Hey BqUICK,

Here are the results for my '71 Electra 2DHT from 10/8/04.

It had 32,000 original miles, pretty much all original, all stock with the 2.78 open rear, 255 70R15 tires, but I put 2 1/4" duals with Flowmaster 40's on her.

Best time was a 15.550 sec @ 88.26 mph.

Still had some traction issues and had to launch less than full throttle. Wish I had a limited slip rear.

Yes, the '71 455-4 315 hp being lower compression did a little slower than my '69 Electra's 430-4 360 hp with the same rear ratio. But it still had a better 60' & 330' time...very interesting. The only thing I can figure is that the '69 430's stock cam is better at higher rpms than the stock '71 455 cam?

By the way, the '69 was 4D hardtop, no pillars.

Here are the results:

0.549 RT
2.176 60'
6.448 330'
9.320 ET @ 594'
9.964 1/8 mile ET
69.97 1/8 mile mph
12.996 1000'
15.550 1/4 mile ET
88.26 1/4 mile mph

Temp was about 72 F.

FYI, this 33,000 mile '71 Electra 225 Custom 2DHT up for sale for $5,900/offer. White with black vinyl top, blue interior, very nice in/out, NW Indiana 1 hour from Chicago. buickman67@yahoo.com

David

David, that's a good respectable time for your 71 Electra with it being stock with nothing but exhaust.


My car, with only exhaust modification ran a best 15.55 in Milan, MI in 2003. That was the only time I ran it that year. Last year, I was able to get it to 15.10 with a posi and some sticky tires that were WAY too tall. I'll try it again this year with my stock tires to see if I can find the elusive 14's I did some transmission work and recurved the distributor. Just some minor things, but all I have to do is get another tenth out of it and I'll be happy. A 4700 lb convertible running 14's with only minor mods should be fun!

Yo Buickman67,

Nice time slip on that big '71! . I suspect that both you and Smartin's cars are somewhat similar hence the comparable times. A combination of low end torque build up in the 455 and the 430's higher rpm power range may be why the '71 will outpace a '69 in the early stages. in the end the '69 Electra wins with a 15.2 or so vs a 15.5 or so. Hmmmm!

Ultimately, we are talking about 3/10 of a second or so. The '71 Electra is rated at 315HP at 4,600?, I forget. The '69 Electra's 430 is rated at 360 HP at 5,000 RPM. Is the difference between the '71 and the '69 truely 45hp? Well, if you figure 10 HP is equal to 1/10 of a second and powering past from behind requires a bit more, there goes your 45 hp! (10 HP per 1/10 being an old drag racers rule of thumb for a 13 to 16 second or so car.)

It would be fun to program a virtual model of these cars and race on-line since we are pretty far from eachother. But if we spent hours doing that we would not be racers would we?!? . Bottom line is that the low compression '71 Buick probably have much more power that the Chevy, Pontiac, Ford, Olds, or Chrysler big blocks that essentially became slugs without their high compression ratios. (If you have other inputs let me know but I believe I am right.)

Remember that the Buick was the last major big block design to come out of Detroit and was more advanced than the others to begin with. The 400-430-455 series, particularly the 455, made more power with less CR, was lighter, and the valve seats could withstrand unleaded fuel.

It was probably poor planning on Buick's part to introduce a new series of big blocks at the end of the musclecar era but you and I are the proud and fortunate beneficiaries of millions of dollars of research, development, engineering, and manufacturing! Kinda makes you feel proud of what you have don't it?

Hello Smartin and BqUICK,

Thank you for the compliments.

I hope you get into the 14's!

I also was wondering since both 2 1/4" exhaust system were done at the same shop if the glasspacks on the '69 were less restrictive than the Flowmaster 40's on the '71, especially in the high rpm range.

The '69 sounded absolutely wicked with the glasspacks, made the motor sound like it was fully built. The '71 sounds nicer with the FM 40's and doesn't cackle like the GP's. The GP were LOUD!

Both cars were 1-2 shift at 55-60 mph and were still in 2nd through the traps.

With the transmissions stock, the shifts are not very crisp and seem time consuming.

I think a limited slip 3.23 or 3.42 would be sweet on one of these.

Both my Electra's were faster than '68 Coupe DeVille or the '68 Fleetwood Brougham I used to have. (WARNING: Ego trip ahead! Shameless self-promotion!) Although, the Brougham did take 1st place bracket racing at Buick Nationals 2002 in Kokomo, IN.

I never raced the '69 300 2DHT I had, so I do not know if it would have hung with the Electra's or not, but it seemed quick as well. It was the 440-4 350 hp single exhaust version. Duals would have helped it.

Back in the early 90's, I did have a '70 Old 98 with the 365 hp 455-4 single exhaust. With a stock type muffler it ran at best a 16.815 sec. The next year, after it was replaced with a single glasspack, the car ran a 16.241 sec. Quite an improvement, but buy this time the car has 140,000 miles on it and was starting to burn some oil. Dual would have helped, but with Olds 455's, you have to buy different exhaust manifolds to run duals. A real pain.

I like a lot of differt kinds of cars, but I lean toward the Land Yachts as they are usually much less money, in better condition, powered by a big block, have lots of power options including AC than the A-Body cars. I like to drive something that is unique from what you generally see at the cars shows and generally I succeed at this...LOL!

Right now, I want to sell my Electra to a good home and also my '56 Chrysler Windsor HP 4D sedan and hopefully buy a nice '67 Wildcat Custom 2DHT...or a '67 Electra Custom 2DHT. However, if there are not any reasonables ones available, it could be something else large. A '67 Riviera GS would probably be out of my price range.

Let's see if I got the right image from 2002 Buick National's Drag Race.

In the other lane is Tom King and his '65 Wildcat.

David,

That was a great reply on this post! I actually like all of the big luxury power houses and just happen to think Buick is the best!

Yesterday evening I went for a cruise in my cherry '70 Electra 225 coupe. As I pulled over to check my carb, found a vacuum leak, a yellow Cobra convertible passed on the highway. I tracked them down a few miles later and they flagged me down. Mark said there can't be too many big Buick Electra people around here so I knew it was you!

Mark is the librarian at the Watkins Glen museum of racing and the Cobra was a raffle car. Mark and his brother were delivering it to the museum to be rafffled later in the summer. Word had gotten to them about my Electra GSX project and the museum took me and Gary Shaw, our deceased chassis man, out to lunch one afternoon!

Well the point is that these guys have seen everything from Maxwells to Rolls Royce, from Ferrari Daytonas to REAL Cobras, and have got saved BUICK 430s IN THEIR BASEMENT! One brother has a '67 Wildcat and the other loves Buick as well!

They made me feel really good about being a Buick man! Now I did not pass up a drive in that 5 speed 351 Cobra! That was a treat but it sure was chilly with the top down!

Hello BqUICK,

That's a cool story!

I am rather partial to the '67 Wildcat's as mine saved my life almost 6 years ago...the one that is my avatar picture. The picture in the attachment above is what she looked like at the crash scene, just after I was transported to the hospital by ambulance.

Actually, when I bought her, I was looking for a '68 Wildcat Custom 2DHT. But when I saw her pristine condition and with only 40,000 original miles, I couldn't pass her up. Good thing for me that I did not...LOL!

I still have her in my garage as I do display's with her as she currently is.

So...there are certain years and models of cars that I desire...however, I do keep and open mind to cars outside of my direct desires.

I like the switch-pitch convertor of the '67 couple with the 430. And I also like the '67 Electra's tailights that are above the bumper and are the entire width of the rear.

Of course, I also wouldn't turn down something nice with tail fins either...LOL!

My Wildcat's website:

Old Iron Saves a Life

Dave,

Wow, that was you? I saw photos of your car years ago and thought "hmmm...another example of mythic Buick survivability!"
...glad you made it!

God Speed,

I've had that link in my parts directory since I started it! A good read, for sure...

It's neat to make connections with people you'd never think you would

Hey BqUICK & Smartin,

Yes, it is I!

Thank you, I am glad I made it too.

Although, not the 15 minutes of fame I would have chosen for myself...if I had been given the choice...LOL!

This Memorial weekend is the 6th Anniversary of the crash. I will have my wrecked Wildcat on display at the same car show I was hit at again this year, as I have every year since the crash.

I mean, I do not recall checking the "I volunteer to be a crash test dummy" box when I got my tags, title, and registration.

Well...I will tell you that Buick survivabilty is no myth. There is something to be said for full frames and large mass.

I wish I would have known that all 1967 Buick's already had the shoulder strap anchors installed and all that was needed was getting a set of shoulders out of a '68 and bolting them in. That would have saved me from the wicked facial injuries and most of the chest trauma I sustained.

Although, my survival also was helped by the fact that 1967 was the first year of the collapsing safety steering column. It worked perfectly as designed 32 years later.

I guess it is no wonder why I like Heavy Metal cars...the big C-Bodies in particular.

Also, thank you for having a link to "Old Iron Saves a Life" on your website. That means a lot to me. I think it is great that you have it there years before we now connect online. Obviously, it has made an impression. Yes, it is cool to make connections with people like you say.

The guy who made my site, Michael, grew up riding around in a '67 Wildcat Custom 2DHT. His parents have owned their 'Cat since new and are BCA Members. I met them at Buick Nationals 1999 in Columbus when I displayed the car there 7 weeks after the crash. They were so nice to me. Very good people.

Seeing the car in person is even more impressive than the pictures.

David Old Iron Saves a Life

I have a video on the BPG website of my car racing in Salem last year.

The Regal I was running against is a 350 4 speed.

http://www.buickperformancegroup.com/images/nats2004/videos/BPG_CLIP7.wmv

Here is the videos page on the BPG site. Oh, I have recently revamped the site, too. Check it out!

www.buickperformancegroup.com

Thanks for putting the link of your car racing down the track. It was cool to see it run. And the link to the BPG site.

When will be the first time you will run your car this year?

Adam, seeing that mighty Centurion roar down the track is a great thrill! I had to watch it over and over. Thanks for posting it here.

I'll be running it in Batavia this year if Roberta has plans to get to a track in the area...which I believe is going to happen. I will then be driving to Salem, OH again for the BPG nationals in August.

14's here I come!

Adam,

You are really close to the 14s at 15.11! That was a really nice run against a
14 second 4 speed Regal that was perhaps 500+ lbs lighter than you!!! I have seen a lot of runs with big buck racers not half as fun to watch as you battling it out! I know everyone at the stands was pulling for you like they could give you a few more horses by wishing hard enough!

It looked like you took him at the 60' and the 1/8th and he pulled away in the end.

I will look forward to seeing you in Batavia!

God Speed,

WOW I'M NEW TO THE FORUM BUT THERE IS SOME NEAT STUFF GOING ON HERE.
BQUICK YOUR 69 IS BAD IM 29 AND BOUGHT MY DUCE 7 YEARS AGO AND HAVE WANTED TO MAKE IS A BAD SLEPPER FOR THE STREET AND STRIP. RIGHT IT IS RESTING WATING FOR SOME MONEY... READING ABOUT YOUR RIDE JUST MAKES ME DREAM OF THE DAY ....THAT ALL RUN 11..12'S

Yo '69Duceboy,

It's good to see another Electra enthusiast out there! How did you come to own that 1969? Have you noticed or read about some of the special performance features and options?

God Speed,

Hey thanks for the ? It was spring of 98 and I was unemployed and had no car and walking my oldest (approx 5 months old at the time). We would walk by this nice buick every walk. I told my mom about this cool buick electra 225..She said " a duce and a quarter no way what year" .I laughed duce thats funny ..
The car was on two flats with weeds all around. Found out that I knew the owner from high school days. talked to him the car was not for sale
So I spent all my money on a P.O.S. ford mavrick well a month or so goes by and I drive by the duce and it's for sale. No way now I'm mad I've spent all my money on that mav.. So I stop over to see Ryan (we share the same name) and he needs a motor for his work truck and wants $1500.00 for the duce it runs fine but needs a water pump the front seat bottom is torn needs a new top viynl top and a windsheild.. But agian no money so I go home..

Well luck was on my side after all about two weeks go by and a late 70's thunderbird takes a left in front of me we hit almost head on and total's out the mav (at the time the buick is still for sale) so another week goes by and we get a check from the ins for $750.00 (not bad I piad $200.00 for it)

The next morning I wake get a ride to work.. My mom calls and says "that 69 electra is in the paper today you dad seen the ad and wants to go look at it for him" after explaning to my dad he could not buy that car I wanted it..so he tell's me he wont even go look at it .. I get off work later that night have I freind pick me up to take me home . I get home and my mom meets at the front door (I forgot to mention in the erlier phone call with my mom she told me that she would loan me the extra $ I needed to get the duce.) she tells me "Ryan has sold the duce and hes washing it up right now".. my heart sank I thought that car was mine I was truly bumbed out..then she continues "If you take him the balance of $500.00 it's yours" YES I got the car my mom went over erlier and beat poor Ryan down on the car for the roof windsheild and seat bottom she beat him up so bad he took the $750.00 I had from the ins check from the mav went to get and drove her home... I put the water pump in the next day and started diving the wheels off..

The car handles like a dream it just floats have to watch out on the freeway beforeyou know it you could be doing over 100 and think your only crusing at 70
One day I was comming back from a day trip with my step boy and asked him how fast have you been in a car he tell's me 85 or so as he leans over to look how fast we are going "110" he yells "wow thats fast " he said.

I can remeber a time out cruising and their was a T/A next to me I did a power brake burn out that smoked up the intersection.. and gave him a run for his money,, he beat me.. fun stuff

this car is my baby ill never sell it

if any one can help me I tried to post some pics last night but there to big how dose one shrink it down so they will load...

p/s BqUICK that duce is bad I love it keep up the good work

Hmmm...

Looks like you have a serious case of Electra 225 love my friend! You have an amazing story of good fortune that tells me she was meant for you!

Some people say I went through engineering school just to earn enough $$$ to build the "Faithful Pursuit" "69 Electra 225 Custom racecar. This was pretty close to the truth!!! I held on to my dream of what a '69 should look like through many discouraging times and many many years.

Now, what do you want your car to do? Look good? or Beat Mustangs? 'Vettes? or
both? Old school or new?

Thanks agian for your ?
I would like to see my Electra as a street sleeper..
the body would be stock..(would like to get cornering lights) and the paint would be the stock color along with a semi stock interior ( would like to do some sude inserts in the seats and a sude headliner)..would like to do air bags and some tourqe thrust 2 in 18's or 19's
Then the fun I would like to build the stock 430 heads to stage 1 specs put a nice cam ditch the stock fan and put an electric one in (to free up some ponys and keep me cool while out crusing)intake, carb, 2" exhaust may be some headers along with 4w disk (is that it?? ) ya that should do

the dream would be a supercharger or twinturbo.. that would be fun..

What do think a 430 that has been worked over a little put out...

dose any one know how or were to find out a vin decode on these car's so I can find out when were and with what options the car was sold new... thanks

Hey Duce Boy,

It sounds great. Lets see, to decode the car lets check the rear end first. Use the reference codes I have on my 12/22/04 entry. The vin number will tell us exactly what kind of Electra you have.

You may have an "ordinary" 1969 which was anything but...or even a super rare high performance 1969 Electra "PX" with 3.91 posi A/C delete! Chances are, if you had one you would know it!

I like the twin tubo 430 motor idea and have been toying around with that one for a while now. The old Buick block cannot survive long under high boost. 1000 - 1500 HP is the max I have heard for the 455 in a quarter mile. Thin block webs, among other things, being the major problem. Do not lose hope however, many people are working now at PAE to develop a much stronger block. We will wait and see!

God Speed,

Reatta MAn Said:
"My point is still that a chopped customized 1969-70 Electra will bring less than a faithfully restored GS or GSX."

NADA 1970 GS Values: $7,125 - $24,900
NADA 1970 GSX Values: $15,000 - $65,800

(non-STAGE I, A/C, or convertible. Set up like the Faithful Pursuit)




Holton Auto Appraisals, Elmira, New York
Don Holton
607) 734 - 5340
22 June 2005

1969 Buick Electra 225 Custom "GSX": Excellent Condition, Highly Modified

Original Base Price: $4,953.00
Approximate Number Produced: 27,018

Appraisal Value: $40,000.00

(The car was only 90% complete when appraised: No A/C, No underbody detail, GSX stripe incomplete on tail, vacuum hoses unconnected in car. Re-appraisal in 2006)

Don't be pissed!

Congratulations Michael, although you gotta admit the Faithful Pursuit is an exceptional "custom." Appraised value is great for getting insurance coverage, and it can help when selling. The market seems geared toward outrageous price run-ups on original '60s cars--especially the "muscle" types. It's all in weighing out how desirable you can make a custom and how much it'll cost, versus what an original is worth and whether customizing will pay. Of course, it's not all about the money, but what YOU want! Sometimes customs, like yours, really hit it big!

Thought I'd share a couple more pics of the Centurion at the track this year for the BPG national event in Salem, OH..