Reatta Man

Hey! Have you seen these? Take a minute and enjoy some Buick eye candy! The Honeymooners brought to you by '56 Buick: YouTube - ‪TV Ad Series 1956 Buick‬‎ '59 Buick assembly line: '58 Buick promo commercial: '58 GM 5 for 58: Berle-Buick show (have to go about 2 minutes into the video): Harley Earl TV Ad Campaign for Buick with Bonus Footage '87 Skylark commercial featuring vintage Skylark, narrated by Hal Holbrook: '91 Roadmaster commercial (When comfort was king) '95 Roadmaster plant tour and video:

Just remember, it is not the ONLY $500 car out there.... Joe

Barney, If you guys are using a tracking Web site or software program, you could easily extend the trial to U.S. members and post the Bugle to a restricted Web site. Instead of sending the file (probably very large) you just send out the unique login and password for that month's edition. By using the tracking software, you can record Web visits, length of visit, and the domain (including whether foreign or U.S.) for tracking results. Send me a message if you or any of the board members would like further details. Joe

If your town has a noise ordinance (usually says something like no mowers or loud work before 7:00 or 7:30 ) be sure to open the doors and turn on the stereo and start a few cars at 7:01 or 7:31....just to say 'hi, neighbor!'

First, they are solid, dependable cars. The '88 lacks airbags, but should have ABS. For daily sit-on-the-freeway-and-wait-to-move-20-feet, it is fine. If you really were driving 65-80 MPH every day, I would recommend airbags and a newer car, but that is a personal preference. One thing to keep in mind is that if the car has been sitting and then you start driving it 100 miles every day, you are going to wake up some gremlins, and there is no way to know where they are. Therefore, don't be surprised if you loose one or more of the forward gears or reverse in the transmission; this is common in a car that has been sitting a lot and has low mileage. But, you could get lucky and have no problems. A transmission flush by a shop using BG products may preserve the transmission. Be prepared to do a radiator, just due to the age. Once again, not an expensive part; you can get them new from the box stores for about $100-150. I would recommend getting the A/C converted to R-134a; an '88 model is still going to be using R-12. For $600, it is hard to go wrong. You can spend $100 for the body parts, $150 for the transmission flush, $150 for a radiator, and $200-250 for the A/C conversion. You are still into the car for less than $1500, which usually won't even buy a beat-up junker in most markets. Good luck! Joe

Yeah, lets lay that Prius battery crap to rest once and for all, shall we? First, the battery, all hybrid components and modules are guranteed for 8 years or 100,000 miles. If you are in CA or one of the states that uses CA rules, the warranty is 10 years or 150,000 miles. And, if you do need a 'battery' for your hybrid, you are very unlikely to need the entire battery. They are made up of many cells, which can be replaced independently as needed. Finally, the reports of $8,000-$11,000 batteries are wrong. Remanufactured batteries, with warranties are available right now for $1500. If you insist on buying the entire battery from Toyota, they are about $3-5,000, not the $11K that has been repeated over and over again. If you want to save even more money, the entire battery can be bought from LKQ for $262 with a 90-day warranty. And, if you don't know LKQ, they are a nationwide chain of salvage yards that have a stellar reputation for only selling first-rate parts. Joe

I REALLY hope Buick does well with these new models, but with the Obama role in running GM, I have no enthusiasm for GM cars now, after being a life-long GM owner. We are saturated with four-door sedans; why GM is investing their limited profits and more taxpayer money in virtually nothing but four-door copies of imports is puzzling to me.

Gee, don't most municipalities have ORDINANCES against junky houses and yards? And, don't code compliance officers usually issue warnings and then VERY expensive tickets to those not in compliance with Big Brother? Hmmm.... sounds like you need to make a few phone calls....

Yep, been a councilman....know the things citizens will say. As for that 'illegal' TP dispenser, I am SOOOOO pround. (Tear falling....) MY tax dollars hard at work saving us from the illegal distribution of toilet paper and coffee.

Does that nosy neighbor in PA with the ECO club have any pets? I hear mice make nice pets....especially if a few pieces of cheese, bacon, bread or other edible items suddenly appear next to the doors and windows of her house one morning....

There are some things to keep in context when comparing new vs. old: 1. Welds: Robotic welds weren't possible until the 1970s. And, studies have shown there is NO WAY some poor guy can stand at a welding machine and get them all right, all the time. He did the best he could in the time the assembly line gave him to do his job. 2. Rustproofing: Archaic back then by today's standards. Some would say it was part of planned obsolesence, but remember that primers and sealers are light years ahead of where they were 50-60 years ago. And, no one expected the cars to be around past 10 years anyway! Remember when a three-year-old car was considered worn out? Nowdays, three-year-old cars are sold with certified warranties that last another 4-7 years and go to 100,000 miles. 3. Steel: I remember when Lee Iaccoca said he was working with steel companies to produce a sheet metal that would last 10 years with no rust in the worst areas of the country. Personally, I thought it couldnt' happen, but hoped he was right. Today, 10-year-old cars with no rust are common. 4. Engines: You gotta be kidding! Four-cylinders that produce well over 200 HP (net, not gross), get 25-35 MPG and last 200,000 miles? Virtually impossible 20-30 years ago. (I know, here come the stories about 'my 40-year old _____ has 300,000 miles on it....) Add to that hybrids, six-cylinders with 300+ HP and accelerate faster than the V-8s of a few years ago.... 5. Safety: NOOOOOOOO comparison. Yeah, I bought into the old "lots of steel is better" until I saw this:http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrXViFfMGk"] 2009 Chevy Malibu vs. 1959 Chevy Bel-Air 6. Emissions: Yeah, you may not like OBDII, but just remember the fun days of leaded gas eating away exhaust systems in 12,000 miles, changing points every year, leaking carbs, sticking floats, worn-out valves and rings in 30,000 miles, worn out spark plugs every 10,000 miles and 10 MPG engines. Also, keep in mind that a lawn mower today produces more pollution than a typical new or even five-year-old car. So, as the song says, "these ARE the good old days....." Don't get me wrong; I love my old Buicks, but wouldn't compare them to modern cars for dependability, reliability, long life, safey and convenience.

I'm watching all of this go on in other clubs, as well as in the Air Force. A few years ago, a few (misguided) bean counters decided we didn't need to keep producing base newspapers. And, of course, we took a HUGE cut in personnel because we didn't need all those extra people any more...... The newspapers are now produced by independent contractors, and nearly every base commander wishes he/she had control of the paper as a conduit of messages. And, recently, several senior AF leaders have admitted that giving up newspapers and the staff that went with them was a bad idea; still lots of other things to be done, and a much smaller pool of people to pull from to get them done. Also, other organizations, from the Reserve Officers Association to various veterans organizations are loosing membership, and having trouble absorbing increased printing and mailing costs of their magazines. Also of note were the reasons given by the closing and sale of the collectible items from the Roy Rogers museum in Branson, MO. Rogers' son attributed the aging population of Roy Rogers fans, loss of retirement nest eggs by many of their fans and other economic factors. Lessons to be learned? 1. The idea that newspapers and magazines are out of date is premature. Yes, the world is moving towards electronic news and information, but many people (and yes, I'm one) want to touch, feel and read a printed newspaper. Ditto for magazines. I want to READ a Motor Trend, not go searching for an article on their Web site that was in the magazine. Also, the assumption that people will go get the info they need on the Web isn't realistic because most people are saturated with e-mails and electronic information. Result? People go get what they really want (think You Tube, Facebook, etc.) and ignore the rest (news, text-heavy pages, etc.) 2. Costs for produce and mail magazines are going up. But, when you cut content in magazines or newpapers AND raise prices, you will still loose readers. This is important to us because basically, our membership dues IS a magazine subscription. Basically WE are suffering (paying) because the post office is run on an outdated business model that hasn't been able to keep up with technology, the market and demand for better service while they are overburdened with huge labor costs. 3. The economy has hurt some people. Others are just cheap. Others sometimes want to see increased value for increased price. People are still comparing their membership from many years ago when dues were less. They don't see mailing and printing costs, so increases in dues due to what they perceive is intangible is easily translated into a BOD that isn't listening to membership. (I'm NOT making that accusation myself, but I can see it in the messages posted in here by other members.) These are tough realities being faced by this and other BODs. If they haven't considered the following, I would strongly suggest it be considered: 1. A two-tier membership, such as a magazine membership dues cost and another dues level for members not wanting a magazine. 2. A two-tier membership, with one price for members that wish to get a printed magazine, and one price for members that get their magazine mailed to them on a CD containing PDF files that they can view on their laptop or PC. Tough to set up at first, and lots of platforms to support (PC, MAC, Windows XP, Vista, 7, etc.) but a lot cheaper to reproduce and mail. 3. Soliciting bids to subcontract the magazine out to large production houses. 4. Stepping down the paper stock to a cheaper paper. Any of these options likely has huge downsides; for example, options 1 and 2 could end up in making the magazine even more expensive (on a per-copy basis) if, for example, 50% of the members opted for the lower cost membership. Options 3 or 4 could easily end up in extending production times, ticking off members due to a cheaper magazine without a corresponding reduction in membership dues, or possibly loosing members. Tough times, tough choices..... Joe

Some in here have made mention of things being simple, or if you use cash it is 'untraceable.' NEVER, and I mean NEVER assume anything is simple or untraceable when dealing with insurance companies!!! For example, if your best bud slips you the price of a tank of gas in cash for the use of your car, and he 'agrees' to not mention it in the case of an accident or claim, he may likely be singing a much different tune if he is deposed as part of a lawsuit, placed under oath at that deposition, and 'remined' of the penalties of purjury before he says a word! Ain't lawyers great? Joe

Agree with the comments offered. There are now companies that offer an affordable dashboard camera for personal vehicles and may help stop a lot of this garbage. I suspect a LOT of this crazy driving if the fool/idiot/drunk notices you have a round camera lens mounted on your dash and they know they are being recorded. My one problem with this kind of stupid driving is if the person cutting in front of you suddenly hits their brakes and causes an accident, YOU are considered to automatically be at fault by most courts and by most insurance companies. If you had video proof that the person CAUSED the accident with their careless driving techniques, a lot of court (spelled $$$$$) cases would turn out differently. I jsut found this link, one of many companies that sell dashboard cameras: http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/car-camera.html Also, if you live in high-crime areas (almost ANY apartment complex in San Antonio, for example) and hid this in your car, you would have a great record of Mr. Gangbanger stealing your $2,000 factory nav/stereo system. Yo! Joe

Sounds like all of the parts that are supposed to move or come apart need to be soaked with WD-40 or some other spray to loosen them up. Joe

One other suggestion; if you know what they came out of, I would attach a tag to each radio, listing what it is and where it came from. One of these days, your memory may fade, and you find yourself wondering "where did this come from?" Also, if you suddenly decide to get rid of all of them, finding a buyer on ebay or craigslist would be much easier if you could catalogue what you have. Joe

The story of how the manual seems to assume there are some things that are just generally 'known' reminds me of some of the things older mechanics are saying about the new guys. Tell a new guy to run the diagnostic tree on a scanner, and replace a module? No prob..... Tell a new guy where the float should be set, and the timing must be set to 4 degrees BTC, and they look at you as if you started speaking Greek..... Unfortunately, I'm afraid more and more information that is generally known about working on old cars is or soon will be getting to be less and less known.... Joe

Your running temp should be +/- 5-10 degrees of your thermostat. The temp you mentioned (180) may not be too hot if you are running a 165, 170 or 180 degree thermostat. Joe

If you can remove the parts you are trying to clean, your best bet would be to buy a disposable aluminum roasting pan, and soak the parts overnight using carburetor cleaning solution. Most of it is still available in one or 5-gallon cans, designed to soak the body of a carburetor for several hours. If your part is too big to go in the can, use the throw-away aluminum pan like the type many chefs use for cooking a Thanksgiving turkey. If you are going to soak the parts for several hours or longer, you will need to use it only in a well-ventilated area and enclose the top of the pan in aluminum foil; that liquid really stinks, and some brands can be very flammable. After the parts soak long enough to soften the grease, dirt and tar, it should come right off with very little effort.

I've had good luck with Simple Green. The fumes are not as bad as some cleaners out there. As you are saying, most of this buildup is going to be like scraping asphalt off of the car; and some of it may actually BE asphalt! I've also used a common screwdriver to get into the tight areas, in addition to a small putty knife. As for really big jobs, well, there are some people at BP and in DC that would like to know the answer to that one.... Joe

Just to make sure we are clear in here, some of the INDIVIDUAL POSTERS are advocating removing a VIN panel, or tag, and then reattaching it later. This is NOT the policy of AACA to advocate doing this, and several other posters in here have clearly shown that doing it is likely to violate FEDERAL LAW, whether the intent was for illegal purposes or not. So, if anyone is going to do it, do it at your own risk, but not with any implied consent of any legitimate car club or association. ANOTHER consideration is the attempted bombing in Times Square. The 'alleged' bomber tried to remove the VIN from the 17-year-old SUV. So, now we have the removal of a VIN as another factor that may pique the interest of other Federal agencies. Does any car collector REALLY want to go there now?

Only if they call all the Rambler clubs in a 5-state area! Sorry....just kidding....I have LOTS of stories of trying to keep a '61 Rambler Classic station wagon running from my younger days. Always had a soft spot in my heart (or head) for AMC! May they rust in peace. Joe

Save one for an old-fashied tire swing if you have any grandkids! As for the rest, make sure they are not going to be reused. Around here, some of the Firestone dealers had to drill holes in their recalled tires because inspectors found some of the tires showing up at used tire dealers, being resold!

Just in time for the 65th anniversary of VJ day....how appropriate! "Without the home of the brave, there would be no land of the free."

Once again, we see the obvious differences between the typical scam and a real car (Buick) enthusiast. We have all heard the stories in this and other car forums about how one collector bends over backwards to be accomodating to another BCA member or car collector. That's because the vast majority of the people in here are just looking for a fair deal; not an opportunity to take someone to the cleaners. But it seems the scam artist is always 'in a hurry....' Of course, they always have a reason....job loss, IRS problems, foreclosure...something to make the buyer think they have the seller over a barrel. Of course, that is one of the marks of a con; they want to convince you that you are getting an incredible deal, tricking you into thinking that if you don't move quickly, you will 'loose out.' In other words, they play on your greed in order to make their greed work. And so, when they deal with car enthusiasts like us who are not just looking to be greedy, we can see through their lies.