Buffalowed Bill

I understood what the thread's author was saying. I just found fault with the statement that a "93 model does not attract any attention." Every era will have cars that attract attention. I agree that once American, Japanese and Korean designs began to came out of a wind tunnel, they all began to look alike. SUV's traded utility for styling. The lack of color didn't help either. The trend didn't preclude unique styling. It just made them stand out all the more.

I took me about 5 seconds to push back on your contention that there is nothing distinctive that was built in 1993. I also take issue with the comments indicating "multitudes of 1993 autos still in daily service." I agree with you that in their day it would have been unusual to see a 30 yo 1957 still in use in 1987. For multiple reasons cars were only expected to last 7 years. Keeping up with the Jones' did not lend itself to continuing to drive a car long after it began to say something negative about it's owner. My newest car car is a 1996 model. However I have multiple cars that I use that are at least 25 yrs old. Not one of them is often seen on the road today. I drive my 25+yo cars every day, and find it noteworthy when I see a similar model, and I live in the PNW where cars last a lot longer then they do in many parts of the country. I challenge anyone to take a two hour drive in any 30yo car and count the number of similar models that they see. Here is a picture of a car exactly like the one I drove to the hardware store today.

the shift pattern is bound to be different.

I'll try to stick to what I think I know and what I think that I have learned recently. I like all cars and collect what I like, but Studebakers have been a part of my life for 60 years. Studebaker was fortunate to have lasted as long as it did. If it hadn't produced cars into the 60's many of it's last models would have been forgotten like most of the other independents. I could say the same for Rambler and AMC in general. I'd like to focus on the last utility vehicle that Studebaker produced the Lark. As a Studebaker guy when the Lark came out I grudgingly put up the the old mans' car because it temporarily forestalled the company's demise. For the life of me I couldn't understand how anyone could appreciate the ugly little sawed off things! In the days after the company produced it's last car I had a number of beater Larks, but it took decades for me to learn to appreciate them for what they were, a great driving, reliable, antique driver, that is seldom seen outside of Studebaker ranks. That lack of appreciation was deep within even the Studebaker community too. I remember going to Lancaster Pa. for a National meet in 2008 or 2009 and out of 400-500 cars present there was one 1st generation Lark on the show field. Appreciation for all cars changes with the passage of time. When new it's all about styling and performance. As cars age the features that made a car "collectable" becomes blurred. Things like stories of a particular car's survival, or the fact that a car is almost never seen becomes part of the mix. Social media like the Facebook "Studebaker Addicts" forum has opened up Studebakers to a whole new group of younger people. Younger people feel comfortable with the anonymity of the Facebook format and it has allowed us older guys to interface with them, when it might be impossible to even have a face to face discussion with many of them. In addition this group has no built in prejudices against any models. In fact they seem to love the Larks because they are more in keeping with what they grew up with. They are also affordable. I have never been more optimistic for the future then I am today. Isn't discovery great!

I agree with gungeey. It matches what I've seen. I owned my 1963 for 25yrs. The odometer showed about 25K when I bought the car. I kept going back and forth on the mileage. Was it the first time over or was it more? Then I dug my original 22K mile 1965 out of a garage-it was a no doubter. It is a little more difficult to determine up here in the mild PNW, because our cars just don't seem to age as quickly as they do in most places. Regardless the difference in the two cars was palpable.

Ah, the beauty of living in the PNW. We never have an 88 degree, 85% humidity, day, not even occasionally. I should go look at the car, it's in my backyard. By the way those seat covers do a great job of saving original upholstery. Sorry they are no longer available.

Save the good cars and let the junk go. Common sense should be our guide, but who says we old car guys have any sense!😉

My question is when will it become clear that all the parts we have salvaged over the years will never become part of someone's car. The fact is that outside of a few rare essential parts there is nothing left of real value. Social media has helped create an environment in which if someone needs a particular part, a couple hour search on the computer, or and ask on specific forums, will turn up what we are looking for. The lack of restoration activity has created an situation the there are far more parts then the number of cars that need them, and owners that are willing to put them to use. This is not a Riviera specific problem. It has become endemic throughout the hobby. For many of us old timers we have just run out of time.

Right you are Dave. My 63 started life as a 223 (not 226). I got the truck in about 1978 from my now Xwife's grandparents. It was a well used, rust free Eastern Washington farm truck. On the 160 mile drive back to Seattle it used at least four quarts of oil-unbelievable! A quick review of the local paper's want ads brought up an ad for a guy parting out a wrecked 1964, F100 with a 262cu" IL engine. I had never heard of that engine. Intrigued I did some research and found that engine was was built from1961-64. It was based on the 223 platform, but up until 1964 had only been used in medium and heavy duty trucks. However for just one year 1964 it found it's way into pickups. It had 150hp compared to the 120hp for the 223, and a substantial torque advantage, which was produced at 1200rpm. I thought why not give it a try? At least I will have a conversation piece, that only the most ardent Ford guy would be aware of. I bought it for $50 and installed it. Any idea of an improvement over the 223 went away quickly. It had piston slap like no vehicle that I had ever heard before. I drove it like that on dump runs and the like, but I decided to rebuild it. My nephew was looking for an engine to rebuild for his HS Gas Engines class so he took the 262. Even back then parts were getting hard to find for that engine. Although it was based on the 223 it used a forged crank and timing gears instead of a chain. So the engine turned in the reverse of the 223. That meant that the oil pump, and distributer were unique to hat engine. The only pistons available were .040" which barley cleaned up the bore and the rings were only available in chrome. I think that it took about 7000 miles for those rings to seat. About ready to give up and pull the engine, the rings magically seated. I recently gave that truck to my nephew, who is now 58 years old, the best mechanic I know, and an old car guy. This is the same guy who built that engine over forty years ago. The truck needs some cosmetic work, but it still runs surprisingly well. That's my story of my 1963 F100 with a never seen engine, and I'm sticking to it. Thanks for sticking around long enough to read this!

Love them they are the only truck I have ever owned. (1) 1963 F100 with 262 IL 6, 4spd (2) 1964 F250 V8, 4spd, four wheel drive. (3) 1994 F150 V8 auto. They were all utility vehicles, used as such by me. I watched all of them find a certain level of respectability and collectability during my time with them. They all survive today.

Every self respecting car collector needs to have at least one Buick in his collection, I have two. It sounds pretty smug doesn't it-just kidding.

Bitter sweet price of survival. About 85% of these cars' siblings failed to make this far. I often look at a forlorn car like these and wonder when, where, how, and by whom it was owned, when the tipping point was reached between a real restorable car and rolling store of parts?

It seems like the connection that was made would have to have come from an archival search made by the current owner. How else would the current owner know about an inquiry made 17 years ago. If I'm correct this just goes to highlight how important this feature is.

You could always do what an old friend and well known backyard restorer would do after he finished with a mechanical brake job. He would go down a backroad at 50-60 mph take his hands off the wheel lay into the brake peddle. This would invariably lock up all four wheels. Once you have experienced this for yourself all doubts about mechanical brakes disappear. Sadly Ernie is no longer with us but not because of his brake testing procedure.

Check with the Buick Riviera-Riviera Owners Association You will find it here If you scroll down.

A little late to the party but.... I've driven Studebakers since I was 17 yrs old. Because of Studebaker's unique styling most guys either loved them or hated them. However even if someone liked the look of the 1953-55 coupe/ht. it was a stretch for a kid in own one. A Studebaker slogan was "Different by Design." Kids don't like being different. At least not so different that they stood out from the crowd. My Dad drove a 1951, 2dr Champion. I guess I liked it when I was 7yrs old, but a few critical comments from other kids changed that. The car moved on and so did I. Regardless there would never be a time that I did not have at least one Studebaker in my collection. I began to cringe a bit in 1956 when Studebaker began to follow the crowd to the popular shoebox style. While I felt the shoebox had been a misstep, the model that really got to me upset was the Lark. When it arrived in 1959 I didn't like it at all. I didn't know how anyone could like that little, sawed off, boxy, thing! Well my Dad must have liked it because he bought a year old 1963 Lark Daytona. It would be his last car. It was pretty well understood that when he passed that I would become the car's caretaker. In 1988 it came to pass. It would however be my only Lark so to make that official I called him "Malarkey." For the next 25 yrs he became my trusted companion while we traveled the backroads throughout the West. He never failed me or left me stranded. I learned to love the car for what it was. With that new found appreciation, I learned to like how he looked. It's amazing how the passage of time changes how we look at our cars. The car ages but does not change. But we change-maybe it's a matter of growing up. There is more to a car then a pretty face! My collection now includes four Larks and a 1950 and 1951. Maybe it's just closure! The car below is not Malarkey but substitute black/white interior and it would be his double.

I was surprised to hear that your 38 didn't have OD. As much as you drive your car you need to give it a try. While not plentiful 38-39 OD's do come up from time to time. Your car is running and driving so you can afford to be patient. In my stable of cars I have a 1939 Commander coupe (no it not a parts car and not for sale either). I agree that the trans on it's side seems a bit unusual but it works fine. I think that the 38 still used the floor shift, however I think you could swap parts to make a 39 trans work. You have made some worthwhile contacts. Many of us here know one another. The Antique Studebaker group is really a pretty close knit group which transcends geography. Some of us know you from the story of your accident and your reclamation and resurrection of your 38. We'll keep an eye open and let you know when something comes up. I just had a thought that I think you might find worthy of consideration. Numerous people have swapped the later 245cu" version of the six cylinder engine for the 226 like what is in your car. The newer engine is mostly the same externally, but provides more power and torque then the older engine. I want to make it clear I am in no way advocating the swap, but it's much more doable then trying to shoehorn a straight 8 into your car.

A point well taken. So I did a quick google search and came up with these figures: Total Buick 90 Series in 1931-25,503 or 18% of Buick's total production that year. Total McLaughlin Series 90's an estimated 5800. The person who put these figures out there extrapolated further saying that excluding RHD export 90's his guess was 1500 on the continent.

I guess it would depend on which facility had the available space and manpower to do the job. A limited series hand built car could be assembled almost anywhere. It's well known that the 1933 Pierce Arrow, Silver Arrows were built at the Studebaker plant in South Bend, but regardless they are still Pierce Arrows, and none the less a Pierce Arrow because of where they were built.

I think that folks from Canada are going to look at the legacy of this car much differently then everyone else. In Canada it is part of their automotive history. To many who are not Canadian it will be just a parts car. As someone who considers the history of the car more important then it's condition, I think that I get it. To me common sense says that from a logistical point of view it needs to stay together. I'm too old the inter into a situation that entails labor intensive work to disassemble, and store the parts until a phantom restorer needs them. No crystal ball could have prepared me for where the hobby is today. The lack of demand for parts and parts cars today has caused me to rethink much of what I did when I was younger. If there was someone who had stepped up over the last year who needed parts we would probably not be having this discussion, but that didn't happen. Even if this car never ran again, my feeling that in a museum or a large collection it would be valuable as part of a static display. I don't know what this will look like or who might step up but once it's is disassembled any such option goes out the window.

Amazed that anyone thinks that the only place that you can sell a vintage car is the East Coast. There is a spirited car hobby on the West Coast, and with over 50M people in Cal, Or. and Wa. alone, there is an active market close to home.

What I use really depends on the leather. All leather are not the same. Some are vat dyed and some are color coated. Regardless I have used Lexol with equally good results on all my cars. I use needs foot oil on some of my darker interiors because it has a tendency to darken the leather slightly. I also apply it to stiff or dried leather. On the latter I just rub on the dried leather several times a week and let it sit. it will invariably take up some of the moisture. I hen clean the surface with leather cleaner. If you are really dedicated to saving dried out leather removing the upholstery from the seats and rubbing NFO in from the back as well as the front really helps. While I have never done this myself a friend and restorer has done it. Everyone agreed that the results were worth the effort.

It's not clear whether you are looking at buying all four cars or just a certain car(s). From personal experience I can say that the value for all purchased together should be 50-60% of the retail number 4-5, condition. What this would relate to in money terms I have no idea. Some of these cars are going to be interesting while some he may have a hard time getting rid of (call them throw ins). There's nothing obscure here, you should have little trouble getting a value on each car.

It's difficult to judge a car's condition by watching it go across the stage. It's all about condition but there has to be some kind of documentation chronicling history, preservation or restoration and by whom. I presume that these guys who bid this high have done their homework, but as I indicated I don't know anyone who has bought a car at a high powered auction.

If you can find a good running straight eight buy it and pass it on to the multitude of us who own a President(s) that needs an engine. There has not been any bearings or pistons produced in quantity for decades. With the cost of an engine build around $10K I doubt that very many will be saved going forward. To be honest I don't think that a S8 will fit the engine bay of a Commander anyway.