Is one ever enough?

[JohnD1956]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> ahhh ones not enough eh?

Mr D, have you put your cars away for their slumber yet? or are you still getting those last few cruises in before the white stuff arrives? i know i still would if mom didnt make me put her away in a rented garage

i know its almost november only but i already miss her a lot.

ill tell ya im movin south when im older!!! i know im still gonna be big into this hobby when im older and its not gonna ever annoy me any less to have to put em away! ZONDA

</div></div>

I would say one is never enough. A Buick owner has to have choices in life. You don't wear the same underwear every day, do YA?? HAHAHA

Anyway, I never consider my cars put away. I keep them in my garage at home and I try to start them up once every two weeks or so and let them warm up. On nice days I take them out for a cruise. I've had them out in all months of the year although I may not take them very far. Had I been in better health today I would have definitely had one of them out as it was 70 degrees around here today. Just listening to them idle makes life seem better for me.

What do others recommend?

JD

[The Old Guy]

I personnaly use a completely different approach to storing my Buicks. My theory ( and it is only a theory)is that you can never really get all the components ( engine oil ,trans oil,exhaust system etc) hot enough to really keep condensation at bay. I change the oil, and put the cars in the barn. I fill the fuel tanks and cover them up. I have a battery tender on the 6 volt Buick, and I go out evry 30-45 days and hook up the charger to the 12 volt cars. In the spring, I take them out and run all the old gas out amd they are ready to go for the summer. I regularly run 15,000-20,000 miles per year in the old cars and they have never failed me yet.

[Guest ZondaC12]

haha i do agree, one is NEVER enough. its a nice lookin' gs too!

ive been going up to the garage at least every other week to start it and run it. i let it warm up to the mark before 180 degrees, partly by driving it around the gravel roads they have at the facility, then put it back.

and yeah im forgetting that you probably have enough space at your house to take em out whenever you want! i would too! i was talking to some one at a local cruise this summer, he had a beautiful black restored 1940 ford business coupe, and he said that last winter there was one day in january where it was somewhere between 40 and 50 out, he took a drive around town to survey the roads, and said "yup this is the day" so he went back home, fired up the '40, and took it out for a long drive. after awhile you get withdrawl! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> so that one nice day with no salt on the roads is the day to take em out.

in the next few years ill have changed the insurance (doing it next year) to hagerty so itll be real cheap and ill keep it on the road year round. so ill be able to drive to the garage, pull her out and go for a cruise. id really like to be able to do that. for one thing, i cant imagine what people are thinking as they see it go by in the middle of winter!

last winter whenever there was a real nice day i went out for a drive just to see how many old cars id find and sure enough, i saw several. it was awesome, what a breath of fresh air from all the winter-beater cars!

[Bill Stoneberg]

While the folks down in the Southern part of the country, this is Prime car driving weather. True it may rain ocasionally, but from now until My or June is when I like to drive the best. No A/C cars and 100 degree days in the summer dont agree with this fat boy. I much prefer 50 -70 degree days.

[Dandy Dave]

I have had a variety of old vehicles and machinery starting at the ripe old age of about 9 years old. I grew up on a farm and we had the room for all sorts of stuff. I have found that if you have the time to take care of a fleet of them and run them often enough to keep the fuel fresh and the points from oxadizing, then one never seems to be enough. But if you don't get to them out often and run them, things start to happen. Of course it always seems to happen on the day that you want to take it to the big show. Especially those hand crankem to start em jobs. (Yeah, I'm a gluten for punishment. ) If the gas is old or the points are a little dirty or the carburetor is gummy and you just want to get it out and get to the show to just have a good time and you have to start draining gas and cleaning mags and carbs. Things get old in a hurry. I sold off a lot of old Tractors from the twentys and thirtys for just that reason not to mention that this stuff had to be trailed where ever you take them. Beware of the truck cops. Get pulled over only because you are a truck and the sign says trucks pull over here, who knows what those guys will find. I've been lucky and haven't been in one yet but have heard a lot of stories from some of my friends that have. Trust me, It is far better to have plates on a car that you can just drive to a show. My problem is I like old stuff and I guess that is why my Buick is a 1915. And yes, I would say at this point one 1915 Buick is enough. Around here, I do drive it but if I am going any distance, it will need to be trailered. Did you ever try to find parts for a 1915 anything? It is difficult at best and most of the time you have to make the parts yourself. I guess it is the both the challange that keeps me going and also trying to preserve a piece of the past for future generations. If I do my part and keep one for the future, I think I have done my part. Yes, One is enough! Dave!

[Guest ZondaC12]

well if you have enough it gets to be a chore right? i mean if you had as many as Jay Leno, youd almost have to make a schedule! haha. just to make sure every car gets run and the condensation doesnt build up and seals dont wither away. even if i was super-rich id probably put a cap on it. okay...it would probably be different but seriously with like 50 cars, especially if most were more than like 20-30 years old, you have to keep up with running them a lot.

though if they were all in a nice dry 75 degree all-year round warehouse theyd probably do all right.

[Dandy Dave]

<img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />If you are as $RICH$ as Jay Leno you could afford a fleet of full time mechanics to keep your stuff going. Pocket Change! Ha ha. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />James! Go to the garage and bring Duesanburg number 4 around front. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

[Guest ZondaC12]

well...yeah...thats true. never thought about that. alright i retract that statement! if i was that rich yes i would have tons of em!!!!! haha!!!! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Bill Stoneberg]

Paul,

Thanks for posting a picture of you and your car.

Its great that you got it out of its slumber.

[JohnD1956]

I agree with Bill, that's a great picture Paul. A real tribute to your dad too.

JD

[Guest ZondaC12]

yeah...ive been meaning to make a sig FOREVVVVVERRRRR. i just keep not getting around to it!! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> we probably all know that feeling once in awhile right?

and yes i added the sentence about my dad so people know where it came from and because it means that much to me. thats why in years to come when im a Computer Engineer, who knows maybe i could afford something far nicer than this car, but i can never get rid of it. id feel like a connection between him and i was broken.

besides, as a kid, i dont know, but maybe he could have afforded something newer than 30 years old, like from the 50s maybe, but he had the '31 model a also, he obviously liked older, unique stuff. still, it was for sure a daily-driver type of car, as is, just happened to be in wonderful shape and cheap because no one wanted them. and its never jad a major overhaul since he bought it. and id like to have it years from now and be able to say the same thing (though id like to repair major rust spots on the lower parts and underbody, and have the chassis stripped and repainted, have worn out parts rebuilt/replaced etc) but i think i might leave the rest of the body alone, small blemishes, patina, and all. im not sure but i just might. and for sure im not rebuilding the engine until i hear something that sounds fatal or it starts belching blue smoke or actually running poorly. i think id try to leave some of the interior alone too, because its really not bad.

i dont have nearly the cream puff we often see, the 1930's or 40s car with 40000 miles or even 80000 like mine but always garage kept and never seen snow or salt, and looks like new, on top and underneath and throughout, but its pretty darn good after 70 years in the north, and solid enough that i want it to be a "driveable dream" (anyone who read the latest or second to latest Hemmings Classic Car, forget which, will know what im talking about <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> or maybe its more common, and not just a phrase they coined?)

one LAST thought, one goal i have is id rather like a '38 with the self shifter. that just seems SO cool. besides, the THREE POINT SIX rear end in that must make that engine just loaf along at even 65 mph! if i could id even almost find the tranny in a junkyard and put it in my car! how cool would that be? but theyre REAL rare right? still to be able to say that i got a car from 1938 thats a "semi-automatic" something thats supposed to be a technology of THIS time right? what a coincidence that my year is the year for that crazy thing, huh? imagine if it had been a bigger success, the automatic transmission would be 10 years older!

[Aaron65]

I'm for keeping it on the road...it looks like a great fun driver...just keep it going, fix it when it needs it!

[Guest imported_Thriller]

Hi, I'm Derek, and I'm a Buickaholic.

Based on time, money, and space, there is a limit to what is practical to own. Right now, I could never buy another car, yet still spend the rest of my days restoring something (of course, it doesn't hurt to assume that my heart is going to give out in 20-30 years either). For me, it was a problem - for a while, I was buying a project a year without having a place to work on them or the appropriate tools, or the time / money to do the work. Actually, now that I think about it, I think I bought 3 cars in about a year and a half. I'm always keeping my eyes open, but until I have more space of my own to work on them, I don't foresee any additional purchases.

As for storing them, we've had snow on the ground for almost a week now and it looks like it is here to stay. We also get quite a bit colder than many other areas - we usually have a week where we get close to -40 each winter. Anyway, there won't be dry / salt free roads until April most likely. So, the fuel tanks get filled, fuel stabilizer is added, and the batteries are removed and charged and brought in out of the cold.

Also, I really like what Denny Manner, former Buick engine designer, had to say in Rochester - that is, don't run them during the winter unless you can get them up to temperature, which means 20 minutes or more on the highway. Somewhere I have a few notes from his talk, but he essentially parked his cars without doing a whole lot to them. I'm not saying he knows all, but if it is good enough for a Nailhead designer, it's probably good enough for my Nailhead.

[Guest ewing]

I have the same affliction as most of us on this board.

I got my first car ( number 1), the 38 Buick in 1967. I have driven it every year since. Same as Derek, in the short summers we have only a limited amount of time for each car. There is really not much you really need to do , as long as you start them every year and drive at least one gas tank full through. I just park the car with a full gas tank, fully charged battery, disconnected and left in the car ( we have really cold storage here!) and put a few extra pounds of air in the tires. I don't touch the car till spring. Then I just reconnect the battery, crank it to get the oil up, and fire it up. That's it.

As to the number of Buick one should have... there is always another one out there that you 'need'. In my case I consider the 60's as fair game for me still. I have the 30's, 40's, 50's and 70's covered with my Buicks. I have looked at a few 60's Buicks lately, and like the 66 Riv GS ( came close) and a few 65/ 64 Riv's with 2x4 carbs, but still haven't taken the plunge.

I too am limited by space and the ability to find the time to give the cars the necessary road time. To me, that's the quantity determining factor ( and I don't consider having a personal pit crew as really having personal enjoyment in the cars).

So I look forward to retirement when I will have more car time available. The way I calculate it, I commit about 50 hrs a week to work, so that will free up about 2500 hours a year. I can see allocating about 5 extra hours a year to yard work and that leaves an extra 2495 for car stuff. Sounds good to me.

[Guest ZondaC12]

^^^ yeah you need something from the 60's

and in my opinion not just anything, but a 68-70 gran sport. if youre gonna cover a bunch of decades you GOTTA have one of buick's musclecar offerings. you know you want to!

[1937]

One will never be enough!!!! I am down to just 2 right now ('37 and '40 Series 61 Centurys) but have room for 2 more in my garages. Here in the hills of WV you never know what the weather will be starting in November, so I drive them until the snow looks imminent. Then they live in the warm garages until the sun shines again and they are on the road, happy as clams. And so am I.