Thriller

I spent a bit more time with the car today, taking some photos and digging around. It is a bit cool yet to wash it outside, but I really think that I can bring out the paint somewhat. The glove box turned out to be a treasure trove, verifying that the car was sold new locally at Great Plains Automotive at 934 Portage Avenue here in Winnipeg. One down side is that the tires, which look decent, appear to be 20 years old. Also disappointing in looking more closely at the car, is that it was repainted in 1982 - there was a sticker in the glove compartment and I'd hoped it was perhaps just the driver door where I'd seen some overspray implying a repair, but I found evidence on the passenger door, hood, and rear of car as well. So, no class U for the Electra. Having confirmed is as a Canadian car though, I can contact the GM of Canada archivist and should be able to verify the options on the car. We'll start with some of what was found in the glove compartment. Happily the hood ornament is there. There is a kind of spring loaded wire that conceivably could be used to hold the hood ornament down. Does that make sense? Or am I going to have to look for an assembly?

Good luck Sid. I hope it is something relatively easy and inexpensive.

This is where child labour comes in handy It was probably earlier in the thread, but is there a means to pop it from inside, or do you need to get there to dismantle? If the former, you may be able to fashion a "tool on a pole" to pop it. The other suggestion I would make would be to get away from WD-40. PB Blaster and other penetrating fluids may do a better job. I would even consider 3-in-1 / sewing machine / tool oil if the lock is believed to be frozen by a bit of corrosion. Of course, if some foreign material got in there, or something broke, it isn't likely to work regardless. Worst case, you should be able to find another lock to replace this one after you bust it open with a screwdriver or similar.

Mine was just fabricated by the body shop...so it is functional, but not original looking...I have covered it with a mat anyway, so it isn't a huge deal to me.

It was a nice day up here...the photo was also taken in the garage after getting her home. Thank you for the use of your driveway...don't you typically get up stupid early that Sunday morning though? Last time I was there, I didn't get to bed very early as I recall. As for docking, it shouldn't be that bad...it really isn't that much bigger than the Wildcat. Mmm...Famous Dave's...I can taste it now. Thanks for the chuckles.

Roy - yes, the thermometer is an accessory and it is a 455. I would need / want a relatively lightweight open trailer to tow another Buick with though...the enclosed hauler is almost 5000 lbs on its own. The driver's seat is pretty comfy, based on the limited amount of time I've spent there so far...6 way power, although moving forward and back seems to need some help. I'll need to spend some time in it to see what is most comfortable. She doesn't have every option, but she is well appointed. Of course, an Electra Limited came standard with a fair amount of stuff. It was set up for this climate, so has a block heater and rear window defogger. A/C, tilt, cruise, trunk release, PW, PL, and...most importantly...AM radio with 8 track. There is more, but I'm still getting to know her and some are not obvious visually. JD - thanks. I enjoyed the drive so far, but only put on a few miles of city driving...we got some snow Wednesday, then it cooled off a bit, so it isn't quite gone yet...in another day or two the roads should pretty much be dry again. Driving and enjoying the car is the primary plan for the moment. I don't have any big plans for her other than tidying things up a bit, giving her a once over, and trying to repair some of the little things and find missing bits like the hood ornament. Even that isn't a high priority...it certainly won't keep her tied up for long.

Rob - it's a '75, not '76...of course I'd believe a typo is possible. Thanks all. I've spent a lot more on cars that weren't as nice. I have some difficulty believing it has 124k miles based on the driver's seat and steering wheel, although the cushioned part of the driver's door panel is shot, not surprisingly. A few of the things that will need attention...proper Buick centers for the wheels - the previous owner said there were a couple on it when he got the car, but they were in tough shape, so put on the Pontiac centers, hood ornament, air cleaner snorkel / tube, and repair driver's door lock. I'm sure there will be more things, but spring is just beginning to spring, so I have some time.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they are silk. I recall someone offering them, but they weren't quite original...it might have been Jenkins or Hampton Coach.

Well, once again, there is a poorly kept secret in these parts that Derek found himself yet another Buick. I picked her up and drove her home today...good thing because we are supposed to get some snow tonight and tomorrow. She's a '75 Electra Limited two door hardtop...the longest 2 door Buick ever made. The previous owner bought the car from his brother-in-law a year or so ago after the owner had stored it for about 15 years and was told to get it out. The brother-in-law had bought the car used, but when it was only about a year or two old. She now has over 124,000 miles on her. I was told it was all original, but today I found some evidence of repaint, so I'll have to look a bit closer. She had a current Manitoba inspection, so all I needed to do was get the paperwork in order, pay the provincial sales tax (sigh), and pay the registration. After work, I walked to where it was located, put the plates on, drove her by a gas station to top up with fresh, non-ethanol gas, and brought her home. I did have to arrange things a bit in the garage...with her and the Wildcat side by side, along with the '29, a 22'x30' garage seems a bit small. The price was very right for a car that we could get in and drive. As an Electra Limited, she is pretty loaded up and quite comfortable. As it turns out, I received paint chips and a '75 brochure in the mail today as well. On seeing her today, I'm seeing more "warts" than I noticed on first inspection about 2 weeks ago. That becomes a bit disappointing, but I'm still quite pleased. Warts allow us to clean her up a bit, then drive her and enjoy her. Of course, it also helps that she didn't cost much either. The down side (if you can call it that) is that it drives me one step closer to putting up another storage building at our country place. Well, that's probably enough blathering...I'm sure I've left stuff out, but you could ask questions. She drove nicely enough, and in spite of her size, she isn't that much longer than the Wildcat, so it didn't feel bad...although the gas station was another experience altogether...why can't people park beside just one pump when they fill?

Congrats Joe. That's quite a car. Good luck with her.

You should know better than to dare Dave to anything...next thing you know, you'll have someone in your swimming pool with a bunch of inner tubes...

364 cid. From the photo of the guy with the door open, it appears to me to be a 2 door HT, but I could be wrong. #2 condition $18k. It's debatable what condition it currently is in though...complete, but how much rust? Interior? Engine free? #5 is $3k, #4 is #5k, #6 is $1k. Numbers rounded off from the Feb. Old Cars Report.

You are a funny man...I'll have trouble remembering posting this in about five minutes :eek: I wouldn't say I have dementia (although The Boss may say differently), but I definitely do not seem to be able to concentrate much. That being said, I don't recall one being available...take that for what it is worth

I'm definitely not going to call you on that one Dave...pretty impressive...I'm not sure I can see that many engines in that photo in the first place :rolleyes: It's always good to hear about this meet...it sounds like it would be a fun one to attend...someday.

My '66 Wildcat has such stickers on it's speedo glass...I wasn't paying attention to those things at the time, so don't know if they may have come from the government or not. Lost a point on the car in judging, but it is a piece of the car's history, since it has always lived in Canada.

Dee looks really happy about modeling for you to splash all over the interweb :D Looks good...I'll have to get She Who Must Be Obeyed in here to take a look so we can figure out what to order.

Warped sense of humour Rick. Are you going to make us all pull out our rosters to find how many, in whatever condition, are there? I'd assume you have already done that....

I would have to go digging as I don't see any photos up on my PhotoBucket page. The '29 Buick looks very similar to the Cadillac folding rack posted. The car came with a plain Potter trunk. I really don't know how it is supposed to attach. There appear to be mounting points for what I would presume would be leather straps to hold it down, although Bill McLaughlin had at one point explained to me that it wouldn't have been...if I recall correctly. There's 31 photos through Bill's 25th Anniversary Buick site - Trunk Rack and Trunks - 29buick's Photos

Mooky - what part of the world are we talking about?

Congrats Bob. My only hope is to some day get your way to see it in person, or to be at an event you bring it to. I'm not quite as jealous as MrEarl, but perhaps I'm just less of a dreamer.

Without knowing what the reserve was I don't know that it was overpriced. Granted, the car needs work, but it is overall pretty decent. I think it was bid to a price that would have been a pretty decent deal for the buyer.

Special is 40 series - every Special is forty-something for a model number. 41 is typically a 4 door sedan, for example A 2 door '51 Special would either be 46S - 2 door sport coupe (2700 produced), 48D is a Special Deluxe 2 door sedan (54311 made), or 45R which is a 2 door Deluxe hardtop coupe (16491 made). 46C would be the convertible, which I presume yours is not. On the firewall data plate, there will be a model / style number, which will translate as follows: 46S - 51-4327 48D - 51-4311D 45R - 51-4337 If your friend got excited about it being rare, I'd suspect it is the 46S. There were lower production cars, but when you factor in the fact that it is almost 60 years old, there really wouldn't be many left. The 8 is a 263.3 cid producing 120 hp. By '51, most of the cars would be equipped with the Dynaflow automatic transmission, which uses fluid coupling, so you don't feel shifts like you do with a "normal" auto transmission. These Buick 8s are very smooth and produce a fair amount of torque. Welcome to the wonderful world of Buick. I'm looking forward to the photos.

Ow...biting my tongue so hard really does hurt....:eek:

Cue the dueling banjos....

That's cool. I have no idea what would be reasonable for them though. I have a similar vintage set of encyclopedias. For a lot of things we were still able to use them when I was in school. With the changes since WWI, it doesn't work well for European geography though....