It’s Girl Scout Cookie season once again, and one lucky cadet was driven to the local Kroger to hawk her wares in this mean machine. When I saw it in the parking lot, I had to snap some pictures.
Not only is it rust free, with good paint, it’s one of the few B-body wagons I’ve ever seen without a woodgrain applique, and in fancy Buick trim, no less. It also has nice alloy wheels which I never see on B-body wagons, with the exception of some well-equipped Electras. To see them on this rather basic LeSabre is unusual. Whoever first owned this car may very well have had it special ordered. I wonder if it has heavy-duty suspension.
With its third stop light and LeSabre model designation, this Buick Estate wagon was built between 1986 and 1989. For its final year in 1990, it was simply called an Estate wagon. By this point, all were powered by an Olds 307 V8 with 4-barrel carb. With its full 140-hp available at only 3200 rpm, this girl scout probably gets scooted along rather quickly, but quite possibly by accident.
The B-body wagons were all over the place up until the mid 1990s when most suddenly disappeared. This car, I fear, may also disappear soon. The excellent paint leads me to believe that it was very well taken care of until very recently, and the torn-off bits of trim dangling off of the car probably mean that whoever owns the car now doesn’t appreciate it.
The sight of this filthy interior confirms my suspicion: mom and/or dad is a filthy pig. They probably don’t know what they have. I would easily choose this over the Hyundai Santa Fes and Toyota RAV4s that the other scouts’ parents tool around in.
The owners of this particular car should feel even more passionately about their ride, as such a traditional, all-American car seems to perfectly expresses their cultural allegiances.
Gotta love the juxtaposition here. This was the first car I’ve photographed that prompted passersby to start conversations with me. I’m always worried that people will suspect that I’m up to no good, but in fact, the two separate people who spoke to me knew exactly what I was up to: taking pictures of a rare car. Neither of them seemed to be gearheads, which says a lot about this large wagon. Hopefully its owners begin to understand how cool their car really is and if not, I’ll trade them my Civic.
Nice! Very tasty…almost as good as thin mints 🙂
I agree….might be the only B-body I can recall seeing without woodgrain. But that might be a function of not seeing many “in the wild” over the last 10-15 years.
My grandparents had a 1985 Pontiac Parisienne Wagon in light metallic blue. No woodgrain. It was fun to compare it to my cousins’ car, which was the same car except in gold/woodgrain. Whilst my grandparents’ car was usually pristine, my cousins’ car had lollipops and other assorted detritus stuck everywhere (including the ceiling).
I primarily see the Safaris sans woodgrain. My cousins also had an ’85 Parisienne wagon, in khaki. I LOVED that car so much.
I found a 1983-84 Parisienne wagon at a credit union last year. I really need to write it up. What I really liked about it was it had the Pontiac Rally wheels. All the other Parisienne Safaris I’ve seen over the years had either the wire wheel covers (about 95%) or the stainless full wheel covers (the remaining 5%). They appeared to be original to the car I found.
I love Parisiennes, probably due to the treasurer of my Dad’s office having a light brown 1986 sedan when I was a little kid. I was smitten with that car and got to ride in it once. It probably didn’t hurt that Dad’s ’79 Bonneville sedan (metallic brown with beige vinyl roof and beige cloth) was the first car I remember!
Don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those wagons in that color before. And I like it! My parents had wagons. Some years after the Rambler wagon, there was a Reliant wagon followed by an Aries wagon. This one is a nice big boat wagon. Can’t even think of the last time I saw one of these.
What a nice looking wagon! Love these 80s B-body wagons, and the buick version is a great combo of utility and luxury. Sadly, to me this one looks like it is in the hands of owners who don’t really respect this old beast. One of the things that hurts me most is seeing older nice cars that have been probably treated well all their life subjected to thoughtless careless owners who don’t respect or know what they have. Here’s to hoping this one doesn’t become just another rusty used up wagon as well.
+1. That is one of the reasons I bought my Town Car. It was so nice, and I was pretty sure the next owner would not appreciate it like me.
It’s been slumbering in the garage since early December, except for a couple of excursions when the roads were clean and dry.
Good to hear! With that kind of treatment it sounds like you and your TC will have many years of happy motoring ahead. Currently my ’90 Brougham is also in the garage, awaiting the end of winter. Every winter I question myself why I live in New England and not somewhere where I can enjoy my car year round!
Love it even though it’s not a woody.Nobody makes wagons like the Yanks
Just an FYI, “Yank” is not necessarily a term of endearment for Americans (or at least those not living in the Northeast). We aren’t Yanks.
Sorry won’t do it again
For the record I’m American and have no problem with the word.
From what part of America?
I’m not Disco but I was born in Kentucky and now live in Indiana, and I don’t have a problem with the word “Yank” either. As always, YMMV.
Me as well. Northeasterner. And the most recent common use was one of chuminess from the Brits in WWII.
Yank on.
Outside the USA “Yank” is a common term used to describe all Americans.
Uh, doesn’t make it appropriate, lol. There are many terms some Americans use to describe other nations’ peoples, doesn’t make it right! Show me a direct link to this having a positive connotation and it’ll make it OK… until then, it’s pejorative. Anyway, some of us don’t care to be called slang words, as I’m sure other nations don’t.
Submitted for your consideration…
Thank you. There’s a big difference in the meaning and usage of “Yank” and “Yankee”.
What other inoffensive terms will be next?
“Hey Buddy!”
“How dare you!!”
Relax Gem, we all know you meant no harm. You can call me a Yank if you want 🙂
“The informal British English ‘Yank’ is especially popular among Britons and Australians and sometimes carries pejorative overtones.” – from Wikipedia. Yeah, OK, it might seem cutesy to those who didn’t know that, but to me it isn’t. I didn’t say Gem had to apologize or couldn’t use the word, but like I said, isn’t necessarily endearing.
Yank is derived from Yankee, Paul, it’s the same thing.
Some might take offense to Buddy, Tom; one should always be attentive to others. For instance, the word “ladies” when referring to a group of women is often seen as patronizing and/or condescending. Oh well, I’ll let you try that one sometime 🙂
This guy wouldn’t care.
Well, The North did win… 🙂
When the US forces were in Australia during WW2, they were nick-named Seppo – rhyming slang: septic tank = yank. It was a term of endearment (most of the time) but not one I use myself. I prefer ‘the people who designed the magnificent 71 full size Buick wagon’, or ‘tpwdtmsofsbw’ for short.
The reality is that outside of the US, that’s how Americans are often called. It shouldn’t be too hard to accept that, regardless of your personal feelings. Anyway, I suspect that this Buick actually was most likely made by “Yanks”. In which case, you’re free to exclude yourself from that group,since it didn’t refer to you, unless you too built Buick wagons. If that’s the case, than Gem will have to do penance. 😉
The origin of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is instructive here, but the passage of almost two and half centuries and defeat of the colonial power has numbed the sting…
I don’t care if someone calls us Yanks, doesn’t bother me in the slightest… and I am from the south in case you think that matters.
Plus, especially when the Brits and Aussies say it, the word just sounds so cheerful it would be hard to get mad at them for it!
Knee jerk reactions like this are why we now have to waste valuable time and money on HR departments and sensitivity training.
We are describing “Yank Tanks” if the topic of conversation involves any GM B-Body!
But on a serious note: sticks and stone may break my bones but names will never hurt me!
nyah nyah nyah 😛
Love,
RYank
Thanks! The 80s Buick Estate wagon is one of my favorite cars ever (however, I prefer the wood!). I was just recalling their gauges in the Electra post yesterday. Estates are virtually nonexistent today. An occasional Caprice woodie wagon (used for painter’s duties or something similar), but no Estate.
Ah Curbside Classic’s favorite wagon. Make mine white with the wood grain and turbines, no whitewalls. There are those round Buick gauges again but they come off better here than on the ’65.
non-power windows
I hate how messy some people keep the inside of their cars. It’s one thing if you have several small children, but more than likely it’s just a lazy person leaving fast food garbage, clothes, and other assorted junk. I can’t even leave spare change in the cupholder.
This car is a 1988-89. The chrome C-pillar trim was only used by the B-body wagon from 88-90. The reason GM did this was because instead of filling the joint between the the quarter panel and the roof, they just covered it with trim. As good as the B-bodies were, IMO GM really let the cars slid post-1985, and were just coasting on their easy profits.
I have had two non-woodgrain B-bodies, an ’84 Parisienne and a ’90 Custom Cruiser. Around here the non-woodgrains were fairly common, but the woodgrained cars were still the majority. My old Custom Cruiser was cleaner than this Buick, but got destroyed in a garage fire a few years ago.
Nice car, but I don’t see the C-pillar trim in this picture.
Any knowledge as to why GM chose the Olds 307 over a number of other engines?
Torque, probably getting rid of leftovers, couldn’t be bothered to invest in TBI for a limited run of retrograde BOF wagons (at least until the big update in 1991).
My folks had an ’83 LeSabre coupe with the 307…what a dog! Theirs had the 3-speed automatic, so it probably had a really tall rear gear.
Good eye on catching the trim. I painted the car after the original lacquer finish (one of GM’s last cars to use single stage lacquer paint) started to crack. When I did it the prep work, I removed the lower door trim and the C-pillar trim. I filled, sanded and painted the seam between the quarter. I never liked excess trim from the factory. I thought the car looked much cleaner this way.
GM used the 307 exclusively in all B-body wagons midway during the 1986 MY. Previous to this Chevs and Pontiacs used 305 Chev. This was done for several reasons. First it was to use up the left over Oldsmobile engines. Second, during this time GM was moving all b-body production to Arlington, TX. All wagons used the same body shell, so having one body shell and one engine/transmission option reduced production costs. I also think that part of it was that GM was still hesitant to put a Chev engine in a Olds/Buick after the 1977 Oldsmobile Chevy 350 fiasco. But by 1991, all B-bodies switched to Chev engines.
Owning both a 307 and 305 powered b-wagons, the 307 is definitely torquier. That said, it has such a narrow power band and is so wheezy at even mid-range RPM, the overall performance of the 305 Chev was much better. I had planned to replace my Olds 307 with a 403 (which I had on an engine stand and was also destroyed).
Thanks for the explanation. Enjoy your Poltergeistwagen.
You can see the C-pillar trim in this photo of mine.
*No B-body was harmed in the making of this picture. I unearthed mine for a quick romp in the snow, on untreated streets.*
These types of vehicles were never intended to be babied, but I agree with Perry’s assessment that the present owners may not be aware of the rarity of this vehicle, a generation after it was assembled.
Heck, these were rare birds in the late 80s!
I have seen an occasional one of these with no wood, but they all seemed to be yellow. I like this one a lot better.
Three comments:
1. I have an Olds 307 in a Buick. It is a horrible engine in my car – an ’82 Riviera. A V-8 with no guts and a thirsty appetite.
2. Needing one for my work, I frequently rented full sized station wagons from Hertz in the years of ’79 to about ’89. Of course the common one was a Ford or Mercury Panther but there were often Impalas with no wood and sometimes an Oldsmobile with no wood. All Hertz full size wagons back then were base cars, no wood and usually a durable vinyl seat covering. All were excellent rental cars for my unique purpose. I admit that I can not remember renting or ever seeing a non-woody Buick wagon of this generation.
3. Well the term “Yank” may be offensive to some Americans and I’ll deal with it for myself. But we Americans have some terms for people from other countries that will probably stir up a lot more controversy than when one calls me a “Yank” so I guess I can feel free to use those terms too since we are all supposed to just get along and not worry about it.
1. Well GM chose the Olds engine for a reason; I heard it was easiest to clean up for emissions, but then they used the SBC too.
2. Which big wagon did you like best?
The 307 in my `88 Caprice Estate has no problem keeping up in traffic, nor does it have any issue besting some small, nimbler cars in an autocross. As for gas mileage, my best so far is 21mpg. Not bad at all.
Having the 307 as a DD for a number of years I can attest to that!
I owned a couple of 307’s, and while turtle slow, I had no issues keeping up with traffic. I often cruised in the fast lane on expressways with no issue. It was kind of like a locomotive, it could hustle, it just took time to get there. My old mileage records showed a high of 24 US MPG, but more typical highway mileage was 20-21 MPG. For what it was, I was always satisfied with the fuel economy.
Good to see the 307 owners chiming in here. I have one in my ’86 Fleetwood Brougham and just love it. It’s smooth, quiet and sounds like a Cadillac engine should.
It’s torquey down low which makes pulling away from a stop effortless. ’86 had the tallest gearing ever for a Cadillac, a .67 overdrive working through a 2.73 rear end which gives 24 mpg highway. At 70 mph it’s barely off idle and you cannot hear the engine. This Buick Estate is the same in all regards.
Going up a hill with a full load is a different story. Here a small block Chevy would pull better. The 307 was designed for low end torque and has high swirl heads for that which don’t breath as well as the Chevy 305 and 350 engines. But those are less refined and feel like they’re working harder around town.
For a 307 to feel really slow usually means the carb got out of adjustment, ran rich and caused the cat to clog. Otherwise these are 13 sec. cars 0 to 60 which is about the same as a gen 1 Seville with the 350 and MPI. The 200R4 transmission is smooth as silk and has perfect gear steps. It feels tailor made for the 307’s narrow power band and helps the engine to feel responsive.
+1 307 owner. I have one in my 70K mile 82 Delta 88 and I cross my fingers and say a quick prayer when I merge on an interstate or pass on a country 2-lane. Its in perfect tune and 0-60 in 13 seconds is nothing to brag about. Its no hot rod but it does idle and drive very nice and I consistently get in the low 20s for mpg. I think its like a 2.41 gear set? A 403 would really wake the car up and if I find a decent low mileage Olds 403, a swap isn’t out of the question.
I wonder if that Buick is a repaint? I don’t ever remember seeing any that color. Maybe it belongs to a newly licensed older brother to the girl scout who will quickly grow tired of the war wagon and give it back to the parents in search of more practical wheels.
And its OK for non-Americans to call us “yanks;” its a term of endearment just like we call our friends Aussies, Canucks or Brits.
307 to me was a nice smooth engine, but deadly on hills, passing, and entering highways.
I got between 13 and 14 second 0-60s on mine as well (’87 Brougham). That’s a little scary on busy highways in New England. I found it could keep up with 55-75 mph traffic okay as long as the terrain was flat. Any kind of steep grade meant the car would downshift to 3rd, slow to about 45-50, and everyone else except the tractor-trailers and some old guy in a small pickup would merge left and zoom by. It regularly returned over 20 mpg in highway driving; typically on trips of durations over 30 minutes I would realize between 23-25 mpg. Easily the best mileage I’ve ever seen from a pre-2000s V8 and this with an ECM Carburetor, too!
One trip, in which I held the car in cruise control on flat terrain and obeyed the 55mph speed limit (much to the consternation of some behind me), resulted in 28 mpg.
As a period comparison:
The EFI 302 Ford I had in my ’87 Crown Vic seemed better on hills than the 307 (no downshift), but to be less torquey. The Ford car itself was also about 200-300 pounds lighter than the Cadillac, which likely helped in acceleration. 0-60 on that was about 11 seconds, the best mileage I ever saw was 23 mpg, but it also did better around town than the Cadillac so maybe overall it was better. A Town Car of same vintage would probably be a fairer comparison.
The 350 Buick with THM350 on my ’77 Electra, which weighs about the same as the Cadillac did, blows both the Ford and the Cadillac out of the water as far as driveability and seems pretty comfortable up to about 80 mph. 0-60 seems to be about 11, but it can hustle…I distinctly remember flooring it once to merge onto the highway and seeing the oncoming car preparing to signal left to yield the right lane (probably based on experience with 307 powered cars merging), then realizing he didn’t need to because I was going to be well ahead of him by the time I merged. But it averages between 12-17 mpg overall, so there’s obviously a big trade off to the extra pop. I definitely miss the mpgs and feel it at the pump whenever I take the Buick on a trip, which thankfully is not every day.
LT Dan,
Your 1982 Delta should have the 200R-4 transmission unless it was swapped to a 3 speed for some reason. You should have 2.73:1 rear gears out back. 3.08 and 3.23 were no charge extras but you would know right away if you had those. A 5A head 307 in a B-body with the 200R-4 and std 2.73 gearing is a 10 second 0-60 car unless of course your in high altitude or the ambient temperature is excessive. A huge factor is performance with the 307 involves base timing and TPS adjustment. if either of these things is off the 307 will be a slug. Also the EGR valve. If it is bad the average shade tree mechanic ignores it or disconnects it and dials the base timing back until the ping goes away.
A 307 that is drinking gas and has no power is simply out of tune. The Riviera is roughly 500 LBS lighter than these B-body wagons and came exclusively with the 4 speed overdrive transmission and 2.73:1 gearing which went from 1982 to 1985. This setup should give reasonable power and 24-25 highway MPG mileage easily. You also have the 5A head motor, if it’s the original engine to the car, which breaths better in upper RPM’s. A 0-60 time of around 10 seconds is the norm for these cars.
thanks Joe. I got the car from my mother a couple of months ago when she lost her parking spot for it so other than fluid changes and some very basic maintenance, I haven’t really been into the mechanicals much. It could be 0-60 in 10 seconds, I don’t know, its pretty slow lol. I had an 86 Cutlass 307 back in the early 90s and it ran about the same as this Delta 88. It is a TH200 and I assume the BOP 10 bolt rear? The 307 is a great engine but its also lot of car. For comparison, I also have a low-mile 1971 Plymouth Satellite with a 318, which is probably about the same size as the Olds, and with a similar base V8, the 11-year-older Plymouth is noticeably quicker. What a difference an emissions-choked decade made on these engines.
What this car really needs is a Diesel and a five speed manual gearbox.
And ruin the whole car? 🙂
I hope someone rescues that wagon before it slides further appearance-wise. Perry, maybe you should make them an offer.
It really wouldn’t take much to make that car nice again. And it would run forever.
I love the burgundy paint and interior, and those turbine alloys are sharp! These Buick wagons always remind me of Adventures In Babysitting, one of my favorite ’80s movies (along with Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors and The Blues Brothers).
Same here, Tom. I always think of that movie whilst driving my own B-body wagon.
Yes! Don’t @#%! with the babysitter!!!!
Such a beautiful car!
Always wanted those wheels for my ’85 Coupe. They look great with that paint, which is the same as my 85, coincidentally.
The wide C pillar band identifies the wagon as a later model box wagon – either a ’89 or ’90. (If it had door-mounted front shoulder harnesses, that would identify it as a ’90). The seats and crank windows signify it as a ‘Le Sabre’-grade Estate Wagon, rather than an Electra. There were actually quite a lot of non-woodgrain box wagons produced. Between all 4 makes, I would guess the split at around 60%/40% – ‘wood’ vs. non-wood. My ’81 Bonneville Safari could be ordered either way. You usually saw them with the woodgrain trim or a nice two-tone paint job on them. Virtually all of the Catalina Safaris came without the wood.
88-90.
77 Impala wagon, no trim to speak of, no wood paneling, 350/350 powertrain. Would run all day long and I ran it into the ground. Every time I bought a part for it I would be asked particular questions and always found it was a pickup part, not a car part that I needed. Even the same color as this buick. Very strong and no end to endurance.
I envy your mileage on the 307 and that’s it. The B Wagons were just about all equally great.
I had an 87 LeSabre estate that was without woodgrain. I think the vast majority of the LeSabres were made that way, and the Electa’s came with wood standard.
The steering wheel is another indicator of the year. This one was 88-90, but as mentioned earlier, we can rule 90 out from other factors.
Count me as another who is pained to see a nice survivor subjected to neglect. The owner is probably from the old school of the 80’s and 90’s when wagons were considered passe and the in crowd drove minivans. They don’t realize wagons are cool again and have a healthy cult following. Please someone rescue that wagon from winter driving and trashing the interior!
I’ve driven scads of 307 B Bodies and while acceptably torquey around town, they hardly “scoot.” The wagon is a good 150 kg heavier than the sedan and a 307 has a hard time on any kind of hill, which are very large in these parts. A 350 or 403 Olds would swap right in and make a big difference, but it would hardly be worth the cost of it.
Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but the steering wheel doesn’t look original…
Looks like a steering wheel from a H-body Lesabre..
It looks original to me. That is the type they put in 88-90 wagons.
I imagine they updated the steering wheel with one from the H-body at some point.
I’d take a 71 clamshell Estate w/ 455, 4bbl in this color today and you can call me “hey you!!”
The ’77-’90 big B and RWD C body Buicks have really grown on me due to CC and owning one, in particular the Electras and Estate Wagons. Although they represent an era when all GM cars became more and more alike inside and out, their design, especially the unique front end, really sets them off. There is still that sense of being the more subdued alternative to the Cadillac, but still possessing a certain discreet elegance. The Olds, while good looking in its own right, has more of an “everyman” vibe.
This is a beautiful wagon, and I hope its state of neglect is temporary. I’d be tempted to leave a note on the windshield, nicely but clearly letting them know it’s more valuable than they apparently believe.
Anyone else notice the ignition switch is popped? Are you sure the girl scouts are the legal owners?
Nice example of this car, and seeing one with no woodgrain is refreshing. I like those wheels too. Back in high school, a buddy had an S-10 blazer that he added a set of these to, and it looked pretty slick.
I feel I have to weigh in on the ‘Yanks’ comment myself. Gem, no offense taken whatsoever. Your overall tone and attitude towards us is one of fellowship on here and that will always supercede any 200 year old derogatory meaning. Truth is, Im extremely anti-PC. Anytime someone is given a free license to get all butthurt or start crybabying about how ‘offended’ they are that just makes life suck a little bit more.
Anyone here watch Gran Torino? When that came out, everyone was whining about what a horrible racist Eastwood’s character was. The way I saw it, that’s how he related to all his buddys. That’s how guys are SUPPOSED to be. His barbershop pal kept ripping on him for being a ‘cheap ass Polack’ and of course he ripped right back on him and so on and so forth among EVERYONE he had any dealings with. No one got butthurt, everyone slung the same comments and it was all in good fun. That’s how the world should be.
Oh and I should mention that Im a native of NJ and have a blatantly Polish last name. I got the ‘damn yankee’ and ‘crooked polack’ jokes left and right, and you better believe I slung the hillbilly, cracker, hick, and sheepfucker comments right back. Id have it no other way.
The local funeral home used to have wagons like these for their hearses, I don’t know which brand they were though. No woodgrain obviously… I don’t think fake wood cladding was ever popular in Australia, even on US-import cars from what I have seen. There were never many 1970-80s imports anyway, and when they came in decent numbers in the 1950s-mid 1960s would I be correct in thinking there were relatively few cars sold with plastiwood anyway?
Yep, I agree. The only time I’ve seen plastiwood is on some XK-XP local wagons and some slightly later Falcon imports. A heap of imports came in with mining money, so I’m hoping some of those miners had the good taste to import a metallic mid green 71 fullsize Buick wagon with wood. What are the chances?
I may as well chime in, too. I have NO problem with being called a Yank — see “Over There” in your music aisle — “The Yanks are Coming, the Yanks are Coming, and we won’t be back till it’s over, Over There.” Good enough more me.
As for the Olds 307, it was not big enough for the big C bodies, but gave good service. My ’84 Olds 98 turned 24+ on the interstate. Not hateful at all.
Hi everyone 🙂
This fine B-Body Buick is a 1989 model. It was the first year with the rear shoulder belts, and the 1990 models of course had the front belts mounted on the door.
I too love the color, but I have serious doubts about it’s originality, as the header panel is from an Electra Estate, with the Electra-specific grille and hood ornament. Also, the LeSabre Estate Wagon emblem that is on the rear gate is supposed to be on the front fender, and…the door ding trim is not original. Lastly, that steering wheel was introduced in these cars for 1988 and stayed till 1990.
What can I say…my current gig at The Brougham Society means I have to stay on my toes with all this silly trivia! 🙂
Wow–thanks!
I have owned and driven tons of 307 equipped GM models over the 1980-90 time period and can tell you that these engines in proper tune can provide reasonable levels of power and economy over the life of the vehicle.
Obviously putting this engine in a 4100-4200 C-body wasn’t probably such a great idea and some wagons can reach into 4300 or more LBS so open road passing ability and hill climbs are going to be tedious at best.
The 307 was best in the G-body cars along with the E-body Riv and Toro. It was also adequate in the B-body coupes and sedans with typical 3650 LB curb weight.
Gearing is critical for this engine. 2.14:1 3 speed automatic G-bodies and 2.41:1 B-bodies are going to feel slower than there 4 speed overdrive counterparts which used 2.56 and 2.73 gears for better performance feel. If you get lucky you may find a G-body equipped with optional 3.08 rear gears which is a GU4 code and certain B-body cars could have this or the 3.23 GU5 code which go a long way in pepping these cars up.
Base timing and the TPS sensor setting is critical. Also the EGR valve must not only be working but the passages must be free and clear to prevent ping/knock. of course a properly set and rebuilt carb are another huge factor in how these will run.
I one owned a 1987 Cutlass Salon with the 307 and 200R4 tied to a 2.56 rear end. The car had 90K miles and was elderly owned. It ran like new, started and ran perfect every time. It also couldn’t get out of it’s own way and 0-60 times were in the 14 second
range. The first thing I did was send the carb out to National carburetors for a total rebuild and TPS adjustment. With the carb off I ran some cleaner and piano wire through the EGR passages and cleaned out all the carbon. The EGR valve worked so that was okay. Checked the base timing with a gun I found a mere 12 degrees warmed up at idle with the C4 system disabled. I know from experience that all 307’s run 20 degree of base timing so I went with that. With the carb back in place, the passages cleaned out, functioning EGR valve, full tune up and 20 degrees of timing I took her out for a spin. The car almost went sideways out of the parking lot with the limited slip kicking in and all the low end torque going from one wheel to the other. The difference in power was staggering like another engine was put under hood. I was amazed at the difference! I took her out on the highway and clocked a 9.2 second 0-60 run and got it down to 9 flat with less tire squeal. Now today 9 second 0-60 is considered pretty slow but back in 1990 it wasn’t too shabby for a 307 that only put out 140 HP!
When my folks got a 1970 Dodge Dart super cheap from a deceased family member’s estate in the late 1980s they were poor and needed wheels. So what if it became antique over the decade they drove it and the body rotted out from Northeast winters, they needed wheels. Perhaps the owners of this wagon are in the same situation, maybe a church donated the vehicle to them. I admit it sucks to lose another B-body, but these things happen.
I imagine the next stop for this car if it keeps going down this road will be the demo derby, like my father-in-law did with his ’83 Electra back in ’99 after its motor blew up. It was such a shame; the car was in this color and was just immaculate. If I hadn’t had two car payments at the time I would have intervened, but I also had no place to park it either. He replaced it with a used Tempo (!!!). Ugh.