60FlatTop

Deduct $1,000 per year from the original purchase price for really enjoying the car. That's about three bucks a day worth of great big smile and value. Keep that thought in mind and you should be pretty comfortable with that 177,000 mile car. Bernie

Buick owners traditionally have very high self esteem. Ask a Buick owner if they are satisfied in their decision to purchase a Buick and the answer will be "Of course I am. I am very satisfied with all my decisions and my life in general." Mature, adult decision making always gets a person a better car. And you don't get much more mature than the typical Buick buyer. Life expectancy just isn't that high. A big portion of Lexus buyers were formerly Buick owners. My next everyday vehicle will be another Silverado or Tahoe, but could be a V8 Lexus. For very discerning reasons new Buicks are not in the running. If the car didn't meet my expectations it would be down the road and replaced. I sure wouldn't be filling out a questionnaire telling people I made a dumb mistake. Yes, I have been called arrogant a few times; usually along with some body part. But it seems to fit. MY buicks have all been good, I picked them. Bernie

I have had some concerns about climbing into a strange car and wondering what might crawl out of the seat or swing down from the headliner. That term "already infested" makes one squirm. Just thinking about driving at night and feeling some moth larva crawling across my neck. That sounds worse than the time the spider egg case hatched in the seat. Bernie

You can't handle the truth about the oil soaked toilet paper rolls.

A friend of mine looked at a building for sale in Galeston, PA yesterday and sent me a pictiture. It is at 22 Bridge Street, Galeton, Pa,, near Coudersport. It sure looks like an old dealership to me and in the 1960's was called the Osgood Garage. I found a HS yearbook ad showing it. Any old Bucktails out there who remember some of the history? Bernie

Restraint is my least recognized attribute! Bernie

Industrial toilet paper is what they use for tacks. The big guy at the steel mill eats rails. The nails go into a bucket and the odd tacks are picked up with the industrial toilet paper. It's corrugated and works good. That's the way my Dad used to describe tough guys. Bernie

Sometimes it doesn't damage the harness. The car just shuts off when the post welds to the hood. Then when you get out to open the hood, you get to the front corner and there is this big "Boom". Then liquid runs out of the bottom of the car just ahead of the left front wheel. Back before cell phones you had to leave your wife and new born baby in the car (he's 34 now) and find a phone to call a friend with a chain. That is one of a few ways I know how to blow up a battery. My Wife only knows two and doesn't know the full details of either. Bernie

You can always go for a set like this to test how you like them. Genuine factory wheel covers. Bernie

I'm just sitting here with my laptop on my thighs reading this and looking at the roll of toilet paper by my left elbow; thinking about how many things around us that we never use to their full potential. Great Scott! Bernie

1949 1950 But three in a row?

Those are nice vises for changing U-joints. My Great Grandfather's is attached to a bench in the cellar. Bernie

There's always the lighter side. Bernie

I was wonder who was going to get the wool pulled over their eyes. Bernie

Could be something similar to this. Mercedes 130 - 170 Bernie

If you can't make it with the girl in the yellow Skylark you just go out trolling for another lassie.

I remember a couple of "don't need to be show quality" 1964 taillight bezels that showed up near me. The pits were smoothed out nice on the bottom edge. Since the inside top edge wouldn't be seen a little skimping on price would be fine. You should have seen how well the pits reflected on that smooth bottom chrome. If you don't demand perfection you will surely get something less. And how much less is not predictable. If you are in business and doing lots of restorations I guess you could work with economies of scale; just doing one car it ends up more like the economy of fail. Go for the best. Bernie

That upholstery comment just reminded me of the driver's seat upper upholstery I bought from Clark's two years ago. Time sure flies. I guess I better get that job done, too. Oh, it looks great. Bernie

On the vent window gears, I have used bronze replacement ones on Caddies: http://www.impalas.com/1961-64-power-vent-window-electric-motor-gears-pair.html I am pretty sure all GM are the same. I know they work up to '68. The originals can be a pot metal material the warps and shears the gears if the windows get stuck. Bernie

You just wrote the two words to send chills down a person's spine, "my mechanic". I have been reading this forum since 2006 and those are the words that introduce the biggest horror stories. It is better to buy some books and manuals. And some tools. This is not a job for "my mechanic". There are two other words to watch out for. Those are "I thought". Listen carefully today and you will probably hear them at some point. Just pay attention to what was said right before those words were uttered. Your first post mentioned an engine swap you were doing. Were you doing that yourself? Bernie

Isn't quoting the Kruse auction people kind of like the Skipper of the Exxon-Valdez telling you a sip of wine is good for the circulation? The '74 Buick; make it steer, start, and stop. Ease into it and know how to get out fast. Bernie

That Riviera styling exercise looks like a post introduction model, more like a proposal for 1965 with curved side glass and lots of Corvair influence. Might even be rear engined. Bernie

Another '60? Bernie

http://rochester.craigslist.org/cto/5830684771.html Nice looking car, but the photographer appears to be dressed like a Fiat owner. Bernie

Keep contributing and it will stay high on the list. I will try to help. Bernie