Centurion

This would be a great project. The Buicks of this era are definitely deserving of this kind of project, and there would be significant demand for such a book among the Buick Club people I know. I would gladly pay something on the order of $40 - $60 for a book of very high quality.<P>Brian Laurance<BR>'59 Electra, '71 Centurion<BR>laurance@integrity.com

Last night, I was looking at the September issue of "Hemmings Motor News" at my local Barnes & Noble Bookstore. I was surprised to see a '66 Wildcat GS convertible listed for sale in the Buick section. The car is for sale by a place called Cosmopolitan Motors and carried a Seattle-area telephone number. From the description of the car's colors and options, this is very clearly the former Bellingham, Washington car that I described in my above posting. The car was listed for $14,000, which is a high price for the car. For someone seeking one of these cars, however, it would be worth checking out and one never knows how flexible an asking price might be.<P>At any rate, we know that at least one of these rare cars exists and is for sale in the Seattle area.

The 455 emblem appeared on the Centurions only in 1973 -- the final year for the short-lived series. <P>The 455 engine was standard equipment on all Centurions in 1971 and 1972. In 1973, the 455 became an option, with the 350 4-barrel becoming the standard engine. Obviously, only the 455-equipped '73's wore the 455 emblem.<P>The Centurions were unique and beautiful cars. Would sure enjoy learning more about yours. Feel free to e-mail me at laurance@integrity.com.<P>Brian Laurance, BCA #5168<BR>'59 Electra, '71 Centurion

For 11M834 and 73Electra 225:<P>Both the '71 Centurion and '73 Electra 225 were offered with the same style of chrome road wheel. (1973 was the first year, by the way, that the road wheels were offered as a regular factory option on the Electra 225 series.) You are fortunate because the style of wheel that was introduced for 1971 full-size Buicks and Rivieras was offered for many years and is relatively easy to find compared to the pre-1971 styles. And the correct center caps for these wheels are, I believe, still available from GM parts.<P>Eventhough the '71 and later style wheels look similar to the earlier wheels, they are significantly different, and it is best to stick with the correct style for your car for safety reasons.<P>Do the wheelcovers on your '71 Centurion have the Centurion head or the Buick tri-shield in the center? I'm asking because the LeSabre-style wheelcovers with the Centurion head in the center were standard equipment on the Centurion, although there were two other wheelcover options and the chrome road wheels available as options on the '71 Centurion.<P>You are correct about the dealers switching things around. The dealership who sold my parents the '71 Centurion I now own offered to reduce the price by removing the chrome road wheels and substituting the wheelcovers from a new '71 LeSabre. I have always been thankful that Dad decided to keep the original road wheels on the car!<P>I'll see what I can dig up about codes on these correct '71 and later wheels.<P>

The 1971 Buick Facts Book indicates the following horsepower ratings for the three different 455 engines:<BR>Standard Wildcat 455-4: 315 Gross Horsepower<BR>Wildcat 455-4 High Perf: 330 Gross Horsepower<BR>Wildcat 455-4 Stage 1: 345 Gross Horsepower<P>Gross Torque:<BR>Standard 455-4: 450<BR>455-4 High Perf: 455<BR>455-4 Stage 1: 460<P>Here are the engine codes:<BR>Standard 455-4 TR<BR>455-4 High Perf: TA<BR>455-4 Stage 1: TS<P>If you car is a Riviera GS with its original engine, it should have the TA engine code and 3.42 Posi-Traction rear axle. The standard Riviera rear axle was 2.93, with a 3.42 performance option available.<P>Hope this helps you.

There is a difference between the standard Riviera 455 engine and the Riviera GS 455 engine in 1971. The GS used what Buick called the "Modified High Performance 455" in the Riviera GS. The only other application of this engine was as an option in the Centurion series. Contrary to some prior postings on these discussion forums, the Riviera GS's 455 engine is not a Stage 1 engine.<P>I do not have my manuals readily available, but I will look up the correct engine codes for the Riviera GS engine.

There is currently a '66 Wildcat GS convertible in the Anacortes, Washington area. I first became familiar with this car in 1979, when I spotted it at a McDonalds in Bellingham, Washington. At that time, the car was painted an incorrect dark purplish blue. In about 1984, the car was for sale in Bellingham. It had been repainted in Blue Mist (or the bright blue color that was first offered in '66), had a white convertible roof, and a Custom notchback interior. The car had the chrome road wheels and power windows and seats; I do not recall other options. At $3,500, it would have been worth buying, but it wasn't the right time for me. For the next several years, the car was routinely seen parked in downtown Bellingham, then was retired to a garage in a development called Sudden Valley. It was for sale in the mid-1990's, and those who saw it reported that the car had deteriorated in condition. I last track of the car again until June of this year, when it appeared at the All Buick Open in Puyallup. The car had been repainted again, this time in Midnight Blue. The sad part was that the interior had been re-done and looked absolutely terrible. It was again for sale for something in the $8,000 range. The car looked unimpressive, but the potential is there. I do not know the current owner, who lives in Anacortes, WA, but I'll try to track him down to learn more about the car and whether it might still be available.

The rest of us received our September Bugles three-to-four weeks ago. Looks like yours got lost in the mail. I would contact the BCA to obtain a replacement. I believe that there are some e-mail addresses on the home page of the BCA's website where you contact for a replacement.

Mark, please e-mail me at laurance@integrity.com. I am aware of a couple of other parts vendors in our area who might be able to help you out.<P>In addition, one of the largest car shows in our area will occur on Sunday in Snohomish. Weather forecast for this weekend is terrific.<P>Depending on how many days you'll be here, North Cascade Chapter of Buick Club will be meeting on Tuesday evening.<P>Brian Laurance, BCA #5168<BR>'59 Electra, '71 Centurion

1941 was one of Buick's greatest years and looks like you have found a fantastic example. Congratulations!<P>I'm not highly knowledgeable about '41's, but there are many in the BCA who are. If you have not already joined the BCA, I would encourage you to do so.<P>I do not know whether there are many '41 Buick experts checking the postings on this website, but you might start by looking at the Tech Advisors for your model and asking them some of your questions. (See the BCA Home Page.) I also recommend that you learn whether there are any BCA chapters in your vicinity.

Where is the car located and what is your asking price? What is the condition of the car?<P>Thank you.

To Bill Stoneberg,<P>AK Buickman will be joining us from Alaska, so he will not be anywhere close to Texas. Would love to have you join us in Seattle, though.<P>Please e-mail me at laurance@integrity.com, and we will keep you updated with a current listing of those who intend to caravan with us.<P>Thanks,<P>Brian Laurance, BCA #5168

Am seeking bumpers and moldings for 1959 Buick. If you need help with '59 parts numbers, I have the part numbers for all exterior pieces.<P>Feel free to e-mail me at laurance@integrity.com.<P>Thank you,<P>Brian Laurance, BCA# 5168<BR>'59 Electra, '71 Centurion

I don't know how rare the option was, but I was surprised to find that a '65 Buick Wildcat I once purchased had the "Electro-Cruise" option. It still worked great. Not surprisingly, the car was loaded with other factory options as well.

Congratulations on your '59 Electra 225. These are spectacular cars. Which body style is your car?<P>I do not have a '59 Buick Color & Trim Book, but all Lido Lavendar cars that I have seen have had the silver interior. <P>Would be interested in hearing more about your car.<P>Brian Laurance<BR>laurance@integrity.com<P>'59 Electra (Silver Birch with silver interior)<BR>

To JL59 and DGPoff--<P>Should work fine for you to meet with us enroute and I expect that we will be traveling right through Spokane and Montana. JL59, I will e-mail you when I have an opportunity. DGPoff, please feel free to e-mail me at laurance@integrity.com.<P>Would be very exciting to have both of you join up with us.

I can and do imagine such an entrance into Flint! It's exciting enough to keep a true Buick enthusiast awake at night, eventhough it's still 3 years away!

Thanks for the information on your car. I will pass the word.<P>You guys are right; there seems to be a herd mentality when it comes to old cars. People tend to go after a few highly-publicized models, ignoring many fine and beautiful cars like '69 LeSabres and '72 Electras. I've never understood it. Wish I had unlimited resources and a huge warehouse so I could buy all the old Buicks that deserve to be preserved.

This sounds great. Eventhough all of the cars indicated in my above postings will be driven to Flint, we will have a couple of car trailers accompanying us to help out in the event of a breakdown, carry some heavy tools like floor jacks, and to carry a couple of cars back to Washington state after the meet. (Some people will need to fly back for jobs, etc.) Your car and trailer would be entirely welcome. I would really like to get some of the older cars from the West Coast to Flint -- not just the post war cars. Where are you located?

Don55, we'd love to have you join us. Please feel free to e-mail me at: laurance@integrity.com.<P>When I have a chance to get a few more items together, I'll e-mail a listing of those who are eager to participate in the caravan. Feel free to pass the word to other Puget Sound Chapter members.<P>Brian Laurance, BCA #5168<BR>'59 Electra, '71 Centurion

The car is desirable. I have a friend who's looking for a '72 Electra right now. I know the car is in Illinois. What is the body style (2 door or 4 door)and what are the options? Thanks, I'll do my best to pass the word for you.

John, you said exactly what needed to be said. As I look over the postings on this and other threads, it seems to me that Dave has been fair and respectful. It's hard for me to understand what the problem is here. I think that showing respect for another's opinions has to be a two-way street. Some people seem to think Dave should accept their viewpoints but are completely unwilling to give him the same consideration.<P>Dave, hope you're not discouraged by the tone of some of the postings here. I appreciate your effort to be fair and open-minded.<P>

Thanks, Old Guy. I will follow up per your suggestion.

Thanks, Old Guy, for your generous offer. We will definitely be checking in with you as the time draws nearer. We will have a committee working during the next year to plan our tour route, then another group will begin working on our accommodations for each overnight stay. Our desire, of course, is to have all of our lodging reservations made well in advance of the trip.<P>We learned from the Olds Club, who joined with a large caravan from San Francisco in Casper, Wyoming, that a caravan becomes unwieldy if it is too large. Our thinking is that we will avoid joining up with other caravans along the way, until we are ready for the final leg to Flint. If you are aware of caravans in the planning stages from other areas of the country who would like to consider combining with us for the final day, we would be interested in hearing from them. We would also be happy to share our notes from the presentation by the Olds Club.<P>Olds Motor Division became involved in supporting and publicizing the caravans to Lansing, and worked through its dealership network to provide facilities for maintenance and washing along the route. If you become aware of any contact within Buick Motor Division with whom we could initiate discussions about our caravans, this would be helpful.<P>Brian Laurance, BCA # 5168<BR>laurance@integrity.com<BR>

On August 26, the North Cascade Chapter of the BCA launched its planning process for a caravan to Buick's 100th Birthday Celebration in 2003. We invited the Puget Sound Chapter of the Oldsmobile Club of America to make a presentation about its 1997 caravan to the Oldsmobile Centennial in Lansing, Michigan. We couldn't have picked a better way to inspire Buick drivers about making the trek to Flint; the Oldsmobile Club people were amazingly enthusiastic about their memorable trek to Lansing, and provided us with an abundance of helpful information.<P>As a result of this meeting, our members have signed up to DRIVE to Flint (approximately 2,500 miles one-way) in the following Buicks: 1931 Opera Coupe, 2 1949 Super sedans, 1950 Super convertible, 1953 Skylark convertible, 1955 Roadmaster 2-door, 1955 Century 2-door, 1957 Century convertible, 1957 Caballero Estate Wagon, 1957 Roadmaster convertible, 1959 Electra 4-door hardtop, 1963 Electra 225 4-door sedan, 1965 Wildcat convertible, and 1966 Riviera GS. With almost three years to go, we expect that we will gain additional participants from around the Pacific Northwest, and are especially excited about the prospect of picking up additional pre-WWII Buicks.<P>I will post periodic updates, and would recommend that other chapters who are interested in planning caravans to Flint invite their local Olds clubs to provide similar presentations.<P>As an aside, the Olds Club reported that, by the time they left their final overnight stop before arriving in Lansing, there were 258 cars in their caravan and they had an Illinois State Police escort. They said this was an amazing thing to see.<P>More later.