Some times you just get lucky. I always browse the antique section of the paper and commonly call and check out cars, but many to my dismay are overpriced junk! Although, my luck changed last wednesday when I went to see this old buick the elderly man described to me on the phone as being in fair shape. As soon as he rolled the cover back I knew this car was different than ones I saw in the past. To me, it certainly is far from being in just fair shape! It took just one short drive and I knew I had to have her. Anyway, I picked it up saturday morning! It's a 1953 Buick Special two door post with the straight eight and three on the tree! The condition of this car just amazes me and it seems I find something new about it everytime I look it over! Everything appears to be stock aside from the roof sunvisor (which Ive removed) and the seat covers along with a very nice repaint sometime ago. The body isnt 100 percent perfect due to a spot of rust in the lower front fender. Yet, it is extremely straight when looking down the side of her! It is something else to drive with those bias plys but I love the look of them! Sorry for the amount of photos but I'm pretty proud of this one, it's the nicest vehicle I've ever owned, and the lowest miles!!! Anyway, here it is......... Tell me what you all think! Throw in some pics of kustom 53's if you have them please!
Wow! Was that car in Laramie? Small town everyone should have known where that one was. I'd just drive it -nice-
Hey Merge, That's one fine Bu-Hog my friend. My ole' man started drivin' Buicks before WWII and owned too many to count. Those straight 8's are the bomb. I've been in touch with HAMB'rs whom know how to Hot-Rod these motors, and they Will take it! That green patina is a real eye catcher. Be careful of the brakes, Nader mentioned these cars in his book"Unsafe at any speed". 53' Skylark just sold on Speedchannel auction for around $150k WOW! JT...somwhere west of Laramie
Sorry, I havent updated my profile since I moved back home. (It is now) So to answer your question, it wasnt in Laramie. Actually I found it in Festus, Missouri.
That's almost straighter than it was new ! All it needs is a set of '41-2 manifolds and 2 coils ... you should have let the ol' boy keep his fuzzy dice ... 302
Nice Buick! Let me take this opportunity to show mine off again. No where near as nice as yours but it sure is fun!
Great car! My brother had a 52 Buick two door hardtop...mild kustom..door handles, locks, mirrors shaved...nosed, decked, '56 Packard Clipper taillights...scalloped front end and rear end...car was two tone primer...black primer car with red oxide primer below the Buick side trim...all of this was about 15 years ago before primer was "en vogue"....slammed on the ground, lake pipes, dummy spots, and chrome smoothie rims and hubcaps with bias wide whites... It was his car.... and I still miss it! Go figure...
Awesome score... to boyd, it would be fair shape, I mean, c'mon, there's no-billet, there's no-point to it for him... it doesn't have '98 toyota seats... psh... detraction... as I say... awesome find...
Whatcha gonna do with that roof visor you took off? Swap it to Squablow maybe? I loves me some visors.
welcome fellow Illinoisan! Nice ride! I have a friend with a dual intake that he bought for his 53 Special, but then sold the car. I think he still has the intake for sale. PM me if you want his number
Hi,I'dlove to have the visor for my '51 olds;I'll pay cash or trade a pair of '41 dua exhaust manifolds. Interested? PM me. Thanks
Who would ever have thought that '53 Buick side trim would look so out of place on a '53 Buick? Hmmm, when you decide to pull it off, I'll buy it for my chopped '52 Chev.
Nice find! It'd make a good "boulevard bomb" style low rider... http://persweb.wabash.edu/student/ricon/bombs.htm drop it, add wires and pinner whites, window ice jug for summer, put that visor back on. By the way -- are you from the Baldwin near Palatine?
Chad, Congrats on the kool find. Do you still have your pick-up? PM and let me know how your job is going. Brick
It's Buickful!! Leave the 'Sweepspears' on the car, all those Merc & Chebby guys want them for themselves! There were 2 models of the Special a Series 40 & 40D (Deluxe). Outwardly they we're the same car the Deluxe had the upgraded interior. Under the hood on the cowl there is a tag indicating the Model, Paint & Trim & VIN# it'll tell you everything about the car. It's not as wide as the Supers or Roadmasters , so you can't interchange parts but it's a great find. 53 is Buicks 50th Anniversary as well, thats why the Skylarks go for so much $$$$$ only made 1,690 of 'em! I love mine. Enjoy!
Hey Merge, Great find. Don't you love the straight 8. Every time you have the hood open you're going to make some folks smile and ask you questions. Sometimes it makes it hard to get any work done. But then, who doesn't like to talk to people about their car or show it off a little. Enjoy it. Here's a pic of my 52 Special, it has a ways to go still, but that's the fun part.
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