Reconnecting The Owner With His Favorite Car
So many of us live with the regret of selling a favorite car. The story of a growing family and the limitations of hauling kids in a 2-door coupe is a pretty common tale that often ended in that prized coupe heading down the road with a new owner in favor of a bonafide family truckster. This was the case with a particular family man and his beloved 1977 Buick Regal. Had it, sold it, missed it. Until, that is, many years later when his now-grown son reached out to the V8 Speed and Resto Shop to replace the one that got away!
Finding A Unicorn
The car in question… a red 1977 Buick Regal, was unfortunately wrecked after the sale. The owner’s son approached our team to help locate and revitalize another red ’77… have you seen one of these driving around lately? A car that once seemed ubiquitous on the streets of America had seemed to be erased from time. Thankfully, a multi-sided search concluded when the owner’s son called and said “I found one, and am sending it to your shop to make it as close to Dad’s as possible!”
It Had To Be Right
The original car wasn’t just any ’77 Buick, however. It was red with a white interior, bucket seats, floor shifter, T-tops, white vinyl top, and the V2.0 car had to be the same. Amazingly, the car the son found was also red with T-tops and buckets, but the interior was red cloth. Not gonna happen. That’s when the V8 Speed and Resto Shop Interior Shop sprung into action turning the red to white.
Taking the Interior Up a Notch
Changing the interior color sounds simple, but there were dozens of red plastic parts that needed to be color-matched to white, along with the headliner, rear package shelf, door panels, and the seat upholstery. It turns out that brilliant white seat covers are not falling off the shelves at the local parts store, so our team had to make them from scratch. New patterns were created, and piece by piece the seat covers, both for the front buckets and the rear full-width seat were sewn. New filler material was added to the frames before the covers were stretched over and cinched to perfection. The end result? A gleaming, bright white interior that is nicer than any done by Buick in 1977.
Other Work Performed
1977 was a long time ago, so the Regal required a bunch of mainteance items addressed, including:
Brakes
- Brake Master Cylinder installed.
- Brake Booster: Rebuilt and installed
- Rear Brake Hose replaced.
Air Conditioning and Heating
- A/C System Diagnosis: Diagnosed and repaired.
- A/C Components: Installed compressor manifold fitting, various hose ends (#6, #8, #10, 45/90-degree, beadlock, R134a port), seal kits, orifice tube, receiver drier, flush, and retrofit kit.
- Blower Motor Switch: Cleaned with electrical contact spray to address cycling issues.
Engine
- Oil and Filters: Installed 5W-30 and 10W-30 engine oil, engine oil additive, oil filter, and air filter.
- Belts: Installed accessory drive belts, alternator belt, and additional belts.
- Oil Leak Diagnosis: Identified and resolved oil leaks.
Exhaust
- Tail Pipe and Exhaust Pipes: Corrected tail pipe interference; installed new tail pipe and front exhaust pipe sections.
Sheet Metal and Fabrication
- Floor Pan Patches: Tested, fitted, and installed right-hand (RH) and left-hand (LH) front and rear floor pan patches.
- Seam Sealer: Applied bare metal seam sealer.
- Passenger Rear Footwell: Repaired.
Body and Interior
- Rear Bumper: Restored and cleaned used rear bumper.
- Shifter: Cleaned and reinstalled shifter.
Suspension
- Front Shocks replaced.
Wiring and Electronics
- License Plate Light: Diagnosed and repaired.
Fuel System
- In-Line Fuel Filter: Replaced.
Transmission
- Front Pump Input Seal: Replaced.
The Reveal
The best part of this story is how the customer’s son staged a suprise reveal for his Dad at the 30th anniversary of the family’s business, an IGA Grocery Store in Red Bud, IL. They had a huge party to thank their staff, customers, vendors, and the community for their support of the store over the years. The big surprise came after the ceremony when the son presented his Dad with the keys to the freshly updated Regal, and it was a magic moment! We were so happy for the family to be able to reconnect their Dad to some of the best times of his life through his prized Buick… and that’s the V8 Speed and Resto Shop mission statement in action!
The 1977 Buick Regal story as told in the V8 Radio Podcast, click to listen!
1977 Buick Regal S/R Update Photos
Contact the V8 Speed & Resto Shop with all your Classic or Muscle Car needs today!
817 S. MAIN STREET – RED BUD, IL 62278
