newbie sorta

[varoulf]

hello; just an intro, my family bought this centurion new in chicago in 71, I thought it got sold years ago but then I found it in my dads old barn. the darn thing was running, and I drove it home, after a few hours work. put it up on blocks, right before hurricanes ivan, an katrina hit. it was under a car port but got hit pretty bad. any way I now have some time and money to devote to the old car so I'm going to restore it, it will make a great beach cruiser. The car has some wierd louvers, or vents in the trunk lid, the owners manual says its some sort of ventalation system. but the rain leaked thru them, and thier is no trunk flooring, lot of rust, lot of cancer, I predict lots of welding, and fabing parts, anyway I'm an over the road truck driver, home on weekends so it make take a while. oh its a 71 ragtop, unmolested, just old, been in the barn since 83-84 as far as we can figure, dad never threw anything away lol. anyone know a good source for parts, I know some lesabre parts fit. so thars it glad I'm not alone out here, anyone know how many were made? etc. etc. seem rare. well time to start disassembly.and greetings from lower alabama.

[EEE]

Welcome aboard..


Not too many were made, something like 2500 convertibles I think it was for the 71 year. I know someone will chip in with the exact number. The Centurion was available between 71-73, and it shares components with the big Buicks from 71-76. You will need to locate parts at the yards or on the internet, not much stuff has been reproduced. Post some pics and we'll help you out as much as we can. :xyxthumbs:

[Bob Alberini]

There were 2,161 71 Centurion convertibles built.

We're glad to have you on board and look forward to hearing and seeing more about your car. There's a lot of good help on this site so don't hesitate to use it.

[73 Centurion]

The Centurion was a replacement for the Wildcat. It was a performance version of the LeSabre.

No one is making replacement panels for these cars, but there are parts available.

If you have a lot of rust the best course is to find a rust free 2 door LeSabre hardtop. They are out there. Look for ugly colors, high mileage and 2 barrell 350 motors. Each brings the price down a bit.

I beleive the trunk floor is the same in any full size GM 71-76 excluding the Cadillac. I beleive the 2 and 4 door trunks are the same. The rear quarters are of course specific to the 2 doors and can be hard to find.

Convertibles are designed to leak around the roof and have the water drip out in front of the rear wheels. The holes get plugged and the water sits and rusts the metal. If the gutter around the bottom of the roof is not water tight it dumps water into the trunk and rusts it out. It may not have been the vents. Water also tends to collect in the trunk drop offs and rot out the rear quarters. If you get the body work repaired make sure the inside panels are cleaned and painted because they will get wet.

You've got a rare and beautiful car there. Well worth the effort of restoring. Resources like this board are a treasure trove of information. Good luck and show us some pics.

John