Thriller

Whimper...we don't always get what we want....

Nice car. Welcome to the BCA and welcome to the forums. First of all, there were 1589 Model 58 built according to The Standard Catalog of Buick. So, it was a pretty rare car then. There are 4 listed in the most recent BCA roster. Some folks have a rule of thumb for estimating survival rates, but I haven't got them figured out yet. Also the scrap drives for WWII had an impact on survival rates, but I think that would more likely affect models that are a bit older...just a thought - I don't know for sure. Is anyone out there using the Brad Penn oils - Penn Grade 1 High Performance Oil? I just bought three cases as it seems like a good answer to me with respect to some of the additives for our older cars. That being said, I have heard locally of a couple of failures in high performance engines - some automatically blame the oil, but there was also some questions about some of the locally sourced parts. Good luck with the car. The national meet is in Ames, IA next year, so it isn't all that far away for you. It would be nice to see your car there.

Paul, Hopefully someone will be able to answer you, but if not, I should be able to put a battery in my Invicta and try it out.

Paul...did you get yourself a girlfriend or something? Haven't seen much of you around here recently.

Don't worry about it Bill...with the heat and midnight hours and The Boss making you go to movies and meetings and such, it is an understandable error. There is only one hard and fast rule with Ventiports - Specials always have 3 and Roadmasters always have 4. Beyond that, there is variation.

evkh - Try insuring 5 old cars, a truck, and 3 trailers with MPI...it isn't pretty. Actually, the biggest problem isn't insuring the cars...it's trying to agree if a claim is made. If you do move here, let me know - I'm looking at putting together a BCA chapter. If you are just hanging out, let me know...I could show you some of the collection. Last name is Thille and I'm in the phone book in Winnipeg.

In '55-'57, the Special was the only model with 3 Ventiports. In '52-'54, only the Roadmaster had 4. So, a '55 Estate Wagon with 4 Ventiports would have to be a Century as there was no Estate Wagon in the large series cars.

Some years ago, the list price on a replacement windshield for my '61 Invicta convertible was over $1900...sigh.

According to The Standard Catalog of Buick, only automatics were available in series 4800. That isn't to say they couldn't be special ordered.

'81 or '82 (that memorable) Mercury Zephyr with an inline 6. It was a neat 2 door with decent fuel economy...it was written off in 1988 when a little old lady driving a big old 4 door HT decided to turn left in front of me...instead of running straight into her passengers, I tried to avoid and caught the right corner of her bumper with the entire left side of the car. That's an experience I will never forget...I would certainly have handled it a lot differently than I would now...I wouldn't be so nice.

It would probably be easy enough to compile rarest by model built...even though there are errors / omissions, the Standard Catalog of Buick lists production numbers. However, they don't always have sub-production numbers such as special packages. If you start getting into options / colours, that gets nearly impossible. I know it has been researched for some years / models, but can anyone tell me how many 1941 Specials were built with paint code 551 (1940 code for silver over Monterey blue - BCA judging manual has this incorrect compared to the Ditzler chart at autocolorlibrary.com - Color Chip Selection ) I seem to have stumbled onto some relatively (but not extremely) rare cars myself: 1976 Buick Century Indy Pace Car replica - 1290 (I think some sources say 1263) 1961 Invicta convertible - 3953 1954 Century Estate Wagon - 1563 1929 McLaughlin-Buick Model 51 - 7014 listed for production for Buick...I'm guessing McLaughlin-Buick perhaps 10% of that...Dave Corbin has total numbers, but I don't think they are broken down by model. 1966 Wildcat Custom Coupe - over 10000 built, but again a Canadian car

Mitch, I think you will get folks here with Dynaflows responding that it is an excellent idea. I'm no businessman, but here are a few thoughts I would consider: is this a sideline, just trying to do a bit better than breaking even? If so, you are in better shape than trying to be a fully equipped tranny shop and this is your life. shipping would be a possible issue. Since much of your potential market exists at considerable distance, I'm sure shipping costs have the possibility of limiting your market. there was something else in my head, but it's gone now.... There is a local transmission shop that advertises with the local antique car club. I took my '66 Wildcat to them a number of years ago after it had dumped its tranny fluid. The transmission was in good working order once they replaced the seals, so they did no more than check it over. When I picked it up, I chatted with the owner...one thing I remember him saying is that, while he learned on Dynaflows and similar era transmissions, the '66 was just about as old as he wanted to deal with now. So, if local shops are getting out of it, it may be a good opportunity. That being said, I honestly would likely not ship out a transmission for service, especially crossing the border and that distance, unless I couldn't find anyone locally to work on it. Good luck.

Bob, Since you have a garage for the car, so it won't be rained / snowed upon, and respect the car, assuming there isn't rust that will cause the ON safety inspection to fail (MB includes body integrity, so rust through will cause it to fail), I would drive it as is. You won't embarrass yourself by driving a car that will be restored. The restoration projects that never get finished seem to be the ones that sit for years, possibly uncovered, definitely neglected. For me, I prefer the look of surface rust on original paint to a car that is multiple colours due to primer in some spots. Besides, once you start puttering with it, you won't want to stop, then you kick yourself because you miss a show or something like that. For those getting finicky about definition, why don't we consult Merriam Webster online - patina - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary - I think 1b applies here - a surface appearance of something grown beautiful especially with age or use. The problem with that definition is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yes, some will look down their noses at you for driving or showing up with a car with paint that is imperfect...don't let them get to you...you have a nicer, rarer car than many of those. Good luck with the decision.

It would look good on the "Buick Wall", but I'm not quite that much into automobilia...I like the sales literature, but beyond that find I could easily spend a lot of money that would do better to go into the cars or other endeavours. So...to me...nice to have, but not willing to spend a bunch of money on it, especially considering it is large and plastic and would need to be shipped by someone like UPS (pronounced OOPS).

I'm interested to know as well. Is it something they mix, or does it come from another source? POR-15 engine enamel may be easier for me to get...I was wondering if anyone could comment to its shade compared to what it is intended to be. I'm not trying to steal your thread John...I have trouble getting engine paint north of the border from some of the usual suspects, so it would be good to know which manufacturers / sources have the "correct" colour.

Congrats. It always feels good to get a car out to its first show.

Have patience - Dave Corbin has manufacture date estimates and much decoding information. He is a regular here, but is not here daily. To give you the best information, he will want the VIN and engine number. There are other 1942 owners that may be able to help out - I know one of them is traveling right now and may not be able to assist for a few days. It would also be useful to lay out the body plate information as it appears, or else post a photo. The only thing I could decode for you would be paint, but it doesn't appear obvious from the way you have outlined it. If it is the 21 as listed for the accessory codes, that would be Pearl Gray over Carlsbad Black.

Congrats!

Yes, the air cleaner would be black with a sticker logo on the lid. While they are thinner than the original paper decals, there are reproduction stickers available. I put one on my '66 Wildcat. Original: Replacement:

See this ad - Rare 1959 Buick Sedan - Thunder Bay Collector Cars For Sale - Kijiji Thunder Bay It is a '59 LeSabre near Thunder Bay, Ontario. I did exchange some e-mails with the seller. It is a nice car and I was tempted, but I really don't have the space at the moment.

Here's a couple photos of Paul's puller...he e-mailed them to me and asked me to put them up.

Nice. I'm sure buying that would be less expensive than restoring mine. Good luck with it.

Cool. Congrats to Tom. Good job Greg on assembling the class.

There are photos if you follow the link provided. I'm glad this car is so far away...otherwise I'd be tempted and would have to discuss with the Minister of Finance.

Good idea Barney...now you just need to go to the 7-11 before changing the oil and get a Super Big Gulp...after drinking you are set to go