Raise your hand if you drove at least one old Buick this weekend

[BRB62]

Just got back from a week long trip to Geraldton, 310 miles north of here. Attended "Rally-west", the Western Australian national historic car rally. First time this year opened to newer vehicles, former years were veteran and vintage only (pre 1930). 140+ cars attended, was a great show and very well organised.

Total miles driven just over 1000. Took a lazy 2 days up and straight home in a single stint. Travelled in our Electra with my parents in their very rare 1937 Chevrolet Master tourer (Holden body).

First shots are a very friendly/curious emu at a fuel stop on the way and then some kangaroos hanging around our rooms early in the morning (note the joeys, one still in it's mothers pouch).

Then our registration at Geraldton city later in the day.

Next is the Day 1 drive to historic Greenough and nearby Walkaway, yes that is Spiderman in our car! I think he liked the drive, didn't say too much though. Visited a wind farm and a short dirt road trip to a local billabong (natural river pool).

 

[60FlatTop]

I got two pretty good outings. Saturday we had my Wife's family reunion overlooking Seneca Lake in Geneva, New York. It is just under 200 miles round trip for me. What is my process to prepare a 56 year old car for 200 miles on a hot day? Check the oil and top off the tank.

 

Mine was easy to spot. It was the only white one,

Letting the Nieces and Nephews see the Mirror Magic dash and then starting it with the gas pedal drew some smiles.

 

Then, this afternoon, all alone, while my Wife was getting groceries, I decided it was just right for a convertible ride. South of town is where the hills start and a guy with a Buick convertible can be King of all he surveys.

 

That car may go on Ebay next week, although I have been considering the 1500 miles trip to Denver next June. I sold my Packard last week. And seriously thinking about focusing on my Riviera, so two more may go. It sure was a nice smooth ride, though.

Bernie

 

Oh, I'm looking for $9500 for the Park Ave and for the work I have done to meet my expectations it is probably the closest thing to an Ed China car one can buy without having to deal with his wickerbill ex-partner. Everyone here has a Buick, but I might write it up in the Buick Buy/Sell section for practice.

[Larry Schramm]

Took the truck out for a Golden Memories car show at the Sloan Museum in Flint today.  Put about 25-30 miles on the ride back and forth from the storage facility to the car show.  Weather was beautiful and just relaxed and read a book and talked to participants and lookers.

Edited September 19, 2017 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[EmTee]

Took Goldie to the Hemmings Weekend in Lake George, NY this weekend.  Participated in a tour up Prospect mountain on Friday and the open car cruise-in on Saturday.  The concours show was today (Sunday) and I went in as a spectator to see the 1963 - 73 Rivieras in one of the 2017 featured classes.  I have more pictures which I will post in the Hemmings Concours topic in the Riviera forum.  ( http://forums.aaca.org/topic/284163-63-73-riviera-celebrated-at-2017-hemmings-concours-delegance/ ).  This is the furthest I've driven Goldie and she ran beautifully.  The only glitch today was the A/C clutch let out a horrible screech when I tried to turn on the air conditioner (have to look into that later this week).  Had to roll down the windows instead, which was fine as it cooled down a bit once we got into the Adirondaks and trees provided some shade.  The weather this weekend was beautiful -- but hot (mid 80's).  It felt more like mid August than mid September!

 

Oh, and Wayne said he liked Goldie, too!  In fact, he says he needs to find himself a complete set: Riviera, Toronado & Eldorado! 

 

 

[JohnD1956]

Note to self,  Don't just tell 13 year old boys to step on the gas pedal to start the 56.  I thought;  that kids gonna blow that engine with his foot on the floor like that!

[MCHinson]

Today I put 150 miles on my 1937 Century. A friend's daughter was getting married and he asked me if I would drive the couple away from the church. The wedding was in a rural county a couple of counties away from my home so I got some Interstate time as well as some back country roads. The couple were nice and enjoyed the half hour ride from the church to the reception. 

[BRB62]

Rest of the shots from our Geraldton trip.

1929 La Salle that won entrants choice

Day 3 car display day with the 5 Buick Owners Club cars lined up following the show.

Day 4 stopped at an old railway siding with Murrays Skylark on the way to Mullewa for the spring wildflowers. This area is very well known for the abundance of wildflowers every spring season.

1926 Bentley parked next to the unique wreath flowers found here.

Day 5 and my first ever ride in a veteran T, 1915. Back roads/tracks to visit a local members farm collection.

Day 6 on the way home, parked beside Myrtle and Wattles in bloom.

 

[Paul White]

Hi All,

 

The Club had a run to Joadja, which is a shale mining ghost town which operated between the 1870s to 1911, about 85 miles south of Sydney.  It was a warm and sunny Autumn day and we had a good turn out. We toured the ruins and after lunch went Gin and Whiskey tasting. I couldn't convince the Kangaroos to have their picture taken with a Buick!....3 weeks to go to the 1200 mile round trip to the Victorian's 50th Anniversary event!

[Aaron65]

I drove my Skylark about three hours round trip to Pure Stock Muscle Car Drags this weekend.  Only used about a half tank of gas, so not too bad.

[60FlatTop]

15 hours ago, JohnD1956 said:

Note to self,  Don't just tell 13 year old boys to step on the gas pedal to start the 56.  I thought;  that kids gonna blow that engine with his foot on the floor like that!

 

My Grandfather had a car lot where  worked through the 1960's. Every time he started a car it was full throttle for fear of it stalling and not starting. Then gunning the hell out of it after. We never lost an engine in spite of him.

 

The ones who started my '60. under guidance and instruction, got an experience they won't forget. 401 cubic inches coming to life is a lot different from 1.8 liters It was even better than the O'Brien family farting contest.

 

HOWEVER, when my Daughter was 16 (32 now) I told her she should know how to start all our cars. Something like the third one was my '64 Riviera. I told her that one was not fuel injected and had a choke. To set the choke when it was cold, push the gas pedal to the floor, then start it. I couldn't see her foot with the console in the way. The car started instantly and the RPM's soared. She just gave me "one of those looks" as I scrambled for the switch. That was the end of driver training for the day.

 

I went back out later and started the car. It had what sounded like a lifter or push rod knock. I drove it into the garage. A little investigation found the piston shattered and in the pan and an empty hole. The rod was still connected and rattling around in the hole as it ran.

 

I had been wrestling with a slight roughness in the engine that I had not been able to put my finger on. Since then I have seen two more nailheads with cracked pistons. I think she pushed mine over the edge and completed what had been untenable diagnostics. When I bought the car it was only about 15 years old and the engine had been replaced by a '65 401. Lisa helped me get the correct code '64 425 in the car and I'm happy.

 

The really important thing, and some kids never really get affirmative confirmation, was finding out that I really did love her more than the car. They get thoughts like that.

 

 

So, for my whole life, no matter what position I held, I wrote in Mechanic on my tax return. 'Cause that's what I do. No biggy.

Bernie

Edited September 18, 2017 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[philip roitman]

Drove over to Pound Ridge NY for their car show on Sat. with the Electra. Around 15 miles round trip. Over 300 cars. The car won a trophy and my Grandsons corvette go kart did also along with his dad's Nova and his other Granpa's Mustang. It was a family affair and a great time. Too many pictures to share so I will post some Buicks that were there.

Edited September 18, 2017 by philip roitman (see edit history)

[Buicknutty]

 I haven't posted here for a while, but I had the '56 Roadmaster out to my storage and then back, then a local cruise night, for 130 miles in total.

 The problem was that wasn't the plan!

I intended to leave the '56 at storage, and bring the Electra home, to get it ready to go to the NY Regional. Trouble is, the Electra didn't seem to want to come home with me.

First off, when I opened the car door, the dome light didn't work, so I checked the battery, and it was completely dead. It was nosed into the the large garage, and downhill a bit going out, so Glenda and I pushed it out and boosted it with the '56. I let the '56 charge it for a 10 mins or so while we did a few other things, and then started it up. It started quite easily,  and ran well, at least till I took the booster cables off, and it ran another 10 sec, and died. Connecting the cables back up, it restarted fine, but would not run for long without the '56 to supply it with power.

 I didn't have a multimeter with me, so I couldn't do any checking, but though the charge indicator light was off on the dash, it would not keep running.  There was something making noise also, and when I put my hand on the alternator it was unusually warm, considering it had only been running a minute or so. Don't know what meant, but something sure was amiss.

 So, we pushed the car back into the garage, and it was quite a bit tougher going up that slight incline! Then I pulled the alternator and battery. I took the alternator to a rebuilders (not the same place as worked on it twice last year) and it was toast. The real kicker was when they said some of the internal parts had been replaced, but with used parts, not new.

 It is supposed to be ready for me tomorrow, with all new internals. The battery is on charge, but I will take a spare, plus a spare regulator, in case that has suffered as well. Hopefully, Thurs or Friday I will be able to go back out to see if it will work for me.

 Sorry for the long story guys!

[CBloomberg]

A week ago we took off for Minnesota in my '67 Riviera.  This fuel stop was the last station in Oklahoma on I35.  The car ran perfectly and kept up with the modern freeway speeds.  Gas milage ranged from 13 to 15 mpg depending on the weight of my boot. I took an easy 2 1/2 days for the northbound trip and was somewhat more anxious on the return Sunday afternoon and all day Monday of this week. 

[Beemon]

Those late model Rivs sure look nice

[Malo48]

My family and I drove out the '41 Special out to a monthly car show last night in Northwest Indiana - last one for the season.  It was a beautiful evening, block after block of cars parked along the town's main drag (looked a lot like American Graffiti).  We discovered a nice cafe that we'll be going back to.  There was a beautiful '41 Limited among the crowd, a fantastic '75 LeSabre and I saw the '48 Roadmaster that I used to own, too!  

[Buicknutty]

 Well, I had another try at bringing the Electra home today, and this time we were successful, though the trip was not with out some excitement. The faithful '56 took us the 60 miles through beautiful weather to storage, where I installed the freshly rebuilt alternator and charged battery into the '69. She started right up and ran great. As we were driving home, it "hiccuped" a couple of times, then ran well for the next 20 miles or so, then when we on a main highway, the hiccups came back with vengeance, fortunately there was an exit, and I took it, and I got about a block off the the highway, and then it died altogether. It restarted and ran long enough to get into a parking lot. Without wanting to bore anyone with the details, it was the points (again), and almost at the same part of the highway as last year. The gap had gone done to less than 10 thou, or thereabouts, and lacking a dwell meter in the trunk, but I did have feeler gauges, I regapped them to 15 thou., and it started right up again, and ran fine the rest of the way home. These points I installed right before the trip to the National in July, so they have about 2,000 miles on them, and are of new manufacture. I have recently picked up a few sets of old stock points, and will install one of those in the next day or so.

 So, 120 miles driving vintage Buicks today in total.

 The other bonus, was the award my Electra won at the National was waiting for me in my mailbox! Nice to have it now!

 Keith

[Thriller]

Points was one of the issues with the Wildcat this year for us too. There weren't that many miles, but 12 years since rebuilding I have to expect some of those tuneup items to be out of sorts. 

 

[old-tank]

3 hours ago, Buicknutty said:

I have recently picked up a few sets of old stock points, and will install one of those in the next day or so.

That is all I use...contemporary stuff is junk.

[JohnD1956]

Just a little bit of cruising today. 

Edited September 22, 2017 by JohnD1956 (see edit history)

[dei]

Nice shot of your GS John! 

Had to be hot though with that black interior and this summer like heat...

 

A side bar:

That track line looks in pretty good condition. Are those rails shiny what I see meaning it is in frequent operation?

If so, what line would it be?

 

[NC-car-guy]

Always parked next to something fully restored. But she's front and center. 

 

The other buicks here:

[JohnD1956]

15 hours ago, dei said:

Nice shot of your GS John! 

Had to be hot though with that black interior and this summer like heat...

 

A side bar:

That track line looks in pretty good condition. Are those rails shiny what I see meaning it is in frequent operation?

If so, what line would it be?

 

 

If it gets hot I just put the A/C on.  If I angle the center vent down towards the front seat bottom, and then adjust the side vents I can tell the A/C is on even with the top down.  It really is just a happy car!

 

Re:  the tracks, they are in regular use.  It is a CSX line, which heads north to Canada. Freight and Amtrak passenger service.  Kinda odd that one can get that close, and I was hoping a train would come by for a picture.  Anyway this is in the town of Ballston Lake, which really is not a town in a conventional sense.  There is a restaurant here, and a convenience store.  Most everything else has burnt down, which is even odder, since the area is known as Burnt Hills.  Anyway, the restaurant has been operated for decades, and according to the newspaper article still framed and on the wall, Theodore Roosevelt's train was stopped here in 1901 because this was the only place with a telephone, when McKinnley was assassinated.  Theodore was apparently on an Adirondack hunting trip when the dastardly act was committed, and he was retrieved by train as that was the only service to the area in the day.

[dei]

Thanks John for that info and the interesting history.

 

You have given me an idea for a future trip in the Special.

[Aaron65]

My wife and I took the '53 to the local antique festival, and I played around with the editing software when I got back.

[old-tank]

45 minutes ago, Aaron65 said:

My wife and I took the '53 to the local antique festival, and I played around with the editing software when I got back.

Look great!  Mimics Kodachrome!

[Aaron65]

39 minutes ago, old-tank said:

Look great!  Mimics Kodachrome!

Thanks!  I live in an old neighborhood, which also helps.  The only thing killing the picture is the phone company line box in the background.    

[Aaron65]

One nice thing about digital proliferation is how easy it is to take a nice picture, even with a crappy pocket camera like mine.  I took this one of my Firebird last autumn, and tried to make it look like it was taken back when the car was new.  Of course, the radials give it away.  Sorry for the non-Buick. 

[dmfconsult]

It is definitely fall around here, so wanted to make a run in one of the cars up to a town called Squamish.  It's on the way up to the resort town of Whistler that many will know if they are skiers or followed the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Squamish is about a 45min to an hour drive from my house and at the end of one of the most scenic highways around.  The Sea to Sky Highway runs through one of the most expensive real estate in North America and follows a narrow ribbon between the Coast Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean (Howe Sound).  It received a major upgrade in 2008/2009 but its still prone to accidents due to the speeds and curves, not too mention the odd rock or mud slide!  It's a favorite driving road so it's not uncommon to see high end sports cars running along the highway, in fact there is a company that will rent you a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche for the day for a drive up to Whistler and back.  On our drive, we ran into a local Porsche Club that were rallying up to Whistler so I was passed by many Porsches, including a 918 Spyder ($1 million car) and a rare 911R, which made the ride far more interesting.  Many of the drivers and passengers took a long look at the wagon going by with many thumbs up from these fellow car guys.

 

Weather was good on Saturday and as I invited my parents, it was decided to take the wagon as it was a little more comfortable for them in the back seat than the convertible.   It had been some time since the wagon got a good run like this and was able to exercise all for 4 barrels and whatever was left of the 190 horsepower from the factory.  Several hills and curves which were no problem, and at no time was I holding up the endless stream of Porsches that wanted to go by.  It was a great day!   The goal was to have lunch at Howe Sound Brewery in Squamish, which I highly recommend to anyone travelling through this area.  Excellent food and a fantastic selection of craft  beer.  Ended up being about a 120 mile round trip... you don't have to go far from Vancouver to get into wilderness!

 

 

A look at some of the rock blasting along the highway.  My wife didn't frame the shot well, but the slope is just as steep on the right side of the road.

That is the Pacific Ocean (Howe Sound) on the left.  The highway generally follows the coast line through here.

Added this one given JD's rail shot earlier.  The highway is just feet from this well used freight line.  Not much room here for the highway and rail and the highway is only 2 lanes here.

Mount Garibaldi (Black Tusk) straight ahead, with the popular climbing area the Stewanumus Chief (or just "the Chief") on the right side of the frame.

Parked in Squamish.  The Chief in the background

A vintage Japanese car club showed up during lunch, and this 1977 or 1978 Honda Civic parked beside me.  You don't see too many in that kind of shape, but looked like a toy next to the Wagon. 

Edited September 24, 2017 by dmfconsult
added picture description (see edit history)

[dei]

With summer like weather (temps in the low 90's ) still convinced the wife to go for a drive and late lunch today.

Our first stop (for a picture naturally) was a cul-du-sac on the mouth of a small river off Lake St. Clair.

 

Fortunately this is still a public road for now and one can see this.

 

Not many 72 foot yachts on a lift under a canopy in these here parts! 

 

The next Stop was on the Pier in Belle River where there is a Marina, Restaurant and Public Boat Launch on the east side. The place was "super busy" just like in the middle of July so skipped the restaurant as parking was at a premium but stopped for a shot of the great public beach across the canal.

 

Next we came to a place for lunch we have never been before and if one doesn't get we are bi-lingual here in Ontario Canada here is the name of the Restaurant/Grill we decided to try.

We ate a great light lunch outside in the outdoor covered area on the edge of the Golf Course (in the 89 degree heat) but had just enough breeze in the shade to take the edge off.

Actually, I told my wife we should eat outside because if we ate inside the air conditioned building, she might not like getting back in the car with the top down!  She is such a sport sometimes.

 

 

If you haven't guessed by now I'm following the shoreline of Lake St. Clair from outside Windsor City Limits and.....

 

After lunch we continued along the lake till coming to....

 

Sadly the long time Restaurant in front of us is closed and for sale and other than lots of fishing and pleasure boating going on, things don't look too prosperous like I remember.

Just behind us is the old Government Light House guiding the small commercial boats that used to ply the river and has been preserved.

 

This area was originally (way back) a marsh / flood plain and after the rail road came through (again way back) developers dredged canals and built up land they sold to build houses which today are really beautiful homes with private docks just like the inter coastal waterways in Florida.

We travelled around this area and a little up the River Thames to another Marina where Cindy saw LOTS of turtles sunning themselves on floating logs but they all scattered back in the water buy the time I got out of the car. They must have great eyesight and or hearing!

 

Decided this was far enough and headed home taking a slightly different route but all secondary roads not over 50 mph.

The car performed GREAT being it was officially 92 degrees today!

The temp gauge only once went up to the "P" on the gauge, fired up after every stop and as long as we were moving, with the vents open, heard no complaints about TOO HOT.

Total trip was 80 miles according to the trip odometer and will fill up again tomorrow to see just how thirsty she was but either way, T'was a great day! 

[philip roitman]

Went for a ride on Saturday North to Millbrook, NY around 120 miles or so round trip. Today was a local show by a friends newly formed Oldsmobile Chapter in Yorktown Heights NY, only around a 15mile round trip. Attended this show with the NE GS/GN club and The LHV region of the BCA. A few pictures. P.S. The Electra is now 3 for 3 in getting a trophy since I got it.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

 

 Well, no pretty pictures like Doug.  Drove George about 150 miles in a parade yesterday. Yep, a parade. High speed.   Harry Patterson, the owner of Patterson Auto Group in this area started a Pray For Peace campaign a year or so back.  So a parade in celebration . About 90 cars. Several were new ones from his dealerships. Probably 40 old ones.  Drove mostly back roads. Did 125 miles in about 2 1/2 hours. Then Gourmet Hot Dogs , his treat, at his ranch. Fun day.

 

  I do believe George is stronger each time he is driven. 

 

  Ben

[dei]

3 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said:

Fun day.

 

  I do believe George is stronger each time he is driven. 

Isn't that what really counts on both levels?

 

The season will soon be drawing to a close, Have as much fun as you can Ben!  

Edited September 25, 2017 by dei (see edit history)

[dei]

 

Way to keep that Black Beauty exercised and limber!

Congrats of her recognition! 

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

11 hours ago, dei said:

Isn't that what really counts on both levels?

 

The season will soon be drawing to a close, Have as much fun as you can Ben!  

 

 What is this "season drawing to a close" you speak of?  Must be a northern thing.

 

  Ben

[Larry Schramm]

Not this weekend, but earlier this summer.  This is my typical position of giving rides.

 

 

[60FlatTop]

Not the weekend, but my birthday. A high of 91 degrees in Rochester, NY. Great day for convertibles. Scott Heise and I got together for lunch. The cars are 13 years apart.

 

Edit: some might call a gray Buick convertible a boat, even by today's standards. The hat is from my gray boat days.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[JohnD1956]

Nice! Please tell Scott we said Hi, next time you see him. He is a great guy!

[60FlatTop]

19 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said:

Nice! Please tell Scott we said Hi, next time you see him. He is a great guy!

 

Scott bought that car when it was a year old. I have mentioned your posts to him a few times.

[avgwarhawk]

All GM show in MD:

 

[Buicknutty]

I had the '41 Roadmaster to the second last of the local cruise nights last night, nearly a full lot, which is unusual for this location, but it was a warm summer like night. I'm hoping to take the Electra to tonight's cruise in, which is the very last one for the season, however she is rather grumpy again, which also doesn't bode well for driving it to John's show tomorrow. I just found the coil tower was full of oil, so that's an issue for sure, but it has been cutting out completely, similar to before, but a total shutdown, and it seems electrical.

 Sorry for the all the tales of my troubles, this is supposed to be a good news kind of thread.

 Keith