I've been looking for a car to restore and have mainly focused on 1954 and 1957 Fords. Recently though, I've found a 1955 Buick Special 2 door hardtop that I'm thinking of buying. It seems like everyone has a Ford/Chevy at shows and the Buick definitely has a unique style. The problem is, since it is NOT a Ford or Chevy, I'm worried that restoring it might be a little more difficult. My question is: are there any "Dennis Carpenters" or "Bob Drakes" for the Buick world to help with restorations? This forum is my first step into the world of Buick, so I'm quite a newbie... Also, what is a ballpark reasonable price for a '55 Buick 2dr Hardtop with a decent paint job, power steering, and a good-running engine (automatic transmission)? $2000? $6000? $10,000? Thanks for your help....I may be back more often!
You're right....all you seem to see at shows & cruise nights are tri-five Chevys, sbc engines, '55 Fords with continental kits, etc, etc. That's the main reason I went for a '55 Special model 48. Yes, there is vendor support, but nothing like Chevys & Fords. You sometimes have to do some looking to find missing or broken parts, but there's pretty good contacts available, such as through this board for instance. Initial price is a lot lower than the more common cars by quite a bit and, IMO, you're getting a whole lot more car in a Buick than a comprable Chevy or Ford. Back then, there was a big difference between them. You should be able to pick up a really nice '55 for $8000 - $10000 (in my area, anyways).
