1959 Buicks in "Me and My Buick"

To date, we have recorded a number of entries here from owners of the 1959 Buicks. As a means of facilitating future searches by those interested in the 1959 Buicks, I'm creating a topic with links to the '59 Buick articles.

I will add links as additional 1959 Buicks appear here. As other years and models become popular in "Me and My Buick", perhaps we can do the same thing for those cars. And, if folks here like the idea, we could even pin these to the top. Here goes:

Tom's 1959 Invicta 2-door hardtop

invicta592's 1959 Invicta 2-door hardtop

invicta592's 1959 Invicta convertible

deltawingpilot's 1959 Invicta convertible

4-speed's 1959 Electra 2-door hardtop

Centurion's 1959 Electra 4-door hardtop

BRAD59's 1959 Electra 225 4-door hardtop

Other links of interest to '59 Buick enthusiasts:

A 30 Year Buick Family History

1959 Buicks I've owned

'59 vs. '60: Overseas vs. U.S.

I've updated the original post in this thread to reflect the latest '59 additions here, and have corrected all of the links, which were no longer working since the last forum update.

Enjoy!

And, for the rest of you '59 owners registered here on the forum, we'd really like to see and hear about your '59's as well.

Madeleine is our 1959 Buick Electra, Model 4719. She is in original, unrestored condition and remains in this condition since our finding her. My wife was returning home when she veered off the main highway and encountered the Buick parked at an abandoned gas station with a FOR SALE sign in the window. She sped home telling me she?d found a 1959 Cadillac. Excited, I wanted to go immediately and investigate her find. Upon arrival, I knew this find was indeed rare and the asking price, given all the leaks, wear and tear was a steal. Following acquisition, we later had the car appraised and found out just what a steal she really was.

Not wasting any time, we called the number on the sign and requested the seller meet us at the car?s location. The seller had acquired the car from a close friend that had purchased the car from the original owner?s estate in 1999. Story has it that the original owner had only slightly driven the car and then put it into storage from September 1959 to June 1999. The car was purchased in Robstown, TX and sold to us in San Antonio, TX just north of its original location.

The interior is as perfect as if it had just come off the showroom floor; seats, headliner, carpeting on the doors ? all of it. The dash pad over the glove box was removed as it had rotted over the years (so we were told). This we had rebuilt ourselves until some proper attention could be arranged. The speedometer doesn?t work, in that it always reads 120+. The odometer reads 20000. All the chrome is impeccably perfect. The mirrors on the car must have been added later as they are not stock and not Buick. We are searching for the proper mirrors to replace these.

Since acquiring Madeleine, we have found a near perfect set of matching 1959 Texas license plates and installed them permanently. The color is Pearl Fawn. The car came with the original owner?s manual, the original accessories pamphlet, the original touch up paint pen, warranty information on battery and accessories, and even the original orange tag that hung from the radio knob indicating to ?Leave for owner to remove,? IMPORTANT See oil & tire instructions inside glove box door. BUICK. The original owner kept all receipts of her maintenance over the years and I now have them as well. What a neat time capsule presentation!

Every time we take her out, everyone does the classic double take or rubberneck syndrome gawk. All the windows work, the air conditioner works and did so before we had it charged. We?ve taken care of the leaks to our best ability and now begin the search for parts and other accessories.

To date, we have replaced the front passenger window (which had a sizable crack in it); replaced the LF tire as it had gone flat repeatedly; had the radiator gone through; replaced shocks (in order to attempt to cease the constant bouncing that occurs after going through a dip in the road); we purchased a dash cluster and replaced the speedometer components enough to make the speed register (alas, only for a short while). Now the speed is a constant zero (0). I've purchased two (2) matching door mirrors to replace the ones that came on the car at time of purchase. These sadly are not 1959 mirrors, rather 1961. I am still looking, but at least they sport the BUICK shield now. The air conditioner needs to be recharged again and the heater worked on - sadly it never has worked since we took possession; and had "Deltawingpilot" assist me in replacing a leaking brake line - THANX PAL!!!

Madeleine is our garage queen. She goes out occasionally for shows or to stretch her gears. As gas prices soar, she won't be cruising quite as much as before. We yearn to buy her some new shoes (coker wide white wall tires, that is).

Here is a photo that Centurion has posted to the forum of Madeleine (Pearl Fawn) with Deltawingpilot's Invicta convertible at an old Buick dealership in Fredericksburg, TX.

Madeleine was purchased new in Robstown, TX. I have tried to do research to determine if the local dealership is still in existence or not. I have passed by the Robstown exit in my travels, but never gone to investigate (yet). Madeleine was (as it was told to me), put into storage - up on blocks (?) - from September 1959 until June 1999 when the gent in charge of the original owner's estate sold the car to the next owner here in San Antonio.

That owner was told that the two damaging marks on the car were obtained from storage prior to Madeleine's hibernation period. It was parked on a bi-level hydralic lift with one car parked below it. On the back of the roof just above the center of the back glass, there is a groove someone has painted over that apparently came from the garage door either opening or closing over the parked cars.

The other damage are apparent drip marks (16) collected in one area of the trunk lid where Madeleine was parked beneath a leaking car above it. Why care was not taken to the drip marks is unknown.

Madeleine has factory a/c & when my wife & I took possession, the a/c still worked before any recharging was done. We were astonished! When I took her to be checked out for her first inspection sticker the mechanics at the Firestone ALL stopped what they were doing & had a collective pow-wow around & beneath Madeleine. They exclaimed how in "awe" they were at her excellent shape & demanded to know how I was able to have kept her in such shape.

Madeleine's undercarriage is rust-free. The gas tank looks to be new (for all intent & purposes). Not being a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, I don't know better how to describe it's condition.

When Hans helped me with the brake line, he spent some time beneath. He noted what a true gem THE CAR's underside was in relation to her age.

Madeleine's interior is ALL original. The carpeting has obviously been replaced at some point in time for whatever reason as there are two distinct colors present in the front seat area. In my album, the front seat area is visible on the driver's side. The "braids" that align the door & window areas (for lack of a proper name) are for the most part in great shape.

The braid on the driver's side nearest the wing window is frayed. Due in part to the way the owner parked his car with the sun either coming up or going down (as it was explained to me from the BCA Dallas area president). The Sonomatic radio works as do the front & rear speakers.

Perhaps most shocking (to this green thumb) was the fact when we first opened her doors prior to her first test drive - AS WELL AS EVERY TIME SINCE - Madeleine displays that new 1959 car smell. It wows me every time we get in.