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That black Buick is beautiful. I'm not normally a huge fan of the mid 70's full size cars, preferring the mid to late 60's, but this one is an exception. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

The Chevy Impala with the V8 is rated at 18/27 for gas mileage with the V8. Since the LaCrosse and Impala are similar in size and weight I would expect the LaCrosse mileage to be about the same. That isn't bad gas mileage for a car that size with that kind of power, so I doubt gas mileage will be an issue even with gas prices the way they are. Brian

Good idea! Thanks! I was in panic mode when I posted that, thinking that the car that I have been looking forward to having out here won't fit in my garage. My Buick I'm sure has plenty of rear overhang, based on a good side view I found on my computer.

So, I started arranging my garage in anticipation of bringing my 62 Buick out here to So Cal. I unpacked and rearranged enough for my wife to get the 04 Malibu in the garage. She parked in the garage today and when I came home from work I see her car in the garage and realize the garage seems a bit smaller than a standard 2 car garage. So I take some measurements and find out that the garage is only 18'6" deep (222"). Hmm, that sounds pretty close to the length of the Buick...I look it up in the shop manual... 220.6". Given that I gave myself probably 2" leeway, the car should fit lengthwise, except there is a raised area in the floor of the garage 4" tall starting 3' from the back wall. So, what I need if someone can help me is a measurement of the rear overhang of a 62 Buick Electra four door. If the overhang is more than 36" then the car will fit if I back it in. If not, the car won't fit. If anyone can help me with this I would appreciate. My Buick is currently in storage in Minnesota so I can't measure it myself. Thanks for the help! Brian

Hi everybody! I don't post a whole lot around here, but lurk quite a bit. As you can see by my sig, I have a '62 Electra. I am a Marine currently stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA and after getting transferred here last summer I am finally settled into a house on base and have a garage. So, I am looking at bringing my Electra out here (it is currently stored in my father-in-law's garage in MN). I am looking for advice on how to get it out here. Part of me would like to drive it, but I don't know if I could take enough leave to do it plus the price of gas now is scary. Right now I am thinking about having it shipped here, but I have never done that before so I could use some advice. When I do get the car out here, I would like to get some body work done on it. It has very little rust on it (especially for a 45 year old car from WI), but the places where the body mounts to the frame behind the rear wheels is rusted out pretty bad and I would like to get that fixed. So, I am also looking for advice on places to get that done here in Southern California. Camp Pendleton is located between San Diego and L.A. so there should be at least a couple places. Any help/advice is appreciated! Brian

I can barely afford to look at that website! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Is it a bad sign for California if at least half of those happened in California?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It's kinda like flying a helicopter. You always know if something hasn't gone wrong yet, it's about to. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> </div></div> My '62 Electra (I know this is a Reatta forum) is like a military helicopter. If it ain't leaking, it's because its out of oil. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I just got mine 2 days ago.

Stumbled across this ad while browsing Craigslist. Its not my thing, but I thought someone here might be interested in it. It is near San Diego. 1923 Buick on Craigslist

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This thread is probably destined for the basement....... </div></div> The title of this thread destined it for the basement, it has just been taking a while to get there.

I lurk here a lot and post occasionally, but I had to share this here. I am getting ready to move to move to California from Wisconsin (thanks to the Marine Corps), and not being sure if I will have a place to keep it there yet, the 62 Electra had to go into storage temporarily (I hope). Although it was kind of sad to put it away at the beginning of the summer, there was a bright spot to it, a nice road trip. You Wisconsin folk will understand this part better. We left our home in Waterford, WI (a little south of Milwaukee), and with my wife leading the way with the kids in the minivan (makeshift cruise control, she sets her cruise control and I maintain a steady distance) head out for Appleton, WI an approximately 2 hour drive. There we leave the kids with my mom the next morning and my wife and I take the Buick to Two Rivers, WI about an hour away on the Lake Michigan coast to celebrate our 10th anniversary. The next day we head back to Appleton and spend a couple more days there before the next leg of the journey. Then we drove to my in-law's house (who are being kind enough to store the car for me again) in Mountain Lake, MN. Mountain Lake is a small town about an hour from Mankato, MN and about 3 hours from Rochester. The Appleton to Mountain Lake leg was about an 8 hour drive, a great chance for the Buick to stretch its legs. The whole trip was very enjoyable and made the whole ordeal of having to put the Buick in storage much more bearable. Anyway, thanks for letting me post this.

Looks like it was a good time. Maybe I can join you next time, as I am moving out your way this summer. I have finished my tour on recruiting duty for the Marines and am getting transferred to Camp Pendleton. My Buick will be staying back until we get settled in and (hopefully) get housing on base. Looking forward to the nice weather!

Sounds like it wasn't too difficult, I might even be able to handle it. Thanks for including the part numbers, I'll be saving those for when I get to work on the brakes on my '62. Please give us an update when you have it all back together and let us know how the brakes work.

Absolutely beautiful car! Congratulations on the restoration. That is one of my favorite body styles Buick has ever made. Brian

I would post this question over on the V8Buick forum, this sounds like the thing that would be right up their alley. The address is V8Buick.com

Jerry, I don't have an answer for you, but I am interested in seeing the answers you get because I have been thinking about the same thing with my 62 Electra. I have also considered a front disc brake conversion, since I don't know how much life the drums have left in them, but that will have to wait until I have more money and time. Brian

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It's much easier to love them when you aren't the one paying for them...trust me... </div></div> That is why I am just watching.

The rust holes in the trunk look like the rust holes I have in the trunk of my 62 Electra Good progress being made. I love watching these restoration threads.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You may want to start a new thread or rename this one with a more identifiable title (Restoring Waldos 54 Buick Special or something similar) in this or the Me and My Buick forrum. It will be easier for people to follow and to search for in the future, plus it will be fun and interesting following your progress. </div></div> Good idea Mr Earl! I love to follow the restoration threads, such as Smartin's 1960 Electra 225 and ZondaC12's 1938 Special over in the pre-war forum.

Got my Bugle today 3/14/06 here in SE Wisconsin, in excellent condition (like usual).

I'm with Adam on this one.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Page where do you get ONE problem from : 1. Jittering headlight 2. Bad master cylinder 3. Grinding brakes 4. Rusty rotors- that they are not willing to replace 5. Thumping steering column 6. They dont know how to fix the thump so they are ignoring it all on a car with UNDER 7500 miles on it . some cars dont even need an oil change till 7500 miles and this thing is 3 days and counting at the dealer. Hell if it was ONLY 1 problem , I wouldnt complain. You wouldnt happen to work for GM customer service by any chance would you ? You sound like you would be perfect for the job Dan </div></div> No, I don't work for GM customer service...not by a long shot, but if I had a problem with the service at one dealer, I would take it to a different dealer and get a second opinion before I write off GM. I am not even a diehard GM fan...less than half the cars I have owned have been GM's. I just recognize that every once in a while a bad car is going to come off the assembly line, whether it be a GM, Honda or Toyota assembly line...perhaps you got a bad one.

So, you have one bad experience with a GM car and you will never buy a GM car again. That doesn't make any sense. Every mechanical device is going to have problems sooner or later (even Toyotas...read up on Toyotas and oil sludge). I have a 2004 Malibu and haven't had a single problem with it with 32000 miles on it. My 2004 Malibu is the best car I have ever owned, GM or otherwise. I had a Honda Civic when I was in college...had to replace the muffler every year, the only thing I changed more than the muffler on that car was the oil. That car went away after the timing belt snapped and took out the engine...10000 miles after having the timing belt replaced (and I had that done at a Honda dealer). For your Malibu, I would take it to a different dealer, maybe you just had an incompetent service tech. Just my 2 cents.