(Image/Autokraft Race Cars and Restorations)
Jason Line, a three-time NHRA Pro Stock champion, unveiled a freshly restored and rare 1970 Buick Gran Sport 455 convertible at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Rosemont, IL earlier this month.
He bought the car on eBay about four years ago and put it through a major restoration via the automotive magicians at Eau Claire, WI-based Autokraft Race Cars and Restorations.
You might have read about it here.
The Buick is one of only 126 4-speed convertibles produced in 1970, and Line’s car is the only one ever made in Stratomist Blue, which is the same color as a the 1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 Stock Eliminator car he also owns and competes with when he’s not piloting his blue Summit Racing Pro Stock Chevy Camaro at an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event.
“This is a very rare car, and you’re not going to find another one like it,” Line said, previously. “It doesn’t have air conditioning—instead it has good ‘ol crank windows, a basic radio, a 3.64-geared, Buick-specific 10-bolt rear axle with positraction, and manual front disc brakes.”
The newly restored Buick scored 999 out of a possible 1,000 points in judging, earning a Concourse Gold Award as well as the Outstanding First Time Show Buick award.
We got our hands on some photos of Line’s car from the gang at Autokraft, and wanted to share. We hope you like them as much as we do.
Anyway. It’s awesome. You want one. Us too. Sigh.
Let’s look at Line’s to tide us over.
(All images courtesy of Autokraft)
1970 Cad Eldo made 550 lb-ft torque.
True story. The Hemmings piece acknowledged that this way:
“Consider this: In the muscle car vernacular, Buick’s 455 stood as the most powerful domestic engine in terms of torque output for the next 22 years, bested only when Dodge introduced the Viper in 1992 (not forgetting Cadillac’s 500-cu.in. V-8 that, in 1970, wrung out 550-lb.ft. of torque; however the engine was never intended to circulate in the same supercar circles as the 455).”
Thanks for sharing the images. Amazing restoration for an amazing car. Wonder if there would be a market for these cars if someone was to put them back into production! Cars these days are like a video game console!
1970 stage 1 cars came with chrome valve covers!!!!!
John…. It’s not a Stage 1 car and the article does NOT say it is. It does mention his Stage 1 Stocker drag car. Maybe that’s where you got confused?
The chrome valve covers was a cosmetic thing lets go to the inside of the engine the heads were different on a stage 1 you could barely put a pencil point in between the valves on stage 1 heads .The stage 2 option was backed by kenne-bell and they had round exhaust port heads with a kenne-bell cam and could not be ran with a mufflers exhaust system the casting for st2 heads went bad bell tried to reproduce them but failed and then he designed the stage 3 heads kenne bell put buick in the nhra and then came the GN……
It’s not a Stage 1 car, it is a GS455. Not ripping on the car, just stating a fact.
A classic and a fantastic restoration.
I owned a 1970 GS 455, but unless I ran “cheater slicks” I blew the G 60 Polyglass GT’s off every time I tried to launch! I loved that car at 16yrs. of age! It had Chrome Valve Covers and a Dealer installed 1000CFM thermoquad, Isky Cam and Factory Headers! The Stage II Dealer installed Heads were not there, and after begging my Dealer he reported they were no longer available! The Car was a Jet and I miss it terribly. Yes I said Stage II!
[…] one year after restoring a rare Buick GS 455 owned by NHRA Pro Stock driver Jason Line which earned a score of 999 out of a possible 1,000 points from the judges at the Corvette and […]
Where are the Block Engine VIN located on a 1970 GSX Stage1?
I have a regular GS 455 and the last 5 of the vin are stamped between the first and second spark plug location on the block
[…] Download Image More @ http://www.onallcylinders.com […]