ol' yeller

Wow, 153 views and not one question...:confused:

Posting pictures here has always been an adventure for me. Hopefully this works. It shows 3 views of the car. They were taken at dusk and there was a mist or condensation that was very persistent. The side not shown was just overlooked. It is as nice or nicer than those pics shown. I can take more and better pics for interested parties. Thanks. Greg

1965 Skylark 4 door. 300 V8 with factory Carter AFB 4 barrel Carb. Recent $1,400 rebuild of super turbine 300 switch pitch transmission. New seat upholstery and carpet. Car was hit hard in right front. It is now repaired. I replaced the chassis, grille, core support, front fender, bumper and right rear door. The body was remounted using new rubber mounts. Options include power steering and brakes, AM radio. New battery. Car runs and drives great. It handles well and stops straight and sure. The carb could use a rebuild as the choke has a tendency to stick. I did weld in some new metal at the base of the windshield to repair rust as well as the rear window surround. I did some very quick bondo work which will need to be sanded down and finished correctly. I had to get the car put to weather to transport it into storage. The rear quarters have some minor dent damage but no rust. The car is currently in inside storage. Price includes a used spare 300 2 barrel V8 engine if desired and a much better right front fender than the one I installed. I will also throw in a tilt wheel , column shift steering column I have a new in the box headliner, new weatherstripping as well as other pieces I have accumulated. Asking $2,500. I have clear title to the car. Please call 253-874-6390 prior to 8PM PST or email gmpowersfam@comcast.net. Pictures and a spec sheet sent upon request to serious lookers.

Year:1990 Coupe: Y Mileage:152,000 Considered Correct? (Y) Location: Federal Way, WA Title: Clear__Y_ Salvage____ Other___ Any Accident History? (None for me, previous unknown) Asking Price: $2,500 Willing to take trade (N) Exterior Color: Maui Blue Interior Color: Dark Blue Paint Original? (Y) Paint Condition? (Very Good) Belt & Bumper Molding Color: (Body Color) Body Dents: (N) Body Rust: (N) Windshield Chipped or Cracked? (N) Vent Glass Intact? (Y) Rubber surround molding for windshield condition? (Very Good) (Coupe only) Rubber surround molding for rear window condition? (Very Good) Out Side Mirrors Intact? (Y) Headlight Motors Function Correctly? (Y, Just repaired) Tail Light Lens: (Clear/Cracked) Interior Original? (Y) 16 Way Seats? (N) Seat Condition? (Very Good) Drivers interior door panel condition? (Good) Passengers interior door panel condition? (Very Good) Center console top armrest condition? (Very Good) Door weather stripping condition? (Good) Headliner Condition? (Excellent recent replacement) Carpet Condition? (Fair) Original Floor Mats: (Y) Floor Mat Condition: (One very good, one poor) Condition of Steering Wheel Leather (Poor) Sun Roof? (Y) Works? (Y) Functional Keyless Entry? (N) Both Remotes? (Y) I have 2 remotes, neither works. I suspect it is a remote battery problem Problems with Electronic Dash items? (N) Power Windows Work Correctly? (Y) Passenger side a little slow but will close completely with the door open Power Seats Work Correctly? (Y) Power Door Locks Work Correctly? (Y) Power Antenna Work Correctly? (N) It just broke in the up position Original Sound System? (Y/N) Original radio/cassette player but has an amp and subwoofers in the trunk. Factory CD Player? (90-91 only) (Y) Sound System Fully Functional? (N) CD player doesn’t work Aftermarket Sound System Equipment? (Y) If Y describe: See above A/C Functional? (Y) Just replaced Compressor, Drier, and orifice tube and converted to R134A Has the A/C been converted from R12 to R134A? (Y) Does the suspension require any attention? (N) Tire Brand: Toyo 16” siped Remaining Tread: 85% Are All Tires Matched? (Y) Factory Wheels? (N) If N describe the non stock wheel 2002 16” Buick Regal GS Chrome wheels in excellent condition Any Brake Components Replaced? (N) Last Time Brake System Was Flushed? March ‘09 Original Engine? (Y) Original Engine Rebuilt? (N) Does Engine require attention? (N) When was last tune up? Prior to my purchase in September 2008 Does the engine, cooling system, power steering, or brake system leak any fluids? (N) Recently had the water pump replaced due to leaking How often do you change the oil? Every 3,000 miles Original Transmission? (Y) Original Transmission Rebuilt? (N) Does Transmission require attention? (N) When was last Transmission Service? Prior to my purchase in September 2008 Any Transmission Leaks? (N) Have CV joints been replaced? (N) I have (some) receipts for this vehicle's service history. I have all the receipts since my purchase in September 2008. None prior. Does the car have the owners manual portfolio? No Owner’s Manual only In General, What items need attention? Steering wheel recover and antenna repair My Reatta Drives: (Excellent) I am the 3<SUP>rd</SUP>? owner of this Reatta. Second owner had the car for 17 years I have owned this Reatta for 1 Year and 4 Months. Contact Me at 253-874-6390 prior to 8PM PST or email me at gmpowersfam@comcast.net This a very nice driving and looking car. It is priced appropriately for what it is. Some minor extra parts included along with factory service manual.<O:p</O:p<!-- google_ad_section_end --><O:p</O:p

On my '90 coupe, upon cold start, if I shift into drive or reverse the car will stall. Once restarted, it runs fine for the rest of the day. If I goose the throttle slightly after shifting into gear, it doesn't stall and runs fine the rest of the day. I have replaced the IAC with a new one and cleaned the MAF which was very sooty. There is no CEL or any other warnings displayed. The car has 150K miles on her so something always needs to be fixed. A mechanic friend suggested that there maybe a bad injector that doesn't spray a pattern but dribbles until the engine gets going. This only happens in the morning on a cold start. Any other ideas or suggestions to isolate the problem would be very appreciated. Greg

Thanks, I stand corrected. Still, it is a great insight into car design theory. Greg

There is nothing Buick is currently offering including the "new" Regal that would entice me to buy one. I think it was Harley Earl who once said, "You can sell a young man's car to an old man, but you can't sell an old man's car to a young man." Now that I'm becoming an old man, I can appreciate the sentiment even more. Yuck, another 4 door econobox with unexciting styling and a 4 banger. Greg

Does the passenger window go all the way up to the door seal? On my '90 coupe the passenger window motor has gotten weak and goes up until it contacts the door seal and then stops less than about 1/8" short of "all the way up". Unless one looks closely, the window appears to be closed. A test to check the gap is to close the door & window on a dollar bill held against the weatherstripping. The bill should pull out with some resistance. If it slides right out, the gap is too big. Until it really bothers me to the point of fixing it, I simply open the door and then raise the window the rest of the way on the few occasions that I have had to lower the window. Ronnie's site gives a great tutorial on removing the headliner and cleaning out the sunroof drains. Mine were not plugged but one was crimped in the A pillar which I understand is quite common. My sunroof seal had also shrunk over time leaving a 1/4" gap where the ends met also causing a leak. When checking the drain tubes, it is also a perfect time to lube up the sunroof cables and mechanism. I knew I had a bad sunroof drain because my headliner was getting wet in one corner. If your headliner is dry, I'd look at other causes first. Greg

I bought my '90 a year ago (my second Reatta) It had 148,000 on it. I picked it up for $2,700. So far I bought new tires (an appearance issue) new wheels (appearance issue) had the brake fluid changed ($50), replaced the A/C compressor, orofice tube, drier and had the system changed to R134A (about $700) and replaced the IAC and cleaned the MAF (about $100), I also fixed the headlights ($100, half of which was preventative), and 2 oil/filter changes for about $25. That makes $975 in expenses not counting gas and insurance or purchase price. I drove about 4,000 miles last year. At 19 MPG, gas equates to about 211 gallons at an average of $2.90 a gallon = $612 for fuel. My insurance was $175. That makes my total expenses for the car for the year $1,762. Divide that by the 4,000 miles and my expense was about 44 cents a mile including a pretty big expense for the A/C repair which I knew about when I purchased the car. I didn't include the tires or wheels as I view them as discretionary when I bought the car, the old ones were perfectly servicable. I also didn't include the purchase price as I figure the car is still worth pretty close to what I paid for it. If I bought a new car, my maintenence expense would be much less. I'd still have had the 2 oil changes, ($25). If my mileage was better say at 28 MPG my fuel expense would have been less ($414) but my insurance would have been higher ($600). That puts my driving expense at about 26 cents per mile, a savings of 18 cents per mile or $720 for the year. The part that tips the scales towards the Reatta is figuring in depreciation or the cost of car payments for the year as well. An average new car payment is $300 for a total of $3600 for the year. As a new car, depreciation in the first year would probably be at least equal to if not exceed the $3,000. You can do the math for other scenarios like a slightly used car. But I feel pretty good about my Reatta so far. I expect shortly I will have to replace/rebuild the fuel injectors due to mileage. The other appearance issues I have are recovering the steering wheel (about $250) and replacing the front carpet ($150). I may or may not get to those this year of ownership.

Actually make that 2 headlights up. Fast shipping and quality parts. The info instruction sheet was very good as well. My rollers had turned to dust although I did replace the bellcranks as a precaution. It took me about an hour for the first one and about half that for the second. Thanks Barney! Greg

Thanks Barney! I'll mail it out tomorrow! Greg

Barney, I sent you a PM but evidently you didn't receive it. I need to order a roller and crankarm set for both front headlights for my '90 coupe. I don't do PayPal but I'd be happy to mail you a MO or check (your choice). Please let me know how much and where to send it. Thanks. Greg

I started this thread because I was concerned that all I was hearing was how the BCA won't survive unless we woo the younger set. Within the first page I discovered that there was a semantics issue. I was including myself as one of the older guys (at age 56). It seems many would view me as one of the younger people they want to keep. That was enlightening. Yes, this has reached 11 pages but the discouse here has been largely civil and only a few diversions away from the topic. Thank you all. My hope is that those of you in local chapters take some of the ideas written here and try the ones you think will work. I don't truly fear the demise of the BCA in the immediate future. We have a strong foundation and, from what I see here, a willingness to find ways to help our club not only survive, but prosper. I have been lucky to have joined an inclusive and active local chapter, The Puget Sound Chapter. Our membership has been, and is still, growing. The key to our success has been putting on events that the membership wants. We have found that it takes the involvement of nearly every member to continue to put on these types of events. Getting people to join is only the beginning. If they are not engaged in the actual club management or volunteering to help, you will lose them soon. If you become cliquish and exclusive, your membership will wither and die with your older members. There has been some great ideas here. Let's embrace the opportunity to help our club. Greg

Barney, Even better! That makes my car about one of 50. That makes it even more special (to me). Greg

There is no shortage of projects in my garage!!! Greg

My '90 has had a problem first thing in the morning. Sometimes it will crank OK but not fire. Once it started, the RPMs would surge and sometimes stall the engine. TodayI pulled the MAF and cleaned it. I also pulled and cleaned the IAC. Both were filthy. The car now runs butter smooth. It also has more power than before. Thanks for the tip about placing a rag under the IAC to catch the screw. Even though I didn't drop the screw, I know if I hadn't placed the rag, I would have. Buoyed by that sucess I decided to find out why my windshield washer quit. When I pulled the tank, I found the main feed line was plugged with gunk. A quick shot of compressed air cleared that problem. I then pulled the taillight and replaced a burned out bulb that was keeping my turn signals from blinking. The bulb broke in my fingers and I had to pry the remains out of the socket. Having bloody fingers didn't make the job any easier. It's tough to stay one step ahead of this stuff as the car has over 150K on it but now that everything is fixed, the car is enjoyable again. Greg

http://www.american-stitches.com/pages_2/steeringwheels.htm I have had a couple of wheels done by them. It isn't cheap but the end result is perfect. You will need a spare wheel from a wrecking yard to use while yours is being redone. I found a beat up one from a '90 Park Ave for $10. Or if your car can sit, I think it takes a couple of weeks. Greg

A few more suggestions. Our local chapter involves the membership often. In February we have a chili cookoff that has grown into a potluck recipe exchange. The guys like it as we get to feed our faces. Spouses like getting new recipes. (does that sound sexist? sorry! I have to admit that I've picked up a recipe or 2). In September we have a Fall leaf tour. November we have an auction of extra stuff we have in our garages, with the proceeds going to the chapter treasury. We meet every month for dinner and chat. We have partnered with other clubs (Pontiac, Ford V8 Etc.) on tours and Poker Runs. While bringing your Buick to the events is encouraged, during winter many bring their daily drivers. All are welcomed. We did have a group called the ROF. ROF stood for Retired Old F..... Fellas yeah that's it, Fella's. They went on driving tours during the day while all the working stiffs were at work. I gotta work on reviving that one. The point is that when the membership is involved, they contribute. Someone said earlier that you need to contribute to your organization, not look for what it can do for you. That is true but you do need to set the hook and show them what a healthy organization can do for them. We are pretty lucky here in the Northwest as all of our local chapters have a great group of folks who understand what it takes to make this thing work and how we all benefit when the organization prospers. Secondly it was mentioned that there are free ads in the Bugle to members. That is a nice perk for members but in view of our finacial situation, maybe we should charge for the ads or some of the ads. Maybe we should charge for Car For Sale ads. That way those who are getting benefit are those who are paying. after all, you have a pretty targeted audience for your ad. Our local has a newsletter exchage with all the other chapters up and down the west coast. I take pride in the quality of our newsletter and the Leads and Needs section should be of interest to all Buick lovers. We offer everyone a free ad in our local newsletter to anyone (Buick Related) at all of the local swap meets over the winter. We operate a booth at all the big local meets. I think this is probably why our local membership has grown. Every year, we raffle off a lighted neon sign, Buick Ford or Chevy. The raffle tickets cover the cost of the sign, and then some, and we give prospective members a reason to stop and talk to us. Having a 2 or 3 tiered membership with the cost based upon how much of the resources each member uses also has merit. I'd consider getting the Bugle online if it would save the organization a few bucks. The suggestion of the local sponsoring the National dues for a short period of time for new members is a great suggestion. I'm gonna bring that up at the next meeting. Finally we have to keep our stupid opinions and prejudices to ourselves when it comes to new members. I know there are times when I look at some cars and think to myself, "Why would anyone fix up one of those?" or "Did they paint that car with a vacuum cleaner exhaust." These types of thoughts are best left in my head rather than spoken. I know there are some who wonder why I spend even one dollar on restoring my 1965 Skylark 4 door. I loved it when I brought my multi colored, rusted, beat-up 1965 Skylark to our local show one year and won Most Ambitous Project. I was also very proud the next year to win Most Improved and First in class. Criticism inspires no one but encouragement sends hope. At the next Buick car show, look at all the Buicks and try to find something nice to say about every car. I still remember how when I first got my '65 Skylark. I was driving it proudly down mainstreet with my then 17 year old daughter at my side. She saw the smile of pride on my face and said, "Dad, you really don't know how bad your car looks, do you?" I took that as a teachable moment and said to her, "You really don't know how this car looks in my mind either." Please keep this in mind when you are around members or potential members and feel the need to comment on their car. Greg

Thanks everyone for understanding the purpose of this thread. What we need are good concrete ideas to help our club survive. I also find it interesting what some here consider as the "younger" members. I was including myself in the gray hair group and I am 56! When I talked about attracting younger members, I was figuring on those under age 30. It is my feeling that while we should encourage those under 30 to join and become active members, to count on their number as the salvation for the BCA is overly optomistic. They generally have other interests. As I tried to state in my OP, there are exceptions and I welcome them with open arms. I see examples of Buick snobbery (mostly unintentionally) even within our local. Owners of newer Buicks like the Reatta, newer Rivis and even the GN and T-Types are looked upon as nice cars but not in the same class as "MY" car. That attitude doesn't portend well for the future of our organization. I agree that anything Buick should be welcome and appreciated. I do not belong to the BPG as my '65 Skylarks are probably not considered to be real "performance cars". Having separate organizations like the ROA, the BPG, and the BCA means that each is filling a void left by the others. If the pool of available members gets cut up into smaller and smaller specialty groups, they can't all survive in the current form. Drop down a few forums here and browse the Reatta forum. There is a ton of knowledge that I as a gray hair still can't begin to fathom. Programming a chip to get better performance or understanding the myriad of information the CRT is telling you. Even the lexicon has changed, IPCs, IAC's, EGR's BCM's, ECM's, ABS, etc., these guys know their stuff. I would encourage all the BCA members to broaden your horizons or you surely will watch your organizion wither and die. As the cost of membership increases, and services provided decline, we will lose membership from both causes. Add to this the aging of our population and the numbers can only be expected to drop. The BCA needs to become more inclusive than ever. Please do not take this as a criticism of what has been done as I know firsthand the challenges of keeping an organization together. Rather take it as a challenge to do what you do better than ever. We are in an interesting hobby. We have members who don't even own a computer and communicate via "snail mail". Obviously they are not reading this. We have members who are in the Facebook and Twitter generation who can access information in a flash. And, we have guys like me who fall somewhere in the middle. I am willing to move more towards technology as I'd prefer to keep up rather than be left behind. This forum is a giant step towards what we need to be doing. We do need to provide enough value to our members so that they visit it and contribute often. Again, great discussion, please keep it going. Your ideas and suggestions are needed more than ever. I'm sure that some BCA board members are following this thread. Let's let them know what we think. After all, it is OUR organization. Greg

Mike and Nancy, good luck on your search. Reattas are great cars. I have owned 2. A 1991 will be hard to find but they are out there. If you haven't, go to Reatta Data Page and check to see how many were made in the color combinations you are desiring. There is also great informationon what to look for and how to check out the many systems on these cars. I wanted a 1990 maui Blue coupe with a sunroof and factory CD player. According to Barney's numbers, I was looking for a car that was made in a number less than 70 worldwide. I found mine less than 3 miles from my home. Again, I hope you find your desire. Greg

In the last Issue of the Bugle there was commentary about the shrinking membership of the BCA. My intent for this thread is not to bash the BCA nor any of its members as I am one too, rather to have a more realistic discussion of where the BCA will go as its membership matures. I very much enjoy the comraderie, help and support from the members of both the National BCA and my local chapter. Often I hear how we need to find a way to bring the younger generation into the world of Buicks. I'm becoming more convinced that that is not really viable. My chapter has been slightly successful in getting one or two members who are in the under 30 generation but mostly we are a bunch of older gray hairs, myself included. We are losing older members much faster than we are gaining new younger members. That said, at this point, our local chapter is very healthy and has a membership of around 50-60 paid members. Bear in mind that many of our members are also spouses of the BCA member. We also put on an annual show that regularly attracts 100-150 cars, many coming from people who are not members of either the BCA nor our local chapter. They are also significantly from the older generation. All in all, not too bad right now but the future looks very uncertain. It is my opinion that we don't attract the younger folks because Buicks aren't something they are typically interested in. Again, there are exceptions but I am speaking in generalities here. The younger generation is more interested in Ricers, not Grampa's (or worse, Gramma's) Buick. I think we are chasing a pipedream trying to recruit people who will not be swayed with tailfins and chrome. I noticed the same concerns from other service organizations, Like my local Lion's club who are also experiencing a graying of its membership. Too often we become mired in old traditions that make no sense to the younger set, or we become cliquish and not welcoming to new members. At our chapter meetings I always try to sit with new members and explain what we are doing during the meeting or what we are discussing to make them feel more involved. My suggestions to the BCA is to accept that all things have a lifetime and we are well into the second half of our organization's lifespan. Lets make the best of a bad situation. We need to find a way to attract as many of our potential target audience (older car guys who like Buicks) and the find things to retain as many of them as we can. Our chapter has been succesful with having at least one event per month to involve the membership, be it a tour somewhere, or a caravan to a local show. An involved membership is a happy membership. We are not going to woo many Mopar guys into our fold nor are they going to get many of ours. We can and should try to attract and keep as many of the younger generation as we can but they will not be the salvation of our club nor our hobby. The reality of a shrinking membership means shrinking revenues. That means we have some hard choices to make. As an organization that means curtailing resources or increasing revenues. Each has a double edged effect as some members will drop because they value the resouces that are cut, while others will drop because they can't afford the membership any more. The BCA needs to communicate their dilemma to their membership and involve them in the solutions (as they have been doing). I still think I get great value for my dollar as a BCA member and will continue as a paying member for many more years. If someone knows of the magic answer, I'd love to have you post here.

The 1964 Special/Skylark 300 V8 was also silver. The heads, intake and timing chain cover were made of aluminum so they were naturally silver. The cast iron block was painted silver to match. The 430 in my '69 Riviera was red.

I took mine in Dad's 1965 gold, 3 seat, Sportwagon on June 24th, 1969. At the time, I hated that car as being a wagon, it just wasn't cool. Now I wish we had kept that car. My girlfiend's (at the time) older brother told me I could use his car for the day if I passed the test on my first try,which I did. His car was a 1961 Chevy Impala 2 door bubbletop with a 348 V8 and mag wheels. Man I loved that car. His sister wasn't too bad either.

On my '90 I had a leak in the same place. I discovered that the window motor was lazy and didn't push the window all the way tight against the weatherstrip. I found that if I opened the door and then operated the window, it would go all the way up. It was an easy fix until I tear into the door and replace the window motor. Greg

If I did this right here is a pic what I put on my '90. They are 16" wheels from a 1998-2002 Regal GS. They are all chrome and the center caps have the Buick trishield so they look like they belong. There were no fitment issues as the offset and bolt pattern work fine with the Reatta. Greg