Volume 12Issue 2Summer 2006Chapter of the Gran Sport Club of America; 625 Pine Point Circle; Valdosta, GA 31602912-244-0577
Steve Russo’s 1971 GSX Clone
Volume 12Issue 1Winter 2006CHICAGOLAND’S FAST TIMESPage 1
Steve Russo’s first Buick experience was with a 1967 GS 400 convertible that his father purchased in 1984. While restoring the car Steve thought the Buick was pretty, so a couple of years later purchased a 1970 GS 350 with 38,000 miles. Anybody that knows Steve also knows that he painted the car before driving it. Since that time Steve estimates that he has owned between 35 and 40 Buick automobiles. His current stable includes: a red 1970 Stage 1 hardtop, a silver/black 1970 Stage 1 – 4 speed convertible, a silver 1970 GS 455 without a motor, a yellow 1970 GSX Stage 1, a 1972 Skylark with a clean body and a dark blue 1985 T-Type with blue interior.
Steve maintains his allegiance to Buick for a number of reasons, including the incredible power capabilities, the Buick owners he has met, and the desire to drive a car many folks have no clue as to who made it and when. In 1995 Steve was co-founder of the resurrected local GS Chapter that was barely active. The official turn over of “the list” and the first meeting in December 1995 resulted. With Steve now living in the land of huge garages, far west of Chicagoland, we can only hope to see him at an occasional event.
Steve’s 1972 Buick started out as a Stratomist Skylark with a black vinyl top and a blue interior. After seeing a Blue GSX at the GS Nationals, Steve collected the hood tachometer, front spoiler, rear spoiler, black bucket seat interior and other parts to clone his Skylark after the 1971 model. Originally this car was built with a Buick 350 four barrel. After driving for awhile he upgraded the car with an AMP engine, turbo 400 transmission with a Coan 11 inch 2800 stall torque converter, a 12 bolt differential with 3.42 gears and rear disk brakes.
The Automotive Machine and Performance engine Steve chose was just not an ordinary Buick 455. It was the 2003 Hot Rod Engine Masters entry built by AMP that made the world stand up and notice
Continued on Page 3
Volume 12Issue 1Winter 2006CHICAGOLAND’S FAST TIMESPage 1
Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the GS Club of America, the Chicagoland Chapter of the GSCA, or any of the officers of these automotive enthusiast clubs.Chapter Volunteers / Member’s Change of Address
Chicagoland members who move are requested to notify our membership chairman before the next newsletter mailing. We do not want you to miss a single edition of your newsletter. Please notify us of e-mail address changes as soon as you change providers.
Membership Renewal
Please check the label on your newsletter. If your membership is up in June, this will be your second to last newsletter. Obtain an application from the website or past issue, and mail to 4010 Raymond Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513, along with a check for $20 made out to “CCGSCA.” Please don’t let your membership lapse!
Volunteers for the Chapter
Contact Bob Nunes if you are interested in helping our Chapter continue our pursuit of Buick Motorsport activities for our members. It is very important to have fresh ideas introduced into the operation of the Club. Plus we need help to distribute the work so no volunteers get burned out. The tasks are easy generally fun and you will always have plenty of help.
Upcoming Events
June 10Drive in night – Cascade Drive InJune 15 BOP Night at the Crystal Lake Cruise nights.
June 17GSCA Picnic – River Grove Moose
June 18CCGSCA Race Series at Byron Dragway
Jun 28-Jul 1 Buick Horsepower Nationals - Indianapolis, IN
July 4Annual 4th of July Car Show – Woodridge, IL
July 9CCGSCA Race Series at Byron Dragway
July 12-16 BCA Nationals – Rochester, MN
Aug 5Loren Car Show – Glenview, IL
Aug 10–12 BPG Nationals at Salem, OH
Aug 168 to 8 Cigar Shop Cruise
Aug 19Dukes cruise night at Dukes
Aug 27CCGSCA Race Series at Byron Dragway
Sept 8–10 MidWest Buick Challenge – Morocco, IN
Oct 1Marquardt Car Show – Barrington, IL
Oct 7BOP Race Cordova, IL
Oct 14Fall Dyno Session at Als’ in Joliet
Oct 22CCGSCA Race Series at Byron Dragway
Director / Loyd Bonecutter / 708-485-8477
Co-Director / / Steve Russo / 815-795-4737
Gran Sport /
Co-Director / / Mark Holda / 708-466-8931
Turbo Regal /
Activities / Paul Brelie / 708-452-8225
Race Chairman
Treasurer / Bill Grupp
Secretary / Barb Holda / 708-243-7280
Membership / Shari Bonecutter / 708-485-8477
Graphic Artist / Paul Vilser / 815-758-6591
Publisher / Paul Brelie / 708-452-8225
Advertising / Beth Andrews / 847-845-7342
4th of July Show / Frank Jackowiak / 630-430-2487
Midwest Challenge / Bernie Rekus / 660-668-4480
Cruise Chairman / Chris Gatch / 773-776-4794
Volunteers / Bob Nunes / 847-455-7796
Rich George / 630-551-3120
Jason Stasiak / 815-442-3263
Membership Policy & Dues
The Chicagoland Chapter of the Buick GSCA is open to all Buick enthusiasts and owners of Buick powered cars. Membership is $20 per year, and includes a quarterly newsletter and much more. Apply online at the chapter web site or send dues with check made out to CCGSCA with membership form to:Shari Bonecutter – Membership Chairman
Chicagoland Chapter GSCA
4010 Raymond Avenue
Brookfield, IL 60513-1846
Chapter Web Page
Volume 12Issue 1Winter 2006CHICAGOLAND’S FAST TIMESPage 1
Continued from Page 1
Buick power. Originally a Buick 455 this engine has 469 cubic inch displacement topped with TA Stage 1 aluminum heads that were ported by David Wink. For the engine masters it had an SP-1 intake with a dominator and headers producing 631 HP on pump gas.
For installation in his street machine Steve has changed the intake to an Edelbrock B4B to fit under the GS hood, an 800 cfm Quadrajet carburetor, and ported stock exhaust manifolds. In this form the engine still produces 550 HP and 550 ft. lbs. of torque. This is one fine example of Driving Fast with Class. Thanks Steve for all you have done for the club. One final picture of his car.
Volume 12Issue 1Winter 2006CHICAGOLAND’S FAST TIMESPage 1
Need some Buick parts to complete your latest upgrade or have some parts to sell, please contact Beth Andrews to place an ad in our next newsletter.
Volume 12Issue 1Winter 2006CHICAGOLAND’S FAST TIMESPage 1
Director’s GarageLoyd Bonecutter
The lateness of this newsletter is entirely my fault. The GS Nationals were exceptionally great, but preparing for the weeklong event between last minute repairs to our cars and the thing that pays the bills called a job, got very busy before and after the week off. Hopefully this is in your hands only a week late.
Excitement hit me when turning from our side street onto the highway, with the GN loaded behind the Rainer going to the Samantha Rix Memorial Race. The busy summer season had at long last arrived. After a long mild winter, we have arrived at the season of fun. There is almost too much to do, which is perfect. Our winter and spring meetings were great, but there is nothing like taking the cars of summer to places, to demonstrate the power and beauty of Buick. Please take advantage of the Buick Motorsport opportunities that our volunteers work so hard to arrange. The mission of our Chapter is to provide activities to drive our Buicks to and meet other owners.
What can I say, the GS Nationals remains our favorite event of the year. We absolutely have a blast down there. The weather was absolutely perfect. The car show was down which helped our judges make record time, while retaining high standards in evaluating the cars. We have Chris Gatch for guiding us through the Show. The quality of the cars in the show was absolutely incredible. The pits were absolutely full beyond the timing shack again this year by Saturday. Definitely the racers are still there for all to enjoy. The vendors and swappers were down, but fuel costs and E-Bay as well as high expectations from the 25th annual event, probably had a lot to play.
Shari and I went to our first Buick Race day that the Michigan and Penn-Ohio chapter put on in Norwalk, Ohio on June 1st through 4th. All I can say it is a must event to add to your list of places to go. John Stevens summed it up, “as an event similar to the GS Nationals like it was in the late 80s early 90s when life overall was simpler and the event was smaller”.
Samantha Rix Memorial Race results:
Bracket 1: Rich Fitzmaurice in his Gold GSX edged out Katie Fisher in a Black GS.
Bracket 2: Joe Garcia in his 87 GN beat Steve Else in his TTA.
Bracket 3: Dana Andrews in his 87 GN finished first against Dana Butt in her 87 Turbo Regal.
The winner of the beautiful silver GS model donated by Tom Rix was Rich George for the quickest reaction time.
I’m very hopeful the fate of the Western New York Chapter does not fall upon Chicagoland Chapter. The former officers at Norwalk expressed sadly the fate of their club. All organizations face the lack of fresh volunteers to assume duties of officers who have fulfilled their obligations to the Club. After awhile we all have to move on and hopefully there will be others to take over the reigns. We have a great group of individuals so please help wherever you can.
MaxBoost!Tom Shea Racing
Advice for fellow TR owners
E-Mail,
Economy
One of the harsh realities of life is that economy is always an issue. It would be unwise to think that our toys should fall outside of this consideration. With this in mind, here are a few thoughts that might be useful.
A conservative approach to just about anything is generally the safest way to go.
Our thinking should include the 2 basic things that all budgets look at. Time & Money.
Time can be thought of in several ways.
Off- season time lost is not much of a consideration since the toy would have been stored anyway.
Time that you spend working on your toy has a value in comparison to paying someone else to do the job. This can be an important issue. We all have our levels of comfort when it comes to what we will attempt. Some things are best left to the well equipped.
Money can be looked at in different ways as well, such as the above-mentioned value of your time as opposed to paying someone else. Giving this a little further thought, it might not be a bad idea to look ahead far enough to plan for the possibility of “IF” you find yourself in the midst of a project that you would prefer someone else to finish.
This is a consideration only if there is someone qualified who is willing to take on a basket case. At the very least the person who is faced with this possibility should do is project a little further and answer these few questions first.
1.How much down time since the qualified technician may not be immediately available.
2.Will there be a disadvantage to the technician if they didn’t have the opportunity to inspect on teardown?
3.How will the vehicle be transported between your location and the new shop? If it’s not drivable, will it be roll able and or tow able?
Having the ability to do your own work is a big plus. Most have some ability. Don’t allow yourself to become overly optimistic about your ability to take on projects. Being realistic can actually save in the long run. Don’t feel bad about acknowledging your comfort level or limits. There are many constraints such as your available time and the required equipment that have to be considered.
When planning projects, having an idea of the cost consideration in both Time & Money in advance is a good idea.
Project planning should include a realistic idea of the” evolution” of your toy. Specifically the major changes. This “Evolution” may occur over several seasons. The process never really comes to an end even with the most ideal set ups. There will always be something.
Take care, to visualize the toy you want to end up with. Be realistic. Don’t allow yourself the expensive luxury of projecting too casually at this point. All of your planning and therefore your cost effectiveness will depend on how accurate this first step is. Don’t assume that your toy will ever be done. It’s likely that there will always be something that you will want to be doing with it for as long as you own it.
Cost effective planning is how smart people get more bang for the buck. Avoiding over or under building will be the best way to do this. Having a realistic idea of what you want to end with, both in the short and long term is essential. The better you are at this planning stage, the better your intermediate and end results will be.
There should be a comprehensive plan for getting the most enjoyment from your time and money spent as you progress. Doing things in a well planned manner will allow this to be maximized.
There are some upgrades that can be planned for a later stage and some that need to be addressed sooner. Doing things in the proper order will allow you to get the most “smiles per dollar” out of each step.
There are times that going in incrementally smaller steps can’t be avoided. There are sources for used parts. The price difference can be substantial for previously used parts. This should be considered when opting for intermediate upgrades, since you may eventually sell these parts.
Things to keep in mind.
Try to think in broad terms when choosing upgrades. Make sure that component compatibility is considered. Try to avoid making several small steps if you can accomplish the results in one step without compatibility issues. Good examples of this are fuel system upgrades. Injectors and pumps can be upgraded from stock to a very increased level without the cost of several smaller incremental changes.
Tire and wheel packages. If you race your car as most of us do. You will want a pair of tires on wheels to use for this. You have many options prior to buying. Once you decide you are committed to that wheel style since there may be more than one additional pair of wheels & tires for different applications. The cost of these will add up quick. Just one pair of racing tires on wheels can mean matching the 4 on the car or not. This is a definite consideration. Sometimes a pair or whole set of 4 can be purchased used from various sources.
There is a formula or recipe for the basics that every one of our toys should have as a starting point. The cost of this can be substantial if the general condition of the car needs to be improved prior to upgrading. This starting point is therefore part of the initial cost of the car. Sometimes an inexpensive car may need quite a bit of preliminary work.
Some of us may be lucky enough to have purchased our toy from an enthusiast that had the basic general condition good as well as some good quality upgrades done properly.
Being a member of a club has it’s benefits. Two big ones are the advice and the parts. There are many sources for parts both new and used. There are some that are better than others. There are some that should be done in the proper sequence. The greater benefit of club membership is the aforementioned advice. Be careful when considering advice. There are those who have their own agenda. Sometimes this can be innocent but incorrect advice. This can be based on assumptions and empirical evidence. Others may be more sinister and devious. Consider the source and the motivation prior to taking advice seriously.
There are some among us that have been known to say “IF I had all the 1/10ths that I bought and paid for I would have a fast car! These people are not kidding. Be careful with your resources. Unless you have a great deal of disposable wealth, you will run out of money prior to running out of things to spend it on!
Volume 12Issue 1Winter 2006CHICAGOLAND’S FAST TIMESPage 1
The BCA Woody all Buick Show in June – has been cancelled.
Volume 12Issue 1Winter 2006CHICAGOLAND’S FAST TIMESPage 1
Membership ScribblingShari Bonecutter
Hey, Everyone! I think summer may be here – well, almost. You know Chicago weather…
So we’re just a few days back from our trip to Bowling Green. What a great time that was! The weather held off for the most part, just some rain on Tuesday, some sprinkles one afternoon and a storm on Friday night. The temps stayed pretty moderate, and the cars loved it. The car show count was down a little – I’m afraid that between the weather forcast and gas prices some folks got scared off. I think some owners of some of the GS’s might not want to take them this far, anymore, either. But the ones that were there were great! Lots of race cars, and some pretty quick times. We made some new friends, and connected with some of our out-of-state friends, too. I was glad to see some of our Peoria club members there in force. We’ve sold out of our tee-shirts, except for some 3X’s, I think. The booth ran very smoothly, and this would not have happened without Barb Holda, Paul and Linda Brelie (Rocky, too), and Beth and Dana Andrews. You guys are the bestest!