TG57Roadmaster

Three days in a row with '57 Buicks...wow! Go to two different Threads I've replied to in the last 48 hours; in BCA Gen'l. <span style="font-weight: bold">"1957 Buick Roadmaster Convertible 70 or 75 Series," & "'57 Roadmaster 75"</span>(BCA Tech). I don't want to re-type all the stuff again. They made 7,013 Model 49 Estate Wagons that year. Paint: PC=Shell Beige over Dover White Trim: 4G5B(Actually 465B)=Tan & Beige Cordaveen (Buick's name for vinyl) Serial # (VIN)4=Series 40 D=1957 6=Atlanta assembly Plant 034813=Sequential Build #. Atlanta #'s range from 001001-042248, so you can see yours is rather late. (A quick way to prove a later model is the glovebox; yours will most likely have a "lip" or raised edge (metal or plastic) running the width of the bottom of the box. This was a running change due to stuff falling out when opening the door.) TG

Biggarmike, find that pic of your <span style="font-style: italic">Zephyr</span> & the DC-3, and you'll get a reward! Larger This B-17G was a real crowd pleaser. We'd set up a sort of a USO for the flyers and the busloads of schoolkids who came out, and it was great fun...right down to coffee, cake donuts & Hershey bars. The last day they were there, they pulled the bomber up to face the hangar, just nosed in. As night fell, it was the closest thing to Hollywood you can get; so cool it gave me the shivers! The '40 ford, on the other hand, made me sweat; fresh from a gazillion dollar resto, the elderly owner trailered it the 30 miles to visit us. I was happy to have such a fine period piece for the afternoon, but when we went to unload it, it wouldn't budge. Three of us were pushing & pulling, sweating like field hands toiling at Tara. "Yes, it was in neutral," the man said, sitting behind the wheel. "No, it wasn't in gear," he assured us. Just as I was about to yell, "Quittin' time!", he told us when his "people" put the car in the trailer, they'd set the parking brake, which he then released. It rolled out, as light as a baby buggy. TG

<span style="font-weight: bold">Eureka!</span> The answer to all your prayers...This should satisfy all your needs on your big trip Way Out West. And if this hauler can't "make the grade," you can always unload your Jetback, hook up a tow chain, and let that smooth Dynaflow power spool up & do the pulling! TG

Come on guys, the taillights are <span style="font-style: italic">definitely</span> 1st generation Continental. What's even more odd, is that the fenders are seamless to the body; all Connies had fender welts clearly visible. I think this was someone's Hollywood Hot Rod, done during a stateside lull in War Bond drives. Here's the '41 Mercury's rear end, which doesn't remotely resemble the car in question. TG

Also, pay close attention when they do "The Swamp Thang" with Dr. Drew and a rolled up oriental rug. There are some <span style="font-style: italic">eerie</span>, glowing dashboard shots from the rear seat as they're driving down the road at night to "ditch" the goods! TG

This seems to be the day for '57 Buick Roadmasters. Your car came fully-equipped with <span style="font-weight: bold">everything</span> except A/C. That was the only option. The 75's debuted the second week of March, 1957, as a direct competitor to Cadillac. They featured really luxurious interiors, and introduced the finned aluminum front brake drums that corrected the '57's serious brake fade. Those finned drums showed up on all '58's, and made Buick's braking among the best in the industry. Your entire greenhouse glass, that's <span style="font-style: italic">all</span> windows, interchange with the Super (Model 53), Roadmaster (Models 73 & 73A) and all Cadillac sedans (62, Sedan de Ville, & Fleetwood), except the Eldorado Brougham & Fleetwood 75 Limos. Contrary to popular lore, the 73 (mine) has a <span style="font-style: italic">one-piece</span> backlight this is sandwiched inside & out with rubber gaskets & stainless trim. The Model 53, 73, 73A, & 75 trim will all work with your rear window; check a Hollander's Inerchange Manual to see if the Caddy trim will work. And yes, they are attached with clips. I'll provide the part #'s after I get back from dinner tonight...I'm late already! Your Serial # indicates the car was built in Flint; in the "BCA General Forum" is more info on plant locations, tips, stuff I just wrote last nite & don't want to retype here. Look for <span style="font-weight: bold">"1957 Buick Roadmaster 70 or 75 Convertible?"</span>. And don't believe <span style="font-style: italic">anything</span> that's been written about 75's being available at the start of the year. The attachment above is an insert from the Spring "BUICK" Magazine; the date I quoted comes from "Automotive News," March 18, 1957. They made a total of 47,582 Roadmasters in all series; the range for Flint cars goes from 000989-1149460. As no 75's appeared before the Spring of '57, it appears yours <span style="font-style: italic">may</span> be an "early" 75. Maybe. Regardless, JoeCool, you've got a beauty of a Buick, all-new from the ground up in '57. The photo above was taken many years ago where I live...on the left, a Roadmaster 75 & on right, my Model 73 (the <span style="font-style: italic">Roadmistress</span>), with what I call the "Tiara-Top," the twin trim strips that go from the trailing edge of the windshield, all the way to the bottom of the trunk. Makes it look like a "Domeliner" railroad observation car! TG

It's probably just a coincidence about the cloth and car sharing the same name. All the companies used to have to register their names with an arm of the Auto Manufacturers Association, and many were from such exotic places as: Fifth Avenue (NYC); Meadow Brook (Detroit); Sun Valley (Idaho); Montclair (NJ), and so on. With the "hot, fresh" Lucerne, the Brand Management Wienies are trying to conjure up lush alpine landscapes loaded with twisties as you pilot your (yet another) Buick 4-door sedan to Walmart or Home Depot. I wish they'd been around when Chevy was foisting off their Jap mini-cars on us... "New for 1987, the Geo Pismo!" TG Life's a beach, in CA. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

De Soto Frank, How's about showing these enquiring minds what the covers of those Burness Books look like? Regardless of their tattered appearance, they look like awesome library additions! Chadwicks of the early teens had portholes, too, but they were just 3-holers. TG Here's a car <span style="font-style: italic">sans</span> portholes that you might enjoy seeing; It lives in Charlotte, and is <span style="font-style: italic">totally</span> rare.

Soooo cute, does she work the local crafts shows or what? TG

What a dreamy '57! On the body data plate on your firewall, I'll wager the "Paint Code" reads; EC, which translates to Biscay Blue & Dover White. If it's FC, then it's the spring color Mariner Blue. The Blue Sweepspear color is correct, per a Buick Service Update issued during the production run. In many '57's, in an effort to "polish" the engine-turned dashboard fascia, the applique has been inadvertantly rubbed off. What's yours like? If it's shiny and <span style="font-style: italic">has</span> been scrubbed away, the good news is that, regardless of model, they all interchange. (Specials were not so-equipped.) Should the need arise to buy body parts, realize that the "B" body (Century & Special) and "C" body (Super & Roadmaster) differ in many ways. Don't make the mistake and pop for the gorgeous NOS grille offered up, 'cause it may not be wide enough for your big ol' Buick. Even the interior door handles differ. If you don't mind sharing, give us the VIN #, so we can tell you in which plant it was assembled, and the approximate range of build-date. Also, take your back seat bottom out and look for a pink tag wedged in the spring; that'll be date-coded, as well. Your standard power seat should have a date stamped on the motor, to further date its place in the production run. How exciting to welcome another '57 to the fold, and a <span style="font-style: italic">convertible</span> to boot! As you learn more about your beauty, consider going to the optional (and often-seen) Tangerine (red) Wheel color. Most Buicks back in the day had 'em, but they fell from favor as the years wore on. When mine undertook that simple tweek, she went from <span style="font-style: italic">fine</span> to <span style="font-weight: bold">fabulous!</span> Wow, you made my day! TG Mine is 7D6008435 7=70 Series D=1957 6=Atlanta Assembly Plant <span style="font-weight: bold">*</span> 008435=Sequential build number <span style="font-weight: bold">*</span>:1=Flint; 2=Southgate, CA; 3=Linden, NJ; 4=Kansas City, 5=Wilmington, DE; 7=Framingham, MA; 8=Arlington, TX

Thanks JF, Your wife's talents are obvious! I strongly suggest she download the Texas DOT pdf document noted at the top of this thread and take a gander (pun intended) at some of the styles of stations shown. I think her sales would soar skyward, much like our little friends for which she's making lovely homes. The roof shingles are an especially nice touch and bring to mind, "Jonesy's Standard Oil" station in LaFayette, IN, that my buddy Dave & I encountered on our way back from my folk's house in Michigan. My late mother <span style="font-style: italic">lived</span> for the birdies that visited her home in the Upper Peninsula of the "Wolverine State." TG Would that I could fill up with "Ethyl" at 27.9 a gallon!

Dear ChaplainLar, It's a pity that beautiful autos such as your Essex don't command the prices you'd expect. There is no <span style="font-style: italic">one</span> answer to your question, but here are a few random musings. As the "hobby" population expands each year, the supply of available automobiles <span style="font-weight: bold">*</span> decreases. Supply and demand comes to mind, but it doesn't seem to apply to "Grampa Cars," especially Orphan Makes. Please know that I love both, and have longed for my Great-uncle Bill's 1923 Dort Sedan since I was about 10 years old. Now, a sprightly 49, as I look around at the "graying" of folks who actually lived with those cars, it's no wonder that in a sense, you can't give 'em away. Everybody wants the "Hot Cars" of their youth, the ones they couldn't afford/lusted after/best friend had one...it's all cyclical. I won't rant here about the role auctions play in this ring-around-the-rosy game (I've done that plenty, on other threads), but the fact is, there's nothing "hot" or "exciting" about stodgy old cars, <span style="font-style: italic">especially</span> 4-door sedans. That your Essex is Hudson's "Junior, or Companion" Make, doesn't help much either. If it was a roadster or convertible, now <span style="font-style: italic">that</span> would be "hot," and thus more saleable. It's also a matter of taste; do you appreciate the car's inherent beauty, or is it an investment, something to retire on/put the kids thru college with/gonna pay off big at <span style="font-weight: bold">B-J</span> in 2015? Also, consider <span style="font-weight: bold">your own life's experiences</span>: I was; lucky to see Harrah's Collection in 1968 at the top of its form; thrilled at the diversity of my initial "car show experience," which was in 1971 at the first-ever Nash-LaFayette Club Meet in my then-new home of Kenosha, WI. Should I be ashamed to have been "tainted" at such a ripe, young age? Never. Cop a plea based on the <span style="font-style: italic">"Weak father, Strong mother"</span> syndrome? Hardly. Pity the poor fools who only see and are limited to one thing, and one thing alone, (and it doesn't just apply to cars, either), for they're forever locked in an endless pissing contest, trying to regain lost youth (or loves, or back hair). Drive the <span style="font-style: italic">you know</span> <span style="font-weight: bold">what</span> out of that pretty Essex of yours, 'cause in the end, just like Bill Harrah, you can't take it with you. And try to remember that, <span style="font-style: italic">most of all</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold">America Loves Cheese!</span> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> TG <span style="font-weight: bold">*</span> This theory does not apply to Red Cars, Muscle Cars, "classic" '57 Chevys and/or Mustangs, or any combination thereof.

Roberta, Don't want to give the end of the movie away, but it'll look <span style="font-style: italic">something</span> like this, just without the trailer, and with the windows rolled down! TG (Shoulda scanned it in Black & White!)

You always did go for those important jobs with "big names & cachet." <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> TG Former International News Media Distributor.

You're right; in the case of where I live, The City of Anderson, SC, they were going to pull down two old gas stations to make way for a parking lot for a planned $6 million Municipal Center. They'd bought the properties, were ready to start demo, when I got a call from the AACA Hornets Nest office in Charlotte. The widow of the owner of the Texaco station, a porcelain-enamel Streamline Moderne beauty built in 1957, had called up there to let them know about some parts she had, pretty much at giveaway prices. These buildings are like big Erector Sets, and arrived in semi-trailers to be put up. I stopped by to look at Mrs. Drake's parts and graciously declined; I wasn't interested in the parts, but as I looked around the empty box that had been a part of Anderson's history since 1930, a light bulb went off. Knowing what folks shell out for signs, gas pumps, etc., I approached the city with a deal. Sell the station on ebay, make a little money, save the landfill, and let the building live on, just not on its original site. This 1957 model was the third version of a Texaco station located there. The city "bit," I ran the auction, and 49 bids later it sold for $3,552.00, to a car guy (ACD Club) whose son came, dismantled it & carried it away in a semi-trailer truck. The plans for its future life call for its transformation into a Deli/Burger Joint, with an automobilia/petroliana theme. I'd told them to expect some publicity, but had no idea how hot the concept was till we fielded a call from the A.P. Newswire. Talk about a home-run! Similar stations have been sold that way before, just not by a municipality. In this one instance it shows what can happen when you think <span style="font-weight: bold">"Inside the Box"</span> TG (It came with a site blueprint for the first 1930 bldg., pix of the 1940 initial streamline 2-bayer, and a complete set of blueprints (typicals) for the 1957 renovation into a 3-bayer!)

<span style="font-style: italic">Priorities</span> West, <span style="font-weight: bold">priorities!</span> TG What a <span style="font-weight: bold">great</span> shot of your own! (This one, formerly Pure Oil, will live on in Hartwell, GA (on the Dixie Trail), as a Visitor's Center. Note the CVS strip mall going up behind it.)

Okay, you're driving your DreamMobile down the road, it's a beautiful day, and you pass one of these old <span style="font-style: italic">Sentinels of Service</span>, a "retired" gas station. "Wonder what brand it sold, you ask yourself or your travelling companion(s)?" If you've brought along your Kodak, you might even turn around and get a snapshot. 'Cause, chances are, it may not be there on your next trip through. These vestiges of Vanishing America are going away faster than the price of ethyl is going up. The reasons are many: We need another Quickie Mart/CVS/"Touchless" Car Wash; new zoning regs demand these structures <span style="font-style: italic">Must Come Down</span>; 'cause they're an eyesore; and so on... The long-abandoned vision above greeted us on a return from Charleston, SC, after a BCA Carolina Chapter Show at Sentry Buick. Taken around 1993, I'll lay odds this haunting image is no longer around. Luckily, many (especially the ones in towns) have been given a new lease on life as Antique Shops, Hair Salons, Florists, you name it. We see them all the time, too, and really should thank the owners for their preservation efforts. The Texas DOT made a study of their historic gas stations, and published a very handy Field Guide to help while you're out on the road. It's a decade-by-decade, (major) company-by-company, treasure trove of information, one that you should add to your travelling library ASAP. It's loaded with station styles, nomenclature, design elements, diagrams, a great glossary, and an even better bibliography. There's also a section on listing these Historic Structures on the National Register. Best of all, it's FREE! http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=8d1879ea4db6639656bbe1af129db4fc&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.garagejournal.com%2Fforum%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D142209&v=1&libid=1364049186505&out=http%3A%2F%2Fftp.dot.state.tx.us%2Fpub%2Ftxdot-info%2Flibrary%2Fpubs%2Fbus%2Fenv%2Ffieldguide_gas_stations_.pdf&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dfield%2520guide%2520to%2520gas%2520stations%2520in%2520texas%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D2%26ved%3D0CDQQFjAB%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.garagejournal.com%252Fforum%252Fshowthread.php%253Ft%253D142209%26ei%3DGL1NUY3FN83K0AGO2IBI%26usg%3DAFQjCNGj1gCVIzbirkhILyH9TWr6P9jqYQ%26bvm%3Dbv.44158598%2Cd.dmQ&title=Field%20guide%20to%20gas%20stations%20in%20Texas%20-%20The%20Garage%20Journal%20Board&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fftp.dot.state.tx.us%2Fpub%2Ftxdot..._stations_.pdf&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13640491915862 Happy Motoring, TG

In the <span style="font-style: italic">Film Noir</span> flic, "Detour" (1945, with Tom Neal & Ann Savage), there's a most unusual '41 Continental that dominates the film. It's been modified though, having no hood ornament and wearing '42-style rear fenders, while keeping the previous models' verticle, slanted taillights. I know I'm not dreaming, but could this have been a wartime conversion (say an accident repair)? Most of all, does this ersatz, prewar-postwar example still exist? Try explaining <span style="font-weight: bold">those</span> mods to your judging team captain! This "B" film, while grainy and poorly shot, does possess a great deal of "Vanishing America" roadside visuals, making it definitely worth a look-see. Both the sordid plot & period dialog redeem it wonderfully, too. TG (I apologize ahead of time for the fuzzy pix.)

The door is where you'll find the only VIN (Serial #) on your Olds. Depending on which state you live in, that door # should suffice. There are other posts recently about folks having trouble in California with only the door-mounted Serial Number. Type in Olds VIN (or, Oldsmobile VIN) in the "Search" feature (within the last month) of the Forum and look for a '52 Olds question similar to your own. TG,

Ivan, I think your position is quite clear. A good rant every now and then is what makes for well-rounded elected officials...Let's just hope that none of your constituents are <span style="font-style: italic">econazis</span>, and that they don't know about your <span style="font-style: italic">double-life</span> on these Forums! A broad comment, based on the assumption that they can <span style="font-weight: bold">read</span>. My life in the hobby began with the cars strewn in the woods and fields around my Grampa's defunct Standard gas station and auto body shop. The emblems I took off them (in the mid-'60's) included the brass (trunk-mounted) '42 <span style="font-style: italic">Dodge</span> from the car that my folks had when they were wed. Their <span style="font-style: italic">Wedding Car</span>! It's displayed in my coffee table (an 1850's solid cherry piano bench, <span style="font-style: italic">sans</span> lid), along with many others; what treasures will be left for future generations when all that stuff is "zoned" out of existence? Lamar, right after we took the Alewine photo, we stopped by the "Top Gun RC Club," on a day they were out flying. Next time I'm in the area, I'll help you unload the "stiff" that's in your '54! TG