SpecialEducation

A 1968 GT just hit the LKQ self service yard in Aurora, Colorado...

Do you store the car for the winter there? I’d guess not, but if you do, I’d change the oil just *before* storage. Combustion products in the oil can turn things corrosive as it sits, so fresh oil is better for storage. Otherwise, just change the oil once a year with a good quality conventional oil. Either use oil with ZDDP (zinc phosphate) in it, or add it at every oil change to protect your cam & flat tappets from eating each other.

I’ve rarely found that salvage yards and customer service belong in the same sentence together. There are exceptions, but especially when dealing with rare parts, they seem to know they don’t have to try, because it’s not like you can just visit the competition across the street & get the same thing. I recently bought a “large console” out of a ‘94 Roady from a self service yard that was clearly an armrest, not a console. Menu price for a large console was about double that of an armrest. I would have let them keep it, if this hadn’t been the first one I’d seen in years that wasn’t broken.

I don't get it. How does that car only rate as the coolest on the block? It would be the coolest thing on my street. My zip code. Probably my whole town... Makes me wonder what was on the next block! FWIW: Those would be whitewall tires with red wheel felloes.

How about a photo to clear things up?

Ours developed a hole, too. We just had a guy who was good at welding aluminum patch it up. The patch ended up being about 10 times bigger than the original hole because it was so thin in that area... We now run DOT 5, too...

A few more pix from last weekend. Can’t wait for the grass to turn green...

When it's time to paint Bertha, I'm about 95% certain I'm going to copy the LXXV paint scheme. I doubt I'll do a full-up clone, though. They guys with NOS emblems and other LXXV goodies are PROUD of them.

In addition to what was said above about spark, get a noid light set (available from harbor freight as well). Disconnect EACH of your fuel injector electrical connections and plug in the noid light. Observe the light at all 6 positions.

I’m game, if it’s not spoken for. I’ll send a PM.

I was going to try to get some photos of my big, blue, 364 powered, Flint-built beauty (a.k.a. Fitz) in downtown OKC today, but schedules didn't allow. I'll be down there next weekend though. If yer in the area, I'll be performing at the bombing memorial March 10 at 1:00. We also have a show in the evening. Visit www.fedsmusic.com for details.

Welcome, Dan! That’s a great looking Buick, and a great story to go with it. Whereabouts in the Midwest are you? Perhaps we can find some local Buick experts in your neighborhood that might like to hang out with that LeSabre (and you)...

Plus, it’s always fun to see the looks you get when you walk into Walmart all dirty & greasy from working in the shop, and you walk up to the cashier only buying a tub of petroleum jelly. ?

It’s the timing chain tensioner. They’ve revised it twice. It’s pressurized by engine oil, and it gets gummy and quits managing the slack. Basically, at 265k, mine quit taking the slack out, and the shock loading on the chain stripped the teeth off the crank sprocket. It’s a $50 fix that takes 5 minutes when you are on top of it. I wasn’t on top of it, so I had valves hitting pistons. Had a spare engine (with the latest timing) that I tossed in it. That motor has 170k on it now, and I’m not nice to it either.

Bah! My Vue (same platform as the Equinox) tells me when to change the oil, and since new the light always comes on at 7,000 miles. Over 250k on the original Ecotec, and I wasn’t exactly easy on it...

Close! Ok, maybe not so close...

DO NOT RUN E85 in a car that was not designed for it. E85 has LESS energy per gallon than straight gas. About 30% less. To tune a vehicle to run on E85, you first need injectors capable flowing 30% - 50% more fuel. Now you need a higher capacity fuel pump, too. Modern cars that are “FlexFuel” equipped have inline sensors to determine the alcohol content and adjust the tune to match. Your Reatta is not that sophisticated, and neither are any of the Grand Nationals that are out there running E85, unless they’ve done a lot more work besides swapping PROMs & injectors. Once you take an OBD-I era car and convert it, that’s all it will run. E85 is worse for the environment, and I’ve never seen it cheaper than 30% below straight gas. It eats soft parts in your fuel system, and holds moisture to promote corrosion. For 95% of the population, E85 is a TERRIBLE fuel. The ONLY reason to switch to E85 is detonation resistance. You can run higher compression, boost, and ignition advance when you are on E85. Just like premium (high octane) fuel, the fuel itself does not make more power. Higher octane burns SLOWER & COOLER, and therefore allows higher power producing designs to operate without blowing up or melting down the engine. Signed, Your local, friendly propulsion systems engineer.

The only RWD Buick of that era was the Rainier. 360 platform (Trailblazer, Envoy, Bravada).

DO IT! I’d like to see that too. While you are at it, ask about that Olds for me. Wait... better not. We are at 17 over here, and I’m expecting #18 (Hint: It’s BIG, blue, and powered by a 364) in a few weeks. I’m officially out of parking spaces.

Probably was thinking of the Olds motor.

I’m kinda eyeballing that Olds next to it!

I’ve been trying to secure an appearance of these cars at the 2019 Nationals in OKC...

I think it would be nice to archive the ads, especially with photos & the full description. Might be a handy reference for historical data later on.

I think it’s beyond lazy and closer to deception. First, I’m going to tell you why original cars are so much better than restored cars. Then I’m going to tell you that this car is so original that it pre-dates the word original. Then I’m going to tell you that the body & paint aren’t original but can be restored to original in an unrealistically small amount of time & money before I go on some more about how original it is, and start speculating & making up crap I want you to believe.

Aaaand... the speedo is still broke (in the car, not Mr. Earl).