Am I sick?

[Guest 48buickkid]

So I know you guys were hoping to see my Buick come into its own, but I just watched it leave on a trailer yesterday. After much thought and a junk engine(badly rusted cyclinder walls) I decided that all the parts in my storage unit would in the end make a better car than a base model special. I greatly miss my 48 roadmaster 4 door. I was thinking to myself Ill just sell the 47 and find another 4 door roadmaster! While my search will go on for the right car something with ok paint and interior but maybe a bad motor or less drivetrain. Someone offered me a considerable amount more than I had in the 47 without all the roadmaster parts and I took it. I'm sorry to let you guys down. I am going to get back to buicks when I find another but in the mean time I just bought a 67 2 door cadillac calais. Runs, needs brakes,tires, and trunk lid. Keep motoring on guys

[60FlatTop]

I just saw your post. It has been up for 10 hours and 88 members have viewed it, not a reply or even a grunt. Ever notice that? And you even asked their opinion.

I think you "did good". Your messages look like you want a really neat old car the drive around in and driving is sure a lot more fun than work. My rule of thumb is that you can buy $4,000 worth of work for every $1,000 you are willing to spend. Plot that Caddy on a time/$ project timeline toward completion and see what a jump you made. When it comes to the topic of work "avoided work" is what I like best.

Now that you have a running car take care of the safety and reliability items first but just do what is required, don't tear it all apart and make a restoration project of it. A problem with old cars is that for every $4,000 you put into it most buyers will only see $1,000 of added value, if they notice at all.

Bernie

[60FlatTop]

I just noticed, 15 people read this while I was writing a reply.

Bernie

[Bhigdog]

So what's to say?...............................Bob

[danhar1960]

I just saw your post. It has been up for 10 hours and 88 members have viewed it, not a reply or even a grunt. Ever notice that? And you even asked their opinion.

Bernie

I can't seem to see where in this thread he has asked for an opinion.

Is there another thread somewhere related to this ??

Danny

[Bleach]

Are you running a fever or seeing spots before your eyes 48buickkid?

[jscheib]

Danny,

48buickkid did ask questions on his other post when he was about to "modify' the car he now sold in favor of a Caddy.

John

[60FlatTop]

He had about 80 posts sharing his dream car with the forum. He is young and was up at midnight writing about his feelings of selling the car and speculating about the actions he took. My guess is 48BuickKid is around 20 years old and is good for another 50+ years in the hobby.

I was 30 in pre-computer 1978 when I got my first day job. I was so excited to not have to work nights anymore. I could join the Western New York Chapter of the Buick Club of America and secure my spot as BCA member #10556. Since then I have been a member of a number of clubs. The BCA represents my interest in cars and me in general. I have always felt most secure in my Buick friends. If my son wanted to console me in a major decision in his hobby I would be there. If a member is up at midnight writing I'll share a note with them. I can relate and I have the time.

Spring is close now, I better check the cars to be sure I have BCA membership brochures in each to invite people at shows and cruise nights to join us.

Bernie

[Guest 48buickkid]

Im not completely done with buicks, in the end I finally came to the realization that I bought the special for the roadmaster parts that came with it. I loved my original 48 roadmaster sedan. I want another one when I can find a really good one, really worth restoring. You're right flattop in the notion that I wanted a driver. That Buick was gonna take a while and in the end decided it needed a new home. This caddy is gonna be my first amature resto doing a little at a time and keeping it driveable. I've gotta do brakes,tires, and a gas tank. Then she will be at least cruise worthy. She is on the rough side but it she runs! I can make mistakes on this car and not feel to bad as long as I do them right the second time(or third). We just got the caddy today after a 7 hour round trip to get it. I will always be a buick man just this time I will wait for the right 4 door 48 roadmaster to pop up. Thats my dream buick and I'm gonna stick with it. Thanks for the support guys(and gals)!

[NTX5467]

'48 Roadmasters are pretty neat cars! So are '67 Cadillac Calais! Nicely-sculptured body lines, stout powertrain items, size and comfort, plus "new enough" to have decent parts availability (new and used). I feel you did fine with what you did.

Keep on Cadillacin' along until you find that ONE Buick, then proceed as you desire.

Thanks for the update,

NTX5467

[Smartin]

You did the right thing. Going after what you REALLY want, instead of settling. Heck, I just unloaded my Limited project of over 4 years. Just gave up on it because a better opportunity came along. It's just a car. There will be others. This is (I think) #12 for me in the last 9 years.

[old-tank]

You did the right thing. Going after what you REALLY want, instead of settling. Heck, I just unloaded my Limited project of over 4 years. Just gave up on it because a better opportunity came along. It's just a car. There will be others. This is (I think) #12 for me in the last 9 years.

You gotta go where the passion is. I have sold very few of the cars I have owned, but I once had a 54 Plymouth, a 64 Dodge...

[60FlatTop]

Even the Buick guys have a stray Cadillac stashed away sometimes. Never shooda sold it.

Bernie

[danhar1960]

Danny,

48buickkid did ask questions on his other post when he was about to "modify' the car he now sold in favor of a Caddy.

John

Must have been down on the "Post War Forum" where they talk about all them there fancy, fandangled, modern automobiles. :)

Danny

[Bleach]

Even the Buick guys have a stray Cadillac stashed away sometimes. Never shooda sold it.

Bernie

I've been a Cadillac guy with a stray Buick stashed away.

Both used to make excellent cars that you could easily tell the difference from one or the other.

1967 is an excellent year for Cadillac. It was the last year of the engine that made them so famous in 1949. It had numerous changes over the years but nothing really drastic. The 429 in the 67 really makes the car feel much smaller than it really is. They also handle fairly well.

The 68's, which hardly look different from the outside, seem to handle and perform quite differently than the 67's. The 68's feel every bit as large as they look. The new engine in the 68 is more powerful but it's the overall package that for some reason make them feel very heavy.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

Ah-hah! another chance to moon about my late, great '65 Coupe de Ville. Architectural styling, bank vault build quality, supreme ride, and heaps of power with decent fuel economy. Well, better than my neighbours' enormous new SUVs, anyway. Weighed less, too.

What really stood out in all American luxury cars for '65 and '66 was the quality of their interiors. My Cadillac had miles of chrome-plated pot metal with soft-touch moulded vinyl trim and lovely brushed stainless steel panels. Awesome spring-loaded door hiding the ashtrays and cigarette lighters. "Cadillac" spelled out in an incredibly fine script moulding. Sofa-comfy bucket seats with perforated white leather inserts and, between them, a huge console armrest and locking storage box.

In 1967, the US government really stomped on the auto industry and demanded safer interiors. Pot metal was seen as a big culprit in occupant injuries in relatively low-speed collisions. Carmakers had to respond with acres of plastic dashboards, door panels, and steering wheels. Chrome, stainless, and wood veneer had to be mimicked in vinyl, which is dimensionally unstable by nature. Eventually, Detroit got pretty good at it and even restored acceptable fit and finish. In my view, though, otherwise grand cars of the late '60s - Caddys, Buick Electras, Lincolns, and Imperials - lost much interior elegance in the transition.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Rob McDonald (see edit history)

[Bleach]

The 67's and 68's still had nice interiors, though yes, there was less visible metal. Fit and finish was still great.The 69's and 70's interiors were terrible. Way too much cheap poor fitting plastic. It looked bad even when new.

[Guest 48buickkid]

The interior in my 1967 Calais(hardtop) is actually a little more elegant than what was in my 1966 Calais(hardtop) There is actually more brushed stainless in the 67 and I find the quality to be a little nicer. The dash board isn't even cracked! But someone cut up the back seat with a knife and thats a story in itself.

[NTX5467]

Seemed like EVERY Cadillac owner that came into the service stations I was around in the middle 1960s (which were few, but where we bought gas for ages), ALL got their cars filled-up with regular gas, not premium, but regular. All claimed that it ran just fine and didn't clatter . . . which I thought was poppycock, but that was their story. I knew that our '66 Newport 383 2bbl rattled on any regular, so we upgraded to premium and things worked well.

Several years later, in the middle 1970s, I was investigating the many SAE Transation journals I'd found in the Texas Tech Library . . . talk about a car lover's "cheap entertainment"! I found a paper on compression ratios and "real" octane requiremnts of many USA V-8 engines. Sure enough, there was that Cadillac 390 V-8 in there, with an octane requirement that was what normal regular gasoline was back then (which was usually about 94-95 Research Octane). I never did any more research to see why it was that way, as I had other interests. Later, I found the paper which Chrysler engineers presented when they introduced their then-new B/RB engine family (which was to replace the first-gen Hemi V-8. It was spec'd for 97 Research octane fuel, which was "premium" back then.

In more recent decades, David Vizard's book on small block Chevy cylinder heads indicated that other things than physical compression ratio help determine an engine's octane requirement . . . which many had found when the early-later 1970s V-8s with 8.0 compression ratios could be made to clatter on the best fuels around (which were basically 97 Research octane gasoline).

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Bleach]

Too bad about the back seat. Maybe you will get lucky a find a good one somewhere. The back seats usually outlast the fronts.

The 67 dash is the nicer of the 67 & 68 style dashes. The 68 looks like the top and bottom sections are mismatched.

Any photos of the Calais?

Edited March 22, 2013 by Bleach (see edit history)

[Guest 48buickkid]

She is it really good shape for a $600 Cadillac no rot in the floors or trunk. I'm the 3rd owner. I have the original service manual with protecto plate, original owners manual, and the original bill of sale. Nanabelle Rudd was the older lady who bought this car new after her husbands death. This car stayed with her until june of 2011 where after she stopped driving it it was put up on blocks for 26 years in her garage. The older gent I bought it from had plans of restoring it as his last ride, sadly he had money stashed in the trunk and the wrong people got wind of it. So they broke into the car cut up the back seat in an attempt to get into the truck then after they found out there are springs in seats moved on to prying the front edges of the trunklid up. After that failed they moved on to just destroying the area around the rear truck lock. Amazingly I found the lock laying in the mud undamadged. The vandals were never cought and made away with $4500 in cash that was supposed to restore this car. After that the older gent was so heartbroken over it he never did anything else with it. I saw it on craigslist last week and initially offered $800 then through negotiations with his son got it down to $600 based on the rear seat condition,trunklid,incorrect gas tank, and the fact that I was told the car ran(we got it to run but not for long due to a bad negative battery cable). I would have given the man $800 but I didn't get to meet him till the day we went back to get it. He made me promise to do something with the car and to either bring it back to him so he could see it or if he passed away before that happened to drive it back to where he would be buried and rap the engine up a little for him. He had to leave before we loaded it on the trailer and I could see the tears in his eyes so I will do my best to do right by him and the history of this car. If I can get it running and driving anytime soon Ill take it back to him and take him for a ride and let him do a country mile drive with it. He never got to drive it and said he never owned a nicer car.

[Bleach]

Nice car with lots of potential. It has the usual rust spots visible. The trunk lid and hood are 67 only. I think the fenders are the same 67 & 68 except the corner lights will be different. I think the the front bumpers are the same for both years but the rear is not. Interior is model and year specific. Not that much interchanges between the two years there.

I saw your A/C compressor is missing. Those are common for many years and should be easy to get.

It should be an easy project to get going fairly easily.

[Guest 48buickkid]

I'm gonna pull all the ac components for now, bag tag, and store along with blocking off the tubes for the main housing. Save weight and I don't plan on having ac anyways as I've always been a windows down if its nice(sometimes even in the rain) kinda guy. The hood with some minor patchwork would be good, bottom rear quarters on both sides are solid. I have a line on another trunk lid but might just buy the whole car to part out that its on as its a 1967 convertable Deville. For now I'm gonna bend the corners back down and use a screw driver to open it. I'm gonna have to buy new seat covers for the top and bottom on the back seat maybe new carpet and clean the rest really good. But overall it will be a nice cruiser. I need to find fenders skirts too. Front fenders are shot as are the bumper ends but I know where some bumper ends are. Thanks for the compliments! I'm not done with Buicks yet! My love for cars is really split between Buick and Cadillac. I always liked Cadillacs from 53-68 for their style and just king of the road attitude they have. But then I loved Buick for the more elegant and understated beauty. They were always as good as Cadillacs just not as flashy most of the time.

Edited March 22, 2013 by 48buickkid (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

If you lived in New York you get this plate Edited March 22, 2013 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[Bleach]

I'm gonna pull all the ac components for now, bag tag, and store along with blocking off the tubes for the main housing. Save weight and I don't plan on having ac anyways as I've always been a windows down if its nice(sometimes even in the rain) kinda guy. The hood with some minor patchwork would be good, bottom rear quarters on both sides are solid. I have a line on another trunk lid but might just buy the whole car to part out that its on as its a 1967 convertable Deville. For now I'm gonna bend the corners back down and use a screw driver to open it. I'm gonna have to buy new seat covers for the top and bottom on the back seat maybe new carpet and clean the rest really good. But overall it will be a nice cruiser. I need to find fenders skirts too. Front fenders are shot as are the bumper ends but I know where some bumper ends are. Thanks for the compliments! I'm not done with Buicks yet! My love for cars is really split between Buick and Cadillac. I always liked Cadillacs from 53-68 for their style and just king of the road attitude they have. But then I loved Buick for the more elegant and understated beauty. They were always as good as Cadillacs just not as flashy most of the time.

I would double check the dimensions on the convert's trunk lid. It may be different because of the rear deck length due to the convertible top components. The rear seat and interior trim are definitely different. The convert could end up having some valuable parts specific to the car. It must be in really bad shape to be a parts car. The A/C components that are left are mostly aluminum so the weight savings may not be noticeable. No need to create more work on yourself.

Also interior trim and patterns are different between the Calais and de Ville models.

I think I saw some online manuals for the 67 or 68 Cadillac models somewhere.

[Guest 48buickkid]

Yes the deville interior is different from the calais. I think I'm gonna have to order material and have the covers made as no where seems to make covers for the Calais. I will keep that in mind on the convertable decklid and I was kinda wondering the same thing knowing that covertables have all sorts of extra bracing and might differ in the trunk area specifically due to needed a place for the folded down top to go. The car is in a junkyard I know of and was parked sometime in the 1980s with the top halfway up. Its a parts car for sure but I figure there are some convertable specific parts left worth saving this will give me plenty of spares drivetrain wise. The car wasn't in horrible shape when it was parked and might still be restorable for someone that really wanted one but there are far better candidates out there. There is a fender skirt on it I'm going to grab and I hope the other is in the trunk or something. My plan was to buy it, part out what I could, and use whats left on a 4x4 suburban frame for a mud toy. I know that sounds sick but with a car in this shape its better than the scrapper.