newbie 73 buick century wagon

Hi all
My name is boye and i life in Holland.
A year ago i bought this buick but now the engine is given me problems.
I am planning to swap a chevy tbi 350 and a 700r4 in it. Ill hope the buick guys wont hang me for this  
The rest of the wagon is not an award winning car but i gonna restore it.
I just found out of this forum because i saw a clip on YouTube of holley 1974 chevelle wagon. And then i search the web and found this forum.
I like the stance of that wagon!

Mine is not gonna be restored to be perfect just a nice color en some wheels it wont be a shiny  paint job.
Hope to find the info ill need here and also the parts the wagon needs because some parts you cant find in Holland.



Greetings
Boye

Welcome to the site. Good luck with your restoration, looks like a great project.

Welcome.

Welcome

Glad to have you here, Boye. Thats a nice wagon, but I bet it's a gas hog. JB

Welcome! You have a nice ride there! They are unusual to find in the states, let alone over there! I bet it gets a lot of looks! Great find!

Welcome!

Thanks guys for the welcome.

JB what do you mean with its a gas hog?

Here its turns allot of heads but thats more because of the color and its not a shinny car.
Here in Holland we have also meetings i will put a link of the website where you guys can see the pictures of the cars that drive here.

How do you call those struts or .... to hold the tailgate open? And do you now where i can find them?

You might search the web for auto parts stores, Like Advance Auto Parts, Rock Auto.com, or even some restoration sites listed on this site. All the stores listed above provide shipping, and are mainly replacement parts.

gas hog = stopping at gas staion after gas station because you cant keep your foot out of the gas pedal. 

 gas hog = rarely does it ever get good gas millage. 

welcome aboard.

Yep than its for sure its a gas hog! 
But it wont burn the tires because it dont have much power in it.
I think its an engine from the 80's and i have some kind of rear axle it will do 2 tracks on the gras not 1.

73 century wagon?.... Cool! 

Sounds like a posi and would say it is because of the little tag on it

Hey Boye - cool wagon!

Dont be so quick to give up on what I assume is a Buick 350 in that car - set up correctly, it can be pretty fuel efficient (relatively). There's a whole group dedicated to making those engines those engines RUN - they hang out here:

http://www.v8buick.com/forumdisplay.php?8-Small-Block-Tech

And if the car has a TH400 transimssion in it, I wouldnt be so quiick to get rid of that either - if you're not driving 140 kph all the time, you'll find it has better gear spacing than a 700R4. (my opinion only!) If you need the overdrive, a Gear Vendor's "Laycock" unit will bolt right on the tail of a TH400, and is MUCH stronger....


I agree with Sam - the 8.5 is a great axle and it's likely a limited slip rear which is good, but it's also likely a 2 series gear, which is kinda bad. You'll want a 3 series gear to make that car move.. 3.23 or 3.42 gears are my personal favorites and someone on this forum ought to be able to find you a set. With an OD unit installed you can go to a 3.73 or 3.90 gear and really make that car jump...

You might have to find the gate support rods in a US salvage yard  - I csant recall, but I think those were not gas filled, but rather a collapsing tube containing a spring, and those wont be reroduced by the aftermarket like the gas supports. Shouldnt be too hard a task, and I can help if you need some contact #'s for yards likely to have a G3 wagon.

I'm partial to Buicks, and the 73's are a personal favorite....Good luck and post your progress!

Rhett

Nice ride. I like the flat black paint.

thanks rhett for the info
its a buick 350 but when i drive it on the highway (70mph)it is making a high tikking sound and the engine got no power left in it.  the previous owner did an engine swap i believe its an 80`s engine.
the transmission is th350.
i already have an engine and trans i think its an 4l60 not the e.
out of my chevy g20 van from 1992.
the price of the parts in the us are better then on the other site of the pond because the shipping is real exspensive.
2 months ago i ordered at rock auto set sparkplugs + cable set, oil filter, airfilter its cost me almost 110 dollars to ship it to my country.
how can you see if the axle is a 2 or 3 gear?


and driveit its not totaly black but thanks

On the right hand axle tube of your rear end, on the front side about half way between the pumpkin and the backing plate, you will find a number stamped into the axle tube. You will have to sand or steel wool the rust off to find it. Do not use rough sandpaper. Post that number here and we can give you a lot of info about your rear end. JB

Thanks jb
This is what i found

Hmmm...is that "XC?P?34" ? I can't make it out from the photo.

i think the numbers are upside down because the right side of the foto is the down side. does it make any sense?

i think it is xc p 143

You have a 3.08 to 1 ratio gear set, which is a GREAT all around ratio, and it is a Pontiac rear end. JB