5000 pounds of metal (vintage wagon content inside)

ZOO wrote: I may have just emailed about the blue Buick. I may have just looked for a cheap flight south . . . Why wouldn't I buy a 35 year old car, unseen, with plans to drive it 2000 miles back home? It's an old GM, I can't imagine any breakdown would be catastrophic.

I can tell you from personal, recent experience that a locally rebuilt alternator is like $60.

David,

There are only a couple off the shelf 15" reproduction factory style wheels in the 5x5" pattern that are readily available.

Wheel Vintiques has plain steelies, Chevy Rally wheels (please don't, everyone will point out they are Chevy wheels), and the Chevy/GMC styled steel wheels.

If you want to keep the stockish vibe, I'd go with either plain steelies and find a set of Pontiac dishes for them )like the GTO/LeMans wagon above), or the Chevy/GMC truck wheel and put some reproduction Pontiac arrowheads on the truck center caps.

Or hunt down a set of Rally II wheels that fit. I still think they look the best.

The wheel houses are probably more than ample to swallow up a 275/60-15 tire. A 255/70-15 might be tempting, but they look stuffed on every old full size car I've seen them on. Makes the car looks more 4x4 than tough old car.

I don't have time to cross reference shocks right now, but one of the Billstein truck shocks might cross over. Curtis probably knows what fits.

Rob_Mopar wrote: Or hunt down a set of Rally II wheels that fit. I still think they look the best.

I'll vouch for that sentiment:

Use this as your inspiration IMO -

Black / Wide Steelies, Mild drop, Some dechroming / painting the chrome black, etc.

Please don't paint the chrome black, cut holes in the hood, or put blingy wheels on it.

stuart in mn wrote: Please don't paint the chrome black, cut holes in the hood, or put blingy wheels on it.

Don't worry, nothing radical is planned with this one.

Now that the alternator alternates, next we need to recharge the a/c.

And Rob, thanks for the wheel tips.

Gasoline wrote:

This car is pretty cold.

Astros had 5x5 and plain steel with dog dish hubcaps, or the steel wagon wheels would look better than you think.

ZOO wrote: I may have just emailed about the blue Buick. I may have just looked for a cheap flight south . . . Why wouldn't I buy a 35 year old car, unseen, with plans to drive it 2000 miles back home? It's an old GM, I can't imagine any breakdown would be catastrophic.

So, did you buy it?

RandyS wrote: All pontiacs need a shaker! or at least some kind of nostal scoop

That was the only good part of that movie.

David S. Wallens wrote: And bigger wheels? Maybe. Or, let's say wider. I personally don't want to go any larger than 15s.

Thank you.

David S. Wallens wrote:

ZOO wrote: I may have just emailed about the blue Buick. I may have just looked for a cheap flight south . . . Why wouldn't I buy a 35 year old car, unseen, with plans to drive it 2000 miles back home? It's an old GM, I can't imagine any breakdown would be catastrophic.

So, did you buy it?

Haven't had an email back to mine yet . . . still waiting

ZOO wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote:

ZOO wrote: I may have just emailed about the blue Buick. I may have just looked for a cheap flight south . . . Why wouldn't I buy a 35 year old car, unseen, with plans to drive it 2000 miles back home? It's an old GM, I can't imagine any breakdown would be catastrophic.

So, did you buy it?

Haven't had an email back to mine yet . . . still waiting

Uh-oh. Still available . . .

ZOO wrote:

ZOO wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote:

ZOO wrote: I may have just emailed about the blue Buick. I may have just looked for a cheap flight south . . . Why wouldn't I buy a 35 year old car, unseen, with plans to drive it 2000 miles back home? It's an old GM, I can't imagine any breakdown would be catastrophic.

So, did you buy it?

Haven't had an email back to mine yet . . . still waiting

Uh-oh. Still available . . .

Now you know why.

David, I know you're keeping this one pretty close to original but this thing would be a great subject for an aftermarket EFI / Megasquirt conversion solely to bring the gas mileage into the double digits. All the better if you find more hp from doing so.

Jerry From LA wrote: David, I know you're keeping this one pretty close to original but this thing would be a great subject for an aftermarket EFI / Megasquirt conversion solely to bring the gas mileage into the double digits. All the better if you find more hp from doing so.

Me too; and a 200R4 swap while you are at it.

Oh yeah, on Friday I did a little more fixing on the wagon.

When Tom and I went to pick it up, the rear window wouldn't rise. There was just the sound of the spinning motor. Well, it worked when I first checked out the car. Rain was approaching, so we decided to get on the road. I figured I'd mess with it when I got some time and, to be honest, feared the worse.

On Friday I took a closer look. Yep, the rear window wasn't going up--just the sound of the spinning motor taunting me. The tailgate lowered, though. The rear window motor is behind the right tail light, basically sharing space with the spare tire well. From what I'm reading online, spare parts are NLA.

So I popped open the spare tire cover. Call me one lucky dude as the problem was right there staring me in the face: The cable had simply come out of the transmission. It's kind of like a speedo cable. I stuck it back in the transmission and tightened the collar. I'd swear there was a giant arrow pointing at the problem.

Now the widow goes up. And then it goes down.

There's someone over on the stationwagon forums who's restoring a `71 Pontiac wagon. I would definitely bookmark his thread should you ever come across anything breaking on yours. I am quite positive that he's completely gone through everything.

Thread link: http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19936

I love the idea that there are actually station wagon forums that you can parachute into moments after buying a giant old station wagon and find answers to all your station wagon questions.

Yep, that forum has some good info. I signed up late last week.

David S. Wallens wrote: One of the things that sealed the deal on this car was the fact that it had just one owner. I just started going through the stacks of paperwork that came with the car. In 1978, a complete oil change service cost about $10.78 total.

I remember writing RO's at $8 per hour retail, now it's $105. Damn, I'm old.

Damn David! Showing us that site is like giving a crack ho a free trip to Mexico.

Thank you.