60FlatTop

Murphy's Law says buy the new fender and just hang it in the garage. It is a $125 insurance policy that you will never need it. Bernie

Summit Racing has real good pricing and shipping on the Coker tires correct for your car. The nice thing about the original tires is that the sidewall height is right and gives the car a better stance. And they don't rub the inner fenders. Of course, using biased tires means you might have to do some bushing and joint service on that 50 year old suspension. Mine are 7.10 X 15 for the non-GS car. Bernie

There is a burlap cover over the springs that is hog ringed at its perimeter to help the cushion effect of the springs. Bernie

That Macy's ad is interesting. Here's a similar one that was entitled: "There's More Than a Buick in Your Future" Try old age and the threat of senility

I hate to second guess a shop diagnosis through online forum threads. I would be curious to see the notes, though. In my garage there would be a paper with the compression readings. In this case a second set with oil in the cylinders to gauge the ring wear. Then there would be the dial indicator measurements on the cam lobes from the suspicious cylinders. I couldn't imagine 16 flat lobes. Then you have the average of 1,000 miles per year. I expect it didn't occur that evenly and there must have been some years of idle time. Long periods of sitting makes for stuck rings and rusty cylinder walls. At $50 and hour a guy can get a lot of diagnostics done in a day for $400. Now, let's say you were in Buffalo, New York and brought the car to me. Knowing the story so far, with the engine cold, I would put my radiator tester on and pump the system up to 18#. Just watching the gauge and listening for water (where we don't want it). Once satisfied with that test, I would start the car and bring the engine up to temperature. Then real quick, I'd pop that carb off, careful not to tilt and spill. I'd peek down into the manifold and look for wetness or vapors floating around. On the old Q-jet Caddies I'd see them soaked from leaky plugs in the base of the carb. I know you don't have the Q-jet, but a wet manifold is an easy check..... before I got the compression tester out. Three things; your mechanic might have done those things, he might not have done those things, you might wish you lived in Buffalo. Bernie

I think real satisfaction would come from owning a real babied car used for those boulevard rides. Bernie

Sometimes people plant the seed of a thought and you can't shake it. "Lost in Moparland!" That's going to get into a dream and I'll end up on the floor like the night the giant snake jumped at me in a dream. Thanks, Roberta. Bernie

I had a 1995 3.8 Riviera for a short time and I heard that platform evolved into the Lucerne. It was a great car to drive. I may buy another or a Lucerne someday. I had an Enclave for a company car a couple of years ago. It had a 3.6 with a 6 speed. I used to come home absolutely livid from driving that car. I have been driving Buicks all my life and expect torque at a nudge of my foot. That car was a dog on the road. I could drive to Syracuse on the NYS Thruway and it was fine at a constant 70. I have this psychological quirk where I can't drive straight home the way I went. So I would take the old two lane Rt. 20 across the rolling hills of the Fingerlakes. It was a killer for that low performance car. You couldn't keep the power steady. It would dog out on the inclines and force you to push the pedal harder to downshift to find the torque band. I kept wishing they had thrown in a 5.3 like my Silverado has, even stuffing it in sideways would have improved the 5,000 pound car. It was like two engineers and a senator decided on the drive-train. "Well, we don't need much of an engine if we put in lots of gears." and then the senator pops up and says "Yeah, did you know a guy can jack a railroad car around with his foot?" I guess the engineer jumped up and said "wow! Let's try this." And someone whispered "You couda had a V8." Last year I needed a car I could jump in and cross the state on a whim. I bought the best 1994 Impala SS I could find. I come home smiling every time. I wonder if the new owner of that Enclave has figured out those chips on the steering wheel are teeth marks. "Damn the high RPM HP, full torque ahead!" Bernie

Jerry, I just Did a search for completed sales on Buicks from 1900 to 1990. Don't worry about the fees too much almost everything was in red and tagged "Reserve Not Met". I guess the fees didn't matter on those. Bernie

Thanks for that link. Nothing I like more than a car with the top loped off. Somewhere in Pennsylvania there is a red '62 Electra 225 6 window 4 door convert that I did about 20 years ago. I am pretty sure it is a parts car. It was stunning when first converted. As to the Caddies, here is the one I wish I had kept: For cost, this kid was $30,000+ in 1986: The worst problem with color is that people think my Park Ave is a Mercedes! I think the Park ave uses a lot of left over Riviera components. Notice the H&E Eldo kept its quarter panel line. I like that style better than the factory ones. And the quarter panel line of the PA is really reshaped. I like that a lot. I am always looking for information on Car Craft Company. Bernie

I sure like the size of those quarter panels. Bernie

Didn't the cars exported to the southern hemisphere have a barometric pressure inverter to help the air/fuel mixture draw upward into the engine? If you have one it might be creating eddy currents if it needs service. That can cause those symptoms. This is the internet and everything is fact. Kings Cross R&R Vet 1969 Bernie

Post traumatic headboard syndrome.

I should be OK. I have gained an inch or so of headroom from my evolving hair style. Bernie

You are kidding, roads like Woodward are rough? It ain't the suspension that needs an upgrade!

The foam is held to a small paper wrapped "run-a-round" wire on the seating surface of the springs. A few hog rings hold it in place and the rest of the hog ring hold the "seat seam wire" and foam. Those deep channels and the shape of the foam are critical to a good fit and straight seams. Life's experience tells me buying the $120 fabricated replacement foam will have some intangible rewards over 20 bucks worth Gary's stuff. Bernie

There is not a whole lot of difference in the parts and design that make up my '60 Electra with new 8.20 X 15 Firestone's as well. I had a '60 Invicta in 1966 when I was 17 also. I remember pegging the speedometer many times on the first one and being a little rough on it; to the tune of a 60 MPH doughnut one night. My car drives fine and if you get near Rochester New York I would let you try it. What you should really be trying out is modified cars that have had steering and suspension revised they can be the ones that handle like crap. I've seen street rods that have to back up twice to turn into a driveway because the Ackerman principle was wrong. Then there is the incorrect shock action, the wheels rubbing on the frame and fender wells. Then there are the old squashed out body mounts that even let the body shift around on the frame. Best thing to do is tell Dad there is a nice guy in the forum who would help you find a special car you like (maybe the only '86 Park Ave convert in the country) and trade it to you for the old lump. Tell Dad he's old and not really too smart; even drives on biased tires. You will probably get a great deal. That's my biased opinion. Bernie

I know sometimes a car cover might be needed. I have been in garages with a collection of nondescript brown or gray lumps in rows; seems kind of like a mausoleum. And I sure wouldn't want to leave a car outside wearing one. I saw all the body lines "sanded" to bare metal from a little dust/dirt and wind. My thing is sitting on my pneumatic draftsman's chair and looking at the cars while I daydream. I'll keep wiping the dust off. A guy never tires of rubbing his hands over the leading edge of a '64 Riviera fender. Bernie

I plan on buying Clark's new front seat foam for my new '64 standard interior. I would like to replace the rear seat foam as well. Has anyone used the fronts and modified them to fit the rear or have you just carved new ones from a block of foam? Bernie

Rob, That material looks a lot like the maroon pattern that was in my '69 Fleetwood. Given the relatively low number of 2 doors in the Buick line, I wonder if that might be a seat from the same trimming operation as the Cadillacs. You might find the stiutching is the same on the Buick, Caddy, and Olds big 2 doors. Just a thought. Bernie

Oh, I almost forgot. In 1972 Grandma O'brien ended up buying a '68 Wildcat 2-dr hardtop. Bernie

I'm glad they have been referred the Buick Customer Assistance. Otherwise they might be hunting me down to take my Dynaflow driven, 401 cubic inch, 325 Horsepower, 4 Barrel carbureted, dual exhaust, 4,000 pound, separate body and frame 1960 Electra. We eased from a parking spot on Main Street last weekend and were gliding up the street hardly nudging 1800 RPM through the whole process. Then I noticed a little whistle and saw the vent widow on my side was cracked open a bit. Always remember my Grandma O'Brien when you buy a car. In my lifetime she had owned a 1949 Roadmaster, 1954 Roadmaster, and a 1962 Invicta. Around 1972 my uncle brought a '60's Skylark out for her to try. She looked at him with a regal and authoritative look when she said "That is not a Buick." We call it the deliverable in my line of work. Bernie

I like the comment about appraisals. Years ago I read one of the popular Buyer's Guide series of books for Rolls-Royce/Bentley cars. The book addressed appraisal of Bentley's with a Rolls-Royce grille shell; short and sweet "Bentley-No grille shell". I have used that concept ever since in setting my own standards. The appraisal is usually based on an authenticity standard. What makes a '64 Riviera a '64 Riviera? My '64 is an example. I have Hushpower mufflers and a modified exhaust; 1964 Riviera-No exhaust-deduct $1500. If I decide to sell it I will install the spare stock exhaust to maintain the collectible (not functional) value. I remember looking at a 1953 Cadillac that was For Sale near me. It had been completely redone with J. C. Whitney type "universal" parts. The weatherstrip, carpets, and the like were all obviously cut off a roll. It was sad to hear the old guy's restoration story. Bernie

That '65 is a pretty good deal. If you started with a good southern car like they claim you would probably lay out $3,000 for the base car (entry fee)minimum. Paint, interior, and chrome might take 3 years of part time work and farming out. Let's say you took the $3,000 and added a $9,000 loan for 36 months at 6-8% interest. You would pay about $275 per month and be driving and smiling next month. I always made the mistake of thinking I had concurrent cash and time, as well as thinking work farmed out would be done in a timely manner and done right. I know the economics now. All I need to do is learn to follow my own advice. Bernie

And here I am taking the '65 Custom seats out of my car and putting the correct '64 Standard seats back in. Could have made a deal. Bernie