Identification, VIN, Trim, Engine Specs and more... 
 '50   '51   '52   '53   '54   '55   '56   '57   '58   '59   o 
 p 
 e 
 n 
 '60   '61   '62   '63   '64   '65   '66   '67   '68   '69 
 '70   '71   '72   '73   '74   '75   '76   '77   '78   '79 
Canadian car identification here: Serial Numbers 1935-1964 | 1965-1966
and more information in the reference section here.
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 24

Thread: New Guy With a Question ~ (California GS?)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    306
    Rep Power
    21
    Yes it could be a 67 GS California.
    Your engine should have the VIN stamped on the front face behind the AIR pump and Power steering pump- hard to get at, but it should be the same as VIN.
    I have one too- it also has numbers that would be for a special V6 but instead has a 340.
    Ted

    Ted Nagel
    (6)65 Wildcats; 65 Riviera; 65 Special Wagon; 65 GS; 65 Skylark; 67 Wildcat; 67 California GS; (2)68 GS400; 69 GS 350; 70 GS Stage 1; Wanted: time to fix 'em

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    306
    Rep Power
    21
    Also, there were a couple different placements of the California emblems. Yours looks like it was along the beltline. I've seen them there on other cars. A quirk of the way they were built.
    Ted
    Ted Nagel
    (6)65 Wildcats; 65 Riviera; 65 Special Wagon; 65 GS; 65 Skylark; 67 Wildcat; 67 California GS; (2)68 GS400; 69 GS 350; 70 GS Stage 1; Wanted: time to fix 'em

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Victor, Ca
    Posts
    30
    Rep Power
    0
    Thanks! I was nearly certain, everything seems to check out.
    It just seemed to good to be true!
    I'll get to checking the Engine VIN ASAP.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Victor, Ca
    Posts
    30
    Rep Power
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by Sure Shot View Post
    I'll get to checking the Engine VIN ASAP.
    I do believe we have a winner!
    7Z10****
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Sure Shot; 01-29-2019 at 12:07 AM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Victor, Ca
    Posts
    30
    Rep Power
    0
    So, I guess if anyone’s interested, I have some 67' Special fender vents and emblems for sell.
    Now I have to try and find 67' GS fender vents.

  6. #6
    yes, ALL California GS cars are built on a v6 VIN and a post roof ( not hard top ) model, which is then optioned up to a v8 and a special California GS trim package.

    there are even some extremely rare 'Carolina' and 'Colorado' GS cars, which was just dealers in the relevant state ordering a Cali GS car and installing their own state trim pieces.

    your VIN begins with "43307" which decodes as
    4 = Buick
    33 = V6 base car
    07 = 2dr Post roof

    so alles gut.

    there used to be websites devoted to these cars but i think they're gone now.
    The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
    Vladimir Lenin

    Government schooling is about "the perfect organization of the hive."
    H.H. Goddard, Human Efficiency (1920)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Victor, Ca
    Posts
    30
    Rep Power
    0
    Thanks Bob! I love the signature quotes you have there, a steadfast reminder for those who know.
    Being my surname is Bourgeois, I know that quote all too well.
    The second, is why I operate a private school.

    Fun Fact: The timing cover on my 1982 El Camino Conquista V6, fits on my 1967 California 340 GS V8!
    (It's a Buick 231 under the hood, OEM)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Tukwila WA
    Posts
    599
    Rep Power
    0
    Your body tag and your VIN both indicate V8 and match perfectly, it's just that Fisher did things differently on the body tag than Buick did for the VIN in 1967, this makes 1967 one of the most confusing years to decode. For 1967, Buick changed their VIN scheme so V6 vs. V8 is coded in the VIN by the 8th digit. If the 8th digit is a 6, then the car came with a V6 otherwise the car came with a V8.

    Read this thread (start at the beginning even though it might not seem relevant):
    https://www.teambuick.com/forums/sho...ot-first-digit





    433077Z1xxxxx
    4 = Buick
    33 = Special
    07 = 2-door thin pillar coupe
    7 = 1967
    Z = built at Fremont, CA
    1xxxxx = sequential number, starting at 100,001 for V8 and 600,001 for V6




    11C
    ST 67-43407 BF XXXX BODY
    TR 111 CC PAINT


    43407 = Fisher body style number
    4 = Buick
    34 = Special V8
    07 = 07 = 2-door thin pillar coupe




    1962 was the first year for the six cylinder engine (after six cylinder production ended for the 1930 model year) and 1972 was the first year the VIN contained a digit that identified the specific engine the car came with. So, for 1962-1971 you can tell if your car came with a six or eight cylinder engine from the serial number or VIN using this:


    -For 1962-1964, if the first digit of the serial number is a letter (A, B, or C), then the car came with a V6


    -For 1962-1964, if the first digit of the serial number is a number (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, or 8), then the car came with a V8


    -For 1965-1966, if the third digit of the VIN is an odd number, then the car came with a V6


    -For 1965-1966, if the third digit of the VIN is an even number, then the car came with a V8


    -For 1967-1971, if the 8th digit of the VIN is a 6, then the car came with a six cylinder engine


    -For 1967-1971, if the 8th digit is anything other than a 6, then the car came with an eight cylinder engine
    Sean Smith
    BCA# 42746
    MBCC# 2122
    SAH# 4186
    Buickman Award 2015

    1957 Special 4-door Riviera (hardtop) model 43

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Victor, Ca
    Posts
    30
    Rep Power
    0
    Thanks! Lots of valuable info there, Buford26.
    Now, I really only see one option.
    Last edited by Sure Shot; 01-23-2019 at 06:49 AM.

  10. #10
    Fun Fact: The timing cover on my 1982 El Camino Conquista V6, fits on my 1967 California 340 GS V8!
    (It's a Buick 231 under the hood, OEM)



    don't go feeling too froggy. at least, not until you've swapped timing covers with a TVR.

    the 215ci v8 is the forefather of the SBB ( Small Block Buick ) engine family. this family includes the 300, 340 and 350ci Buick engines, as well as all of the Buick v6 engines ( 225, 231, 3.8L, 4.1L, 3800, series I and II ).

    the Buick v6s were derived by knocking the front two cylinders off of the 300ci v8, so they are a shorter deck height than the Buick 340 and 350 although the 231ci has the same bore diameter as a Buick 350.

    less well known ( but we're doing our part to fix that ) is that Buick sold the 215 aluminum tooling and designs to British Leyland back around 1965. Leyland / Land Rover kept the basic v8 engine in production up through 2004, although they converted it to all metric dimensions and called their 215ci a "3.5 Litre". Rover took the displacement up to 4.6L and there other other British manufacturers that licensed the engine and took it out to 5.0 liters. TVR is one of them.



    Thanks Bob! I love the signature quotes you have there, a steadfast reminder for those who know.


    yeah, reading The Communist Manifesto was extremely depressing for me.

    Karl Marx declared war in 1848 and demanded that the Proletariat genocide the Bourgeoisie. and we've been losing for a hundred and fifty plus years now.

    mostly because we refuse to acknowledge that the murder fields of Cambodia and Mao and Lenin were all intentional and by design.
    The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
    Vladimir Lenin

    Government schooling is about "the perfect organization of the hive."
    H.H. Goddard, Human Efficiency (1920)

Similar Threads

  1. Hello from California
    By Vince in forum New Member Introductions!
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 05-11-2017, 08:15 PM
  2. Greetings from California
    By Mich_Weishmier in forum New Member Introductions!
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 03-20-2015, 08:34 PM
  3. 68 Buick GS California engine question
    By MGGTO in forum Buick Identification and Decoding
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 12-24-2010, 02:35 PM
  4. California GS 340
    By brettg in forum Heating and Cooling, Radiators
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 02-10-2008, 10:26 AM
  5. new 67 California GS 340 to 455????
    By 67californiaGS in forum Big Block: 400, 430, 455
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 07-14-2003, 07:39 AM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
TeamBuick.com Privacy Policy