87's Garage

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Long day. Woke up at 6:30am after a bad night of my dog getting sick and sleeping on the couch. Set out on the road at 7. Got to Pittsburgh. Checked over the car and loaded it up. Then drove all the way back. Got home at 9pm. Looking forward to going to the dmv tomorrow and getting this thing put on the road. And without further ado:

I hope that last pic came out alright. I took it with my phone which sucks.

This is my 1959 Buick LeSabre. From what I was told it has it's original 364.

Here's how we got where we are right now. Way back you may remember I bought a 93 Buick LeSabre. What I'd do is before buying a car or right after buying a car I'd look up the car on Wikipedia, just to learn a little bit about the car. So when I looked up the LeSabre I saw a pic of a 59 LeSabre. It only showed the front but I was mesmerized by the way the car looked. The way the headlights were slanted with the edge of the hood following the same angle made the car the most aggressive and mean looking car I'd ever seen. The more I looked up 59 Buicks the more I fell in love with them. I did find a black 4 door in Michigan but I stalled too long and by the time I looked more into the car it had sold and gone to CA. So when I found this one I didn't hesitate to get it. Car is from TX, the previous owner has a very nice collection and decided to sell this one before he dumped a decent amount into it. Springs were cut and new shocks were added to the back to give it the lowered stance. Paint is flat black and looks much better than my Camaro did. Plan is not to sell this one, but to slowly build it over years, possibly decades. Eventually I'd love to see a 6.0 connected to a 4 speed auto sitting on air ride, but that's not going to happen for a VERY long time. For now I'm going and looking at another 59 Buick tomorrow to buy as a parts car. It's got a 401, power brakes and power steering. The hood on it is also original, so I may use that on mine, as well as a few misc pieces. Maybe within the next couple years swap the 364 for the 401, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. I'm just going to drive the car as is and enjoy it. Up to this point, the 59 is my absolute favorite vehicle I've had. 99 Firebird was the best looking, but in my opinion this has overtaken that, and overtaken the van as my favorite overall.

[Ghost]

story time! thats a hella agressive looking bubble top! awesome find.

[Ringo64]

Great find! Love it!

[EiGhTySeVeN]

More pics

I got the car last Wednesday. The following day on Thursday I went to Albany to look at another 59 Buick. Plan was to use a few of the trim pieces and possibly the drivetrain. However once I saw the car I realized that it just wasn't worth it. It is an Invicta, meaning it came with power steering, power brakes and the 401 Nailhead, all of which would be transplanted into mine. The car was pretty much gone, no usable body panels. I had thoughts of using the hood in case I got bored of the louvered look, but even that was shot. Supposedly the engine turned over, but it wasn't worth the risk. Guy was really cool though.

 

In other Pontiac news I bought the black headlights for the Grand Am, while also picking up a car cover for the Vette for winter storage.

 

Hopefully I can get a nice day where I can get some nice pics of the Buick

[Ringo64]

Dang, sad to see something so beautiful sitting there, rusting and decomposing

[EiGhTySeVeN]

According to UPS my headlights will be here on Friday

 

I also went out on a nice long cruise with the 59. I brought my camera but didn't take as many shots as I would have liked. Here are a few

[Ghost]

jus awesome!

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Got my headlights and installed them. Here are the before, installation, and after pics.

The lights came with bulbs, but I'll keep the originals since the bulbs that came with the blue grand prix's headlights burnt out within a few days. The lights were held in by two metal clips that were a pain to remove and put back in. I've done grand prix lights too, I'd say the grand prix lights are easier to swap, but they have weak little plastic clips that break too easily. Other than an oil change and tint and wash pass once I register the car, the Grand Am is ready for snow. Going from my summer cars, vette, bmw and Buick, to the Grand Am is going to suck, but what else is new for this state.

Am for Rat '16

[Ringo64]

Nice, like the new headlights. They flow a lot better with a black car. Also very jealous of your garage

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Well after 11 days and multiple tries of getting a good shot of the Am, I've finally narrowed it down to 4 possibilities. They are all pretty much the same, with slight differences. The number above the actual picture is what I'll refer to that picture as. I'll add a few words as to the pros and cons of each.

 

1)

 

2)

 

3)

 

4)

 

I'm picking 4. In my opinion the lighting is the best in 4. I think 4 also has the best angle of the car. 3 has the best background. The paint looks the blackest in 1 and 2. But the paint is too shiny in 2, causing the rear quarter to look crushed. Ideally, Id have 4, with 3's background and 1's paint. But I'm going with 4. Opinions?

 

Oh and Ringo thanks. The garage definitely comes in handy, especially the lift. But don't be too jealous. The walls aren't insulated, so it's absolutely freezing in winter. Speaking of walls, that wall with the doors is made out of an old skateboard halfpipe.

 

And finally I got an update from Martin, the guy who bought my van. Van made it into a car magazine in the Netherlands. Not only did it get a 5 page article, it made it on the cover of the magazine. Complete with pictures of the van and even a picture of me driving it. Write up was definitely interesting, basically the story I have posted on here of how Martin acquired the van. Publishers did alter a few of the details, such as the idea that I picked Martin up from the hotel in my dad's 70 Chevelle. But that's ok, makes for a more interesting read instead of, "yea Martin got picked up in a 2014 Subaru Forester." Journalism.

 

Vette is officially done for the season. Gas upped, Stabil storage, washed and covered in the garage. It'll stay in there until May. All 5 motorcycles are in the basement. I even was able to put them all in one room. Looks great. Buick will be cleaned this Wednesday or Thursday and put away in the garage. BMW will do the same. I could drive all 3 til October 31st but they've already put salt on the roads. So the Am is up. I'll start driving it Thursday. Can't wait (sarcasm)

[Ringo64]

3 or 4 would be my choice too. 

 

Time to insulate those walls and get a heater then! I have the reverse problem, too hot in my garage year round

 

Nice! Is the article online?

 

Have fun in the GA  

[Ghost]

#3 or #4.

[stratman]

Outstanding '59 Buick, 87!

"Bitchin' Rides" on Velocity, built a custom '59 Buick hardtop a few weeks ago... took up two episodes.

[EiGhTySeVeN]

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2015‎ ‎9‎:‎03‎:‎11‎, stratman said:

Outstanding '59 Buick, 87!

 

"Bitchin' Rides" on Velocity, built a custom '59 Buick hardtop a few weeks ago... took up two episodes.

Thanks stratman. Yea I saw both episodes. It actually aired a day or 2 after I got home with mine. I definitely respect the work gone into that car, however they removed some of the aspects that make it a 59, such as putting 60 tail light lenses on the back, modifying the grille (the first thing that made me fall in love with 59's) and changing the ignition. I really hope I don't get a "hey is that the same kind of car from Bitchin Rides?" I'm all for people knowing what a 59 is, but I'm hoping Bitchin Rides isn't the first thing the 59 is associated to. Unfortunately I've already seen an ad for a 59 Buick where the seller mentioned the 59 from Bitchin Rides.

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Alright, I've got an update. My friend really likes the Grand Am. He liked it as soon as I sent him a picture of it the day I got it. Then when I put the black housing headlights in he really really wanted it. So I gave him the keys for a week and told him to make sure he wanted it. Last Tuesday was a week and he called me saying that he was sure he wanted it. So I'm trading him the Grand Am for his 2010 Hyundai Elantra. Since I've been driving the car for a week I can tell you this, I absolutely hate this car. I'm embarrassed to be seen in it, it's beyond slow, and it just feels very cheap. Now if it was summer, no problem. I could just sell it and drive the vette, 59 or bmw until I found a replacement. But this is the only vehicle I've got on the road right now. So I spent all of Wednesday and today looking for another car. When I find one and buy, I'll sell the Hyundai. Wednesday I drove 45 minutes away just to see a 00 Regal GS. It was a let down. Today I went and looked at a really clean 02 GTP, but the guy had just gotten it 2 weeks ago and hasn't gotten the title back from the dmv yet. This is extremely frustrating especially for me since I know how long it takes. I got the BMW August 1 and didn't get the title back from the state until mid October. The guy claims he's expecting the title next week and I told him I want to be the first person he calls when he does get the title. From there I went and looked at a 97 Ford Expedition. It was fun having a kind of throwback to my first vehicle. I told him I was more interested in the GTP, but if it won't happen then I'll buy the Expedition. No need to post a pic of the Hyundai. Type into google red Hyundai Elantra. They're everywhere and they suck

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Really tired right now. Woke up early to get some pics, went to work, then over to the family Thanksgiving dinner. Here's my update. I bought a car. It was one of the few cars I was interested in when searching for a winter rat/daily driver. I showed a picture of it to my friend who felt the need to go look at it, possibly for himself. After looking over the car and driving it, I couldn't pass it up, so I bought it. It's a 1995 Buick Park Ave Ultra. So I still got the supercharged 3.8 V6 like I wanted, just a series 1 instead of the 2. Car is immaculately clean. One owner, little 88 year old lady. Bought it new in New Jersey, had lots of money, drove it up to CNY in 2013, pulled into the garage and left it. Never registered it, never seen a NY winter. The underside is mint. And it's fully loaded and extremely comfortable. Plus I kind of like the look of it, says its classy from 20 years ago. Comes with the original window sticker, over $36k new in '95, copy of the invoice and a lot of other paperwork. Plus I got a great deal, less than 2 grand. Saw it on Sunday, brought it home Monday, and Wednesday I went down to Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania to buy a set of rims and tires for it. The car came with a brand new (literally new, still have the glue on them, less than 30 miles on them) set of tires, but I don't like the look. So I'll use the stockers for snow, and the new rims for summer. I'll sell the BMW in the spring as I prefer this. This will be the DD and the rest (vette, 59, bikes) will be toys.

Not sure if it's just my computer, but those pics look massive. Underside is great for a 20yr old car. You just don't see that here in NY. Rims are off a 2007 Mustang GT. Tires are like new, Uniroyal Tiger Paw 235/55R17. Car is really dirty. Unfortunately by the time I get out of work it's pitch black out, and on my days off it's freezing. Today would have been perfect to wash and detail the car, but I was just too busy. 17's are off the car. Have to wash and prep them for winter storage. Sorry Forever Pontiac. I tried getting another Pontiac but the guy tried selling a car before ever getting the title. Claims he'll get it sometime next week. Maybe I can pass that GTP off to one of my friends. Also a nice, clean low mileage southern car. Someday I'll own another GTP, hopefully a red GTP coupe

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Some updates, first of the year. Debadged the rear of the Buick (95) and got a new toy

Figured I'd clean up the rear of the 95 Buick. Took the dealer sticker off the side, and took the supercharged badge off the other side. I've been contemplating removing the Buick letters in the middle, we'll see.

And now my first purchase of 2016, drum roll please...

2006 Triumph Daytona 675. Purchased from the original owner, only 7k miles. Color is called Tornado Red. Can't wait til winter is over. This is by far the best looking bike (in my opinion of course) made. Even if it didn't look this good, it still interests me because it's different, and as you guys should know by now I like "different." Most sportbikes are inline 4 cylinders. And most sportbikes are Japanese. Nothing wrong with any of that, hell I own a Honda CBR and it's a great bike, but I've just outgrown it. A bike should scare you, and the CBR just doesn't do that to me anymore. I topped it out at 108 (internet claims higher top speed. I tried but it kept shutting down at 108) and it's a parallel twin, meaning it only has 2 cylinders. It looks like a sportbike, but its really just a fun streetbike. This Triumph is a triple, 3 cylinders, and it's British. And it has a lot more power than my CBR, 123hp compared to the 43hp in the CBR. I really wanted a black and gold Triumph Daytona 675, but I couldn't pass up the deal I got on the red one, basically got it half price. If I do find a black and gold one I'll just buy it and sell the red one. Any riders on here?

[Ringo64]

Buick looks good, I'd leave the Buick and SC badging. Dang, that bike must be crazy!

[EiGhTySeVeN]

12 hours ago, Ringo64 said:

Buick looks good, I'd leave the Buick and SC badging. Dang, that bike must be crazy!

The dealer sticker was on the left. Removed that, since it was just a thick sticker. The "supercharged" was on the right. It didn't really match since it was black w/ gold on the face. The buick letters are all gold. I felt the "supercharged" badge looked cheap so i removed that, but kept it w/ all of my other old badges. I just never took a pic. I think it cleans up the rear

And for the bike, it's definitely going to be a big step up from the CBR. Even though its a 3cyl 675, the bike is actually quicker around a track than a 4cyl 750 suzuki. The previous owner raced his brother on his 4cyl 900 kawasaki and held his own until the top end when that extra cylinder in the kawi helped his brother pull away. I don't race, and I'll probably never unleash the bikes true potential, so I'll be satisfied for awhile

[MartinGTE]

On 26-10-2015 at 2:27 AM, EiGhTySeVeN said:

And finally I got an update from Martin, the guy who bought my van. Van made it into a car magazine in the Netherlands. Not only did it get a 5 page article, it made it on the cover of the magazine. Complete with pictures of the van and even a picture of me driving it. Write up was definitely interesting, basically the story I have posted on here of how Martin acquired the van. Publishers did alter a few of the details, such as the idea that I picked Martin up from the hotel in my dad's 70 Chevelle. But that's ok, makes for a more interesting read instead of, "yea Martin got picked up in a 2014 Subaru Forester." Journalism.

Allways nice to check 87's garage & be amazed at what has been happening here!  Nice score on the Triumph to start 2016 with Ryan!

Translated text on the 'Get Shorty' article is online here:
http://secondgeneconolines.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=26

+ Regards from Holland! Martin