76 Laguna parked in 2002

by jpowen49 Mon Jan 09, 2023 10:49 am

New member here and so glad I found this site.
I have a 76 Laguna that I bought new in 75 but had to park in 2002. Covered it with a car cover and would start it ever now and then. Life got in the way and time flies needless to say the interior mildewed and was worn out anyway. I tore out the headliner and carpet threw it away but salvaged everything else.I removed all the glass and tore off the half vinyl roof and removed the dash. I cleaned out my basement garage and finally got in under cover where it sat for another 15 years.

Fast forward to 2020 I ask my wife to help me push it out in the drive way .It ran when I parked it so why not try I had started watching Vice Grip Garage and it motivated me. I put a battery in checked the 20 year old oil removed the plugs gave the cylinders a shot of oil. It turned over good , cleaned the plugs and put them back in. I had already trashed the gas tank and exhaust but want to see if would run.Filled the carb with gas hit the starter and it fire and ran for about 10 seconds.

My plan is to get the old girl back on the road and look nice. Even though I`m replacing almost everything its not a full restoration. I have been buying part for two years now. All I lack is a front windshield and headliner.

by zucchi Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:18 pm

Are you going to keep it box stock original or are you considering some upgrades?

by jpowen49 Mon Jan 09, 2023 3:35 pm

zucchi wrote:Are you going to keep it box stock original or are you considering some upgrades?

zucchi, I`m replacing my radiator with a three core aluminum with duel fans- I have deleted my sport vinyl roof,
convert the rear brakes to disk . I am going to mount a hood tach like the GTO and run American racing Torq-Thrust ll
with Cooper- cobra tires. I have already installed duel exhaust 2 1/2 with thrush hush mufflers. I have moved my battery to the trunk and installed a ford type starter solenoid.

by zucchi Mon Jan 09, 2023 3:41 pm

Will you be upgrading the alternator and replacing the charging wire with a thicker gauge?

by jpowen49 Mon Jan 09, 2023 5:02 pm

The alternator is 61 amp, I have no accessories .I had to replace my fuse panel wiring harness. When I moved the battery I used #2 o welding cable.

The cable runs through the frame all the way .

by zucchi Mon Jan 09, 2023 5:20 pm

jpowen49 wrote:The alternator is 61 amp, I have no accessories…

In the photo of your engine bay, I see you have HEI and AC. Even if the AC doesn't work and/or you're not using it, I would encourage you to upgrade your factory 10SI alternator to a 12SI. It's a simple drop-in upgrade, no mods. May as well upgrade your charge wire from the factory 10-gauge to an 8-gauge wire. These two upgrades will give you a more reliable, robust charging system that doesn't have to work as hard as the original.

by jpowen49 Mon Jan 09, 2023 6:05 pm

Thank you, I just looked for a 12SI and found one. 94 amp for less than 90.00
It`s on my list of things to do.

by zucchi Mon Jan 09, 2023 6:24 pm

jpowen49 wrote:I`m replacing my radiator with a three core aluminum…

You probably already know this, so, at the risk of sounding redundant, be sure to put redundant ground straps on your engine/frame/body. Aluminum is prone to electrolysis, a condition where the aluminum makes a great electrode with a high decomposition potential and the coolant acting as the electrolyte. Since the tubes in a radiator are thin, even just a little electrolysis will cause pin holes. Mind you, I'm a degreed chemist with over 30-years industry experience… but, what do I know?

by jpowen49 Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:20 pm

Battery is grounded with 2/0 , a have 4 ga copper wire from engine to frame.
The radiator doesn`t touch the body or frame except for the transmission lines.
Do I need any more?

by zucchi Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:47 pm

jpowen49 wrote:The radiator doesn`t touch the body or frame except for the transmission lines.

That's all it takes. Please permit me to go on a bit of a round about way to share some experience.

When people come to me saying they have an electrical problem, the first thing I ask is if they checked their ground. When I say "check", I mean actually disconnecting each end of each ground strap and wire (one at a time of course), clean the end of the wire or strap and the connection with steel wool, then reconnecting. That process is admittedly tedious and most guys simply tug at the grounds and figure if they're not loose then they're ok. Oxidation can creep in between contacts over several years and any oxidation will cause resistance, and electricity likes to flow the path of least resistance. If current can't easily flow through a ground strap, it will find somewhere else to flow which will eventually result is more serious issues. In a few cases, I've seen automatic transmissions show signs of premature bushing failure after only 30,000 miles. It was discovered that the car was poorly grounded so current flowed through the transmission and the aluminum bushings became the grounding connection which caused excessive wear.

So, to answer your question, a simple ground strap from frame to body and another from body to engine. Like I said, this seems redundant but the most common cause of electrical issues is poor grounding. I'm not implying you have any electrical issues but really good ground prevents lots of issues and other problems.

by g3chevy / Mr Pontiac Tue Jan 10, 2023 12:24 pm

Man, the pics you posted bring back memories. Is that a 350 2 barrel engine? I had a 76 with that setup and it ran great. I also purchased a 76 Laguna for parts and it came from the factory with a 305, crazy! Looking forward to more pics and updates.

by jpowen49 Tue Jan 10, 2023 10:01 pm

Did this work around Thanksgiving;
Installed seat , shifter and steering wheel so I can drive it in and out of the garage instead of pushing it. Installed gas tank and sending unit.

by jpowen49 Tue Jan 10, 2023 10:24 pm

g3chevy / Mr Pontiac wrote:Man, the pics you posted bring back memories. Is that a 350 2 barrel engine? I had a 76 with that setup and it ran great. I also purchased a 76 Laguna for parts and it came from the factory with a 305, crazy! Looking forward to more pics and updates.

Yes it`s A 350. I wanted to order a 454 but they were no longer available in 76 lagunas. I couldn`t even get a four barrel carb. Had to pay 30 dollars extra for the 350.

by g3chevy / Mr Pontiac Tue Jan 10, 2023 10:55 pm

You are definitely making some good progress! My 350 ran like a scalded ape so they are very respectable power plants. I really woke mine up just by adding a mild cam, a Quadrajet and dual exhaust. Sold her back in the early 90's after my daughter was born. Really miss that ole girl. Here's a pic. Now the kids have grown and I finally got a 75 Laguna a few years back. I'll never sell this one as my son would have an absolute panic attack if I did. Looking forward to seeing yours completed. Keep the progress reports coming.

by jpowen49 Tue Jan 10, 2023 11:39 pm

Thank you g3chevy your 75 looks great. I almost traded mine for a Buick riviera back in the 80`s. So glad I didn`t. I would like to up my HP for sure but right now I just want it back on the road. I want to drive it to Mississippi and Florida when I visit family.

by REVINKEVIN / Mr. 600+HP Wed Jan 11, 2023 10:28 am

Hey. I am sure that we could come up with a 4 barrel carb and a manifold for you. Just the addition of those and a little cam would really wake things up. Make a list of parts that you need and post them here. You might be surprised at what some of these guys have hidden away.

by zucchi Wed Jan 11, 2023 10:34 am

REVINKEVIN / Mr. 600+HP wrote:Hey. I am sure that we could come up with a 4 barrel carb and a manifold for you. Just the addition of those and a little cam would really wake things up. Make a list of parts that you need and post them here. You might be surprised at what some of these guys have hidden away.

For instance, I have an old Edelbrock Performer 2101 that's taking up space in my garage.

by jpowen49 Wed Jan 11, 2023 5:28 pm

You guys are just to GOOD. I appreciate the offer. I want to wait until I can get a long block and add the goodies then. This is what I`v done to the 350.
Replaced ;heater core, heater hoses, distributor cap w/ coil, control module, plugs and wires, water pump, radiator hoses, thermostat, radiator w/ fans, all belts, and rebuilt carburetor. A little paint on brackets and pulleys.

by Iggy Wed Jan 11, 2023 7:38 pm

I have one hot-air choke quadrajet core laying around somewhere, I am converting my old trucks to electric choke. Also have at least one cast iron non-egr q-jet manifold for a 350. My trucks right now are either Big Blocks and one has Vortec heads.

by g3chevy / Mr Pontiac Wed Jan 11, 2023 9:27 pm

Man! That is one nice looking engine bay!

by jpowen49 Thu Jan 12, 2023 11:53 am

Thank you; Iggy and g3chevy.

A few pictures of my low budget exhaust. I couldn`t see paying what the muffler shop wanted for a 2 1/2 " system out the back

Also replaced my shocks.

by Mcarlo77 Thu Jan 12, 2023 2:54 pm

I did a similar setup on my '75 Laguna; except, with std 2" exhaust. No muffler shop would touch it if I didn't want cats on it for legal reasons. So, went with a guy on e-Bay who bends exhaust parts for the front pipes, bought my own mufflers and tail pipes and clamped them together like we used to do back in the day. It all went together very well.

by g3chevy / Mr Pontiac Thu Jan 12, 2023 4:09 pm

Hey, cheap exhaust works just as well! And those KYB shocks are the ones I've put on all my A Body vehicles. They ride and handle great.

by jpowen49 Thu Jan 12, 2023 4:36 pm

Mcarlo77 wrote:I did a similar setup on my '75 Laguna; except, with std 2" exhaust. No muffler shop would touch it if I didn't want cats on it for legal reasons. So, went with a guy on e-Bay who bends exhaust parts for the front pipes, bought my own mufflers and tail pipes and clamped them together like we used to do back in the day. It all went together very well.

I looked at a kit JEGS had in 2" for the 74 Chevelle but still to much for me.

by jpowen49 Thu Jan 12, 2023 4:45 pm

g3chevy / Mr Pontiac wrote:Hey, cheap exhaust works just as well! And those KYB shocks are the ones I've put on all my A Body vehicles. They ride and handle great.

Thank you g3chevy, I read the reviews and hoped I made a good choice. My shocks were so old I couldn`t remember when I last replaced them. After getting them off I had to take a wire brush to read the stamping. SEARS USA

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76 Laguna parked in 2002

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