Here are some pics of my 57 Roadmaster I acquired from my father; I thought some here may find it interesting. I spent many years waiting to dig this thing out of the storage building where it spent the last 30 years. It was the furthest buried of 10 cars. The pics show it before moving the other cars, in the process of moving, after an outside wash (but not the wheels), and after driving home from shop last week - first trip in 30 years. It got new tires, but still dirty wheels (I drove it from the shop in between incessant snow showers while the roads were dry). It will get a proper cleaning in a few months. With winter approaching in the fall and a lack of time and proper lift to work on it, I had enough work done to it to drive it back to its current spot, and I will drive it to my house and continue to get it back to shape on my own this summer.

It has all power and factory air conditioning. I was told that the A/C still worked after all these years, but I'll find out this winter. It drove home beautifully (about a 10 mile trip) on its *new* maiden voyage.










[img]http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh89/lancemb/11.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh89/lancemb/12.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh89/lancemb/13.jpg[/img]
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Absolutely beautiful! What a great treasure -- a real family heirloom!

Thanks for sharing all the photos. Looks like that storage space was filled with Buicks.

Great car. Thanks for sharing the pictures. If you get a chance please post a picture of one of the B-pillars. I am in the process of redoing the covers on mine. I'd like to see how the carpet is done at the bottom of the B-pillar. I'd also like to see pictures of the inside of the trunk if you get a chance. Thanks again for sharing the pictures of a great car.

Great herd of Buicks in the pictures. You should be able to drive a different one just about every day.

Stevo

That is a beauty, is it all original?

Wow what a difference before and after. Great car, thanks for sharing.

Awesome car, great pics, great story. Thanks for sharing!!

I am glad you enjoyed it, thanks!

57Roadmaster75, I'll get some Interior and Trunk pics when I can.

Believe it or not, the first clean pics in the garage were taken the same evening as the pics of it being pushed out of that building and loaded onto the trailer earlier that afternoon.

The car was repainted at one time long ago and there may have been a couple odds and ends replaced, but is otherwise all original including engine and interior. It has under 54,000 original miles. My father drove it to PA and FL right before it was parked.

A couple of the other cars will be up for sale soon, including the 58 Super pictured next to it in the first picture. The body is not quite as nice, but isn't too bad and the interior is just about as nice.

Great picts. What did it take to get the car mechanically working after 30 years of sleep?

Sweet..... love the color! Dave!

I've never owned a mid-50's Buick, but that could change soon. I just love the two tone paint scheme on those cars, separated by the sweep spear. They are beautiful. I stared at the dash photo for ten minutes. Look at all that shiny chrome! Great car. Please keep us posted on the progress. Perhaps one of these days I'll be lucky enough to see it in person.

PS: What model '63 Buick is that in the first picture?

That's when I noticed the rare factory air?
Great car!

To answer a couple questions:
It is a 63 Wildcat convertible, also a pretty nice original car. I recently drove it a short distance for the first time in 27 years.

For all of the cars that came out of here, most only needed a fresh set of points and in some cases fuel pump and/or fuel line if there was any rubber. The 63 needed a radiator as well, but I believe it needed one when it was put away.

On the 57 RM, I had the fuel tank cleaned and sealed and new fuel lines and pump installed. Also changed points and plugs and replaced brake hoses, cylinders and linings regardless of how it looked. All it needed to actually run, though, was points and fuel pump. Before starting the cylinders were oiled down to prevent damage.

What I find very interesting is that everything still works! I listened to the radio, had the heater on, and honked the horn, and checked all gauges while driving it recently.

I'd like to bring it to Flint, but don't think I'll be ready for such a journey by then! There are still some things I'll need to replace to make it trustworthy for long distances...

It would be a nice car to take to Flint. I hope you can get her there.

I can't wait to see how those wheels come out.

Will the 63 Wildcat be one of the cars getting sold?
JD

Beautiful car! Really enjoyed the photos! That instrument panel is especially stunning! My grandfather had a 55' Buick and its amazing how much more chrome the 57' added over the 55' Even my grandfathers 55' Cadillac does not have that much instrument panel chrome!

Which I happen to have a photo of!


Great to hear that such small amount of work was required to get it back in running order. Normally after 30 years, much more is needed! Enjoy!

Schaffer, on the Buick Club site this is sacriligious, but it must be said..Nice Caddy!

30 years and no mice damage? That's great. I guess I've got this thing with mice and old cars. They seem to like mine.

Great car!

Gary

lol... I know it! Thanks though! At least they are "kin" to one another. I really love that Buick though... someone had a 57' Buick Limited at the local cruise last year and that thing was sweet!

Not to high-jack the thread, but yeah, grandpa has really enjoyed it.. he actually traded his 55' Buick Special for it years ago. The Cadillac as 87K miles and is all original. That padded dash is even original. The car has been barn/garage kept since new. Everything still works, even the original wonderbar radio and power windows. It has since had new carpeting installed since this photo was taken, which was a good match and parts of the door panels were recovered. Still, I think the 55' Buick Special had a better ride... the Cadillac has rear leaf springs (which seems to be stiff) and the Buick had whatever those strange things were... (I do not think it was coil springs, but something else)... it had a soft ride.

Just to not have you wondering... here is an exterior photo of it, as well as the old Buick.



The 55' Buick Special Riviera 4dr hdtp-

Havent been around to look but WOW what a nice car. One of the guys in our chapter just recently sold a survivor 57 Super Riviera that had also sat in a garage for over 30 years . His car was very nice , but I do believe this one is nicer. Congrats.

Dan

Glad you brought this back up Dan. I didn't know that there were pics here I hadn't seen.

Schaffer, I am surprised that the Caddy had leaf springs. The Buick had coil springs and those "other" things you saw under there were lever action shock absorbers. In 56 Buicks went to the more up to date tube shocks. The cars mayhave been kin, like you said, but other than roof panels and windows, they all were so much more individualized. Too bad GM didn't keep up with that tradition.

The caddy is very nice, but I'm still hoping to find out how those wire wheels on the 57 cleaned up.

That's a beautiful car! Was that a '64 Wildcat I saw in one of the last pics?

Yes, there was a 64 Wildcat convertible sold on Ebay a couple months ago...also is a 63 not yet for sale