 and 74 Challengers, 71 Duster 340 and a MINT 71 Demon 340. Got a ride back in 1988 in a 1987 Buick GN. Bought a 87 Turbo T in 1991, and my current 87 GN in 2001. She's a keeper and has run a few 11.30's on alky. Car still looks new, and I have all the stock parts to return her to stock if I choose to do so. Just bolt-ons BTW to achieve those 11.30's...........
That was good!😂😂👍
CT87 GN yup. Ironically you have one of two GM products I’d own. Always liked GNX’s
My dad owned a 79 Bonneville sedan for a short time. He told me it had a 350 Chevy from the factory, and was a dark green metallic. Not sure if it really was optioned with that motor, but i do remember the old Chevy Orange color on the small block. G-body lines, reliability, ease of repairs, and all replacement parts available. Not only that, but G-body aftermarket and performance parts for them are everywhere..... Anything can be done to them, easily.
I had a ton of these when I was younger, we were buying them for $200-$500 in the 90s and they were so easy to work on. You could get parts anywhere, you could still get part anywhere for them. I did a 231 V6 swap as well in my driveway. Took one out of a Cutlass and put it in my buddies Monte. The only one I didn't like was a small block 400, maybe it's cuz I had zero experience with it and didn't know how to set it up, but that engine just sucked.
Otherwise I still love these cars and except for the rear body mounts that rot out there's really not much that goes wrong with them.
I did also have a problem getting them to bite off the line, and once I did get them to bite they would lean hard and turn the car, but that's just something that over time you learned how to correct with steering. But i could never set up the back end of the car to get it to bite and launch straight.
Thanks for showing a GM, now you're driving down my road LOL
Bummer about the 400 small block! That's actually a fantastic engine. Low rpm high torque! I had one in an s10 with a 3500-stall converter th400 trans, with a pair of 441 casting heads and an edelbrock performer rpm cam and boy did that little truck boogie!! Its still running around here in Hawaii somewhere. Now I have 350/350 S10, it's just not the same haha!
@@daviddntait yeah I've heard that from many people over the years. But I was young at the time, 16 years old, I didn't know anything about those engines. It definitely was a low RPM torquey engine, but I could just not get it to go.
Long after I got rid of it people were telling me the same thing as you, with the proper Parts and proper setup it apparently was a hell of an engine.
Never did come across another one at the right price to put in anything after that. But if I ever do, I would like to try again, that engine still has me feeling defeated LOL
@@richdiscoveries oh man when I was 16 I could blow up an engine better than anyone! But yeah those 400 small blocks are very hard to find nowadays. Seems all they needed was a "loose" torque converter to help it spin up quick and a good cam to match and they were great! I hope you find one and show it who's boss! Have a good one sir
Stock heads was junk on the 400
@@dannymyers5345 yeah they were! I used a pair of 441 casting 76cc chamber heads from a 70 camaro 350. Gasket matched the intake ports and put 2.02/1.90 valves in them and a heavy shave! Was a 10.5:1 compression engine. It sang let me tell you.
The 1996 GM B-Bodies are indestructible. I own three 96 Caprices, two of which are low-mileage B4U models. My daily driver has 400,000 miles with the original engine and transmission (Dexron VI is on a whole different level than Dexron IIE and Dexron III). They share the same frame and suspension with the 1970 Chevelle so there are a slew of suspension parts. These cars are comfortable, easy to work on, and just keep running, running, and running. The Optispark is great too, it's just that most people don't know how to properly replace spark plug wires and fix their electrical grounds so they blame it on the Optispark.
I drove 1994 Cutlass for a long time. Similar effect, but front wheel drive.☹️
The Monte Carlo has always been a favorite
I still drive a 1993 Buick Regal Gran Sport. Love it and get tons of compliments on it.
@@klwthe3rd I bet, that's a serious car. Not a go-cart like this crap nowadays.
The Oldsmobile version was called The Little Limousine back in the day. They were everywhere. Kind of looked like a 2/3 scale 1st gen Seville. Looks great after all these years. I know a guy in San Diego who deals in 2001 to 2005 Honda Civics. I bought an 04 Civic EX from him. He finds the best low mileage Civics that he can find that haven't been modified. Just the cleanest ones. He changes the timing belts, tires, puts new brakes, wipers . Changes all the fluids then smogs them and road tests them before he sells them. He is a little expensive, but you know you are getting a high quality used Honda. So far ours has been doing great in the year and a half that we've had it.
I have a lot of cars but my favorite is my 1980 Chevy Malibu.
We got a guy out this way, who's got the two door one.. so Sick..
I had '79 Malibu wagon for a short while. It was cool, and kind of fun to drive.
@@EarlSinclair97 I still have my 1980 Malibu Classic from college! stored, great condition
I've got a 78 malibu classic, threw in the Iraqi taxi trans and whatnot, should be fun soon :)
Makes me miss my 83 cutlass 4dr. Bought it off a family friend who got it passed down from there grandma who bought it brand new. Can't beat a g body. Reliable and drive like a caddy
Wish used car salesmen were like that nowadays
Or at least be an obvious crook like they were in used cars.
🤣
I was amazed to see you talking about a GM car. I have to agree. Many years back, we had an 81 Buick Century sedan with the 231 V6. It was such a smooth, quiet, luxurious car. It even had decent power with the V6, which was surprising. I remember it well. A friend had a Bonneville of this vintage - maybe an 84? What a nice interior that car had - and the dash on Pontiacs had full instrumentation, which I liked.
Damn cars were slow as a blind man pleasuring himself.
CAFE standards to meet gas mileage regulations snailed them. But take one today with all of the 3rd party engine & trans mods available.....fuhgettaboutit!!
Oh, I LOVE G-bodies! I had a mess of them through and shortly after high school (graduated in 04), I'd buy a crappy G-body and trade it for another one when it developed a problem I couldn't fix, haha! I had an 84 T-type, a 78 Monte Carlo, an 86 regal with a 350, an 80 Malibu wagon, and 2- 86 Cutlasses (both turd 307s) before I got a good job and bought my 78 El Camino. Swapped a RamJet 350 EFI crate engine and a T-5 into it with a 3.70 Truetrac 9" in it and had all the good suspension and chassis stuff, too. Once said job started to require me to drive longer distances to work, I stupidly sold it to buy a newer, more 'reliable' 4WD pickup. I miss it every day, and it would probably be a fast LS/6-speed car now if I'd held onto it.
Love these cars but the GM B body and Ford Panther platform cars are the last traditional American cars imo
Thank u for showing this particular car, my mom had this car, remarried and gave it to my dad, we kept it for yrs and my mom and dad are gone but the Bonneville is setting in my brothers back yard. Was a 305 4bbl...
What’s my personality I have a 79 Malibu
The late 70's Malibu was a great looking car, especially the 2 door.
I have a 1980 5 spd STOCK!
You want the ones that were made in Mexico because they came with 350/ 350 and bucket seats and floor shifters
The American cars came with 305's and 200 metrics with bench seats and column shifters
You must like being set on fire because that’s what those things were known for. One tap of the rear - KABOOM!!!!
@@kyledavis4202
NO WAY LIAR
NEVER HAPPENED
POST A LINK (you wont find one)
But I can post dozens of links showing you how the Crown Victoria used to explode when it got rear-ended
I shed a tear watching this video.
My first car was a 1977 Delta88 that I bought for $500 when I was 15 years old. It was immaculate. White exterior with red cloth interior and it was so freaking reliable and smooth to drive.
I used to drive that ship full throttle in the backroads around Elguin Texas back in 1998. Good times.
Panther Platform?
That's the Ford Crown Victoria.
I love my 88 Cutlass Supreme Classic. Bought it brand new in November of 87 loaded with everything from the chrome wheels all the way up to the t-tops. Burgundy with gold pinstripe and burgundy bucket seat interior.
Look Kids 👉 a Pontiac!!
Whats that daddy?
Hell yeah. Don't forget 80s and 90s fullsized B-bodies. The 96' Roadmaster wagon will always be my dream cruiser.
GN 💪
My wife's favorite car is the Monte Carlo SS in either black or that dark maroon. I like them too, back when I was a young man there were two in town, one was a pretty clean white one with a cammed 350, the other was a pretty rusty black one with the orange stripe(sorta rare now) but they had dropped a mid 70's buick 455 in it. That car was mental. He put traction bars on it and wider tires, it hooked pretty well, but the thing, man if you watched him go, the car had that "twist" in it, you know the power twist, and it would hold it till he hit 3rd(auto) gear.
I on the other hand, my first car was a hand me down 1980 Olds Cutlass 4 door. Special ordered! Had the 350, had intermittent wipers, had AC..... had radio delete.... had rear window regulator delete...yes that's right the rear windows were fixed in a 4 door. Grandpa told the dealer he wasn't paying for something he would never use, made him take $5 off the price and order it that way. Not sure the radio delete was an actual option either, but hey. Unfortunatly, a 1980 GM 350 in a car had I think about 11 horsepower. There was miles of vacuum tubing under the hood that connected everything to everything and the engine was a pooch. But it rode nice and lasted me till i could buy my own first car. But it couldn't pass a guy on a bike, couldn't pass a mailbox post if I was rolling downhill, and couldn't pass a gas station. In the literature, GM even noted the 4.3 V6 standard engine had a better 0-60 time. By like over a second, lol. So yeah, I wasn;t a GM fan as a young man, but i have respect for all makes as an adult, everyone made good ones, and bad ones, and you just need to learn about them is all.
If I was going to pick a car from the 80's for GM, it would be.... well ok the wife would vote for a Monte SS and I would second it.... but aside from that if I wasn't looking for a sports car it would 100% for sure be a caddy. Either in that lovely powder blue color from the mid 80's or in black. Something about those tail lights and the grill shape made those cars just drip "I am better than a caprice" even though they were on the same platform. Plus that interior...... "driving a pillow" is a favorite saying of mine referring to land yachts.
The "L" , "J", and "N" bodies were my favorite.
Haha...not!!!!
They weren’t my favourite either, but it’s what we had. That and the A and X body.
G bodies like this were grandmas cars. They looked out of date, were out of date, weren’t exactly cheap, and guzzled gas (not something easily afforded on part time minimum wage).
My first car was a 1986 J body (Buick Skyhawk) in 1996 with 40,000 miles on it. G bodies were still fetching double or triple that with sportier ones like the Cutlass Supreme a solid $5K and the Monte Carlo SS approaching $10K. The only bargains were the Grand Nationals and GNXs because their prices hadn’t got to the ridiculous point they are now-but still completely out of reach for a broke ass teenager.
And it was a POS car. Pushrod four cylinder. Three speed slush box. 0-60 = YES (18 seconds). But it taught me how to drive and it was super easy to work on. Like every GM FWD car I owned I luckily avoided having to do CV boots or joints and I sold it to my sister who managed to get 80,000 miles out of it before it was scrapped.
@@Bartonovich52
That's cool your sis got 80K miles out of it - a long service life for the old "J" bodies.
I was a GM tech for several years. The L,J, N and especially the F cars were my least favorite. However, I did like working on the W, H, and B&C body vehicles.
Really? I had a W car (1989 Cutlass Supreme... 3.1... was ok) but my wife when I met her had a 1992 Lumina Z34. That thing was god awful. In spite of the big DOHC 3.4 engine it didn’t feel any faster than my car and the maintenance costs were terrible. Had to basically remove the engine to change the alternator which was often because it was heat soaked and Delco made cheap alternators (went with a Bosche second time around and never changed it). Brakes were notoriously weak with the front rotors easily warped and the rear pads completely departing the vehicle on both of them. Intake gaskets were also a weak point.
It was at that point I left GM for imported cars... mostly old RWD Volvos that are easy to work on and last forever.
@@Bartonovich52
Yeah man, 3.4 DOHC's (x code) have made me a lot of money over the years. And like you just mentioned, alternator r&r's were a problem. They paid somewhere around 6 hours, and I probably pulled one up about every week. The 3.1 was mediocre, but relatively easy to service. Getting into the late 90's and early 2000's was a much better time with the 3100, 3400 and 3800 engines with their intake manifolds failures.
Thanks uncle tony ! Just picked up a 1 owner 1987 4 door cutlass supreme with the stock 307 . You just reaffirmed my believe that these G bodies are bad ass cruisers !
The last great American car is the crown Victoria! Not the g body!
When I worked at an auto parts store in Hollywood, Florida from the mid to late 80's there was an older black Feller coming in and buying parts for the Chevy 305 and 350 V-8s. This Feller was buying these G-bodies and swapping out the stock V-6 for a stock V-8. I have no ida how many cars he converted over. Another interesting story was a mechanic coming in periodically and buying the Edlebrock dual-plane intakes, matching cam & lifters kits, Holley 650 4 bbl carbs, and headers. This mechanic had a shop on the Seminole Indian Reservation down the road from the store and was installing these items on the 80's Plymouth Fury police cars the Tribal Police used.
Had a 79 Monte Carlo and an 81 Cutlass back in the 80s. My Dad had an 83 Caprice. Loved those cars! In fact that Cutlass may have been one of my all time favorites.
Tomorrow will hit 100,000 subscriber's I've been hear with ya from under 10,000 subscriber's .uncle Tony's family is turning in to an classic car army !cheers man ,from one of your younger bucks lol
That car is really in great shape, nice to hear you give kudos to a different brand. I’ve been a car guy since my father bought me a battery powered ride on car in 1961. I was only just about three and he taught me how to parallel park it and back it into a parking space. Boy , I miss all those years gone by.
Came from a Chevy GM family my whole life. My grandfather owned three auto parts stores when it was all American in the USA. Those were the days.
In 95 I bought an 87 SS Monte Carlo Areocoupe, black with the palomino interior. It came with every option except t tops. The day I bought It I drove it to my shop and pulled the 305. I replaced it with a slightly lumpy cammed 400 small block and put on headers and dual exhaust. I had my friend who owns a transmission shop beef up the tranny while the engine was out. I added a posi rear end and it was my daily driver for ten years. I took it out to the track once and made three passes with it. They were all in the 13.40s through the mufflers on street tires. I left the track turned on the AC and drove home happy. Its no longer my daily driver but even though I don't follow Nascar anymore it still gets driven when the Nascar race comes to town twice a year.
My first car was a 1984 Pontiac Grand Prix with the Buick 3.8 that I got through my dad, who was a car salesman, for 800 dollars in 1993. The car had 86,000 miles on it and was in mint condition. I drove it for several years, first putting in a rebuilt transmission, then later a rebuilt engine. A year after installing the engine I ended up giving it to a buddy at the time who was about to start a family and desperately needed a car. I had a couple other vehicles at the time so it wasn't a big deal.
But looking back.... part of me wishes I hadn't and I still had that car lol. Being nearly in my 50s now and working on modern cars, I really miss the simplicity and ease these cars were to work on and maintain. A good blend of the super simplicity of the cars that came before them, and the better fuel economy and drivability of the ones that came after. The G bodies are definitely an iconic period of time in the history of American cars.
My grandpa had a 1985 Parisienne. Rode like you were floating on a cloud.
My first car was an '82 Chevy Malibu. 4 door with I believe a 3.3L V6. Good little first car.
There was a time that all I had was G-body Malibu, 2 door, 4 door, wagon and Elcaminos. I even took a Elcamino,,bolted a Grand prix nose to it and then added a Pontiac 400, 4spd., Snowflake wheels, splitter tail pipes and a shaker hood scoop old Trans-am parts of course. It was a neat car !
Uncle Tony I totally agree with you, I know you will get some people talking smack. Definitely like you said the last of GM full fame and rear wheel drive. They ride very smooth and their are tons of parts for them. Great project cars. I feel like they take you back in time, just like the cars in the 50’s era. I’m a GM man but they do not make them like they use to👍🏽
C’MON UNCLE TONY….START A G-BODY CHANNEL!!!! I still have a survivor 1983 Cutlass Supreme Brougham with the Buick 231 V6, AND it’s my daily driver!!
At least once a week someone at a gas station, or even driving 60 mph down the highway tries to buy it from me.
I’ve only owned 2 Mopars in my life, a 1981 LeBaron (looked like the Fifth Avenue/Diplomat), and I had a little built 1986 Shelby Charger, but I love the channel….I’d love your G-Body channel more though 🤷🏼
1981 Monte Carlo
1984 Grand Prix
1982 Cutlass Salon
1988 Cutlass Supreme Classic
1984 Monte Carlo
Still only have one, dream every day of that 88 Cutlass and the 84 Grand Prix.
Good on Uncle Tony for showing the most breadbox G there is!
Great video Uncle Tony , I love how you can relate to any car brand and go into great detail. You didn’t miss the boat you it was the other car enthusiasts who missed the boat . Keep up the great work and amazing content .
Always loved mopars, been bringing back a 74 monaco brougham coupe but I've been dailying a 87 regal turbo t, and it is such a wonderful car to drive
Holy fuck, I'm restoring a 78 Elky and seeing this video up made my YEAR. Thank you Tony!
3:05 that's incredible, I have a 79 Grand Prix that I pulled the 231 V6 out of last year, swapped in a chevy 350 and converted from an automatic to a 4 speed, love that car have had it 9 years plan to keep it forever