60FlatTop's Content - Page 503 - Antique Automobile Club of America

2013, Buick Sets All Time Sales Record Worldwide

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick - General

Lucernes are nice cars, but they don't make them anymore. I would buy a black CLS if they made one. I drive across New York State. The Enclave was fine if I took the Thruway ay 75 MPH all the way. If I wanted to come home on Route 20 a secondary road through scenic rolling hills the 3.6 engine wouldn't pull it over the hills without forcing a downshift on the compensatory 6 speed transmission and that was never a predictable shift. I have owned 30 Buicks (I have the list). The Enclave was a disappointment. I drove it 24,000 miles. It is gone. I take my 5.3 Chevy pickup now. My long association with high torque Buicks has made me a light throttle driver. My vehicles rarely exceed 2500 RPM. I am not in the habit of jamming the pedal enough to get a turbocharger to blow life into a 4 cyclinder engine or wind up a 6 to its over rated high horsepower. They just don't build cars for a person with traditional Buick expectations. Luckily there are almost 100 years of cars to choose from and people saved a lot of them. If I don't get a new Tahoe I may drop a W12 in a newer Lincoln Town Car. Bernie

2013, Buick Sets All Time Sales Record Worldwide

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick - General

It's worst than a wet blanket. I am a third generation of Buick owners and at a point in life where I want to buy that loaded dream car. I had a 2008 Enclave in 2008. The lack of power for the 5,000 pound car made me livid. And that was mostly Buick built. I'm a buyer and there is nothing to buy. Bernie

Electrical Fire on '58 Super

60FlatTop replied to bhclark's topic in Buick - Post War

Brian, Thank you for the update and my condolences on the loss of your Mom. Glad to hear the car is underway. Good luck, Bernie

2013, Buick Sets All Time Sales Record Worldwide

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick - General

How about a big thank you to Opel, Holden, Vauxhall, .......... and FIAT. "When better cars are built, Buick will build them." 1950 "Buick, rebadging a stairway to heaven."2010 Bernie

Electrical Fire on '58 Super

60FlatTop replied to bhclark's topic in Buick - Post War

Brian, I have been watching for an update. I remember in one post you wrote that your Dad (?) had some serious medical problems and now the cold has overtaken most of the US; nothing working with keeping our cars going. I hope things are working out the best for your family and that your car gets on its way back to good condition, as well. I have wiring diagrams for your car and if I can do anything from a distance to help progress, just let me know. Bernie

Please help me decide what to do about body work and paint on 63 Riviera

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick Riviera

Those spots where the amateur body work is showing through can be cleaned up pretty easy. If it is brown rust bleeding through I take mildly abrasive chrome polish and work the brown off with my fingertips. Then polish it. The same with bumpers and trim. Always keep the interior nice and clean. Even if you redo some of the areas the car will be fine for years. It is not a secret that the economy is on the brink of a pretty good sized crisis. If you have 5 grand of discretionary money get it in your hands and hang on. If you don't need it to survive someone else will and there will be some fantastic deals out there over the next 6 to 8 years. And think about a $5,000 paint job, with paint pushing $200 a gallon and labor ranging from $80 to $120 per hour, what kind of a job do you think they can do in a week? Now that you know your Riviera more intimately just think of how nice a car you can buy to replace the training one. I tried to find a video clip with a compilation of poor excuses for poor service, but everything I found was related to government issues. I am sure the body shop owner knows a bunch, though. Bernie

Have you uploaded your car to the Discovery Channel yet ?

60FlatTop replied to FLYER15015's topic in Buick - General

I'm not much of a Ford fan, but if he posted it, I'd give old Burt a thumbs up for this one: Good old boy's. I had a red '71 LTD convertible, the first car I took the 150,000 miles. Bernie

Got my Waldron's exhaust kit. Do I need any exhaust sealant?

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick Riviera

When I put the first system on my '64 I coated the ball and socket as well as the flange bolts and the slip joints with Never-Sieze. 15 years later everything came apart nicely. Compare the flare on your old pipes with the new ones from that company. You might want to take yours to an exhaust shop and have them redone. Good luck. Bernie

1936 Special master cylinder blasphemy or good upgrade?

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick - Pre War

Originality is not my absolute goal, although deviations from originality can reduce the value of a collector car in some instances. My reason for retaining and repairing the original equipment is based on the specific engineering that went into the original design of the car. My single piston cylinder was designed after many miles of the Interstate Highway System had been built. These highways were designed for 80 to 100 MPH traffic. Engineering is a licensed profession and within a decade of my car being built the US put a man on the moon. Engineering was well developed at that time. My car has ¼” brake lines. Dual master cylinders have either 3/16” or metric ball fitting connections. How will these smaller diameter pipes and fittings work with my ¼” wheel cylinders? What adapters or transitions are appropriate? Will displacement of the of the rubber cups be affected. Does the tension of the spring between the cups make a difference? “It should work.” From the parts counter guy or “gee, it worked on mine.” just isn’t a compelling argument to throw out the factory design. I notice the list of avoided risks generally relate to unattended maintenance issues. I have 45 years of working for a living “fixing stuff”. My greatest successes have entailed removing the “improvements” and restoring, buildings, systems, and equipment back to their original design. So, a couple of months ago my wife and I jumped in the car on a spur of the moment thought, drove half way across the state and had lunch with her sister and her husband. Somewhere in the last 25 miles of the 200 mile round trip my wife said “ You know, it’s pretty good to just get in a car this old and take a ride this long.” She’s catching on. Bernie

BACON-RIND AUTO BEARING

60FlatTop replied to dibarlaw's topic in Buick - Pre War

When I was in High School a friend of mine filled his windshield washer reservoir with used oil and piped it to the air cleaner. When the pump jockey was putting the dollars worth of gas we'd smoke things up pretty good. Bernie

has anyone here placed a car in a museum?

60FlatTop replied to 48Rdmstr68Skylrk's topic in Buick - General

The newer a car is the more susceptible to failure from disuse. Although putting a car up to the late 1930's in a long term idle state produces problems special to their vintage, the cast iron and steel survives the idle climate pretty well. A car with sophisticated electronics, mated dissimilar metals, plastic, push connectors, and more sensitive and less durable parts could be a nightmare when it comes time to retrieve it. ALL cars should be considered as abused when sitting idle, benevolently neglected is a term I heard once. Just consider the number of round parts in a car. If the cars was supposed to sit around a lot of them would be made with a flat spot on the bottom. Try to drive your car a minimum of 15 miles a week. It will always be at it's peak value. Those are nuts and bolts mechanical reasons. If the museum is incorporated as a non-profit you may be handing your car over to professional archivists required by law to maintain the collection. They are generally not mechanics or hobbyists and may not have expertise in an automotive field. They applied for a job so they could buy groceries. Some will be dedicated and do a superb job others may not. I'm pretty comfortable going to bed with my cars about 200 feet away for the night. and sometimes I just sit in the garage and look at them. Two more cents. Bernie

1940 Special oil

60FlatTop replied to meteor's topic in Buick - Pre War

I'm pretty sure the Keystone pipeline will be built. It will provide the infrastructure needed for a parallel water line to drain the Great Lakes of valuable fresh water when payments to China come due. Take a look at the map. Also the Army Corp of Engineers hasn't been able to keep the shipping lanes of the Mississippi open well enough to get all that fabled "foreign" oil into port. Bernie

straight 8 spark plug questions

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick - Pre War

A few years ago I did a major tune-up on this old gal for a member: I decided to take a tip from people who have really fussy cars to tune (like my little brown one in the background). I took an original AC plug out of my pocket at the parts store and said "Give me an NGK that has a tip like that." We found one and I put in a set. I was pretty happy with the outcome. Bernie

1936 Special master cylinder blasphemy or good upgrade?

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick - Pre War

I just did a satellite look at Rockville, Md. Just head northeast when you go for a ride and you should be fine. As I remember, my '39 Special 4 doors only weighed in at 3600 pounds or so. That really didn't become a "big" car until the 1980's when all the other stuff shrunk. Buick always touted the best brakes in the industry. Don't forget that top pivot pin makes them self energizing. It will spot well if the linings aren't ancient and there is not red mud in the wheel cylinder. Oh, I just noticed your BCA member number. Are the same shoes still on the car that were on it when you joined the BCA? Bernie

'40 Limited brake linings "a riveting question"

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick - Pre War

There may be a chance that NOS linings have aged and out-gassed some of the volatiles that gave the linings a cushion grip to conform to the drum and stop the car. I had a friend who once did a full brake job and kept his original shoes because they had minimal wear. Car car wouldn't stop. I shared my thoughts and finally he begrudgingly installed a fresh stock set of linings. He wasn't happy that I was right but the car sure stopped good. Be careful about the age of those NOS consumable parts. Bernie

1940 Special oil

60FlatTop replied to meteor's topic in Buick - Pre War

I use 10-40 Texaco in all my cars. I just like to imagine some Indian chief in a black '67 Caddy convertible driving through a field of oil wells on my nickle... head dress and feathers. Just imagination, but it humors me. I know it's all probably turban oil if you checked it out. Ooops! Did I write turban oil? I must have meant turbine oil. Gotta have coffee with Freud and talk that slip over. Bernie

BACON-RIND AUTO BEARING

60FlatTop replied to dibarlaw's topic in Buick - Pre War

I think you grow hogs like vegetables and you peel the rind off to get the ham fruit. Kinda like growing humans: Bernie

Have you uploaded your car to the Discovery Channel yet ?

60FlatTop replied to FLYER15015's topic in Buick - General

Yeah, I figured it out and posted a clip of Velocity channel viewers deciding 3 days ago. I put some grapes in an old windshield washer bottle and caught three of them in my back yard last summer. Or maybe their thumbs don't work right all the time: Bernie

65 rivi steering gear box

60FlatTop replied to arnulfo de l.a.'s topic in Buick Riviera

Your box would make a good core for Lars Mfg. I bought a couple from them in the 1990's for customers with bad seals. A fresh rebuilt box is the best way to go. Lars pops up in the forum, just look for the Studebaker truck in the signature. Bernie

1930's Buick made into a hay wagon... Input anyone? What is it?

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick - Pre War

I remember a long chassis like that stored along side a fence on the O'Brien side of the family's farm. Nothing mundane like a hay wagon in its future. It was going to be a bridge over a culvert. On the other side of the road, at the main farmhouse, was the 1919 Buick buzz saw my Grandmother gave me when I was about 12. I got pretty dirty but never got it running so they'd be scared of me getting caught in the blade. Interesting thought; when I was 12 I thought the first thing you did with an old car was tear it all apart and make it new. Bernie

USA Today -- 1959 Buick Invicta

60FlatTop replied to jonosso's topic in Buick - General

You think anything in this assembly would be affected by lowering? Nah, the guy on TV does it all the time. Bernie

48 Roadmaster Sedanette

60FlatTop replied to a topic in Buick - Buy/Sell

60FlatTop says he already sent the S. A. E. wrenches. 60FlatTop

Buick Reference Books---Where are they?

60FlatTop replied to Pomeroy41144's topic in Buick - General

Buicks are generally not the broken down clunkers needing restoration that Ford's are. Many survivors have led very gentle lives with quite conservative adult owners and there is still a reasonably good choice of well maintained Buicks, both for sale and for physical reference. As a writing exercise, sit down and make three columns. Label them Buick, Ford, and Plymouth. Now list all the adjectives you can remember people using for each make. It won't take long to figure out Buicks are just big, comfortable, reliable cars that don't need someone rummaging around to find out how to keep them nice. Bernie

USA Today -- 1959 Buick Invicta

60FlatTop replied to jonosso's topic in Buick - General

Chris, the announcer, needed a bag or two of groceries, I am sure. That was his motivation. They couldn't show a nice one because someone sympathetic to urban campers would have thought they were patronizing the one per centers. Looks like USA today. Bernie

65 Dual Quad Riviera for sale in AL - $4,800 - Not Mine

60FlatTop replied to cjp69's topic in Buick Riviera

I got started in the hobby in 1959. The golden advice at the time was "Don't waste your money on anything but an open car." In the '60's I saw sedans stripped to complete convertibles or create stashes of spare parts. I am still a strong believer in differentiating between lesser and senior models. Senior sedans really took a hit back then. Cars I saw parted were Packards, Cords, Pierce-Arrows, Cadillacs, Jaguars in sedan version that are high end stuff today. It is an adapting hobby. In 1978 I bought (and overpaid for) a nice '64 Riviera that was 15 years old. Its 50 this year. In 2011 I bought a real clean '94 Impala SS that was 15 years old. Right now I am looking for one more "keeper" and project being around another 50 years. I'm pretty sure it is going to be real nice, out of the mainstream, and undervalued. There is always a philosophy of wisdom out there driving selection of purchases. I guess, if a person is smart enough to have the discretionary money to buy a collector choosing what they like will be more important than conforming to the herd. I have been looking at 200-ish black Lincoln Town Cars in the Cartier edition and wondering how much I'd like it in 2030. Bernie

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2013, Buick Sets All Time Sales Record Worldwide

2013, Buick Sets All Time Sales Record Worldwide

Electrical Fire on '58 Super

2013, Buick Sets All Time Sales Record Worldwide

Electrical Fire on '58 Super

Please help me decide what to do about body work and paint on 63 Riviera

Have you uploaded your car to the Discovery Channel yet ?

Got my Waldron's exhaust kit. Do I need any exhaust sealant?

1936 Special master cylinder blasphemy or good upgrade?

BACON-RIND AUTO BEARING

has anyone here placed a car in a museum?

1940 Special oil

straight 8 spark plug questions

1936 Special master cylinder blasphemy or good upgrade?

'40 Limited brake linings "a riveting question"

1940 Special oil

BACON-RIND AUTO BEARING

Have you uploaded your car to the Discovery Channel yet ?

65 rivi steering gear box

1930's Buick made into a hay wagon... Input anyone? What is it?

USA Today -- 1959 Buick Invicta

48 Roadmaster Sedanette

Buick Reference Books---Where are they?

USA Today -- 1959 Buick Invicta

65 Dual Quad Riviera for sale in AL - $4,800 - Not Mine

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