1957 Buick Special Rivera With its innovative styling, this 1957 Buick Special Riviera became one of General Motors crown jewels. This 2-door hard top model 46R has a 122 inch wheelbase and a 250 bhp nail V-8 to power it. The body lines were longer and lower than previous years. Reliability was considered excellent and featured better gas mileage than the '56. The body is very quite with great attention given to the interior design details including comfort and convenience for driver and passenger alike.
When Gary purchased this car in 1986, it was sitting on a K-Mart parking lot for sale. He drove the car as-is for two years before putting it in storage for the next 14 years.
Wives being what wives are, they have a way of making a point. Gary wanted to buy another car. Patti agreed, but with the stipulation that he had to complete the Buick. Note: Gary's newer car is still unfinished. The Buick, although in fair condition, needed restoration. American Auto Body did the body and paint. Gary had the skills to do the interior by himself. A friend Clark Elliot, rebuilt his nail head engine. All-in-all, the restoration took a mere two years to complete. The black paint has a heavy pearl, which shows off very in the bright sunlight. It sold new for $2,704 and was one of 64,425 manufactured during the '57 model year.
Gary & Patti Ugrin Billings, Montana
Image:
2019 COLLECTOR CAR APPRECIATION DAY
The SEMA Action Network (SAN) announced that the next Collector Car Appreciation Day (CCAD) will be officially celebrated on July 12, 2019. The date marks the tenth consecutive commemoration in what is now an annual event to raise awareness of the vital role automotive restoration and collection plays in American society. Many clubs plan their car shows and events around this date. Click Here
There are over 15,000 classic and collectible cars in the Billings area, and thousands more statewide.
In an average year, Billings hosts over 100 car shows...large and small.
CMYRYD is Montana's only source for dates and schedules for car shows and events throughout the state.
Make sure your car show or event is listed on CMYRYD. Go to the Events Page to register.
Radial Versus Bias-ply Tires and What Those Tire Numbers Really Mean
by Les Roth
Today’s radial tires are a wonder of modern engineering. In the late 1800’s bias-ply tires were used on bicycles. They were used on automobiles from the 1900’s to the late 1960’s. Then in 1969, radial-ply tires were introduced. The radial tire was a major improvement over the old bias–ply construction. They rolled easier and improved handling and gas mileage. The old bias-ply tires were more flexible and seemed to follow ruts in the roadway. Bias-ply tires have belts that criss-cross the tire while radial belts loop across the tire.
If you own a classic car with wheels designed for bias-ply tires, mount radial tires on those rims at your own risk. Those rims were designed for bias-ply tires only. Too many classic owners have found they lost wheel covers and even worse, had major blow-out and control issues with their car when they used radials on bias rims. Remember, radial tires are designed to be mounted only on wheels designed for radial tires.
Ever wonder what all those confusing numbers on the sidewall of your tires really mean? What you are looking at is an alphanumeric system that describes your tire and its performance characteristics. Let’s use tire size P225/70R16 100S as our example:
In the above tire size the first letter indicates the type of tire and its intended use. The “P” indicates the tire is a metric size used primarily on passenger vehicles. You can also find tires with other letter designations. They include LT (Light Truck Metric), C (Commercial), ST (Special Trailer Service) and T (Temporary Spare),
Then the numbers 225 following the first letter indicate the section width of the tire. The section width is defined as the widest point on the tire measured from sidewall-to-sidewall. For example, this tire has a 225-millimeter width. The rule here is the larger this number, the wider the tire. And remember, this number is the width of the tire in millimetres. If you are using tires larger than those specified for your car, be extra careful in measuring the available space. Raised lettering on a tire’s sidewall can make the difference between a scraped sidewall and a tight fit.
Following the slash, the number 70 shows the height of the tire as a percentage of its section width. The rule is...the lower the number, the lower the profile of the tire. Our number is 70 and that tells you the tire’s height is 70% of its section width.
In our example, the next letter is “R” which tells you the construction of the tire, which in this case is radial. Other designation types may include “D” for bias ply construction and “B” for belted tires, but most tires today are of radial design.
Next the number 16 that indicates the size of the wheel that the tire will fit. This number is in inches and in this case, this tire would be designed to fit a 16-inch wheel. Nowadays, you’ll find tire sizes starting at 13-inches going up to 18-inches. If you buy aftermarket tires wheel sizes can run up to 22-inches or larger.
Then comes the number 100 which tire manufacturers call load rating. This number indicates the approved load rating of that tire in the Load Index. The Load Index starts at 71 (761 pounds) and goes up to 110 which would be 2,337 pounds for passenger vehicles.
And finally comes the speed rating. Our tire speed rating is “S.” Speed ratings start at M (81-mph) and go up to Y (186-mph). In this case the “S” rating shows our tire would be rated for 112-mph.
Car Tips:
1.Drop a business card with your name on it down the window slot in case you ever have to prove ownership.
2.In the glove box, keep a few handy wipes to remove the gas odor from your hands from filling the tank.
3. Remove auto grease from hands with baking soda and water.
4.When visiting a mechanic to have a part replaced, always ask for the worn or damaged part back. This way you'll be sure it was actually replaced .
5.A radio antenna will slide up and down easier if a coat of wax is applied occasionally. Wax paper works great for this job. Rubbing the wax paper up and down the antenna will do the job.
6. Get rid of tar on your bumper with an unexpected item from your fridge ~ mayonnaise. Wipe on, wait five minutes, then easily wipe off both the mayo and the tar. "Do not use on painted bumpers"
7. Only 5 percent of cars actually run better on premium gas as oposed to regular. Check your owners manual...
Time to Store again
By Bill Henry
Just in case you haven’t noticed, we live in a very dry climate. Even our skin and hair are dry and this time of the year, the humidifier runs constantly. Well, this dryness takes its toll on our cars too. If you notice those little cracks along the sidewalls of your tires that run into the tread, it means just one thing… dry rot. And dry rot doesn’t just happen to your tires, anything rubber or vinyl is a prime target. These materials naturally degrade over a period of years depending on climate, temperature and humidity. How you store your vehicle can either help or delay this process. With tires, the air pressure inside your tires is also a determining factor. The common denominator in all these products is oil. As the oils in the rubber and vinyl begin to evaporate, the dry rot process begins.
So what can you do to prevent this happening to your classic car? First, drive that car often, especially during the winter storage period. Drive it at least once per month and more often if you can. Pick a nice day when there is little or no moisture on the pavement and put as many miles on the car as you can. Get the tires up to highway speed and let the rubber compounds heat up. This helps prevent dry rot and gets the oil compounds circulating in the tires. Also, keep those tires up to rated pressure. Under-inflated tires seem to crack and decompose more quickly.
Where you store your car makes a difference. Storing a car near excessive heat or in direct sunlight will speed up the deterioration process. Also, try getting your tires off the cement. Just driving onto boards can make a difference, but be sure not to use treated lumber. The chemicals in treated lumber could possibly react with the chemicals in your tires over a long period of time.
For the inside vinyl, regularly using a good vinyl or leather cleaner and sealer will help keep the moisture in place. Door panels, dash boards, seats and consoles all need to be cleaned and treated on a regular basis. Rubber seals and trim should also be treated to keep them soft and pliable.
Years ago, a doctor friend was discussing the aging process. When someone asked how he was doing…he jokingly said…he was in a constant state of deterioration. Well, that is true of both people and cars. How well and how often we do maintenance on ourselves and our vehicles can determine how long we and the vehicle last. Another one of the doctor’s favorite saying was…”I would rather wear out than rust out.” If exercise is great for the body then the same holds true for cars too. So the best prescription for a long life for us and for our cars may be a good dose of preventative maintenance and regular exercise.
