BqUICK

Hi, I would talk to THRASHER PERFORMANCE. They are up on lots of the 3800 applications as well as market intercoolers, chips, and headers for the blown 3800 crowd. There is also a 3800 Supercharged Regal Site with lots of good stuff. I lost the link and the name is not obvious but with a few tries you should be able to fnd them. They have a 12 Second Riv on the site as well. (Impressive)

Try "Rally America" for Buick Rally rims that are wider. Make sure that the Riviera rim for the '77 Riv with the 7" optional rally wheels will indeed have the 5" bolt circle.

Click on "Attachements" above for photo of body on chassis. Note JAZ fuel cell and new suspension arrangement Carerra Chrome coil over.

Just returned from Machuga Chassis. Dave and I put in a full day having worked since 10:30am. It is a little after midnight now. We cut the trunk floor out and set the body down on a few of the poly mounts. Most of the day was spent fabbing the tubs and enclosure around the fuel cell's perimeter. I was very impressed with Machuga's mastery of forming metal, welding, and cutting. He has an english wheel, benders, bead rollers, who knows how many hammers with custom handles he also made. I went home for a while and got the skirts and attached them. We looked it over and all you saw was tire that went on so far back and disappeared under the car. You never saw the end of the tire they were so huge. It was neat effect. Since this car was built to race, it may not look as pretty as some "made for photo op cars", this baby was born to run first and photos second! Our approach to suspension and tubbing is not traditional but it is effective. The last entry had the wrong photo. I'll try again to attach the one with the fuel cell in place and the bumper mocked up. Oh and Rebe took a bite out of my leg. He was asleep and I walked past him going to the house to return some dish soap. He must have forgotten Dave was around and he nipped me above my Wellington boot. @#$*&$dog! Well, we made up when he got his marbles back and i guess I'll try not to get in his way when he's asleep. Also, last Sunday one of Dave's racer friends was burned really badly while racing. We got the call this morning. She was driving a "modified" which hit the wall and flipped over. In doing so the fuel pump hose broke and sprayed 100+ octane all over her. The emergency team had to get the car in the right position to get her out and the extra time was more than her saftey equipment could handle. She was sent to a special burn unit, in Rochester I think. Dave's wife said its probably bad if they had to do that. I don't know the racer's name but lets keep her in mind and in our prayers. It could be any one of us someday. God Speed, BqUICK

My 15 year old son and I drove over to Machuga Chassis last night to find the 1969 Electra 225 body on the flatbed trailer backed into the garage by Dave's farm tractor. We hoisted the body up by the front and rear chains. It was an awsome sight to see that massive and heavy body just rocking gently as it was raised above the flatbed and the tractor rolled out. We then had to use tall jack stands and a 2X4 steel tube accross them in order to brace the front of the body while we rolled the chassis back under it. We took the P-Zero Pirellis off and rolled the chassis with a floor jack under it. Once it was in placed under the body we then lowered the body carefully to find the several interference points. The Gear Vendors OD, rear suspension towers, tubular 4 link brackets all interfered, not to mention the 32 gal. fuel cell which was removed for this activity. Dave lowered the car in the front and we attached the forward ENERGY SUSPENSION poly body bushings. Naturally, they did not make ones for the Electra but they did for the 1970 Riviera, just a smaller number of them. I think we need 2 more for the Electra. They fit well and have that special metal rimmed portion that drops into the Buick frame. As the body was closer to all the interference points we could now begin using the drill to locate sections to cut. I drilled a few locator holes for the OD after we peeled away carpet and sound deadening materials. There was some drivers' side floor rot through, typical, but everything else was ok. We cut out a panel for the OD, upper drive shaft loop, forward suspension brackets. We had the whole crew helping out as we jockied the body into position. Tim, real big guy & Dave's son, Bruce, skinny but wiry, Dave's roll cage and chassis fab man, My son the carpet collector and me. Mr. Sparling of Sparling Auto, in Corning, NY, came as well. He advised us on how we could handle removal of the trunk and wheel wells for the narrowed frame and 14" tall JAZ fuel cell. That was the cleanest '69 trunk I had ever seen. They love to rot out under the power antennae but this one's seal must have held for a change. All of that virgin metal would have to be cut. I had my son collect all the sound deadening material, cardboard, and carpet sections and store them in our van. While we cut the steel, local animals that had made the body their summer home, scurried and slid out onto the garage floor. I stepped on a foot long garden snake and Dave sic'd "Rebock" his dog on it. Rebe grabbed at it as I pulled jackstands away in a corner it was trying to hide in. He shook it a few times and wore the snake out. We all took a break from the car a watched Rebe do a job on that snake while Dave encouraged him. Several people have told me, including an ex Fedex guy, how mean that dog was. I have witnessed where Rebe would let you pet him and be real nice to you while Dave is around but when he isn't LOOK OUT. Count your fingers, he's not your friend! (That is a GOOD dog and protector of the home and business!) Well, that was a big night finally after nearly a year of thought and fabrication. I have spent many nights a week after dinner till midnight at the shop. Today Dave and I are taking a day off our regular activities to focus on getting the rear panels cut and fitting the body on properly. It will be an all day non-stop party until that body is sitting as it should and all the openings are made. The big Pirellis will go on as well. I will have a camera this time and share photos in a few days too. Of course it will all come apart again for fine finishing, but I look forward to today.

This is a photo taken yesterday at Machuga Chassis. Its shows the latest progress, some of which was discussed previously. 32 Gallon Fuel Cell mounted 3" SS Exhaust Carerra Coil Overs The coil overs were re-mounted in new towers last night. Dave felt the old "L" brackets would not allow the adjustability we needed to attain proper ride height with the body on. The bumper is mocked up as we cannot locate it properly until the body comes on. Body to be moved into the shop tonite! BqUICK

Hey, That is a clean '69 Sedan! Thanks for your interest in the Electra GSX project. I cetainly keep people up to date with what is going on. I talked to Dave MAchuga at Machuga chassis last night. He said that the exhaust rubber hangers are going on this week. We have been working to finish the design for the rear anti-sway bar before figuring out all of the final body penetrations. There always seems to be some snag but we will "adapt and over come" BqUICK

Fellow Buick Lovers, Here is a December 02 photo of the Electra GSX chassis on the chassis machine when Roberta Vasilow, BCA officer, and more importantly GS Racer, came to visit over Christmas at Machuga Chassis in Campbell, NY. Roberta has helped me to interesting Electra findings and connections for the better part of 10 years. When the BCA toured through Buffalo a couple of years ago I finally met her and her mom. They were driving Roberta's Red '68? GS ragtop. Many niice Buicks on hand and a serious party the next night at the Lodge on The Green, around the Corning/Gang Mills, NY area! That was fun! Roberta, thanks again for your support over the years and your visit. BqUICK 1969 Electra 225 Custom Coupe, Crystal Blue, Code D (now GSX) 1969 Electra 225 Custom Coupe, Lime Green, Code H 1969 Electra 225 Custom Coupe, Antique Gold, Code Z 1969 Electra 225 Custom Coupe, Burnished Brown, Code B (Discs) 1969 Electra 225 Custom Convertible, burnished Brown, Code B (Low 15s stock) 1969 Electra Limited, Coupe, Regal Black, Code A (Posi) 1970 Electra 225 Custom Coupe, Antique Gold, Code Z 1970 Electra 225 Custom Coupe, Bamboo Cream, Code (19K original) 1968 Electra 225 Custom Sedan, Burnished Brown Code B (Posi) "...chromium plated brass knuckles!" The Dead End Kids aka The Bowery Boys

I really do not know what language they are writing in, Norwegian I think, but they love 1969 & 70 Electra 225s. Check out the green '70 convertible and the Black '69 Coupe. http://home.c2i.net/mopar56/1969_-_70_buick_full_size.htm

I really do not know what language they are writing but they love 1969 & 70 Electra. Check out the green '70 convertible and the Black '69 Coupe. http://home.c2i.net/mopar56/1969_-_70_buick_full_size.htm

Attached is a recently de-classified chassis photo. Fired Pee Gee Intimidator a few weeks ago, open headers on race gas. Positively thrashing pounding ear splitting sound. Rock solid, little engine movement, surprised the Chevy people around. They wondered how a "stock looking" engine could sound so pro-stock. Easy, the Quadrajet and Distributor "were" stock until Scotty Guadagno and Mike T. worked them. Also, Installed TA's timing cover with oil pressure adjust and electric water pump. Stainless 3" exhaust is being installed as I type. 32 Gal fuel cell mounted to new boxed rear rails. Replaced skinny competition engineering coil overs with SERIOUS Carreras. 250lbs/inch springs with adjustable rebound. Iron fist in a velvet glove.

Be advised that this is very expensive as I have more than $6K in the back end alone and I'm not done spending yet. This includes the rear suspension, 9" FORD rear end, chassis, rims and tires. This does not include spares or the fact that we may have to move to Carrera coil overs. There are other ways to get this done for a street BUICK and still get very good handling. If I were building this for the streeti I'd look at the rear suspension in a 1969 Riviera GS. The rebuilt Electra GSX suspension is similar, only hand fabricated by a pro-racer and race car chassis shop owner, Dave Machuga.

Hi, There is no web site yet. I am taking some photos that I will develop in the next month or so. The old set taken over the years are not valid as so much has changed. We are in a rapid state of change right now as the set up has been together and torn apart 4 times in 14 months! We wont really know what the best setup is until we have run it around Watkins Glen, which is about 20 minutes away. The Electra GSX will not be ready to run there until more local road trials are completed. I expect that we will have a complete shake down at Watkins in 2004, go back to the chassis shop and work on a few things or fix what broke then run again. Once we are confident that we have a winner, the serious action will be in 2005.

I bought this car in 1978, the same year I met my wife and its been in the family ever since. I started saving for a car in 1968 and in 1974 settled on the 1969 Electra as my choice. The Electra was the fastest nicest sounding luxury car back in the 1970s. They were legendary street sleepers with nitrous oxide injected BUICK big blocks and quiet exhausts. Back in those days 12 seconds was faster than most rods would go. By the late 70s there was a buzz on the street about a 10 second wheel standing green 1970 Electra. I have seen many such racers and was always impressed by seeing massive metal moving fast. The Electra did it with more class than any other. My engine is a Pee Gee Performance built Buick 455 from a 1970 Wildcat. Scotty Guadagno used STAGE 1 valves and performed all the necessary oiling modifications on the motor. She displaces 462 cubes and puts out just under 500 HP. It has 11:1 Flat top Forged Pistons. the rods are original but the beams have been cut. Most of the parts come from TA Performance. As you know BUICK puts out a fatter torque band than any other big block of the period. Now people will tell you that Cadillac had 550 compared to BUICK's 510. Well have you ever seen or heard of a Caddy outrunning a 440 GTX? Or any muscle car for that matter? Rarely, only the Electra has the reputation for taking out muscle cars. They are documented at running between 15.8 stock down to a legit 10.90 in racing trim. (Ask Roberta V.) This gives you some indication as to why the 430 and 455 are so potent in a GS or other lighter cars. The suspension used for my Electra GSX is a tubular 4 link suspension with a Panhard rod to locate the rear and coil over shocks. It uses 4130 Chromoly tubes with spherical "Heim" joints. IT IS CUSTOM FABRICATED$$$. Simply backhalfing the car and putting a "street or race" clip would just result in a fatality, perhaps several. A full bodied Electra needs a lot more rugged setup than what is commonly available for your garden variety muscle car, especially when you are running at 160+MPH and turning at 60+mph. Road racing is a vastly different animal because now the big sedan has to handle like a Ferrari F-50. The compromise is comfort. She will have a cage, be noisy, but will be an incredible sight to see at Watkins Glen or at the Silver State Race. This car will have a ride height of 6" front and 7" rear. Right now she is off the chassis machine and sitting on her wheels with most of the back end welding completed. The body will go back on in the next few weeks after the front suspension is completed and the driveline is installed. Everything about this car is massive because of the weight and speed. The tires have the highest weight and speed rating available, the 4 wheel disk brakes are huge 12+ inch vented units, the Gear Vendors overdrive unit is rated to 1,200 HP and is mated to the TH 375 "Long Tail" version of the TH400. Allison,truck transmission builder, made the six bolt "anti-balooning" torque converter. JW made the flywheel. There is still a lot to do but I have the best people helping me. Its been 10 years of $, mistakes$$, blood (literally), sweat, and tears. We race in 2005! Stay tuned.

I am building a 1969 Buick Electra GSX. It is luxury grand touring car designed to cruise at 150mph. It has a Pee Gee Performance, Guadagno built 462 INTIMIDATOR, 535 Ft-LBS on the dynomometer. The chassis was built by New York Motorsports Hall of Famer, Gary Shaw. Gary died of a heart attack while racing his "Modified" at TIOGA Motorsports Park, Tioga, NY back in September of this year before the car could be finished. Fellow racer and Chassis Works owner, Dave Machuga, took the car last weekend and will complete the work Gary started and add the cage in 2003. The car uses a 4 link with a watts linkage. Versalles 9" Ford from Gary Tyler Performance, Gear Vendors Overdrive and a competition TH 375 long tail. 4 Wheel Disks. 7" ground clearance. She currently sits on Pirelli P-ZERO 335/35/17 and 235/45/17 with a 189MPH "Y" rating. The rims were custom made by PS engineering and are the Kidney Bean variety. They are polished and similar in design to the Riviera Road Wheels. They will have the inserts painted as well. The car should be completed in 2004 with testing completed for 2005 assault on the Silver State race she was designed for. The paint scheme honors the Tuskegee Airmen and the P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter Plane they flew for a short time in 1944 before they received the P-51. Her name is "Faithful Pursuit"

My 1969 Electra 225 Custom Convertible runs 15.35 @ 91 on points, no mods. except dual exhaust, stock manifolds, 2.73 Posi. What kind of gain can I expect to get with an HEI. Do you have a 3 series posi for the Electra? 3.23; 3.91; or a riv GS 3.42 that would fit?

1969 Buick Electra 225 Custom Convertible.<BR>(What else that big could go that fast?)<BR>(You should of heard the crowd when I smoked em in the water box. They loved that big beautiful girl!)<BR>New York International Speedway, Mt. Morris.<BR>Best previos time was 15.42. <BR>Added 2.73 Posi. Was 2.56 open.<BR>15.35 @ 90mph. Blew away a black 90s Firebird that ran 16.23 at 86.48

Coupe Wanted. Is yours a 2 Door or 4 door? <P>PDB?<BR>Speedminder?<BR>PDL?<BR>PW?<BR>PS?<BR>A/C?<BR>POSI?<P>

Crystal Blue Code D. Low mile, original paint,white vinyl top with light blue interior. mint original condition. No dents, no dings, no repaints, no body work no kidding. Will consider a non running exceptionally preserved <BR>motorcar.PDB,PA,PS,RRMirror,PW,PS,Cornering Lamps. 60/40 <BR>

Crystal Blue Code D. Low mile, original paint,white vinyl top with light blue interior. mint original condition. No dents, no dings, no repaints, no body work no kidding. Will consider a non running exceptionally preserved <BR>motorcar.PDB,PA,PS,RRMirror,PW,PS,Cornering Lamps. 60/40

Steve Dove's book, BUICK Performance Engines<BR>references a STAGE II option available in 1968. This option carried over to 1969 and then again in 1970 with the famed D Port heads. <BR>Question: Are the 1969 STAGE II pistons still available ? Part #TRW-1394179<BR>This was a dealer installed option in 1969. In 1968 the STAGE II specifications were filed with NHRA. Are there records of the car and its performance? I assume that these were 400 engines, however I SAW 430 STAGE II VALVE COVER STICKERS at the GM restoration display at Carlisle last week! They were repros from Jim Osborne. Were any of the STAGE II engines actually converted GS 430s?<P><BR>

Wanted:Source for 1969 - 70 Electra, Wildcat, & GS parts. Yards or private owners parting out cars. <BR>Need 3.23 Electra posi rear, '67 Riviera air cleaner, '69 Wildcat buckets & consoles, Steering column for '69 - '70 Wildcat. <P>Need complete '69 Electra interior in Lt. Blue for coupe in excellent condition. <P>

Wanted:Source for 1969 - 70 Electra, Wildcat, & GS parts. Yards or private owners parting out cars. <BR>Need 3.23 Electra posi rear, '67 Riviera air cleaner, '69 Wildcat buckets & consoles, Steering column for '69 - '70 Wildcat. <P>Need complete '69 Electra interior in Lt. Blue for coupe in excellent condition. <P>