Pete Phillips

I'd say somewhere between $5000 and $7500. Given the current state of the economy, nothing in the old car market is bringing what it is worth, or was worth a few years ago. A lot depends on how quickly you want to sell it. If you hold out for top dollar, it could take quite a while. They say free advice is worth what it costs, so I don't mind if other folks disagree. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 Leonard, TX. 1925 model 28 (disassembled) 1949 model 59 1950 model 76-R 1959 Electra 2-dr. ht. 1962 Electra 225 4-dr. ht. 1963 Wildcat conv.

Thanks to all who provided information and advice. Pete Phillips

Keiser31, yes that's what I was contemplating; bringing the cars to the U.S.A where they could be sold without having the buyer discounting their price greatly, due to the unknown problems of importing them. I know I would only offer a fraction of what they are worth, if I had to take on the problem of importing them to this country. It is a collection of Ford Mustangs--seriously collectible ones such as Boss 302, Mach One, a 429-powered one, early convertibles and fastbacks, etc. I have absolutely no interest in buying them myself--not my kind of car, but have been asked to help the family sell them.

Has anyone here ever bought and transported a car from Mexico into to the U.S.? I need some advice/tips/names of car transporters to get several antique cars from Puebla, Mexico into Texas, where I can sell them for the estate of the owner. I have sold cars to buyers in other countries, but have never been on the receiving end of cars coming into this country. Can anyone offer some advice? I'm really not sure where to begin. Pete Phillips Leonard, Texas 1949 Buick model 59 1950 Buick model 76-R 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk 1958 Rambler Ambassador Cross Country wagon 1959 Buick Electra 2-dr. ht. 1962 Buick Electra 225 1963 Chrysler New Yorker 1963 Buick Wildcat conv. 1964 Rambler American conv.

Attendance depends on when it is scheduled, publicizing it well in advance, and what the other activities are in that same time slot. There was good attendance at the technical sessions at the 2003 meet in Flint, but that's probably because there were 3 or 4 times as many people and cars than we normally have at a national meet. At some of the national meets in the 1980s these technical sessions were tried, but the attendance was usually disappointing, which is probably why they stopped. I think it's worth a try if you can get folks to volunteer. It can be a bit intimidating, though, because many times the people in the audience know as much (or think they do!) as the person doing the presenting, which can be a little deflating for the presenter. I can't do it because I'm too tied up with the judging and the Bugle coverage of the meet, otherwise I would be willing to help in some way on this idea. I would like to see a session on "detailing your Buick engine". I have some photos that could be used with this. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Ben is correct. The two-toned Buicks in 1952, 1953, and 1954 had the color split at the roofline, not at the sweep spear. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 1949 Super model 59 1950 Roadmaster model 76R 1959 Electra 2-dr. ht. 1962 Electra 225 4-dr. ht. 1963 Wildcat conv.

I could be wrong, but I think the 263 is a little bit longer than a 248, in which case you will have clearance problems with firewall and radiator. Another problem is that you will have to totally rework the engine mounts in the '40. The 263 has two "feet" that stick out of each side of the engine, about midway down the length of the block, and that's where it mounts in the car. The '40 engines have the motor mount on the front, just behind the crankshaft pulley. So unless you are a good fabricator, you are going to have problems. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 Leonard, TX 1949 Super Estate Wagon 1950 Roadmaster 2-dr. ht. 1959 Electra 2-dr. ht. 1962 Electra 225 4-dr. ht. 1963 Wildcat conv.

I need a small 1964 Rambler convertible parts car hauled from northeast of Dallas, Texas to West Haven, Connecticut. Contact Pete Phillips at pphillips922@gmail.com or Charlie Clark at brclarkct@yahoo.com Time is flexible, but would like to get this done before the end of Dec. 2010. I can meet you with the car in North Texas area. Willing to pay a reasonable fee.

Good observation, Mike! I was about to reply with a list of the '70 Electra parts that I have...you saved me the trouble. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 Leonard, TX.

Have decided to part this car out. Contact me for parts. Pete Phillips pphillips922@earthlink.net

There is a checklist; it's called the Judging Form, and a copy of it is in the BCA Judging Manual. It's not specifically for a 1957 Buick, though; it is designed to accommodate all rear-wheel drive Buicks. There is also the judging worksheet which has check lists of what you look for. If you read through the judging manual and all of its charts, you will pick up a lot of information that is specific to '57 Buicks, such as tire size, engine color, paint color, etc. If we were to try to design a judging manual for each and every model and year of Buick, the work would take years. If anyone wants to start, I'm sure Chief Judge Alan Oldfield would be happy to incorporate year-specific data into the judging manual the next time it is published, but that is not the way it is set up now. One of the things I try to do when I do an issue of the Bugle on a specific year, is to point out what is correct and what isn't and what the common pitfalls are when judging or restoring one, but I can't be comprehensive and cover every single item or the Bugle would grow to be 200 pages per issue. We did do an issue on the '57 Buicks some years ago, and with your relatively high BCA #, I wonder if you were a member then and got it? The Pittsburgh Portholes Chapter sells back issues of the magazine. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Sport coupe has a back seat; business coupe does not. Must be a business coupe since you said no back seat. Selling price depends on how much he took apart. If he took out the wiring, then the headliner is probably gone or ruined, the dashboard is probably out, engine is not going to run any time soon. I think my biggest gripe with these so-called hot-rodders is so many of them tear a car apart, ruin it for everybody else, then quit in the middle of the project and expect someone to bail them out. Sorry, but I have seen this sort of thing so many times to a nice original car, that I have absolutely no sympathy for the people who get it done halfway and then quit. I wouldn't offer the guy a dime over $900, and I think he will be lucky to get that, because you can't drive the car, you can't hear it run, you have no idea whether the clutch or transmission are any good, and as someone said above, you are going to take at least a $1500 hit right away just to get a new wiring harness. Sorry, but I'm still in a bad mood because I drove 250 miles with tools and cash on Saturday to a salvage yard that has a couple of hundred 1940s and 1950s cars, only to be told when I got there that they are all sold and no one can buy anything. They are all going to be crushed. At some point, there just aren't going to be any more of these unmolested old cars left. The hot-rodders and the crushers are going to get them all. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Well, I was stupid enough to take the bait from this thread. Loaded up the car with a trunk full of tools and a wallet full of cash to buy parts and parts cars. Drove nearly three hours to get there this morning, only to be told at the gate that all of the old cars are off-limits, spoken for, sold, don't know to whom, no one I can talk to about it, no parts will be sold, no individual cars will be sold, I can't even get in to take photos, thank you very much. Wasted most of a perfectly good day and $30 of gas for absolutely nothing. My guess is that they have all been sold for scrap metal--very sad indeed. Pete Phillips Sherman, Texas

I asked a BCA friend in St. Paul to try to look at this car for me. They have placed phone calls, left messages, emailed, and nothing gets a response. Either the car is gone or ...?? Far too nice of a car to crush, assuming it is complete with engine. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Location???? 248 or 320 engine?

My experience with Wal-Mart batteries has been the complete opposite of Keith's. I have never, repeat, never had a Wal-Mart battery last until the end of its advertised service life. They are sorry batteries, in my experience, and I will never buy another one unless that is the only alternative--like if I'm stranded in a small town and they are the only place open on Sunday! Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Look closely at the position of the accelerator pedal in the photo. Look at the front fenders in relation to the top of the front wheel. I'm thinking this car may not have an engine in it. Am I nuts? The seller says the engine cranks over, though. Pete Phillips

I've never known any G.M. vehicles to be positive grounded; Chrysler products and Fords before 1956, yes, but not G.M. to my knowledge. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 1925 Buick model 28 1949 Buick model 59 1950 Buick model 76-R 1954 Buick model 48 1959 Buick Electra 2-dr. 1962 Buick Electra 225 1963 Buick Wildcat conv.

A few photos of the cars, because if you've read through all of this fog, you are to be congratulated for hanging on this long!!?? The last photo is of "Mr. Earl's" new ride--notice how nice the body of this unrestored '54 is. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 Sherman, TX

Hey Joel, You need to pick up your car's award from Rod Seastream--congratulations--I told you that was a NICE Electra! Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Looks like everything is in wonderful cosmetic condition. I don't even see any grease on the engine. It even has the air horn for the carburetor, which is usually missing. Fan blades should be black, not olive green, in case you are striving for authenticity. Nice, nice automobile! Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Looks like everything is in wonderful cosmetic condition. I don't even see any grease on the engine. It even has the air horn for the carburetor, which is usually missing. Fan blades should be black, not olive green, in case you are striving for authenticity. Nice, nice automobile! Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

The 1941 Special takes a 248 cubic inch engine. If you don't want the two carburetor version, which was optional on the Specials in 1941 and 1942, then you can use any 248 engine (Specials and Supers) from 1947, back to 1936. There is a difference in the location of the starter switch on the 1936 and 1937 engines (and maybe '38, I"m not sure about them). From 1939 on up, the starter switch is in the carburetor, so your accelerator linkage is probably set up for a carburetor starter switch. You cannot use a 1948 or newer engine, unless you do some major relocating of engine mounts, which were moved to the sides of the engine in 1948 and newer Buicks. Join the BCA and get the magazine, and watch the ads in the back of the magazine. These engines come up for sale several times each year. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

The scenery and fall colors look like northern New York, Ontario, or northern Maine. I could not read the name or state on the tow truck, but what a nice find! Pete Phillips

I did see that '85 low mileage Regal. Too new to interest me, but compared to prices of other cars that were for sale, it was quite reasonable. The unrestored 1938 Special 4-dr. sedan with 33,000 miles for $12,000 or best offer was also a reasonably priced car. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338