Faults:

Starter.

Positive battery cable.

Tires.

Interior.

Shaved the quarter glass.

Shaved the the crappy top.

General Comments:

For a 1977 it rides on clouds.

I get a lot of looks.

This is one that I will keep for a long time.

A lot of people think it is a Riviera or a Caddy.

Faults:

This was my first car... I bought it from a little old lady... She could no longer close the doors, as they are Very Heavy! I Loved this car instantly... Sure, it had huge rust holes, top was peeling badly, rear windows leaked, carpet was trashed, burned lots of oil, 17 MPG, etc, etc, etc... but It Was PERFECT!!

General Comments:

I absolutely loved this car... The 350 V-8 was more than powerful enough to move this beast... The ride was made perfectly comfortable by the soft suspension and the springy front bench seat... Driving it in the winter (lots of snow here in MA) was a hazardous, white-knuckle adventure, but IT WAS FUN!! Burnout machine on dry pavement... Also, you could really feel the 4 barrel carb kicking in if you put the pedal to the floor... Real good experience driving this one!!

Faults:

I rebuilt the upper engine and carburetor. I replaced a leaking radiator, rebuilt steering and front end. Then I had it repainted, re-chromed and reupholstered (in original pattern velour seat cloth that cost $80 a yard). I installed a new exhaust, tires and generally fixed lots of little things. I died the carpet and reused it.

General Comments:

This car is like the one I drove in high school and college. It is the same light yellow color. I joined the Buick Club of America in 1999 with the intention of finding a nice old Buick to drive. The Regal was advertised in the Buick Bugle magazine and was very near my home. I contacted the owner (the original owner!) and a couple of weeks later we arrived at a deal.

When I test drove the car I knew there were issues, but I also knew how well the Buick 350 V8 holds up. The car was worn mechanically, but in good original physical condition (it was a bit shabby here and there). The camshaft was worn and caused a rough idle. A new timing chain, camshaft, valve lifters, push rods, rocker arms and valve springs did the trick. I didn't even do a valve job! After the upper engine repairs the issues with the leaking carburetor became more apparent. I rebuilt the 4 barrel Rochester. This made a huge improvement in performance.

The steering linkage was really in bad shape and I replaced it next and rebuilt the front suspension. Next the muffler rotted out and the exhaust system was replaced at the same time I had new tires installed.

Next I repaired the leaking A/C and converted it to 134A (a big mistake!). 134A just doesn't cut it in an old car for Florida. Now that the mechanicals were better I turned my attention to the cosmetic stuff.

The car has an electric factory sunroof. The entire headliner is different because of it. Good thing there was nothing wrong with it. I removed the interior including the dash. Then I painstakingly dyed and repaired everything as it went back together. I had the front seat reupholstered and the guy took six months doing it. What a nightmare that was. I had the rear seat done by somebody else and he did it four days! The car has a factory rally steering wheel that was skinny to the grip. I hate skinny wheels so I bought a matching leather steering cover and padded it. I now have a factory look padded wheel. At the Buick judging meet I convinced them it was factory!

The car has one problem now that I think is related to the torque converter. I need to pull the transmission and check it. If I do that I may as well pull the engine and rebuild it. You see how one thing leads to another.

The Buick scored 390 points out of a possible 400 at the Buick national meet last year. I had no idea it would do so well and it would have done better had I removed the chrome valve cap covers (they aren't original factory accessories).

If you keep theses cars dry and otherwise treat them right they will last a lifetime.