60FlatTop

DJ, I had a similar problem with a 1969 Fleetwood, banged over every tar strip. On that car in was the camber. As I remember the tires leaned inward too much at the top. Those cars had a swiveling ball joint to adjust with. Your car would have shims. don't cut the alignment guy any slack, make him do it right. Bernie

Jim and Friends, My car is parked in front of Bennett Buick, Wayland, NY. Three generations of Buick sales from that location; Buicks in 1921 and Buicks in 2011, pretty good record. As to the choice of whitewalls, I don't have them on my truck. Bernie

A lot of variables could play into the tire aging issue. I grew up in a tire shop starting at age 11. The first rule my grandfather taught me was, tires are put together with heat and pressure, heat and pressure will take them apart. Have you always driven fully inflated to the correct pressure? Driving soft is a tire killer. The air a tire is inflated with has some moisture in it. Over a period of 10 to 20 years can that moisture, although small, cause rot of the inner casing fabric? Maybe, it might be a good case for the nitrogen inflation. The rubber around the casing is different material than the tread, again, bonded together with heat and pressure. Can out gassing of the rubber volitiles affect the bond over the years? Or can out gassing affect the adhesive properties of the tire? Maybe old tires on a Model A Ford driven on secondary roads at 40 MPH would be OK. I like driving my 1960 Buick at freeway speeds on long trips in the summer. I am happy I wore my tires out in 8 years. I would say it worked out fine. If you drive your car a thousand miles or more a year........ I can't wait to get my new 8.20 X 15 Wide Whites!

Hey, This looks like hijacking a wanted add! OK, I'll pay more and share!

Bob, It is great to see you pop up here. I was using the same reasoning you did. I figured my trip the Danvers, Mass this year from Brockport, New York is going to cost the gas, tolls, three night in a motel, registration fees, food, and a little entertainment, plus 4 days off work. The gas does not impact the total much. Bernie

I am still interested in finding this information or anything about Car Craft Company in Lima, OH. Thanks, Bernie

My cars just don't look right without the aspect ratio of a biased tire. I have a 1960 Electra with 8.20 X 15's and a 1964 Riviera with 7.10 X 15's. Both cars had 78 series tires when I purchased them. I like my cars looking the way they did when I first took interest in cars as a kid. Both cars drive and handle very well, the Riviera has new springs and all new bushings, the Electra is a well maintained 72,000 mile car. Often when a friend is riding with me on our rough Main St. I fake the image radial tire promoters like to project. I pretend to fight the wheel and ask him to look at the sweat on my brow from fighting these terrible tires; then I just relax and lay one hand on the top of the wheel. All the reading I have done about this debate can be summed up in one sentence," I replaced the 27 year old biased tires on my car with radials and, boy!, it handles like a dream." I am buying a new set for the Electra next month. The current set of biased tires are worn out. I installed them in 2002 and have put 10,000 miles on them. Eight years would be an appropriate time to replace any tire, biased or radial. Bernie

My new toy arrived today. It traveled from Racine, WI. to western New York. Pretty dirty from the trip, but that first wash job lets you touch and feel all over. I am happy. It is a Car Craft conversion.

I picked up a nice extra mirror for the right side of mine, jeez, maybe 15 years ago. It is in a box on the Riviera parts shelf in the garage. I find the safest way to change lanes or enter an expressway is at about 3/4 throttle. The 55-80 time is short. Always accelerate for lane changes!

I took a look at the Rare Parts site. You might want to use a vendor specializing in Buick parts. The rear control arm bushings are front and rear, just on the bottom, and four. The track bar bushings are different, two of those. When you get around to the front, the lower inner bushings are a PIA. I made a special driver to remove and install mine.

I should add that the paint still looks great today. Here are a couple more pics:

Buick Man, I still have a couple of quarts of the Valspar paint I bought back in the 1990's. It was their industrial enamel and has no % of gloss figures. Here is a recent listing. I bet it is very close. The paint is fairly inexpensive, about $28 per gallon. Seems to have a good shelf life, I am still using some with a good stirring. http://www.lspproducts.com/downloads/pricing_guides/Valspar%20Paints.pdf Bernie

I have owned that book for a long time and never tire of reading it. Over the years it has inspired me to cut roofs off of cars and all kinds of things that have made me smile. I am not a buyer but would be very happy to trade a few emails about the car's history. I saved the picture to print and put in my book. Thanks, Bernie

Monte Carlo.

I would like to buy brochures, pamphlets, and other items related to Car Craft Company. My particular interest is the 1986 Buick Electra Park Avenue Convertible conversion. dailyops@frontiernet.net Thank you.

I would like to buy brochures, pamphlets, and other items related to Car Craft Company. My particular interest is the 1986 Buick Electra Park Avenue Convertible conversion. dailyops@frontiernet.net Thank you.

Here is a link that may be of value: Carburetor Tune Up Guide - The Carburetor Doctor Bernie

I have been watching them as well. My black 1994 Roadmaster finally gave in the rust and age. These newer cars do not age as well as the 1960's and older. I do a frequent search on Trader Online for 2006 to 2008 Lincolns plus the keyword "reduced". They are very good cars. I figure the second week in June gas will be about $4.25 to $4.50 and I will get a great deal on either the Lincoln or a Tahoe. Three years ago this June gas peaked at $4.10 around here and I bought my wife an Infinity QX4 for almost $4,000 under the regular price. She loves it and has put almost 7,000 miles on it; didn't pour a lot of gas in that one. By September the price should be back to just under $3.50 and I'll be a happy camper. Buy that Lincoln in June! Bernie

Here is my '64 Riviera frame, sandblasted, epoxy primed, and finish coated with ValSpar satin black. The picture is from the early 1990's and it still looks good today, Being 20 years older I don't look at it real often, but it's nice.

Located in western New York, $6500 585-797-7421 Too little time for my long term Jaguar project. The main car is a 1953 Mark VII. It is a solid southern California car. The engine was rebuilt, carbs rebuilt, comes with an extra fresh rebuilt transmission. Runs real good and moves under its own power. Needs complete restoration. I have owned it three years and watched a lot listed on Ebay. Most of the others were prettier but not as solid. The parts car is a 1954 Mark VIIM with a 4 speed OD. that engine was also rebuilt and lacks a head. I have tons of extra parts, about three tons, I'd say. If you want a street rod project I can keep the extra parts. If you would like a Jaguar parts business you had a good start right here.

A 25 foot roll of steel tubing and a good double flaring kit are all I have ever needed. Don't piece together the pre-flared lines from the auto parts store. And don't use connectors. Make the lines home runs. I use DOT 4. Every year I flush the brake system to get the moisture out and check everything. I start with a turkey baster and suck the fluid from the master cylinder. It has usually darkened. I put in new and start bleeding the wheel cylinders until clean, clear fluids comes out. The flush will pretty much stop corrosion and will prevent the sludge from building up. I also firmly grip the steering wheel and press as hard as I can on the brakes, the way I would if a kid ran out in front of me. A lot of guys seem to be afraid to do that, they cringe when I tell them. They might be afraid of blowing a line. Seems to be working for me. Bernie

Are you running without and air cleaner and sucking hood insulation down over the carb when you drive? Best thing to do is put a dwell meter, voltage meter, spark plug tester, and vacuum gauge in the car. Drive it until is stops and see what ain't happenin'. I used to service freshly restored cars during the 1990's and the hardest thing to do when the "professional" restoration was completed was to toss the keys to the wife and let her go to the grocery store for a gallon or milk and a loaf of bread.

ahhh, it worked. I got it back nice and satiny. It has held up very well. We moved along at a good pace on this one. I learned a lot about "what I wouldn't ever do again" A lot of fussy detail work. Here's the last of what I found. Getting close to the end. I am getting my '60 Electra in shape for the trip to Danvers. After that the Riviera gets a little 15 year refreshing. It's nice to find these old pictures. Bernie

I will test one picture to be sure they resize OK. Way in the back of a file drawer I found some pre-digital pictures and scanned them today. Here are I few: This is my frame BEFORE taking it for sandblasting, epoxy primer, and a coat of satin black.

Here is a pretty harmless Buick 8. Four holer. Not a Buick but the monument where the Buick is sitting.