So, i already introduced myself at wet behind the ears. I bought an 1983 Buick Electra Park Avenue few weeks back. Been basically sitting since 2000, museum registered 2016, and after that 420km's. 420km's at 21 years. Well, ive tripled that so far. I have an build 1976 Cutlass S 442 as my other car, which i build technically from ground, rear, trans ( th350) and engine ( 350 Olds). It became a bit too ragged to wife and small childrens, and fitting safety seats at rear was a pain, and putting childs on them was even more pain. One of your members has always been praising the big Buicks, and after debating for months between Lincoln Town Cars, or some big 4-door Buick, this came for sale, and i bought it immediatetly. Was first to get in place, and first served. By luck it was for sale at "middle of nowhere", i did 7 hour road-trip after work-day to see this. Now it has two safety-seats at rear, so childrens can travel like bosses, and me and my wife have plenty of space at front with the sofa. Plus the trunk takes everything you throw at it. I have to say that one particular member wasnt praising big Buicks for nothing. Really havent ever experienced such a feeling of floating on a road on a sofa, and its really, really quiet inside, and doesnt rattle anywhere when riding gravel roads. Id say its better than any new car ive driven, if you happen to like that kind of ride. I love this car. It was bough to be driven, and thats what it gets. This thread is for my friends and others to follow, and serves as ongoing "project"-sheet for me. Notes ive done so far: - Drivers side both front-and rear windows dont work. Need to look for that at winter - Removing additional wiring. It had NMT-phone installed when new, and it has plenty of additional wiring under hood and dash. Need to get wiring diagram to hands to figure out all the added wiring. Installed, as typical, with current thief connectors... I hate those from the bottom of my heart. Dont do it all if youre not doing it properly.. It also has dual batteries, i quess thats not original, but even if not, im definitetly keeping that feature. My bet is the other battery was added due to the NMT-phone. - Install the radio antenna to radio. Radio has been changed, who knows when, to Blaupunkt New Yorker SCR85, real expensive when new. Going to keep it, part of the history. Windshield antenna works really badly at Finland where broadcasting stations are few and far between. I had already plugged NMT-antenna hole at rear left quarter, so i already installed the antenna there. Just need to pull the antenna cable to front - 16 years old tires. Shakes.. Already ordered new ones ( 225/75/15), gets hopefully installed following week, IF i have time to get there - Some small trim-parts needs replacing - Engine needs something done. Seriously. Barely holds 130kmh at highway on incline, thats pretty embarrassing. It runs smooth, but is gutless as ****. Since im familiar with Olds, and the engine happens to be 307 vin Y, im going to stay on Oldsmobile power. Far too much work to change to Buick here in Finland, even if it would been kind of nice to have Buick on Buick - Replace the carb. Its been fixed with Finnish-Ugri-style, fix with what you got. Carter 600AFB and HEI under the hood currently. Manual choke needs to go. Lets see what i do with this - Getting the Cruise-Control to work, one way or another - Replacing fuel tank, leaks from the seam. Thats for winter also - Changing blower motor, keeps noise, and trying to get the AC to work. With good luck it works with just refill and convert to r134 same time. - Drivers seat has one motor working, but not moving the seat. It was either front or rear tilting of the part you sit. Wild quess, sheared gear. Not on top priority, im not moving it, since im the one driving it. - Rear-leveling system dont currently work, definitetly will fix that cool feature
That’s a very nice car in amazing condition. You should buy a factory service manual (post a wanted ad on here). Also, contact one of our carburetor rebuilders for a properly sorted Quadrajet. Was the car built for export? Does it have the same emissions equipment as US and Canada? (Our cars would have had a catalytic converter in the exhaust, an oxygen sensor upstream of that, and most likely an electronically controlled distributor and carburetor, along with an EGR valve, AIR pump and some sensors. If so, the computer, carburetor and distributor need to stay together or be removed together. The catalytic converter can be removed either way unless it’s required for registration there). Good luck! Patrick (in Georgia)
Thanks. Yes, sold new to Finland. It has blogged EGR, blogged AIR pump ( still in place), spliced wires, OBD connector at footwell.. Id say its originally been E4MC carbed one. But as said, its a Carter 600 AFB and HEI now, converted who knows when. And cruise not connected either. Catalysator in place. Otherwise its really nice but engine bay really is a mess. Somehow id be intriqued to install some sort of EFI TBI units to it, not sure if i want to start fixing the mess made when conversion was done. Would go nicely when installing new tank, to install fuel pump there same time for EFI. Otherwise, i have one working when removed- Quadrajet, 7056259 from previously mentioned Oldsmobile Cutlass ( which is sporting 2x4 setup nowadays with AVS2-carbs, works wonderfully by the way, those carbs). Are the parts for rear leveling system still available? Which has compressor at engine bay, leveling sensor at rear axle, and air filled shocks. That actually dont currently work either, but that would be neat to have at working condition.
I had a Fleetwood Brougham with the auto level; mine worked great. It’s a relatively simple system (the service manual will tell how to troubleshoot it) but you’ll probably need to buy parts from a US supplier (check the Cadillac clubs) or fabricate things. The most common failure was, first, the shocks would leak and the compressor would run too often. Next would be either failure or a pulled fuse. The owner might have replaced the leaking shocks with manual air fill or no air at all. Patrick
So yesterday i had time to get my new tires installed under. Basically i had locally 2 choices at size of 225/75/15, either Nankang N605 TourSport, or Vitours. Since i have Vitours at my Cutlass, out of curiosity i thought to try these. So far they were really quiet, and driveability increased tremendously compared to 16 years old tires. Should be hell lot better at rain, the old tires lifted me to hydroplaning at 55mph Still some blue laquer left after wash, but theyre pretty white now. Some good, some bad, at same trip to change tires, front-brakes developed a leak somewhere. Need to investigate after the car and floor dries. I have new hoses, so big probability the steel line or pistons gave up.
New heart for the Buick got chosen. Got lowball offers from my Cutlass, so i decided i rip it out of the engine i build for it, and install it to my Buick. Currently its 10:1, it had pretty healthy cam, full MSD ignition, headers.. I change heads to drop compression to 9:1 to drive with lesser than 93 oct fuel. Cam gets also changed to tamer one, and dual carburetion goes too, Holley Sniper will come for Buick, to "resemble" even loosely the memory of electronic Quadrajet. Plus manifolds instead of headers. Bottom of that engine is it heart, and where the money went. Over 2800gr out of rotating mass, i-beams, SRP-pistons, studs, bored with torque-plate, line honed, balanced, everything imaginable. Hi-vol oil pump ( standard pressure) and 8qt oil-pan. Oil pressure was always great. Not going to build a rocket for Buick, this time just an engine with enough pep to hold with normal traffic and effortless manners, rest is offered for mpg. That way i get bigger, and already rebuild engine for my Buick for years of effortless fun.
Ripped the Cutlass out of 3.23:1 gears ( Yukon) and Eaton TrueTrac. Interesting winter coming. 3.23 should pair really well with th200-4r for cruising around with just a bit healthier motor, and not bang the wallet open from fuel costs.
Engine has been lifted. At monday the Oldsmobile at picture will go to new owner. He already bought a 455 for it. Should be a nice cruiser. Heads off. What a porcupine. Heads go for sale, they yield a tad over 10:1 compression. Professionally ported street jobs. While they worked great, and didnt ping with 98oct ( equivalent as US 93oct), this time around i want a) to be able to use regular fuel, and b) not to use such big cam to bleed off compression for it not to ping. This is an family ride. #8 heads will get worked, and homeported lightly for the next iteration. They yield about 9:1 compression. Noticed my Cometic MLS gaskets at both banks had seeped oil at front, from oil passage. Contemplating about reusing the gaskets, or buying new ones. Also figuring is it worth to use roller cam this time, didnt have any problems with HFT-cam either. Decisions.. Currently i have .041" quench with .051" thickness MLS gaskets ( regular Fel-Pro's for Olds are about .040", and i dont feel like cutting pistons down), and going to keep that.
Original gears are 2.73 Limited slip. Opened it up, since rear-left brake cylinder started leaking. Now wondering is it worth the hassle to change it or not. Probably yes, along the engine. Little more get-go, and not that much inrease at at rpms on 80mph, approx 1850rpm vs 2200rpm at OD.
I still get excited to no matter what car came with a posi from the factory Are posi's ordered alot on cars going to Finland due to the weather?
I cant say anything sure about that. One thing i can say, is that probably all Electras that came to Finland in black, were ordered to some big companys CEO's car. And money wasnt a question asked when they ordered them. But if id have to quess the posi was chosen due to snowy and icy winters, especially back then. This one was ordered when new to Nokia, the former phone company many of you will know.
I guess the black was a limo type of thing? Do you know what was written on the original title or registration? Did you find any old phones under the rear seats
Dont know yet, i ordered the original papers from national archives last week. Yes, limo-like thing around here. Weve never had the limousine-thing around here. Only strip-bars and some exclusive-ride offering companies use them ( used ones from USA), but no companies use them. Back then, big, black, USA-made car was the trademark, nowadays its black Audi/ BMW/ Mercedes-Benz, and lang-model if possible. No old phones, but remnants of NMT-phone assembly, ive tediously tried to remove. Hell lot of a unnecessary wiring under dash.
Here we go. All control arms plus rear will get sandblasted and painted, all new bushings everywhere, new springs and shock absorbers, all new brake parts. Alongside new fuel tank, and repairing the auto-level system. Thats so cool feature on old car that its must-fix object. 3.23 Yukon gears with Eaton TrueTrac goes in there, which i already have from previous car. I quess thats my this winter project. Dont want to turn it so big that at next spring i dont have a Buick to drive. Okay, the manual-choke carb will fly out aswell.
