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I remember exactly when I officially got into the hobby. It was 1967 when my father paid for my membership in the local car club after he bought his 1920 Willys Overland touring. I was 12 then and love that car. See, he recently tansfered the ownership to me and truly thankful! Hope to enjoy many more years of this hobby!

Age: 57 Well, hope to be driving my 1958 Buick Special convertible soon....... need to finish a complete brake job and replace that pesky trany seal (sigh....) This is my high school car and the one I dated my wife in so it has s p e c i a l meaning for me! The picture is the day I bought it. In the mean time I'm not without driver satisfaction with having a stock 1952 Ford F-1, flat head, three on the tree that is a fun driver. Additionally, last year I inherited three of my Dad's anitques when he decided to give up his drivers license because of his eye sight. They are: 1920 Willys Overland touring, 1928 Whippet cabriolet and 1951 Nash Canadian Statesman 4 door. After sitting for almost five years managed to get the Whippet running last fall and brought Dad with me to the the Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show. What a Great Day! The picture of the Whippet is after a 28 year amature restoration. So... it's Easter, the sun is shinning....... Time to go for a ride! Doug BCA# 35039

Richard, WOW! After viewing your posing of your '60 couldn't resist posting a few pictures and a story about the dependability of this Corvair. What you see, while not my car, is my sister's that she bought as an every day driver in 1973 from a little old lady (privately) that we actually knew. I don't have the VIN number but remember that we checked and it had a production date sometime in 1959 making it an "early" 1960 car. We all know the synonymous name for Covair (R...h N...r) and what was reported to be a totally unsafe car? This story might prove otherwise. After graduating High School my sister decided to go to Arizona State University. Being the only car she had she decided to drive it to Arizona. See, we live in Canada across the river from Detroit, Michigan and a one way trip is approximately 2,200 miles! Dad had the car totally checked out mechanically and with low original miles off they went. Dad & Mom drove their '65 Olds 88 to help bring her belongings and be there "just in case". Surprisingly there was nothing to report other than a slipped fan belt (somewhat common - always carry a spare) and after a checkup on a hoist, an oil change, grease and filter she was on her own. During the three years she was there she made the trip home in the car once and back again and finally graduated on November 30th of 1978. Time to come home for good! Being the good older brother (open to some opinion ha ha) I drove (by myself) Dad's 1968 Meteor station wagon there to load up three years of her possessions. That is another story but........ back to the Corvair. We loaded both cars to the max with her car filled so high that she could barely see out the back with the rear view mirror. This was because the wagon was in the same situation also! The only issued we had was, after leaving the relatively warm desert in Phoenix, once we hit Flagstaff, there had been an ice storm. I guess being so loaded down, going about 20 miles an hour, somehow we hugged the road and after two hours of this went on without a hitch. One more thing. My now wife and I flew down March Break one year for a visit. While there we drove the Corvair (three of us) from Phoenix to Lake Havasu (on the Arizona/California Border) and back without any problems. Two days later we drove from Phoenix to Nogales, New Mexico and back too! So...... if you do a quick calculation; round trip from Canada to Phoenix twice that is 8,800 miles plus two sight seeing trips plus.... local driving over three years.......... Not bad for a 450 dollar car that was labeled as unsafe !!! The pics are taken spring of 2008 when Kathy came up to Canada and bring her baby home to Tennessee where she hopes to bring it back to road worthy shape after sitting in storage for 12 years. Sorry if I hi jacked your thread but was fascinated to see you have a similar Corvair and thought you might be interested in what this car can and will do. Hope you get to enjoy many trouble free miles, Doug.

Well... right across the Detroit River from Michigan here in Ontario, thanks to the mail system, I won't get mine till the 22nd or so of this month. That's one reason I would support the email version! Not complaining, just saying. Doug BCA # 35039

Whippet engines indeed were poppett valved. Both the 4 cylinder and the 6's. In fact, the 4 is the fore runner design of the WW2 Willys Jeep engines. There is even an after market head for that engine that I believe was for increasing the compression. It is the Willys Knights that have sleeve valve engines.

OK...... With their permission, posting pictures they have on their website.

First off, I have no connection to these whatsoever. However, they are very close and thought they might be of some interest to someone. 1956 Buick - 3,750.00 CDN (unrestored - looks complete) 1953 Buick Skylark - 29,500.00 CDN - (unrestored - apart for restoration completion) Located just on the outskirts of Windsor, Ontario, Canada (across the river from Detroit) See their website for contact: xkautosports.com

Hey guys, I know this does not help with the main question posted but thought I'd try and post the link of another 1969 Olds 442 W-30 convertible here in my backyard. OK.... guess because of copy right you will need to Google - "The Windsor Star" and then search for: "Labour of Love Leads to Detroit's Autorama". Nice looking car.

Jim, scary IS right! or... maybe a bit of mid life crisis going on?!? I never stopped going to swap meets while the cars were on or off the road all these years so have always been on the look out for parts that I know will be necessary to keep them going. My one son who indeed kicked me in the pants, is going to University here for Mechanical Engineering, has the car disease too and has taken an interest in the Buicks. We have spent some time together recently going through the very full garage pointing out and now labeling what goes where just in case... and to figure out what might still be needed to starting the lets call it, "resurrection process" for now. Persperation, being self employed, has never been an issue but in this case means progress and accomplishment. Maybe I will start a thread and post progress like a Adam does with his car, hmmm..... Well enough about me. To others, How long has YOUR car been sitting? Doug BCA# 35039

Hey Guys, Thanks. As one fellow antique car guy told me once, every car has a story. I enjoy hearing (and sharing) stories of others too as to how they came to have theirs and why they like a particular car. To me that is another fun part of this hobby and sometimes leads to finding parts or (god forbid) another car! Rob, there is a lot of truth in your statement! Being closer to 60 than 50 now (NOT that this should be considered an old coot - ha ha) I remember saying to my father about his 1928 Whippet, You should really think about getting her finished so you can enjoy driving it. He was 62 when I said this (bought the car in 1968 and this was 25 years later) as a project and I made the point that when he reached the age of 80, here in Ontario, we have to write our drivers license again and every two years thereafter. What if he did not pass for whatever reason and never get to drive the car? WELL...History is repeating itself when my son said almost the same thing to me at Xmas!!!!! YIKES! So..... time to get things moving again. Her are a couple of pictures of the Whippet that had sat rusting away on a beach since around WW2 escaping the scrap drive, saved by a few and reworked some before Dad bought it with new wood, used wheels, used engine and old tires. Notice my now parts car Limited in the background? After giving me this car (and two other antiques) this past June, I had the honour and extreme pleasure to take him and the car to the Ypsilanti Orphan car show in September. Great day and memory of the smile on Dad's face. He will be 88 soon and losing his license due to his eyesight.

OK Guys & Gals, Here is my third 1958 Buick car & pics. Dad had purchased a 58 Limited 2 door as an everyday driver (we did not know how low production they were then) early in 1968 for about 75 bucks! It had 85,000 miles on it but performed well getting him back and forth to work 120 miles every day for almost two years before it broke the rear universal joint Xmas of 1969. Being 16, I wanted a car of my own and he offered it to me if together we changed out the u joint. This was no small feat having limited tools (no pun intended) and only a carport to work in. I drove that car till 1974 and logged approx 60,000 miles on it myself (a really enthusiastic new driver) plus what Dad put on those two years and that 364 never missed a beat. However.... all that diving and being in the salt region of Canada had taken it's toll on the body and..... as previously posted I had a running 58 red convert on the road too so.... no rocket science here, sadly retired the Limited to a barn. Answered an ad in Cars & Parts regarding a Limited in Cleveland in 1983 and the car was identical to my Limited, colour, options, everything! Problem... while a running car, the guy had the trany rebuilt and when installing it, had connected the linkage backwards on the firewall (found out later) so would jump into reverse right away!!! Decided to take the front clip off to replace the usual under the headlight bad metal panels... marriage, mortgage, kids, life... and here I am today. BUT........ still have all four 58's ! Rob, thanks for understanding what is going on here. It sounds like your situation is somewhat similar with your car. I think with having driven my cars so long and storage available, for me it has been too easy to say, some day I`ll get to them. Time is moving on though and with BCA membership, threads like Adams and other technical postings my inspiration has been ignited to get some progress done. It may be slow for awhile but.... baby steps. As to plate stickers...... my convert has the plates issued on the car still from 1973. That was the last year here in Ontario, Canada that new steel plates were issued yearly. I remember it well as... everyone in the Province had to get their plates on or before Feb 28th. Like all good procrastinators, there I was, sometimes standing in the looong line out the door in the Canadian cold. I like the month of birth sticker system much better! Pic1 - My Cleveland Limited - 57,000 miles showing on odometer. Before deciding to take front clip off. Pic2 - Sadly, has become a parts car. Rust was/is so bad the frame comes off in the hand and the truck can be lifted off the frame. Still... many good parts and glass. Pic3 - One of many storage moves with all three cars. I found many good dry barns and drive sheds, while dusty, saved the bodies. Naturally had to feed the mice but never had any damage or hungry critters. Doug BCA# 35039

Dale in Indy, Nooooo...... the Roadmaster is not for sale. Never hurts to ask though, ha ha. Some may see these stories as hoarding and never completed projects but...... this is my....... hobby, not a business or getting rich kind of thing. I'd love to have the expertise Smartin is showing he has with his 58 Limited and his thread is inspiring me to get myself in a position to accomplish some goals with my cars now. That kind of posting (and others) makes one realize just how involved (and what one can do) before taking on a car restoration to whatever level one can afford. After I bought the Roadmaster, came down to your "Circle City" about 1975 to see a '58 parts car listed in Hemmings looking for front fenders. It was an auto wreckers located on the Northwest side. Went on a Saturday early (I thought) and was told they closed in one hour! Was told I could take it off myself but needed to be out before the dogs were turned loose! Fortunately the bolts came loose easily and managed to get the whole left side complete with trim, headlights (T3's) and inner panels for $40.00 bucks. Wish that was today but........ For me half the fun is getting there and with having the Special on the road at the time, it was all good. Before this turns into the '58 thread....... anyone else? My Limited story later, Doug. BCA# 35039

(I'm HAPPY for those that are DRIVING their Buick, I thought we would hear from MORE that have Buick's that have been sitting A LONG, LONG TIME.) Thanks to others also that had a good word for my Special. Thought I'd offer up an additional response to the statement above. Not only was the Special my 2nd car purchased, I bought this '58 Roadmaster convert in 1974 (my 3rd car) continuing my love for '58 Buicks. As you can see by the picture I never had it on the road but it did drive on and off the trailer and has been in good storage while I have picked up most of the parts needed to put it back in shape for a paint job at some point. This one will be the retirement project so........ no folks, it is not for sale. Does that fit the question, been sitting for a LONG, LONG TIME? p.s. That's my '58 Limited in the background too. (another story) Doug

Why thank you Caballero2 for the compliment, I appreciate it. I'm not going to mislead anyone on the condition of the car though. It has many a hard mile on it and it shows. See I bought it when I was in High School back in 1972 as my every day vehicle, had lots of fun with it and naturally never had enough money to consider restoring it. Fortunately decent storage was never an issue and being a BUICK (and convert) made the decision early to keep it knowing that model would be tough to afford later in life. Dad had brought me up with antique cars which I now own also so...... as has been said before, Rust Is In My Blood. Love your Caballero too! Should my ticket ever come in would love to have a 58 or 57 wagon. Might have something to do with the image and my age but the lines on hardtop wagons just have not been captured since (IMHO). Now, with 4 inches of the white stuff on the ground today, back to making a work plan for getting her ready this summer. Doug

I'm hand but not an engine mechanic so this might be a dumb question: How did you know the push rod was bent? Was it physically obvious or did it take rolling on a flat surface to determine a hump if you will? I guess what I'm really asking is, how much of a bend caused it to make the noise? I'd like to know as my 58 Ltd engine is out and apart due to being stuck and don't want to overlook something like that before putting it all back together and in place. Thanks for any info and glad you solved your problem. Really love those nailheads! Doug.

Not sure how long an explanation you want here but....... My 1958 Buick Special convert has been off the road since October 2007 due to a blown power brake booster. It is still off the road after having rebuilt the booster/master cylinder and purchasing a complete brake package from Kanter and new SS brake lines. The delay....... as my business partner's wife used to say, "Life Just Gets In The Way". My other excuse... I live in what used to be the Automotive Capital of Canada, Windsor Ontario (just announced Feb 8/12 we lost that title to Oshawa, Ontario production number wise). From 2008 till now things just are not what they used to be and........ like my relatives in Michigan (which I think might have been hit even worse) just getting by. What has happen now is, with sitting up on jack stands, the rear trany seal has dried out (not uncommon with dynaflows) and needs to be rebuilt so......... while not undoable, time, cost and priorities are in play still. OK so..... time to get off the whine box and .... my youngest boy said last week that it would be nice to get it back on the road this summer. Guess time has slipped away and he is right! Doug BCA# 35039

Can only state that it is NOT a 1951 Nash Statesman radio. Mine has similar style numbers but a different chrome face plate. Possibly (?) Metropolitan? or Rambler models?

Posting here as well as Our Cars & Restoration in hopes to get help on a new issue. I found a used Steering Ball and with some grinding was able to fix the Overland steering. Cleaned and greased everything up and seems to be OK. Now.......... need some additional help / advise as to the distributor !!! After checking the wires, coil wiring and spark plug wires........... tried to start the car but would not fire! Turned over and could hear the change when closing the choke but.... no hint at spark. Pulled the cap off and found........... rotor loose, the pin bent and the cap had a piece missing. Years ago the distributor had gone egg shaped and had to be replaced but the cap seems to fit down properly but now the pin is bent!? Before I attempt to bend it back upright (not even sure it will be accurate or not break) thought I'd ask out there and see if anyone can help (again) or has suggestions. I know Dad had tried to get it going two years ago with no luck (his eye sight is bad) so ......... now I 'm left to figure out what he might have done and do what it requires to fix things. Can anyone help? Doug

Well....... posting here hoping to get further help. I found a used Steering Ball and with some grinding was able to fix the Overland steering. Cleaned and greased everything up and seems to be OK. Now.......... need some additional help / advise as to the distributor !!! After checking the wires, coil wiring and spark plug wires........... tried to start the car but would not fire! Turned over and could hear the change when closing the choke but.... no hint at spark. Pulled the cap off and found........... rotor loose, the pin bent and the cap had a piece missing. Years ago the distributor had gone egg shaped and had to be replaced but the cap seems to fit down properly but now the pin is bent!? Before I attempt to bend it back upright (not even sure it will be accurate or not break) thought I'd ask out there and see if anyone can help (again) or has suggestions. I know Dad had tried to get it going two years ago with no luck (his eye sight is bad) so now I 'm left to figure out what he might have done and do what it requires to fix things. Can anyone help? Doug .

While it was not a Buick, my father bought a complete 1966 Corvair convert that had been in a garage fire that started in the rafters and collapsed onto the car before the fire dept got it out. You can imagine the roof and complete interior was gutted and the paint on the upper parts of the car was burned off to the bare metal. He had access to another 2dr and thinking he could save the convert went about trying to clean it up. It also had the usual rust typical of these cars and the result was....... found when he primed it, every panel on that car had been warped so bad it would have been nothing but bondo to smooth it out. In his case it was not worth the time and effort so depending on the severity of your Buick (engine compartment fire, interior only, one part of the exterior, etc) IMHO I'd say take a long hard look and ask: how is it going to look when it is done and at what cost. Oh, in Dads case it did give him something to practice on his repairing skills and saved the drive train for his other convert he found in much, much better body condition. Good Luck. Doug

Jerry, I'm no expert with electrical but it sounds like you might have a wire that is grounding somewhere and draining the battery. Where that is becomes the big dollar question. Others that are more proficient in this area on how to check things will chine in here but from experience........ get this checked out very soon! My 58 Buick had a short somewhere which made the running lights come on as soon as the car started. I kept driving it thinking (stupidly) not a bad thing, WRONG! Turned out it dead shorted at a friends one day, burning the engine wiring harness and under the dash but the car was saved by the Fire Department by simply disconnecting the battery! So for now disconnect the battery till you isolate the problem. It might be anything from the ignition switch (not fully switching off) to bared wire which has rubbed the insulation off and... shorting (baring the wire to the metal) or? Details would help; Is this a restored car? Original? Is there anything electrical that has been replaced recently? You might check the interior lights for a bad bulb. Again, hope the electrical experts will chime in for Jerry.

I noticed that too. Sorry to hear this as I have attended as a (potential) buyer for the past 10 years and looked forward to it. I did however notice that last year sellers seemed less and fully understand about no one offering to take over. No critaiszm intended here. I sat on a Car Show committee with the Club I belong to here in Canada for 8 years with a great group that had more years than me but it had taken the enthusiasm out of them all those years. The Show exists today but by a smaller group and is a bit smaller event but struggles the same issue, to get more new people to volunteer. Maybe after a short hiatus some in your group will re-look at this and try again. For me, the 1 1/2 hour drive was not only about the part I found but connecting with people (members) from year to year. Good luck with your future endeavors. Doug BCA # 35039

THAT IS FUNNY !!!!! We were in Europe two years ago and on the Autobahn doing 228 kms with traffic passing us and saw those machines when near major cities where the speed is regulated except........... never saw one that turned around HA HA.

Posting a photo of my 1951 Nash CANADIAN STATESMAN. Really not much visual change from the US model, just fender badges stating Canadian Statesman. Mine has the flat head 6. A friend of mine has his fathers original purchase 1960 Monarch which is distinctly Canadian. It has been published in many times and yet I can't find my picture of it. When I do, will post one.

So Bill, Any success with the deal on the bus? Just curious to see a thread on Me and My Buick or Our Cars and Restoration Projects. Doug