Barney Eaton

Those Toronado conversions were a common sight at Love Field, Dallas back in the '70's

If I was in your shoes...... I would pull the wheel and caliper on the '90 you have already converted. then try the new caliper on your '90 and see if there is a problem. At that time you could also compare the rotors.

All year Reatta front fender are the same......if you want to get picky, red pinstripe is also probably the most common on white. There is also a guy north of Flint MI that has a lot of parts, I am not home or I would give you his phone number.

For some reason I did not think it was that great a difference............ However I found in the 1988 release package information saying the distribution was 2241 on the front and 1104 on the rear. That is 67/33 ........... driver and passenger would put a little more on the rear ......possibly close to the 65/35 number.

I have reread you post and think I understand what you are saying......... The caliper not will fit in place because they are hitting the rotor...........correct? If the rotor was not on the vehicle, the caliper would mount.........correct? Sounds like the rotor is too large as you also indicated but could it be a combination? What if the caliper casting is closer to the rotor on the newest calipers and the rotor is also slightly larger. Since you have another Reatta what if you try the new calipers on the coupe..... is there a problem? Without being there it seem that the caliper casting is the problem..... probably a different vendor not paying attention to the inside clearance .

I am still confused.......... if it originally had a V12 then the holder with 6 plugs (per side) makes sense. But is it now short on spare plugs with a V8 or has more than it needs for the V8?

Allow me to vent a little on tires........ my Reatta has stock size tire and the sidewall rates them at 1521 lb each at 41 psi. Do the math and those 4 tires could support a 6084 pound vehicle when inflated to 41 psi. The information I have says a 1991 convertible weighs 3593 pounds or about 60% of the tire load capacity. If we assume the load capacity of a tire is directly proportional to the pressure, then what psi could we safely use on that tire? For this exercise lets say the Reatta weight is 4000 .... (factory weight + 2 - 200 pound passengers + gas) Using those numbers it comes out that 26.9 psi would safely carry the 4000 pound vehicle. My Reatta door sticker recommends 30 psi. You can run whatever tire pressure you choose but 28 - 30 is a good range.

At least change the knock sensor. I picked up several at the pick n pull because you don't know if a used (electrical) part is good until you try it. Plenty in the pick n pull on any 3800 I suspect the ECM default on a bad knock sensor is it will run rich. Some other owner have talked about a rough ride usually in the rear. Not much you can do except try new struts if you can find them. You might also consider your tire pressure. There is less weight on the rear, so you could drop the rear tire pressure maybe 4 psi and improve the ride.

Dodge and Plymouth were very similar during that time.... the windshield does not look right for a Buick and the hood side would have horizontal trim that would show in the photo

Sad news to hear.......... I have known Mike and Nancy since the late '90's and they were a team. Was unaware that he was in such a dire situation, did note they did not attend Strongsville. Condolences to Nancy and the children.

Would it have had chrome wire wheels when new? Wire wheels were common in the '30's but chrome wires and rims seem odd on that vintage vehicle

I have collected lots of photos of both the trunks and racks for various vehicles. My interest was more about the racks and the custom racks on custom body cars but that spilled over into all racks. I second the motion to contact Buick Heritage, they have lots of info and if there was an accessory catalog they will probably have it. Buick dealers probably had the option to buy Buick branded items or just accessory trunks. You can PM me if you are looking for specific details but here are a few ....some as recent as Strongsville where there were 3 1930 cars all with trunk racks. One had the curved arm mounted the opposite of the other cars

If you have a 1991 service manual you can check several of the functions with the onboard diagnostics.

I happen to know the first owner who has a interesting story on how he obtained the car. He was a "foot Doctor" and had connections with Buick. They called him and ask if he would be interested in this "special" Reatta. It was destine to be shipped to the far East and because of some conflict there at the time Buick was not sending it so the Dr purchased the car. From his story, I have always assumed he owned it from day one (meaning 1990). So the first registration at 10K in 1994 is a mystery. Maybe it was used in the GM fleet until '94 Since the original owner is dead, we may never know the whole story.

Will you need to use inner tubes? Some of the old wheels had rivets that were not intended to seal the rim. Lots of owners in the US have switched to radials..... for several reasons, better availabity, ride better, and they track better. My '39 Buick with belted tires would follow whatever groove was in the road, just annoying. I don't think the size matters as long a you don't have a clearance problem.. There is also those that would argue about putting WSW on a pre WWII vehicle, few low priced cars came with them so sometimes WSW on those cars look out of place....... however I vote for WSW if you could get them.