BqUICK

Nice photos! Centurions are really neat cars. Oldsmobile made a similar car in its class, the Delta 88, but with nowhere near the CLASS!

Joe, Thanks for the tip but no soap! We did have to go under the dash however. The Exterior Light Control Module was burned up at the connector. It is good that there were no flammables around. You'd figure my wife or I would have smelled it! All other power sources to the unit check out and the lights run when hooked to direct power so we spent the $80 or so bucks at http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/results.cfm?merch=1 saved $60 bucks off the dealer $140!!!

Faithful Buick Enthusiasts, It is good to start working on the old Faithful Pursuit project again! Dave Machuga welded the bottom side of the A-arms he fabbed with 1/2" square tube reinforcements. They look almost stock from the top but are much more resistant to bending than the stock units. As you may recall, he used his skills to "cut out" part of the A arm so that our 7 valve Carerra shock could be placed outside the spring tower to enhance cornering ability! I bet you are not used to hearing such things about an Electra! I assure you that it does not take much to enhance an Electra's cornering! We have a really nice fit on a special feature for the rear trunk lock, the 1969 GS swing away cover! The problem is that the body contours are different on the 1969 GS and the 1969 Electra. This was solved by a plastic part that I designed to transition neatly from the body to the lock cover. I'll get photos of that soon, I promise! Best regards and may God Speed you on your way in a Buick,

Here is the info on the car, sorry I did not include it earlier. 115K miles, no accidents, located in upstate New York, and yes we salt the roads! 1996 Buick Riviera SC Fuses OK Harnesses Connections OK Computer readout OK Battery OK Going into the dash$$$$today!

My neighbor had a "Bamboo Cream" almost yellow Centurion coupe back in the mid 70s. Seeing these cars bring back memories of the old neighborhood and the nice Buicks on the block. One guy had a Silver '65 Riviera, another a dark blue '76 Electra coupe, and I had a crystal blue 1969 Electra 225. Those were the days! God Speed,

While driving last night on the highway, my lights went out. Rear lights were out, dash lights, and headlights flickered but returned. Bumps seemed to make them blink. The local repair shop is troubleshooting but having a tough time finding the problem. Ideas????

The Electra GSX "Faithful Pursuit" cost is hard to determine. The Machuga/Putman built, one off, steel Electra GSX Ram-Air hood required more than 80 hours of expert welding, hammering, shrinking, and reinforcing before paint! The 32 gal. fuel cell rear cockpit firewall has well over 500 spot welds. The body-off chassis resto, NOS Pee Gee Performance Built 455 STAGE 1, GT Performance narrowed FORD 9", Gear Vendors Overdrive, custom stainless steel underbody Ram-Air trans/engine oil cooler induction, etc., etc. cost a bunch! The appraised value should be determined in 2005 after race day.

Reatta Man: You said: <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> A chopped and pieced together Electra will NEVER be worth anything near the value of a factory stock GS 455 or corretly resotred GSX. </div></div> LOT 198 ESTIMATE: $ 90,000 -- $ 110,000 http://www.rmauctions.com/events/catalogcar.cfm?scode=AM04&tmpNumber=198 "1959 Buick Electra 225 Convertible 325hp 401 cu. in. vee eight-cylinder engine, two-speed Dynaflow automatic transmission, independent front suspension with coil springs, live axle rear suspension with coil springs, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 217.4? Buick regularly rebels against its ordained position in Alfred P. Sloan?s marque hierarchy. Sometimes it pushes downward into Pontiac territory, but Buick has never, ever, lost its fascination with pushing into Cadillac?s turf. Regularly it has introduced models like the Limited that shamelessly surpass Cadillac in size, power and luxury, only to get its fingers slapped by the GM brass for stepping too far over the line. Buick?s aspirations were nowhere better expressed than in 1959 with the Electra 225. Not only was it fourteenths of an inch longer that that year?s Cadillac, its 401 cubic inch Wildcat engine was bigger than Cadillac?s, too. The 1959 Buicks also were completely restyled, with one of the most effective treatments of the finned era which was nearing the end of its time at GM. The Electra 225?s great length and sloping beltline accented by a thin strip of chrome wore Buick?s canted fins particularly well. Carried over from earlier years, however, was Buick?s distinctive grille of rectangular rods which blended earlier Buicks? identity with the new styling?s sweeping lines. Production in 1959 was cut short by a steel strike, but not before the Electra 225 convertible paced the Indianapolis 500 mile race. Buick sold 32,645 convertibles in 1959, 11% of the year?s production. Of these, only 5,493 were the top of the line Electra 225. Every Electra 225 convertible was luxuriously equipped, including leather interior, power windows, power top Safety group, Super Deluxe wheel covers and outside rear view mirror to compensate for the convertible?s restricted rear quarter vision. Standard equipment on all premium Buicks also included a padded dashboard, power steering, power brakes, 2- speed wipers and dual exhausts to help the big 401 cubic inch ?Nail-Head? V8 breathe deeply. These beautiful, extravagant, luxurious automobiles have a presence that attracts attention wherever they appear, exactly as Buick intended when it created this opulent signature series. None of them better display the 1959 Electra 225?s presence than the example offered here. Fresh from a complete, nut-and-bolt, body-off restoration, it is brilliantly presented in Sable Black with Red leather interior and a Black vinyl top, it is a wonderful statement of the power, prestige and confidence of Detroit and America in the late fifties. It has never been shown and is ready to impress both judges and spectators at any show or gathering. It is lavishly equipped with a full complement of comfort and convenience options and accessories including air conditioning, which make it friendly to use and drive, or simply easy to maneuver into a place of honor on the show field. Extremely rare and special when new, 1959 Buick Electra 225 convertibles are even more unusual today and this must be the finest and most impressive example of Buick?s successful encroachment upon Cadillac?s turf in existence today." Modified or not, Buick Electras are among the fastest appreciating American luxury muscle cars. When was the last time you saw a GS go for 90 grand? PS: SOLD for $92,400.00

Buick Performance Fans, Here is an Electra Build up article. Its a bit dated but shows one of the greatest heavy weight champions in the game. The Guadagdo Pee Gee Performance, Inc. Electra from Brooklyn, New York. The car is long gone but not forgotten! http://www.mi-buicks.com/dasboat.htm GS,

v10l4t10n_bl4de, In looking for polyurethane body mounts and suspension bushings for my car I found there are NO such parts made for my 1969 Buick Electra "GSX". I sent my old parts to Energy Suspension, Inc. and had them search their inventory by hand, which they were happy to do, and find something close enough that could work with some machining. I was lucky, Buick Riviera was close enough for the mounts and the bushings, for an unknown vehicle, needed to be drilled out a little. I have cast Polyurethane and other polymers for work and other projects and know that you must take great care in cleanliness, preparation, and curing. I too considered casting my own parts. I would not do this myself, for a high performance application, due to the risk and associated liability. Call Energy Suspension, Inc. and see if they may help. God Speed,

The 1969 & 70 Buick Electra 225 is perhaps the most underated of all of the great road cars. Its style and grace often made it difficult for people to see it as a performance car. Often, this worked to its advantage as a lethal sleeper. Stock Electras were capable of low 15s with factory performance optioned cars capable of 14s. Full frame 4,700 lb racers were documented at 11.7 while lighter race jobs were touted to run in the 10s. Electra race cars on the street were known by their color and the "handle" of the driver. You might be a member of this elite cadre of Electra racers if: 1. There is atleast one bent 2 Ton jack stand laying around your garage. 2. Your car was too wide for your buddy's car hauler. 3. You have ever heard "You want to race a what!?!?!" more than once from parts store people. (...just before their eyes glaze over!) 4. You have ever heard "You want to build a what!?!?!" more than once from hot rod builders. (...just before their eyes glaze over!) 5. You have ever scrapped a 1970 GS for its SF Code 455 and left everything else. 6. It ever pissed you off to hear that GS people cut an engine out of an Electra. (And did not know to check for "PX" 3.91 Code!) 7. You ever wore a tuxedo in the same car you outrun Firebirds with. 8. It never occurred to you that the car you just beat had a 1000 lb advantage. 9. Some race fan is angry with you saying "I cant believe you beat on THAT beautiful car like that." 10. A guy ever screamed "Oh BABY!!!" when you smoked em through the burnout box. 11. If you ever pissed off GS people and heard: "Your not going to cut the scoops out of that GS hood...are you?!?!" (well... you know the answer to that one dont you! 12. You have ever heard. "My point is still that a chopped customized 1969-70 Electra will bring less than a faithfully restored GS or GSX." 13. If you have ever heard "Tell the truth now... were these "on the bottle?"" 14. If you ever tossed him the bottle and beat him again! 15. If you love it when the 1968 4 speed 400 GTO Judge owner cannot believe he just lost to an Electra 225. 16. If you loved it when the 440 'Cuda owner refused to race you because of your Electra's rep. 17. If the police cite your "rodder" friends but compliment your Electra and tell you have a good day with no ticket. (And YOU WERE going racing!) BUICK POWER!!!

Sure, I could just quit but you know me better than that! Through the many years, 26 to be exact, this car and I have been through 2 major accidents, deaths of two of our team members, and many many financial and other setbacks. We will slow down but never stop. I bet no one would have guessed this beautiful Crystal Blue Electra would have been so changed as it sat on the ill fated DeFeo Buick dealership showroom floor in 1968. When Pope John Paul II visited NYC back in 1979, I think it was his motorcade that sped by just a couple of feet from me as I waited for the light. By then, the Electra was a ratty shadow of its former self . Two major accidents, a 1970 nose replacement(Could not find a 1969), holey mufflers, and flat black primer paint job after the accidents made this once proud American car look like an ill-conceived pile of junk. Maybe the Pope was passing out blessings as his motorcade, complete with NYPD escort, careened through the Queens neighborhood. The 26 year resurrection led to a photo op with the famed Tuskegee Airmen and ability to hob nob with the NASCAR crowd earlier this year. After being an ugly duckling for so many years, its wierd to hear people talk about how beautiful the car is. Perhaps the Electra GSX can be part of another fundraiser, this time for Grenada! I think we will survive the Grenada thing too. Last week I brought down supplies to NYC for shipment, was on a radio program, a TV news program, and spoke to people about it. I am forming a committee of some of my friends here to brainstorm future actions to help with our humble response to the devastation in my parents homeland of Grenada. The car is one again up on jacks in my garage. The suspension has to be completely taken apart so welds, bolts, and other critical parts can be checked. The entire front suspension has been removed. As you may recall, every suspension component was customized using original Electra parts where possible. The goal was to maintain the basic Buick Electra setup yet provide the highest level of strength, reliability, and tracking through consistent geometry. Dave Machuga of Machuga Chassis modified the front suspension last year. The upper A arms were cut open further at the lower part of the "A" and re-welded with the flange closer to the outside of the arms. This gives them the appearance of looking a lot slimmer but, I trust, makes them as strong or stronger. This was handled in virtually one continuous cut by master fabricator Dave Machuga, you had to see it to believe it. The purpose of enlarging the opening near the spring tower was allow enough room to place the shock on the outside of the spring tower. The chrome 7 valve Carrera shock has an attachement point right near the ball joint for optimum effectiveness. The other shock mount is on a tube welded to the outside of the spring tower. The shock can be adjusted up and down on this tube. There are no hard bushings that exist for the Electra. Energy Suspension, Inc. was kind enough to search through their massive inventory by hand to find something close to the samples I sent. They returned four black polyurethane brass cored units that could have the brass reamed out to fit. The bushings themselves required turning down as well from a height perspective. These units will finally be installed along with all new tie rod ends, ball joints, and Grade 8 bolts. The lower arms, removed Saturday morning, were modified to accept the shock mount near the ball joint. Also, modifications were made to accept and adjustable the high precision reaction rod as well and heady duty antisway bar. It looks a lot like the setup used for the Black Hawk. The springs are only about 11" high or so. It is a special road racing spring with an 1,100lb rating. We developed an aluminum cap that sits on the spring and sits within the spring tower. This cap is inturn connected through a rotary union to a 1" diameter jacking bolt. This allows easy ride height adjustment from under the hood. The car appears to corner very flat and dissassembly revealed no wierd wear, bent or cracked items. There are a few welds that need to be finished however and the various parts need to be ground, sand blasted, and coated. If this were just a show car the current setup would work well enough to be installed "finished". We plan on competing at speeds in excess of 170mph. Our approach has to be one of caution, with installed parts checked and rechecked for any signs of abnormal wear or cracks. It made sense to get the car together, even paint it, then dissaasemble it to replace parts and check things out. Bolts must be grade 8 minimum with adequate locking systems on all bolts. We will use a combination of good old "wiring" and modern Locktite adhesives. The goal is to assure safety and optimum stable geometry over the range of suspension adjustment and travel.

Dear Faithful Buick Enthusiasts; Here is a note that I have sent to many friends recently regarding the Grenada disaster. I have been on a radio program, the evening news here locally, and travelled 650+ miles over the weekend (not much by the standards of many Buick Road Warriors I know!)delivering food, clothing, and other materials for devaststed Grenada. Dear Friends, Hurricane Ivan has had devastating effect upon Grenada. As a first generation American, I still have strong family ties with Grenada and I need you to help me help them. My mother does not know the status of her home yet, two of my family members have lost roofs. We do not even know if any of our family is among the dead or injured. Communications are largely still out. Since Thursday I have spoken to a few local groups and was on a radio program in Syracuse. Last night I talked to the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. Claude B. Govan Chapter, about the tragedy in Grenada. At my suggestion, the Tuskegee Airmen are developing a fund in the name of a deceased Tuskegee Airman who was also of Grenadian descent. You will be notified when the fund is in place. Until then you can donate to the Grenadian Embassy if you wish. As I drove to my brother's home to deliver gifts from the Tuskegee Airmen for Grenada, I was guided to Brooklyn by the "Tribute in Light" in memory of the 9/11 victims lost three years ago. I recalled how on 9/11, 45 of my fraternity brothers were killed and my Corning Council of the Knights of Columbus read all their names at a special mass in December 2001. After the mass, I had driven my Buick Riviera to NYC and left a Knights of Columbus patch at Ground zero. I also attended mass at St. Patricks Cathedral and met Fr. Mychal Judge's successor, Fr. Christoper Keenan on 31st street. That was an incredible grace and proof of God's caring to me. Yesterday, 9/11/04 still driving the same Riviera with the memory of 9/11/01 in my heart and mind, I face a new disaster with as yet untold losses in Grenada. Also, my road race prepped 1969 Buick Electra GSX is nearing completion after 12 years of work. The red tailed road racer honors the Tuskegee Airmen and is called the "Faithful Pursuit". We will try to stay on track with its final road testing and race/display schedule despite the heavy effort and travel associated with work, five kids, and Grenada relief. We may have to delay our efforts in favor of higher goals!

Last Saturday the blue Buick, Faithful Pursuit, was trucked to my home. It was the first time its been back in about three years. It was great to see it in one piece after 12 years of slow progress and planning. Undercarriage work remains, dialing it in with the components we have. The garage was cleaned out so that the next few weeks can be dedicated to preparation for Watkin's Glen road trials October 2 & 3rd. God Speed!

All, This for some of the Die-Hard Buick V-6 and Aluminum 215 V-8 people out there . Buicks were very dominant in the '60s and 70's in British sports cars like the TR-8 and even early SUVs like the Land Rover. I was in NYC a few years ago and stopped by some British Caribbean guys pulling the motor from an old Triumph. I looked over the motor and saw the familiar water pump housing, like my 455 STAGE I, only smaller. I told the mechanic the all aluminum engine, really cool actually, was an American Buick engine but he did not believe me. It took another buddy of his who knew the history to convince him! This link has the North American Buick performance specialists' contact information too. The Hi-Po stuff is built in the USA & shipped over to the Brits. http://www.britishv8.org/jan2002.pdf God Speed,

GS, I do not know if you go by "GS" but I thought it was Kool! Hey you are right about the "unknown" potential of the 430. There is a nice link on 430 gas mileage where people are documenting 22+ mpgs in 430 powered 1969 Electra 225s. I have personally documented a best of 21mpg in my 2.56 geared 4,700 lb 1969 Electra Custom Convertible. There were special Buick "430 STAGE II" engines which really blew people's minds. Imagine here you are back in 1968 ordering a GS 400 and its illegal for you to get a car of that size with anything more than 400 cubes. Well, you could get a 430, STAGE II cam, 11 to 1 Forged TRW pistons, B4B Aluminum Manifold, Mickey Thompson Super Competition Headers, Mallory Dual Point Distributor, some trick head work, a few other little tricks that some of the West Coast Buick boys were using to spank SS 409s with Invictas, including 4.44 Buick gears from a Flexible Ambulance, and you had low 11s in 1969. That is the stuff no one talks about. The Buick performance story is really atypical. It was the owner, not scores of Madison avenue marketing wienies, that gave Buick its reputation on the street. Sure The 400, 430, &455 Buick blocks were the last big block motors designed and built by any of the big 3 in that era. They were inexpensive, light (within 50 lbs of a SBC 350 and about as much as the Aluminum ZL-1, believe it or not!)and powerful. There are people that still tell stories about 1969 Electras terrorizing the street racing scene in the '70s with 430s on nitrous, before people knew about nitrous! "Uncle Buddy", "Hydro", "Pop", "Joe Booga", "City Boy", "Pee Gee" were some of the Buick racers and organizations that dominated the streets in those days. There were certainly limitations, such as core shift, oiling related failures, water pump failures, spun cam bearings and the like. Scotty Guadagno, who raced a street legal 4,700lb documented 11.7 1970 Electra was part of that scene. He and Pee Gee Performance helped to define the Buick Electra mystique back in those days. He is now the top dyno man for Pat Musi's shop in New Jersey. He built the engine for my Electra GSX. Car Craft noted that for up to $8,000.00 there is no more powerful engine that you can build. Not Chrysler, Not Chevy, Not Pontiac, Only Buick! God Speed

Anders, You have a nice Porsche, it looks like a nimble sports car. I have always admired the work of Dr. Ferry Porsche. The web site is really nice too. They did a fine job for the marques including, Ferrari, Mercedes, Camaro, etc. Good Luck,

Nailswede, The Electra GSX will begin a shakedown with pylons first then we go to the track in October. Since we are about two months behind schedule due to a hold up on the spoiler development, we may miss our window of opportunity. Our driver, Roy Hopkins, noted that there will be an opportunity for us to get on the track at Watkins Glen International, if we are ready, in early October. We will try our best! You bet there will be pictures and video!!! By the way, there were some really nice shots of your Porsche on that link! Wanna race? God Speed,

Smartin, Tom Wagner, who races a beautiful Black 11.7 second 1969 Wildcat , told me he went the the BPG Nats and enjoyed it. He did not bring the Wildcat but brought his Electra that is close to stock and runs 14s with the Buick 9-3/8 3.23 Electra Performance Optioned rear. I am glad that all things went well with that event. I will work toward going to a major Buick event with the Electra GSX. Englishtown may be in the picture! God Speed,

The Faithful Pursuit Buick was looking good for race fever...fired it up a few times for the NASCAR crowd. Lots of people were fascinated saying "I did not know Buick made an Electra GSX!" "Stripes look great!"; "Wow, that wing actually moves too!?!"; "Nice seats"; "I'll trade you my Sunbird!"; "Are those switches for two stage nitrous?"; "Beast"; "Is that a Buick engine?";"Sweeet!"; "That cam isn't stock...is it!?!" "Did you ever hear that Kathy Mattea song, 455?" (Its actually about a Olds 455 I told the guy but its still a neat song!) and other nice comments. I had a blast. The 50+ aged people hung around and asked questions as did the teenagers. Most everyone had a Buick story to tell about a grandma or dad who had one! The tatooed teens really liked it a lot. It was wierd like you'd think it was a large economy sized pocket rocket or something. After all, it's got to be the world's largest "G" Machine, right? It was "Beastly" and other stuff like that. A few really kool Buick Kats bopped by as well and we talked about TA's aluminum heads and the new Bulldog Buick hardware! My thanks go to the people at Putman Auto Sales for finishing the wing, stripes, and trucking the Electra GSX to the closed off street in the "Crystal City". Also, to NOAH's ARK on Market Street who allowed our display in front of their audio video store. NOAH'S ARK loaned us a 36" TV and street sound system where we played the "Return of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc." DVD where the Electra GSX was first unveiled with the Tuskegee Airmen in April of this year. The owner later told me his dad had a '41 Buick, a '49 and drove a new one every year for many years! I suppose he has a soft spot for Buicks too!!! Still lots more work before our first road course! Does the real hard work begin now? God Speed!

This has been a busy three weeks! Machuga Chassis & Putman Auto Sales have been tag-teaming the Faithful Pursuit spoiler job over the past three weeks! There were lots of long faces when the trunk had to be cut to get the mechanism to fit right!!! Even more when the spoiler ends had to be re-done in Torch Red!!! Our aircraft aluminum Electra GSX Spoiler struts, cut from a Cessna 172 high wing aircraft, were completed by Machuga Chassis while I was in Japan but needed to be finished. I worked on them over the past few nights, stripping, sanding, and polishing. Put them back together at midnight. The acidic stripper burned my arms and I bet my cotton shirt will look like Swiss Cheese coming out of the wash! Putman Auto Sales has been working on the spoiler itself and trucked the GSX back to their shop. Master body man Tim Putman smoothed the strut holes in the trunk and re-sprayed it while filling in the old vertical strut locations on the spoiler center section with fiberglass patches cut from a scrap 1970 GSX spoiler. He put the first primer coats on the spoiler Monday and was going to bond aluminum plates, that I cut from a template, to both ends as well. The ends will have holes in them so that spherical rod end bolts that attach to the aluminum weldment in the spoiler can link to the aluminum wing struts. We are using socket head cap screws that can be removed with a long extension. We will have to wait till after the showing to build in the spoiler actuation! (We have a SPECIAL surprise for you guys here!!!) Today we put it all together and lay out the GSX striping. There are a few mechanical things that have to be done as well before tomorrow's showing on Market Street in Corning for the annual <span style="font-weight: bold">Race Fever</span> festivities. The car looks pretty good but the electric overdrive is not wired in, no lights, leaks tranny fluid (again) and the eletrical system still needs to rewired so you can fire it from inside the car. Lots of suspension tuning and "pylon" trials yet to do as well. We are still on track for October 2nd & 3rd at Watkins Glen International, especially if all the above mentioned stuff can be done over the next few months! Money is short but we are scraping by and the support we have received from Machuga Chassis and Putman Auto Sales has been outstanding. They have worked hard to keep costs down and turn out a great product. Jim Cendoma, a local corporate consultant has expressed an interest in sponsoring us. He has a lot of great ideas on how to really market products through us. Keep your fingers crossed! Any more sponsors out there? Ideas? Interest is growing and the Race Fever program may help us to net local support. We still need a truck, trailer, tires, other spares, etc. for our Nevada trip to the Silver State Classic Challenge in September of 2005! <span style="font-weight: bold">Race Fever</span> Y'all come...Y' hear!!!

John, Thanks for the article on the pilot getting his Eagle scout credentials after all these years. The Tuskegee Airmen have accomplished many things since the war and that is also a valuable achievement. The Tuskegee Airmen and the late General B. O. Davis, Jr., USAF Ret., WWII commander, were well known and respected by many people including me. There were 996 or so pilots in total, 450 saw combat. 14,000 persons were supporting the combat 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th preparing for Asia in the States. There is perhaps little that we can do to truely honor the service of those who gave up so much in the service of the United States of America. We cannot give them back the lost wages for jobs they could not get after the war. We cannot pay back the 50 years of suffering and angish of those courtmarshalled for the Freeman Field Mutiny, fighting against the racist policies of the day. I attended the very emotional ceremony where the records of 101 officers were finally cleared in 1995 at a ceremony presided over by the assistant secretary of the Air Force and General, of the Air Force, Fogelman. Not a dry eye in the place. I have personally witnessed the transformation of America's view of the Tuskegee Airmen as they have risen from obscurity to national renoun. They worked every day since the war for this to occur. Before our first showing of the Faithful Pursuit back in April, two star General Mike Hall, USAF ret., executive director of the "Wings of Eagles" museum asked me how we could the Wings of Eagles best honor the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. when they came to visit. I told the general that the best thing we can do is honor the flag. In respecting our nation and the ideals laid down by the founders, that is the best way to honor the Tuskegee Airmen. After all, "...liberty and justice for all..." was what the Tuskegee "experiment" about. General Hall did a fine job making the Tuskegee Airmen feel at home. His staff did a fine job prepping the Faithful Pursuit for her debut on 24 April 2004! My humble effort can honor them only if the Buick continues to raise the topic of the Tuskegee Airmen's accomplishments both during and after the WWII. The Tuskegee Airmen were known as "The Red Tails" for the bright red paint on the tails of the P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. Once the big red GSX spoiler is on it will help us to better identify with the group!

John, I did do a writeup on the plane! It is about 4 hand written pages long and needs to be typed into the computer however. Since things are still pretty dynamic with the Faithful Pursuit, Electra GSX, it may still be awhile. Would you like what I have at the moment? You have details on the Bamboo Cream 1970 Electra (455/370 SF Code) coupe from me that I lapped Watkins Glen with last month. I'll put something together on the 15.3 second 1969 Electra GS (430 /360)convertible. Best regards,

In Japan and Korea doing some engineering stuff for work. Lots of interesting cars that you do not see in the states. CAR magazine has a nice article on the new Rolls Royce. Massive body shell with power to match. Its written in Korean however! Work continues on the Faithful Pursuit spoiler and I'll check its progress when I get back to the States! GS

The Electra GSX, Faithful Pursuit, 332nd Fighter Group (Tuskegee Airmen) theme car will be at RACE FEVER on Market Street in Corning, NY 12 August 2004. We will be on the main street that will be blocked off and displays of racecars will be there for the NASCAR at Watkins Glen kick off Thursday afternoon, after 2:00pm. Buick fans are welcome! http://www.stargazettesports.com/LocalAuto/Glen/stories2003/080603_opin.html In preparation for the big event, the Faithful Pursuit was trucked back to Machuga Chassis today for fitting of the high speed rear wing. (After many scheduling delays we are back on track, I hope.) It is based on the GSX wing and looks like it but the similarity stops there. The wing is in three sections. The two ends, that are rigidly mounted to the rear quarters were developed, painted and mounted by master body man Tim Putman. The challenging job of integrating a funtional spoiler center section fell to racer and chassis builder Dave Machuga. It was good to be back in the shop working with him after a 4 month hiatus. He had a '66 Impala in the shop being prepared for paint, a 1969 Firebird covertible with a race ready 428 and fuel cell. He took it out and drove it after working on it for more than 6 months. I walked down to the road and measured a 110 ft patch. I'd say it was running ok. Dave's asphalt Modified racer was on stands and a couple other full road racers were there too, the regulars. We cut a section of aircraft aluminum from a Cessna 172 wing strut. We measured out where it should go on the wing section based upon my drawings. The stands will go through the trunk. Spherical rod ends attach to a custom fabricated tempered aluminum weldment in the spoiler to provide for actuation. The actuation drive is handled by a '67 Riviera geared DC motor with dual relays on a plastic cam to limit rotation to the desired arc, about 35 degrees. Lots of measuring, I do mean lots, cutting, welding, burnt fingers, arguing, etc. Just like old times, boy I missed working with Dave! Tim, Dave, and their people will be working hard over the next few weeks to get this latest segment of work done. We still have more chassis, brake, and electrical mods to make after this prior to our running at Watkins Glen in the fall. The striping and logo work still has to be done, RFQs for a graphic designer are out as well. Wait till you see the Buick Electra GSX mascot! Historical Note: 1969 & 1970 Electras were well known as sleepers in the 70s and 80s and soon gained the reputation as some of the fastest cars on the street. Over time Electras would go head to head against many "Pro Street" cars for cash and registrations. There were many urban legends about unlikely Buick Electra wins on the street. A Silver 1969 Covertible driven by "City Boy" vs a 427 Tunnel Ram Corvette. I SAW the Burninshed Brown 1969 Electra Coupe that shocked us all by beating Danny's 1968 440 GTX "Rat Trap" from Flatbush . Some of these "rumors" were supported with published fact about modified Electra performance. Way back when, Electra racers, typically 40 - 50 year old guys, pioneered the use of nitrous on the street and achieved a fearsome reputation. I've talked to rodders who would not race Electras, fearing a set up. Whitewalls and quiet when the deal is set, 20 minutes later its wearing slicks and pulling the wheels. 20 years ago there was even a rumor about an Electra out running a Ferrari on a NYC highway, this has not been supported. I intend to see if an Electra can indeed outrun a Ferrari and will let you know! God Speed,