TG57Roadmaster
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Posts posted by TG57Roadmaster
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Comin' at ya in six parts, from the 1940 Dodge Luxury Liner brochure.
The '39's in color, but what the hey!
TG
And I was going to take a nap!
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What a find! Before you throw your wads of cash at the guy, take a long breath and check the Motor #. I know of one V.I.P.<span style="font-weight: bold">*</span> that has had a disastrous engine swap. Is it First or Second Series?
TG
<span style="font-weight: bold">*</span>Very Important Packard
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What a fascinating thread! While we're waiting for SilverGhost to thaw out, take a gander at this great Black & Decker ad from 1920, found while in the weeds looking for a late-'30's Blackhawk Jack ad.
TG
From the Barley Motor Car Company, makers of the "Roamer"...
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Lest we forget about Opel's importance to Buick Dealers' bottom lines, take a look at two of my favorites, the Ascona/1900, shown here in Euro-spec form in 1975. Wasn't '76 when they switched to the late, unlamented, Isuzu variant?
There's a sweet '72 "Limousine" buzzing around town here, but frequent cards left under the windshield haven't produced any response. These babies are unquestionably GM Design, and are great, little, oft-overlooked examples of Buick's "price-leader."
I wish the young mom who's tooling around in that gold '72 Limo would give me a ring...
<span style="font-weight: bold">"Baby needs shoes!"</span>
TG
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So I lied...here's part three. Bear in mind as you go on shopping sprees for Baby, that, among other things mentioned in the 3 recent Buick Threads, your wheels are narrower than the ones that were standard on all other '57's. This may not matter if you're going to customize, just make sure you're binging on bits for the baby (B body) Buick.
TG
Now it's naptime.
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Part Deux.
TG
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This one's a 2-parter, from one of the the Buick brochures.
Have you got one yet?
TG
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Here are the upholstery choices choices, annotated. I believe X 1022 is the Estate Wagon nylon-Cordaveen color choice. If you want fabric & vinyl, a good, neutral choice would be X 1026 with Ivory Cordaveen, as shown in the previous post. Anal-retentive types will gig you for it at a show (assuming they know what they're doing), but the look & comfort level may be worth it.
Plan on plenty of vinyl yardage for the "loading dock" out back.
TG
Doesn't every lady love a little "glitter" in her life?
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"It's not <span style="font-style: italic">nice</span> to fool <span style="font-weight: bold">Mother Nature</span>!"
You'll probably get plenty of opinions on how to proceed with your redo, so the next post will show you the fabric mentioned here. We all have to play by our own rules, budgets, desires...
TG
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Ready to <span style="font-weight: bold">"Assume the Position?"</span> I don't know what the Artificial Leathers are going for these days, but the price per yard for correct cloth for the Roadmistress was $65-$75, and it took 3 years to get the six yards necessary. The headlinner & door panels were okay, just needed a dye job on the bottom of the front door panels.
PLEASE do yours right, no matter how long and $$$$$ required...there's nothing more absurd than seeing a great car redone, all the expense, time, etc., only to find upholstery that looks like it came from some Jap S&*%-box.
TG
Political Correctness sez it should be: Former WW2 Enemy Combatant S&*%-box.
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Centurion,
<span style="font-weight: bold">Road Trip!</span> How's about super-sleuthing around and
see if you can dig up some dirt on this Canadian Dream Deal.
TG
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progoofoff is right on the money, and you'd best have some set aside for your interior redo. Lewis Jenkins did my interior in 2001, with some of the fabric coming from SMS. Remarkbly, it still smells new and was worth every penny! About 20 years ago, SMS literally went from town to town across the country, buying up old stock from mom & pop upholsterers. There's an outfit near Detroit called "Original Auto Interiors" that is a good source, too.
This page comes straight from the legendary "Vaughn's" upholsterers in Greer, SC. Old Mr. Vaughn, thru his company, "Carolina Auto Upholstery," was a major distributor of fabrics, most of which were made in the mills right around where I live in upstate SC. After he died, his two proteges ran the place till they died/had to retire. We were lucky to acquire all the upholstery books from 1957-2000 that were their "office copies."
SMS uses the same codes that appear here, or at least they did the last time we were dealing with them. The '57-'58 Buick "Cordaveen" vinyl is easy to spot, as it has a fine, almost delicate grain.
TG
Do It Once, Do It Right!
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Mis-information is for village idiots. Check your facts <span style="font-style: italic">thoroughly</span> before you utter word one.
I've seen at least three '56-'58 DeSotos with the clock in the steering hub.
And if you think the Turnpike Cruisers are full of their share of oddities,
check out <span style="font-style: italic">this</span> little piece of Merc-work.
TG
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Centurion,
We know we love Big ol' Buicks, but this image still defies all logic. My beloved <span style="font-style: italic">Roadmistress</span> never seemed so small as captured here at a station in Wilmington, NC, on an AACA Hornets Nest (Charlotte) Region "Victory Tour." These 3-night, 4-day tours are held about a month after each Sring & Fall AutoFair at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
No Photoshop, no nothin', just my car on a sunny day.
TG
They didn't call the Roadmaster the "Flagship" for nothin'!
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Whoa 57,
You're starting out with a car assembled in Atlanta, so maybe it's spent a good deal of time in the Southland?
It's 12 volts, and the correct rear view mirrors here come from the "Buick Facts Book." That doesn't mean your car has 'em; they could be after-market. I've owned my Roadmistress since '92, and I'm still learning the nuances of these most Beautious Buicks of the '50's...
(Okay, '53 Skylarks Rule, but that's not what <span style="font-style: italic">I</span> fell in love with.)
Hold your horses till the car arrives, then we'll ogle/critique/go wild over it and point you in the right direction. Your enthusiasm is spot-on, I just wish everyone felt so excited about a car as do you.
TG
I need to add that my '57 doesn't have either of those mirror types in the "Facts Book." You see some of the fender mounted ones, but few of the other; don't know/care why...
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This attachment illustrates what's happened to so many '57 4-holers. The aluminum dash applique is engined-turned, but unlike the 1941's and others, it's a lacquer-type finish that makes the swirls. In attempting to "clean, or polish" this best feature of the dashboard, the swirling easily is worn away, leaving a shiny but boring fascia.
My friend Bob Smith is shown here replacing tha fascia on his Caballero, with one taken from a '57 Super parts car. It's an easy fix, just be careful when you remove the large center dash pad, as the radio speaker wire is (usually) welded to the speaker.
Also, consider scouting around for the "safety" cushions on the glove box door and the little one between it and the right heater/A/C vent. These tend to flatten out/distort with age, but a replacement can be dyed to match your dash color. I've yet to see a "new, replacement" type with the correct contours and shape of the original.
These two alterations make all the difference in the world on what, I think, is one of the prettiest dashboards of the fifties. They remind me of those big, cool kid's toy dash units (with all the bells & whistles) that I recall, but could never afford, from childhood.
TG
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Well 57,
If your car has a heater, speed-minder/parking brake warning light, w/s washer/cam-o-matics,
and tinted glass, then you're right. You'll have to trust the factory on the foam rubber seats.
Also, consider that at some point the roof rack was removed; look for telltale filler spots on the roof where it's stamped. On Caballeros there are standard, longitudinal stainlees trim strips that go there.
How's about posting pix of your new ride? Was it delivered yet?
TG
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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
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Biggarmike, find that pic of your <span style="font-style: italic">Zephyr</span> & the DC-3, and you'll get a reward!
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
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<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
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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
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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
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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
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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="" />
1940 Dodge 8 passenger Huge.
in Dodge & Dodge Brothers
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Part Deux.
TG