1957 Roadmaster Coupe For Sale on Ebay

[buick man]

Here is a heads-up link for a 1957 Buick Roadmaster Coupe for sale on ebay. No affiliation, just posting:

Buick : Roadmaster 76A in Buick | eBay Motors

Looks like a nice survivor car for any or all that would be interested.

Wonder what the reserve is or should be. Any guesses?

[egor]

$10K. $8K for the car, $2K for the documents.

[egor]

Sarcasm aside, it's already been bidded up as far as it deserves to be, and maybe more. The seller thinks the provenance of a bunch of paper documents makes it worth more, but unless Elvis was the first owner, no one cares. To the seller's credit, there's a list of some of the problems with the car, but I'm guessing it's the tip of the iceberg. For me, "barn find" is a euphemism for a lot of unpleasant surprises.

[buick man]

It's hot though. 20 hits so far and people just keep looking at those profile photos. Nice and a 2 door hardtop Roadie to boot.

I agree with the seller's paper profile cause it does tell a unique story that is also not around anymore as most all cars of this vintage have passed many hands since new and having papers is a real special touch for anyone who buys this and finishes it properly. It appears very solid and no doubt would be an excellent proud asset in any collectors garage. Interesting to see where this one goes to.

I am going to say that at the present time and with low bidders abounding, somewhere around $ 14,000.00. I do notice however, the paint scheme is not correct. To my knowledge Buick did not cut the paint line as is shown on this car. The two toners were divided at the spear belt line and not at the top line. I think when his dad repainted the car it was done this way.

Edited January 5, 2013 by buick man (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

I just put a ten dollar bill on the desk. Odds are its another candidate for the Ebay hall of Reserve Not Met. Barn find is like museum quality without polish. We call it deferred maintenance in my industry.

Bernie

Oh, oh, oh, this reminds me; ever make a fair offer on a car at a dealer and have them tell you they have more than your offer into the car? I always ask if they have an opening in their purchasing and appraisal department. It goes like- You have some working here who paid more than that for this car? Do they still work here? What were they thinking of?

It's a riot to do that at a dealership that has a used Jaguar for sale. Watch the salesman. He knows he is in trouble, he has a serious buyer, and the managers rose colored glasses always outlast the "on the lot failure". I sold a car for the first time on my grandfather's car lot when I was 13. I was dangerous then; upgraded to lethal with maturity.

Bernie

[buick man]

Bernie that's funny. In your story, they most likely had to get rid of the car before getting that one and now have too much into it and on n on it goes. So what do you think it's worth? Keep in mind that rusted out/missing parts field rats (yard art) are going for around $ 6,500 just for kicks.

[Guest BJM]

I just put a ten dollar bill on the desk. Odds are its another candidate for the Ebay hall of Reserve Not Met. Barn find is like museum quality without polish. We call it deferred maintenance in my industry.

Bernie

Oh, oh, oh, this reminds me; ever make a fair offer on a car at a dealer and have them tell you they have more than your offer into the car? I always ask if they have an opening in their purchasing and appraisal department. It goes like- You have some working here who paid more than that for this car? Do they still work here? What were they thinking of?

It's a riot to do that at a dealership that has a used Jaguar for sale. Watch the salesman. He knows he is in trouble, he has a serious buyer, and the managers rose colored glasses always outlast the "on the lot failure". I sold a car for the first time on my grandfather's car lot when I was 13. I was dangerous then; upgraded to lethal with maturity.

Bernie

Bernie, knock it off, you're killing me man, funny stuff, and right on.

[buick man]

..... oops I'm sorry I guess windowless lawn art is going for more than $ 6,500 and not rare by any means and seller's price is firm with this cookie cutter:

1955 Chevy Belair 2-Door Hardtop Rolling Chassis, Body Shells for sale | Hemmings Motor News

[Guest Rob McDonald]

Where was this beauty before I committed to my Roady, almost 40 years ago? (Actually, it was probably already sitting in the same barn from which it was recently extracted.) Had I bought this one instead, I'd have been saved countless barbs of, "Yeah, it's nice but too bad it's a 4-door." Hey, I happen to like the upswept back doors of GM's C-body in 1957.

This gigantic coupe is in virtually the same cosmetic condition as mine was, minus the hammered-out dents. Mine still had its original paint, which I've since done over. It was a bit rusty, too, but I'd expect to eventually find some rust in this car.

DAVID, Buick did offer contrasting roof colours, either as 2-tone or 3-tone, but they provided a stainless moulding at the cut line - see photo. I bet the designers hated it but Ford and Chrysler had 3-tones and so must GM. It worked fine on the junior cars but not the senior Buicks - hence, this trim.

This paint code 66 is a mystery to me. Colours were usually listed as Alpha Alpha (above and below the sweep spear) or Alpha Alpha Alpha, when the roof was different. As to what colour the body really is, I'm also baffled. To me, it looks like Mint Green, Code K, but you wouldn't expect a blue interior with that. It's probably faded Dresden Blue, Code G, or some body shop approximation of that.

I agree with SUCHAN, the real value of this car has already been overbid. Going beyond $7600 would put a restoration upside down. I'm comforted though with my own car's purchase price - $75 in February, 1973. Yes, our 40th anniversary is looming; no gifts, please. We'll mark it on Valentine's Day with a quiet dinner at the A&W, just the two of us. The car and me, that is - wifey will be rolling her eyes at home.

Couldn't find a more clear photo but there is a chrome strip between the roof and the quarter panel.

[buick man]

So how much would you estimate it would take to keep this a survivor car and not a frame-on rebuild? It appears to still be in overall good enough condition to remain for the the most part a survivor.

Looks like over 12 different bidders are interested. And look at that long sleek profile will ya. And no (gulp n choke) photos of tired rat-like fuzzy dice hanging from some mirror either. That alone is worth at least an extra $ 2k.

So what, some carpet, a re-stitch job on the front and rear seats, some easy spot repairs on the body and hurray, a real head turner. Nice chrome for starters, decent interior and best of all, it's not a common tummy lint, field dirt tri-five chevy either. Buy it for $ 12k and put $ 4k into it and you have a rare and unique $ 20k car easy as is without even cleaning the engine of barn dust, - In my opinion of course.

Rob: The photo is a little small but I still do not recall ever seeing this split treatment to originals but have seen them after some rembrandt has touched them.

Edit - Interesting Note: I was looking at the firewall tag on this car and it shows 66 as a paint code for Mint Green as the seller states. I went to an older photo of my car's firewall tag and the paint code is RR for antique ivory as shown below. I then referred to my original 1957 dealer order form I have on hand in my library. The GM paint code for Mint Green is KK. There is no 66 GM paint code for the colors available for that year. However, the order form also then refers to the Duco Paint Color next to GM's paint code letter. Interesting is that the paint code KK has a duco paint code number of

253-90669. Could the plant where this one was built have used the 66 out of the Duco Number instead of the GM number? Very Strange. With that said, my car's antique ivory duco number is 253-50530. So there is no duplicate similarity here. So what gives ? I could not capture the photo off of ebay for comparison but if you go to the listing you can look at the firewall tag to see what I mean and compare it to my tag shown below. Anyone have any ideas? Also the tags look very different regarding how and where they stamped out the numbers as well as the layout and numbers. :confused:

Edited January 6, 2013 by buick man (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

Well, the car is at $8200 and the reserve is not met. This is going to be the "entry fee" for the restoration. And it does need a full restoration to be show presentable and able to poke the key into and drive a couple hundred miles without an incident. I looked at where Phillipsburg, NJ is. What a shot to the local economy. Maybe the feds are buying it as a stimulus activity.

Pushing $10,000, I would be out of the mainstream market looking for something with a folding top; maybe a Limited, 98, or de Ville convertible. A little money spent on detective work would find one easy enough.

I have used the term "entry fee" for at least 20 years now. That is the amount you pay for the base car. All the other expenses are generally the same. In the early 1990's when I made the observation you could buy a 1930's project car for $1500, as solid as this Buick. Of course being a Roadmaster 2DR HT night have tacked on another grand for the equivalent even then. The point is, you could buy say a 1939 Cadillac sedan project for $1500. A convertible project would probably be $6,000 at the time. The engine, brakes, and chrome trim all cost the same no matter what you buy. So financially the entry fee varies. The total investment is fairly constant.

At that time you could squeak by with a $35,000 to $50,000 restoration on an average car if you did a lot yourself. The low entry got you a real nice four door sedan at the end. Reaching up front got you a convertible.

A current example would be the "54 Century sedan in Jamestown compared to this '57 Roadmaster. At the $4200 entry fee for the '54 you still have $1000 in a nice set of tires, at least $1500 in a complete brake job, and on and on in those detail repairs. I could see myself going an extra $2500 to $3000 for that '57 Roadmaster projecting about $15000 for a nice reliable driver.

The auction car is over the casual enthusiast price which probably peaked at $7500. There are just too many other options.

For the true car guy with $10,000, hold tight. There are tough economic times coming up. If you are secure, there will be some real deals. A lot of cars were bought with a little skim off early retirement funds. If a guy worked for the larger corporations it wasn't unusual for a 30 year reinvestment and stock program to have accrued $350-400,000 over 30-35 years. A little less than 10% would get a mid 50's guy his dream car. A lot couldn't maintain them. A lot are learning about fixed income. A lot are experiencing changes in the economy and the health of their former employer. A lot of good deals will surface. I, for one, wouldn't want my "toy" money tied up in a half finished kind of nice car when real knock your socks off car shows up. Mine probably won't be on Ebay. Its under a rock right now.

Bernie

Edited January 6, 2013 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[Guest Rob McDonald]

DAVID, oops, my mistake. I thought the first character of a 3-Alpha paint code was for a contrasting roof but it's not. The order form you posted confirms that the first and second Alphas were above and below the sweep spear, as usual, but the third was for an optional wheel colour. I agree with you - there was no factory roof-only colour. Any cars painted that way were probably done pre-delivery or later in life and any moulding at this line was likely either fabricated by a conscientious body shop or is just peel-and-stick plastic trim from Canadian Tire (or the US equivalent).

I suppose that a buyer could do some minor cosmetic work to make this car serviceable and not too shameful to be seen in. However, we see plenty of much nicer survivors dangled in front of these forums, for this kind of money. Two of the most discerning '50s collectors I've known locally both sought cars with the best possible interiors. They felt that anything else can be convincingly restored but a perfect original interior is impossible to recreate. This car's vinyl has lost its volatiles and has effectively died, while the fabric is badly faded. Restitching is not going to make those seats nice again.

BERNIE, I'm sorry that your view of America's economic prospects is so dark. I really, really hope you're wrong, despite how a double- (or triple-) dip recession would depress the price of neat old cars for us. The potential social cost for all of North America - the world even - is far too grim for this to be called an up-side effect. One of my grandfathers made his considerable fortune during the Great Depression but I don't think he ever considered others' suffering to have been "worth it."

[60FlatTop]

As the car collecting hobby relates to economics it is a pretty intensive use of discretionary income. From studies I have done the average US citizen has about $50 in discretionary money per month. Old car hobbyists spend more. I am saying it will be reduced, not eliminated, and it wouldn't be good to have your flexible cash tied up in second or third choice vehicles when the scale shifts.

Bernie

[JZRIV]

I can see where someone would pay over $10k for this car. If it is as rust free as they say, those are very difficult to come buy these days especially on the east coast. Add to that original patina cars and motorcycles are scalding hot right now. Theres a good chance whoever buys it won't have plans to restore anytime soon. Selling in January will probably hurt the value more than anything. I'm not into those big old 50s Buicks but that car is very appealing to me for whatever reason.

[buick man]

I can see where someone would pay over $10k for this car. If it is as rust free as they say, those are very difficult to come buy these days especially on the east coast. Add to that original patina cars and motorcycles are scalding hot right now. Theres a good chance whoever buys it won't have plans to restore anytime soon. Selling in January will probably hurt the value more than anything. I'm not into those big old 50s Buicks but that car is very appealing to me for whatever reason.

Damn right Jason. This car IS appealing and rare. It shouts 1957 loud and clear and you won't be a drone look-alike at the local shows either. I think that is what we are talking about here with this one and why there are over 12 bidders competing. Do the little things this car needs and you have a unique n classy collectable.

Regarding Costs: Yes the interior is faded but it looks complete and solid enough. From 10 feet away or as it drives by it will look just like the $ 34k same year/model 76A Roadie that sold as restored a year and a half or so ago. The guy had to drop the price from $ 40k down to $ 36k then sold it for $ 34k in the height of the economic downturn in late 2010.

Yes the economy sucks and it is not going to get better in any sense of a sharp, deliberate and plotted upturn but rather through a series of convoluted contractions which will only take time and the will to endure. With that said, it is also possible it may not get any better at all and just plod along toward some kind of newly calibrated bottom as it has been if we continue to have much the same in the kind of leadership choices we have had over these past 30 some years or so.

Yes, Bernie you as always make good solid points in your analysis. However, let's all remember this is a hobby and passion as in "you can't take it with you" sort of thing and not a business venture. Buy it for $ 4k and it would indeed be a steal but that's not going to happen. In the end, even if someone pays $ 12k to $ 14k they no doubt will have a good solid car to go on with and possible have more into it than the "current" market will support. But they will have a 1957 Roadmaster Coupe. There is not any "specialized" type of work that needs to be done. No frankenstein replacements to deal with. This kind of car will continue to have increasing desire value as time goes by. True a convertible would be a solid "business" move but would be out of the realm for most of the guys out there and even at initial buy-in prices. So it boils down to getting this car at this price if you are a true Buick guy or continuing to wait and in the meantime reading Hemmings for another year or more in hopes for that right Buick buy which may never materialize. Forget about things in term of some full restoration. I think for most, if this car can just be had to the point it can be safely driven, cleaned up and shown, this would make a lot out there just happy and thankful and the investment here would be very minimal to do just that.

Rob: Yeah good you checked because I thought as much regarding the paint line but this car needs to be repainted as it is not the original paint anyway. It would look all the better for it. Still kinda confused on the VIN tag scenario I outlined earlier. Have never seen a paint code like that as numbers and not as letters on 57 Buicks. What are your thoughts regarding that. What does your VIN tag say on your car?

Edited January 7, 2013 by buick man (see edit history)

[Guest Rob McDonald]

Have never seen a paint code like that as numbers and not as letters on 57 Buicks. What are your thoughts regarding that. What does your VIN tag say on your car?

My car's paint code is CD - Dover White over Starlight Blue Poly, just like the order form says. I wondered if the 1958 colours might give us a clue to Paint Code 66. It did open a new possibility but it's even more baffling. Code 6 for '58 is Gold Mist, which is a very attractive metallic beige that was a Spring Colour introduction. Some references tell you to look ahead to the next year's colour chart for Spring Colours. If that was the case here, then Paint Code 66 could mean Gold Mist above and below the sweep spear. However, nobody would mate that with a medium blue interior! Besides, paintref.com provides the '57 Spring Colour codes and they're all letters.

Time to call in the Buick numbers guy heir apparent. I'll flash the Bat Signal for SEAN1997.

[buick man]

Well it appears as of tonight the reserve has been met or it was lowered by the seller to $ 8,500.00. This will most likely create a frenzy upon the final hours to minute of sale I would suspect. Interesting to see where this will go.

Rob: The VIN on this Roadie is: VIN:7 D3010630. The VIN tag posts a Body Number as BL - 82. It was made at the Linden Plant. One would think this would be an early production number job and that at the Linden Plant they must of been doing things differently with the paint code?

It is interesting to note that on my body tag it posts Body No. BC - 57. I am listing this information as I am not quite sure what this means other than it helps denote the plant but not sure what the numbers mean. Perhaps someone has the answer for this.

Below are some data facts for everyones enjoyment. Please note I took this info out of a spec report somewhere as follows:

YEAR MODEL / TYPE OF BODY / FISHER # / WHEELBASE / ENGINE/CAR S/N ( Shown at bottom)

**************************************************************************************

SPECIAL SERIES - 8 CYLINDER 4 1/8" BORE X 3.4 STROKE 54.45 S.A.E. H.P.

1957 41 SEDAN 574469 122"

1957 43 RIVIERA SEDAN 574439 122"

1957 46R RIVIERA COUPE 574437 122"

1957 46C CONVERTIBLE 574467TX 122"

1957 48 2-DOOR SEDAN 574411 122"

1957 49 ESTATE WAGON 574481 122"

1957 49D RIVIERA ESTATE WAGON 574482 122"

CENTURY SERIES - 8 CYLINDER 4 1/8" BORE X 3.4" STROKE

54.45 S.A.E. H.P.

1957 61 SEDAN 574669 122"

1957 63 RIVIERA SEDAN 574639 122"

1957 66C CONVERTIBLE 574667X 122"

1957 66R RIVIERA COUPE 574637 122"

1957 69 RIVIERA ESTATE WAGON 574682 122"

SUPER SERIES - 8 CYLINDER 4 1/8" BORE X 3.4" STROKE 54.45 S.A.E. H.P.

1957 53 R1VIERA SEDAN 574539 127.5"

1957 56C CONVERTIBLE 574567X 127.5"

1957 56R RIVIERA COUPE 574537 127.5"

ROADMASTER - 8 CYLINDER 4 1/8" BORE X 3.4" STROKE 54.45 S.A.E. H.P.

1957 73 RIVIERA SEDAN 574739DX 127.5"

1957 73A RIVIERA SEDAN 574739X 127,5"

1957 75 RIVIERA SEDAN 574739SX 127.5"

1957 75R RIVIERA COUPE 574737SX 127.5"

1957 76R RIVIERA COUPE 574737DX 127.5"

1957 76A RIVIERA COUPE 574737X 127.5"

1957 76C CONVERTIBLE 574767X 127.5"

1957 ENGINE AND FRAME NUMBERS ARE THE SAME AND START AT:

D1-001001 FLINT, G

D2-OO1001 SOUTH GATE, BC

D3-001001 LINDEN, BL

D4-001001 KANSAS CITY, BK

D5-001001 WILMINGTON, BW

D6-001001 ATLANTA, BA

D7-001001 FRAMINGHAM, BF

D8-001001 ARLINGTON, BT

Edited January 8, 2013 by buick man (see edit history)

[JZRIV]

Just for my curiosity, is it normal for the body tag right side (facing) rivet to be installed below the hole on the tag? Guessing there was a good reason for it but why?

[Guest Rob McDonald]

JZ, I noticed that peculiar fastening of the plate, too, but just chalked it up to sloppy workmanship.

Someone noted recently (probably SEAN1997) that the Serial Number on the door jamb provides the assembly plant location. Mine is 7 D1XXXXXX, where 7 is 1957, D is Buick, and 1 is the Flint plant. The rest are just sequential numbers, starting at 1001. I'm not being coy by not including mine, I just don't have it handy.

DAVID, I question your theory of early production at Linden because this coupe is a model 76A, with the roof and rear window spears deleted. TGRoadmaster57 has determined that the 2-door 76As and 4-door 73As (like mine) came later in the production season, around the time the Roadmaster 75s were introduced. That explains why few of the 75s have roof spears or "Tiara Top", as Tom dubbed it.

This coupe is sequence number 010630, meaning it was the 9630th '57 Buick built at Linden. A previous post by SEAN1997 shows that 46,645 Buicks were built at Linden in 1957. If that's the calendar year total, this car was built maybe late March, a quarter way through the year. That makes it a late-ish production '57 because the '58s would have started streaming through in about June.

Edited January 8, 2013 by Rob McDonald
noticed the serial number (see edit history)

[Oldsfan]

Gentlemen (and any ladies, if they are present...),

I am no expert on Buicks, by any means, but I believe the paint code on this data plate is GG - not 66. When I originally looked at the tag, I thought it said 66, too. But the the '57 order sheet was posted, showing color codes in letters, not numbers. G is Dresden Blue, which, checking the Auto Color Library, is a light blue. The seller has the car listed as being mint green, but I believe the blue has probably faded somewhat. If you look at the interior shot showing the padded dash - notice that the color of the raised hood is very similar to the light blue painted lower dash area. Also, in the shot showing the passenger side door jamb, that same painted lower dash area seems to match the paint in the jamb.

Just my 2 cents...

Paul

[buick man]

Hey guys how is it?

The model 76A's did not have the chrome strip running up the back and onto the roof only on the trunk lid. Only the Model 76R's had the chrome running up the rear glass and onto the roof and that is really the only difference between the two models. Also Model 76A's normally came in a single tone paint scenario as model 76R's were pushed as two toners although both could be ordered either way I suppose. This was as it was from day one of production for the 57 model year and at that time no model 75's existed but would be developed using the model 76A theme but with the trunk chrome spears deleted.

Rob: No I do not agree, I believe this would still make this car made somewhere before December of 56 at Linden.

As to Model 76A's and 76R's production run planning, they were planned from this way as mentioned from the get go. Probably back in 55-56. The very first brochures even show these two models and no model 75. Only the model 75's were conceived around the first of the year in 57 and quickly punched out by march of 57 and they were model 76A's with the trunk chrome deleted and a new interior. They ripped off some interiors from then upcoming 58 Cadillac Model 62 model lines and slapped them into the model 75's with a little change here and there. Also stole from the chevy impala interior theme that was coming out for the 58 chevy run as far as the door panels go.

Interesting input guys. Just where will the sales price stop at?

[buick man]

Just for my curiosity, is it normal for the body tag right side (facing) rivet to be installed below the hole on the tag? Guessing there was a good reason for it but why?

Good question. Just take a look at my tag I posted earlier. Looks like it was going through some "ride" line at the county fair of something.

[JohnD1956]

Well it appears as of tonight the reserve has been met or it was lowered by the seller to $ 8,500.00.

Damn, Who gets Bernie's ten dollars?

[buick man]

Hey out there. Does anyone know how to capture the photos off of this ebay sale and post them here on our side of the universe. My browser will not let me do that. If some one knows how, then please do and that way we will have them for posterity.

P.S. Later you can also tell me how you did it.

[Earl B.]

Buick Man, Is this what you wanted?...B

[60FlatTop]

I donated the 10 bucks to the Buick Heritage Alliance. I figured a Buick owner sure wouldn't need it. And the Alliance needs all our help. I guess it was a bit of a Terry Dunham gesture, too.

I did take a look at completed sales for Buicks from 1900-90 on Ebay. There was so much red from "no sales" I jumped up for a bandage. I thought the computer was hemorrhaging! The odds really were on my side.

Bernie

[buick man]

I donated the 10 bucks to the Buick Heritage Alliance. I figured a Buick owner sure wouldn't need it. And the Alliance needs all our help. I guess it was a bit of a Terry Dunham gesture, too.

I did take a look at completed sales for Buicks from 1900-90 on Ebay. There was so much red from "no sales" I jumped up for a bandage. I thought the computer was hemorrhaging! The odds really were on my side.

Bernie

Yeah your right Bernie, n cept for one fact. " It's a 1957 Buick Roadmaster Coupe !!!! :cool: "

This is not overpriced field art and really look at most of those no sales. Either someone is way, way over their head as in Guess It's Not 2006 Anymore and expecting to get the home mortgage paid back to down right no name scrape metal posers.

B - I have a Mac and my brouser "Safari" apparently does not let me capture to downloads or even give me an option to load to another software anything on ebay. Probably can but damn'd if I know how. So if you or anyone else can explain it to buickman I'm all ears n keyboard too.

Edit: Oh and if I had $ 10,k in my "To do" sock I would not hesitate for a moment to give my little girl a garage companion. So I could have twins. - Now that's an idea.

Edited January 9, 2013 by buick man (see edit history)

[Earl B.]

Buick Man, apples are good to eat and good for you..that's about all I know about them...haha...B

[sean1997]

Mine is 7 D1XXXXXX, where 7 is 1957, D is Buick, and 1 is the Flint plant. The rest are just sequential numbers, starting at 1001.

7 = Series 70 (Roadmaster)

D = 1957 (A = 1954)

1 = Flint, MI

XXXXXX = sequential number starting at 001001 for each plant for the model year (ie., resets to 001001 at the beginning of the model year for each plant)

Ward's Automotive Yearbook reports that 1957 production began on 10/15/1956 (see last page of the 1957 pdf attached). Unfortunately, no date is given for the end of production, but based on the other years, 10/1/1957 would be a reasonable guess since the dealer introduction date was 10/31/1957 for the 1958 models (see page 4 of the 1959 pdf).

The optional wheel color was indicated by a dash one (-1) or just an extra one (1) at the end of the paint code.

Also, does anyone have a 1957 dealer trim book? This link says you could order upper two-tone colors for the 50 and 70 series Rivieras.

1957 Paint Charts and Codes

Maybe someone with a dealer trim book can check and see if it really says that.

1957 Wards Automotive Yearbook-low res.pdf

1958 Wards Automotive Yearbook-low res.pdf

1959 Wards Automotive Yearbook-low res.pdf

Edited January 9, 2013 by sean1997 (see edit history)

[buick man]

Sean let's not bring up the Dealer Trim Book idea around here since it is a touchy subject. Right Rob?

But on a brighter note, one just sold on ebay for around $ 250.00. I would of bought it but shot the works on some more NOS backup parts but in retrospect it seems I should of.

[buick man]

Well it's official. The gavel fell at $ 10.201.01 good ol American Dollars.

Wow - At least I would think no sleazbayer is going to part it out at this buy in price and punch out countless pages of parts up for the taking. Whoever bought it - wanted it as apparently many did over some 30 or so bids.

Here is to hoping it stays on our shores where it belongs. - Just my take on things and you can quote me on that.

[buick man]

Buick Man, apples are good to eat and good for you..that's about all I know about them...haha...B

Thanks B for the effort. If you feel so inclined please grab the rest of them as well for us.

[lancemb]

DAVID, oops, my mistake. I thought the first character of a 3-Alpha paint code was for a contrasting roof but it's not. The order form you posted confirms that the first and second Alphas were above and below the sweep spear, as usual, but the third was for an optional wheel colour. I agree with you - there was no factory roof-only colour. Any cars painted that way were probably done pre-delivery or later in life and any moulding at this line was likely either fabricated by a conscientious body shop or is just peel-and-stick plastic trim from Canadian Tire (or the US equivalent).

Rob, you were correct the first time about the paint. When there are 3 sequential alpha characters, the first refers to the roof. When there is a numerical character at the end it refers to the wheels. In the case of this Roadmaster, I am pretty sure the seller said it is original paint; this may or may not be true but seems plausible that it is and the code is GG is for Dresden Blue top and bottom. What most likely happened is somebody added the white roof at some point and left the rest as original. With the paint code shown and the lack of roof trim, the white roof was certainly not factory-applied.

Please see my post here: http://forums.aaca.org/f162/clearing-up-speculation-whether-any-57-a-344459.html[TABLE=width: 100%]

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[Guest Rob McDonald]

I'm pleased to stand corrected and corrected again.

[buick man]

I want to thank sean1997 again for the excellent Ward's postings as this tells us a lot we did not know regarding the Buick job runs by states and various plants. Thank you Sean.

Wow. For example it appears that folks bought the low to mid level cars and packed them with accessories and still had a less expensive car. They could pretend they were in a luxury Buick or Cad. However, the ride, interior & build quality meant it was still a ford, chevy or plymouth even if you closed your eyes and held your breath.

On another matter of interest to me, my Roadie was number 6,904 out of some 37,500 Buicks that came out of the South Gate plant in California in 1957. Guess I could safely say mine was built early on in the production run probably in within the first couple of months.

Again, all the information given in the Wards is good and interesting.

[TG57Roadmaster]

I'm adding to this because there are some points about this car that need to be brought to light regarding its comparo in David's other thread. Definitely a GG paint code car, Dresden Blue top and bottom. My door jams have faded to a light Robin's Egg blue and weren't repainted after a driver's side crunch decades ago when the blue bottoms were done; there's a tinge of green now.

I'm glad the pics of the car are still up, so we can talk about the interior. The splits you see in the seat vinyl are in the di-lectric "seams" and can't be restitched, and the fabric is shot. It loses its silver threads and the blue fades badly, just like mine did, and loses its luster and pliability.

You could probably get away with just replacing the fabric and lower vinyl, but eventually those di-lectric seams on the uppers would give way. The thick pile iceberg-blue carpet would need to be replaced (again, fade and loss of luster), and probably all the armrest pads, too. Door panels look great.

This interior has alot going for it with the above-noted exceptions, and the dash still has its engine-turned applique, a real plus.

What really has me happy is the trunk lining. It appears to be the gray variety, rather than the blue that one would think should be found in a blue-trimmed car. As the trunk boards are made from the same material as the front kick panels, it can't be a fade thing in the trunk, since the interior boards still have great color. Almost proof of the theory that they used what they had on hand that day, rather than holding to absolutes.

The Master Body Parts Book, Group 15.222 has at its end "Footnote One" that lists the change in trunk lining part numbers by body number at each ass'y plant. "Up to body number ___" and, "after body number ___." For Linden, it's after body #1814, 73-73A and body #254, 76A-76R. Wish I knew what that means (weave pattern, added jute backing, shipped from Planet Mars, etc.?), but this car is body #82 with S/N 7D3010630. The range for Linden is 7D3001001 to 3047605.

The whole Footnote 1 (and 2, 3) makes my head hurt, BTW.

The white comparo car's S/N, 57b1127890, I think should be 7D1127890 which falls within the range of Flint production.

In post #19, Rob noted: "TGRoadmaster57 has determined that the 2-door 76As and 4-door 73As (like mine) came later in the production season, around the time the Roadmaster 75s were introduced. That explains why few of the 75s have roof spears or "Tiara Top", as Tom dubbed it."

I don't remember ever saying that, as 76As and 73As were available and catalogued from Day One.

(Blame it on Canada's cold winters and resulting brain-fade?).

As for build dates as they relate to serial numbers, here's something to ponder. Mine is 7D6008435, Atlanta, the 7,435th car built there. My seat motor is date-stamped October __, 1956 (can't remember the exact date), but I found this in the back seat bottom cushion before the interior was reupholstered...

So, the Roadmistress couldn't have been built before 11/29/56, and likely rolled out within days of this seat tag date.

4539 = Super 53 4-door Riviera

4739X = RM 73A

4739DX = RM 73

Believe it or not, my Data Plate is stamped 4739X, as if it were a 73A w/out the Tiara Top. (Were hangovers included in Buick's UAW contract?). I'll get a picture of my DP later today, 'cause I've not paid attention to the body number before. I wonder if the late, lamented Dave Corbin had build date numbers for '57's?

While we're at it, let's refresh the build numbers (although Sean has already done this elsewhere); these come from my 1960 Red Book, National (used car) Market Reports...

1957 ENGINE AND FRAME NUMBERS ARE THE SAME AND START AT:

(From David's prior post)

D1001001-1149640 FLINT, G (Red Book starts Flint at 0989, rather than 1001; maybe pilot cars?)

D2001001-2038462 SOUTH GATE, BC

D3001001-3047645 LINDEN, BL

D4001001-4046155 KANSAS CITY, BK

D5001001-5039991 WILMINGTON, BW

D6001001-6042248 ATLANTA, BA

D7001001-7018900 FRAMINGHAM, BF

D8001001-8030225 ARLINGTON, BT

There's some great info in this thread, as expected. I've been away for months as cataracts in both eyes have made it nigh unto impossible to type or even see the mouse pointer on the screen. The left eye was done last week (now 20-20!) and the right gets done in early-March.

TG

Edited February 19, 2013 by TG57Roadmaster (see edit history)

[buick man]

Good report. Where did you ever find new vinyl with the correct di-lectric seams embossed? Is this vinyl some of what Doug over at SMS has been bragging about these past few years as he told me he could do these seams?

Interesting about Roadmistress. Yeah so what happened there?

My Body No. is 57. Nice to see how the seat spring tag was suppose to look like as well.

Editorial: Well today confirms once again the cravings of the unordained or unwashed masses, proving once again they will jump as high as need be as long as there is fresh paint and the seats don't smell. Referring of course to the model 76R in our unabridged thesis comparison with that of the model 76A. Is there true marketable value in an archival unrestored vehicle, patina and all, or are they yet just another convenient way of avoiding "fixing them up right" as this mindset seems to reveal? Yes the quick and handy cos-me-to-log-i-cal rendering of the model 76R helps drive that point home. Perhaps.

Oh.... TG: Glad to hear things are working out for you Had no idea. Were or are you also a candidate for LASIK where they can carve on the cornea to fine tune acuity and accommodation?

Edited February 19, 2013 by buick man (see edit history)