1986 Buick Regal Limited with 52K miles

[Lebowski]

While perusing the ads on Cars.com yesterday I saw an ad for a very clean and original '86 Regal Limited with 52K original miles. It was up in Muncie, Indiana so I called the owner and got some info on it and liked what I heard so I cruised 190 miles up there with the boyfriend of a co-worker of my wife today and bought it. It runs great, has a nice set of Michelins on it, and everything works except the power antenna. It was purchased new by an elderly couple who put 48,000 miles on it by 1994 when the husband died. His wife passed away earlier this year and it looks like she only put a little over 4000 miles on it in the last 17 years. Anyway, the only thing wrong with it is those plastic pieces between the bumper and the body are cracked and need to be replaced. There's a piece on the front under each pair of headlights and another piece in the back that runs the length of the bumper. Can someone please tell me what those pieces are called and where I can buy them? Thanks....

[Roadmaster75]

NIce find!

There's an outfit that advertises in Hemmings Motor News that

reproduces the "plastic filler panels" that you refer to. They might have them for your car.

musselman distributing Co. musselmandist.com

I think if you go to the cadillac or buick parts section or the general section you'll see their ads.

good luck

mike

[Lebowski]

Now that I know what they're called I can start looking for them. Thanks, Mike....

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Great car, Lebowski. What Engine does it have?

Ben

[Lebowski]

Thanks. The standard engine on the Limited is the 5.0L (307) with a 4 barrel.

I ordered the filler panels from a company in Florida. They weren't cheap-$269 plus $30 for shipping.... :eek:

[Guest rtandyjr]

I have a 1986 Regal Limited, which looks exactly like this car but Baby Blue.

It was left to me by my grandfather - who only drove it when vacationing (to and from Michigan / Kentucky).

The car has less than 21,000 miles on it - and I rarely get a chance to drive it (once a year).

If you don't mind me asking, what is a car like mine worth (86 Regal Limited, excellent condition inside and out, 21K miles, all original).

[Bob Engle]

There are 3 choices for the bumper filler pieces:

1. fiberglass pieces

2 ABS plastic

3. Urethane pieces

Cost is in ascending order. The urethane is closest to the original.

I just went through this project on my 20,000 mile 87 GN. after a lot of research, I ponied up for the urethane.

Fiberglas parts are cheap, but need a lot of work to get fitted and finished to look decent. They can be noisy if there is any contact with the bumpers and taillight housings.

ABS can be wavy and not easy to fit properly. They also have a lot of pin holes in the plastic that take special knowledge to properly fill.

The urethane pieces are very close to original. They have the metal mounting pieces molded into the parts and are epoxy coated. Finish the pieces was easy, plastic adhesive promoter primer and add the urethane flex compound in the finish paint. The parts all fitted well. I am not a body shop guy, but the job turned out excellent for me. I will be showing the car in AACA regional meets and I am confident that the judges will never know the parts were replaced.

Go to the KIRBAN web site for info. They sell all 3 options.

Bob Engle