Hideously ugly. ... View more

I used to be confused by the naming structure of Buicks - they had cars that looked identical to each other but had different names, which I think was based on interior trim, and kind of a tradition that went back to the 1950's. Until about 3 and a half years ago I didn't even know about the Buick Park Avenue Ultra - I literally walked past one in the junk yard and happened to see a strange looking display in the center of the front seats - it was nicer than anything Cadillac had! ... View more

In retrospect it seems like this car should have been a bigger seller. The styling was certainly in vogue for the time, and the emphasis of performance over creature comforts is what most hot hatch buyers tend to prefer. I'm scratching my head as to why it didn't do better. I think there was too much competition against it. If I was shopping for a sporty 2-door car in the late 80's I could choose a Ford Escort GT, Probe GT, Mustang GT, Thunderbird turbo coupe, Chrysler Laser (it had a turbo and a digital dash!), Dodge Daytona, Shelby GLH, Chevrolet Sprint turbo, Cavalier Z24, Camaro, Pontiac Fiero, Sunbird (a nice looking convertible!), Grand AM/ Grand Prix, Firebird, Lincoln Mark VII, Acura Integra (rode in one and hated the seats!), Suzuki Swift, Saab Turbo, Toyota MR2, Celica, a Subaru shaped like a wedge, Honda CRX or Civic. Times were changing fast, and the early 90's brought cars with dramatic new styling like the Mazda Miata, Buick Skylark, Eagle Talon, and Geo Storm. I find the visual look of the car so much more appealing than most of the horrendous new cars I see now. Thanks for the story on this piece of automotive history! ... View more

Here's the risk you face with supporting the valves with compressed air: there's a good chance the piston can be pushed down, because there really isn't anything stopping the crankshaft from spinning, and when that happens, you'll see the valve drop into the cylinder, and the only way to recover from that is to remove the cylinder head. This happened to me on a Sunday afternoon, and I ended up re-using the same head gasket with no problems after 10 years and probably 80,000 miles. I remember having more success not using compressed air, and I think I had a breaker bar with a socket that was used to prevent the crankshaft from rotating. I also think I might have only replaced the valve stem seals on the one cylinder head I ended up removing, because the originals were not as worn as I imagined, and were still pliable and tight. I can't help but wonder if the problem might be a bad positive crankcase valve allowing oil vapor and blow-by to get sucked into the intake manifold, and by virtue of the design of the intake system, it happens to be cylinder 1 that gets loaded with heavy oil particles. So I would take a close look at the PVC valve to see if oil is entering the intake before I do major work on the heads, and I would also try an oil stabilizer, and see if that helps. ... View more

There's no shortage of cars from the 80's that are under appreciated - Thunderbird SCs, Escort GTs, Isuzu Impulse turbos, Chrysler LeBaron Convertibles - I'm sure many people would laugh at that short list, but those intangible feelings of what makes a car a great collectible is part of what drives prices, and another is aftermarket part availability, especially plastic cosmetic parts, and molded carpets. ... View more

I would buy this now if I had the money and space for it. ... View more

Sunday, November 1st update: I ended up rebuilding the distributor, set the timing, and the car has been running great for a couple of months and probably 2,000 miles now. At the time, I didn't want to take the easy route because I enjoy the challenge of pin pointing exact points of failure and learning, and hopefully getting it done right. I could have bought a rebuilt distributor for $80, but I paid $62 + S&H for a Motorcraft brand pick-up coil, along with a new cap and rotor, and did the work myself, and learned a couple of things, like the holes for the roll pins that attach the shaft retainer and gear are offset from the center, so it's possible to install those 180 degrees off, and pounding in the roll pin will damage the retainer, and because the gear is an interference fit, it won't rotate into position like you would think. I lubricated the upper shaft with brake grease because it's a high temp grease, and so far it has worked without any problems. This is definitely a project most people wouldn't. and maybe shouldn't attempt, unless they're really mechanically inclined and enjoy working on engines. As for learning to weld plastic - maybe. The bumpers on these cars were - I believe - ABS plastic, or something close, and I think they could be repaired with ABS cement, and refinished with a little filler and paint. And those bumpers are truly obsolete now. The front bumper was cracked by a 55 year old woman who backed into my car immediately after parking the car in a parking space at the grocery store, and the auto body shop I took it to had to declined the repair work because they couldn't get another bumper. I now have good used bumpers for the Taurus and Sable on the side of the house I live in. But other interior plastics can dry out and become so brittle that it's impossible to repair them, so I always use a car cover if my cars are parked outside on long summer days. ... View more

I'm 40 years old, and my advice is to pursue a career that will pay good. You can always pursue your interests as a hobby. Get into architecture, construction, structural engineering, or computer programming language like perl, python, C++, etc, but either way, go to a community college and always take one class per semester that's for fun, like Solidworks (it might be offered as a drafting class), or electrical circuit basics. The public school system is not going to do a good job at pointing you in the right direction, so you're going to have to figure out what you like to do best, and your early 20's are the time to figure that out. Don't work at McDonald's - it'll be a waste of your time because it's not something you can build on. Try plumbing or electrical, and after you learn about that stuff, learn to use AutoCAD for designing electrical or plumbing in buildings, and learn building codes. If you want to work on cars for fun, you need money for parts, supplies, and storage - it's an expensive hobby. Frequently look at job listings on craigslist to get a feel for what's in demand and what it is that employers are looking for. ... View more

I expected this to be dominated by GM wagons - but only the modern Buick? Are you kidding me? No Kingswood Estate with the clamshell doors? No Olds Vistacruiser? The Suburban doesn't even count because it's based on a truck - wagons are car based vehicles. ... View more

I didn't see any mention of the condition of the spark plugs or wires, and that would be the first thing I check. I've dealt with misfires on our 1983 Dodge Ram Van, 1998 Ford Ranger, and 2001 Mustang GT, and all were fixed with a new set of plugs and wires. Our Dodge would sit for months between times of use, and one time it unexpectedly ran poorly which you might think could be a problem with old fuel or the carburetor. With the Ranger truck, it was running poorly, and it was because of cheap plug wires sold at common auto parts stores that look nice, but didn't last as long as good name brand parts. When plug wires get old, they can seem OK, but not work. ... View more

A few years ago I was seriously thinking about buying a motor from EV West to replace the Super Flying Scot engine in my 1958 Rambler American, but I decided against it because of cost, and the fact that I would only drive the car occasionally. A rebuilt ICE and transmission is still a fraction of the cost of an EV powertrain - not just a good 3 phase motor, but also the batteries and a way to charge them. EV West put out some really good videos on youtube, which I used to watch, so I'm familiar with what they offer, but the cost is no where near competitive to traditional engines. ... View more

What's the measure of determining if the ad campaign sizzled or fizzled? Success of the brand? Brand Awareness? Duration of the ad campaign? The Mustang had quite a memorable ad campaign, but it was very short, and the car was a huge seller that has lasted for over 50 years, but do people remember the ad with the galloping horses? I doubt it, so I think there has to be a combination of people having a positive memory, the duration of the campaign, and an increase in sales at the time, so I think any best ad campaign list has to include Volkswagen in the 60's and the Toyota "I love what you do for me" ads in the 80's. ... View more

Meguire's has a neat wheel cleaner called Ultimate All Wheel cleaner that turns purple as it reacts with dirt and brake dust, and washes off easily as long as the surface is smooth. I don't think brake dust cleaners will harm aluminum wheels - whatever solvent is there evaporates fast. I think the main reason brake dust bonds to wheels is because it's very hot, and there isn't much you can do about that, even if you're easy on the brakes. Salt can attack aluminum wheels, and they're going to be vulnerable to corrosion on snowy roads that get salted or near coastal areas. Aluminum wheels can be restored to look like new, and there are business that specialize in this, but it could also be done by any hobbyist, although best results are going to be achieved by using the right process to refinish the wheel. I saw a guy mount a wheel on a brake lathe (low rpm) and use sand paper to transform an old dark grey mag wheel from the 60's into a blinding bright shiny finish. Once you have clean bare aluminum, you need to protect it, and then you have to wonder how well can a clear finish on aluminum hold up over time against the bombardment of burning hot brake dust in all kinds of environmental conditions. Eastwood offers an aluminum clear spray called Nyalic which looks great, but I have no idea how well it holds up on wheels. I don't know if you can get wheels clear powder coated - that might be an option - I know there are translucent power coating colors. How long a finish can last depends on a number of factors. You might need to get a second set of wheels for seasonal driving, or another car to use as a daily driver. ... View more

In the late 80's the Ford / JBL Premium Sound system was cutting edge technology - it was a fully digital cassette deck with a toggle switch for volume control, the power switch had a thin red horizontal stripe , and tuning was controlled by V-shaped rocker switches with diagonal grooves. This was known as the EPC, and other models had their own designations, like ESR. Sound was generated by a pair of pre-amp IC's and an external amplifier good for 20 watts per channel, and every unit had a pair of auxiliary inputs on the back so the factory could add an external CD player.  In order for the head unit to play a CD it needed to receive a pulsed 5 volt signal from the CD player known as the DAD status, which I assume is an acronym for Digital Audio Device. Cars not equipped with an external CD player had to have a "continuity plug" inserted into the back. The cassette deck was electronically controlled by motors - there were no spring loaded mechanisms that would eject a cassette tape. Every function was controlled by a 40 DIP (dual in-line pin) microprocessor supplied by Motorola. Main power of the EPC was supplied by the battery, whereas previous models, like the ESR were powered through the ignition switch. There were 5 printed circuit boards, plus two in the head unit, and two in the tape deck. This radio was common in Lincolns, and available in selected Ford vehicles like the Taurus and Thunderbird. I can remember riding in our neighbors brand new MN-12 Thunderbird SC and feeling like my ears were blown out by the level of volume from the stereo. This radio lasted for only 3 years, and was replaced by a newer model in which all of the buttons looked alike and felt the same, but internally had much fewer printed circuit boards and simplified electronic circuits with fewer components because of the rapid advancement of technology in the late 80's. Over time, every single one of these head units failed to produce sound from the speakers - the problem was not the external amplifier, but something inside of the head unit. There were two businesses that repaired radios for Ford Dealers - one was Auto Radio Specialists in a funky, small, brown building in the little Italy section of downtown San Diego, and they had a small room on either the second or third floor with 4 workbenches. The manual for the radio is a 3 inch thick binder. Sometime in the late 90's or early 2000's the radio repair business was consolidated to one location in Kansas. I have several of those EPC radios, and I'd like to repair one to use in my 1989 Ford Taurus, and I'm planning on joining the Puget Sound Antique Radio Association in the near future. ... View more

Back in 1994 I sat in a blue 1967 Rambler Rebel Mariner wagon for sale that had a nautical styling theme with wood grain di-noc and vinyl seats embossed with the image of rope circling a ship anchor, and ever since I have never seen another. I also have yet to see either of the other two trim styles - am I the only person younger than 41 who remembers the Rebel wagon and how cool it was? ... View more

Our neighbor across the street bought a brand new red Thunderbird SC with every option - sunroof, spoiler, tinted windows, CD player, and a grey leather interior with power adjustable bolsters - it was the coolest car on our street, and 180 degrees opposite from his previous car - a brown early 80's Oldsmobile 4 door. It was also the car that made me want to own a Ford. ... View more

California will require a smog check, which involves an inspection for a sticker under the hood - necessary if a hood is replaced - but replacements should be available through dealerships. The smog check also involves a visual inspection for non-compliant parts. Cold air intakes or catalytic converters must appear original or have a CARB approved number, and this really isn't a big problem unless it's a newer car, like maybe 2005 or up, and that's because some cars have catalytic converters that can only be obtained through dealerships, and they can cost thousands. A friend had left his 2007? Honda Accord parked by the border, and a thief had the cat cut off, and ended up scrapping the entire car because a replacement was only available through the Honda dealer and it cost about $3,000. ... View more

1989 Ford Taurus LX wagon in twilight blue over medium titanium. Ford sold hundreds of thousands of Tauruses, but probably only a few people drove away in a car with every option available, and this is one of those, with the crown jewel being the sunroof, which was fairly common on SHO models, and even LX sedans, but very few wagons had this. In January of 2006 I was looking for an '86-'88 wagon with a sunroof, and couldn't find a single one, but there was one 1989 wagon with a sunroof - in the entire country. I searched auto trader advertisements and didn't limit my search distance, and found this in Seattle, 1,200 miles away, and ended up driving it to San Diego, and that's a whole story in itself. The interior is shadow blue, and the headliner and interior lighting are different from non-sunroof models in order to accommodate the sunroof. The code for the keyless entry became irrelevant after about a dozen times of using it, as the motions of my hand and fingers developed a rhythm of punching the buttons which became second nature. Only cars with the keyless entry option have the additional door lock illumination. It's nice to never have to worry about locking your keys inside the car. ... View more