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


JohnD1956

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Thanks, John. Right now it feels more like a holiday, but after a few weeks, the reality will set in! No More Work!

Anyway, back to the subject. We went to the cruise in the Electra. The Thunderstorms held off, but the threat put many off, as only 53 cars showed up.

My friend brought his quite original '41 Special, and a added a shot of a non-Buick, a 60's Volvo, 544(??) A friend had one of these, when they were quite common, and we had great times roaring around Northern Ontario one summer in one much like this.

 Keith

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 Well after much mucking about with the '41 Roadmaster it still isn't running well. Mid range cruise seems to be the main issue. It tends to surge at cruise speeds, from 25-30 mph on up. Harder acceleration, and full power it pulls strong, but when you back off to cruise, its acting up. Slow speed driving is nice, and as before it pulls from 9 or 10 mph and it smooth driving around our side streets at 15-20 mph and feels lovely. I must of put nearly 50 miles on it on test drives, trying one thing or another.

 We have a pre war tour to drive tomorow (Sat) and I'm afraid that we'll have to leave it at home.

 We are going to drive a modern Buick, Glenda's Envision.

 I hate like you know what to give up, but I can't to the bottom of it. It is due to go to a shop on Monday to get the rear gears changed to 3.4's from the stock 3.9's for better highway cruising. This shop has been in business since the mid sixties and painted the '56 Roadmaster back in 1980. Over the years I've had them do the occasional job that I didn't want to or couldn't do for some reason, and this one of them. So I might have them look at the poor running issue as well. I'll see how it goes.

 Keith

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had the Buick out last scorchin Sunday, down at a local car show at South Shields

 on the North East coast  England, both me and the car overheated

resulting in a bust head gasket and  a burnt forehead, 

apart from that it was a good day out.

cars in the yard waiting for gaskets etc

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I'm the guy from New York that seems to post pictures of my cars on dirt roads.

 

Stopped in the union fields on the way to the Cadillac Club chapter meeting and got a couple of sunny shots. I have been taking that shortcut through the muckland quite a bit lately.

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Edited by 60FlatTop (see edit history)
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I drove our 1937 Special to our 9th annual Mason-Dixon car show. Around 50 miles. Turned out to be a lovely day. 3 1920s Buicks came to grace our show.

DSCF6073.thumb.JPG.a52d3ed023589432420190740dbb15a6.JPGA 1924-45 Touring, a 1928-25 Touring,(Dave_B from Silver Spring MD drove it up over 100 miles distant.)DSCF6075.thumb.JPG.e5e9681ddc7ea61a5558e3b3bdecaf3c.JPG and a 1928-58 5 passenger Coupe that won Best Of Show.DSCF6072.thumb.JPG.d105c511fe5bb98c9d60d7dd975af32f.JPG I tried to get my 1925-25 Beulah to the show but she would not cooperate.DSCF6063.thumb.JPG.5f4605e90af805f85be949f9cd3cbf20.JPG Oh well our Huskie Jaffee had a nice ride.

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Cleaned up the top as it needed a good cleaning and conditioning being down for a long time, then went home for dinner and clean the white walls.

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These short trips are helping me get used to the feel of the Dynaflow again.....

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I have had the top and top bows since I bought the truck about 15 years ago.  With all of the other repairs, broken rod, radiator, clutch, broken axle, etc.. which are big money sucking repairs, I could not find the time and money at the same time to get it redone.  The old, and it was an original top was so fragile and brittle that just touching it caused it to crumble.  I had it stored in the attic until the stars & moon aligned which they did this year. I am so glad to have it done, finally. 

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 Cruise night here in Scarborough, also, our Club safety inspection night, and we do it at the cruise. My self, and another gent, Barry, assisted by my able and lovely wife, Glenda. She did the easy stuff, getting the forms filled out, and checking lights, horn, etc. Barry and I did the harder work, lifting the front ends and checking for play in the bearings, kingpins, ball

joints, and the steering linkage generally. Also, brakes, exhaust, shocks and springs looking for fuel leaks, and such.

 After we had all our work done, we wandered around to enjoy the cars. It was a nearly perfect night here, a completely clear sky, warm, but not hot, no humidity, and it cooled off a bit after sundown. About 120 cars attended.

 A few Buicks that I have not seen before. The black Riv., I may have seen, but there are a few of them in the area. The '76 Eelctra, and '72 (?) Centurion I don't believe I've seen before. Nice to see all these big Buicks out!

 Keith

 

 

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Convinced the wife to go for a ride tonight Downtown like we used to do (many years ago...).

Missed the photo opportunity at the River (Detroit) but captured the ride home after almost 15 years not doing so.

 

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 As I may have mentioned, the '41 Roadmaster went to a local vintage car shop to get the rear gears changed. The stock ones were 3.9, and a few years ago (maybe about 10 as it was a few years before I got it on the road) I got a complete rear axle assembly from a '55 Century, which had a 3.42.

 I am not sure that I've mentioned the background on this, but I'll share it with you now. The doner car was a low mileage example, but suffered from rust, as most do in our climate.

A rather old gent who ran kind of a private junkyard in a hamlet well out of the city had the car, and I was able to buy the rear axle off of him. He was an interesting guy, and you had to know him, and the place, to be able to go in. If you took your time with him, chatted, and such, he'd let you in to get what every you needed. However if you went in like a house on fire, tried to beat him up on the price, he would just tell to get lost! Not so politely though!

 Anyway, back to today! I got a call from the shop that my car was ready to go! They had road tested it a couple of times, and it was working great, the rear axle, that is, they didn't have enough time to look into the rough running. So we made out there by about closing time to pick it up. Indeed, the new rear gears are great. The ratio change isn't huge, and the torque of the big 320 is such that it still lugs smoothly from 10 mph up to highway speeds. I didn't have the GPS to check the speedo accuracy, so I was careful not to go too fast, esp when we got back into the city where the enforcement is stricter.

 No pictures today, though!

 Keith

 

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  Keith, when I replaced my 4.1 with the same 3.36 you used i "lost" 650 rpm in 3rd gear.  You will probably lose around 400.

 

 

  I drove about 150 miles today. Went to Nocona for a club meet and museum tour. 50 miles from my door. Somehow the return trip came out to be 100 miles.I am not sure what happened!:P   Sorry, no pictures.

 

  Ben

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Just hanging out with the local guys at the first cruise night. I ran into some old friends but for the most part it is the same guys that show up every time. We sat in the shade and enjoyed the evening. One Bid is running good!

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12 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said:

 

 

  Keith, when I replaced my 4.1 with the same 3.36 you used i "lost" 650 rpm in 3rd gear.  You will probably lose around 400.

 

 

  I drove about 150 miles today. Went to Nocona for a club meet and museum tour. 50 miles from my door. Somehow the return trip came out to be 100 miles.I am not sure what happened!:P   Sorry, no pictures.

 

  Ben

Didn't see you in Nocona, but think you were checking out a Buick in a couple of these - familiar hat!IMG_0300.thumb.JPG.dd9014c2b81b4daca4bacead43b2f717.JPGIMG_0301.thumb.JPG.b7c123d8c95a328f1aeea741f4ad7a92.JPGIMG_0303.thumb.JPG.4ab5c1cfe951290ed0d2eb23663fe7ac.JPGIMG_0304.thumb.JPG.7beff1279f473217e33ca1a1d0789801.JPGIMG_0305.thumb.JPG.a21d71bc0ef2dd7cf31cd1d1f625cdf1.JPG 

Edited by jvelde (see edit history)
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Guilty! I had an 2015 expired New York State inspection sticker on my '64 Riviera. That was when I installed a new windshield and removed the vinyl top someone had installed before I bought it. Three weeks ago was the 39th anniversary of buying it.

 

Last weekend I had all the cars running and out of the garage and put the new registration stickers on the windshields. Today was quiet so I figured I'd run up and get a "Lick 'em Stick 'em" inspection.

 

22 miles since the last sticker was put on. Shameful. So I stopped and lit a candle, promised to splash more hot oil on the internals of the engine, and stuffed folding money in the collection box.

 

So I got home and juggled things around in the garage so the Riviera is in pole position to be the first to grab after work. That's a good move. I'll shoot for 700 this year.

 

Oh! Then my Wife hands me yesterday's mail. She said the license renewal is due for the Packard. I just put that sticker on the windshield. I went out and checked because it was right there on the front seat last week. Well, last week I put on the one that expires 7/17.

 

Ten years ago I had a secretary that was a dead ringer for Marilyn Monroe. I think I need her back.

 

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Managed 65 miles today (by the trip odometer) and attended two different car shows.

Heat in the mid 90's, top down, sun burned face but loved every minute of it! :D

And the car didn't miss a beat!

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Drove the '92 Riviera to the AACA Bean Pot Region car show at the Peabody Mall, North Shore of MA (about 30 miles north of me).  There were est. 150 cars of all makes and models present.  Very hot day but clouds formed by noon which kept the sun from beating down on us.

 

My '92 is officially an 'antique' now that it's 25 years old (according to the AACA at least)!!

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Edited by DShip
pic attached (see edit history)
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Since I am retired and everyday is a weekend for me, I can claim a Hat Trick today.  The GS on Thursday, The Electra on Saturday, and the 56 today!  I was surprised to note that I had not driven the Electra since May 13th.   Also I saw the fellow who has the wagon today.  Said he does not hate me yet!  They love the car!  I know I certainly miss it...a lot!!!

 

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On 6/12/2017 at 10:20 AM, avgwarhawk said:

Drove to a local car show.  To my surprise appeared a 61 LeSabre I have never seen before.

 

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Ah -- the "good ol'days"!  One model year separates them and they share no sheetmetal!  Even the drivetrain changed in this case, from torque-tube to open driveline.  Now the only year-to-year changes are those mandated by Congress...  :(

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 After a wet and gloomy day today, it all cleared up late in the afternoon, and it turned into a nice pleasant evening. So I took the Electra to the Tues night cruise in, and along with the "usual suspects" another new to me Buick showed up, a 1969 Wildcat convert. A good looking car, but by no means perfect, with a few incorrect points, but he uses it as a regular summer car, and drives it a lot.

Keith

 

 

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  We did a lot of driving in the Electra today. We are setting up a tour for the McLaughlin Buick Club, and decided to drive the Electra. All together we put about 165 miles on it, and it ran well. A mixture of highway driving, and easy driving through back roads of the rolling hills of rural Ontario. The weather was perfect, low 70's, sunny, with very few clouds in the sky.

 Then I took it to the Wed night cruise, where there were not one or two, but three Grand Nationals. Two were parked side by side, and quite a contrast they made! One was a beauty, nearly perfect, but the other one was a much more tired, and worn looking, sporting a paint job which looked like it came from a box of spray cans!

 Plus a shot of what must be getting familiar to readers, my Electra. Hope you don't mind.

 Keith

 

 

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Speaking just for myself Keith, I love your Electra and indeed the  entire Electra Class.  15 mile drive to the local Wednesday night cruise. 

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There were three Regal T's at our cruise.  One was Maroon with a red interior, but naturally I missed that picture.  Here are a few other Buicks that belong to Chapter members

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Started the engine and drove around the neighbourhood in a 1939 Buick Century I purchased as a non running car last fall.   Changed the belts, hoses and fluids, safety checked and plated,.  Smoked, from all the oil I poured into the cylinders, but it was quiet as in no weird engine noises, steered and stopped straight.  Quite pleased no photos.  Gary

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