The Buick Owner's "Bookshelf"

[Dave@Moon]

I stole this idea from a thread on the Packard forum.

Many of the people who read this forum are novices looking for insights into their newly purchased and/or dream cars. Most people know to look to owner's manuals, shop manuals, and sales literature to investigate their cars (for restoration information, authenticity, service information, etc.). However there are many other sources of information available to the novice that they may not be aware of.

Please use this thread to post a list of whatever sources of information might be useful to the inexperienced in researching their Buick, including published information (books both technical and of general interest, specific periodicals or articles in periodicals, etc.), internal GM documents (bulletins, catalogs, etc.) and any online sources (for specific models or for general reference--including the BCA tech services).

Many clubs incorporate a list like this into their web site. I don't think we do as yet (except for online links). Maybe we can encourage such a page be added.

[GRANNYS 70 SKYLARK]

The Standard Catalog of Buick, 1903-2003 published by Krause is a great start. Got mine as a gift from johnd1956 when I got my Buick. For paint information, I like www.autocolorlibrary.com
Best resource, the board members!

[michel88]

"The Buick A complete History" by Terry Dunham and Lawrence R. Gustin with the staff of Automobile Quarterly is and excellent reference book (approximately 500 pages depending on which edition). It is updated every so often to include the newest models. It is the only complete history of the marque.
Woody Michel

[imported_MrEarl]

Dave, way to go, this is a great thread. I had also seen it on the Packard Forum, and in fact had you not 'stoled it" then I would've. Brian Harpst aka B.H. on the Packard Forum spent a lot of time and did a fine job of starting their's off. Perhaps Roberta will consider making this a "sticky note" so it will be in front of us all the time. At some point it might be good to abridge or condense and add it to the BCA web site.
Well I see "the Buick Bible" (The Buick A Complete History) has already been added to the list but I want to add that IMHO that is the greatest automotive book ever written by the most dedicated author(s) to an automobile there ever was. Terry Dunham and Lawrence Gustin have done a great job on all six editions. Thank you Terry and Lawrence!!

SEVENTY YEARS OF BUICK by George H. Dammann is another great book by someone that gets personal and writes with his heart about Buicks.Copyright 1973, 352 pages.

BUICK THE POSTWAR YEARS by Jan Norbye and Jim Dunne is another hardback that is fairly comprehensive in it's coverage of Buicks after the WW II through 1978.There are a lot if little known facts contained in this book. Copyright 1978, 166 pages

Those are a couple of my favorite hardbacks. Will post more later.

[Dave@Moon]

Quote:

Brian Harpst aka B.H. on the Packard Forum spent a lot of time and did a fine job of starting their's off.

I would've as well but my schedule wouldn't allow it, nor would it allow my brain the capacity to hold the idea until I had the time.

I have every copy of the Crestline series (Seventy Years of Buick et al), and I find them to be the best photo records available. The Norbye & Dunn and Dunham & Gustin books are indispensable too. I'm particularly fond of my The Buick, A Complete Story. The Standard Catalogs series from Krause Publishing (Old Cars Weekly) is the most complete source of production and technical information out there, but there are errors to watch for (especially in the early editions).

Richard Langworth's Illustrated Buick Buyers Guide, like many of the early books in this series, covers way too much ground for it's size to be very useful. It is entertaining and an good early introduction to the cars though.

Brooklands Books' Portfolio series has a number of books compiling Buick articles from past periodicals. I have their 1947-1960 Buick book as well as their Riviera book. They're more fun than useful, but nice to have.

I think probably the most important book a novice can buy is the proper parts catalog(s) for the car in question. I consider this more important than even the factory shop manual(s). I've found it's best to have the book from 3-5 years after the year of your cars manufacture, because by then most of the parts numbers for your car that were superceded are included. If there's a specific book available for just your year from GM, that's a MUST! I have one for my 1960, and I'd be lost without it.

I also make it a point to purchase a copy of every Chilton, Haynes, Motor, Clymer or other manual for the car. This information is often better to have than the shop manual, as it is usually written with the home mechanic in mind.

"Tune-Up Information Cards", usually sold out of files that were kept by old service stations, often contain information that no other source sill have. The most common ones are published by A.E.A., but there are several others.

--more to come--

[elk93001]

Great topic, should stay "ttt" for a while.

While these may be specific to later Buicks (turbos and V6s) and some may cringe at the thought of modifications....

"The Buick Free spirit Power Manual" by John Thawley

"How to Hot Rod your Buick V6" by HP Books

These books have alot of useful specs if one were to get their V6 machined. Also there is some historical info on the V6 as well.

Both may be out of print, but they do pop up on ebay quite a bit.

Color and Trim books corresponding to one's year/model. At Carlisle, I usually check out Bob Johnson's Auto literature (www.autopaper.com) since he has a wide assortment of these trim books for various makes.

Another neat little book is a quality control assembly information manual. If you go on ebay and type a keyword search once in while: 19XX engine manual (check the search title and descriptions), sometimes this will pop up.
I see alot of folks will reproduce this little book (scan, enlarge and photocopy), however the resolution is low quality compared to the little factory book.

[imported_MrEarl]

Quote:

Great topic, should stay "ttt" for a while

[brad54]

I'm a HUGE fan of a full bookshelf!
Here are a couple of my personal favorites:
Motor's Service Manuals are at the top of my list. DO NOT get the "Flat Rate" manuals--those were just books that told how long a procedure would take.
Be picky when you buy them--I've put together a full set covering the first years (I think 1937?) through 1985, and all the books are in perfect condition--no broken spines, no grease stains. Paid between $10 and $15 each for them over 2 years of swap meets. That was with some hard, dedicated shopping. Typically, the average price seemed to be around $40. For the one book covering your car, that's not a bad deal. I just really wanted a full set.

Next is a good set of the un-abridged version of the Technical Service Bulletins. It's amazing what you find in these. In a bind, the abridged versions will be okay, but the unabridged, 3-hole-punched versions are full of much more information.

John Lawlor's Auto Math Handbook is also a must-have. It isn't Buick-specific, but when you want to start figuring out tire sizes vs. RPM, etc. it can't be beat. And I've had that particular conversation with a lot of resto guys!

Finally, the best book out there is one you can make yourself. Every magazine article, web-thread/post or scrap of useful information should be printed/photo copied, 3-hole punched, and put in a binder on your shelf.
I have one, and the categories are (for hot rod stuff): Engine, Transmission, Rear End, Suspension, Brakes, Electrical, Misc.
Ever had a question, and just KNOW you read it somewhere, but can't find/don't have the time to dig through 15 years' worth of old magazines? Build your own book, and it's always there, easy to find.

-Brad

[imported_MrEarl]

One of the most informitive and helpful books (actually a bulletin/manual) when it comes to restoration is the "Fisher Body Service News". They go into more detail of the removal and installation of body parts for each one of the body styles than the Shop Manual.They are typically around 50 pages each. Willie Pittman, aka "old-tank" has scanned and made several of these (54 and 55) available for purchase. I have all the 54's and most of the 55 and 56 originals but hate like the Dickens to have to use them when my hands are all greasy (and bloody). I called him up and after a "Downloading for Dummies" shortcourse I downloaded them and will be getting them copied so I can dirty up the copies instead of the fragile vintage ones.I consider his prices as very fair!! Thanks for this great service Willie!!
Willies Fisher Body Service News

[Philippe Racicot]

Quote:

The Standard Catalogs series from Krause Publishing (Old Cars Weekly) is the most complete source of production and technical information out there, but there are errors to watch for (especially in the early editions).

I agree, The standard catalogs have great information but like in many other sources of informations there are errors in it. However, it's an inexpensive way to get the details about Buicks from all the years it covers. I wish there was more information on pre-1976 cars in it.

"The Buick A complete History" is also a must. I bought the 1988 edition when I was 12 years old. I gave it to a friend when it began falling apart and I got a newer edition a few years ago. Very interesting book also showing a few errors. It would be almost impossible to make such a huge book without errors. Some were not corrected in the 5th edition I have such as the "1967 Buick Wildcat" picture which shows a GS 400 post coupe or a California GS (I think?).

One information that all sources that I found seem to lack is the production information on many canadian Buicks. I wish I could find a book which shows them as well as the diffrent prices, equipment and trim on cars that were built here.

Even the "The Buick A Complete History" or our club's membership roster didn't include the canadian Buick production so cars like my 65 Wildcat aren't included in the model production records that we take as facts...

I really enjoy reading the Buick Bugle. I wish I could have all the articles from the past issues on a CD like it has been done with the ROA's Riview. I know this must require considerable work but it would be great to have it!

[imported_MrEarl]

There are a couple of Seventy Years of Buick on

eBay

[imported_MrEarl]

just wanted to bring this back to the top.

plus this is currently on ebay

SEVENTY YEARS OF BUICK

[sixpack2639]

Saw this one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Book-Buick-1903-1915...1QQcmdZViewItem
Might be of interest to someone.

[BUICK RACER]

I made this post a "sticky" cause I think it will help alot of folks out, looking for info on Buicks and Buick Stuff. Beware though there are several books out there that have alot of mis-information, one in particular is the Buick Muscle Car book. Norb has a list of all the things wrong and page numbers, I think he even wrote to them about it. I got the '70 Years of Buick" book for Christmas from my parents way back when I wasn't even driving or just about to get my license, learned alot reading that. But I guess most of my knowledge of Buicks and how they work and how to fix came from reading the shop manuals for the '56 and '64 Buicks that we had at the time, everything from carbs to transmissions. And then later in life actually doing alot of the work myself and referring to the shop manuals when necessary and so on!

[imported_MrEarl]

Thanks Roberta

[Dave@Moon]

Thanks Roberta. I was hoping this thread would've taken off better than it did. Making it a sticky should help a lot.

One series of books I can't believe that I forgot to include originally is from a publisher that went defunct in the 1980's. Bookman Publishing (through Motorbooks International) published a series of small books that reproduced period literature with a slant towards technical data and authentic illustration. The "Source Book" series was only available briefly, not more that 3-5 years (in some cases 1), and are highly sought after and collected today. Depending on rarity they can go for between $20 and $200, and sometimes more.

I saved up a bunch of these over the years. I just sold a duplicate I had of the Jaguar XKE book to an Italian buyer for $62, and it's not even one of the rare ones. Don't ask me for my Z-28 book still in the protective wrapping!

The only Buick book in the series that I have is Big Buicks A Source Book, R. Perry Zavitz ed. Unfortunately this book covers a huge range for this series, 1936-1973 in just 144 pages. It's one of the least informative of the series, but is still a good one to have if only for enjoyment sake. Their are also Buick Gran Sports A Source Book & Riviera A Classic Source Book published in the series, but I've yet to see one in 20 years of collecting the series. If they're comparable to the GTO/442/Mustang/etc. books I have (and I'm sure they are) they'd be invaluable, especially to people who collect similar models accross model years.

The same publisher in 1985 (again briefly) published Muscle Buicks, by Thomas Bonsall. This was part of small "Muscle" series that covered most American muscle cars. Part introduction/part literature reproduction, this 96 pager is more an entertaining read than a technical guide.

Finally, for diecast model & literature fans, there's A Guide to Buick Diecast and Collectibles by Joey O'Connor. This is almost exclusively a (single) photo guide to different kinds of Buick collectibles. For someone new to the hobby it'd be useful to present the range of material available out there, but there's virtually no text and no values ascribed to the illustrations. Also it's heavily slanted to 1980's and later material (i.e. the oldest 1/24th scale model illustrated is from 1983, and the oldest item in the book is the brochure from 1970).

[my3buicks]

I think a fair warning for any of the aftermarket books to Buick owners is don't take any of the information as fact without checking more sources first, especially if it involves documentation for correctness on some aspect of restoration.

[michel88]

Dave,
I was reading your post and the title "Buick Gran Sports A Source Book" by R. Perry Zavitz sounded familiar. I just checked my Buick bookcase and there it is! I picked it up at Hershey about ten years ago and had almost forgotten it. I noticed in the back there is an order form and there are 31 books available. It would be a great collection to have all 31.

Woody Michel

[Dave@Moon]

Quote:

Dave,
I was reading your post and the title "Buick Gran Sports A Source Book" by R. Perry Zavitz sounded familiar. I just checked my Buick bookcase and there it is! I picked it up at Hershey about ten years ago and had almost forgotten it. I noticed in the back there is an order form and there are 31 books available. It would be a great collection to have all 31.

Woody Michel

Hang on to that one Woody, it's a very rare bird! I've got 29 from that series, the highest numbered volume I have is #41. After #33 they stopped listing the rest of the books inside, so I don't know how many they eventually made.

[COMPACTBC]

A book for all of the Riviera owners, if you can find one, is "Buick Riviera 1963- 1973" by Chris Wolfe (I.S.B.N.0879386460). Very hard to find this book, but they show up on Ebay every once in awhile.

[COMPACTBC]

PAINT FORMULAE BOOK: American Automobile Paint Code Interchange Manual 1945-1995 by Peter C. Sessler (I.S.B.N.0-87938-977-X)publisher = Motorbooks International. It has all of the PPG paint codes in it for American cars 1945-1993.

[53Nailhead]

Roberta, is it possible to down load smaller manuals on the site to share among ourselves or would this be too complicated & take up too much space? Maybe I just answered my own question. This is a great thread.
Les

[imported_HurstGN]

When it comes to 1982 Grand Nationals, I've got a collection of material that resulted from 15+ years of research. And all that time yielded very little, but I have it. If you have a need for any specifics on the 82 GN, just ask. I may have the answer.

I know, there's so few left around that prolly nobody will have any interest, but I figured I'd offer since I know an 82 was recently offered for sale on the board.

[70 Electra]

Some picks I didn't see listed yet:

1)There is an obscure book called "The Good Old Days at The Buick" or something like that. I think the author is Lynn Reuter, or something similar (don't have the book handy). This is a great book of personal recollections from Buick employees....from General Managers to foundry workers. Many interesting stories from all eras.

2)How about Don Bent's new book on the history of the Buick site in Flint? It's available from the Sloan Museum.

3)Larry Gustin's book on Billy Durant. Has good info on the early days of Buick and its part in the formation of GM.

[Dave@Moon]

Quote:

1)There is an obscure book called "The Good Old Days at The Buick" or something like that. I think the author is Lynn Reuter, or something similar (don't have the book handy). This is a great book of personal recollections from Buick employees....from General Managers to foundry workers. Many interesting stories from all eras.

That is the exact title and author. I picked up a copy at one of the Nationals but I haven't read it yet.