dkbuick75

I remember these well. I was the Assistant Mgr in a Buick Service Dept at the time. It was an outsourced installed package for dealers only--In stock or freshly ordered stock LeSabres were sent to a local speciality conversion shop first and then returned to the dealer with the "package" installed. Had absolutely NOTHING to do with Buick or with Buick backing. A cheap and quick way for the dealers, salesmen and Finance MGRs to make an extra fast buck and add'l profit from an "appearance" package. Many people were "duped" into thinking this was a "special limited" edition Buick. Some salesman will sometimes say anything to close the deal. All it really entailed was putting on a sim-con (simulated convertible looking roof) with extra side panel extensions on the roof to cover the rear opera 1/4 glass windows in the rear doors, "GOLD" etched LeSabre nameplates, trim and hood ornament, aftermarket wheel/fender skirts on the 1/4 panels and "special" circular "Wildcat Limited Edition" named badges (cheap looking circular disks)on the side roof panels. This may have started as early as the redesigned '92 model year and really seemed to show up more on the showroom floor from '93 & up to the '97 or '98 model year. This was, at the time, now and forever will be nothing more than your normal LeSabre. The same dependable, reliable workhorse in the Buick line-up we all know. I believe they only sold this pkg on the LeSabre Limited model. You know dealer tactics-- add more cost unto the already more expensive costing moodel. If memory serves me, I believe the dealers charged $1500 or more for this "add-on pkg. Unfortunately, it never will be anything of add'l value or rarity---as it was never factory sponsored. I am not even sure how that model would be judged for authenticity at a National meet under the 400 point sytem--- my take per the 400 point system is, Buick never made or offered the version or parts, so the sim-con top, skirts and gold nameplates and trim would all be point deductible for correctness and authenticity to the physical model and year-- these parts were never catalog listed nor available "over the counter" at you Buick parts dept. Buick hasn't even offered a "factory" vinyl roof option since '85. As always, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They were not bad looking examples of a "gussied" up LeSabre. In fact they kinda of caught your eye on the street and in the showroom, because they did look a just a little bit different from the "standard" LeSabre that everyone else had. If your interested in the car from a appearance standpoint as different-- go for it. If your thinking you've found the next '53 Skylark, from a high desirability &/or value perspective--- you can get the same effect standing at the toilet and tossing your money in, then flushing, and repeating the process. Last line is My 2 cents worth- in this deflated, downturned struggling economy. I hope the rest of this narrative was informative and helpful to you.

Find a good body man and have them repair the panel- if there is no evidence of rust anywhere--- I still strongly believe in the old adage that no one -no matter how good they are can beat what was done originally at the factory. If you can avoid breaking the facory welds and seams, by all means repair the original panel. If you do ultimately decide to replace the panel-- make sure it is properly welded -- don't let them use the newer modern sealers that are starting to be used on the newer vehicles-in leiu of welding. They will be a nightmare to follow up on if you ever have any other issues causing you to replace that 1/4. They usually cause add'l damage to the adjoining panel that then has to be reworked as well. Just my 2 cents

Greg, Please PM me about the dash kits--- particulars, payment etc. I am interested and would like to get a set before you sell out. Thanks

There is also 1 other factor that no one else has yet mentioned--- Full Framed vehicles versus Unibody, and RWD versus FWD--- When GM made the full sweep to FWD in all their car lines back in the mid eighties, not everyone welcomed nor wanted FWD, or a Unibody chassis. There were still "old school diehards" that refused to go to FWD and Unibody--for power and safety sake (some in their own opinion- because that is all they/we knew and were raised on) Where did they go?? Most are fairly responsible for vehicles like the first Chevy S-10 Blazers and GMC S-15 Jimmy's becoming so popular---- Conventional Rear-Wheel drive sitting on a full box perimter style frame. They also "Gained" a "new" found road advantage over the smaller/lower FWD counter-parts-- Add'l ride height- they could now see "over" and through the car in front of them and obtained a better over-all view and advantage of the traffic in front of and around them. Something they never realized before afforded by the standard ride height difference between a truck and a car. They also felt safer in their full framed vehicle. Which in many early accidents of the era proved the little full frame trucks held up better and did not buckle and fold the way the Unibody FWD did when getting involved in an accident against one of the "full frame versus FWD body. The only car GM really continued to build at that time that remained RWD was the Corvette. Think back to 86--another "downsizing" (the 1st, came in '77) of Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Pontiac, and Chevy---only besides downsizing , a full switch to FWD-- what models (cars) if any remained rear drive, full frame ?? I can't recall of any of the lines or models that did not fully switch over to FWD. No RWD was offered except for the trucks, and Vette. It wasn't until the early '90, before the much touted "switch" back to RWD in the form of the Chevy Caprice,Chevy Imapla SS, Buick Roadmaster, and Cadillac Fleetwood DeVille was announced, GM finally "caved-in" to buyers demand for a return to RWD vehicles. Look how well those cars were received when they first reappeared. And each model was improved upon each year after. How long did that last??? Until GM got greedy and began to see the growing truck market and a "quick" buck for dolled up, overpriced pick-ups and Larger Tahoe and Suburban type vehicles---even deserting the lucrative "Police Intercepter" market to rival Ford Motor Co and the Crown Vic". So much so that they closed the Arlington, TX assembly plant from the "full size" RWD Caprices & Roadmasters and Wasted add'l monies to re-convert & retool the Arlington plant to produce strictly Full Size trucks and Pick- Ups, something that they had just done 4 -6 years earlier, when they had already spent major capital to retool and convert the Arlington plant for the Full Size cars. Sad to say GM brought alot of their current problems on themselves. They kind of took on a "Field of Dreams" attitude-- adopting a "If you build it, they will buy it", or a "if you build it, they will be forced to buy it" mentality and forced FWD on the buying public, a public that was not openly receptive of the sweeping change. Over the years they have continually neglected or ignored listening to what the buying public really wanted. They are still doing it to this day. Not everyone in the world wants a 4 door vehicle, or a truck or SUV.. There are still many of us, that for whatever our reasons, still want a 2 door coupe. What choices are they giving us?? If memory serves right-- thinking something that will seat 4 people-- The Chevy Cobalt, Pontiac G5 and Pontiac G6, with the G6 really the only model that will fairly comfortably seat 4 adults-- not that I want to be the one to crawl and fall into & out of the back seat-- ease of entry and exit is not in their design-- Did anyone have the chance to actually try and get in or out of the rear rear seat of the latest version of the GTO--- Heck the passenger seat didn't even slide forward for rear seat access. And this was a mid to full size offering. The bean counters are in control and admittedly are not doing a good job of counting their beans--- GM will have a difficult time recovering until true "Car" people with a vision are back in charge- of day to day operations and design. Where is the next "Harley Earl" or someone like him, when he/she is so desperately needed to be in charge at GM??? Someone with "fresh" ideas and a "vision" to bring them to us, the buying public. Just some additional thoughts to ponder.

Thriller Congrats on the new acquisition. You have your driving dilema solved if you look at it objectively--- If I counted right in your vehicle listing, the 76 Century makes nine--- 2 ways to go---1) If you figure 3 really bad months of winter that nothing comes out-- you drive one exclusively for a month, park it, then switch to another for the next month, and so on until all 9 have been driven over that nine month period, or, 2) you are still on a quest for 3 more so you can drive a different one for each month of the year. Or you could get creative by driving one exclusively for a week and go into the rotation mode with the other 8. That way all the cars get driven equally on a shotened rotating basis and don't sit so long in between use of each. Just some suggestions== And, As the kids get older and obtain their driviers license - you will be able to bring out a sizeable fleet to future BCA Nationals. During the winter you can host your own car show in the barn. Just some ideas to cure any boredom that may occur. LOL!!!!

Unless your title and vehicle vin confirm the authencity as a 72-- by the supplied photos, it appears to actually be a 71, by the vented deck lid-- unless the deck lid has been replaced sometime during the cars history--- only 71 full size GM models had vented deck lids-- the vents were removed for 72 models due to a change in the "fresh air" flow venting in the body itself. There is also no direct front end shot showing the grille style--- 71 had horizontal bars and 72 had cross-hatch ("egg-crate") style.just a quick observation from photos supplied.

Thanks for the help guys--- had a chance to get out the service manuals and check into the HVAC system---paper trail of checks confirmed your suggestions. Ordered a new blower control module from the dealer -- should have by weekend and hope to have the 98 up operating correctly by the weekend

Need Help!!! I Haven't yet had the chance to pull down the 3 book service manual set for the car yet, but have the following problem/issue with the a/c blower system on my 98-- I put the car back in the garage a couple weeks/month ago from the last use and everything was working perfectly. Pulled the car out this past weekend to go fill the tank from the last outing and discovered the the fan blower was inop in any of the A/C-Htr mode functions-- fan blower does not operate at any fan speed, in any of the functions--ie: heater, A/C, Vent, Defrost, Blend, Recirculate, etc. I know the fuses are okay, as during my trip to get gas, while I kept fiddling with all the mode positions, temp and fan position settings, the system kicked in on A/C for all of 30 seconds, and quit just as fast as it came on. How in the H_ _ _ can the system be working when you last use & park the car and then go back in a couple of weeks/month and the system is completely dead??? Nada, nothing, Kaput!!! I don't understand---I have had the car since '02 and this is the 1st problem of any kind I've experienced with this car. Has anyone else had the same or similar problem with the their A/C-Htr system in this gen Riv. Any thoughts, ideas appreciated. I HATE electrical issues. Thanks in advance.

Had the same issue in June when the master cyl on my 69 started getting mushy, 1 week before our scheduled leave for ROA Nats this year in Galena--- Napa does carry both master cyls-- probably will have to order- 2-3 days. Yes, the Delco master is silver- once you get the old master off the booster and out of your way you can read the "Delco Moraine" name stamped vertically into the face of the booster-- the writing is located alongside the left side of the master (closest to the engine). I "guessed" on the first master I ordered @ NAPA because when I opened the hood the booster was silver, and not the "goldish" anodized color. Got home after 2 day wait for part and took everthing apart and to my dismay found /saw the "Delco" name after I took off the old master. Went back to NAPA and re-oredered the correct one. However, I did panick that he New order would not come in time. I checked a few of the other chain parts stores and was lucky enough to find AutoZone had one in stock. Hard to believe, but the master cyl interchanges with a late model (96-98??) Honda. Auto Zone was also half the price of NAPA. I did keep the new Reman from NAPA as a spare, just because I never heard of the reman co that was on the box from AuoZone. Laying the 2 boosters side by side (Delco & Bendix) they look identical. So the difference must be internal in the bore sizing or rod travel. (My Guess). So far, so good- no problems to report and just returned from BCA Nats in Flint with car last week. Still stopping!!! Hope this info is of help.

Don't expect the dealer to "cut" any deals. 98% are union shops and the techs will infom their labor board rep if the dealer tries to alter from the established labor rate book times that are are allocated for the job you are having done. Do not expect the dealership to be over enthused about you suppling your own parts. First they will make the statement they can't warranty the part-- even if it is New OE in the box, because they did not sell it to you. Second, think of it as walking into a restaurant for breakfast and giving the cook your own eggs to cook for you. It's unfortunate that dealerships don't wise up and sell their parts at the wholesale prices to their customers- because you can buy the same part @ any parts store for the discounted wholesale price, this would really show customer service and generate customer loyalty to that dealership, but most are greedy bean counters and only think and see full maximum profit on any and every service sold through their store. But, if you plan on removing the vehicle from the dealer service dept- which you have the legal right to do, be prepared to pay for some kind of Diagnostic charge for the services the dealer has already performed in inspecting and diagnosing your problem. Usual customary charge is 1 hour diagnostic at their normal labor rate, which can be anywhere from $85 to $125/hr depending on your area of the country. A lot of people do not understand this charge, but remember a tech has already spent time looking at and hooking up various test equipment to your vehicle in order to properly diagnos and tell you what is wrong with your car. In most states you have to sign the repair order first, giving the shop permission to inspect and/or repair your vehicle, prior to the shop touching your car. Just some thoughts to be aware of in case the service advisor has not already explained this to you when you had it towed. Hope this helps.

Derek, I would suggest you contact current BCA Chief Judge Alan Oldfield, as he has both the 75 and 76 version of the Indy 500 Buick Century Pace Car replica's. If he can't help you source some of the rarer parts and decal ornamentation for the car-- he may be at least able to help in providing you with the correct dimensions, colors and placement of the decals and particular markings on each panel. We used to have a member in our chapter a number of years ago that had a fully documented 76, that was one of the 50 pace car replicas that was actually used on race day for carrying one of the many celebrities and 500 festivities Queens around the track on pre-race cermonies. It even had the flag holders still mounted to the outside corners of the rear bumpers that held the yellow caution flags while the cars paraded around the track. I don't know any more about him or the car as he dropped membership several years ago and I have not seen him since. I do believe at the time he dropped membership from our chapter that he was trying to sell the car. It was probably 10 years or better since I last saw him and the car at one of our annual dealer shows. I took several pictures of it from all angles. If I can find the original pictures I took or negatives I would be more than happy to make duplicates to send to you.

just wanted to bring this back up to the top to remind anyone interested about the upcoming swap meet this Sunday (30th)

just wanted to bring back to front to remind anyone interested -- about the swap meet this next Sunday (30th)

Oh Boy!!!!!!!! It will be good to see you guys again. Looking forward to it-- See you on Sunday

Just trying to bring this back to the top-- to keep everyone informed about this swap

FS--- For those living in the Chicago area or anyone else that is interested; The 17th annual BOPC Swap meet is being held Sunday, March 30th, @ the Du Page County Fairgrounds, 2015 W Manchester Rd, Wheaton, IL., starting @ 8 AM. Admission is $4 at the door. Parking is FREE. The Chicago Oldsmobile Chapter is host this year. There are usually in excess of 100 vendors in attendance. Food vendors will also be present. The swap usually lasts until around 2 PM. There is also an outdoor car corral

For those living in the Chicago area or anyone else that is interested- The 17th annual BOPC swap meet is being held March 30th @ the Du Page County Fairgrounds- 2015 W Manchester Rd Wheaton, IL., starting @ 8 AM. There is a $4 admission charge at the door. Parking is FREE. The Chicago Oldsmobile Chapter is this years host. Ther are usually in excess of 100 vendors present. Food vendors will also be on premises. The swap usually lasts until about 2 PM. There is also an outdoor car corral

For those in the Chicago area that are interested-- the 17th annual BOPC Swap meet is being held on Sunday, March 30th at the Du Page County Fairgrounds, 2015 W Manchester Rd, Wheaton, IL., starting @ 8 AM. Admission is $4 at the door. parking is FREE. The Chicagoland Oldsmobile chapter is this years host. There are usually in excess of 100 vendors at this swap. Food vendors will also be available. The swap usually lasts until about 2 PM. There is also an outdoor car corral

very nice looking flame work!!!

Keith, If you come across a saddle 1 pc full width mat that would fit my 75 Convert , please let me know-- I'm tired of pulling out the a/m style one @ Nationals for judging. That and after 30 years the a/m one is starting to show a wee bit of age. Thanks,

As a quick note to all-- if anyone is looking for interior, exterior trim and moulding pieces for replacement on their 95-99 Riv's - I would strongly urge and suggest you get to your GM or Buick dealer ASAP and order what you need--- These pieces are dropping out of the parts ctalog, almost as fast as you blink your eyes-- and some of the prices on some of these remaining trim pieces are out of sight- Just under $150 for 1 (one) wheel open mldg-- but if you need them - now is the time to move on them--Remember, this last generation Riv is now already 10+ years old. Interior trim pieces for the Bourdeux Red interiors (mine) is just about nil. And it will only get worse as time passes. Just some thoughts.

Jim, What year are you looking at? Early production 95'S were all supercharged-- somewhere in the 95 year model run Buick/GM decided to make the supercharger an option and installed the gen II 3.8 non supercharged version. The supercharger became standard on all 98 and 99 models-- I believe toward the end of the 97 run the supercharger became standard. The "supercharged" emblem should be located on the left side of the deck lid as installed from the factory. Also all early 95's had buckets and floor shift-- again somewhere in the model run they decided to make a full bench w/column located shift standard- I think this lasted also somewhere into the 97 model run. Usually from the exterior-- a standard Gen II 3800 riv will have a gray colored full wheel cover. The supercharged cars had the 12 spoke silver alloy wheel. There was also a chrome style version of the "Reatta" wheel that was an optional wheel also. Not sure of the first offering of this wheel. That was the way to easily spot and tell the difference in the early Riv,95-96, being supercharged or not-- not, if it had the wheel covers, charged if it had the silver alloy. Gm uses the 8th digit in the VIN for engine id, so if there is a difference in the engine listings, this would be the digit where it would show up. I have a 98 w/supercharger and show a 1 (one) in the 8th digit space. Maybe someone else can help with the engine id- someone who has a normal non- charged GenII 3800 in theirs. What does your 8th digit read?

it's about time some Buick's are actually being shown on prime time crossing the block-- instead of them coming back from commercials and maybe saying what went across while they were gone. Those were some pretty cars that crossed tonight. Did anyone see the steal last night??? I believe it was an 85 or 86 T-Type Regal. Its a shame the announcers didn't know that much about the car and how it was the "sleeper" GN in color. If it had been painted black they propably would have said "someone tried to to make a GN "clone". I think it went across for 19k. The world still doesn't "realize" Buick had 2 muscle cars in that era, The GN and the "sleeper" T-Type Regal.

BRH, Where you been Man??? Haven't seen you in ages!! Hope you can find some time this year to attend some of the Chicagoland Chapter activities. You've missed some nice day tours to some private collections.

Don't know if it would be considered the "oddest" but the sweetest thing I have had the opportunity to drive and just this past summer was a couple year old Dallara Indy race car at the venue of all venues-- The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sinden Racing out of Indianapolis had an offer this past spring in conjunction with the speedway to go out and drive an "actual" Indy 500 racecar around the track under the supervision of one of their instructors. Being as these are open wheeled single seat racecars- you drove your own car and followed the instructors car around the racing groove. Needless to say this is something I have always wanted to do and I jumped at the chance. The program was very simialr to the Mario Andretti and Richard Petty racing school offerings, but this was at "INDY", in a car that had previously raced in the 500. What an awesome experience and thrill it was driving an Indycar. While following the instructors line around the track- if he saw you were comfortable keeping proper pace and distance behind him, his speed would increase as you drove around the track. Talking with the race crew after I had made my "run", I found out the car I was lucky enough to drive, had actually been driven in an earlier Indy 500 race by Al Unser Jr. The only disappointment to the day, was how fast it was all over and done after waiting all spring and part of the summer for my drive day. That is a lasting memory I will always cherish and never forget! Oh yeah--- I would do it again in a HEARTBEAT!!!!!!