60FlatTop

I have made springs like the one Mark has shown using stiff wire and a home made mandrel. Some types refrigeration swedging tool have a series of diameters to work with.. If someone made a bending mandrel with a bending arm in a range from 1/4" to 3/4" I would buy one. A tool like that and a selection of wire might be a better seller than trying to meet thousands of individual needs. Although it is not an exact science, I don't remember the last one I made. I would have remembered if it didn't work. Bernie

This clip is always good to watch: Bernie

Yep, If the plan is to live long and prosper with your collector car choice, buy something from Buick's first 60 or 70 years of manufacture, otherwise there is a high risk you ain't gonna be happy in the long run. It is like a baseball game. If one is in the bleachers and has figured out all the angles, jump in and play ball. I have a 1985 Park Avenue convertible (it's a little older but you can Google the model) that could be your summer ride in the decades to come. $12,000 takes it home. Bernie

Makes me think of two guys bringing in their mail; "Urgent From The Untied States Federal, from the President of the First Bank, From Jay Leno." No mail today. I wonder what the BTU value is. "Urgent From The Untied States Federal, from the President of the First Bank, From Bernie Daily." No mail today. Not a very good fan. Bernie

From a business standpoint, if the expansion of product isn't driven by your personal passion for collector cars and servicing them, you will probably be disappointed and frustrated with the demanding customer base. Bernie

I have very rarely bought a car just for profit. That just happens when I figure out I don't want it. Bernie

I see Jay Leno is going to visit Rochester, New York next week. I'll drive into town if he is going to tell a couple Buick stories. Bernie

I have to admit, I am a little more cautious than I used to be. Although I think I might be ahead on the overall profit and loss side, my biggest loss concern now is loss of space. 30 or so years ago I had one keeper and one "floater", a car that was always just passing through. Then I got a floater that turned into a keeper. Then there were three. That's when the disease took over. All my keepers are impulse purchases. I tried the diligent homework and objective analysis a few times. Those cars never seemed to work out. I can only imagine where I'd be today if my wife had done her homework. Bernie

If it rings the bell just buy it. Once it gets home poke around and if it looks too bad sell it and make a few bucks. It's never a total loss. As for shifting, I would probably end up using second and third most of the time anyway. I found myself doing that naturally with the Packard last summer and that has the smaller eight. Bernie

My son has a 2000 Park avenue that is cheap transportation. The two rear door handles had failed at the time he bought it. Now the front passenger door won't open. He was taking a college course in statistics last semester and I asked him to apply some of that learning to the four doors on his car. As mentioned in reply #11, the cars have stupid problems and shortfalls in expectation. I did try out a 2005 Ultra last time I was looking for a family car. The problem was getting out of my Chevy truck and expecting the Buick to ride better. It may have been the car's low profile tires, but it didn't ride as good as the truck. Trying to maintain a collector car at an original performance level won't be easy with a menagerie of misleading parts sources and labels. I just bought lower outer suspension pins made by Moog for my '48 Packard, just for spares, I know they are good quality. I keep my cars a long time.In three months I will enter my 37th year old owning my Riviera. Last week I put two "Moog" u-joints in my ten year old Chevy truck. One was bad. I mentioned the few repairs needed over the 150,000 miles to my wife (both doors have always opened). I also mentioned how many people asked for car advice and then argued my choice as anachronistic, or too big, or too expensive, or too some other subjective misinformed idea. If the plan is to live long and prosper with your collector car choice, buy something from Buick's first 60 or 70 years of manufacture, otherwise there is a high risk you ain't gonna be happy in the long run. P.S. My son found a huge market in supplying aftermarket door handles for his 2000 PA. Bernie Oh, you can buy an aftermarket INTAKE manifold. Give me a break! Cars are built with intake manifolds so prone to replacement that an aftermarket company can produce replacements. I bet there are '41 Buick owners who wish their cars had plastic manifolds.

I bought a 1993 Park Avenue Ultra with about 30,000 miles on it and took it to 95,000 miles. Although it was a nice car, I was not happy with the way it aged. Routine maintenance and repairs, even using factory replacement parts never seemed to equal the smoothness of the original. I replaced the front wheel bearings with GM equipment and got a light rumble that had not been present before. I Did a complete brake job with parts from the dealer and noticed they didn't have the same feel. There were ways I would position my hand and arm while driving that made me sense a flexing between the door and the door frame. That was annoying. It was a car that was great up to about 55,000 miles and then the feel was not retrievable. I sold it and the new owner was very happy. I decided to drop back to the more durable body on frame, longitudinal engine, rear wheel drive platform. Even though the cars were not as new, they were of the type that is traditionally restored to "as new" driving capabilities. I bought a 1994 Roadmaster with about 60,000 in 2002 that was a pleasure to own and maintain. New York State rust got that one and I let my daughter take it through her last years of college and off on the big move to Boston. It was replaced by another low mileage 1994 Roadmaster that has since rusted and been passed on to an old High School friend who needed it. I replaced the second Roadmaster with a 1994 Chevy Impala SS, again, making me quite happy. Concurrent with those cars I bought a 2005 Silverado that will probably be replaced with another, if it even breaks beyond repair. The bottom line, my personal experience with unibody, transverse engine, front wheel drive cars has been disappointing. Especially as a collector vehicle, the traditional body and frame car is the choice for the long run. I have one now. It is an anomaly in the garage. It is a little special and I keep it to show I am not completely cynical and opinionated. Bernie

A little bigger car, maybe a small block V8, RWD. I could see that. Bernie

Both! I have posted the photos over the last few years. I think they are from Ought Nine. The photographer is middle aged, at 65 I started writing a personal longevity handbook, 66 Going On 106. All kinds of optimism in that title. No cars came out of the garage today, though. Just looking out the window gave me the Willys. Bernie

Here's an old one. or two. Bernie Almost forgot this one.

I wonder if that turquoise 1960 Ford truck Grille is still hanging over the hotel bar in Moline. I was there in 1984 and had a twin to that grille at home in my 350 Buick powered '60 Ford pick 'em up. Four of us stayed there because it was the closest lodging to Kiwaneee where we inspected some boilers being built. I'd go back for a visit. I remember a street across the bridge with a row of second rate used car lots. That Buick may have been in one. At the time I also had a 1935 Nash and had contacted a member of the Nash Club of America to find good spots to visit. We had dinner at the Iowa Machine Shed and I knew about a guy with a collection of radiator badges. One of the group spotted a lighted sign saying "Dancing Girls" from the freeway loop. Forgot about the radiator badges. I'd go back. Bernie

Maybe an addition to the guideline would make everything more cheerful and entertaining- when the price is not listed, please give a reason for not listing one. Bernie

I started maintaining the heat in my garage last year and it makes a warm place that attracts varmints. My wife is out there this morning picking off a few. She'll get a little wound up from that and I'll say "Hey, wanna go look at a car in the inner city after lunch?" Bernie

I saw the topic with the title "New Member Retention" and wondered if new members had a memory or cognitive problem. Maybe that was why they didn't put the price on their stuff. Maybe the rules should be shorter: Bernie

I would never think of advertising any item for sale without a price. Even with a Ebay auction the starting bid is my happy spot. What is the first question? How much is it? So I sit here with my personal investment in a computer and monthly cost to maintain a DSL or satellite connection through a network tying together servers, switches and various up links until a digital image scrolls across someone else's investment in a computer and connectivity displaying a whispered "The price is a secret." Oh, I am thinking about selling the '60 Electra, '86 Park Convert, '94 Impala SS, and '48 Packard in the spring. Any questions? Bernie

The first 33 are Buicks. This is a list of cars I actually owned with an attachment to. A bunch of other stuff passed through just as little money makers. I have 3 now. http://brockportinternational.com/xjs/Dir5/BernieCars.xlsx Bernie

A while back I walked into a DMV 1 mile from my house. I took one look at the row of cherubic faces, pivoted, and drove 15 miles to a happier place. Never let convenience be a priority when dealing with that group. And the other guys are probably right, avoid the deal. Is the the Studebaker Hawk you mentioned in another section of the forum? Could you send me the contact information in a PM? Bernie

If it is an old New York State registration with and person's name who is not available just fill out all the paperwork and leave in blank where that person is supposed to sign. When the nice lady at the Watertown DMV points that out just act surprised and say "Oh! He is out in the car. I'll take it out to him. He's old." And remember, if you are my age, always wear a Vietnam era hat and let her know this car is making your dreams come true. If there is a DMV in Governeur or Ogdensburg it is probably worth the trip, but don't go to a bigger city than Watertown. They are just looking for crooks, old honest guys can get away with a little more.Bernie

When I bring a project type car home I usually clean and polish every bit of the car as if I were taking it to a cars how. Shine anything that will shine, clean rainy rust trails from the trim, and remove all the dirt. In most cases you have just gained intimate knowledge of the car and added about $1,000 value if you begin to suffer a severe case of buyer's remorse. If you bring home a stray and are not completely happy with it, sell it. I guarantee there is no shortage of them and a new one will show up next week. Do it right and you could up the ante up by a thousand next time. Bernie

There is very little broken or worn stuff that I would take to a "professional", hand it to them, and just say "fix it". For an engine rebuild, study your own particular application, disassemble it yourself, buy replacement parts and farm out machining, and carefully reassemble reading the available information step by step. It will be very hard to find a person who will put the dedication and detail into your job that you can. Like the above comment about the timing marks, it is a long shot that the service provider would see that if you gave them a written instruction book. If you need to buy an expensive tool that you will only use once in your life, you are still ahead. Be diligent and don't be cheap. You can equal or better the best "professional" out there. Oh, I tried to help a guy out by sending a job to a guy a few weeks ago. My work truck needed an upper ball joint. I dropped it off at the alignment shop today. He may have bent the right front spring. Even "I" don't listen to myself ALL the time. Bernie

Is there any way to get the buyer's contact information? Bernie