Centurion
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Posts posted by Centurion
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14 hours ago, XframeFX said:
I know, I know, still working on making my only Buick reliable. This past winter has not been productive. So, zero planning at the moment.
However, I can't help but wonder who else is going that week from Alberta? Any going solo, convoys, groups?
I am in Edmonton, a 1000 KM trip. Been asking around my area but haven't found anyone going. My wife is not even interested so she will do her own trip about that time.
I know, time is running short. Optimistic I'll progress more now that the cold has broken.
Really hoping that it is possible for you to attend, John. I have communicated with a couple of other Alberta Buick owners, and there was definitely interest. A '59 LeSabre owner from, I think, Calgary will be coming, although I don't think she plans to drive. I have also discussed with a '66 Wildcat owner in Alberta; he's interested, but I have not heard for sure whether he will attend. . . . But it will absolutely be worth your effort to be there. Perhaps there's a friend who can attend with you to help with the drive.
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This car was sold new by the Buick dealer in my hometown. The Baker Garage has operated continuously as a Buick dealer since 1913. I maintain contact with the son of the salesman who delivered this car new, and he followed closely the online reporting related to the recovery of this car and the work to get it back on the road.
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I agree! I received my issue yesterday, and the '57 / '58 Estate Wagon article is just super!
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I'm continuing to enjoy driving the '65 Wildcat, and working on a few small projects with it prior to the Buick National Meet in Spokane during July. I'm especially looking forward to a longer highway trip.
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I met Stuart in 2003 when he participated in our caravan from Seattle to Flint for the Buick Centennial Celebration. He was a great addition to our group, and we enjoyed seeing him again during one of his return visits to the USA. I am sorry to learn of his passing.
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These wheels appear in the photos to be the 15-inch style with 5 x 5 bolt pattern for the large cars. You may wish to measure the diameter again, or check the tire size indicated on the old tires mounted on the rims.
Regarding the hub diameter, measure the diameter of the hole for the center cap, which will help a potential buyer know whether these are correct for his car.
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Very cool that the car still has its Flight Pitch!
I love driving my '59 Electra with '59's version -- the Triple Turbine. As others have written, the Flight Pitch cars drive like a dream.
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Brian, thank you for sharing your great dream machine with us! I love these cars, and can only imagine the thrill of owning one. I look forward to the day when I might be able to see your new treasure first-hand.
Is the car equipped with a Flight Pitch, or is it converted to a Variable Pitch Dynaflow?
During the fall of 1975, the Portland Oregonian newspaper advertised two 1958 Limiteds for sale in Salem, where I was a college student. I had no cash to spare, but I could not resist looking at the cars. I had opportunity to drive the 4-door hardtop, and we traveled to the storage unit where the seller kept a Silver Mist Limited convertible. The convertible was a beautiful original, but in need of some transmission repairs. The $3,000 asking price might as well have been $3-million given my financial position at the time, but you can bet that I have spent many years wishing that I had somehow scraped together the cash to bring that Limited convertible home. . . . . The big bonus of that day was that the seller let me review his Buick Bugle magazines, providing me the impetus to join the BCA -- a decision I've always been most thankful for.
We look forward to reading about your Limited projects and, especially, all the opportunities you'll have to enjoy it during the years ahead!
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Thank you to Brian DePouli for reminding us of the great Buick Nationals of the past. As those who have attended the National Meets can attest, these events are real highlights for those of us who love old Buicks, and I have great memories of each of the twelve Nationals I've had opportunity to attend.
My first Buick National Meet was the Buick 75th Anniversary National Meet in Flint, 1978. I had recently finished college and embarked on my first "real" job. I couldn't afford more than one day off work, so I caught a flight out of Portland, Oregon to Flint (via Chicago) on Friday morning of the meet, arriving in time to participate in a tour of Buick's final assembly plant. This was an incredible experience -- something I had always dreamed of being able to do -- and I particularly enjoyed the "body drop", where the newly arrived Fisher bodies joined their Buick chassis for the first time. Unfortunately, I missed out on the tour of the Buick Engineering offices, which others have told me was equally fascinating.
But there was one more great highlight for me -- and it might very well be my greatest-ever Buick memory. On Saturday afternoon, following the car show, the meet organizers staged a giant parade of Buicks through downtown Flint. I hurried to find a spot on the sidewalk, and joined thousands of Flint residents to see the hand-picked Buicks in exact chronological order rolling through downtown Flint. It was incredible -- a moving illustration of American automotive history. And many of us became emotional as we witnessed the remarkable sight and sound of all those amazing Buicks. I recall comments from the crowd, with people making statements like . . . "I had forgotten that we built such beautiful cars in our city". Sadly, very few photos seem to have surfaced of this unforgettable parade.
As I looked at the photos from the meets in the current Bugle article, I see vast numbers of pre-World War II Buicks, and it reminds me how the composition of our National Meets has changed over time. Most of us could have predicted that the Buicks of the 1950's, 1960's, and beyond would appear in greater numbers as the years passed, but I'm wondering today where all of those stately pre-war Buicks are. I would expect that most of the early Buicks that were shown at National Meets during the 1970's still exist, but I'm sad that we can no longer count on seeing those cars in the quantity that we have in the past.
I look forward to future installments of the National Meet history, just as I'm eagerly anticipating this year's Buick National Meet in Spokane, expecting yet another great experience with Buick automotive treasures and wonderful friends I've met at National Meets over the decades.
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I believe that we have seen this car offered during the past. I think that the car is very interesting, since it has the optional interior that is very similar to that used in the Invicta series cars. (There was no Invicta Estate Wagon offered for '61.)
The car is equipped with power seat, power windows, and tinted glass.
The "Wildcat 445" was the 401-cid engine, which was not offered for the LeSabre series in 1961. 1961 was the final year for the 364-cid engine for the LeSabre. Once again, this car prompts questions regarding the possible availability of a 401 in the LeSabre Estate Wagon.
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On 1/31/2023 at 7:58 PM, Reynard said:
All I get is a banner page - no information. Where is the program of events posted?
Reynard, click on "Register" near the top of the page at this link. The registration form will appear, which will show most of what you will need for the schedule of events:
BCA 2023 National Meet | BCA 2023 National Meet (buickclub.org)
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40 minutes ago, EmTee said:
The 'Cat looks great (as usual). I see you've swapped the turbines for road wheels. I like the Wildcat centers. I suppose these are 'correct', but I do like it with the turbines too...
I like both, and have a hard time picking a favorite wheel trim. For now, I have the option of switching from time-to-time!
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A dry day in the Pacific Northwest encouraged me to drive the '65 Wildcat to work. The car is parked here along the Hylebos Waterway, Port of Tacoma.
Regardless of the time of year, time behind the steering wheel of an old Buick is always a pleasure.
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Congratulations, Adam! This is an excellent project. . . . It's so much like my 2021 "barn find". I loved the car, but the stuck engine compelled me to send it along to a new owner, who is having the engine rebuilt.
I can't wait to see yours after you have made it beautiful again.
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I've looked forward to a dry day to exercise the Wildcat. Today was beautiful and I had the day off, so squeezed in a pleasant cruise. I'm fortunate that the Orting - Kapowsin Highway is nearby, furnishing opportunities to let the Wildcat roar without traffic signals and road congestion.
I stopped at the little rural grocery store to grab a Coke. As I stepped out of the Wildcat, a gentleman approached me after loading some items into the trunk of his late model Miata. He said " '65?" I replied in the affirmative, and he told me that his father had owned one. I noted that my father had owned one as well, and we learned that we were nearly the same age when our fathers bought their new '65 Wildcats.
He continued, saying that seeing the car brought back lots of memories. He thanked me for bringing it out, shook my hand, and said that his late father was always a "Buick Man". I told him that my Dad was a "Buick Man" as well, and advised him that I still drive Buicks every day.
These kinds of conversations are always gratifying. Like many of us, I'm disappointed by GM's current "management" of the Buick brand, but the great Buicks of the past evoke significant memories for so many people.
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8 hours ago, Bloo said:
Has anybody got a picture of Huling Brothers in West Seattle the way it was? Whenever I see these old dealership threads come up, I look for one, but apparently none exist online.
As recently as the 1990s, Huling Brothers Buick had a huge red neon Buick sign in the style of the grille emblems on the 1937 Buicks. This is the building it hung on. The picture is after the sign was gone, but before it got remodeled into a Trader Joes. The sign hung between or above those upstairs windows as I recall, and was about as tall as that upper story. It's hard to believe nobody ever took a picture.
Bloo, I also remember the wonderful signage from this dealership, and was very sad when I learned that they had been removed. I looked for old photos of the dealership, and these two images have surfaced so far:
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On 11/16/2022 at 3:07 PM, Dons said:
Does my 1986 Buick Electra park avenue with he 3.8 have a balance shaft??? I’m having a hard time figuring out an engine noise.
The 3800 was introduced for the 1988 model year. Your 1986 model would not be a 3800 and lacks a balance shaft.
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This Electra series four-window four-door hardtop was a relatively low production body style for '61, and I think that these cars are beautiful. I only wish I had room for another car. I would love to pursue this one further.
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Note the front fender emblem says Invicta Custom!
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39 minutes ago, EmTee said:
Oh, and I still love the turbines on that car!
Thank you, EmTee! I have now gathered a set of correct chrome-plated road wheels and center caps for the car, and a Riviera owner is after me to sell him the turbines. I'm thinking that I will hang onto the turbines, though, because they really do "fit" the style of the car. I'd like to be able to swap back-and-forth between the turbines and the road wheels. (Wish I could afford two sets of tires to make it easier!)
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Yes, while the '61 Invicta Custom coupes and convertibles offered "Jewel Tone" vinyl bucket seat interiors, the Invicta Custom 4-door hardtops had full leather seating surfaces.
I have only seen two of the Invicta Custom 4-door hardtops first-hand. They are super-scarce, and, in my view, very special.
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I needed to work some on Saturday, and the Puget Sound's perfect Indian Summer continued for another glorious weekend. So, it was a further opportunity to enjoy Buick's Wildcat power.The lighting conditions were not ideal for photographs, but the shape and style of these '65 Wildcats have made them life-long favorites. I snapped a few photos near my office, then briefly visited Tacoma's former Woolworth store and Morton McCarver Middle School -- one of Tacoma's many great historic school buildings.As I drove home, I switched the radio to the AM band, just in time to catch KIXI's "Beatles Backbeat". A featured song was the great 1965 hit, "Ticket to Ride". And it was the perfect soundtrack as the big Buick V8 hummed along Interstate 5.
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Do you have a link to the listing for your Riviera?
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Machine Gun, since you are become an expert with these long road trips in your Skylark, how about aiming for the Buick Nationals in Spokane for 2023?
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Making The Case to Collect a Last Generation Park Ave
in Buick - General
Posted · Edited by Centurion (see edit history)
My daily driver is now a '97 Park Avenue Ultra. This was an 87,000-mile car that I picked up out of Boise, Idaho about a year ago. I drive about 20,000 miles / year, so I've got about 107K on it now. This one runs and looks great, but the prior owner neglected a few items, so there are a few things I'd like to take care of. I grabbed this one because these cars are getting more difficult to find with reasonable mileage on them.
This car replaced my 2004 Park Avenue, which was a beautiful car that was pretty flawless -- until I was involved in a black ice situation during my morning commute early last year, and the car was totaled. The 2004 replaced my much-loved 1996 Riviera that got rear-ended during my morning commute two years ago. I think I need to retire in order to preserve these beautiful old Buicks rather than have them totaled in heavy traffic by inattentive drivers.
I am content to drive the late-1990's and early-2000's Park Avenues for as long as fine examples remain available. When I can pick these cars up for $3,500 - $5,500, it's hard to imagine spending considerably more for a new or later model car.