Thriller

Speaking of Buickoholic... Hi, I'm Derek and I'm a Buick Nut...I know logically I can't save them all, but unfortunately, it seems I keep trying...the new building under construction will reduce / eliminate my space constraint and that scares me a bit.

Don't worry about reading the entire judging manual. The key is that it is a 400 point system. 355-369 gets you a bronze, 370-384 a silver, and 385-400 is gold. It gets a bit more complicated than that, but ultimately the cars are being judged against end of the assembly line condition, not against each other. Now, if you have a car that is at least 25 years old, the options open up for archival class or driven class, if you don't want the heavier judging, and assuming you / your car meet the qualifications. Good luck. I'm still trying to figure out if I can make it work and, if so, in what fashion (i.e. drive or fly, and if driving, what, and for how long). I'd like to drive my '41, but that could be a long stressful drive in that car.

Way nicer than mine...and less expensive by the time mine is done too I'm sure. Good luck on the sale. I just sent the link to a BCA member who has hounded me once or twice for my project Invicta.

But Lamar, did you ask her to dye her hair red before getting in the Rivi? That barn is bigger than a dog house, so you ought to be comfy....

Yeah, it is safer for me not to go. I'd have trouble resisting the '63 Baby Buick convertible for that price. Of course, that is based on a quick look at a photo, but still....

1953 Specials still had the straight 8 and, I believe, remained at 6 Volt. All other models received the new V8 with 12 V electricals.

According to an option price list I have from GM of Canada, 7.60x15 4 ply was standard on the Century. No other size was available, but options were black / white wall combined with 6 ply tires. Everyone else has effectively covered the interchange side of things with P-metric sizes.

To add to Joe's questions, one consideration is that, if membership is around 8500, then less than 10% of the membership attends the National meet. Similarly, the number of BCA members debating here on the forum is smaller yet, I would venture. So, if we want to assess the feelings of the membership, some sort of survey would probably be best. This would be best not to be a voluntary thing that is a few questions listed in the Bugle as this would likely just elicit response from those passionate enough about the club or topic. That has its place. Perhaps something a bit more in depth could be sent out with renewals. It would then of necessity be a longer term project, but perhaps would yield a better gauge of where the membership is and what the membership would like to see the club going. The down side to that is that well-designed surveys have to be carefully crafted and results well-assessed. Just a couple more points to ponder. I'm sure everyone has their own idea of what the club should be, but I'm not convinced we have a definitive grasp of what the majority want in addition to being inclusive to sub-groups within the collective (e.g. the modified group or those with newer Buicks, etc.).

Whenever I think something is big, I line it up with the '52 Roadmaster Riviera sedan. A close second place is the '75 Electra, but it is lower.

Whimper.

I had pecan pie last night at a fall supper.... Harvested pumpkins on Friday...they're green yet, but they'll ripen and than means pumpkin pie. I'd like to hope that Paul and Kris remember Saskatoon berry pie...that may simply be the best pie imaginable. I find that trying to track expenses for a National meet can be almost depressing. We are down to one who will regularly order from the children's menu, so meals get more expensive. Ames was relatively close, so less in fuel, but because it was close, we brought a second car. Between gas at around 15 mpg and diesel at 12 or so, even the relatively short trip (something like 1300 miles round trip) along with hotels and meals definitely made the meet registration a small portion of the cost. Actually, we spent more at the tie dye guy than we did with the meet registration.

Lamar, if you head north on I-29 with that '84 Riv hardtop and keep going about an hour north of where they don't call it I-29 any more, then let's talk. Of course, you and Rita would be welcome to stay a while and play with my toys. Mind you, at your mileage rates, the price of the car would probably double. Bob's response is pretty good....

If you know which wheels they fit, that may be more of a selling point. If you don't know, measuring the diameter would help. There were different styles of wheels used by Buick, but generally there is an "early" and "late" style wheel. The late wheels were used from 71-76 if I remember correctly. The hole size in the wheels for the center caps is slightly different and it is the difference between the caps fitting properly and falling off.

It's near the bottom of the page at MotoeXotica.com Classic Car Sales - there's also a '30 Marquette.

Considering one of them is trying to sell me a Riviera, I may catch up sooner than one would expect. That said, Suzanne has a good head on her shoulders and is able to talk me down at times. Another factor is at the 2008 McLaughlin-Buick Homecoming in Oshawa, pretty much every year through the 30s was represented and Suzanne decided she prefers the '33, so it looks like that is what I'll pursue next. There's one for sale in this part of the world (and a Canadian car to boot), but there is too much money involved. Anyway Sid, I sympathize. I know where you are coming from. This weekend I had planned to look at an '85 Riv, but cooler logic prevailed.

I have yet to attend a regional meet that wasn't rolled into a national meet, so take my thoughts for what they are. I just don't understand the above statement. Why does it matter whether or not there is 400 point judging at a meet to decide whether or not to attend? You can attend the meet and participate without participating in judging. I understand that some folks don't like judging, or don't want to participate in judging, or feel they have enough trophies, so have been there, done that. I have no trouble with that...I regularly struggle with participating in judging. I just don't understand why that would be a determining factor for participating in a National meet. There are 3 or 4 or more days of swap, tours, and Buick friends...judging is half a day, and most of the awards banquet is taken up with judging awards. Skip the judging, skip the banquet (or attend and skip out on the awards after), and do what you want. Again, I'm thinking I'm thick and just not getting something....

Congrats Bob. That is a great colour on that car.

I'm sorry, I must be thick or something. Are you proposing National MAL dues of $20 with no Bugle and no BCA judging so that you can get a chapter member for an additional $15 for a total of $35? My thinking is that you are trying to grow your local chapter at the expense of the BCA. If I get it right, you are suggesting creation of a MAL just so they can "belong" to the BCA which enables them to join the chapter. Am I understanding that right, or completely misreading this? As I've never been behind the scenes of a National, I may be wrong, but isn't the fee charged to have a car judged intended to cover the costs associated with the judged portion of the meet? In other words, the judges breakfast and awards? If the judging is more or less self-sufficient, why would this matter at all toward a reduced MAL membership. National and Regional meets include judging, but judging does not define these meets. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, the National meets in Flint have shown that judging does not define the meet, but at other meets, it is a component thereof. The tours, cars, people, swap meet, and such are all a part of the meets. Everyone has a right to be heard, but if you are a voice in the wilderness, please understand that you may not get your way. I would expect that the popularity of the tour to Jewell this year will have organizers of future National meets thinking about coordinating inexpensive driven tours. Everyone gets different things out of this club. For some the Bugle is a lifeline, for others, it is lining for the outhouse, and for others something in between. There are probably just as many for whom the Bugle is the primary association with the BCA (i.e. located too far from chapter events to be able to attend very many) as there are those who want to take advantage of a reduced rate without the Bugle. Without a reasonable magazine, the club would stand to lose many international members as well as those who are located some distance from a chapter. That begs a question that I am hopeful the National office may be able to answer, but may not...how many, or what proportion, of BCA members claim a chapter affiliation? I don't recall if we offer that information at renewal time, but comparing chapter membership numbers and BCA membership would give an idea (not entirely accurate since numerous members are members of more than one chapter). We put chapter affiliation as part of the National meet registration - perhaps Rick / Bill / Roy would be able to provide that as a sample. Digging deeper, perhaps this comes to a question of what truly defines the BCA. Is it the chapters? Is it the Bugle? Is it the meets, National or Regional? Is it something completely different? One thing to keep in mind is that the club, as well as society, has evolved since 1966. What was true over 40 years ago may no longer be true today. With the advent of the Internet, eBay, and Craigslist, things like the classified ads in the Bugle probably don't have the same value that they did 20+ years ago. Personally I am located roughly 450 miles from the nearest chapter. There are no less than 5 BCA members paying the Canadian rates in our area. I try to attend a chapter event in MN every year or two, but the distance, and associated expense make it somewhat difficult. If you think recruiting is tough, try doing it in a location where you pay higher dues to account for higher mailing costs and the Bugle is the primary benefit of membership provided directly by the club. The friendships develop, but are a result of club membership rather than a direct benefit. As usual, I could go on, but I think I've punished y'all enough....

Sid, I love the '36 Buick styling...a while back I had done the site mash search so had seen this car and was tempted myself. Until the new shop is more than a concrete floor though (and paid for), I've been told I have to stop. Who knows what next spring holds though. Rita hates me? :(:(

Neat car. I'm not sure if it is the lighting, but the paint appears a bit on the dull side - it looks oxidized. A clay bar and / or some paint cleaner followed by polish and wax ought to dress up the car nicely, especially considering it is inexpensive and very rewarding. Good luck with the car.

Nice car. I hope it finds a good home. If my new shop was done and paid for, I may have been able to find it a home. Secretary Kris in the far NW suburbs needs a pre-war Buick. This one would fit the bill nicely.

It's almost a shame that one has the rare dual carb option...I'd rather have one with the standard dual carb - compound carburetion was only optional on Specials that weren't SE for Super Equipment, and many of the Specials were so outfitted...finding a '41 with single carbs is probably a tougher task than finding one with the compound carburetion. Sigh...sorry for the sarcasm.

Jim, who else might have an insurance policy on him? I have a lottery ticket again for Friday night...$15M...of course I won't win, but I'll keep dreaming.

Come on lottery numbers.... From the looks of it, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it bring a lot more than they suggested on the news cast...especially if I win the lottery, I won't really necessarily care how much it costs....

Cool...that sounds familiar from what I'd measured. Something like a 5 or 6" diameter from recollection. If I didn't have to go up on a ladder between the '54 and '41 to take a look, I'd be more likely to check again.