Sing it with me! :music: :music: :music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9G0-4TWwew

'54?

'55 Century. Now, to bring her home from New Mexico :)

So, so many great cars from that decade. Can hardly go wrong! Buicks had a lot of style, for sure. What year did they go V8? I seem to recall them being one of the last.

I recently ended up with the machine pictured below(don't have a full shot of it right with me). I don't think Kim will let me get rid of it!

I'm gonna guess, and probably guess wrong, but that sure looks like a Dodge or Plymouth dashboard to me. Maybe a '53?

That's great that you were able to get it from New Mexico. I live in Texas almost to the NM border and there is no rust on old cars around here. There is no salt used and it very rarely snows.

I recently ended up with the machine pictured below(don't have a full shot of it right with me). I don't think Kim will let me get rid of it!

The emblem on the steering wheel has me stumped.... I am thinking GM product... Caddie perhaps? '53 seems about right.

jr

Yes,looks like a Cadillac emblem to me too.

This is my favorite Buick,the 1959,in my opinion the most beautiful car GM ever made.

http://www.plan59.com/images/JPGs/buick_59_the_car_03.jpg

This is my favorite Buick,the 1959,in my opinion the most beautiful car GM ever made.

http://www.plan59.com/images/JPGs/buick_59_the_car_03.jpg

I think the '60 Buick is the most beautiful car ever made! But the '59 is #2 for me, with the '59 Chevy not close behind. Actually I really like all the 59/60 GM cars.

'53 was the first year for the V8 in Buicks, with the 322 nailhead replacing the 320ci ohv straight 8, in the Roadmaster. But the Special kept the 263 straight 8 for one more year, being replaced in '54 with the 264 ci nailhead V8.

Buick was actually the first to offer a 4 barrel carburetor, in '52, not on a V8, but in Roadmasters equipped with the 320 I8. And was also one of the earliest cars to be equipped with multiple carburetors, with two 2-barrel carbs appearing on '41-42 Buicks (on both the 320 and the smaller 248 straight 8 engines)

'50 Caddy. It could be anything from that year and I'd like it!

The 1949 Buick fastback is also a very beautiful car.
Those old Dynaflow transmissions weren't too good though!

I think the '60 Buick is the most beautiful car ever made! But the '59 is #2 for me, with the '59 Chevy not close behind. Actually I really like all the 59/60 GM cars.

'53 was the first year for the V8 in Buicks, with the 322 nailhead replacing the 320ci ohv straight 8, in the Roadmaster. But the Special kept the 263 straight 8 for one more year, being replaced in '54 with the 264 ci nailhead V8.

Buick was actually the first to offer a 4 barrel carburetor, in '52, not on a V8, but in Roadmasters equipped with the 320 I8. And was also one of the earliest cars to be equipped with multiple carburetors, with two 2-barrel carbs appearing on '41-42 Buicks (on both the 320 and the smaller 248 straight 8 engines)

I agree the 59-60 Chevys are very nice cars,I do like the 1960 Buick too,but (to me) it can't compare with that flawless '59 styling.

The '59 has that angry pissed off looking front end that seems to be challenging lesser vehicles to dare cross it's path,then there are those fantastic sweeping delta shaped fins trailing behind propelling the driver forward into the sparkling world of tomorrow, leaving finless motorists behind it to solemnly contemplate how far we've fallen since the glorious days when mankind was capable of creating such incredible visions of the future.

Were I to choose a Ford my favorite would be the 1960 Starliner hardtop coupe,they continued it into 1961,but as with the 1960 Buick the fins were shorn down,and as we all know fins should be made larger,not smaller.

But the '59 Buick is all straight lines, the '60 is kind of curvy - an improvement to my eyes.

But with fords I'd take the '57-9 Sykliners (retractable hardtop) over pretty much anything else. Although the 58-60 Lincolns were real lookers too.

Early Buicks - give me the 42/6-8 Roadmaster or Super (the models where the front fenders meet the rear.

Yep, the cars of the past looked a whole lot more like the cars of the future to me than the cars of the present do.

I've always loved the 1959 Buicks too, they remind me of cats, and yes, the front has an angry but handsome face. To me also, they are the most beautiful ones ever made. Someone around the corner from here had a metallic turquoise Electra flattop in the early sixties. I aspire to a six window Electra 225 Riviera hardtop myself. I would take any model just to get in one though.

George Jetson, I love your avatar, I have a copy of the whole ad, Motorola had a neat theme that year, with the models in the ads acting little scenes instead of posing prettily next to the sets.

But the '59 Buick is all straight lines, the '60 is kind of curvy - an improvement to my eyes.

But with fords I'd take the '57-9 Sykliners (retractable hardtop) over pretty much anything else. Although the 58-60 Lincolns were real lookers too.

Early Buicks - give me the 42/6-8 Roadmaster or Super (the models where the front fenders meet the rear.

Yep, the cars of the past looked a whole lot more like the cars of the future to me than the cars of the present do.


My favorite Lincoln is the 1957 Premiere 2 door hardtop coupe,now those are some beautiful fins.

For some reason Ford seemed the most conservative when it came to fins on thier production cars...the FX Atmos concept car is quite another story,sadly that never was put into production.

I've always loved the 1959 Buicks too, they remind me of cats, and yes, the front has an angry but handsome face. To me also, they are the most beautiful ones ever made. Someone around the corner from here had a metallic turquoise Electra flattop in the early sixties. I aspire to a six window Electra 225 Riviera hardtop myself. I would take any model just to get in one though.

George Jetson, I love your avatar, I have a copy of the whole ad, Motorola had a neat theme that year, with the models in the ads acting little scenes instead of posing prettily next to the sets.

Thanks,those ads were pretty cool!
That's the only print ad I've ever been able to locate for the Fiberjet.
That's yet another item for which there is absolutely no information anywhere on the Internet.

According to a catalog I have there were four different bases offered with them,but I have yet to find even one.

If anyone out there has a line on one let me know!

I'm anxious to see Kamakiri's Buick once it hits his driveway, since that is what the thread is about, to me, '53 through the mid '80s are all great Buicks. A friend of a friend had a '55 sedan that they deliberately destroyed:tears:and I had a chance to buy a Century coupe for a couple of thousand a few years ago, but they were such solid beautiful cars for the mid fifties. I have a Kintergarten memory of a pink '57 Premiere two door a little girl's mother drove, love to have any model of that car too.

BUT, as far as Motorola goes, in the slim chance I ever find a Fiberjet with that rocketship base or any, I'll break down and cut you in on it. With no hidden fees. I love Motorola products almost as much as Magnavox.

I'm anxious to see Kamakiri's Buick once it hits his driveway, since that is what the thread is about, to me, '53 through the mid '80s are all great Buicks. A friend of a friend had a '55 sedan that they deliberately destroyed:tears:and I had a chance to buy a Century coupe for a couple of thousand a few years ago, but they were such solid beautiful cars for the mid fifties. I have a Kintergarten memory of a pink '57 Premiere two door a little girl's mother drove, love to have any model of that car too.

BUT, as far as Motorola goes, in the slim chance I ever find a Fiberjet with that rocketship base or any, I'll break down and cut you in on it. With no hidden fees. I love Motorola products almost as much as Magnavox.

An old girlfriend had a 1955 Buick hardtop as a daily driver.
Really stuck out with those two big "Dagmars" out front,and talk about well built!....and the car wasn't bad either!:D:D

Don't find too many girls into old cars.

Thanks for sharing the two ads,the wife in the Motorola console ad sure looks thrilled,doesn't she?

An old girlfriend had a 1955 Buick hardtop as a daily driver.
Really stuck out with those two big "Dagmars" out front,and talk about well built!....and the car wasn't bad either!:D:D



Ha!
:D

I was just admiring those bullet shaped thingies in the photo yesterday, in fact :D

I was just admiring those bullet shaped thingies in the photo yesterday, in fact :D

And yet they didnt come out with "bras" for cars until they didnt have "dagmars" anymore!:D:D:D

Well, she should be home within the next two weeks. Can't wait! :D

Thats one good looking old girl youve picked up.

Id a steel T-bucket with a 401 nailhead in her and while she guzzled gas, she had more torque than she knew what to do with. I dont know if you plan on keeping her strictly stock or not, but several companies are reppoping the old 3 deuce intakes for the nailheads.

Even though im a young'un, I grew up in a family where we always drove classics. These girls simply have more soul in one square inch of chrome, than any of these new plastic jellybean shaped rigs on the road today.

Few things can compare to the feeling of sliding behind a big steering wheel, hearing that engine roar and taking your thousands of pounds of American steel and chrome down the road.

Keep us updated on your new toy.

I remember my grandad had a tan '60 Sedan De Ville-the one AFTER the "Rocketship" fins-altho the '60's weren't exactly slouches. That Cad was a one-car parade, it was SO outrageous...Fritz finally traded it on a '68 Sedan De Ville-it was that ugly "avocado" green-a sort of pukey greenish-gold/tan non-color a lot of cars were at the end of the Sixties. Compared to the brassy '60, it had NO SEX whatsoever- not much chrome to speak of, no glorious fins, kinda looked like a big taxi-model Chevy. It was avocado/babyshit brown even on the inside...Blecch !

A heartbreaker: my Dad found out about a guy with a bunch of Caddy convertibles just sitting in a barn. He investigated. Turned out to be 5 of them, the oldest a '68 and the newest a '75. They were bought in the 70s/80s as investments but the old chicken house they were parked in wasn't kept up. They are all now a mass of rust and mold. Sad, sad, sad. There is nothing that rags out quite like an old Cadillac.

Thats one good looking old girl youve picked up.

Id a steel T-bucket with a 401 nailhead in her and while she guzzled gas, she had more torque than she knew what to do with. I dont know if you plan on keeping her strictly stock or not, but several companies are reppoping the old 3 deuce intakes for the nailheads.

Even though im a young'un, I grew up in a family where we always drove classics. These girls simply have more soul in one square inch of chrome, than any of these new plastic jellybean shaped rigs on the road today.

Few things can compare to the feeling of sliding behind a big steering wheel, hearing that engine roar and taking your thousands of pounds of American steel and chrome down the road.

Keep us updated on your new toy.

I keep watching this video :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THaARXncFGM

I'm going to be 40 in October, so I'm "kinda" young.....at least young for my interests and tastes.

At the moment, the main thing is to just get it roadable. It's going to cost more than a few bucks to replace the glass and tires alone, beyond that I have no idea what's there......which is part of the surprise. I haven't seen any interior shots to know what the seats and carpets look like, although after talking to the guy in New Mexico, he said he saw no rust on the floors when he lifted the carpets up, so that's a good sign. I know that it HAS seats, but I can't tell how good or bad they are.

The story as I know it is that he purchased a couple '37 Chevys from the previous owner about 15 years ago, which were sitting in the bottom of a valley out in New Mexico. It was about then that this car was parked there on the man's property....he sold the Chevys and decided that this was going to be the car he was going to restore.

Time passed, and my old Buick remained in the bottom of the valley untouched for all that time. The old man finally passed, having never done anything with the car. His widow gave him the old Buick, and he put her up on eBay.

I have no idea what I'll find inside the car.....old paperwork and McDonalds ketchups....or nothing. I was going to look for a set of hubcaps for it, or a couple missing pieces of trim, but for all I know, they're in the trunk. I do know that the gas tank was pulled out and is in the trunk, so whatever else is in there, I'll find out in a couple weeks.

I can only imagine the car sitting at the bottom of a valley, watching countless sunsets, waiting for someone to come along and save it :)

in a scene much like this one.....

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nUOJlDe2QZ4/TGLJVFGOdDI/AAAAAAAAAHw/OZuCJypc6FQ/s1600/Abandoned-car,-Harrisburg-L.jpg

This is an outstanding video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwwUPcfTd8k

Haven't really done much with the old gal but putter a bit. I figure that it's waited this long for me to come along, she's got some time to spare ;)

For the heck of it, I started using some compound on what's left of the finish. She's gray! Imagine that :)

The chrome looks to be in pretty good shape, in fact the bumper looks to weigh more than most new cars!!

:banana:Is it a four door or two door, pillarless or standard? Love to see more pics when you're able! http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1955_Buick/1955_Buick_Brochure_1/dirindex.html

Unlike many who were stuck with turkey comas and relatives that you hate :D , my fiance and I spent time working on our respective projects. I was outside trying to get the Buick to start for the first time in decades. Over the last couple months I've redone quite a bit of the wiring, rebuilt the starter, complete electrical tune up refresh and oiling up the cylinders and a lot of miscellaneous work. Yesterday I changed the oil. The filter in the canister must have weighed a couple pounds. I cleaned the rest of the sludgy goo out of the canister with gasoline and a screwdriver.

Here she is showing off her new whitewall :D

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/100_5111.jpg

And all that hard work finally paid off. Yesterday I celebrated a small victory :thmbsp:

click the picture to watch the video

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/th_100_5112.jpg (http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/?action=view&current=100_5112.mp4)

It's ALIIIIIIIIIIVE !! (Cue Oingo Boingo here...)

Reminds me of my reaction when I found a way to jury rig the family lawn mower into starting normially again by putting a furniture clamp on the stop mechanism which had started to over do it's job. Of course there after I had to stop it by pulling the spark plug cap.....

Congradulations!

Man, that's always a great moment!

That's great, I like those old Buicks. That's the 322?

Yep, 322 Nailhead. I managed to get it running off the fuel pump finally by priming it with a rubber hose and a turkey baster. Had it running for a couple minutes then shut it down as there's no cooling system currently hooked up. The water pump impeller is frozen solid, which I guess was common for these if they've been sitting.

The carb's going to need a minor rebuild, as I had it apart to clean it up and noticed that the accelerator pump diaphragm had a little dry rot. I wanted to see if the car actually ran before I did that and the water pump.....after all, with a car that hasn't been run in 30 plus years, you never know what happened to cause it to get parked.

Currently, the master cylinder is on the bench, and I have a couple of the inner door panels off. They used this crappy cardboard under the vinyl as a backing, so I'm taking all the vinyl and chrome moldings off, and, using the cardboard as a template, making new pieces out of bathroom wallboard. It's coming out nicely, I'll show pics when it's done :)

Here's some more pictures :D

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/100_4838.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/100_5048.jpg

does anyone remember a video jay leno made with a 55 roadmaster?it was rocking like a boat,and the grille had a huge set of teeth.he was following a riceburner getting ready to eat it up!funny stuff.a 1955 buick roadmaster,a real car!

awsome old buick man!! when i was a kid , in high school i had a thing for old 50s cars. i had a mint green 1955 pontiac starchief 4 door in cherry condition, and a 1954 buick roadbastard 2 door rustbucket basket case, that ran sometimes lol i just tend not to talk about my old cars much cause its a soar subject for me. i rolled the 55 pontiac doing 110 mph and totaled it, when i was 16, and barley got out alive. the 54 roadbastard was such a mess i just left it on the side of the road one day when the engine threw a rod. i have some old pics someware, and ill dig them out and post them if i can find them.

heres one of me in my 55 pontiac, when i was 16, back in 2000. it was my first car.
this pic was taken about a week before the wreck :(

http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy45/beaumontacoustics/my%20stuff/stereo/mystarchief2000.jpg

me and my best friends, with my 55 pontiac. the 2 guys are both dead now. one from a car crash in 2005, the other drug overdose in 2007

http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy45/beaumontacoustics/my%20stuff/stereo/mechrishublerdanbakerandscarlett2000.jpg

btw im the guy in the white shirt.

I used to hang with a group of guys back in the early 90s, I think there were 7 or 8 of us....all motorheads. I used to work at the local auto parts store when I was in college, which is where I met them.

Three of them are dead.....one guy was cut in half by the front axle of his F350 when the scissor jack that he used out of his sister's Toyota to jack up the whole front end, broke. Two more got killed when they crashed a borrowed Corvette into a tree at 120 mph. One more went to jail for stripping a car that was outside his apartment, and carrying the parts right up piece by piece.

I kind of drifted away from them before all of that, when I saw things with their lives going in directions that I didn't want to go......

sounds firmilier. the guy in the blue camo shirt next to me was my best friend of 10+ years. he and his brother with another good friend of mine hit a tree going 120 in there 1995 camero, all 3 killed instantly. christmas eve 2005. half of my neighborhood and myself, never really got over it. the other guy, with the girl down in the front, ended up turning into a fuul blown heroin addict, like myself, and died of a overdose in 2007, ironicly wile i was in rehab for heroin after my 2nd OD that should have killed me. ive been sober since june 3, 2007. after i got out of rehab i moved to south florida and never looked back.

So what's the plan with the car, are you going to repair what's broken, paint it, and drive it?? Or take it apart, and rebuild it from the ground up?

I'm fixing up a '69 F-250 right now, but taking the first approach... I haven't got the patience or the money to do it "properly".

That era of GM vehicles have got to be some of the best looking cars ever made, and yours is enviably straight. Nice car!

WOW!!! My first car was a '55 Buick Special, basically the same car as yours, except for a different engine (261 C.I.D) and 3 ventaports on the front fenders. The looks of these cars are decieving-they will move very fast! Idrove mine over the Grapevine (I-5) once and didn't pay close attention to the speedometer but soon noticed there was nobody trying to pass me. There was a good reason for that- I was doing 115 MPH! I slowed back down to 55 really quick. At that speed, a metal dashboard and no seatbelts are not ideal, if you know what I mean.

So what's the plan with the car, are you going to repair what's broken, paint it, and drive it?? Or take it apart, and rebuild it from the ground up?

I'm fixing up a '69 F-250 right now, but taking the first approach... I haven't got the patience or the money to do it "properly".

That era of GM vehicles have got to be some of the best looking cars ever made, and yours is enviably straight. Nice car!

My plan is to get her mechanically right, and drive her just as she is for the time being. I'm really not sure if I want to leave the original paint and just work with what's there, or go the full restoration route. Seems like driving a "survivor" would seem fitting, but all I know is that I WILL NOT primer black the thing and do a "rat rod". I hate those. People that would take a car like mine and rattle can it flat black, paint the rims red, and put skulls all over it should be drawn and quartered. Just sayin :)

sounds like a good plan to me! I think resisting the temptation to make it perfect, seriously improves the joy of ownership of an old car. Nothing more sad than someone who buys a survivor like yours, with a lot of big ideas, and then for ten years has a half taken apart project until his wife forces it sold!

I agree with you about rat rods being tastless - however, it is the cheapest way to get a project semi presentable if you start with body panels of 3 different colours, and lots of bondo, and have no painting facility. not something i want though!

My grand father had a 1955 Buick,with the V-8, I can still remember the sound of that engine when he drove away.
The body looks good, no salt on the roads were it came from.

As soon as my income tax money comes in, the parts ordering begins.....I pulled the radio and front seat, and am redoing them in my basement. Too freaking cold outside :D

Wonder why I've been scarce lately? This is why :D . I've been working my ass off on the old gal. I want to drive her in my upcoming wedding, which was in 80 days from the time this video was shot. It's now something like 73 days away :eek:

She's not perfect, but she's getting there! New windshield goes in next week :yes:

Click the video, and enjoy!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/th_Movie_0001.jpg (http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/?action=view&current=Movie_0001.mp4)

Some current pics :)

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/100_1938.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/100_1935.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/100_1921.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/hondacuraworld/100_1939.jpg

A 4-Holer w/4 doors...Man, it just didn't get any better in 1955...

Seeing that thing move under it's own power again must be like getting video for the first time in a TV restoration. Congrats!

I bet making a Buick 322 V8 purr is as satisfying as seeing a bright raster.

Just some advice, you can buy blitz black enamel paint, semi gloss black, from John Deere, they use it as a frame paint, for about 22 bucks a GALLON! I use it on everythng since its so cheap. Adding a few tea spoons of boiled linseed oil to the mix along with the thinner will give you a nicer sheen, its an old 50s trick. As well as youll want to buy the rattle cans of bed liner. Use it on your floors, ceiling and trunk before you recarpet, it will help prevetn any future rustout far better than just paint alone.

Beatiful car by the way, luckily everyhting is still available for these old girls.