Buick V8 as a daily driver? Anyone try it out?

Driven every day April to November. It's leaky till I get new rubber in it, so I keep a car cover at hand to put on if it rains (like today). Will drive it until the Iowa snow starts a blowing. 10.5 inch tires = bad traction

 

i dont see nothing wrong with it. i have a 72 buick skylark i drive anywhere and everywhere. i love the ride, sound, feel and how i get alot of turned head and alot of people conversate with me about my car from all ages of people and this is a pretty stock primered skylark.. i love the feeling...

 

Alot of people have mentioned "keeping up with maintenance..." and such - let get into that a bit deeper. Here are some areas that should be checked out before I'd put any old car into daily service

Front end - inspect/replace Upper/lower control arm bushings, tie rods, idler arm, centerlink, swaybar links, wheel bearings/shocks/springs/power steering pump hoses

Rear end - upper/lower control arm bushings, check axles/bearings, change rear end fluids/shocks/springs

Brakes - inspect all wheel cyl's. inspect/service drums/shoes on all 4 wheels. Inspect all hoses. Flush with new fluids

Trans - new filter and fluids

Underhood - new plugs/wires/cap/rotor/points/condenser/belts/hoses
new air,fuel,oil filter/PCV valve
change oil, flush coolant system
Tune carb/set timing

Check charging system and battery


...Im sure I've forgotten alot but that should get you started :shock:

Its not like you have to go out and do all these things at once, but it would be smart to at least inspect EVERYTHING so you know where you stand. Replace immediately what needs doing and then work from there. These are all components to be considered as maintenance areas and if their condition is "unknown" you can expect worn old pieces to start failing under the daily grind

 

Here's my snowy picture. I like the looks of the factory AM/FM/8Track so I kept that radio in there. I have a 2.73 rear end so driving 70 mph is around 2300 rpms. There's really no need leave early to go 50 to 60. Check your tires for dry rot while you're doing your other maintenance and make sure all your bulbs work. And check your vacuum lines for cracks.

 

Well, I just got my '78 Skylark...but it isn't going to be my daily driver, unfortunately. My VW just gets better mileage, sorry! But, never fear, it will be driven at LEAST once a week. Which will be about 5 times more than my Great Aunt drove it. That can be proven by the fact that she put less than 38k miles on it...I just put 250 miles on it in one day driving it back to Ohio from Indiana.

By the way, anyone in Ohio know of a good Exhaust place? I think I'm going to stick with my 305 for a while and just get to working on it. If I get a real wild hair up my @$$, I'll start looking for a 350 or even a 455 to drop in there.

I wanna dual exhaust it, but I can't find anything on the internet.

 

I'm with Alan,
to prioritize,
brakes regular and parking (parkiung saved my arse in an emergency situation, just a hint, check your exhaust hangers too espically over the rear axle)
gauge package. (water temp, oil pressure, voltage, but keep the idiot lights)
depnding on what the gauges tell you
one wire alternator with internal regulator (or simmilar)
cooling system (fan clutch thermostat)
oil pump backing plate
if your ok setting/adjusting points every 6 months (if that) your fine with them.
front end bushings/ball joints.

rearend bushings (usally have a lot less wear than the front)

 

My car has been a daily driver ever since I got it. For the past decade or so the car hasn't driven in winters, only because of the rust (it actually does quite well in the snow).

My commute is 100 miles, so this summer I am only driving it to work 1 or 2 days a week. But this winter the car goes to Florida (at its winter home) and it will be driven 7 days again.

I've run 12.79 without the nitrous.

Like has been said a bunch of times already, it's just a matter of staying up on the maintenance- the car seldom "breaks down" without a warning. And when it does, you'd be surprised how many parts are in stock at your local parts store (starters, plugs, alternators, brakes, etc.)

-Bob Cunningham