Turning A 1978 Buick Century Wagon Into The Ultimate Sleeper - Horsepower S16, E1

[@jamesparker6017]

Coral Gables 🌴🇺🇸 Hehe First car I remember was my Dad's 1948 DESOTO station wagon. Love wagons 👍 🏄

[@Ecosse57]

glad to see attention given to strengthening the frame. too often overlooked.

[@MerlinOpeth]

Beautiful,can't wait till my wagon is done

[@brianrocco4301]

You can tell this is an old episode because they reference the G body as being cheap! 😆

[@ronniecox109]

I have an 81 malibu classic wagon, 427 dart block, afr heads, forged balanced small block. Similar mods to frame , and rear suspension. Sway bars ,and such. 4.30 gear, very respectable numbers for a daily driver.

[@KRAZZYMF]

The looks of the rims and tires alone would be a dead giveaway, it's a sleeper.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

LOL !!! ... It was a total poseur to start with... mag wheels and V6...

[@badledgend1172]

I get the feeling the show producers don't go on the internet much 😂

[@BuzzLOLOL]

@@badledgend1172 - This episode may be 10 years old like most are...

[@Nikko780]

Showing off the sponsors ugly wheels is more important than it actually being a sleeper. Some widened 17" steelies would have been much better.

[@MacsSpecialitiesMotorsports]

I love the steering rack install and the beefin' up the rear subframe! Game changer mods!

[@Timmy6216]

I would love to know an itemized parts list for all of these builds they do and something that has the amount of time approximate that they have into it because some of the stuff look the stuff looks like it's unobtainable to the normal man, Who is not loaded down like a production TV hot rod show

[@Fljeff7]

Parents had the same car in Green with tan interior. Just a 3.8 v6 car . My first car was a 80 Buick Century 4dr. I ended up with a Olds 350 v8 with the regular common mods. Thanks for posting

[@dirtyglovekennels616]

I had a 79 century, the baby blue factory paint job with look like it had glitter in it ...when I wax that thing, it looked so good on those Cragers.

[@frankbonura5710]

The Last full frame cars GM made were the B, C, D chassis or the 1996 Chevy Caprice, 1996 Buick Roadmaster, and the 1996 Caddy Fleetwood Brougham. A 1978 G-body is not even close.

[@MrAsh403]

Yes, I think Mike forgot an important word. Mid-sized.

[@frankbonura5710]

@@MrAsh403 I agree 100%.

[@Thevacomaticvacuumcorner]

@@MrAsh403 true

[@froglobster]

I had a 69 Townsman. 327 2bbl put on a 4bbl headers and Vette rally’s . Snake Hill on rain slick road ended that car tumbled down rocks and banged big trees til bottom. No seatbelt on a little dizzy. Saved the block and wheels for another! Next was a LeMans sport wagon 350. Very cool body!

[@brianwatson3705]

Oh how great it'd be to have everything given to you from show sponsors

[@horizonsky9269]

Oh man love this wagon you should put a Grand national front end

[@ianhylton1974]

I love your work on renewing and remodeling those old cars love to see a video on updating Chevrolet cars from the 1990s early 2000s maybe a Chevy Malibu or impala from those years

[@HeadFlowInc]

A Pontiac 461 definitely doesn’t need 4.56 gears especially when you add boost. Look for a gear swap down to a 3.00-3.50 very shortly.

[@leftventricle3]

For sure. With the tire size available without tubbing, 3.23 would be plenty.

[@jimcharlton7869]

A spool rear axle on the street? Not for me...

[@bmstylee]

@@jimcharlton7869 I was curious about that choice as well.

[@RTDragonCommando]

All those handling upgrades that'd make it great in the corners, and then they put a spool in it... Seriously, a good limited slip will take the torque and perform way better!

[@Sak-zo1ui]

To add on to that if all the hardware was stainless that would be awesome.

[@regsmith7604]

Never 👎🏽 seen Mike do so much work, and on the lead too. You guys are learning him well Joe and Pat

[@austinpotts3851]

this is amazing. i love a good wagon build

[@trakyboy5128]

Finally something COOL 😎

[@holdingcopsaccountable6554]

I like the century. I have a 1988 Buick century with 24 thousand original miles. Perfectly clean inside. Outside needs paint job. Bought from just donated action on eBay.

[@keithrussell2307]

My friend a-body on Facebook has a bunch of them I have a 95 century sedan

[@JohnW1711stock]

I race an 84 Cutlass. This Buick is turning into a beast. Nice work.

[@lsamaligod9744]

installed the same TRZ Motorsports rack & pinion on my 78 Malibu coupe which now the steering turns on a dime with only a pinky finger 👌🏼✅

[@timothydeyoung5653]

What a great idea for a sleeper, chevy and ford owners jaws would drop!

[@randallcouch7483]

Love them wagons, especially those G bodies

[@eddierools]

If that was mine, i would've made a custom panel van outta that XD

[@ruwithlee1970]

I had a 1978 Malibu wagon, With a Built 350 and th350 & 3:73 rear-end. White and black tint windows

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Very cool project!!! 👍👍👍

[@jamesbethel5170]

Yeah it's nice to see you guys do that But let be real most people don't have lift and we have to buy all the components they not give them away ,I love to see you guys do work on a car just using hand tools basic air tools and jackstands like most of us do ,oh and you buy the parts too

[@yodude6452]

So true.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Lost interest when didn't put blown Buick 455" engine in... used a Pontiac, instead...

[@davidbeattie4294]

I've owned 4 wagons including the Ford Flex I currently drive. Love'em. Huge horsepower Q-ship wagons are the best. Great episode.

[@mhammer5]

One of the coolest wagons I have seen was either a 1966 or 1967 Chevelle 2-door wagon.

[@lawrencefoster2120]

This is serious engineering made to look like you.

[@badledgend1172]

Frankly I can't tell if this is a cable TV rerun, or if the producers are 65, it looks like a show from 20 years ago. Interesting project though, interested to see where it goes

[@CrankAddict]

Good episode. Lots of fab. minimal bull.

[@dirtyglovekennels616]

Can't wait till part 2

[@Toyotarunner13]

My favorite part is when he wipes the tire, then back to wiping the rim. That new tire oil is good for aluminum 🤷‍♂️ 12:22

[@americanpatriot2.06]

And he's using an absorbent pig mat!

[@dennisnbrown]

Don’t screw it up like the last sleeper build. Keep it a sleeper and resist the urge to do what you do

[@classicstangbrn8964]

Too late, 4:56 gears, not a street car.

[@dennisnbrown]

@@classicstangbrn8964 That is a ridiculous gear

[@classicstangbrn8964]

Great gear for 1/8 th mile.

[@BattleOfBowties]

From the nose back, all these are exactly alike. Buicks, Olds and Chevy's. Gm sure liked to save money lol.

[@classicstangbrn8964]

4:56 gears and a spool, and a turbo, it will never hook up, I'll take that race.

[@aps454]

Nice to see SSBC making a comeback.

[@garymatthews1280]

Learned to drive using a 79 Malibu light blue wagon with a 267? V8. Because there were 4 kids, my father put coil over shocks in the back. It gave the car a forward rake. The transmission died twice. We nicknamed it Tank and my sister took it to college. That’s a lot of lipstick they’re using.

[@peterhaight6917]

14:04 When you can't see the bolt, close your eyes and you'll see it. Haha

[@hankycrowe9995]

when is part 2 ....waiting to see power plant for this

[@SuperNovadose]

Love the idea but not the drivetrain choice. I would keep it a buick drivetrain 1. A 455 with some head work and aftermarket crank and rods intake it would easily make 590/610 2. 231 v6 3.625 crank ported iron 8445 heads or TA aluminum, rjc girdle to keep it together JE pistons Ported stock intake precision 6766 turbo precision SLIC ,84 lb injectors racetronix fuel pump and of course alky/methanol 3inch Down pipe 2004r trans with 2800/3000 stall, 8.5 or 8.8 rear Either FAST/Holley or stock GN ECM And your running 9's getting 20mpg And sounds like your grandmothers wagon

[@a456987]

At least they didn't put a Chevy in it

[@blownaway4371]

If the front accessory assembly will fit a Buick V6, I'd love to get them!!

[@timwhite8878]

I have watch this .long time ago.

[@oi32df]

5:15 ''G bodies are the last full-frame rwd cars gm produced '', ?? well , this is as if the B platform (Caprice/Impala/Roadmaster/OldsCustomCruiser91-92) would not have lived until 1996.

[@nukesaway4806]

Love this!

[@JuanGarcia-nq1vm]

Nice video im a g body fan wat front Sway bar u using ?

[@stevemino142]

Had a 79 buick lesabre sport coupe with the 4 barrel 3.8 turbo...it was incredibly fast considering it was a big car could imagine in a smaller century or regal it would be a rocket I think they were rated 170 hp from the factory about the same as an Olds 350 from the same time

[@l.boogie2764]

You have a build sheet ? I'm sure other gbody owners would love some info.

[@OutlawAlaskan]

"If you don't, you're gonna be sorry!"

[@trucavalier]

My first car was a wagon I love them just can’t find them for a decent price anymore

[@rickuyeda4818]

Why would you use a spool instead of a locker? Nothing screams "sleeper" as steel wheels.

[@cheeseymccheese7249]

Buick seat are like sitting in clouds

[@torque-ej4nu]

Guys you are awesome but the g body wasn't the last full frame car GM produced. G body ran thru 87, the b body however (roadmaster, impala ss, caprice and their respective station wagon counterparts) ran thru 96.

[@byrontaylor9235]

I'm into station wagons and suburbans myself but I have a question I've been trying to figure out what gasket set to get for my timing chain cover and water pump gaskets there seems to be two different kinds for it for my I have a 97 GMC suburban SLE that I'm trying to find a right gasket set for and I'm trying to figure out if it's going to be the big set or the smaller set for my 5.7 that I have in my suburban and I'm just wondering if you can help me with that then decide whether I need the bigger gasket set or the smaller one

[@raystevens687]

So why not the 455 GS Buick engine unstead of the Pontiac engine.

[@jonaustin661]

That is my first car!!!!!! How can I contact these guys to buy it back!!!

[@v8trikebyers756]

How do you guys stay so clean stripping a car? I've got grease and oil on me just watching this show

[@lawrencefoster2120]

I had a 77 Z28 , the last of the bumper's,of the original designs really. They are few to.

[@firefighteruppy9121]

Being a Buick... I would have loved to see them put a TA Performance built Buick in it.

[@dw8840]

I'd rather see them drop in a stage II Buick V6 engine with turbocharger. Now that would be cool.

[@shawnwimberly9294]

Subbed!

[@leetucker5788]

i'm not sure why they're welding the u joint to the steering column. seems like it would be easy enough to just find the right size joint.

[@bubbie3533]

@12:22 Joe, those tires don't need a cleaning with that pig blanket.

[@rhuttrho88]

Yeah, if I saw that thing I'd immediately know it was a Hot Rod! You wouldn't burn me!😅😅🤣🤣🤣😂😂😁😃😉

[@w41duvernay]

Where would be the episdoe where they make the engine for this?

[@jamesmcintire3800]

I had the slant-back sedan version of this old wagon when I was 16. I took my test on that car to get my drivers license. It’s humorous to me but also very interesting at the same time to see it become a hot rod. Were all the good G-bodies taken? Lol

[@miguelcastaneda7236]

Early nova 2 wagons make good sleepers too only weigh 1700lbs

[@robertpoudrette4483]

The G body you're talking about here are not the last cars Gm had with a full perimeter frame, they were the last mid-sized GM cars with frames, the B-body Chevy Caprice, Caddy Fleetwood and Buick Roadmaster were the last ones in 1996.

[@joeschlotthauer840]

Please post when the episode originally aired...

[@skiptastic1000]

Did you phase those U-joints in the steering linkage ..?? LOL

[@holdingcopsaccountable6554]

I had a 1973 Buick century. The green hornet.

[@naturallygreen4685]

a front swaybar and a spool?

[@bmstylee]

Only way to make it better is a lifted AMC Eagle wagon. Especially the 4wd version.

[@geraldscott4302]

I have a 1972 Ford Pinto Squire Wagon with a 345 RWHP 302/4 speed. The '78 Buick Century wagon is the same as a '78 Chevy Malibu wagon, and a great choice for a hot rod build. Just don't go GHETTO with 30" REEHUUMS and no tires. 14" or 15" RWL BF Goodrich Radial T/As are a great way to go.

[@travishayes476]

How can it be a sleeper if it looks like a hotrod?

[@flcopperhead766]

Thinking I'm not right!!!

[@southtexashustler]

Man, this episode had me rolling laughing because, of them riding and then the car bottoms out ripping the sidewall off the tires… Many days of street racing at Da Pad all night and when you done beating up the car, driving back off I-10 you hear and feel the drive back home differently… Tire rub…👍🏾😂

[@12yearssober]

Always hated how the back windows wouldn’t roll down on these.

[@bigredracer7848]

475👍's up thanks for sharing

[@stevenwithanS]

Money money money. Spend spend spend. Ooooo, look at me.

[@MossTheJockey]

Sickkkk

[@mistervacation23]

Never change a fan belt with the motor running

[@donnysouthwell8104]

Wheres the rest of the video?

[@worryphree]

I had a Dodge K Wagon with a hemi in it.

[@drewdaskievige754]

Only thing ya need is a billet grill for the front nose.

[@KIMB0z567]

When is part2???

[@jasonbrown4239]

I had one if these it had a built engine and was tubed out a Lil bit I bought fir 2 grand in 94

[@flcopperhead766]

I thought the early nineties Caprice wagon was the last full frame wagon. I'm thinking you're about 10 years or so early. ( if I'm right)

[@alk3myst]

Lithium is not the best for the suspension anymore. White silicone is preferred and doesn't wash out. That said, maybe your parts had some caveats for that. To others wondering what this kind of build would cost. I am betting just the labor alone at a modest $25-50 a hour would be in the 5 figures through this part 1 alone. The parts probably deep into 5 figures.

[@nataspihsrow4076]

Where's the rest?

[@ruwithlee1970]

Those wagons were considered A/G Body

[@rustyjunkgarage1418]

5:15 not true!! They made B-body cars with full frames until 1996!

[@lawrencefoster2120]

I guess a prefab order performance frame would be twenty thousand dollars and then you would have to have it installed.

[@csj9619]

Suspension $2,500 Rear end $3,500 Brakes $1,500 Cool. Already exceeded the cost of the car and still has no engine/trans. Workin' man types like me are headed to the junkyard

[@maxhammontree3169]

What trans??

[@holdingcopsaccountable6554]

Soccer moms mini van back then.

[@lawrencefoster2120]

Wow , you put a lot in a short video time.

[@mampe4122]

4.56 gears on a mellow turbo BB? LOL.