EmTee Posted May 22 Share Posted May 22 2 hours ago, sebastienbuick said: What is the modified car ? looks like a Chrysler 300C station wagon or Dodge station wagon modified with a 1960 Cadillac ? I'm not sure, but I agree 100% with your analysis of the bits & pieces. The amazing thing about it is all of those different parts all seem to look pretty good together! I included the Citroen for you! The Lagonda was interesting because it was the first one I had ever seen in person. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted May 26 Author Share Posted May 26 On 5/22/2024 at 11:38 PM, EmTee said: I'm not sure, but I agree 100% with your analysis of the bits & pieces. The amazing thing about it is all of those different parts all seem to look pretty good together! I included the Citroen for you! The Lagonda was interesting because it was the first one I had ever seen in person. Yes, all the pieces go very well together, it looks like it's original . Thanks for the photos, it’s nice to see a Citroen in America . Yes this Aston Martin Lagonda is very interesting too, they are very rare ! I only saw one at a big car show in Toulouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 On 5/19/2024 at 2:56 PM, sebastienbuick said: Hello and thank you for your proposal for Buick car parts . I'll look at what I need I also like for my 1969 Buick, the documents, photos, factory photos of the manufacturing of my 1969 Buick Electra, old advertising, ... I found some on ebay and I have some, if you found this for sale, I'm interested . I'm also going to look for original mirrors for my Buick, and I would like to find other brake discs (mine are good, but if I can have some in storage that would be good). and I am also looking for the plastic of the front indicators which are placed in the bumper, I have a indicator which must have received a stone while driving and it is broken . And for my parents' 1941 Buick, I'm probably going to repair the speedometer this winter and I need to find the speedometer dial and also the small left speedometer dial. Those brake disc rotors for the '69 big body cars are a tough find. However speaking from experience with mine they work really well, awesome actually. It will be interesting to see how the big aluminum drums on the 'Cat work in comparison. They were considered the best of the drum brake cars and I remember way back when, they felt much better than the cars I commonly drove in those days which came from another car company with a shorter name. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted May 29 Author Share Posted May 29 On 5/28/2024 at 9:09 PM, Buicknutty said: Those brake disc rotors for the '69 big body cars are a tough find. However speaking from experience with mine they work really well, awesome actually. It will be interesting to see how the big aluminum drums on the 'Cat work in comparison. They were considered the best of the drum brake cars and I remember way back when, they felt much better than the cars I commonly drove in those days which came from another car company with a shorter name. Thanks for the information ! I asked a lot of people in America, and everyone told me that the 1969 Electra 225 were equipped with drum brakes. I contacted car scrapyards in America (ctc auto ranch, etc.) and they told me the same thing. However, my 1969 Buick Electra and my second 1969 Electra that I saved from the scrapyard are originally equipped with front disc brakes, with “Bendix” brake calipers. Last night I turned on the TV and there was an episode of "vintage garage" (French classic car restoration show) and they were restoring a 1969 Camaro SS, and this person said that in France the standards were different, and that the 1969 Camaros sold new in France had to be equipped with disc brakes at the front to meet French standards in 1969. So I thought that my two 1969 Buicks had brakes for the same thing. And someone told me this in France : " In '69 the LeSabre and Wildcat had 4 unassisted drums as standard. Optional for those with automatic gearbox (the majority of sales): assistance on the drums (option C7) or assisted front discs/rear drums (option C1). We can imagine that at the time, given the weight of the cattle and the absence of engine braking on automatic gearboxes, the C7 option was widely used. Power front discs, and power steering, were standard on the top of the range Electra 225. Source: John Gunnell, Standard Catalog of Buick, 1903-2004 " anyone know this option C1 ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 Front disc brakes were optional on the Electra in 1969, but were rarely specified, so not many were equipped with them. Nobody currently manufactures new rotors (brake discs) for these cars, so you have to hope to find a good used set. Since these brakes are unique to Buick, you need to find them from a '68 - '70 Buick full-size car (Electra, Riviera, Wildcat, etc.). Sadly, I know you have been looking and apparently not been lucky yet. You may have to convert the front brakes to the standard 12-inch aluminum drums, which are much more available, but still must be found used. There are companies who will replace the cast-iron liners, if necessary (not inexpensive...). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 I have always wondered if the 67,68,69 corvette rotors would work on the Buick. I believe the wheel bolt pattern is the same, at 5 x 5 . I believe the diameter is the same, although I cannot remember if that is 11 or 12 inch. That leaves offset and bearing hub size to be verified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 Just now, JohnD1956 said: That leaves offset and bearing hub size to be verified. I think therein lies the rub... The Buick spindles are unique, so it's unlikely that any other GM rotor (even Olds, Pontiac or Cadillac) will bolt-on. Someone would have to obtain the specification details in order to determine whether there is a candidate rotor that could be adapted, even with some machining. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted May 30 Author Share Posted May 30 7 hours ago, EmTee said: Front disc brakes were optional on the Electra in 1969, but were rarely specified, so not many were equipped with them. Nobody currently manufactures new rotors (brake discs) for these cars, so you have to hope to find a good used set. Since these brakes are unique to Buick, you need to find them from a '68 - '70 Buick full-size car (Electra, Riviera, Wildcat, etc.). Sadly, I know you have been looking and apparently not been lucky yet. You may have to convert the front brakes to the standard 12-inch aluminum drums, which are much more available, but still must be found used. There are companies who will replace the cast-iron liners, if necessary (not inexpensive...). 6 hours ago, JohnD1956 said: I have always wondered if the 67,68,69 corvette rotors would work on the Buick. I believe the wheel bolt pattern is the same, at 5 x 5 . I believe the diameter is the same, although I cannot remember if that is 11 or 12 inch. That leaves offset and bearing hub size to be verified. 6 hours ago, EmTee said: I think therein lies the rub... The Buick spindles are unique, so it's unlikely that any other GM rotor (even Olds, Pontiac or Cadillac) will bolt-on. Someone would have to obtain the specification details in order to determine whether there is a candidate rotor that could be adapted, even with some machining. Thank you very much to everyone for your answers ! . Yes, I've been looking for new rotors for my Buick for a long time (since 2013) and I've never found them. I asked a person I know who has an American auto shop and he tried something. He took 1980 Oldsmobile rotors and took them to a turner/miller to reduce the thickness of the rotors to make rotors identical to that of the Electra (we made replicas). Once the two rotors were finished (it cost €750) I wanted to install them on my Buick, and we weren't careful, the interior of the oldmobilie rotors is not the same as that of my Buick, and When I installed the rotor, it moved a lot and I couldn't mount them. In 2018 I bought (saved from the scrapyard) a second Electra Limited 1969 and it also had the option of front rotors. As they were in good condition I installed these rotors on my Electra which I am restoring, and I installed the rotors in poor condition on my second Buick. I have photos of my Buick's rotors with dimensions, but the measurements are in centimeters (cm). These rotors were perhaps mounted on other cars, and there may be remanufacturing, but if there are new rotors it will be complicated to know because the Electra is not referenced with any other rotor model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted May 30 Author Share Posted May 30 Here are the photos of the rotors with the dimensions outside diameter : 30cm ( 11,81 inch ) internal diameter : 19,5 cm ( 7,67 inch ) height of the upper part of the rotor : 5,5 cm ( 2,16 inch ) height of the outer part of the rotor : 5 cm ( 1,96 inch ) outside diameter : 6,3 cm ( 2,48 inch ) internal diameter : 4,7cm ( 1,85 inch ) diameter of the outer part : 16,5 cm (6,49 inch ) total height : 12,5 cm ( 4,92 inch) the photos are from 2013 and as you can see, my measurements are not very precise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 Are the rotor disc's welded to the center hub? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 15 hours ago, sebastienbuick said: As they were in good condition I installed these rotors on my Electra which I am restoring... So, are the rotors that you now have on the restored Electra good enough to use? If so, then you may be OK since your Buick will be only driven occasionally and brakes should last a very long time. Even if the rotor thickness is at or slightly under the specified wear value they should perform acceptably. The only confirmed disc brake alternative I am aware of is available from Scarebird: https://www.scarebird.com/shop/bui-sb1029-1965-70-buick-lesabre-wildcat-electra-riviera-ex-1965-riv-2994#attr= 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 It may be that disc brakes sourced from a 70 Electra will be a possibility. This would mean changing the spindles, rotors, calipers and brake hoses. Also possibly changing the brake lines and master cylinder and proportioning valve. By the time all that was done though maybe it is worth investigating having material welded to a set and then turned to size? I am not sure how successful that may be however. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 On 5/29/2024 at 3:22 PM, sebastienbuick said: Thanks for the information ! I asked a lot of people in America, and everyone told me that the 1969 Electra 225 were equipped with drum brakes. I contacted car scrapyards in America (ctc auto ranch, etc.) and they told me the same thing. However, my 1969 Buick Electra and my second 1969 Electra that I saved from the scrapyard are originally equipped with front disc brakes, with “Bendix” brake calipers. Last night I turned on the TV and there was an episode of "vintage garage" (French classic car restoration show) and they were restoring a 1969 Camaro SS, and this person said that in France the standards were different, and that the 1969 Camaros sold new in France had to be equipped with disc brakes at the front to meet French standards in 1969. So I thought that my two 1969 Buicks had brakes for the same thing. And someone told me this in France : " In '69 the LeSabre and Wildcat had 4 unassisted drums as standard. Optional for those with automatic gearbox (the majority of sales): assistance on the drums (option C7) or assisted front discs/rear drums (option C1). We can imagine that at the time, given the weight of the cattle and the absence of engine braking on automatic gearboxes, the C7 option was widely used. Power front discs, and power steering, were standard on the top of the range Electra 225. Source: John Gunnell, Standard Catalog of Buick, 1903-2004 " anyone know this option C1 ? I cannot help you much on this, except to say unassisted brakes on these cars sounds scary! Though the standards and expectations change with time, which is what some have with the regular brakes used on so many vintage cars. Interesting info about the standards in France at the time, which explains you having two '69's with discs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 On 5/31/2024 at 1:07 AM, JohnD1956 said: Are the rotor disc's welded to the center hub? Hello, yes it seems to me that it is welded together On 5/31/2024 at 1:53 PM, EmTee said: So, are the rotors that you now have on the restored Electra good enough to use? If so, then you may be OK since your Buick will be only driven occasionally and brakes should last a very long time. Even if the rotor thickness is at or slightly under the specified wear value they should perform acceptably. The only confirmed disc brake alternative I am aware of is available from Scarebird: https://www.scarebird.com/shop/bui-sb1029-1965-70-buick-lesabre-wildcat-electra-riviera-ex-1965-riv-2994#attr= Yes the discs (rotor) that I installed are in very good condition. You are right, I think these discs will last a long time (normally). I'm looking for rotors to have in storage in case one day I need them again. thanks for the links On 5/31/2024 at 10:02 PM, JohnD1956 said: It may be that disc brakes sourced from a 70 Electra will be a possibility. This would mean changing the spindles, rotors, calipers and brake hoses. Also possibly changing the brake lines and master cylinder and proportioning valve. By the time all that was done though maybe it is worth investigating having material welded to a set and then turned to size? I am not sure how successful that may be however. maybe the Electra 70 rotors can be fitted to an Electra 69, but is it easy to find ? I will have to find photos of the Riviera 68/70 rotors to compare with my Electra 69 rotors 20 hours ago, Buicknutty said: I cannot help you much on this, except to say unassisted brakes on these cars sounds scary! Though the standards and expectations change with time, which is what some have with the regular brakes used on so many vintage cars. Interesting info about the standards in France at the time, which explains you having two '69's with discs. Yes it has to brake well, and it's rotor with the brake calipers (4 pistons per caliper) brakes well thank you very much to all of you for your answers My Buick has brakes in good condition, but as I explained I would like to have one or two additional pairs of rotors to have them in storage 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted June 15 Author Share Posted June 15 Hello, at the moment in France there is the famous “24 hour of Le Mans”! And there are American cars registered ! There are 3 Cadillac included in the prototype, and in the GR3 there are Ford Mustang , Chevrolet Camaro and Chevrolet Corvette C8 ! I would like the prototype winners to be Cadillac and Peugeot. And in GR3 I would like Chevrolet, Ford and Peugeot to win ! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 I followed the race, I was happy because Cadillac was first 4 hours from the end of the race. But at the end of the Race Cadillac finished 7th (which is also a good score) and it was Ferrari who won . But I'm happy because Ford came 3rd in GT3 with the Mustang !! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted June 18 Author Share Posted June 18 Hello, for what they want to see, here is a subject that I made about an American car exhibition in France and near me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted July 14 Author Share Posted July 14 Hello, I will post photos soon but here is some news about the Buick . I've been working on the Buick grille for over a month and I've now finished it. the grille is ready to be reassembled . At the same time we were redoing the roof of the Buick's garage, and I had to put the Buick in the other garage while I finished the garage roof. This is almost finished and I will soon be able to put the Buick back in the garage and I can reassemble the grille . I will post the photos when the Buick is in the garage 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 Thank you for the update! It sounds like you're getting close to the finish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC-car-guy Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 Glad to see you so close to the finish line. it's going to be bittersweet for some of us, like the end of a favorite TV series 🙂 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 I can't wait to see it in car show pictures! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted July 15 Author Share Posted July 15 5 hours ago, EmTee said: Thank you for the update! It sounds like you're getting close to the finish. 5 hours ago, EmTee said: I can't wait to see it in car show pictures! Thanks EmTee ! Yes the Buick is almost finished! , when the grille is reassembled I will work on the front bumper and then I will work on the chrome strips which surround the front and rear windshield . Yes, I can't wait to drive the Buick and go to car shows with my Electra 5 hours ago, NC-car-guy said: Glad to see you so close to the finish line. it's going to be bittersweet for some of us, like the end of a favorite TV series 🙂 Thanks NC-car-guy Yes, the Buick is almost finished, and I will continue to post photos of my Buick when it is running . Then I will have some small jobs to do on my parents' 1941 Buick (tank, speedometer, clean the cooling system, etc.) and I will post photos . I'm also going to work on my 1978 Dodge, I have a little body work to do . And I also have a second 1969 Electra Limited that I saved from the scrapyard, I would like to restore it one day. The small problem is that it doesn't have a title (I need to find out how to get a new one) and it doesn't have its 430 ci V8. But the th400 gearbox is present. But here in France it's very very complicated to find a 430ci, and they are very expensive. So for now it's safe in the garage and I'll see if one day I can restore it 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 Hello everyone, here is some news about the Buick Since all this time, we have redone the roof of the garage, and I moved the Buick to another garage right next door. Then we redid the floor of a room in the garage, then painted the floor and ceiling, ..., and that took time and it delayed the work on the Buick. Now the roof of the garage is finished, the Buick is back in its place, and a friend brought me the front fender of his 69 Cadillac Eldorado so that I can work on it. And when I have finished the wing of the friend's Cadillac, I will be able to resume work on the Buick (and I can't wait ). But here is already the beginning of the photos, with the trunk seal And putting the seal in place (yes the trunk is full, it was when there was a fire next to my house, out of fear I had put all the remaining parts in the trunk to evacuate the Buick in case we had to leave) Then I worked on the grille. And as you can see, the grille is not in good condition The grille has three shades (colors), the inner part of the "rectangles" and the sides of the grille are light gray, between each rectangle there is a black border and the recessed outer parts are chrome. Cleaning the chrome parts with steel wool "0" We can see where I've been Then roughing out the "bumps" of the zamak with fine sandpaper then sanding the grille with water (except the chrome parts) For the interior of the rectangles, I roughed out the entire interior of each rectangle with a small file (almost 2 hours to do ), and then I redid the entire interior with fine sandpaper fixed to a square tube to access everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 Then I did the same thing for the second grille, cleaning the chrome parts As well as dry sanding then wet sanding of the calender Sanding completed for both grilles 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 I don't know why, at the time they had made two holes in the grille (maybe for additional headlights?), then they put plugs / capsules to plug the holes. And maybe while drilling, they twisted the bottom of one of the grilles downwards, while making a bump on the imprint of the plug / capsule We can clearly see that it is not straight. The grille is made of zamak, and it is not a flexible material. And I still wanted to try to put the curved part of the cap imprint back flat to then put the whole lower part back straight and plugged the holes to return to the original. I managed to reduce the bump a little, then I heard a small "crack" and a small crack appeared on the curved part. So I will not be able to reduce the bump and remove the cap, at the risk of breaking the whole bottom of the grille. But I still took care of straightening the lower part which was very twisted. To do this I wrapped a batten (wood) with transparent film to facilitate the demolding, then, from behind, I put fiberglass and before it dried I installed my batten with clamps Then on the second grille there was a break on the thin part of the top of the headlight, so I consolidated that with fiber, and I also consolidated the part with the holes at the bottom of the grille Then application of a sealant on the fiber And later I will drill this again to put the caps back. Then now that everything is sanded, protection of the chrome parts, and here we go again for a long step. 3 hours of protection per grille (6 hours of protection in total). For this I took some thin tape from which I cut with a cutter what it protrudes on one side 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 Before that I went to an automotive paint store with part of the grille to do a search for the shade of the original gray. And now it's time to paint this grille (the chrome parts of the headlight globes have also been protected) Preparing the paint and painting ! Unmasking chrome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 Then with a very fine brush I redo the black borders between the chrome parts, between each rectangle Then some touch-ups on small points where the chrome was damaged because of the zamak Then manufacture of a new plate for the caps, larger to take up more surface area Primer then paint The caps are ready to be reassembled (the holes in the plates are deliberately offset) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 Reassembly of the caps and the headlight globes, the grille is now finished ! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted September 1 Share Posted September 1 Looks great Sebastien! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARY F Posted September 1 Share Posted September 1 Just outstanding work. Probably got 30 Hrs. into them. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanZverina Posted September 1 Share Posted September 1 Wonderful step-by step images and description text as usual, and always good tips on repair ideas and processes! Great work as usual, Sebastien! -Jan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted September 2 Author Share Posted September 2 8 hours ago, Buicknutty said: Looks great Sebastien! Thank you very much Buicknutty ! 8 hours ago, GARY F said: Just outstanding work. Probably got 30 Hrs. into them. Thank you very much GARY F !! , yes the work on the grille took me a few weekends 8 hours ago, JanZverina said: Wonderful step-by step images and description text as usual, and always good tips on repair ideas and processes! Great work as usual, Sebastien! -Jan Thank you very much Jan , it is with pleasure that I share the photos of the work on my Buick. Thank you ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted September 3 Author Share Posted September 3 Here are the rest of the photos. At the same time as making the grille, and after finishing the grille we worked on the roof of the garage, then the floor of a room, ... and so for now I'm there on the work on the Buick. And since last weekend I have the fender of a friend's Cadillac to work on, I will continue on the Buick once the wing of the Cadillac is finished. And while we were doing the roof of the garage, the Buick was sleeping next to two girlfriends :), a Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6 1984 (this 205 dates from a month after the very first 205 gti manufactured, it is one of the first 205 gti manufactured), and next to the Buick 1941 :). My Electra takes up all the space in the garage And before putting it back in its garage, it had a little wash 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted September 3 Author Share Posted September 3 And for the first time I installed its new cover that my parents had given me for my birthday Then I made myself a little present , a vintage ad of my Buick that could be found in magazines . The other side of the Buick ad It dates from December 1968 for the new 1969 models ! And here is the beautiful Buick ad And I found the vintage vinyl of "Sir Mix A Lot" with the song "My Hooptie", and on the cover it's a 69 Buick Electra, and the music video for this song is shot with this Buick. And so yes, I bought this vinyl only because my Buick is on it and in the video So that's about it, I'll post the rest when I've finished the Cadillac fender 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 17 hours ago, sebastienbuick said: My Electra takes up all the space in the garage As it should! Your car cover is beautiful and fits perfectly! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted September 4 Author Share Posted September 4 4 hours ago, EmTee said: As it should! Your car cover is beautiful and fits perfectly! Thank you very much EmTee ! , Yes I am very happy with this new house, my parents gave me a nice gift 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now