Marty Roth

Levity aside, the use of nitrogen does help the tires to run cooler - but that is less important if you don't do much driving. We like to drive our old cars, and frequently drive cross-country. The more moderncars , those built since the mid-1930s, generally run at highway speeds (50-55) on State Highways. The '54 and newer models will run long distances at 70 mph all day long and their tires benefit from the cooler-running nitrogen. Another benefit of nitrogen is that the tires tend not to leak-down as quickly as without the addition of nitrogen. I feel that, for the extra few bucks, it can't hurt, and likely helps - kinda' like fuel stabilizers, lead substitute, waxing painted surfaces which are exposed to ozone and birds, etc.

Matt's comments pertaining to the short panels, coloring of the framing sections, and non-usage of Dy-Noc make a lot of sense. It appears an after-market modification to me.

We had planned to attend the Chrome Glidden (“MAINE It’s a SHORE thing”). Regrettably it was held the same week as the AACA Dual Meet, and we were obligated to show and to judge there.

We all know this, but as a reminder: It is always a good idea to use a "Dedicated" grounding wire in addition to mounting a device to the grounded surface. Maybe I should take my own advice because sometimes I do take the "quick and easy" way. Sometimes the "extra" ground cable between battery and chassis, or between chassis and body, or between engine and chassis are inadvertently left off. That is where gremlins creep in. Sometimes a restored part is beautifully painted, interrupting an absolute (didn't want to say "positive" because some are "negative") ground. Heavy stranded "000" cable is a good choice for these major ground cables, but for accessories you could generally use a wire as heavy as for the requirement as the device's power lead. Remember that soldering the wire to the connector is always preferable to crimping for an absolute connection with less chance of corrosion between wire and connector, and a bit of sanding, grinding, or wire brush will enhance the connection electrolytic enhancing grease.

My pleasure Bryan, a lot of folks all over the country have offered to help me at various times, and I believe in paying it forward whenever possible this is a great hobby, and the overwhelming percentage of folks in the hobby will go to extremes without expecting anything in return. Hopefully the Packard will check out OK - the seller is vacationing at Grand Isle, LA down by the Gulf of Mexico (where we used to keep our boat and "Fishin' Camp" LYNDALE). My wife spent every weekend there from the time she was born.

Don, Forgive a simplistic sounding response, but maybe the ground was"good enough" when the upgrade was first installed and for a "long time' afterward, but deteriorated later on due to atmospheric conditions (moisture creating minor corrosion in grounding contact), vibration, or those little gremlins which seem to plague us all at one time or another. Apparently just mounting it established a "good enough" ground at first, but even mounting screws can develop a bit of corrosion and create electrical resistance. Same idea as hoping that your trailer lights and brakes will work well when the only ground is through the trailer ball, and not a separate heavy duty ground wire. Anyway, glad you improved it and have it working well now. Diagnosing these electrical gremlins can be frustrating, to say the least.

I ordered a new 1969 Custom"S", but mine was a 4-door, and was ordered with almost all of the GTO options - that way I had the F-41 suspension, Power Disc Brakes, M-400 tranny (instead of the 2-speed Powerglide or the smaller 3-speed hydro, but especially the Pontiac (not Chevy) 350CI engine which was far superior for hauling our 22ft boat (inboard/outdrive - chevy-engined with a 95 gallon fuel tank) to the Louisiana coast. There are many original GTOs out there There are far too many GTO clones out there Doing it right to make just another clone will likely cost you more than you'll get back, and another good original car will have been lost to (in my opinion) questionable judgement. It is your car, so do what you want, but if you really want a GTO, get a real GTO - sell the Custom"S" to someone who will appreciate a correct and rare car, and put the bucks into the GTO's repair/maintenance

A few suggestions: 1. Fill them with nitrogen instead of just compressed air - and keep them properly inflated 2. either remove tires/wheels from the car, or jack the car off the floor - this can help avoid flat-spotting 3. store in a cool, dry, no-sunlight location 4. do not use silicone or tire-dressings 5. do not lean against other tires, especially true for whitewalls or move south and drive all year long, like us

EASY ANSWER, BILL, I'll pick up the car and bring it south for the next nine or ten months, have the radiator properly soldered down here by a technician, drive the heck out of it through next winter, and get you and your better half to spend some quality time here instead of dealing with snow and cabin fever through January, February, March, and into April.

The seller has returned my email and I'll look at the car on behalf of Imperial62, hopefully when seller returns early next week. I live 10-15 minutes from the location. That area was totally inundated with flood water during Hurricane Katrina, but hopefully the car was not there at that time - It was August and Sept, 2005

I'll check next week to see what parts may be left over in my other garage

They look just like the set which were on my 1956 Bel-air convertible, with 265ci Power-Pak, a crocus and onyx car with white convertible top and factory continental. So my vote is for 1956

bump

Matt, That is a nice-looking Buick at a very fair price, and will surely find a good home. Especially since it is an HPOF car....

I could certainly be mistaken, but I recall the Firing Order would have been 1-3-4-2

Nice, but I would expect better for the probable asking price, and did you notice the waves in the left rear quarter-panel, and the difference of reflectivity in the paint of the driver's door?

I don't recall the inspector being a Trooper, at least not in 1959 - he was not dressed as a Trooper, at least as I remember, but I was intent on my driving, and remember staring at his expressions - no hat - no stripe on his trousers. Back then the State Troopers patrolled the NJ Turnpike in Hemi-Powered Chrysler sedans, and wow, were they fast! They could overtake just about any Hot-Rod. I knew that even if I ever got my Olds-powered '32 Chevy 5-window coupe going the way it could be, the rod would be no match for the big Chrysler cruisers on the Turnpike (I NEVER TRIED, EITHER!!), but did get stopped in the Pontiac a few times in the Catskills during summer jobs, and on Staten Island in a speed-trap, and a few other places.

It was a cool and sunny morning in October of 1959 in New Jersey. Back then we had to schedule the "ROAD/DRIVING TEST" at least 10 days after passing the written test required to get a NJ Permit. Of course I passed the written test on the first shot, but getting my license was a "Right-of-Passage", especially in 1959 New Jersey. I had studied the Drivers' Manual harder than Geometry, Algebra III, and Trigonometry all together, after all, it was certainly more important to my social status. I drove my parents to distraction for the entire 10 days, practice-driving our 1951 Chevy Special Deluxe 4-door metallic green 216/3-on-the-tree. I especially was excellent at parallel parking which was a requirement for the NJ Drivers' Test. Then the big CHANGE-UP ....... On the "MAGIC" day, Dad let me take a day off from school. He said I could drive anything, anywhere. We left the '51 Chevy at the curb and took the now 3-year-old 1957 Plymouth Savoy 4-door sedan with the 301 V-8 and 2-speed Powerflyte tranny. The radio was playing some of my favorite "Rock" tunes, but it was too early in the day for Murray-the-K, with the "Swingin' Soiree". Dad pushed the radio's 2nd button, and 1010 WINS came on with Fred Feldman reporting from the helicopter about traffic conditions in Mid-Town Manhattan, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Long Island Expressway, Major Deegan, Throgs Neck, ---all of which were 20 miles away and NOT HELPING ME !!! I punched the 3rd button on the Savoy's AM-only radio and WOR came in, but no improvement there either - just NEWS! Dad agreed to let it go back to "Fats Domino", and I think it may have been either "Blueberry Hill" or "Walking To New Orleans" (which would have been prophetic as I met Dale there 7-1/2 years later, and moved to New Orleans almost another year later). The '57 Plymouth Savoy was a sharp-looking 4-door sedan in glistening black with white lower optional "Sportone", white roof, and white paint surrounding the entire rear of the car which had the distinctive appearance of looking like cartoon character "Crusaider Rabbit", and a rear-mounted radio antenna located on the left and just behind the rear windshield - pretty sporty for a family sedan. The Savoy was devoid of power accessories, and we did without the (wuss?) assistance of Power Steering and Power Brakes. Arriving at the official testing site in Westfield, I waited about 15 minutes, sitting on a hard wooden bench knowing that I was going to be the best driver they had ever seen. Then my moment was at-hand. The inspector was a gruff older guy, probably in his early 40s, and was very matter-of-fact. I got into the '57 Savoy, checked the mirrors, and Waited for him to allow me to start the car (I think it was by punching the "N" for Neutral button to the left of the dashboard for the Powerflyte). The Plymouth purred into action and with the big guy's authorization I checked for traffic and smoothly pulled away from the curb. The traffic light at the 3rd or 4th intersection was green, but turned red as we arrived so I made a smooth stop. A couple of blocks down the road he ordered a right turn and I used both the Plymouth's turn signal and a hand signal - he just laughed and asked if I used a belt and suspenders. I nervously said "No", but wanted him to know that I knew how. He said to just relax. He could see that I was confident (I didn't want to seem over-confident). The rest of the test went well, and although he did say that I drove a bit too fast in some areas, he wasn't going to ticket me - at least not today!! Then he had me parallel park the Plymouth. My strategy had been simple - Line-up alongside the next car at the curb and ease back into the space, turning the steering wheel first to the right, and when I was alongside the other car's rear bumper swinging gradually left, as I had practiced - but there were no other cars - just traffic cones!! Panic?? Nah!!! An over-confident kid, I whipped it into the spot with just under 2 inches between the right-side white-walls and the curb. (Most cars do not want to hold down to 25 mph in my opinion, or is it just the drivers??). The Inspector said I parked too fast, and that it wasn't a race, but went ahead and approved my test. We drove home with the accompaniment of Dion and the Belmonts, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Bill Haley and the Comets, The Diamonds, and other memorable tunes of the late '50s. So: 1. Practice for 10 days in a '51 Chevy 2. Pass the Driving - Road test in a '57 Plymouth 3. Get back home to work on the '32 Chevy 5-Window Coupe with the 303 Olds engine, and the later in the month... 4. Buy my red 1949 Pontiac Silver8Streak convertible Straight-Eight Flathead with 3-on-the-tree 5. Get the Pontiac's Indian to light up, and then get the radio to play so that MURRAY-THE-K could spin the platters while my date and I could watch the Submarine Races

Restorer32, The second windshield and its wind wings fold in and fold down, and also can slide rearward to the faces of back-seat passengers. There is not an extended metal surface which would have to lift to allow entry for back-seat passengers (which some have described as the 2nd cowl). There is a metal area behind the front seat to which the 2nd windshield is attached - so is it in your opinion, a "Dual Cowl", a "Touring", or what?

Big change from the Catskills... You'll love the winters !!

Thanks Jim, that is a lovely car, restored, and with a $38,999 price... http://www.brightonmotorsports.com/o...ght-sedan-1954 That would make Barry's Super 88 all-original 87,600 mile survivor a very attractive offer, especially with an ASKING PRICE OF $15,000, and open to reasonable offers to a good home.

I've been referring to my 1930 Packard 733 as a "Phaeton". Now I've seen a list which refers to the 5-passenger open 4-door with side curtains as a Phaeton, but my 7-passenger with jump seats is sometimes referred to as a "Touring".

Starting next year you could show it in HPOF

I have had the pleasure of visiting the Seal Cove Museum back when Richard Paine was still there to greet us and to talk about his 100 cars and 100 motorcycles on display. Thankfully Barbara and Richard Fox and their many associates rallied to save as much of the collection as possible for our future. One of my favorite collections of early vehicles, and Mr. Paine even encouraged our then-6-year-old grandson to help paint a Hit-and-Miss engine, and welcomed us into the museum, even though it was a few days prior to "The Season" - and then said he could not charge us admission since they were not yet officially open until June 1st.

This fine original 1954 Oldsmobile Super 88 deserves a family to preserve and enjoy ! Open to reasonable offers....