1968 Buick Skylark GS 400

[Web Police]

This post is for Nandos Benefit. I didn't want to take the time to scan a bunch of photos so I took my handy point and shoot and held photo album in one hand and camera in other.

Subject is a friends 1968 Buick GS with a 400 cubic inch engine with custome built dual turbos running on Natural Gas. Thes images were taken in Rock Falls Wisconsin at there drag track in 1985? Could be 86 my memory fails me. That is me leaning on the car in the second image.

 

[laatsch55]

Turbos would probably be half that size today....bad ass car...and a young skinny Webby....

 

[Web Police]

Turbos would probably be half that size today....bad ass car...and a young skinny Webby....

Yep on both accounts. 30 years will sneak up on you like a 20 ton pump jack.

 

[laatsch55]

Amen John....they have...

 

[Elite-ist]

Thanks for going to the trouble to do that, John. Talk about something different. In the 80's that would have even taken the Buick GS crowd by surprise. I've been a member of the Buick GS Club of America since 1982, and it's possible in one of the issues of the club's bi-monthly newsletter "The GSXtra" your buddy's car might have been spoken about. Of course, I've kept every issue for the past 32 years.

If you remember his name would you PM it to me?

Nando.

 

[Web Police]

At the time Turbos were not that popular and of course other then a factory setup no one made a setup for a Buick let alone a 15 year old car. He designed the specs himself and bought parts and had reliable machine shops fabricate other parts such as the exhaust manifolds. He had a 38 gallon propane tank strapped into the trunk so there wasn't room for anything else in the trunk.

These were the old days and we drove the car to the race track each time with the slicks in the back seat of course. 100 miles to the track and eight or ten runs later we would head the 100 miles home anfd stop by the RV center to refill the propane tank. He had a fill nipple mounted behind the rear bumper that you copuld hook the hose up to, just like you refill your barbeque propane tank. And since it was propane they didn't charge you and of the taxes that are levied on gasoline.

 

[Northwinds]

Very cool setup and car!!! Thanks for sharing Webby!

 

[derek92994]

I have never heard of the car before, but great pics and a good read. Thanks for the post and pics =).

 

[Elite-ist]

I should have picked up on that, but it is 1968 Buick GS. There were a number of differences in appearance between the '68 and '69 Skylark GS models.

Nando.

 

[JustMike]

I should have picked up on that, but it is 1968 Buick GS. There were a number of differences in appearance between the '68 and '69 Skylark GS models.

Nando.

I thought you would pick up on that Nando. The 1969 had a much different induction hood also, more in the center I recall.
The side fender badges was a dead give a way for a 1968. I can remember looking to my left from my 64 Goat and
seeing one next to me at the track.
Web, do you remember any 1/4 mile track times for that car? I wonder how much quicker it was then a stocker.

 

[Web Police]

Beautiful car your buddy had their Web. Is the car still around?
Its actually a 1968 I believe which had the cowl scoop and the grille is lacking the divider that the 1969 had.
I remember these beasts quite well. Even it stock form they were pretty darn quick at the track.

You are correct it was a 68, been so long I didn't remember but in the interior shot the keys were on the dash and not steering column. He had it for about ten years and then sold it to his Sisters BF. Not sure what happened to it after that.

 

[Web Police]

I thought you would pick up on that Nando. The 1969 had a much different induction hood also, more in the center I recall.
The side fender badges was a dead give a way for a 1968. I can remember looking to my left from my 64 Goat and
seeing one next to me at the track.
Web, do you remember any 1/4 mile track times for that car? I wonder how much quicker it was then a stocker.

It was his daily driver so he didn't really push the turbos too far. I don't think he ever set it up totally for the track but it ran mid to upper 12's in the best runs. I think the a stock GS400 would run 14's? I don't really know. I think he rebuilt the engine with about 7.0 compression, I don't recall what he set the waste gates at though.

 

[Web Police]

Cool stuff Webby. Anytime you can break into the mid 12's, you are doing some moving down the track!
Thanks buddy.

Yeah in one of the images he had 13.20 on the back window, but I do remember many runs under 13 too. You have to remember he drove the car to the track and then back home so I think the rear end ratios was either 3:42 or 3:64?

Looks like stock the 68 GS400 ran 0-60 in 6.8 sec, 1/4 mile in 15.2 sec @ 92 mph. so I guess he shaved about 2.5 seconds off of that.