I'm thinking about selling my '53 Buick Super 4 door and pulling the trigger on a '55 Buick Century. The 55 is a solid car, needs the surface rust removed, paint, new carpet and the seats res***ched. My 53 has all new floor pans welded in an sealed, but needs more metal work. my question to you all is, what should I look out for on the century, pros and cons.
Don't be afraid to walk away from the first car you look at just because it's the model you want. Pitted chrome will inflate the budget a bunch.
Is the 55 a 2 door? If so, that will be a plus. I think you would "look out" for same things you considered when buying your 53 as I am sure you have learned a lot about what it takes to rebuild it.
Century will be a 4 holer, should have a 322, not the 264. 322 has a harmonic balancer. Rust is in the typical GM places, all along the bottom. Make sure it is not a Special with Century fenders and badging. Century had a nicer interior and I think a different speedo. Do your homework. Tail light bezels are pot metal, it's hard and expensive to find good ones. The rear (and front?) shocks are a lever action type that aren't very good ( when worn out ). I had a 55 hardtop and loved it. The enclosed driveshaft and dynaflow make driveline changes difficult. If it's a stick, make sure the trans is the 6 bolt ******, not the 5 bolt. The6 is correct for the322 and is much much stronger. 264 had the5 bolt.
without looking at it, i was told that the underside of the p***enger side needs replaced, as well as the windshield. It has the century trim and badging with four portals. It supposedly drove off the trailer into their garage.
Looks pretty rugged to me. Back door needs a bottom or just replacement. Rockers rust from the inside out..With that much rust showing, I'll bet there's a ton more hidden. I'd have to p*** unless it has a special sentimental value.
How badly do you want/just got to have a 55 Century? If its the car of your dreams, ok. If not, stop spending money on the 53 and keep looking for what really floats your boat. Spend a little money and come to Texas or go to New Mexico, Arizona or Crazyfornia, buy a solid car, and save years of work and buckets of money. The pot metal and chrome on that car are not good, will cost thousands of dollars to get good, let alone nice. I feel sorry for you guys in the north, dealing with rust. In general, I would say a 55 Century is a far superior car to a 53, but don't trade down condition-wise and think you're breaking even. The car is a 4 door, and the fact that it is a hardtop does NOT make it very desirable. I had a heck of a time selling a very nice 56 Chevy 4 door hardtop, and they sell like hotcakes compared to the Buick and Olds 4 door hardtops (which are in every way better cars). Plus these cars, as cool as they are, and as much as everyone says they would love to own one, are harder to sell when the day comes to move on to something else. If you have to have a 55 Century, you can do better. Spend as much money as you can up front, to buy the best car you can get to start with. And get a 2 door hardtop if you can. Buyers remorse ****s really hard.
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