60FlatTop

You figured that out wayyyy too fast. Bernie

The guy that said "You get what you pay for." left out part of it; "The most you get is what you pay for." Bernie

This is a good place to get Buick information. People bring their experience here in a variety of ways. In the 1970's I bought this book: and took the title to heart. I have always had fun with my cars while I watched others toil away, over serious and frustrated. I have done things with cars that could have driven me to plant poison ivy on a playground. I just enjoy humor with a sense of irony (cast, in the case of cars). It is hard to have humor show online or in emails. I shouldn't have picked on the Swedes, maybe you could sell it to a German, they bought Rolls-Royce and Bentley! Your rebody project proposal is a though one. You would have to find someone willing to dismantle an Electra convertible with a good body. That is kind of like my Swedish friend telling me to watch for good running 1950's convertibles under $10,000. I know; you never know unless you ask. Odds are a body will not materialize. I do like toying with the idea of major rescues. I know where I can get a 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan convertible that was customized, shortened and put on a 1941 Cadillac chassis in the 1960's. That makes your job look small. And you have the transport issues to get it home. If your main problem is the floor area you might consider having a floor from a Buick or Cadillac C body cut into quarters and shipped on a pallet. Then replace one quarter at a time while maintaining alignment. That is probably the easiest way to do a job that's not going to be easy at all. You might have to fabricate and fit the pieces. Getting solid side rails will make the rest of the job smoother. Paul Lauracella in Lyndonville, New York does a lot of shipping to Europe and has a couple of decent '63-'64 Cadiillac Coupe deVille bodies, (585) 765-9106. They could have what you need. I am pretty sure it will be a piece together job. Good luck, your writing looks fine to me. Bernie

Are there any myths associated cars with low asking prices? Bernie

The last Town Cars are high on my list. If a black one comes along in nice condition I probably won't be able to resist. I like the MKS, as well, and have been looking at them closely. It is made with a Volvo body shell and a Toyota engine. The only scary part appears to be the twin turbochargers integrated into the heads and the potential for the fuel injection system to cause carbon buildup on the intake valves. It didn't need to be designed that way.With sales tax it costs a little over $50,000 before loading options. If I buy one with money from taxed income I will have to earn a little over $70,000 in pretax money to buy it. I drive a truck for work so my "family" car is an extra. Four years ago I was shopping to replace our 1994 Buick Roadmaster that cost carried about a $30,000 sticker price new. Trying out mid $20,000 replacements for it was quite disappointing. When I factored in 15 years of dollar devaluation I realized I needed to look at a new car in the $50,000 price range. A new Tahoe was the closest equivalent replacement I found. So I bought the nicest 1994 Impala SS I could find in my area for $9,000. It is a little more firm in ride but still a nice smooth car. Stuff changes, isn't it great that we have amost 100 years of preserved cars to choose from. New car? I'll probably consider that MKS right up to the minute I buy the new Silverado. Bernie

Although t was a few years earlier, I had a base black 1967 Buick Electra 4 door sedan with no options as a daily driver about 29 or 30 years ago. I got some insight on marketing when I stopped at the liquor store in town with it. The store was run by the former Buick salesman. He looked out the window and said "Oh, you ended up with that strip job." He told me he remembered the car well. It was a factory floor plan car that the dealership wondered if they could ever sell. At the time salesmen still drove cars to potential buyers on request. A farmer in a town about 15 miles away, Kendall, if you know my area, had just sold some property and called saying he wanted to buy a new Buick. With a request that general from the rural community, Bert, the salesman, took the shiny black "strip job" down to show them. It was everything they wanted, a new Buick. That's how they sold them in those days. Another point, I sold that car for a few hundred more than I paid for it when I was done. The next owner kept it a few years and put it up for sale. His price was less than he paid me, but more than I had paid the first time I bought it. I just couldn't bring myself to pay more for a car the second time I bought it than the first. I let the deal pass on a matter of principle. Bernie

Anything that heats the mufflers up enough to vaporize the condensation should count as long as it splashes hot engine oil inside the crankcase, whirls transmission fluid at temperatures too hot to touch, and makes the rear end lube wick out the axles at the same time. Today is the last day of my wife's vacation; 10 miles in the '60 and 2 miles walking, plus a trip across the county line for lunch. Bernie

Yeah, we used to burn the rubber from regrooving tires for heat in the winter. Tires got to be an environmental hazard so you can't do that any more. Even the coal plants have scrubbers. It's hard to find black smoke at all anymore. Ooops! Bernie

Or leather belt, hey, I'm drinking the water at the other end of the state! Bernie

Those cracker barrel mechanics I listen to when I was a kid would tell you how the bearing failed and they cut the end off their belt, dipped it in lard to prelube it and made the repair on the spot. They were real and telling those stories right up into the '70's, both their 70's and the 1970's. One thought for bearing 1, 2, 3, and all the other cars approaching 100 years old; settling in idle storage is rarely a planned event. And the storage preparation doesn't get a fresh oil change, usually just the opposite. The acids (sulfuric) in the oil lies on the bearing surfaces and slowly etches the babbitt, making a thin film of oxide. When the car gets revived .002 to ,003 thousandths will wipe off in a short time. That could put you at .0055 or .006 on the maiden voyage, not enough to rattle, but enough to work like a stone in your shoe. So even if that long term storage car gets the pan dropped and cleaned, a visual check might not be enough. One may find that "sounding out" the bearing after the first start up is a good idea. Bernie

Maybe you could sell it to an unsuspecting Swede. Bernie

That story told by a Chief Financial Officer makes me think of how hard it is for my wife to make a simple Quickbooks entry sometimes She keeps the books for my work. Bernie

Two of my nephews were among the Christmas Eve guests at our house last night. They had not seen the 1948 2262 I bought in June so a trip out to the garage was in order. They are gearheads and really liked the car. The driver's door is still off for the hinge repair. I plan to paint the opening, door, and put new weatherstrip that corner as I work my way around. I was impressed that, ever though they didn't know anything about Packards, we had a good, intelligent conversation. They wanted to see that straight eight engine and were impressed that after four or five weeks the six volt systems cranked right up. They liked the hood arrangement a lot. I told them how a big block of cast iron holds the mechanical sounds inside and they agreed it was pretty quiet. Then I told them I had the small engine and the bigger one had nine main bearings. The height and size of the body wowed them and the idea of longer fenders on cars with longer engines just tickled them to death. Last year I went to a web based thermostat to heat the garage and have the option of sitting in the coffee shop where I can use my phone to jack the heat up on my way home. Uncle Geek's garage had quite a mix of old and new. Here is our temperature control center during install: They will be back to try the car out, I am sure. Bernie

I just read the latest post to this topic and remembered how long it has been since I subscribed to Skinned Knuckles Magazine. I was happy to find they accept payments online and as of today I am a subscriber again. My first subscription was purchased at the 1977 Buick Nationals in Strongsville, Ohio. A vendor was set up with back issues and taking subscriptions. I bought one of everything he had and continued to subscribe for at least 20 years. I had a 1939 Series 40 at the time and liked this line up in 1977: Here's the car in 1974: Maybe I'll give it another 20 years and if it works out, make it permanent. It really is the best magazine I've read. http://skinnedknuckles.net/pages/table%20of%20contents.htm Bernie

The Ruxton, Diana, Moon and other uncommon cars were around 30 years old when I first got into the hobby and it was always great to see stories about them pop up in the pre-computer days. I probably heard about those cars around 1960. The few times they have surfaced over the years has refreshed the memories. I like the history behind them. On that Diana radiator cap, did they make a plain dog-bone version? I have a similar one in the collection of things to transfer to new custodians: Bernie

I check a couple of forums online and get my club magazines. There are four hardbound books and one professional organization magazine next to my chair in the living room. I will have to stash them away before the Christmas crowd gets here. I lost a life long fascination with magazines for two reasons; 1. every time I looked at one stuff fell out of it. I was always picking up advertising and subscription cards. I t was an extension of junk mail. 2., it became more and more obvious that the writers needed a bag of groceries for their effort than they wanted to write a meaningful article. The 10 Ugliest Radio Delete Panels or All the Things I Learned About a Car I Knew Nothing About Last Week are the kind of articles that hold no value. And certainly not worth picking up a bunch of mail-in cards off the bathroom floor. Car Life was always my favorite when growing up; facts, no hype and BS, no author/character/hero's. Well, I am going to shut down the computer. I have a broken bolt to drill out. Modern magazines are just for people without priorities. Bernie

They made a poster and called it coolness; everyday event around here. Coolness is having one of these: Bernie

That Packard picture reminds me of a story my Grandfather told me about taking a fare on a long winter ride in an open chauffeur compartment cab during the '20's; etched in his mind. Bernie

Chrysler used a similar design for their Falcon concept car. Both sere featured in magazines in the 1950's and considered quite stylish compared the the contemporary models. Somewhere in my stuff I have the Chrysler brochure. I remember the Gaylord well. The Falcon: If you really want one, building a repop wouldn't be hard and you'd have a better car. Imagine what Derham, Bowman & Schwartz, even Fleetwood could have done with the tools we find in a serious hobbyists shop today. Mig welders, plasma cutters, metal adhesives, filler and paint products; We have tools to make stuff they only dreamed about. Right now I am remembering lead oozing down the inside of a door panel on a Fleetwood car. I have a period one off in the planning stages now. Bernie

Check the brakes thoroughly before placing your car on a pedestal. Searching for heaven. Bernie

Dirt is the biggest enemy. Clean it regularly and keep a search going for a few yards of the original material. Wear it out and repair it. In fact, wear out the seats, tires, brakes, suspension, and engine. Fix it as you go along. The same things that need replacement after years of sitting idle are the same things that wear out in use. Create lots of great memories. They are much dearer than the memories of the previous owners. Bernie

I guess one would have to read the Ebay feedback as a seller and look at the showrooms on a satellite map to get the best idea of what is going on. hokey The Cuba story sounds a little hokey, but I wondered if they made return trips. Bernie

'Tis the season! Bernie

Need? Buying the fifth car was a no brainer for me, or was it the fouth, no maybe the third. You know, if I had half a mind to by a sixth at least half a mind will elevate me from no brainers. Bernie

One of my metal pieces came off and dropped into the quarter panel about 20 years ago. I can't remember driving the car with the windows up. I gotta get that out of there and put it back on. When I do check weatherstrip tightness I close a dollar bill (well, a dollar for Chevies and Fords, 20 dollar bill for Buicks, 50 for Bentley's, 100 for Rolls) between the door and the weatherstrip. You should be able to feel a firm grip as you draw the bill out. Too tight will tear, too loose will have little resistance