Ron of Chicago

Outstanding purchase. I am somewhat of a purist myself and I agree with what you want to do with the mat. Keep up the great work. Interesting thread. Ron

Keep up the good work cevensky. Great find. Wish I could come across something like this. I had Portawalls on my 58 Del Ray back in the 60's. They never really seemed to hold up. The more you drive it the better you'll like it. Stay safe Ron

One of the best reasons to be a part of this site is the great help you can get from knowledgeable people. Thanks sean 1997

After looking at the second picture. Was this car from France? Maybe that is why the numbers do not make sense. I have never seen one. Do you have a picture of the entire vehicle? My Catalog of American Cars shows all the interior codes as a three digit number starting with 4 Please keep me posted Ron P.S. You could try to contact Scott Mich BCA #6619 here on the AACA site. He seems to know quite a lot about Buicks but he hasn't been on for a while.

Looks like this is a Buick Century Convertible, Paint code D I believe is Windsor Gray. Having 2 D's would mean that the center and lower color is the same. I think the No 1 denotes the Convertible top.

Hello J.Palamara. I would like to see a picture if you have one. I have no doubt that the factory started using whatever they had, especially if they were on strike. I have even looked on the Chevytalk site for an answer to all this and there is nothing there. I just love it when the factory does silly things without telling anyone. Hang onto the car as it just may be rare enough to help in the retirement years. Also please post all the information on the cat=r like engine, transmission and a picture of the badges. Thanks for the info. Ron

Make sure all your connections are clean and tight.

Yep, that's the way I remember seeing the interiors on those cars. I knew that the interior in the one I am looking at was not correct but couldn't put my finger on it. Lighting and and dirt may be throwing the colors off a little but I can see what you mean with the center division section and it not being the way it should be. I am doing some figuring and will talk to the owner hopefully tomorrow. I just got his number today from his friend. The owner is a bit UN-ordinary. I have been trying to see this car for over a month now and he kept telling me through his friend that the car was not going to be for sale. All of a sudden he says, OK, come and look, maybe I will sell it. If I can go see it I will call you Chuck to see if you are able to go and want to. I need to get a cleaner look maybe without the junk in the car. Thanks everyone for you input. It is well appreciated.

Thanks for the information starfireelvis I could not see a lot of the interior as he has a lot of stuff inside the car. It all looks good including the carpeting but he said that the seats were re-done some time way back. I took that as just the fronts though and will have to call him to see if I can get a better look at the interior. The seats were done nicely but they are NOT two tone unless it is very subtle. I thought I took a picture of the drivers seat but apparently I did not. <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=402050366" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL619/3950667/24086066/t-402050366.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a> Do you have a picture of your seats? Thanks again

Well, that was a good point that I will have the ask the owner as to why he stopped driving the car. I do have a good trans guy that says he knows these and is willing to do what's needed. My plan is to do the repairs a little at a time. I can paint it and do anything else needed. It will need the brakes totally done along with the carb and fuel pump rebuilt. Not a big deal in my book. The last car I painted was also a Lacquer finish and takes some doing to refinish but it's all about the journey any way. Hey Chuck, I bought a 65 Mustang quite a number of years back from that area. You're not that far from the Downers Grove cruise night I don't think. That was a great show the number of times I have been there. I am semi retired but work at many things for people so my schedule is all over the place. I'll see what next week brings and let you know. I'll talk to my trans guy and see what he knows. Maybe this will work. Just click the picture to enlarge. <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=402050370" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL619/3950667/24086066/t-402050370.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a> <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=402050344" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL619/3950667/24086066/t-402050344.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a> <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=402050342" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL619/3950667/24086066/t-402050342.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a> <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=402050296" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL619/3950667/24086066/t-402050296.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a> <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=402050260" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL619/3950667/24086066/t-402050260.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a> <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=402050259" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL619/3950667/24086066/t-402050259.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a> <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=402050256" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL619/3950667/24086066/t-402050256.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a> <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=402050254" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL619/3950667/24086066/t-402050254.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a>

I appreciate the feedback. I will try this link to see if it works to view the photos. I hate computers because I can not fully understand them. The interior is in great shape. The upholstery is not torn at all and the carpets are good as are the door panels. The headliner has been replaced by something other than the original but is now hanging down and needs new. The trans was rebuilt not long before the car was not used any longer. All the trim is is there and in perfect condition. No rot or bad rust in the floor or trunk. Two small areas on the right rear 1/4 behind the wheel and one on the lip of the deck lid near the tail lights. PictureTrail - Online Photo Albums Thanks again for the advice. He is asking 5K but I am hesitant at this price because of it sitting for 17 years.

OK, so I had a great Olds and don't anymore. I love Olds cars though and am looking for another one that needs some tinkering. A friend of mine says he has an old friend that has had this car for many years and now it sits. In fact it hasn't been running since 95. Starfire's are great looking cars and I have always wanted one. This may be a good opportunity now but I would like to have opinions of people that know more about these cars then I do. Here is the link to my Picture Trail album that has the pictures I took today. Only a couple of bad rust spots, a straight body and good interior with no rips or tears. Solid floors. Needs fuel system totally re-done I am sure along with the brake system and a set of new tires. Had a rebuilt trans not long before the car was put to sleep. Needs a paint job but I have done that before many times and can handle that. Chrome work is the thing that bothers me some as to the cost. So let me have the good, bad and ugly guys it is appreciated any help given. http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL619/3950667/24086066/t-402050296.jpg Thanks Ron

Big Al1, sorry to hear about your car. Strange thing is, I lived in Spring Hill Florida for two years and had my 69 W-31 stolen and that was back in Oct. 2010. I hope you have better luck then I have had. The sheriffs police in Florida are a bunch of useless idiots and I told them so. They could care less about the stolen cars and are arrogant about it. Again, I understand what you're going through and I hope that your car is found in the same condition as it left.

Buy what you can afford. I have found that they are all pretty much the same and as long as you maintain them, they will last. Get the biggest bang for your buck. I've always had good luck with Interstate. Depending on if you are loading the electrical system with a lot of radio equipment or if you are installing a V-8 in the car, you can get by with a medium cold cranking battery. Ron

Maybe try checking your float level. Ron

You can try the guys at chevytalk.com

You should be able to push the arm in by hand. If you can then put your finger over the vacuum port and let go of the arm. If the diaphragm is good the arm will stay retracted. If it is bad the arm will slowly move back out. Not being able to move the arm manually is a good indication that the unit is bad. The best way to check is like Owen said and use a vacuum source to see if the arm will move.

Try the folks at chevytalk.com

Thanks

Does this help? Auto Hobby Page Car Pics

What did you use to soak it in to get it clean?

Yep, find one of those six cylinders in a four door hardtop and you got a real RARE car. Only about 265 made. They also put them in the F-85.

According to "The Standard Catalog of American Cars" the Power train options were: A 150 H/P 350 was optional in Apollo. The 175 H/P 350 was was optional in all A-Body Buicks and in the LeSabre/Customs. A 190 H/P 350 was available in Century Gran Sport. The 225 H/P 455 was optional in Century/Luxus/Regal/LeSabre/Lesabre Custom/Centurion/Electra 225/ Electra 225 Custom. A 260 H/P 455 was optional in Riviera. A 270 H/P 455 optional in the Century Gran Sport.

Ah yes, the fun begins. Rebuilding, cleaning, adjusting, making new again. To bad we can't do that with people. If you're married, I hope your wife is an understanding woman while you drag in all the dirty things inside the house to clean them up (I was lucky in that department). If all else fails, tell her it's a mandatory necessity to do that kind of work in a controlled environment, ha,ha. Enjoy the journey. Ron

Other good boards that have some very knowledgeable people in it are, http://www.corvairforum.com/forum/ Corvair Center :: Corvair Center Forum Early models are great cars and it's good that you are doing your homework before you buy. There are a lot of hidden things that you need to know before you take the plunge. Good luck with your hunt. Ron