Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 Going to see an 80 year old car.

It even looks a bit sad. The yard was asking over 3,000 bucks
for that truck, and it was ROUGH!

In a twenty year old modern Classic. 

Sacramento isn't that close, but I'm glad that I drove up there to check out the car.

This style was introduced in 2005, that makes
 the design twenty years old!

The car was a '47 Buick Road Master that was being sold at a "U Pull It" auto wreckers. Obviously somebody decided that it was easier to scrap the car, instead of trying to sell it. Or maybe they just decided to donate it, which is probably how it ended up there, anyway. I had seen the ad on the AACA forums. It intrigued me, and I decided to go check it out. I mean the price was right, 2,500.00, and it was in the age bracket that I was interested in. 

We discussed it on the forum and I told the guys that I might go up check it out, and report back.

Those brown spots aren't rust.

This is a big car, comparable to a Cadillac Fleetwood. Powered by a big straight eight engine with a Dynaflow automatic transmission. I've said that I don't want a big car anymore, but maybe I might/should make an exception?

The right front tire was flat and pulled off the rim.

This is an unusual car to find at a wrecking yard. I once found a late '30's Packard limo at my local Pick and Pull. It was pretty rough. Years later, I also found a '55 Packard sedan at the same yard. That one was in very good shape, just missing the hood ornament. Both were being sold as complete cars.

Sacramento is about three hours away, so I decided to make a day of it and take the Mustang.

It's now my only Mustang, since the '96 went to a new owner last month. The '06 has some eccentricities that sometimes irk me, but in general, it runs great and is very fast, not that I'm going to drive it that way. 

I decided on a 70 mph. cruising speed, I would usually stay to the right and let the hot shoes pass me. I'm not in a hurry anymore, being retired gives me so much freedom. My Wife was even out of town for a few days, so there wasn't any pressure about timelines. But she did arrange an errand for me, she wanted me to pick up an item at a store in Roseville for her. Normally I wouldn't make a trip just for that, but since I was going to look at a car anyway...

So I jumped into my Ford and hit the road, I didn't anticipate any problems with the car, and didn't have any. On the way back from  Roseville I lowered the top because it was a clear beautiful California Winter day. No wonder the rest of the country hates us!

What about the Buick?

The interior was nicely done and just needed a good cleaning.

It was actually pretty good. It was very straight, including the bumpers. There was only one, hard to see dent. It was under the right front fender, behind the right wheel opening. All trim was  intact and properly mounted. The glass was good with only a little hazing around the edges. The weatherstrips in the doors had crumbled away. Under the hood the engine was intact, unmolested, and still had the original air cleaner. The interior was very good and had been nicely reupholstered. The seats were covered in a corduroy fabric and the door panels were done in a nice contrasting fabric. The headliner was beautiful. The rear carpets were very good, The front was okay but had been curled up a bit and dirty. The back seat was full of empty boxes and anti freeze containers, but the seat bottom was covered by a protective cloth. It was clean junk.

It looked like the car had been at least partially restored in the past. The paint was peeling away in a few places that looked like rust in the photos. The car was pretty rust free from what I could see, and I looked it over extensively. It looked pretty sad sitting on that flat front tire, that had been pulled off the rim. Probably when it was pulled from the barn.

As I was checking out the car a woman, who identified herself as the manager, called out to me, telling me that she could give me a good deal on the car if I wanted it. She told me that they had tried to start it. It had turned over, but it wouldn't fire. She also said that the car had been stored in a barn for quite a while before it was brought to the yard and that the hubcaps were safely stored in the office. I had found a Triple A tour book for Washington State and Oregon in the back seat from 1995, so it had been sitting for some time. 

There was no funky smells or evidence of moisture or rodents.
I didn't have a problem sitting in the interior.

I think that it was an older restoration that had been driven for some time, then it was put away as the owner wasn't able to drive it anymore. Then the old guy died and the car sat until the estate had to be settled.

Being an older guy myself, I know how health issues can flare up and there isn't the ability or any desire to mess around with an old car. It gets driven less and less, then finally, not at all. 

I imagine that there were no heirs that wanted the car, and it probably didn't seem worth trying to sell it on the market, so off to the wreckers it went. 

Is it a car that could be saved?  More importantly, should it be saved?

Definitely, it is in quite good shape and it complete and intact. Its also got that great interior.

I do like the car.

Should I be the one to save it? That is the primary question. 

In my mind's eye, I would clean it up, and if I could get it running, then I would get it repainted right away. But since it doesn't run, there's no way to know if the engine and transmission are any good. The fact that it "turns over" is a good sign, that means that the motor is not seized up. But it could have many other unknown problems. I can guarantee that it will have other problems.

That also extends to the transmission. No way to diagnose it without a running engine. If either it, or the motor needs rebuilding, it's going to be a big expense, even if I did a lot of the work myself. 

The question is "Do I want a '47 Buick Roadmaster enough to commit to an expensive mechanical overhaul if needed? That is the main question.

That is always the question!

For me, there is never any particular old car that "I just have to own," no matter what trials, tribulations, and expenses it will cause me. One that I would be willing to work on for years, decades even, to finally fully restore. 

To me, a car like that Buick is an "opportunity." The car is basically good, and it's certainly CHEAP, at least to buy. It's not really something that I've always wanted. I've wanted a '41 Cadillac 60 Special more, and for much longer, but I didn't buy that ratty one I saw earlier last Summer. 

If I bought the car I would have to put it into storage, at least for a while. My current garage situation is still not settled. I don't have any space for another car at the moment.

Later I discussed the matter with my Wife, and she saw where my head was at. I told her that I would buy the Buick if I thought that it could be returned to running condition inexpensively. She then asked me, "If you take a chance on the car, are you ready to walk away from it if it needs too much work/investment? Could you just donate or scrap it then, and be okay with losing the money that you've already spent?" 

That's a very insightful and thoughtful question. I think, and can easily convince myself, that the car could be up and running again. But I know that any car that has sat for so long will need the fuel system, braking, and cooling systems to be freshened up to run. At minimum.

While I think that I want a Forties car, and this Buick is a worthy example, it just doesn't ring my bells, as much as that old LaSalle did, and I didn't buy that one either! 

On the drive up, and back, I had plenty of time to mull over the situation.

Do I really want an old car like that Buick, or even the LaSalle? 

The LaSalle was a finished, older restoration that was a good driving car, there was no big mystery about it's condition. The price was also very attractive, it had started at 15,000 dollars then dropped to 10,000 then it might have sold for 7,000 dollars. The seller was very motivated. Let's see, a good car that was attractive to me, and a good price. Why didn't I make the move? 

I kept asking myself why I wanted the car at all. Did I want it because it was something that I'd "always" wanted, or did I want it so that I could take it to C&C events? 

The Mustang that I was driving is now actually a vintage machine in it's own right. I'd taken it to a couple of C&Cs. Yet it is a modern, easily useful car that is practical and has low mileage. It should last me the rest of my lifetime with minimal work needed.

Mustangs of all ages are pretty common cars, though examples of this series are not as common on the street as they once were. 

I also currently have an uncommon car, my '97 Riviera. 

This is a car that is seldom seen on the road or even at C&Cs and shows. I've got a pretty good example with low miles, that runs good and only has a few problems. 

Do I really need any more projects, challenges, or headaches? A rational person would say no, and that's why I avoid asking rational people for advice!

By the time I'd run up 300 miles on the Mustang, and was pulling into my driveway, I still hadn't made up my mind, it was still an open question.

Well, Tick Tock, time is passing, and "IF" I really want an old car, I'd better get moving.

There are only so many Summers left.