How Citroën almost became a GM division! (Re: Hemmings Blog)

[cwmcobra]

Jim,

I believe I use Group 24 and they are exactly the right height, fit well.  Not 24F (for Fords).

Chuck

Edit:  Walt beat me to it, but I'm happy to have the same answer! 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers,

Hemmings has a short piece on the early versions of what would become the Buick A-Bodies: the Special and Skylark of the early 1960s:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2020/07/28/buicks-1962-skylark-combined-upscale-trim-with-an-affordable-price-tag

There is a little background on these cars and a link to a 1962 Skylark that is advertised for sale in (of course) Hemmings. 

It is a quick read and the photos show how the styling in our cars evolved from the models of early 1960s.

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers with an eye on high-tech,

Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine had an article on how they installed a Holley Sniper EFI system in their Camaro budget project car:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/quit-fueling-around

It is an interesting article for both those considering an EFI conversion and those simply curious on how aftermarket technology is evolving.  The article explains the reasons why such an upgrade is desirable and does a good job of documenting the installation process.  What is less obvious is how much more stealthy these systems have come in 5 years.  Compare the installation of the Holley to the FAST Sportsman in my trusty wagon done in 2015:

http://65gs.com/board/index.php/topic,2719.msg18066.html#msg18066

There is much less clutter and much less to detract from the originality of the engine bay.  So even if you consider an EFI system to be sacrilegious, there is good news here in that your insistence on keeping the original appearance of these classic cars is definitely steering the designs of the aftermarket developers.

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers,

A smidge off-topic, but Hemmings has a short piece on the latest winner of the Antique Automobile Club of America's Zenith Award.  It turns out to be the restoration of a 1958 Buick Century Caballero station wagon:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2020/08/26/a-buick-century-caballero-is-the-first-post-war-car-to-win-the-aacas-zenith-award

Of course, I have a soft spot for Buick wagons, but this the first post-war car to win the Zenith Award.

It is one of those quick reads that nonetheless feels good by the end.

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers,

Hemmings has shared with us an article by Mike McNessor from January 2021 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1965-buick-riviera-gs-2

Story is about someone that would be at home on this forum: Andy Starr.  For many years he has been searching for 1965 Gran Sport.  Instead on Craigslist he found what was described as:  "1965 Riviera GS, two four barrels."  As it turns out, it was an extremely unique car indeed!  I won't spoil the plot, but that should be enough of a tease to perk anyone's interest on this forum.

Enjoy!

Cheers, Edouard 

[GS66]

I read that, beautiful car!

[Jimbo]

I read that when my issue arrived. One of a kind.
 My close friend has a 65 GS Riviera with 17,000 miles. Original paint, every option available.
 His Father purchased it new, never seen rain or snow. Won several trophies at shows. Beautiful car.

[cwmcobra]

Andy Starr and his 65 Riv were at the 2017 BCA Nats in Brookfield, WI.  It's truly a beautiful car!  As I recall, he even sat in on our 65 GS division meeting.  Seemed like he was considering a 65 Skylark GS restoration, but haven't heard anything to confirm.

 

Chuck

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers,

Thomas A. DeMauro has a piece on the Hemmings blog about his 1967 Gran Sport.  He tells the story of having to document replacing a dash-pad for an article in the middle of a Pennsylvania winter:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/01/28/driveway-wrenching-during-the-winter-isnt-recommended-but-in-this-case-it-was-necessary

The story isn't all that interesting although it describes the sort of predicament we can all sympathize with.  What I found interesting was the details of the interior of this car.  In particular, Thomas had opted for a generic Grant steering wheel instead of the OEM Buick one.  To me at least it was some consolation for not having made the prolonged struggle to restore Biquette's steering wheel!

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers,

This morning Hemmings shared on the internet an article from October 2018 issue of Muscle Machines magazine.  It was part of a sequence on installing a Chevy crate engine into a Chevelle, but this segment focused on the twists and turns of repainting the engine bay:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/surgery-without-scars-2-4

The real plot is how what started out as a "quick and dirty" engine bay clean up turned into a very careful repainting project that the restorers were ultimately much happier with.  There is a subplot concerning whether or not you can be satisfied with "rattle can" paints or whether the step up to a professional paint gun will be worth the additional effort.

Even for a seasoned restorer, I think it is a pleasant read.  Newcomers might pick up some unexpected lessons about doing it right the first time.  The extra effort isn't as much as you would expect especially if you simply decide from the get-go to repaint the engine bay in a way that will make you as happy as you want to be in the end.

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers,

Once in a while, a car cover is the best solution to protecting your classic.  The question of which to buy has come up before on this forum:

http://65gs.com/board/index.php/topic,4818.msg36399.html#msg36399

Mark J. McCourt has posted on the Hemming's blog a general overview of the choices we have when it come so covering your car:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/03/16/considering-a-car-cover-here-are-some-points-to-ponder

Even if you once thought you had a good handle on car cover options, it is worth investing the time to see how these products have evolved.  For example there are new "water-phobic" car covers like this one from Budge that uses waterproofing technology developed by Rustoleum of all things.

https://www.budgecovers.com/rust-oleum-neverwet-car-cover

Of course, there is no substitute for a well maintained garage, but when one isn't available, a car cover is definitely an improvement over nothing.

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers with an eye to car culture,

It sure has been a while since Hemmings has posted anything that seemed relevant to this community.  However, this morning they have a story on how Detroit Speed made a serious restro-mod of a 1965 Buick Riviera:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/detroit-speed-1965-buick-riviera/

It is most definitely not my cup of tea, but as the piece suggests, the Detroit Speed team made a very serious attempt to keep the original feel of the Riviera while adding all the modern upgrades.  It certainly can be admired as an example of detail-oriented craftsmanship.

Cheers, Edouard

[cwmcobra]

Very Cool!

Enviable attention to detail. I bet it's fun to drive! I'm not a big fan of restomods, but this one seems to hit the right notes, at least for me.

Thanks for sharing, Edouard!

 

Chuck

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers,

This is a smidge off-topic, but an interesting Buick story nonetheless.  Here is a link to a Hemming's article about Buick's "in drive" refueling effort:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/buicks-innovative-1960-torture-test-at-daytona/

The core of the story is described in this paragraph from the story: It was a unique exercise in durability conducted by Buick, which advertised the test as “10,000 Miles in 5,000 Seconds.” It involved a moderately prepped 1960 Buick Invicta hardtop, one of 8,960 produced that year, which circled the superspeedway under the clock with a brace of early NASCAR stars doing stints as the wheel. The objective was to keep the Invicta rolling at an average speed of 120 MPH, an effort that would eventually set multiple international records. But it took a second Invicta hardtop to make everything happen, and to prove that the never-tried trick of fueling one car from another, at maximum speed, would actually work.

Here is a photo of the refueling scheme from the article:



Buick even made a video describing the effort which you can view on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/Dczamtg3UMk

Unfortunately, I don't have time to view the video at the moment.

Enjoy!

Edouard

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers with a general interest in things automotive,

This is about as far off-topic as you can get and still be automotive related, but this is too cute not to share.  Hemmings has an article on a new camper van by Citroën:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/citroen-type-holidays/

What should interest the folks on this board is its decidedly retro styling.  As the article relates: "At first glance, the vintage-inspired camper resembles the 1940s classic Citroën H Van, a design that was once prevalent in Europe. That’s because it was designed by Italian coachbuilder Caselani, known for creating other “neo-retro” body styles."  Here is a photo from the article:



At the very least, it should bring a quick smile to your face!

Cheers, Edouard