Need Help in Gettin Me a Buick

[JohnD1956]

From the cowl to the back, nothing will fit except the back bumper and taillights and possibly the trunk lid. And, while deferring to anyone with personal experience with a 55, I can tell you that my 56 Super 2 dr hardtop has the rear axle and torque tube from a 56 Roadmaster 4 dr sedan. That was a bolt in without any modifications needed.

I believe the front clip should fit, but definitely, none of the glass would work from a 4 dr Sedan to a 2 Dr hardtop. And nothing from a Special or Century would fit except the steering wheel and gas and brake pedal.

Hard to believe they could make all this one off stuff for 4 models and still make money, when today all they make are grills and taillights different and they are claiming bankruptcy!

[60FlatTop]

Eric, you asked the man who owned it? That's an interesting thing to write to a Packard guy. Kind of has a catchy ring to it though.

Bernie

[1mortician]

Eric, you asked the man who owned it? That's an interesting thing to write to a Packard guy. Kind of has a catchy ring to it though.

Bernie

Berine, twasn't without intention! haha, glad you caught it.

Packard32, Super and Roadmaster are just different trims on the same car, absolutely no difference for any parts, except trim specific items. The Sedan Vs. Coupe is a whole different animal. I don't even think the trunk lids are the same.

Rob, I do think you are correct, now as far as mechanical parts are concerned I think there are a lot of interchangeable parts.

Once, again I return to the thought;

buy the very best starter car you can and polish from there. If not you are completely upside down in these things.

[60FlatTop]

I am all for buying the best car you can find. After observing my investments and others I think that for every $1,000 more you are willing to spend you can get $4,000 worth of the previous owner's work.

Bernie

[buick man]

O.K. so this needs to be written down as some kind of calibrator: ..... at some point " for every $ 1,000 you spend you should by the law of Murphy get $ 4,000 worth of completed work" .... that you would of had to do anyway. How true! That reinforces my mantra that most purchases are bargains worth half the price.

Edited December 31, 2012 by buick man (see edit history)

[1mortician]

So this is what we are after?

[Earl B.]

Eric, It's not the exact shade of blue I want, but I could suffer through with this one...hahahaha My birthday is coming up.... ahhh..hint hint....B

[1mortician]

Packard 32, you are going to have to try to live with some compromise! Ha. The exact shade of blue you like, wasn't offered on a Buick in 1955. There were 4 Blue Buick Colors offered in 55. I am pretty sure this car is in Victoria Blue Metallic, and that's the darkest blue they offered.

[Earl B.]

Eric, it just dawned on me we have the same initials..EB..haha.... I told you I could live with that car...buy it for me and I'll prove it... The colors I like are Stafford Blue/Arctic White or Stafford Blue/Temple Gray....EB

[MrEarl]

Not a ROADMASTER but sho is purdy. just thought I'd bring your thread back to the top.

So B did you ever give us an idea of what you want to spend?

1955 Buick Super Riviera

I get so sick of seeing these fluffy d*** dice in such nice cars.

[JohnD1956]

Great looking 55 Lamar. And not looking to nit pik but instead I would like to learn about this steering colum color vs the dashboard color. Shouldn't they be the same in all cases in 55?

[Earl B.]

Mr. Earl, I've seen this ad and drooled over it many times. If I had the $16,500 I'd have the car already....This is why I need a car that needs work... budget??? What's that???

I've never thought ahead...when I see a car I like and a price that doesn't give me another heart attack, I'll try to get it... I may can't get the car I want, and I know that...but, that's how life is sometimes.

I'm having to have some motor parts made for the Studebaker and only have an estimate of cost..... and you know how some estimates can be...when I know for sure what that bill is, then I'll know more... B

[1mortician]

Not a ROADMASTER but sho is purdy. just thought I'd bring your thread back to the top.

So B did you ever give us an idea of what you want to spend?

1955 Buick Super Riviera

I get so sick of seeing these fluffy d*** dice in such nice cars.

If this one doesn't cut the mustard, I think you're going to have to give up. There is no way at this price you could ever buy a car and get anywhere close to this doing work yourself and getting this result. This is a fantastic car, although I would paint the roof white to match the bottom, but that would be pretty minor.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

Nah, you never give up. It's not going to kill you to keep on plugging away at the two old beauties you've already got. Don't settle for the sister. You've set your minimum criteria - your next car will be a 2-door '55 Roadmaster and it will be at least partly blue. Heck they built thousands of cars that year, which exactly fit your specifications. One of them and you just have to find each other, is all. True love is unmistakable when it strikes.

Jeez, that's a nice shade of blue - what's it called?

Edited January 7, 2013 by Rob McDonald
colour consultation (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

Cascade Blue ?..... or Stafford Blue?? What about it 55 guys

B, he says he also has a 55 Roadmaster parts car with AC available. If it's a 2 door then there ya go, you got your data and VIN plates.

Like JD, I'm sorta curious about the steering wheel and column being a different color than the dash. Is that typical for 55's. Maybe it was manual steering originally.

[MrEarl]

Wrong year again but I'd be afraid to offer this guy $5000, afraid he'd accept and I'd be in deep you know what with you know who. I'd love to have this one in my stable though.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3425838697.html

[buick5563]

Cascade Blue ?..... or Stafford Blue?? What about it 55 guys

B, he says he also has a 55 Roadmaster parts car with AC available. If it's a 2 door then there ya go, you got your data and VIN plates.

Like JD, I'm sorta curious about the steering wheel and column being a different color than the dash. Is that typical for 55's. Maybe it was manual steering originally.

My Special is Cascade Blue (kinda Robin's egg). It's not Stafford blue either.

i believe this is Victoria Blue Poly.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

"there ya go, you got your data and VIN plates"

Super today, Roadmaster tomorrow. Ooo, you scoundrel, you...

I dunno, paintref.com offers examples of cars in Victoria Blue Poly - http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedisplay.cgi?type=paint&paint=4952&ditzler=11343&syear=1955&smanuf=GM&smodel=Buick&sname=Victoria%20Blue They all look darker and much more metallic. I think there's a tinge of green in this blue.

Who knows, maybe it was painted to much some lady's dress and isn't a Buick colour at all. Anyway, it's nice.

Edited January 7, 2013 by Rob McDonald
paint debate (see edit history)

[Earl B.]

Maybe it wasn't painted back the original colors. Maybe it had temple gray on it originally because that is about the color of the steering wheel. It'd be interesting to see the dataplate and see what colors are on it.... B

Edited January 7, 2013 by Earl B. (see edit history)

[1mortician]

Rob through a conversation with Packard32 I did understand that he was actually looking for a Blue 1955 Super, as that was his family's car not a Roadmaster. That was my reference. What I was trying to say is you wont be able to restore a car to this level for any where near what they are asking for this car. It is a really pretty blue!

[1mortician]

Curious about that steering Column, here is another 55 Super from a very nice gentleman on the 1955 Buick Facebook group, looks like the same mismatched blue.

[1mortician]

This is Colonial Blue, Im pretty sure it was a spring color for Buick, paint code F. So the paint code for this car as it is would be FFA.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

you wont be able to restore a car to this level for any where near what they are asking for this car.

MORTY, I completely agree but sometimes a family's Budget Committee will only allow periodic bite-sized expenditures on silly old cars. A guy therefore has to go against the wisdom of buying the best available car, within the total expected cost. Yes, a project involving much more restoration work will eventually drain more dollars than buying a really good car in the first place. However, that may be what it takes to live in domestic harmony. Besides, working on a car is supposed to be fun, right?

Now you've got me all confused - PACKARD-three-two, what actually is your target, a Roadmaster or a Super?

[Earl B.]

Rob, we had a 1955 Super, but I would prefer a 1955 Roadmaster. All Buicks previous to this had been Roadmasters... I'm just trying to get the car my father missed on..B

Edited January 7, 2013 by Earl B. (see edit history)

[Earl B.]

On the Tennessee Super, the steering wheel and column are the light blue. On the one Eric posted above only the steering wheel is the light blue and the column is a darker blue.... more confusion...B

Edited January 7, 2013 by Earl B. (see edit history)

[JohnD1956]

Tons of SUPER cars... sweet, so sweet!!!!!

[MrEarl]

Just bringin this back to the top for ya B, with a beautiful 4 door Roady. I know, I know, your want the impossible to find 2 door model but this one just shouts "high society" (Paul Myer said that) If she was a year older I'd be axin to see pics of the intereior, under hood and trunk.

1955 Buick Roadmaster

[Earl B.]

Mr. Earl, thanks for the bump. I agree it is a beautiful car. But, I have to chase my dream a while longer. After all, the chase is half the fun!! B

[1mortician]

Just bringin this back to the top for ya B, with a beautiful 4 door Roady. I know, I know, your want the impossible to find 2 door model but this one just shouts "high society" (Paul Myer said that) If she was a year older I'd be axin to see pics of the intereior, under hood and trunk.

1955 Buick Roadmaster

Mr. Earl, I think that is such a beautiful car. I wish I wasnt after a different Buick right now, I would pick that one up. Its in my grandmother's home town too.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

That stately beauty does look rather "Driving Miss Daisy", doesn't it? Hey, about those silver bumper extensions at the rear - are they just cladding or were they replacements for the bottom of the quarter panel, like in '57? Just curious, is all.

Someone up this thread (or elsewhere) described his missing ones as being pot metal but that seems unlikely to me. That's a pretty rough location to be using soft, fragile zinc-aluminum alloy.

[johnfarm]

That stately beauty does look rather "Driving Miss Daisy", doesn't it? Hey, about those silver bumper extensions at the rear - are they just cladding or were they replacements for the bottom of the quarter panel, like in '57? Just curious, is all.

Rob,

Aside from a more glamorous interior, one of several things which differentiated the '55 Roadmaster from the '55 Super on the outside was the stainless shields on the bottom of the rear quarter panels. These were standard equipment on Roadmasters.

[1mortician]

That stately beauty does look rather "Driving Miss Daisy", doesn't it? Hey, about those silver bumper extensions at the rear - are they just cladding or were they replacements for the bottom of the quarter panel, like in '57? Just curious, is all.

Someone up this thread (or elsewhere) described his missing ones as being pot metal but that seems unlikely to me. That's a pretty rough location to be using soft, fragile zinc-aluminum alloy.

Rob, that same gentleman also feels is 1955 Buick in #3 condition it worth 35K. Haha They are stainless. You can see them on my car too if you click on my gallery. They are a pain to polish though.

[MrEarl]

I'm still looking B

here I am thinking is another Super (wheelcovers and no badge below the wing vent) May be worth a call.

!!1955 BUICK!!for sale - $5700 (tulsa)

[JohnD1956]

That one looks like a handful to me. If it's missing the sweepspear that may mean someone has started some body work and in this case, then tried to make the vehicle lawn art.

[Centurion]

I love that '55 Roadmaster sedan that Lamar posted the link to! What a beautiful and elegant color scheme it has.

[Centurion]

May I further whet Packard32's appetite? Member AKBuickman has owned this all-original beauty since he turned 15 years old in 1969. I've driven this Temple Gray / Cherokee Red beauty, and, like the advertising claimed, the car was the "The Thrill of the Year".

During the early 1970's, Gary located four boxes at a Buick dealership, each containing one of the wire wheels that had been ordered specifically for a 1955 Roadmaster!

[1mortician]

Is that Cameo Beige or Temple Grey?

[Centurion]

Is that Cameo Beige or Temple Grey?

If you're referring to the 2-door hardtop I posted, it's Temple Gray over Cherokee Red.

[JZRIV]

Hey "B" not sure if you are a member of the BCA or not but this months Bugle magazine features the 55s and of course includes many pictures along with a highlight of a stunning original 2 door Roadmaster. I can see why you are holding out for a 2 door Roadmaster. Good Luck in your search.

[MrEarl]

Just bringing this back to the top with yet another Super. probably another Iceberg car. The top part looks beautiful and harmless, it's the bottom that will sink your ship.

1955 Buick super