1970 Stage 1 GS Page 1

Our current project is a 1970 Buick GS Stage 1
that will be built for the street as well as the strip.
Motor Trend Magazine tested these cars back in 1970
and back then they ran a 13.38 @ 105 MPH.
That quarter mile time placed the 1970 Stage 1 GS as one
of the quickest American Production cars ever built. (See List Below)
A couple guys have actually built these cars to run
10 Second quarter mile times in "Stock Appearing" trim.
Stock Appearing simply means the car will look like it did the
day it rolled off the showroom floor. This car will be built using those
same guidelines. No aftermarkets parts will be visible
in the engine bay or the interior. Ours will even be running the
Factory Quadrajet Carburator and Cast Iron Exhaust Manifolds!
Stay tuned. It should be fun!

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The list above is an exert from Car Review Magazine that was published back in 1984.
It was compiled from car magazines during the 60's & 70's that tested these cars to see what they would run at the dragstrip.

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The shell shown here at Autokraft Racecars & Restorations.
The entire car was stripped down and media blasted prior to fresh paint.
Every part & piece was evaluated weight wise before being re-installed.
If it could be lightened, it was!

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A rust free Shell was located for this project.
Picture above shows the bottom of the shell after being media blasted.

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Also visible in this picture are the 6 holes that were cut allowing the
Roll Cage to mount directly to the Frame rather than the floor pan.

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The Cro Moly Roll Cage was fitted but will not be welded in until the body is
placed back on the frame. We chose Cro Moly Tubing for its strength and light weight.

Above Photo shows the Pads that Autokraft fabbed up to mount the Roll Cage to.

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Picture above shows a Cro Moly Crossmember.
This will replace the heavy factory unit to help save some weight
and allow for easier installation and removal of the Transmission.

This photo shows the custom made motor mounts.
These mounts are lighter than the factory mounts and
allowed us to move the motor back a bit more for better
60 ft times. The engine mounts are also custom and utilize
polyurethane rather than rubber like the factory ones.

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Picture above shows a Cro Moly Drive Shaft Loop
being fitted prior to the body coming off the frame.

This photo shows the bottom half of the driveshaft loop removed.
It simply unbolts for easy installation and removal of the Drive Shaft.

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Front & Rear Aluminum Bumper Brackets were made to help reduce overall weight.
Factory Bracket is shown at top, Aluminum version is shown at bottom.
These are the same brackets we had fabbed up for our GSX Resto Mod.

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Picture above shows the Cro Moly anti roll kit that was installed.
This kit will help the car launch nice and straight which greatly improves 60 ft times.
This kit also helps stiffen the rear portion of the frame.

This photo shows the arms hanging down prior to welding to the rear end housing.
This kit can be unhooked within a minute if racing at an event that doesn't allow traction aids.

Another shot of the Anti Roll Kit. The addition of this kit will really improve overall
traction and also stiffen the chassis.

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A 12 Bolt Rear End was purchased from Moser Enterprises.
These cars came with a 10 Bolt from the Factory but for strength purposes
they're usually replaced by 12 Bolt units.

The factory control arms were blasted and beefed up prior to powder coating.
We chose to utilize these simply because they're "Stock" and even after beefing them up
they're lighter than the aftermarket pieces. Polyurethane bushings will also be installed.

Autokraft re-welded key areas on the factory frame to help strengthen it some more.
The Rear Control Arm Mounts are shown here.