Caregiver for a 1965 Buick Special "Billy Goat" Wagon

a stylish intro Ed

beauty of a car...

to our home away from home

 

Yup, Mom still rooting for the ol' Buick!

Dear Fannie, The Rev, and Station Wagon lovers everywhere,

Thanks for the continued warm welcome!!

Yup, Mom is over 80 now, but is still keeps an eye on her first U.S. purchase. Every now and then she gets a ride in Biquette, but since the car doesn't get out too much right now - it is a bit rare. As soon as the new engine installed, Mom will be certainly one of first passengers!

Thanks again!!

Cheers, Edouard

 

Wow!! What a treat for all of ya'll to be able to ride in any car from that period! We have my dad's last vehicle(he's been gone over 15 yrs) and it brings about some nostalgic feelings riding in it sometime. I know your Mom must really like riding in the Buick! Enjoy!

 

Aiming for a car of yesterday and today.

Dear MotoMike and Station Wagon lovers,

I'm in kind of a funny place with this car. It is only car I've never owned and I'm crossing into the high end of middle age. I've been partially lucky and very stubborn. All the jobs I've had I could commute either by foot or bike, so I really could have a classic car as a "daily-driver" without killing it.

So my hopes are different than for most 47 year old cars. I'm really hoping to put the car back into regular service and still dreaming about making road trips like I once made as a young man. So this drivetrain upgrade will hopefully improve the fuel economy enough so that traveling cross-country won't be an extremely painful proposition.

This restoration has sapped some of my strength, but I still have dreams of getting a classy looking travel trailer and using that to explore the country. The idea of pulling into a campground with a car close to 50 years old and a trailer that at least looks the part I think would be a really neat statement about wagons as very much cars of today as well as yesterday!

Cheers, Edouard

 

Ah! You need to blabber with Safari57, he's into the retro wagon/travel trailer camping thing.

 

oh Ed.....you be careful what you wish for
as Mike just pointed out...theres a few of us 'already' with Vintage travel trailers....and we'll find you one if your not careful

Im putting a hitch on my 72 this week (I hope)...just for the last TCT event up here this year

 

Thanks for the tip - better wait til wagon is running again!!

Hi Mike and Station wagon adventurers everywhere!

Okay, I promise to do that . . . but maybe I should wait until . . . . the car is actually operational again!!

I have done a little research on the travel trailer end of things and I can see . . . this is plenty complex too!! There are some very interesting new travel trailers in production and golly there are classic/antique trailers to be had. I'm not even sure how I'm going to get a heavy-duty hitch for my trusty wagon. I think it is best not to have too many things on my plate . . . .

Even if I do occasionally cruise the web to daydream about it!!

Thanks for the tip!!

Cheers, Edouard

 

Oh yeah wise guy . . . where did ya' get that hitch!!

Dear the Rev and Station Wagon towing fans,

Yeah, . . . . that's what I'm afraid of!!

Okay, on this I'll take the bait . . . .

Just how did you manage to get a hitch? It is a classic hitch, or did you manage to get a modern hitch custom fitted on your car?

I'm really hoping to get a at least a modern class II and preferably a class III hitch for my trusty wagon. I'm not sure how far I want to push it, but I know of a 65 Special wagon that was towing over 6000 pounds (it was transporting another Buick on a trailer to drag race at the Buick Grand Nationals!! )

I don't think I want to be that bold, but I'll have a car that should be able to tow plenty - if I could just find a hitch!!

Thanks in advance for any advice on this one!

Cheers, Edouard

 

se...now ya done gone and asked..

...ive got a new CURT hitch that is pretty universal....im just gonna make her fit!!!!!

its a classII
your lucky I cant recall the part number ...
...but i'll look tomorrow

 

I had mine custom made for $300 at a local hitch/welding shop that specializes in installing hitches. It works extremely well, is a class III, and several friends including CS54 acquired theirs the same way. You could check your local hitch installers to see who does that type of work.

 

Thanks for the hitch advice!

Dear The Rev, Safari57, and Station Wagon tow vehicle lovers,

Well, now you are stuck. Yes, I would be curious to know which model you picked. I've definitely become an information packrat when it comes to taking care of my trusty wagon . . . .

That's probably what I'll at least try first. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area so there should be someone within reasonable driving distance who could do this for me. However, . . . . first need to get that drivetrain upgrade completed. :icon_drive:

Thanks for all the great advice!!

Cheers, Edouard

 

Edouard, welcome aboard .... I knew one day you would subscribe here and introduce your beautiful Buick wagon. (I'm 75Riv on the v8buick board)

 

Thanks and more engine pics . . .

Dear Rob and Station Wagon Lovers,

Thanks for the welcome!!

While I'm at it, I might as well share the complete collection of photos of my Jim Weise masterpiece engine. It is a Buick 430 bored out to 448 cid. On the dynamometer, it produced 509 horsepower and 540 foot-pounds of torque. Still, it "purrs like a kitten" idling at 600-650 RPM with the EZ-EFI fuel injection. So, as desired, it is an assertive engine but with very nice handling characteristics:

As you can see below . . . . it is also real pretty!!











Enjoy!!

Cheers, Edouard

 

I see you have long tube headers on the engine. I made that mistake with Nora, the 78 Thunderbird. Never again! They are so low that they bump into everything. Speed bumps often have to be taken at a 45 degree angle, and some driveway ramps are just terrible! Worse yet, in road construction zones, they will often hit ground on the bumps. Makes for love light shows for the cars behind me, but does nothing for my nerves!

 

That's a purty engine, ought to be enough power to properly move that wagon down the road. When's the install? What kind of trans upgrade, brakes upgrade, if any?