Looks rather special Chris....very nice indeed my friend :sunny:

What a find! Not the usual collector's car (of course who knows at the time of manufacture and for at least 10 years after what will be collectible) so it's amazing that it's been preserved so perfectly. It is better than most of its sisters were in 1961.

Hows the availability of non-alcohol fuel? And how does it tolerate unleaded fuel? Must be some nice stories about dealing with all that. In my area non-alcohol fuel doesn't command the hideous prices it did a year ago and is fairly available.

Great find and now we know at least one piece of history that will be properly preserved!:up:

I think the Buick Rivieras up to 1963 are still good looking, but after that ...

Right off the bat it's a 4 door. Everyone wants 2 doors. But, these are getting hard to find and are expensive when found. So the Buick sedan is not on the top of the list for collector cars. But, it gets the nod, thumbs up, horn honking and waving. It's a sled. :D

The car has had 3 owners and lived it's life in Altoona PA. A majority of it as a garage queen. The previous owners did not drive it much as all. From the looks of it just around Altoona that is no bigger than a postage stamp. This accounts for the low mileage. The brake pedal wear(of which there is none) is a sure indicator the 30,000 miles is legit.

There is no corn free gas were I live. I did a quick check under the hood(will tidy it up later) and it appears the rubber fuel line has been replaced with hose that can handle the corn gas. I will check the other rubber lines to the tank. I will rebuild the carb with a newer rubber produced kit. She needs the high octane for the 10:1 compression. I run the 1954 on low octane for the 8:1 compression. Both run fine on corn fuel but the 54 vapor locked once from the corn fuel. Knock on wood because some guys experience vapor lock all the time.

Concerning how she runs on corn, for a 2 ton car she squats and goes when the pedal is mashed. The 401 325 hp is a strong motor. The Dynaflow transmission(many call DynaSlow) is very responsive IMO.

She will remain as you see her with exception of replacing the parts that normally wear or deteriorate.

True survivor.

I like the Riveras but I'm always drawn to the odd ball or obscure vehicles.

A lot of gas stations up in Maine are starting to offer ethanol free gas as a safer alternative fuel for snowmobiles and other small engine vehicles.

The ethanol free gas can be had on the eastern shore of MD. Farm equipment, etc. The ride to get it would burn 1/2 a tank each way! Plus a toll over the Bay Bridge.

Both cars run well on the corn fuel. Could they run better on ethanol free...absolutely.

I'm betting your new Buick will be very popular at the next car show Chris, provided you take it there. I like the fact that it's as original as the day it rolled off the show room floor.

It always saddens me to go to car shows and see that someone has chopped the roof or tubbed a classic car. These people then think they have improved the looks of their car. I always thought these people had more dollars than sense.

The older or more mature crowd seem to restore or keep their car as close to original as when it was built. Just keep your eye on your car at the shows as jealous people like to intentionally damage them and careless people let their dogs jump up on cars or run strollers or wagons into these cars.

You also mentioned removing the hardened valve seats. I'm thinking the original owners did so to be able to run unleaded gas. Why remove them ? If you like oddball cars, I have pictures of one sitting in the garage which most will know what it is.

I have not experienced careless patrons at shows but once. It was a kid who liked banging on the cars. I'm very selective of what shows I attend.

The hardened seats are not necessary in Buick nailhead heads. There is enough nickel content the metal is hard enough to withstand unleaded gas. Also, most who cut the Buick heads for seats cut into the water jacket. Heads are ruined. In my case, the hardened seat cause a loud tap and I was blowing oil out the tail. I did not remove the seats. The seats destroyed the heads. Back then Chevy, Caddy, Olds and Buick did their own thing. Engines were different and not shared. Today, everyone rebuilds Buick like a Chevy. No good. Not sure if the previous owner who had the engine rebuilt approved the seats or not.


Video of burning blue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYg9RLn5btE


Cracked open the heads and found this mess:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...psqaocgnrg.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...ps89vxuc2z.jpg

Replaced the rings and valve job while in frame. The clown who installed the seats and did the rebuild did a host things wrong. The rocker arm shafts were installed upside down. The rings...does not appear the cylinders were honed. Hardened seats.


2 months out of service and $3000.00 later....

Smoke and noise free:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWBZ...ature=youtu.be

I expect that we in the near future will see a huge sign on AVGWarhawk's CP or what they call it.

"No comments today, I'm cruising in my Buick. Will be back very very later folks"

Markus

Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier to just get die-cast model cars?... :D



<O>

I have die cast as well. ��

:haha:

They got holes in the sides like subs.

I would still use upper cylinder oil like Morey's in old lead cars, I don't have one now but I used to use an upper cylinder drip.:yep:

Either that or Marvel Mystery oil. In the oil, it helps clean the engine internally. Added to the fuel, it keeps the valves and combustion chamber from experiencing carbon buildup. Chris maintains his cars properly so he has less if anything to worry about. The only bad thing about Marvel in the fuel is that it has a detrimental effect on catalytic converters. The older cars that Chris has doesn't have to worry about that.

I could use it as a precaution but the metallurgy of Buick heads does not really require it. I do run a cleaner for the valves through the fuel tank once in a while. By and large, the issues with the 264 nailhead were completely created by the rebuilder. Further, the thermostat installed let the engine run much to cool and allowed incomplete burn of fuels and other crap the previous owner was dumping in the tank. As you can see from the pictures, the carbon and oil in every cylinder looks like the La Brea Tar Pits. Since my repairs I driven the car 1000 miles. The piston rings have seated well. No oil loss. I pulled the plugs and all look as they should with complete burn of fuel. She pulls like a freight train.

The nailhead 54-57 are wet valves. There are no valve stem seals. When starting the engine there is a puff of oil smoke which is inherent to the design. Buick added valve stem seals later. Marvels would be of some use here because these valves have been know to stick from sitting to long thus bending a push rod. Since I drive my cars once a week weather permitting I do not worry about stuck valves much. I do use Lucas Classic Car oil as it is rich in zinc that the tappets require. Zinc is all but removed from today's oils.

The upkeep of these older cars is fairly easy. The after market support is quite good for Buick and other manufacturers. It is growing every day. Plenty of clubs and folks with parts. There are a few parts we call "unobtainium" as you ain't going to find it, period.

I can say since driving these older vehicles I appreciate my daily driver much more. Sometimes driving the 54 is a chore and like wrestling a gorilla. Bias ply tires track and grab inconsistencies in the road. The 60 I just purchased is much more pleasurable to drive. The leaps and bounds of improvements in engineering from 54 to 60 is remarkable.

The upkeep would be easier not having to deal with oxygen, map and other sensors or computers. Points, condensers and the like and you're good to go. I know guys with early 70's G.M classic vehicles and they upgraded the distributors to Hei systems. Silicon grease on the underside of the module once a year as part of routine maintenance and they are fool proof. One other thing with marvel, my understanding was it helped lubricate the valves in fuels without a lead content in older classic cars without hardened valve seats.

Modern cars today encompass incredible engineering. 300hp is now common in basic " grocery getter " vehicles. A friend's basic 2007 Ford Mustang with a 3.7 liter 6 cylinder engine pumps out 305 horsepower and gets an honest 30+ miles per gallon. With a tuned dual exhaust and the use of an X pipe, I'm sure it could get 35 MPG or better and increase the torque and flatten the curve. I have driven various sports cars and yet I know someone with a 2000 something Toyota Prius that will out turn and out handle most if not all of them if not outpower and outrun them . :doh: The newer cars may have the engineering but they rust out in a couple years and devalue faster than most people can make payments on them. The older cars like your 60 Buick have character and much nicer lines and don't look like a shoe box on 4 wheels either.