Hello, all. I'm close to making an offer on a 1970 Buick Estate Wagon. It's a great-looking car, and I'm excited to join the club. (If any of you know of particular issues with this vehicle I should be on the lookout for, I'm glad for suggestions.) As a more general question, what are the best online suppliers of parts for the early '70's Buicks? I've been around ClassicBuicks.com, and it seems like they have a few items for the model I'm looking at. Any other ideas? The car I may be buying is complete, I just like to have my ducks in a row for down the line. I currently have a 1979 Bronco and a 1966 Dodge D-200. Please don't hold that against me.
Welcome to the Buick longroof club! (Re: Future Buick owner?) Dear brothermo and fellow V-8 Buick longroof owners, I certainly welcome you to that exclusive club of classic Buick wagon owners. The 1970 Buick Estate Wagon is a car I have a special interest in. Effectively, I've put the muscle of a 1970 Estate wagon into my 1965 Buick Special wagon. Well there are lots of suppliers. Some put out a glossy catalog and often have prices to match. But they are a useful resource. Two of the bigger ones are: Year One: https://www.yearone.com/ Original Parts Group, Inc. http://www.opgi.com/ Original Parts Group seems to have been formed by someone who got hold of a lot of old GM dies, so some of what they have is really manufactured by them. Since you have a wagon, you need to know about: EINSTYN: http://einstyn.com/ It started out mostly for later 1960s A-body wagon parts, but their inventory has been growing in recent years. Since you have other vintage vehicles, I assume you know that eBay is your friend. Better still, you can get a lot of parts by asking around on this forum. If you need something, post a request in this forum topic: http://www.v8buick.com/forumdisplay.php?47-Parts-wanted As you can expect, the more detailed and precise you can make you request, the better the chance that somebody might help you find it. Hope this is enough to get you going! Once more - welcome! Cheers, Edouard :beer
Do post pix of any Buick purchase! (Re: Future Buick owner?) Dear brothermo and V-8 Buick longroof owners, Alas, station wagon fans are one of the few subgroups on this forum that are even rarer than mid-60s Buicks fans. However, should you decide to purchase that Estate Wagon, posting a few photos of your new pride and joy might very quickly illicit many more responses. On this forum, very few guys can remember a name, but we almost never forget . . . an automotive grill!! Cheers, Edouard :beer
No argument from me regarding the coolness of the clamshell. That said, I've spent a lot of worthwhile hours sitting on a tailgate (at the beach, picnics, eating snow cones, in the driveway with the dogs and a beer) Thanks to all for the warm welcome. I'll keep you in the loop as we proceed. Right now I'm waiting to get the results of a pre-purchase inspection. Best, Matt
Something about a tailgate! (Re: Future Buick owner?) Hi Matt and V-8 Buick longroof fans, I've never actually seen the clamshell wagons in person. Given that they didn't last, I cannot help but suspect it is a little too complex for the price of being cool. I too find the tailgate something very practical and nostalgic. My trusty wagon's tailgate has served me very well. Perhaps it's most shining moment was in transporting a desk a few miles from one house to another. The desk was so huge that it wouldn't fit in the cargo area, so I strapped the desk on the tailgate with a myriad of ropes and away we went! Hope the inspection gives that Estate Wagon a good bill of health! Cheers, Edouard :beer
Here's the brief update: Inspection came back. Excellent interior. Some problem electrical (that I already knew about). Was surprised by some bad news on a relatively new paint job - bubbling and popping in some places. :ball: Not necessarily a deal-killer, but will definitely figure into the offer. I'm gonna get a couple of quotes and price out some parts before I offer. To be continued...
Bummer . . . . (Re: Future Buick owner?) Dear brothermo and V-8 Buick long-roof fans, Bummer . . . a new paint job is an expensive proposition. . . . . . trust me, I found out da' hard way. Oh well, you need to make the best call you can make under the circumstances. In my case, I grew up in the car, so I really had no choice! Cheers, Edouard :beer
I'm resurrecting this thread because I finally pulled the trigger after months of looking at this wagon. Just got her in the driveway yesterday, and got the registration handled today. Here's a couple of questions: Was there a passenger-side mirror from the factory? My wagon has a mirror (broken) on the passenger side, but it doesn't match the driver's side. I'm considering whether to remove it or try to replace it. Any clever ideas for where to put an engine temperature gauge? The interior of this wagon is stock in good condition, and I really don't want to mess it up. That said, I like to know engine temp and not count on the idiot light. Glad for your thoughts, and glad to be part of the club. :grin:
Welcome to the Buick longroof club!! (Re: Future Buick owner?) Hi Matt and Buick longroof club members, Congratulations!! :TU: Unfortunately, I won't be of much help for either question. Sorry, your wagon is a youngster compared to mine and I don't know what the situation was in 1970. My Dad put a passenger-side mirror because we towed a boat from early on. So my trusty wagon has matching driver and passenger side mirrors - but that's my choice. There are clever guys who have managed to get such gauges into the dash without it looking too weird, but there is no way to keep the dash original if you do that. I went the usual path of under the dash gauges: If you put the gauges under the dash with care, they can look like they belong there - not a cheap add-on. Hope that's some inspiration! Cheers, Edouard :beer
Thanks, Edouard. Under the dash is probably the route I will take. Sharp-looking instrument cluster/dash in your pics, btw. :TU:
Glad to hear that you have the car. I had a '70 Estate Wagon and a '72 Estate Wagon. I definitely preferred the '70 because of the tailgate and the power. You could almost put my GS where the clamshell goes. You lose a lot of space. It was a wonderful car - best of luck with yours!
1970 BUICK ESTATE WAGON 3 SEATER NO RUST. PARTING OUT AND WILL PICK UP PARTS YOU WANT AND WHAT I CAN CARRY 6/24. CAR IS STORM DAMAGED AND INSURANCE WILL SCRAP IT AFTER THAT. TREE FELL ON IT. NO RUST ANY WHERE ON CAR. IF YOU WANT THE PARTS SPEAK UP NOW SANDLEWOOD OFF WHITE INTERIOR 3 SEAT STANDARD GRADE NO ISSUES INCLUDES 3RD SEAT.will rectreive and store this if no interest in full set FRONT FENDERS GOOD AND HAVE A SET HERE NOW AS WELL TAILGATE WITH WINDOW REAR BUMPER TAILLIGHTS WITH FRAME AND LENS ALL EXTERIOR SIDE MOLDING TRIM SOME RACK PARTS AND HAVE SOME MORE HERE REAR THIRD SEAT FLOOR DASH DOORS WITH ELECTRIC WINDOWS AND DOOR LOCKS. WILL SEPARATE THOSE BUT PROBABLY BRING BACK COMPLETE DOORS DASH GREAT BUT UNKNOWN COLOR CORE SUPPORT NO RUST. PA FRONT WHEEL WELL IS MINE BUT HAVE 2 DRIVERS WHEEL WELLS STEERING COLUMN TILT CRUISE FRONT BUMPER FRONT END AND DASH PARTS FIT LESABRA ELECTRA WILDCAT ADVISE WHAT YOU WANT AND PLACE ORDER. THE ONLY PART I NEED IS THE PA FRONT WHEEL WELL. SO REST OF CAR IS FOR EVERYONE ELSE. MOTOR IS GONE OWNER IS KEEPING IT AND TRANS. CAR HAD 46K MILES AND WAS STORED INSIDE ALL ITS LIFE. I WILL RECOVER ALL PARTS I CAN PUT INTO THE TRAILER AND STORAGE. AT LEAST THIRD SEAT, MAYBE THIRD SEAT FLOOR, TAILGATE DOORS FRONT END MAYBE DASH PARTS TO STORE IN CASE YOU FIND THIS AD LATTER. WE CAN LOAD AND PALETIZE PARTS AND DROP AT LOCAL SHIP DOCK FOR THOSE INTERESTED. THIS IS OUT OF HOUSTON FOR SHIP MICHAEL DEBAKER 281-556-5074 MICHAEL_DEBAKER@MSN.COM
