Newbie buying a 90's Roadmaster ?

There are quite a few Roadies for sale out there:
http://www.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/mash.cgi?cat=cp&itm=buick+roadmaster&loc=&fil=wagon&ys=1994&ye=1996&ps=&pe=&pgs=100&submit=++++go++++
I would pass on the $44800 one though!
http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/cto/1818670683.html

 

More Roadies than you can throw money at...

Somehow I think that it was a typo, he meant $448000.

By the way, thanks for the link to that interesting website.

If someone here as an expandable elastic wallet this one is going to sell high:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110554138267&viewitem=#ht_1041wt_1165

I prefer the one down South, which I won't need to park in the living room and wouldn't dare take down a gravel driveway. A 7 is perfect in my book, and this one is between 9 and 10. Not for me. Just watch someone high bid it and then chop it into a custom to go with those wheels.

Vic

 

Hi Handy Andy,

I'm glad you agree that a tensioner can be confused for a compressor, sound-wise. He's already changed the starter, so I should keep an eye on that power steering pump. It isn't optioned with variable speed steering, so maybe that makes it less finicky? I may want to try to retromod it to variable some day.

Vic

 

if i ever have money... i would love to do the sedan clip conversion on a WB4 roady wagon

 

Hi A1,

Being new here, you have me wondering what a sedan clip conversion is. Gives me a chance to test the magical search function...


EDIT: Found it.

Here's a picture of a guy who clipped his pickup truck:



The truck however is far less camouflaged than he is.

So you'd want to unbolt the front end of a sedan to bolt it on to your Roady Estate, possibly to amend for a deer encounter?

 

I have to chime in here....although I most often agree with 200OZ I have to say nix the MSD opti. AC Delco or Delphi only. Period.

And, Vic...sure am glad that you said the seller is not old at 71.

 

Nowadays 71 is NOT old. My welder buddy is older than that and is still national weightlifting champion!

But it is a time by which you've probably had your share of breakdowns and repairs (on the cars ) so I can figure that you've been there, done that, and are looking for more fulfilling experiences. Unless you just LUV rolling up those sleeves and getting 'em greasy.

Vic

 

Worked on the Cappy all afternoon yesterday. My buddy tapped the exhaust manifolds for the pipe plugs I got and installed them where the EGR used to be while I spent time cleaning up the engine bay for the new engine install. My original engine ran perfectly in this cherry wagon but I got a NEW factory engine so I did a little cam/rockers and will be installing that one. Probably should have left the original in there until I had problems but I needed something to do.

 

Hi Silverfox,

It will be nice rebooting with a brand new crate engine. :2_thumbs_up_-_anima

I'll be people will be fighting over your good second hand unit which you don't need to keep unless you buy a non runner ready to get grafted.

What did you do with the cams? I thought that the cam setting was on these LT1s was already optmized for better out of the hole acceleration and grunty torque? Or maybe you like the HP feel when boosting at full speed?

Vic

 

Not a crate engine...an actual 96 LT1....a Lingenfelter take out engine. The 227 cam, which are hard to come by, is a better cam for these engines and makes up for some of the LT1's misgivings. Although, it doesn't have many. It will give it a little more snort. I was going to go all the way but it would have cost more than I wanted to spend. It costs a lot to beef these engines.

 

Let's be Opti-mystic

Hi A1,

Would this be the smart move if the Opti needs changing? Or is it too much $ for what it is? I know this is usually considered an upgrade and not a roadside fix, but maybe it's smarter to do both at once rather than do it twice.

Vic

 

Ligenfelter has always made very expensive rides, showcased in the car magazines to get us normal humans a droolin'. That's a nice bundle to load and shoot. Funny you say it costs a lot to beef up these engines, I thought they'd be cheaper to mod than Ford modulars.

Vic

 

I'll be darned...thought they were out of business. I know some guys were having a hard time trying to get the system for the LT1. Anyway, yeah, it's nice but hellaciously expensive and not my thing. If you want to go that route why not just step up to the LS platform?

 

Have you priced an opti? Or, just a cap and rotor from AC Delco? Or AC Delco plug wires....etc, etc. I know nothing about Ford modulars.
The Lingenfelter take out is the stock engine that he took out to put in one of his performance engines. Guys would buy new cars and have them shipped directly to him....then....when he had to many of the new stock engines lying around he would auction them off.