Malo48 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 A re-introduction here, as it's been too long; Mike from Chicago, proud new caretaker of a '41 Special SSE. I previously had a '48 76S that has gone on to a new, appreciative home - it was a great project but I just didn't have the time, and prior to that a few other non-Buick vintage autos that have also gone to good homes over the years. Very glad to be back! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Welcome home Mike! Looking for pictures of the new baby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Wow --- the 1,000th post on this thread !! We drove the 1934 Buick in the mountains southwest of Durango, Colorado in Ignacio on the Southern Ute Reservation. The roads and scenery are magnificent. The occasion was to turn the '34 over to her newest caretaker. After being owned by Lyle Pearson from the 1970s until 1995, and ours for twenty years from July of 1995 until yesterday, she is now with her new Buick-Guy, Vic. He is certain to continue sharing his "new" Buick with the public.It's hard to like this, Marty. But it's good that the 34 was sold to another Buick Guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregleck Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Greg from Pennsylvania - since the age of 10 I wanted to own a prewar American car. Bought a 1937 Buick Coupe 46S last November and have been working on it for nine months. Just got it on the road this weekend for a 60 mile shakedown run. Everything working now except the Trippe lights and the radio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Welcome Gregleck! How nice! Are you a BCA member? Because this year the 50 BCA celebration Meet will be in Allentown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe c Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Hello to everyone, My name is Joe and I've signed up yesterday on the forum to be apart of this informative group of knowledge.I've been reading over the past few months and wanted to be able to chime in when I can with advice or a question. Some past history of my 1965 Riviera I've owned since 1985 when I was twenty years old, being a Canadian car it needed a lot of body work. I had a job and no girlfriend to spend money on so the car got all my attention.Over the years it was time for another complete, with kids and a mortgage the car had to wait, so with a few more years of experience and the help of the internet, a little independence of the family I'm back for another round with my car.After stripping and removing the brass welds It's now painted and I'm putting everything back together. I'm at the interior stage and things are coming along, almost ready to install the seats and hopefully be able to drive it before the snow.I do have a question maybe somebody can help me with. The interior door panels have a metal tack strip to reattach the door panel to the car. the new door panels are glued and stapled on the back so in order to install the tack strip I would have to peel back the vinyl and remove staples to insert the tack strip, this doesn't make sense to me, is there a better way of attaching the door panels to the car? Thanks, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Welcome Joe! Glad you were able to hang onto the Riv all those years. Looking forward to pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregleck Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Just joined the Buick Club yesterday. And looking forward to next year's meet in Allentown. Greg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Great! Check out the thread on the 2015 Springfield Forum Breakfast. Know you're invited to the 2016 version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans1965 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Hi guys, great idea this thing. I joined the forum last year when I bought my 1953 Buick Roadmaster Riviera in Florida and got it shipped over the Atlantic to Germany. I was so excited for months and months that I had to wait before it finally arrived. What a moment when I saw it the very first time! You know Buick is not a well recognised brand in Germany. Most of the car collectors here like Mercedes or a Porsche, and 90% of the people do not even spell Buick correctly. I really do not know how I got the Buick bug, but I got it! I love my Roadmaster, the whole car, its fantastic name and its presence and character. It really impresses me every day. In 1953 the VW bug with something like 24 hp was the standard here. The Roady is real Americana and I am really proud to own such a beautiful car. But I have to say I have other non-Buick cars as well in my stable. And I bought a 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville in white and sonic blue just two weeks ago from a Dutch guy in Cologne! Not even 5 miles away from me! The car is nearly fully loaded and even has the optional Eldorado engine with 2 four barel carburettors. Wonderful car! But the Roady is still my favorite, no doubt. Great forum here with nice and friendly people! Hello everybody from good old Frankfurt! Yeahhhhh! Best, Hans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Great quote Han's And a really great car too!!! Did you do a thread in the Me and my Buick forum yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans1965 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Hi John, yes I did so some time ago. Could I ask you and the others something? Do you know if my 53 Roadmaster wheels and tires fit to my 56 Caddy? On the Caddy are good but old L78-15 tires and the German car testing authority TUEV was not happy with them at all. Just to pass the test I would switch the car's tires. On the Roady I have P225/75R15 tires. The L78 -15 should be P235/75R15. A little smaller should not matter I guess. The TUEV guy was saying that the L78 looks too big in the wheel house and he is right with that. But they look great. The spare rim seems to have 5 wholes and I guess at that time the rims were interchangeable at GM or is that naive? Of course I could have a look but I am currently 200 miles away from my garage. Any idea? Thanks, Hans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 I will say they should fit. The bolt pattern should be the same but you may find the center hole is not the same. Usually the center hole is machined to rest directly on the hub of the brake drum. If it does not, then you need to be certain the hole in the center is larger than the hub on the Caddy and that the back of the wheel is flat against the face of the brake drum when the bolts are tightened. You also want to be certain the lug nuts are centered in the mounting holes before fully tightening the rim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Check that the holes in the rims measure the same center to center. If the same, the Buick wheels will probably fit the Caddy, but not the other way around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans1965 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Thanks for the answers. I give it a try next week. Good night... I'll let you know how it goes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mardueno Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Hello I'm new here! I'm actually looking to buy my first Buick as a long term project. I have my eye on a 1929 Buick Model 46 Business Coupe...I just posted a help post because I'm stressing this purchase! I'd seriously appreciate your help! Here is the link :-Shttp://forums.aaca.org/topic/262236-help-1929-buick-model-46-business-coupe/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxrspjc Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Hey Guys, I'm new to the site as of last week and wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and say hello. My name is Joe, I'm from Staten island, NY and I just bought my second Riviera. My first was a 1980 Black on Black. It was a freak car and I'm pretty sure it was built by Buick for some type of show or something. It was completely loaded moon roof etc. It had some type of Delco Trip Computer with a complete digital dash. The trip computer did things like let you know how many miles you drove, how many miles you had left to drive on your trip. How long you have been driving in time and how long you had left to drive in time. It provided Volts, temperature and I'm not sure what else it was a long long time ago. But it was a really cool Bad A?? car. I have never seen even one other one with that option. I think they started producing the digital dash setup without the trip computer in 1983. But I could be wrong about that. It was still mint when I sold it in 86 but I have no idea where it is or if it's still around at all. If anyone has ever seen one of these please let me know. I just bought my second Riviera a 1963 White on Black with the very rare 425/465 option. From what I understand there was just over 2200 produced with the 425 in 63. I'm not real sure about this but it is what I have been told. That would be about 5% of total production. If anyone know that I'm stating anything wrong please let me know. I'm new to these early cars but I just love the dash and the style of the body. Anyway back to the car. It is a factory leather car and it came with Ice Cold A/C, P/Windows, P/Vent Windows, P/Seat, P/Trunk, P/Antenna, Cruse Control and Sentinel Lights. It even has the pocketbook holder on the dash. I have included a few pictures for your review. The car is in real nice shape. Not concourse nor shall it ever be. I have a completely original 82 Vette with less then 19K mi. on it that I hardly ever drive and I don't want to end up the same way with this car. I want a real nice driver and I think that's what I got. The car does have a couple of issues that I need to address. First I think it needs Power vent window switches. You really have to play with them to get them to work but they do work. Next the air is ice cold but it still blows hot air from a vent on the drivers side of the console any time any blower is on. That's killing me because when I bought the car I had it shipped directly to my home in Florida. I have also shipped my Vette and motorcycles there. The roads in Staten Island are like your driving through a war zone and I planing my permanent escape. If anyone could provide me with any incite as far as where I can find new switches and what might be up with the heat it would be greatly appreciated. Also does anyone deal with any shoppes in the South West Florida area? I need a fair competent mechanic to do some work on my cars. Well thanks for your time and any information that anyone could provide me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Your 1980 Riv with the touch screen was a special built car that was testing the touch screen that was eventually used in the 1986 Riv & Reattas. If my memory is correct I think less than 100 were built but not sure. They cars originally were cars that were used in the Buick zone offices and engineering. Kind of a special car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxrspjc Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 I was just too young and stupid to realize what I had. I let it go for a 84 Baritiz in 86. What a mistake! It was so mint. I sold it for something like 15K and I thought I got all the money in the world for it. It was like that beautiful girl that got away. Thanks for the information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest johnjackson Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Hi my name is John. I own a 1955 Buick Roadmaster two door with a 322 nailhead mated to a Dynaflow transmission. Has original radio and all power options and gauges work. I look forward to meeting more owners and picking some brains for great advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Welcome aboard JJ! Would love to hear more about the Roadmaster, maybe down in the "Me and My Buick" forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest johnjackson Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I posted in there as well with a few pics will keep everyone posted with updates. Thank you for the greeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Hello to everyone, My name is Joe and I've signed up yesterday on the forum to be apart of this informative group of knowledge.I've been reading over the past few months and wanted to be able to chime in when I can with advice or a question. I do have a question maybe somebody can help me with. The interior door panels have a metal tack strip to reattach the door panel to the car. the new door panels are glued and stapled on the back so in order to install the tack strip I would have to peel back the vinyl and remove staples to insert the tack strip, this doesn't make sense to me, is there a better way of attaching the door panels to the car? Thanks, JoeClarks Corvair has the replacement tack strips you need. Yep, Corvair. Calving Clark is into Rivieras, as well as Corvairs, and offers many needed items. www.corvair.com look for the Riviera link on his home page. Scroll to the bottom of the Buick sites and get much needed info from Riviera owners on the Riviera Owners Assoc. forum. My welcome is a little late but just as heart felt. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenash Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 I am new also here. I have a 1940 buick, 40. Still all stock, 55,670. on the ticker. Just got it running after a long hiatus, found trans is stuck. I cut an access hole to remove the 5 bolt top, and it was all rust. Just got 1st and second to work, not the others. I live in Galion, Ohio. 60 years old! My real name is Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Greeting Bill. Hope you have some pictures and start a thread in the Me and My Buick Forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemb Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Hello, I'm Mr. Ed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
envoy_to_the_stars Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 (edited) Hello Everyone, I've been here for a few months now, but I wanted to formally introduce myself. I just recently purchased Mark Shaw's 31 Buick Model 57. I'm in the process of giving it a tune up, polishing it up, and adding a few period correct features to use it as a parade vehicle for the Fire Department that I work with. Thus far, I have adjusted the brakes (one wheel was locking up), adjusted the timing, and changed the oil to a 30W with some Lucas Oil Stabilizer to help lubricate those hard-to-reach areas. It seems to be making a difference, because the car no longer smokes on start-up. Next step is to adjust the Air Fuel Ratio using a probe and get some miles on her! She has been affectionately named "Betty Lou Buick" by my girlfriend - and I can confidently say that at 28 years old, we are the only couple on the block with a bunch of pre-war automotive tools and white wall cleaner in the garage. I look forward to learning more about the car and carrying on its legacy! Below is a picture of my " new" Buick with two period correct "FIRE" emergency lights that our department had from our 30's Childs pumper that is no longer mobile. Next to it is my 1972 Mercedes 280SEL 4.5, which has an aftermarket "AccuAir" air bag suspension system that is adjustable from my phone, so we didn't have to run any cables into the car. It's a huge hit with kids, who love making it bob up and down at car shows. Edited September 29, 2015 by envoy_to_the_stars (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Welcome E-T-T-S. That is a fine pair of vehicles. I like those FIRE lights. Makes the 31 look like it was a Chief;s car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest johnjackson Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Welcome to the forum gentleman. You have some great classics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfeazell Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 I took my drivers license test in my dad's 27 Buick. I thought it was great but the cop wasn't thrilled. That was 45 years ago. I still think driving around in old buicks is great and have collected a few. So far I have a 37 side mounted special. A 38 roadmaster. A 50 roadmaster 4dr riviera. A 53 roadmaster 2dr riviera. As you can see I may have a problem. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MMKenrae Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Hello,My name is Kate, and I am completely new to the site. I used to help my grandfather restore cars every summer. By help, I do not mean truly help; it was mostly handing tools and asking questions. I was 9 the last time I 'helped'. However, I always appreciated that he could turn a piece of junk into a piece of art. I have seen him restore autos from a '47 Chevy pickup to an '82 Cutlass, all works of art. He passed away last fall with a few vehicles waiting in line for work and, knowing how much I wanted to help him work on one, my family decided to gift it to me for my birthday this year. I am in my early thirties and have only dealt with radiators, water pumps, and general maintenance (oil, brakes/rotors, sparkplugs, etc.) all on different makes and models of vehicles. So, I found myself a new owner of a '77 Sklyark ("Jim") with no real knowledge about the engine or about body repair (the body needs a lot of work, dents and typical wear and tear from being an outside vehicle in an area where salt is used on icy roads). I found this site while searching for others who had more knowledge than I as well as great stories about their experiences. I have recently finished with my graduate school and found myself with time, although not the money (thank you student debt), to finally start the needed work that will make Jim rumble back to life. I have to say, surprisingly, the engine is the original and still runs, but probably not for long. My first step is to transport him to where I live, northern Alabama, so I can work on him regularly. I am afraid to haul him until the body is deemed safe enough to travel without him falling apart on the drive, but once he is here I am unsure where to start since so much needs to be done. I will eventually repost this statement, but I think my first steps will be to research the best engine upgrade and find the engine. I know the '77 models had the V8 upgrade. I have not seen Jim since before my grandfather passed away, so I am not familiar with his engine except that it is an automatic. I will correct that soon. I am making a special trip next month to fully assess him. I think I want to upgrade the engine with one that has better horsepower and better emissions. But most importantly, I feel I have to do this myself to truly honor my grandfather, I just wished I had retained most of the knowledge he tried to pass on when I sat around talking to him in his garage. I had always wanted to restore a car myself, but I thought I would start with a smaller vehicle (I still dream of fixing up a '67 baja) but Jim is now mine and I am already excited to hear him run smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Welcome Kate: That's a wonderful story about your grandpa. This car you inherited is somewhat unique. It's not unique in that there were few made, but more so in that there were few that survived. An entry level car with a unibody construction I believe. Chances are many of them were not considered valuable in their intended service life, and let go to salvage yards when they stopped running. It could be a V6 or a V8. From the pictures you posted it looks like I see some sparkplug wires up front of the motor, in which case it should be a Buick motor. There can be a wealth of experience here to steer you through problems you encounter. The best thing to do is start a thread in the Me and My Buick section of the group. That way you can keep your project topic relevant to just your car. It would be a fun topic to watch. As for transporting the car to Alabama, you should not be too concerned about the vehicle staying together on the trip. That unibody stuff is very durable, even when full of corrosion and damage. Here are two ways to transport that one. A: pay a shipper to pick it up and deliver it. $$$. B: rent a U-Haul truck and trailer one way from where it is to your destination and go get it. You don't need a special license, just practice good common sense while driving the U-Haul and trailer home. Try to avoid backing up and rush hour in known high traffic volume spots. Good luck with "Jim". Gramps will be extra proud of your accomplishment. BTW, you might consider joining the Buick Club of America. Like minded people with a penchant for all things Buick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UncleSam Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Hi there - I just got a '67 Skylark hardtop coupe, that's why I stopped over here and wanted to say hi before I ask you some questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2manyhobbies Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Hello everyone from near Durham, NC. I just bought my first classic Buick, a 1964 Riviera. It is a very original car, just needs everything lol! Brad 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Welcome Uncle Sam and Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3790 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Good idea Mike. My name is Paul Dow and I live in Byron, N.Y. I have two 1937 Buick series 90 7 (or 8 ?) passenger Limited sedans. One is a basket case I bought 30 years ago and the other is a "driver" that I bought last month. Therefore, I have lots of parts and will rebuild things from the basket case and put them on the driver. I'm not into shows, just want a fun car to drive. I also have a 1957, 1972 and 1974 Corvette, 1969 Camaro, and a 1934 Ford panel truck with a built Flathead! Looking forward to the help this forum can give me with the Buick. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Greetings Paul. Interesting combination of vehicles. You can't get much longer than a 37 series 90, nor much shorter than a 57 corvette. Would love to see some pictures of those two side by side. Meanwhile, welcome to this Forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dons56 Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Hi, my name is Don. I own a 1956 Buick Special Riviera. It is my son's fault. My dad bought a new 1956 Buick Special 41 (4 door post). I was 5 at the time. We drove it for 4 years and went thousands of miles on vacations ranging from Yellowstone to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Northern Michigan. I always tried to avoid old cars because they were not dependable but once I told my son that if I ever got an old car it would be a 1956 Buick. One day, on his way home from college, my son passed an antique mall. Sitting out front was what he thought was a 1956 Buick. When he got home and told me about it we grabbed our cameras and went to check it out. To make a long story short, I ended up buying it for $2,000. That was over 20 years ago. The car was mostly complete and little was done to get it on the road and keep it there until about 4 years ago. Now, thousands of dollars later it looks really good from a distance and even good up close if you look in the right place. I believe the engine is on its original build and runs like a top. As it turns out we have a family history of Buick's dating back to the late '40s or early ,50s. My son Matt is on the forum too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Yea! Another 56 owner. Nice to provide some balance between us and those 55/57 guys!!! Welcome to Matt too. So what was the longest trip you've taken in the 56? She sure looks GREAT in the picture. Would love to hear more about your story. Hope you've considered joining the BCA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rpichler Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Hi guys! My name is Robert and I am from Croatia (Europe, in case you wondered). My father recently bought a splendid red 1953 Buick 46C Special Convertible and we are now in the process of restoring the car to its original condition. We bought the car in France and now we are starting to dismantle the car for a complete refit and I hoped to find some precious info here since there are no Buick support forums or clubs here in Europe. Thank you all! Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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