Jump to content

LOST AND FOUND-1954 SPECIAL

MrEarl

By MrEarl
in Me and My Buick

 Share

Recommended Posts

Guest Silverghost

Guest Silverghost

Posted
Posted (edited)

Mr Earl:

Your place seems to be a "Black Hole" that sucks-up every 1954 Buick in the USA !

Now all you need is a 1954 Skylark !

Good luck finding that rare Buick...

Be sure to post some photos of your new found 1954 "Toy" !

What are you gonna name this new "baby" ?

We're all placing our bets on that name !

Edited by Silverghost (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
buick840 2,500+ Points

buick840

Posted
Posted
Back home from the west. Story and pictures coming.

hi ho hi ho, off to work I go

MR EARL

In accordance with

Article "P": (Prevention of cruelty to Forum Members)

Subsection e: (enough is enough we can't take it any more)

you are hereby summoned to produce herewith said evidence of alleged purchase.

Failure to comply with this summons may result in...................

Grown men and women crying :(:(:(

Yours Patiently

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Silverghost

Guest Silverghost

Posted
Posted (edited)

I think he is waitng for his new $99. MACCO paint job to dry before he gets pictures.

He also needs to get the goat , which was talked about earlier in this thread, out of the back seat !

I'd bet it's so nice the goat refuses to leave !

Just like the extended family of field mice in my old Ghost !

Did "Willie and the boys" ride home in the truck ; or in the new Buick trunk ?

Please send us pictures SOON !

Lamar: As you can see~

We are all holding our breath !

Edited by Silverghost (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Thriller 10,000+ Points

Thriller

Posted
Posted
He also needs to get the goat , which was talked about earlier in this thread, out of the back seat !

I'd bet it's so nice the goat refuses to leave !

I coulda sworn the man said he'd sold the goats. At least he's the right man if he needs to become a goat herder again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrEarl 25,000+ Points

MrEarl

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

OK folks you can exhale. And I apologize for not having followed up before now. But between work, going to Texas to join Willie and da boys at the Southern Region meet, coming home and back to work then getting ready for a big six oohhhh birthday party, then getting "over" the party, I just haven't had much time to get on the puter.

I have been looking for a nice easy restore Century for several years for to turn into a period correct street rod. I bought a rare 3 speed Century (54Muscle) from up North and it turned out to be too rusty in the rear quarters. Found and had one shipped from California (MaryJane) and it too was more rust and work than I cared to deal with. I love to strip, sand and paint but have no desire to learn thin metal body welding at this stage.

SOOO, First the "Lost" part. Back around the first of February of this year I found an ad for a 2 owner Special out in Cumby, Texas. I could never get a reply and Roy Faries was preparing to go to "Cumby" and try and track it down. But a few days before he was to leave the seller FINALLY replied that they had determined that they didn't need to sell after all. We emailed back and forth a few times and the seller promised several times that I was first on the list if they ever decided to sell. Here is the thread of when I found the car. Even the ad in the thread is still active. http://forums.aaca.org/f115/anybody-around-cumby-texas-276365.html

Now fast forward to August. Over on the 1954Buick.com forum Pete Philips posts that he has just purchased an awesomely solid. low mileage 54 Special from a little town called Commerce, Texas and posted some pictures of the car. 1954 46-r Seeing the color of the car and the fact is was in Texas made me wonder just how far Commerce is from "Cumby". Map quest showed only about 12 miles. Just how many Titian Red 54 Specials could be within a 12 mile radius of "Cumby, Texas" I thought. I surmised that Pete had "FOUND" my car. Problem was, he had bought it too. Knowing he had said that he "didn't need another car, especially a project and that he had not intended to buy the car but couldn't resist the price, I told him I'd be glad to pay a "finders fee". He offered it to me for a few hundred more than he had paid and I gladly took him up on it. He agreed to bring it to the Southern Texas Region meet for me to pick up. So Rita and I took one of the most enjoyable trips of our life, met some great folks and picked up very likely my last 54 Buick. All centered around my 60th birthday. And what a great birthday it was. THANK YOU Pete!!!!!!!

post-31987-143138339456_thumb.jpg

post-31987-143138339473_thumb.jpg

post-31987-14313833949_thumb.jpg

post-31987-143138339508_thumb.jpg

post-31987-143138339526_thumb.jpg

post-31987-143138339543_thumb.jpg

post-31987-14313833956_thumb.jpg

post-31987-143138339577_thumb.jpg

post-31987-143138339594_thumb.jpg

post-31987-143138339611_thumb.jpg

Edited by MrEarl (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Thriller 10,000+ Points

Thriller

Posted
Posted
So Rita and I took one of the most enjoyable trips of our life, met some great folks and picked up very likely my last 54 Buick.

So, that means your taking yourself out of line should I ever decide to sell the wagon? :D;):rolleyes:

Congrats on the detective work. It looks like it worked out for everybody...the seller got rid of the car without having to deal with someone from afar, Pete collected a finder's fee, and you and Rita came home with a new toy...say, does that mean she's letting you out of the garden? :eek::D

Heck, the way customs are being done today, it doesn't look like you need to do much to the body, just find some primer to put on it....

Enjoy the new toy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Silverghost

Guest Silverghost

Posted
Posted

Great Find Mr. Earl !

BUT~

I can't believe that the steetrod/hotrod bug has gotten to you of all people !

Have you gone over to that dark side now too ?

Say it ain't so ~ ; )

Link to comment
Share on other sites
stealthbob 5,000+ Points

stealthbob

Posted
Posted

From what I have heard from MrEarl..this is not gonna be a chop top lead sled rat rod anything...

Just a little power train modernization...all Buick of course, all as it would have been done in the Sixties-Seventies ;)

Me thinks he wants his '54 to leave evidence of his presence other than Dynaflow drops ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrEarl 25,000+ Points

MrEarl

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
So, that means your taking yourself out of line should I ever decide to sell the wagon? :D;):rolleyes:

Congrats on the detective work. It looks like it worked out for everybody...the seller got rid of the car without having to deal with someone from afar, Pete collected a finder's fee, and you and Rita came home with a new toy...say, does that mean she's letting you out of the garden? :eek::D

Heck, the way customs are being done today, it doesn't look like you need to do much to the body, just find some primer to put on it....

Enjoy the new toy!

Regarding working out for everybody.... I guess, but I still can't figure why the seller promised it to me 6 months ago, if they decided to sell again then all of a sudden it gets sold without a word to me. From what she said her dad sold it without her knowledge. And I had offered her more sight unseen than what she said he sold it for. Pete worked his behind off going after it and then getting it to me in F'burg so I for sure wanted to take care of him. I figure after it went through so many hands, I paid about double what the original seller sold it for. But hey, you know what, I am happy as a goat in a blackberry patch. And I can't think Pete enough.

As a matter of fact, Warden Rita did finally grant me a pardon from the "Buick Terrace". After 5 years, I am finally allowed to spend time in Buick Barn.

Uhh so never new about the line for the wagon. But, like I told the gunny when I got my discharge from the Marines and he said, "I bet you can't wait til I die so you can come back and p*** on my grave". "Sir" I said "when I get out of this suck, I'll never stand in line again"

Edited by MrEarl (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrEarl 25,000+ Points

MrEarl

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Beautiful!

Nice to see "Pete" finally found home at Buick Gardens...look forward to what you will do, once you get a chance to do, what you have wanted all these years.

Last '54 to buy...umm yea well see about that :rolleyes:

I do believe the Texas Pete name may just stick and will reside at B Gardens for quite some time. It is the last 54 for me, ask Rita.

I've already got most all the potmetal and chrome pieces I'll need and I've been collecting performance parts for this baby for years. Got a 56 Century engine ready for a rebuild with a hot cam, a McCulloch Supercharger, a 6 bolt 3 speed with all the pedals and all, an Ansen floor shifter (and a Dragfast if the Ansen don't do right), and just recently picked up a prototype posi traction rear end (thanks Old Guy). There's a couple of small projects in front of it but I figure by about 2015 I'll be seeing some 55 bow ties in my rear view mirror:)

Edited by MrEarl (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrEarl 25,000+ Points

MrEarl

Posted
  • Author
Posted
hey if mr earl wasn't in the pictures, these would be a good one for girls on buicks,lol, just kidding lamar, will you let me know soon about the a/c parts, thanks, charles coker, 1953 pontiac tech advisor.

I'm gettin closer to those A/C parts. Probably this or next weekend. thanks for your patience. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrEarl 25,000+ Points

MrEarl

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Great Find Mr. Earl !

BUT~

I can't believe that the steetrod/hotrod bug has gotten to you of all people !

Have you gone over to that dark side now too ?

Say it ain't so ~ ; )

It's so Silverghost.....Shoot, I'm an old "pull wheelies in front of the courthouse on a Saturday night" street rodder from way back. Could never get away with such these days though. But it will be Period Correct, I gawrantee!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrEarl 25,000+ Points

MrEarl

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Lamar , what more could a man want. Beautiful ladie. Beautiful Buick. Beautiful surroundings. WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Congratulations.

Ben

Thank you Ben, very much. I do indeed love to surround myself with beautiful things. Hence, My Lady, My Buicks, My Home and last but not least, beautiful friendships. Thanks again!!

Edited by MrEarl (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrEarl 25,000+ Points

MrEarl

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Wow! What a sweet car! I love the way it looks right now, blackwalls and all. What's the interior like, and ..is it a another stick shift?

Thanks JD.

Titian Red was a very popular hot rod color back in it's day, so I will likely leave it that color. and very likely with blackwalls with Buick baby moons and beauty rings on reversed rims on the rear.

The interior..... I hate to even talk about it. The original owner had seat covers put over the very good condition original upholstery. Problem is, and it tears me up to think about it, they cut most all the welting off before they covered them so it wouldn't show through the new covers. The door panels are very nice and I will definitely use them. The EZEYE glass is just about perfect with some bubbles just starting in one side glass.

Regrettably it is not a stick shift. I have everything it will take to convert it though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
MrEarl 25,000+ Points

MrEarl

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

A TEXAS PETE UPDATE

About a week after I got Texas Pete home I finally got a free day to spend with him. I started off by pulling the coil wire and turning him over for about 30-45 seconds to make sure no valves were sticking. He sounded good so I hooked up the coil, turned him over and he fired right up, ran at fast idle for couple minutes, I tapped the accelerator and he slowed to the sweetest idle you ever heard. On checking the oil I had found it to be about a quart low and black as coal. I pulled the rocker covers and with him running watched to make sure I was getting oil flowing through the rocker arm and distributing as it should. It was flowing but seemed a little slow. I shot some Marvel Mystery Oil all over the rocker arms and valve springs and down the oil ports. I went ahead and changed the oil and filter, adding about 5 1/2 quarts 10W30 and a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil. Added a pint of Seafoam to the 4-5 gallons of gas I had put into the tank.

Two months later he is still running fine. I crank him up about once a week. I still pull the coil and turn him before cranking. The oil is flowing freely in the rockers now. The oil is almost black again. He still smokes a little until warmed up. The transmission is acting funky, wanting to move the car in neutral and not wanting to go in reverse etc. Probably a bad engine or tranny mount. Haven't had a chance to check into that or even flush and fill the Dynaflow so I'm not driving him other than around in the yard. But every time I walk by him I swear I can here him saying "Start me up, Start me up, Start me up"

In fact danged if The Rolling Stones didn't write a song about him. And here it is, as performed by none other than "The Rack of Spam"

Enjoy,..... buba.gif

(if you have trouble with the video starting and stopping, pause it and let it download about half way through then restart it)

Edited by MrEarl (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
stealthbob 5,000+ Points

stealthbob

Posted
Posted

Lamar...your such a kid around those original 54's.

I can see Rita getting a chuckle looking at you from the house....

Great vid man...I just wish you would show some passion and excitement for a change when you are around your Buick's :rolleyes::D

Nice straight body and do my eyes deceive me...completely straight bumper guards?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...