Smartin
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Posts posted by Smartin
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Very true, Bob.
All that ever comes to mind with factory correct restos, is the Corvette crowd. Like I said, I've never seen a Buick with such a fanatical factory appearing restoration.
Here is more discussion on this topic on the Buick Performance Group board:
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I remember seeing a similar thread a year or two ago on the v8buick board, and since I can see these things for myself on the 71 LeSabre I just bought, I thought I would share a few things I thought were interesting.
The first thing I noticed, was that the distributor was installed prior to the engine being painted. The same goes for the fuel pump. You can see red overspray on both of these items. Keep in mind that this engine has 42K miles, and almost everything under the hood is original - with the exception of regular tune-up items. Also the number "14" is written on top of the vac advance can. Does anyone know why?
Fuel pump - you have to squint to see it
I've always wondered about this one - what did this sticker say originally? It is on the front of the drivers side valve cover. All of my cars have had this, but it was never legible.
part number on the negative battery cable -
Note the level of gloss on this wheelwell. It is much glossier than I had previously imagined an original to be. I'll take this into consideration next time I do this.
Any additions to this thread are welcome! I love to see these details. Has anyone done a 'Factory Correct' restoration? I never see overspray on anyone's vac advance cans
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Does anyone have a good picture of how their trunk jack/spare tire is set in the trunk? I forgot to take note when I ripped everything out of the 60.
Thanks!
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Sure thing, Steve!
My green 4 door had the same problem, but it had a rust hole in the channel. I also gobbed a bunch of silicone in the channel before I installed the stainless, and that fixed my leak problem. I'd rather not have to do that to this car.
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Pete, let me know if you need info for the 71-72 Fullsize article. I'm anxious to get this month's Bugle!
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Welp, it's done.
I did a claybar treatment on the paint to remove any dust or overspray I got on the car while I was working on it. Those claybars do wonders on paint!! It's slick as snot now....and a little show car glaze on top of that does a paint job good.
There is a small vibration in the steering, but it feels like there is still air in the pump/box, and or the new seals are still a little dry. I may end up getting the car back in it does not quit.
The passenger side windshield fogged up when I fired it up this morning, but it quit after a minute or two. I pulled off the cover under the dash, and saw where coolant was coming out. It was at the heater control valve. I watched it to see if it would continue to leak, and I saw nothing. I ran the car a few more times after that and looked every time, and didn't see any more seepage. Maybe it sealed itself back up? I would really hate to have to pull that whole mess out again. Talk about a pain in the butt!!Just a few pictures for an overview:
This is really a pretty car.
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I wonder if all the big name glass companies around town will do something like that...
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I have a fairly substantial leak that gets into the trunk somehow. The other day, I pulled the stainless off the back window and cleaned out the whole channel. I found no holes, but I did find just a bit of surface rust under one spot of the vinyl top. Does anyone know how the trim around the top is held in place?
I had the car inspected today, and it passed with flying colors....but they left it outside in the rain all day, and had about an inch of water in the drops of the trunk. I can see that it is coming from the window area, but cannot pinpoint it.
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You got that letter, too, eh?
I think Northwest Speed Equipment sells something similar.
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If we get some sun today, I will do just that. I am going to fetch my "new" LeSabre from my office today, also...hopefully by then, the sun will be out.
I'm still amazed this made it back into my hands....talk about a stroke of luck!!
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Great site, Greg!!!
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26 1/2" x 17 1/2"
It's big!
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Those of you who attended the regional meet in St. Louis last year might have remembered a stained glass of a 53 Skylark that was raffled off. A bunch of club members loaded up on raffle tickets because THEY wanted it! It was a really beautiful piece that a local club member hand-made. Steve Dodson does great work!
The piece ended up in the hands of a local club member, and she donated it to a charity she is affiliated with to auction off. Some of us had wanted to keep it in the club, but it went to a good cause - Wings of Hope. (I am going by memory, so correct me if I have some of the facts wrong....PAUL??)
Imagine my surprise when I unwrapped this package this morning:
I asked my parents where they got it, and my Dad has a friend who found it at "some auction" and he had to buy it. He said it "had your name written all over it."
So, I am totally beside myself!! By far, the coolest gift I have received in a very long time.If I ignore my hard luck on the way to the BPG national this year, it has been a great Buick year for me. One addition to my Buick family, loads of fun with the clubs, and this gift!!
Happy holidays, everyone!
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Wow I thought this was a new post! I saw that Bob had 4 posts, so I went and looked, saw this, and didn't bother looking at a date.
Oh well, Merry Christmas!
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Yep! They're sitting on my basement floor at the moment...
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Welcome aboard, Bob! It's great to have you...
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Bob!
Glad to see you've joined the forums...
Yes, the twilight would entice me....very much so. I think I'll stick to the original color on this though........unless I get a wild hair and go crazy on it. I would have to eliminate the vinyl top if I did. I also might have to transplant a 455 if I go that far, too
I could get used to this color scheme....I don't know. Time will tell.It's still sitting in my shop right now, so I have no access to it. All the plow trucks are blocking it in. I have a chance to grab it this weekend, but the fact that I have to play musical trucks to get it out is making that a hard decision to go grab it.
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I know the guy that (used to) own this car....nice young guy. He was in the BCA for a year or so, but I don't think he has re-upped. A bit disappointing.
This is a nice car, but it does have a little rust in the quarters. Pretty solid, though.
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Chrome plated wheels and trunk lip molding....would look nice on this car
I have a couple sets of bumper guards, too (NOS!) NOS headlight bezels and emblems...
I still can't believe how nice the interior on this car is...it's really unbelievable.
It has the original spiral shocks on all four corners.
I'm thinking this car will get a full treatment, starting in the Spring. If everything goes as planned, anyway. Unfortunately, it is NOT a candidate for an archival class entry, so I have no problem digging into the car. I was taking come sloser looks at the car today. It has had one repaint, and it appears as if it had some very minor rust in the doglegs prior. The rear window leaks, so there is probably something back there. Now that I know the car has been repainted, I am looking at the top as if it has been replaced, too. I'm curious to know if it's hiding anything.
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column shift 3 speed! wow....cool!
Nice car, Pete
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I sold my tiwlight turquoise 71 LeSabre sedan in early 2003, and I have been regretting every minute since then. About a year ago, I started looking casually for another car to replace it. The ideal vehicle was another twilight car, but I know how often THOSE pop up. So I began the search...
I have found numerous leads and most of them have been 72's and 73's. I'm not very "hip" to the 73 style, and since I seem to be setting a personal trend with the 71's, I thought I should continue looking for the right car.
In early November, a friend of mine alerted me to a car on eBay that appeared to be everything I was looking for. It was a fairly vague auction, so I took it upon myself to ask more questions about it. I also had a friend in Massachusetts look at the car in person for me. Thanks Johnno!! His review of the car was excellent, so I decided to contact the seller with a private offer. I was quickly on the phone with him, and made an offer for the reserve price of $2000. He obliged and ended the auction early! Cool, the deal is almost sealed!
Money was sent, and a shipping company was contracted to transport the car. It took about 2 weeks for Specialty Mobile to find a carrier for it, so I was quite anxious by the time they called with a taker. The car was picked up on time and was en route the next day. Unfortunately, I was scheduled to be in Las Vegas during the prospected arrival date, so I had a friend of mine accept the car this past Thursday.
I got a call at 3pm Vegas time (5pm Central) telling me that the car had arrived....
BUT
The hydraulic pump on the truck died, so he could not get the car off the trailer. The driver elected to drive another 250 miles to his home and repair it there!!!
He finally made it back up here this morning, and dropped it off at a jobsite I was working on. Upon unloading the cars behind it, he blew a hydraulic hose that powers the ramp for my car.
I then walked away and told him to come get me when he was done repairing it. I offered him help if he needed to pick up any fittings or anything, since I was ITCHING to get the car!!Hose got fixed, Voila - it rolled off the trailer!
Here's a shot of it during the repair:
in my shop and DIRRRRRTY!!!!
Engine - purrs like a kitten, but will die if I hammer it. Carb needs a rebuild.
Ready for a washing::::
After!!!
Ok - details:
42k miles, and it shows
One repaint with the body color
Original Engine with nothing replaced except the typical stuff
Owner decided to take another paint brush and paint the core support black
Like I said, MINT interior
Power windows
Power seat
Deluxe color-match seat belts
Door window frame molding
Sandpiper Beige paint
Dark brown vinyl top - excellent shape
Air conditioning - needs recharge
Remote mirror
HD suspension
Map light
Speed alert
Trip odometer
Trunk light
Courtesy light
Electric clock
AM sonomatic radio (does not work)
History on the car:
Sold in New Hampshire to the CEO of a large? company in Maine. Gentleman died in 2001 and it was sold at auction to the last owner in Quincy, Massachusetts. He drove it 200 miles in 4 years. Wife needed garage space, so the Buick left.
I'm the proud new owner of this car!! It's finally here... (I think I said that last time with the convertible
)If I elect to bring this to Rochester, then I have a LOT of work ahead of me.
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I have all 3 of the calendars Berta is talking about - they're top notch!!
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What is the context of the message? Is it in the December issue? If so, I don't have that one yet.
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Pete, thanks for the clarification!
Brian, I knew you would enjoy seeing these
I about fell over when I saw the fender of the 63 behind my Aunt in that picture. It ws then, that I started digging through the old pictures and found all these! I asked my Dad whose cars they were, and he said "Dad drove Buicks his whole life!"
The passenger side windshield fogged up when I fired it up this morning, but it quit after a minute or two. I pulled off the cover under the dash, and saw where coolant was coming out. It was at the heater control valve. I watched it to see if it would continue to leak, and I saw nothing. I ran the car a few more times after that and looked every time, and didn't see any more seepage. Maybe it sealed itself back up? I would really hate to have to pull that whole mess out again. Talk about a pain in the butt!!
1960 Electra 225 Convertible R&R
in Me and My Buick
Posted
Thanks guys!
I will take a look at the stop leak deal. I never thought about it.