TxBuicks
-
Posts
970 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Forums
Gallery
Events
Posts posted by TxBuicks
-
-
That's one good looking 66 Wildcat. I wish I still had mine. Is that a GS badge I see on the back?
-
Wow! Want a beautiful setting for a car show. And the weather looked great, too. Wish I was there.
-
Could it be the rear end gear ratios are different? At one time I had 2 1966 Skylarks with identical engines and transmissions. The convertible had higher gear ratios which made it quicker off the line but lousy mileage on the highway. The 4 door hardtop had 'highway' gears and would cruise at 70 MPH without even sweating. I don't know the specific ratios but they were definately different.
-
My 1991 Roadmaster Estate Wagon is in need of rear shocks. The car has the automatic leveling system in which an air compressor is attached to the rear shocks. It doesn't work. I can hear the air compressor switch on at times but nothing happens. I'm not sure at this point if there is a leak in the air lines or the shocks. I have never met an owner that said this system is still working on his car. All I ever read about is how these systems didn't work too well, even new. So my question is can I replace these air shocks with non-air shocks and just disconnect the air compressor? Or do I try to fix the system? I'd like to hear comments from those who are familiar with this.
Thanks in advance for your comments.
-
I'm jealous. The family will love the extra room, especially on those long road trips which you will no doubt take. I bet Suzanne is plotting a vacation already.
-
Other Buicks at the Museum on Saturday included a 1950 Roadmaster, 1924 Buick, 1941 Special, and the nicest 1919 I've ever seen.
-
Mr. Earl and his family of Buicks were there in spirit.
-
Tex-Ark Auto Museum. Located in downtown Texarkana, this building was built around 1900 next door to the town's Overland Auto dealership. This place has so much charm and lives off of donations. Charles, his father, and several other volunteers run the place through their love of old cars.
-
Charles Barnette is the guy that looks like he's having a lot of fun. Larissa Powell added beauty and charm as the Motorama girl. Robert K. Blair (blue suit) is the son of Robert F. Blair, the Buick executive credited with saving the Landau.
-
Front Interior and Dash.
-
Rear interior.
-
This engine could be the best detailed I've ever seen.
-
Here is the rear of the Landau. Larissa Powell is the Motorama girl.
How do you get these to just load, instead of having to click on the links?
-
I had so much fun in Texarkana yesterday. It people were nice and treated me like a king. I was the only BCA member there, however. That was disappointing, especially with all the work Charles did to publicize it.
I don't know where to begin. I guess I'll get the bad stuff out of the way first. I headed out in the 61 Electra yesterday morning at 6:00. It was still very dark. I decided to stay off the major highways and take the scenic route. I got about 15 miles from home and there was construction, so I put my bright lights on. After the construction I turned out the brights and realized then I had blown the left low beam headlight. I pulled off the road and looked at the wires. No luck. My first thought was oh well, I can just drive on brights. But every car coming at me was blinking their lights at me. And I did not feel safe with only one low beam light. Knowing I would be driving home in the dark, I turned around, went back home, and drove the 91 wagon instead. It was a nice drive, alhthough it was 4 hours long. I arrived at 10:30. The Landau was being showcased right at the front of the museum. The outside of the Landau and the engine were spectacularly restored. However, the interior was original.
Now the good stuff. The Landau was available for all the pictures you wanted to take. And there were only a few people there. We were allowed to open the doors, hood, etc. We could not get inside the trunk, though. But the other, perhaps stronger, story is about Robert K. Blair and his father Robert F. Blair, and how the Landau was saved from Buick executives. Robert F. was a Buick executive at the time Harley Earl and Harlow Curtis left Buick and the new executives wanted to scrap it. Robert F. bought it for $750 in 1958. It had 700 miles then. Robert K. was in high school at the time and was allowed to drive it for the next three years. When his dad sold it in 1961, everyone lost track of it. Robert K., now living in Austin, was there to tell his stories about the car. He said he drove it to his high school prom, to his fiance's house many times, and around college a lot. When he arrived last night, he saw the car for the first time in 47 years. The emotion overwhelmed him. He gave a very moving speech about his dad and his memories of the Landau. Charles then presented him with the restored thermos and cups, which were placed in their proper place in the rear arm rest after 21 years of separation. Charles also showed the replica wheel covers to replace the original ones stolen while it was parked at the fiance's house one night. Charles is a guy that you can meet and in 5 minutes you're his best friend.
I loved the museum. It is definately a grass-roots, individual effort, driven entirely by the love and interest of old cars. The museum does not own many cars. Owners of cars are contacted by the museum and asked if they would like to display them. There is no charge to see them. The museum operates solely off of donations.
I will post a few pictures at a time, focusing on areas that are not previously displayed in this thread. If you have any questions, ask.
-
If things go according to plan, Roger's 1924 and Ray's 1950 will be joined by my 1961 Electra 225 when I arrive tomorrow morning. It is not a show car yet, but it's not afraid to come to a party. It is a 4 hour drive from my house to Texarkana so I'll be leaving pretty early in the morning. I'll plan on arriving around 10:00. I can't wait to see all the Motorama cars, especially the Landau. Don't cut the cake without me.
-
I have been elected to write an article about this event for the Buick Bugle. Unfortunately, the Bugle editor, Pete Phillips, will be out of town attending some little swap meet in Hershey. He asked if I could fill in for him, which as you all know, is a huge task.
So before next weekend I'd like to try to learn as much as I can about the Landau in preparation. At this moment, I know very little other than the information provided on this thread. If anyone has knowledge, pictures, or leads to articles already written about the Landau, you can forward them to me at rfaries@verizon.net. If anyone has already started an article about this event, please contact me and perhaps I can help you. I dopn't want to step on anyone's toes. Thank you.
Charles, I'll plan on seeing you Saturday morning. I share your enthusiasm.
-
I truely enjoy the color combinations of the 50's Buicks, when one could order a turquoise car with red and black interior. The new buyers were a bit eccentric at times. Look at that the next time you see a bunch of them parked in a row. You will not see two exactly alike. I think all that stopped when specific color combinations were dictated by GM for manufacturing simplicity in the early 60's.
-
Charles,
Do you have a daily agenda set yet? I have a choice of coming on Saturday or Sunday and it would help if I knew what was going on each day. Thanks.
-
I'm going. I'm considering driving my 61 Electra, too.
-
Wow! Rust free, A/C, and the wheels. Keep those wheels. They were made only two years, especially for the Wildcat, with the smaller center cap hole and the silver paint in the center. I agree with brh. You got a great deal on this one.
-
How old are you? Maybe I could be your daddy?
Seriously, though, if you get it running properly and drive it, you will not want to give it up. You give hope to all of us that bargains like that are still out there to be found. I can't wait to see the pictures. Please post some.
-
A complete numbers matching car with that setup is very desirable and well worth that asking price. Wildcat owners are passionate about their Wildcats (myself included) and would love a chance to purchase a 'Super Cat' at that price. Let us know how it goes.
-
Vapor lock can occur anywhere in the fuel system. When a fuel line, pump, or carb gets too hot, the gas will start to vaporize, causing a 'bubble' in the system. Check anywhere the fuel line runs close to the exhaust manifold or exhaust pipe. Many carburators have a metal spacer between it and the intake manifold to try to disperse heat.
If it happens quickly after start up, I strongly suspect it is not vapor lock because the environment has not had time to get hot enough. A clogged filter or weak fuel pump is more likely your problem.
-
I asked the owner of that 40 Roadmaster truck "How does a person come to possess an experimental vehicle like that"? He said the engineers designing it at the time had a chance to sign it out for a week or so at a time. One engineer signed it out and never gave it back. He said there were 4 of them made but he does not know what happened to the others. Too bad it never made it to production. It's a very nice looking truck.
Air Shock Replacement on 1991 Roadmaster Estate Wagon
in Buick - Post War
Posted
Thanks for the responses. I re-read my post and it might be a bit confusing. The compressor is mounted on a frame crossmember in front of the rear axle with air lines connected to the shocks. The compressor comes on and goes off. I can hear it come on if I sit on the tail gate. But nothing happens. It must have a timer to cut it off otherwise it will be on all the time. So I think the problem is in the shocks or the air lines. I think I'll try to tackle the original set up. The shop manual has a pretty good diagnostic chart. It is times like this that I wish I had a lift in my garage.....