1960 Invicta

Hello everyone, this is my first post here.

I'm looking at purchasing a 1960 Buick Invicta which i plan to use to drive to UNI once a week (50 km/31 miles of mostly highway) and for cruising on weekends. would the Invicta be able to cope with this amount of use? The main thing I am worried about is finding parts as there does not seem to be many reproduction parts available and original parts may be hard to find as I am in Australia so I will have to get them shipped. working on the car is no issue as my father is a mechanic and has been teaching me on my other car (76 beetle).

so are parts hard to find, and is this too much to as of a 54 year old buick?

Certainly the old Invicta will be able to cope. Mostly it will depend on the depth of your pockets for filling up the fuel tank. Is the car running OK now ?

You're right, there will not be many parts floating around for 1960 Buicks. But you should be able to source most parts from the USA. Unfortunately that's the price we pay (no pun intended ) for owning an old Buick here in Australia. Shipping is expensive from USA, plus there is no surface mail anymore. :mad:

Don't be dismayed however ---- go for it. 1960 Buicks are cool. Show us some pictures of it.

I am into my 13th year of driving my '60 Electra an average of 1,000 miles a year, that includes two years out for medical misbehavior and putting similar miles on a couple other cars. We think noting of jumping in and taking a 200 miles drive on the weekend.

In 2002 I put new front wheel bearings in. Maybe it was 2004 when I put the water pump in and cleaned the radiator for general principle. Around 2006 I did a complete brake job. In 2010 I put a u-joint inside the torque tube. I am on my second set of tires.

There is an NOS ignition switch sitting next to my computer. The key got a little finicky one day.

Oh, I did a tune-up in 2011 and came home on a flatbed a week later. Don't buy anything but Echlin points. I put the 10 year old condenser back in after the new one failed.

Its a Buick, drive it a minimum of 15 miles a week and it won't need much.

Bernie

These cars respond well to long trips like like that, everything warms up and the car runs better. I also do about 1000 a year on mine with minimal hassle and routine maintenance. Good luck with the purchase and please post some pictures.

I am a poor one to speak as my 60 Electra has been in storage for 22 years (long story, but mostly me being to lazy to get her out), but before she was put into storage she was my grandmothers only car and used weekly as a driver, even now I would not even hesitate to drive the 60 on a daily basis after I freshened up the rubber parts. I actually thought about getting it out for the trip to the Portland show (about 300 miles one way), but got to thinking that it would be asking for trouble by pushing it that quick. I will get her going after the show and start driving her regulary.

Here's a link to many resources for 1960 Buicks. What you need to remember is that the different model names were mostly about trim and engine options. Buick changed the Invicta name to Wildcat around 1963. Basic parts could come from any model.

http://www.the1960buick.com/

I just got my first Buick 2 weeks ago. It's a great car and a lucky find. There isn't a wealth of parts around. Seems that the earlier cars are better supported plus 60 wasn't a banner year for Buick sales. But I've put on new tires and shocks, had the front end aligned, changed the oil an filter, air filter, lubed, checked and topped off needed fluids. I've put on about 300 miles so far and it just keeps getting better. I am going to take a loop through Yosemite today. Should be fun...

You may also want to visit the "1960 Buick Universe" Facebook group.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Sorry i don't have any pictures to post though, im hoping to go and have a look at it this weekend.