An Electra Que

[19&41]

I watch these folks occasionally. This one caught my eye for some reason.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RTt8jzo8t0

[William]

That is a good looking 64 Buick, and it's nice to see one being saved.

Bill

[walyfd]

Cmon... you're killing me!!! Another car in my color scheme!!!

[19&41]

Looks like there were plenty of Electra lites with the funeral vibes...

[electra225]

It is a four door sedan with Deluxe interior. The good options are there. Actually, this is not the worst job in the world. The wiring in Buick of this vintage is fairly straightforward. The paint is not burned off the engine totally. Of course all the rubber is toast and maybe the radiator and AC condenser, but these parts are plentiful in yards, at least around here. Somebody got to it before interior damage was done. Maybe some stuff under the dash.

Art restored a '57 Roadmaster convertible. They guy took it out on the freeway and ran the wheels off it above 80 mph. He stopped in a rest park to use the restroom and shut the engine off without giving it time to cool a bit. The trans fluid backed up the dipstick tube, then on to the hot manifold. It burned everything from the front seat forward. The chrome was black, but it shined up just fine. It got hot enough it burned the gaskets out down to the oil pan. We pulled the engine, cleaned it, painted it, put in new gaskets, then put it back in and fired it up. If the engine in the Electra didn't get full of water and is not stuck, it will run.....

[19&41]

It's nice they want to bring it back to snuff, as opposed to the clearcoat over the damage that has come into vogue these days.

[TC Chris]

I took the '65 Olds to Ohio and was driving way over the legal limit on a very hot day, because I was young & stupid. Then I noticed clouds of white smoke behind me. Turns out I had boiled the trans. fluid in the Turbohydramatic and it belched up the dipstick tube and all over the exhaust manifold. Scared the bejeezus out of me.

That Buick video makes me vow to buy a fire extinguisher for the Chevy.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

Those guys have the opportunity to spend $50,000 in order to have a $10,000 car. It will need one of everything if they want it to be nice. Paint and interior at a minimum, plus the mechanical and electrical issues. It's a four door sedan, the least desirable Electra body style. The most desirable Electra is not a high-dollar car.....

I'll bet they will find that the interior has been wet and is stained beyond use. I don't believe I'd fool with it other than getting it to run. It would make a good parts car, which is where the money would be...

[walyfd]

Brutal but honest... Even to make it a nice driver is cha ching... still make a beautiful car but a pit on ROI.

[electra225]

You may have noticed it has a Rochester 4CG carburetor on it. Those things are horrible and known to flood. Wonder if it is what took the car out, caused the fire? I sure wouldn't doubt it. I wouldn't own a Buick with a Rochester 4CG on it, no way, no how.....

I watched the video again, and noticed that the plastic boxes that contain the air conditioning is all melted. The fire got into the interior in that case. The car is a parts car, brutal or not. They can tinker to see if it will run, but they are idiots if they go much further unless they have LOTS of cash to burn for a negative return. Use the parts to get a hardtop back on the road....

[TC Chris]

C'mon guys, remember the Oscar Wilde quip about people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. I have a couple sailboats, often defined as "a hole in the water into which you pour money." If you approach everything an an economist, your life will be as exciting as an economist's. Most of us do stuff for non-economic reasons. We like the challenge (those guys in the video were having fun!). We like the experience. We like to display skills. We have sentimental and irrational reasons.

So let's say they get the engine and its peripherals renovated, and the transmission checked out, and brake hoses etc. replaced. The car is running. They paint the firewall, fenders, and a new hood. Maybe it's imperfect and maybe they keep the ratty interior for now. but the car is running and driveable and on the road. That means it's reserved for another day. Maybe 20 years from now somebody decides it's worth enough to spring for a new interior and some tweaks to details. Yay!! They've saved a car!! i admire 'em for doing it and liked watching how much fun they were having working on it.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

The biggest issue with "preserving" this car is that not only do you have to worry about fire damage under the dash, but the fire department was not careful with squirting water everywhere. Fire residue is corrosive. Anything that got lots of smoke then water on it is probably corroded beyond use. If that 60-year-old interior has been thoroughly soaked, it is also probably rotten. Sure, they may get it running and moving down the road, but it will be a huge and expensive journey to every make it a nice car again. In this case, just because you CAN does not mean you SHOULD...

[19&41]

These fellows feel about such cars as these as we do about superannuated audio gear. There is no strict logic nor reason about generating a return on the investment. For the most part the investment is the return. Also it can work out if they get monetized by the folks who brought it to you.

[electra225]

I'm not worried about return on investment with the guys on YouTube. What concerns me more is that some poor shmuck may get the idea that he can get an old burned hulk and turn it into his retirement account. I realize these guys are running a YouTube channel for fun and profit. But the possibility of EVER turning that poor old smoked Electra into a viable, running, dependable, safe vehicle again without the expenditure of copious amounts of cash is slim. I'm not sure they articulated that fact in the video.

I am into a restoration of a GE stereo that I am so upside down in I can't believe it. This is a project I wanted to do, just because I wanted to see that old stereo shine again. I have been careful to mention the fact that I have more into the restoration of a $50 stereo than I do in my Concert Grand. I made these statements so anyone contemplating such a restoration project goes in with their eyes open as to costs. Almost anytime you get involved in a restoration of anything, with very few exceptions, restoration costs are more than the value of the item. I've been in the restoration business as a professional. Restoration is a labor of love. It's okay to be into a project for more than it's worth. Where it becomes a problem is when someone is surprised about costs when he is in too deep to say "no".

I always advised people going into an auto restoration project to figure out what it will cost, double that, then add $10,000. That would generally get you pretty close. I harp on this and take a harder line here on the forum concerning matters like that. I have seen people go into a restoration all gung-ho, then something happens in their lives or in the project that puts costs in the spotlight. I always asked people to slow down, look at the worst that can happen to avoid any surprises. I would rather run then off before the project starts than to have a client get weak in the knees when we are both into the project too deep to back out.

[walyfd]

My buddy is working on a 40 convertible where the owner died mid restoration... there's parts missing, stuff he can't find because it was a rare car new. I told him to walk away but he's young and full of "can do" like I was 20 years ago.

Youth is wasted on the young. Sense is wasted on the old.

Now, I have the original Rochester 4gc on my car. Runs nicely but I would prefer a Carter. Trouble is finding a good core with the ISC.

[electra225]

The Dynaflow dipstick tube being connected to the exhaust manifold caused many underhood fires in Buicks over the years. Second most common cause was a 4CG that iced up, or the float sunk, or the choke stuck on. The Quadra-Jet was an able successor to the 4CG just as the Turbo-Hydramatic was an able successor to the Dual Range Hydra-Matic. I have a spare AFB for my Buick. What years of Cadillac used an AFB, or did they do like Buick and mix them up?

[walyfd]

Mixed. You didn't get to pick your carb.

4999 cars after my 57, they started using Carter in the mix. The 57 rockys were so bad there were over a dozen "fixes" through the year. Finally, in one service bulletin they said to just swap it out for a Carter if the customer still complains.

I finally found a Carter for that but kept the rochester. Plumbing is a little different. I like the simplicity of the Carter. Like the difference between a borg or westclox...

I think they stopped using AFB when the qjet came out like 1967.

[electra225]

They did the same at Buick. Generally the "performance" models got the AFB. Most Buicks that left the factory with Positraction or dual exhausts got the AFB. Many air conditioned Electras, Wildcats, and Rivieras had the AFB. My guess as to the reason for that was driveability, particularly idle quality with the AC on. Linden-built cars for some reason didn't use the AFB. I never did learn to dial a 4CG in really well. I can find the "sweet spot" in an AFB, not so much with the 4CG.