Brad Conley

The real attraction at Hemi Hideout is the classic neon. I'd pay to see that, not so much the mopars...

Ain't nobody happy unless mama is happy.

Interesting that the modifier of the body put all the passenger doors on the curb side of the vehicle, which makes sense if you think about it.

I stand corrected.

I dunno...ask Sid on his feelings....

Exactly correct Willis. I ran E-Code Cibie's in everything I ever owned that would permit such. I owned a 2010 Subaru Outback for a while and while I couldn't install my Cibie's, I did upgrade the bulbs and installed a pair of driving lights (Cibie' Oscar+ clear driving) and also a set of Cibie' Super Oscar's. All were upgraded to 100 watt lamps, Don't ever leave your high beams on when I'm coming at you....

bass-akwards. Darn auto-correct!

Close Ed...Force through the EXHAUST valves, exhaust through the INTAKE valves. We knew what you meant... :-)

Therein lies the problem. Usually they don't but there was one that did. Our local BMV registrar DID go out of business after numerous complaints about the lack of friendliness exhibited by the employees. In Ohio, the BMV (the one's that issue license plates and such) are politically appointed positions. While I generally don't care for political appointments, in this one case it worked out in the favor of the constituents. There were enough complaints that the "new Governor" gave the position to a different person and removed the previous person that was appointed by a previous administration. This isn't usually done, but I guess there was on exception in this one case :-). New registrar is doing a bang up business since now word has gotten out that they are new and they are nice. Folks use to go to another county to do their business with a different registrar, but now stay local. Sometimes, just sometimes, it does work out...

'Berta loves them just because they are headquartered in Michigan, right Roberta?!

Probably so, Bernie. I've had to deal with his type for over 36 years. It does make you shake your head sometimes, doesn't it?

Probably not best on this board...PM forthcoming.

Guys, I have been an Insurance Agent owning my own agency for over 36 years. I will say that it is not best to go with a very large, national company, any of them, for your Antique & Classic (A&C) auto insurance, the one that also writes Kia's on a daily basis and tries to convince you they know the A&C market too. They, guaranteed, do NOT have the proper contract to properly protect you A&C auto. While their agent may say they do, you will never know until you have a claim and the adjuster starts talking of depreciation and actual cash values (ACV). My agency is in the top 10 nationally of a very large A&C carrier. We also represent other carriers in the A&C business but the big one, the one you think of most often, the one that has their own valuation tools online, is absolutely the very best in this coverage arena. They really are that good. And, while not the least expensive, they do have the absolute best coverage available anywhere and do know their market to the extreme. They also reinvest into the hobby which is important in my view. To put it another way, it's who I have my own personal A&C policy with and I can choose ANY company for such. That is the "insiders" look into A&C insurance carriers. Dan, I have no doubts of your story. Some people tend to "exaggerate" their problems and that was what I was alluding to, not your reporting of what the gentleman had to say. You are correct, everyone really needs to review their coverages with their agent. Doing so AFTER a claim is not the time to review your coverages. Ben, I urge you to seek out proper A&C coverage rather than your current coverage. I have read that companies policies. You need to contact one of the specialty carriers promptly. I am more than glad to answer questions on this subject and I am not soliciting to write anyone's A&C coverages. In fact, I probably couldn't as I am only licensed in the State of Ohio.

Couple of points. Uninsured/Underinsured coverage does NOT (at least in Ohio) cover damage to your auto. It covers your injuries as if the Un/Underinsured motorists has Bodily Injury Liability for injuries to you and/or your passengers. Physical Damage (Comprehensive or Collision) is the coverage that will repair your auto. There is a coverage called Uninsured Motorists Property Damage but it is only available if you do not carry Physical Damage on your auto. A classic car owner would be wise to contact a specialty insurance company that will have the Physical Damage coverage written on a guaranteed or agreed value basis. Never have a stated value policy. A stated value policy only says the value of the auto is UP TO $XXX, not that your insurance will PAY $XXX. The policies written on stated value also allows the insurance company to depreciate your car or its damaged parts, only paying Actual Cash Value (defined as Replacement Cost minus Depreciation). Most, if not all of your "normal" insurance companies will write your specialty auto insurance and, while this seems like a nice convenience, it is NOT where you should insure your specialty auto. Typically your "normal" insurance company will only have an agreed value loss settlement provision. This is NOT what you want! Pick a company that specializes in Antique and Classic Auto insurance. There are many to choose from. The good ones will be in contact with you on at least an every other year basis to update your coverages. Mine does. I also find it difficult to believe the settlement offered was only $150. The minimum Property Damage coverage in Ohio is $25,000. Unless there were extenuating circumstances, this is the minimum the red light runner would have coverage wise. I can think of circumstances where that $25,000 of coverage would be too little, but not in the case the gentleman was describing. If his agent (you DO have an agent, right? Not just an 800 number to call, right?) was doing his/her job and the circumstances were as described, there could be an Error or Omission claim against that agent. I personally would not want to be in that agent's shoes.

Maximum $500 parts car, including the engines/transmissions. Nothing more than that. Personal note...that's creepy. Just say'n.

Rust is the biggest issue, as typical of '70's GM products. Look for it at leading edge of hood (I think I can see some there in photo), bottoms of front fenders, rear window corners and trunk floor. If it's been outside at all, all those areas will be toast and it's really a car to just part out. I had one I parted almost exactly like it (color and all) except in the 4 door version. Parted and the carcass sold to to a derby guy. Typical Ohio car...all rusted out.

Never did understand the allure of installing a chevy in anything but a chevy. They were cheap motors for a reason. And a 1977 "Corvette 350" does not exactly excite me in the least. If anything, a detriment.

...you are now entering The Twilight Zone.....

No, they will not. There are different nose pieces, headlight doors, etc. See the responses on v8buick.com.

Like posted...not mine although I do know of the car. They are asking $10,500 and it is currently in Destin, FL. CONTACT OWNER AT: muffinbutter AT mac DOT com What the owner shared with me: Here is my 1966 Buick LeSabre Custom convertible. This was built in Delaware (US), but sold as a Canadian car - which is where I purchased it. This car is now in Florida (although the registration is still Ohio - I did not renew since I knew I was going to sell her). The odometer reads 09,214.0, so it might be 109,214.0, but I don’t really know how accurate it is.. I believe there has been one repaint of the original color with the same color. The top has been recently redone with a glass rear window and functions well. I just rebuilt the carburetor. New A Pillar seals have been installed. There are a lot of extra parts (the boxes in the trunk): Replacement door glass for both doors Replacement heater control unit (the one that goes in the dash Ball joints Inner tie rod Outer tie rod ends New Turn Signal lever New brake shoes Stabilizer bar Extra tire (in addition to the spare) Car cover The dash has a couple of age cracks. The steering wheel has age cracks. The seats have tears and seams starting to come loose The upper bushings in front need replaced. Basically a “survivor” car that has been molested somewhat in order to keep her running. I was told that the transmission is from an earlier car without backing lights, so there was no place to hook up the backing lights and a toggle switch was added below the dash on the left hand side to manually turn on and off the backing lights. The wiring has been cobbled together over the years, but all electrics work fine. Overall, the car runs good (after warm up), rides well and the body is in great condition for its age. It has made 2 long distance trips with no mechanical problems - 492 miles from Canada to Ohio and 850 miles from Ohio to Florida. It's a great car that gets a lot of looks and thumbs up. I just don't have room for it. I believe it to be in Good condition from a ratings standpoint. Message for more information or more photos: muffinbutter AT mac DOT com

I quit counting at 200.... . Yes, it's a disease.

You are exactly correct, Roy. NOBODY wants these excellent values in automobiles. My 89 year old aunt moved last March from Ashland, KY to here with me and is now in assisted living locally. She owns a 2000 LeSabre Custom and, when we drove it up last March, had just over 24,000 miles. Still had the factory delivered tires mounted (which I promptly changed). It's only issue was that it sat out all these years and had some minor issues with the headlights being cloudy and the typical GM headliner drooping. I used one of those kits you find at the auto stores and polished the headlights out...don't look too bad if I do say so. Headliner is next. Gave it a quick detail with some much needed wax and the old girl cleaned up pretty well (the car, not Aunt Polly ). It's your typical "Grandma Gold", or as Alan Oldfield calls those colors, "Preservation Gold". Talk about unloved.... So I tried to sell the car as Aunt Polly will be needing funds for the extended care facility. I couldn't give it away at $2000, so....I kept it (I need another car like I need another hole in my head). My daughter lives in Springfield, IL and it's a little over 6 hours from door to door. I'm using the LeSabre to make the trips. 32 mpg, cruises at 80 mph without effort, cops pay ZERO attention to it, comfortable as all get out, plenty of room to even take the fur babies with us (two shelties) and it keeps the miles off my daily drivers. Now THATS value! How come no one else see's this? Are we just that smart, or are we the dumb ones?

To get back (somewhat) on topic, one other consideration is the fact that these cars are VERY inexpensive to insure, even with full coverage. I am an insurance agent with over 36 years of experience and one thing I tell my clients when they are looking at a first car (or even second, third, etc) for their child is to get something the child's grandmother would enjoy driving. A LeSabre, Century, Park Avenue or even a Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis or Town Car make excellent, inexpensive choices for young drivers. They can be obtained cheaply and as such, some just put liability coverage on them as replacing the car with one of like kind is so inexpensive and it keeps the costs down for the customer. My own son purchased a 1999 Town Car with 46,000 miles on it about 4 years ago. The total cost was UNDER $5000 and he now has about 110,000 miles and "Beulah's" old Town Car (literally, previous owner's first name was Beulah, I kid you not) is going strong. These types of cars do not have the "flash" of a Mustang or Camaro or Honda (one of the MOST expensive brands to insure out there, believe it or not) but will give YEARS of trouble free service and you know that the previous owner did service and maintain them as they were typically owned by older folks, one's that have the economic means to maintain the vehicle. They make excellent value's in todays economic times. The cost of ownership is unbelievably low of these autos. Much more so than any "flashy" car out there, I guarantee.

Yes, a very nice engine. They used it mainly in the larger series Buick's as it developed more torque. From Wikipedia: LC4[edit] In response to rising gas prices, a larger 252 cu in (4.1 L) version of the 3.8 L LD5 V6 was produced from 1980 through 1984 and marketed as an alternative to a V8. The bore was enlarged to 3.965 in (100.71 mm), yielding an output of 125 horsepower (93 kW) and 205 lb·ft (278 N·m). This engine was used in many large rear-wheel drive Buicks, and in some models from each of GM's other divisions, including Cadillac which offered the "big" Buick V6 in several models from 1980 to 1982 as a credit option to the troublesome V8-6-4 engine used in 1981 and early versions of the aluminum-block Cadillac HT-4100 V8 introduced in 1982. It was also the standard powerplant in the front-drive Riviera and Olds Toronado from 1981 to 1984. Additionally, the 4.1 block was used unsuccessfully at Indianapolis for racing. Its only weakness was the intake valve seals. This was the first naturally aspirated GM V-6 to feature a 4-barrel carburetor. Year Horsepower Torque Fuel System Compression Ratio VIN Code 1980–1984 125 hp (93 kW) at 4,000 rpm 205 lb·ft (278 N·m) at 2,000 rpm 4-BBL 8.0:1 4 Applications 1980–84 Buick Electra, 1980–84 Buick LeSabre, 1982–84 Buick Regal, 1981–84 Buick Riviera, 1980–82 Cadillac DeVille, 1981–82 Cadillac Eldorado, 1980–82 Cadillac Fleetwood, 1981–82 Cadillac Seville, 1981–83 Oldsmobile 98, 1981–84 Oldsmobile Toronado, 1982 Pontiac Grand Prix, 1982 Pontiac Bonneville

You are thinking of the 4.1...forgot about that one when I first posted. The 4.3 was a chevy engine with zero in common with the Buick V6 family.