BUICKMAN AWARD

[color:"blue"] The "BUICKMAN" Award

Faster than a GSX Stage 1, More powerful than a Hellcat Tank, Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound --- 'Look, up in the sky,' 'It's a bird,' 'It's a plane,' 'It's BUICKMAN....' "

This thread is for recognizing and telling others about fellow Buick owners that they feel have gone beyond the call of duty in helping out another Buick person. Whether it is for being a longtime devoted Buick person, helping someone find an elusive part, diagnosing a difficult mechanical problem, taking time to research and help others with problems or whatever. If you feel a fellow Buick person deserves a pat on the back, let?s hear about it.

I?d like to kick this thread off by recognizing fellow BCA forum member ROBERT BUDD. Recently upon Robert?s hearing that my computer had crashed and that I had lost all my Buick files including all the pictures of my projects, Forum pictures (Girls on Buicks especially) and Lord only knows what all else Robert emailed me and told me to pack the computer up and send it to him. The Best Buy Geeks had told me the Hard drive was fried and that they could not retrieve anything from it. Well, I packed it up, sent it all the way across the continent and about 3 weeks later received not only 99% of my (non retrievable) files but also a totally rebuilt computer. When I asked what I owed, all he wanted was the the shipping costs back to me. I of course wouldn?t have that and hopefully we?ll see what ol Budd spends the money on on eBay.

But not only do I recognize Robert for this great ?favor? but also for his dedication and time he spends on his 56 Buick web site and his love for his 56 Beuick. http://www.agentbudd.com/56Buick/index2.html

Yep, I certainly think Robert deserves this prestigious ?Buickman Award?.

Anyone else have anything to add regarding ol? Robert, let?s hear it.

Well, I think high on this list would be Joe Taubitz - been around the BCA almost as long as they have made Buicks - always conducts himself in all the ways that are good for our hobby, and is and would be there to help anyone that needs his help or input

In the Buicktown Chapter, we have a "Joe Taubitz Award" that is highly coveted, brings tears to the eyes of the winner every year at our Christmas Party! That award goes to the B'town member that extemplifiys the things "The Old Guy" does for the Buick Community! He is our HERO! And is at the BDE National in Bardstown, KY this week, so we won't hear from him till he get's back! Took the '72 GS455 Convertible with the 200R4 transmission. What a ride with the overdrive!

Lamar, as Budd did you a great job, he also is a great Buick Guy, TOO!

Hope to see you all in MN!

First off, Lamar, this thread is a great idea! Thanks for the opportunity to hand out some pats on the backs.

I would like to nominate Jim Hughes. He rebuilds Dynaflow transmissions for fun and profit. Several years ago the tranny went out on my '51. I bought a rebuilt Dynaflow from Jim and had it installed a few months later. There was a problem with the torque ball seal and Jim took a half a day off work and drove 150 miles to fix it. He also took my old tranny back to Toledo with him, saving me having to make the trip. Trading in my old tranny was part of the deal, ya see.

A couple months later when there were problems with the transmission itself, he made the same long drive to check it out and diagnose the problem. He also brought my original transmission (He had rebuilt it.) back with him in case the one in the car needed to be swapped out. As it turned out, the tranny I had bought from him had to be replaced, so Jim stayed the weekend at my house and he and I made the switch. I was very impressed with his knowledge of my car, but I was even more impressed with his willingness to stand behind his work. It's been about five years now and the gearbox is working just fine. I have only seen Jim a couple times since then, but have heard others say similar things about him. I would like to reccomend him for a Buickman Award. You won't go wrong getting a D-Flow from him.

I must be off...

Amen on Joe. He's right up there with Greg Field and John Gerstkemper as what this club is all about. Amen to John's nomination on Jim Hughes. Jim is our Assistant Director and is right there to help on mechanical anything. He takes great pride on his Dynaflow work, so it didn't surprise me when he traveled distances to make sure things were right. By the way a Flight Pitch doesn't faze him in the least as it may do to some other rebuilders.

Great idea Mr. Earl.

Thank you for the kind words Lamar. I am happy to have helped-- your particular situation is something I can handle. Now if'n it was a power steering leak on one of your 54's, you'd be SOL having me as a sidekick <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

There are many, many other men an women within the BCA, the Buick world and frequenting this board who deserve a mention on this thread. I am constantly impessed by the depth of Buick knowledge that is so willfully given by the community.

Good thread Lamar!

Cheers,

Budd

Cecil Miles in Houston Texas chapter. My first Buick a 56 Special 2 door hardtop - 1992. Cecil and some of the other members were very friendly and the laid back nature of our get togethers helped to build belief that the club was all-inclusive - unlike Paul's comments in the last Bugle.

Cecil built his 39 Special convertible up from the ground up I believe in his driveway "back in the day". His encouragement and advice are always appreciated.

Lamar, what a nice idea! Robert Budd is a great candidate (as are many others). I have forwarded 'Agent Budd's' web site to many over the years & lurk around it as well. There are sooooo many people on this site that are deserving...this is going to be along thread(maybe as long as the 'Girls on Buicks'thread). I think the guy who started the 'Girls on Buicks' should be given the award...now who was that guy... <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

How about each and every BCA Technical Advisor? I've only had dealings with a few - Bruce Andren for $Pit, and Lind Coop / Keith Horsfall regarding the '29 McLaughlin Buick. Each encounter has been polite, very informative, and they are either gushing with information or will point you to someone else who will help out.

Give yourself a pat on the back folks, you deserve it.

Here's to Ken and Sue Reeves and their fairness and dedication in selling old Buick parts.

Wheatbelt

A little over a year ago I made a trip all the way out to Oklahoma to pick up a 54 parts car that had AC. I had always wanted to visit this all Buick "salvage yard" anyway so this gave me a great excuse. Upon getting there and loading up the car, Ken told me to come on out to the yard and lets make sure you have enough parts in case some of the ones in the car are bad. And that we did. At no extra charge.

I have talked to a lot of people that have bought from Ken and their experiences have always been good.

I can tell you that given the time and work involved in finding and hauling all these cars to his yard plus all the time it takes to remove the parts without damaging them all the while fighting off fire ants, wasps, fiddleback spiders and snakes, one has to know that Ken isn't in it just for tne money, He truly knows and loves these old Buicks. Also given all that, the prices he charges are very much in line and worth every penny.

So thanks Ken and Sue, y'all help make owning and restoring an old Buick fun.

I did not realize that I actually helped people! Many in the BCA look on me as a thorn in their side. Thank you for letting me know that even though I can be a pain, I still make a difference. The BCA has been my extended family for many years ( I joined in 1969) and has been a source of enjoyment for me and my family all that time.

I look at the BCA National meet every year more as a reunion than a car show. Now with the BDE ,Modified Division ,and the Prewar Division, it makes it even more enjoyable.

Thanks

Right on, Lamar!

Thought I'd bring this back to the top. Praps Roberta will consider makin it a sticky.

Folks,

I think the time has come to give Lamar aka Mr Earl, the BuickMan award! To be frank Mr Earl should from now on be called the BuickRescueMan, not just the BuickMan!

I’m sorry if this might be a rather long story but I hope you all will have a good read and also along with me conclude that there is no other name than the BuickRescueMan that would apply to this amazing Buick enthusiast.

It all started with me looking for a 71-76 Buick Estate Wagon sometime early last year, I first lost out one deal and then two came at the same time, both fortunately and unfortunately I came around to buy the latter one – mainly because I loved the color combo, and the vinyl roof, and it was also more loaded than the other one.

Anyways so I won the eBay auction by early November last year, and there starts what would be a two month battle to get wagon. The seller is literally holding the car ransom and it takes me more than two months to get all the “documents” right and even then the seller don’t want to let the car go.

It’s at this point the BuickRescueMan steps in! The BRM is acting as my POA and has the right to collect the car on my behalf. I will not mention all the details but BRM is giving his all and spends lots and lots of time on the phone, and writing email trying to solve the situation getting the car safely home. Finally this last Friday we get the green light and BRM can put on his cape and spring into action this last Sunday.

What it means is a long trip 850 mile from Athens Georgia down to Mobile Alabama and back, while event less on the way there it will not be on that on the way home. Well even before heading home BRM needs to battle the crazy seller but does so brilliantly by raising his Buick shield deflecting all attempts to not give up on the Buick!

It’s time to load and run, but what BRM hasn’t checked is how big this 1976 Buick EstateWagon is. When he starts he gets the surprise of his life the wheels are on the outside the ramps by a large margin and the girl is ending up riding on top of the guide rails of the trailer. Then it’s the weight, it’s so heavy that it makes things squeak (my interpretation), it’s Buickly obvious that this is a lot more than a 54 Roadmaster something the BRM is quite used to tow if I’m not totally misinformed .

It’s even more obvious when he hits the I-65 which is just next to where he loaded the girl. It starts fishtailing like nothing before. To be honest I don’t know what fishtailing is since I never towed anything. The description I get from hubby makes my jaw drop and I know this is not fun, nor healthy for anyone’s heart. Not, strange that BRM is calling up on higher powers and that’s not the BuickRescueWoman (BRW) or similar super heroes but Jesus him self.

After several stops where BRM is inching the car forward on the trailer, so much forward that the girl will hit the truck in a tight turn, BRM finally mange to get the fishtailing under control, at least in moderate speeds. Well moderate speeds of 55/60 mph is all you can get with this beast to girl on the back, even the mighty BRM can’t get the Chevy higher than third gear while cruising, this is how heavy loaded it all is.

It’s all ok, well with silent prayers when SUVs and trucks passing by making it all swag a little, but it’s all changing in the sharp curve where I-65 turns into I-85. According to mighty BRM’s own words “Was in the middle of the curve and had gotten forced into the center lane somehow and here come two tractor trailers one on each side. Just as the curve straightened, they pass me and I start wagging the worse yet. Only thing to do was to kick the s…. out of it and pull her straight again and then gently slow back down. It worked. Thank you Jesus.”

It’s dark now, and it apparently makes things easier. Well even I understand that one; it’s easier when you don’t need to see the scary scenario behind you and I guess a wagging beastie monster girl to wagon nearly eating up you pickup is a bit scary even for the all conquering BRM …

What happens next I would classify as a major miracle.. in short succession comes the some ominous signs; construction zone ahead, vehicles wider than 8.5 ft use alternative route, narrow lines for the next 30 miles and then it comes the view from hell; that being 3 ft high concrete jersey barriers on the right and 5 foot concrete barrier on the left and just 8.5 ft gap in between and obvious black marks from trucks getting up on them before their sending them to there last resting place. I can’t more than quote BRM “Some folks say God is their co-pilot. At that point I just gave God the steering wheel and let him drive”...

Little bit later after coming out of it BRM is standing on the parking lot of a KFC, when according to BRM “a guy in a Hummer pulled in behind me. Said he'd been behind me awhile and couldn't believe how well I had kept it between the white lines. I told him it wasn't me driving and of course he didn't know what I was talking about”….

It’s first little after midnight BRM is hitting Athens and the safety of home which he hasn’t seen since 6 in the morning the day before. I have to say I out of words how much I appreciate Lamars help, nominating him for the title as the BuickRescueMan is the very least I can do. I have a few Buickly ideas for Buickly things our dear BRM might like but anyone with some ideas of such things please tell me since I want to send him something nice. Both I and hubby are thanking him from the bottom of our hearts! Thank you Lamar for rescuing my beloved Estate Wagon!!

Buickly Dyna

PS: Attaching what I think is one very pretty picture of a frosty Buick on the back of Lamar’s trailer , as you can see it’s kind of big. If the Buick had a hitch it would probably been easier to trailer it the other way around i.e. the Buick towing the Chevy ….

PS: I think this says it all… “My Roadmasters weigh in at about 4200 lbs. Your girl weighs 5,182 friggin pounds” and “It is by far the biggest thing I have ever hauled. It's a good thing I didn't look it up on the internet before I left” because this is what he found “The preponderance of information suggests that the largest station wagons of all time were the 1971-1976 Buick Estate, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser , and Pontiac Safari, with the slight edge given to the 1974-1976 Buicks”

Dyna,

I'll second your nomination.

Stevo

Go Lamar, Go!

I think I can speak for most people on this forum when I say 'Mr. Earl, if YOU ever need anything, just ask.' There will be a line of people forming behind me.

Ahhh shucks, it was nothin.

Thanks for the more than kind words. I was just so glad to be able to help.

It all really became a challenge when it became clear that the seller had no intention of following through with the sale, even though full payment had been made and I actually had a Bill of Sale in hand. I've heard the expression " possession is 9/10ths of the law before but Mobile Alabamians must consider it 9.999/10ths of the law. This lady actually thought that just because she still had the car in her backyard and had decided she didn't want to sell anymore that she didn't have too. I could have understood if she had had the car a long time or if it was a family heirloom thing, but she had only had it like 2 years. Well anyway's it is now safe and sound at Buick Gardens and as soon as the spigots thaw I'll give her a good bath and garage her. (She was sitting out for the last two years)

Yea I was just not aware those things are so big. I don't think I care to haul anymore 74-76 Buick Estate wagons, at least not with my current rig. I was proud of the ol' Silverado though. He's a 96 model and has 223,000 miles on him, never a wrench laid on him other than brake pads and shoes. I typically pull my Roadies in overdrive other than in the mountains, but I kept him in 3rd all the way home Sunday.

It was another of those trips I'll never forget and will be good for telling about for a long time. I miss having my son with me on these Buick runs. He was so good with the chains and buckin dogs, too. LOL

Again I'm so glad you finally got your dream car Dyna. It is a very nice car and will be even nicer when cleaned up and detailed. I do believe the mileage to be the 40K she said it was. Congrats to you for finally getting what you have wanted for so long.

Now... does anyone know where I might find a decent cloth bucket seat for a 96 Silverado. Mine seems to be pinched a bit. Oh and a steering wheel too, mine has finger imprints in it about a half inch deep.

Oh and please don't worry about any thing for me Dyna. Well maybe just this one little thing on eBay

That'd be a pretty gaudy trophy, don't you think Lamar?

I like the description of the truck parts. Good thing I didn't try going through those barricades with my trailer...heck, even my boat might have had trouble.

I've been in one of those situations with the tail wagging the dog. I was with a buddy hauling a GTO with no engine. Of course, that really throws the weight off the trailer hitch. We were coming down a big hill in northern Alberta and she really started going. We're not sure what happened, but you could hear something behind lock up...we got straightened out then and managed to stay out of the ditch. There's a rental shop about half a block from here...I rented their car hauler to get the '56 from Alberta. I should have known when you didn't need a jack to lift this trailer up (actually, the trailer balances so the tongue is off the ground), but I wasn't as experienced with trailers then. The trip with it empty had to keep to a lower speed except on stretches of new road which were smoother. That was a long trip.

Anyway, a Buickman award well deserved MrEarl.

I have had to load motorless 54's up backwards to get the weight proportioned right but it took about 5 tries to get this thing loaded straight on the trailer to begin with and that was with the lady guiding me.(probably could have done it the first time without her) So I really didn't want to unload and reload. I actually think it would have stuck out too far over the tongue and there would have been too much tongue weight then.

Oh and the 30 miles of narrow lanes on I-85 was actually two lanes, each maybe 11 wide. Just wide enough for every SUV AH to fly by me on the left. I basically kept one eye on the left rearview mirror and the other on the right front of the hood. I's still a little wall eyed from that exercise.

And re the having to kick it to straighten her out, I really had no choice. She was about to get sideways and with several cars to rear, left and right that was the only option I thought I had. I am not saying that is the thing to do as I had never tried it before.

Oh and I must give credit where credit is due. At one point the negotiations between me and the seller had broke down. Dyna's hubby then came to BRM's aide and called the lady and after something was said about this being an international transaction and contact being made with the FBI, she finally conceeded it might be a good idea to hand over the car.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrEarl</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ahhh shucks, it was nothin.

</div></div>

Hmm .. I dunno but last time I checked nothin was a lot less miles something like 850 miles less...

Hehe will a RC Buick 54 do? The 54 on ebay is a tad expensive ..

-- yes I guess I took a bit artistic freedom with the view from hell, kind of made it a bit more colorful. The mail I got from BRM was an amazing read so it was hard to come up with something good for the Buick forum..

Ah yes have one idea and that is a cape with a trishield, would complement BRM super hero outfit very nicely ...

Cheers Dyna

Good to hear the Behemoth is in safe hands now. Didn't expect the final hand over of the Wagon would be such a pain.. The seller's text going along with the auction pointed in the opposite way.

I'm still considdering to drive the other 76 EW to Colorado Springs and on to Savannah,GA in July...

Rob, feel free to swing by and see us (and stay over) on your way to Savannah. We're about 1 1/2 hr east of Atlanta which you will likely be coming through on your way there. We can give you good directions to Savannah from Athens, as Rita is from there and we go down quite often.

Lamar, thank you so much for your offer. The only thing for me that is definately going to happen is to visit Colorado Springs. After that everything is possible; east or west coast, south)

Hopefully in a a full size 75 or 76 Buick (chasing a few different options now). A rental would be my very last option.

I sure will let you know what will happen. Thanks again!!

I would like to nominate Barney Eaton. To all of us who are Reatta fans, Barney has been a fantastic source of knowledge in his role as the Reatta Division's Technical Advisor. He also serves as a source of reproduced parts, and as a rebuilder of selected failed parts. I spoke to Barney on several occasions before I bought a Reattta, and his advice was invaluable. I know others, especially in the Reatta Divison, who respect Barney and are grateful for all he does for Reatta owners.

Barney is also now serving his second term as a member of the BCA Board of Directors. This is a position that requires dedication to the Buick hobby, and often is under appreciated by the membership.

Hear, hear!

Ditto!

Three cheersXXXXX Three aren't enough. MANY cheers for Barney. Thanks........ Jim

Barney is what I call a "doer". He finds or makes the time "to" do things for others. In addition to the above I believe he is and has been for quite awhile the BCA technical advisor coordinator. So heck yea, I think Barn definitely posses the qualification of a full fledged

Several people have nominated Willie Pittman aka Old Tank for this prestigious BUICKMAN AWARD. So with no further ado.....(drum roll please) I hereby present

Let's hear it for Willie !!!!!!!!

I'll second that motion. He's in my Buick region and I've gotten to know him. In a club filled with nice folks, Willie (and his great wife Mary Ann) stand out!!

Regards, Dave Corbin, South Central Regional Director, BCA

PS: Just remember that he says: "People who use tools bleed a lot!"

Thanks for moving the BuickMan Award thread upstairs here Roberta. Now we don't have to go "searchin" for it.

Willie Pittman aka Old Tank ..(drum roll please) I hereby present

Let's hear it for Willie !!!!!!!!

Congrats Willie, well deserved!

Well I certainly agree, and thanks again Willie for the parts.

Although I have not bought a Reatta as of yet, Barny also opend my eyes as of what to look for. Thanks Barny, you sure nuff is deserving. and a true blue "Buick Man" Dandy Dave!

Congrats to you "Old Tank" True Blue to the Buick he tis. Dandy Dave!

Several people have nominated Willie Pittman aka Old Tank for this prestigious BUICKMAN AWARD. So with no further ado.....(drum roll please) I hereby present

Let's hear it for Willie !!!!!!!!

It should go without saying to anybody who has been on this forum for more than a few days, that I must wholeheartedly agree with this nomination. Willie was the main reason my 55 received a Senior award my first time showing at a National.... AFTER DRIVING IT 1800 MILES!

Thanks Willie.

Pic of Willie during my restoration.

Yeah for "The Old Tank".