Production totals needed for the LIMITED 71-73 Electras

[Guest Shaffer]

Hello all. I have the production totals for the base Electras and the Electra Customs of these years, but does anyone have a book that shows the totals for the number of cars with the "Limited" option. Standard catalog states that the number of Limited models was not listed, but thought someone here may know. Thanks in advance. Tony<P>72 Buick Electra 225 Custom 4-door hardtop<BR>89 Pontiac Safari 4-soor 3-seat wagon<BR>91 Honda Accord LX 4-door sedan

[Centurion]

Shaffer, I do not know the answer to your question. I thought, however, that you might enjoy hearing about a '72 Electra 225 2-door I saw last Saturday. This was a base level Electra 225, and I was surprised to see that it had both the Automatic Climate Control option and the cornering lamp option. These options were not terribly common even on the Customs and Custom Limiteds.

[BUICK RACER]

Never seen a breakdown by options, which the Limited is, you might contact the Buick Gallery and Research Centter at the Sloan Museum as they have the records, <A HREF="http://www.buickgallery.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.buickgallery.com</A> <BR>Hope that helps. Roberta

[Guest Shaffer]

Thanks for the replies. I did not think that a breakdown for the Electra Limiteds was available. Centurion: You are right about the auto climate control and cornering lights are rare. My 72 Electra Custom does not have the auto climate control, but it does have the cornering lights and the rare gear shift mist/wash wiper control. Someone I know, who goes to the same local cruise I do (he posts here sometimes as well) his 72 Electra Custom has the rare auto climate control and heated rear window, but no bumper gaurds or gear shift wiper control. I had posted for someone on the Buy/Sell forum a 1971 Buick Estate Wagon that they have for sale. It is loaded with every option available except woodgrain. It is I think very rare in the fact that it has the light monitors (which I have never seen on the wagons - or even many 71 Electras) and it also has cornering lights, which too I think is rare for the Buick Estate Wagons. The price is $4,200 and I think it is well worth it, as it is in nearly MINT condition, from Arizona and totally rust free. <P>Thanks again for the help. Tony<P>72 Buick Electra 225 Custom 4-door hardtop sedan<BR>89 Pontiac Safari 4-door 9-passenger wagon<BR>91 Honda Accord LX 4-door sedan

[Guest Shaffer]

Also, Centurion: About the base 2dr 72 Electra. I bet that was a very rare car. Not only are those rare options for a base Electra, but also the base 2dr Electras was the rarest of the 71-72 Electra lines.

[Centurion]

Regarding the front lamp monitors for the '71 Buicks: These are shown in the accessory book for the '71 Buick, but they were not a regular factory option on the '71. In 1990, I found a set of NOS lamp monitors for the '71 and '72 Buicks. I opted not to put these on my '71 Centurion, since these were virtually never seen on '71 Buicks when new and -- to me, at least -- they seem startlingly out of place (on a '71). I have, however, seen them on a '71 Centurion convertible and a '71 Electra 225 2-door. In both cases, the owners indicate that they were recent additions during restoration of the cars. Sure would be interesting to know when these were added to that '71 Estate Wagon. That Estate Wagon sounds great, by the way. Wish I could add another Buick to the collection!<p>[ 12-05-2001: Message edited by: Centurion ]

[Guest Shaffer]

That wagon can be seen on the Buy/Sell forum on this BCA club. I think the owner told me the light monitors was original. I too think they look odd on a Buick. I had a 1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille a few years ago and it had the monitors as standard equipment. They don't look as out of place as they do on the Buicks. They look a little better on the Electra. I think starting in 1971, they was standard on all Cadillacs, including the base Cadillac Calais. Id I am not mistaken, Chrysler had these as well on the early 70s Imperials, Not sure if they used the fiber optics though. The early 70s Plymouth Valiants had the signal light indicators (just a bulb) on the top of the front fenders, but was not as advanced as the monitors on the Buick/Cadillac. I do not think the light monitors was available on the 72-73 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eights. Correct me if anyone knows differently, but I have never seen any with them. Tony<P>72 Electra<BR>89 Safari<BR>91 Accord

[Guest]

Thats funny, I think the total opposite about the lamp monitors. When I see a '71-'74 Electra w/o them, I think it looks odd, but that must be because my 225 has them, so I just got used to them always being there. Anyone know if the fiber optic cable can be replaced w/modern cable today? I always wonder if my monitors would be brighter if new cable was used. I imagine that the quality has improved tremendously in this area.<P>Zach

[Centurion]

To 73 Electra 225: Let me clarify my comment. I think that the lamp monitors look great on the '72 and later full-size Buicks. My comment was only about the '71's, since I had never seen these on a '71 until they showed up on some recent restorations. Yes, they are technically correct for '71, but, as noted above, were not a factory option. The NOS lamp monitors I found a few years back now look great on a friend's '72 Limited. These became a regular factory option for the '72 models, and are often seen on the Electras from '72 through the early '80's.<p>[ 12-05-2001: Message edited by: Centurion ]

[72Buickguy]

My 72 Buick Dealer Accessory catalog says that the accessory (PN 981417) fits 1971-1972 all. That means they would be correct for a Skylark too! I always thought Buick put them on the cars due to complaints about not being able to see the right front fender tip. I wish I could find a good set of chrome housings for my 72. I used to own a 65 New Yorker with the fender tip turn signal lights. I put a bulb in the dash opening and had two signals. Cadillac used the bulb type in the sixties and switched to fiber optics in 1971. They weren't standard every year however. The Cadillacs also used a rear lamp monitor behind the rear seat or above the rear window. The first car to use the fiber optics was 68 Chevys. They are a very rare option, but standard on Vettes. You could get them on Chevelles and Camaros too. The Chevy front monitor is identical to Buicks, except the high beam is red. You could get rear lamp monitors only on 69-70 Pontiacs and Grand Prixs. Olds used an electronic lamp monitor in the seventies that compared the voltage on right and left sides. A warning light came on if there was a difference. Now for a very rare option, has anyone ever seen a 72 Electra with a factory sun roof?

[Guest Shaffer]

Rivguy- thats some interesting information I never knew about the light monitors on the other GM cars. I used to own a 72 Cadillac Sedan DeVille and I think the rear light monitor was a neat feature. Too bad the early 70s Electras do not have this feature- at least I do not think they had it, as my 72 does not have them, and I do not remember seeing them in my 72 Buick sales brochure. I have NEVER seen a 72 Electra with a sunroof, but your right - it was a option. <P>Tony<P>1972 Buick Electra 225 Custom 4-door hardtop sedan<BR>1989 Pontiac Safari 4-door 3-seat wagon<BR>1991 Honda Accord LX 4-door sedan

[72Buickguy]

Electras and Rivieras from 74 on got rear light monitors with the light monitor option. Le Sabres had to make do with just the fronts monitors. The strange thing about the rear monitors for both Buicks and Cadillacs was that only one light per side got monitored. You could still have a taillight out and not know it. A friend had a 75 Coupe De Ville and I told him he had rear light monitors. He said he wondered what those red eyes staring at him in the mirror were. And my vote for the best car to get with fiber optics goes to the 68-69 Thunderbirds. They had a rear light monitor option mounted on the package shelf below the rear window. Imagine the light show in the rear view mirror as the sequential turn signals whirred away!