My Dad bought a 1970 Buick Electra brand new. All the bells and whistles, just gorgeous inside and out. I wish you all could have seen these cars when they were brand new. I was 11 years old when he purchased it. Man, I loved riding in it, and driving it when I got my license in 1975.
Does my heart good to see you reviving it. In 1960, my parents bought a 1958 cadillac from a Doctor friend of theirs. I was 1 year old. When they bought the 1970 Buick, I protested thier idea of selling it !! Dad still liked the caddy , and relented. Saying well, it would be nice to have 2 cars now that your brother has his license. It never left our family, and my mom signed it over to me in 1982. I still have it, and its still on the road. Lifelong Southern California car. In good shape. Dad did trade the 70 Buick in 1979 on a new Buick Riviera, that was a very nice car also. Mom passed at 89, dad at 97. But I still have their old caddy, which I find comforting. It truly is part of the family.
Oh man I bet that 1958 caddy looks like a stone cold killer. Caddy use to make cars with incredible lines. It is incredible you held onto it for so long and your keeping it in the family. I am sorry for you loss man.
These cars used to be everywhere. Back when I was in grade school in the early 70s, the mother of a friend of mine had this exact car in green. I wasn't a fan of the styling as a kid, but they're growing on me now. Guess I'm getting old. Glad you're bringing it back to life.
It's been said that the torque of the 70 455 Buick was not matched until the Viper V10. I took my first driver test in a 70 Buick Limited with a 455 and it was a constant struggle to not spin the rear wheels!
I think you've got a winner there. Don't worry about the see through floor pan, that's an optional all organic air conditioner. It was a rare factory option. I remember my dad bought a 1975 Buick Electra 225 brand new, got it home and it was to long for the garage. He had the garage lengthened on one side so the garage door could close.
Lol and it needs the fresh air. It is definitely a very long car, but that is quite the undertaking increasing the size of the garage to fit it. It is really neat the older Land yachts drive substantially different than modern ones. To me they are ride a lot nicer then the new ones.
There's no doubt they rode better, they were built for comfort and style. I had my share of muscle cars as a kid and they were fun, but I discovered that the Newports, New Yorkers, cadillacs, Town Cars of the late 60's and early 70's had lots of horses, and plenty of performance in the stock configuration, and comfort too.
Automobile catalog (internet car catalogue site) shows 69 Electra 4 door hardtop milage city 9.6 highway 11.6. This is a very trustworthy and accurate site - This matches my personal experience with Buick 1969 Electra 430, 1970 Buick Electra 455, and my current 1974 Century GS 455. Never seen anyone get anything higher than 18 mpg highway out of any Buick 430 or 455.
@@gt-37guy6 there were several people who were with me on a regular basis whenever my car moved who witnessed it and will vouch for it as well as one who had even borrowed it from me because the brand new lemon of a Chevy Beretta was in the shop again for the 9th or 10th time in the shop with computer problems that made it gutless gas hog
@@todddenio3200 Ok, if you say so, not going to argue with you on this, but as a person who has owned and drove these cars for 40 years it defies all experience and observation....guess you had the experimental carb..lol.
This car made me think about my Dad, he had a 4 door 1970 Buick Electra 225 when he passed in 87, he loved that car, this really brought back good memories.
Back in the day, these were called "Deuce and a Quarter", and also pimpmobile and ghetto cruiser. Very wide whitewalls, curb feelers, and both a jet wing tv antenna and car phone antenna, and flying lady hood ornament, and you're pretty fly for a white guy.
Small tuning on that qjet and timing on that 70 model 455 you get exactly 400hp and 516lbft of torque. Watch Nick's garage video on the 455 he threw on the dyno.
Wow! Very cool find man! Your a lucky dog! I love those big old luxury rigs. 4 door ones and all! Im hoping someday I get half as lucky. Im excited to watch you get this one on the road
Well I'll be dipped! Surprised she started so easily. I'm pondering on putting a 455 into my 78 electra, lovely car but lacks a bit of oomph.. looking forward to the updates on this lovely car
David Dunbar Buick, born in Arbroath, Scotland, gave his name to over 35,000,000 cars yet died almost penniless. He was an inventor but sadly not a businessman. His 'in-head' overhead valve design is still used in nearly every internal combustion engine to this day and his ceramic coating of cast iron process (bath tubs) is also used almost without change to this day too. We owe a lot to him.
New subscriber here! Loved this video..... I love seeing guys resurrect these old tanks. They're so much more interesting and just cooler than new cars. Can't wait to see the next video from you!
My dad had a four door, it was green (they offered two greens that year) black vinyl top, with black interior with a 455. Loved that car, I was about 16 years out, use to clean it up on a Saturday and was it a job, a lot of steel on four wheels. Great find.
I worked on the assembly line at the Buick engine plant in Flint MI in 1970. 50/50 Chance I helped build this engine. I knew exactly how they went together.
While it's true the drop in compression did cause some power loss, it wasn't as much as the numbers imply. By '72 all manufactures switched from gross horsepower ratings to net ratings. This required running an air filter, exhaust, and full accessory drive. That was also the beginning of the fuel crisis so it was to their advantage to advertise numbers that suggested better milage.
Wonderful to see your excitement when the old girl came to life . Over here in the UK we hardly ever see cars like that. Fantastic to see you get that running . I hope she gets another shot at life on the roads . Great video . Subbed already . Best wishes from the UK .
I've got a '73 Electra Limited. 455 present and accounted for. A/C on, I get about 7-8 mpg city, about 15 hiway mpg. For as much weight as they pull, it's not that bad. My Chevy Traverse gets worse mileage!!!
@@michaelbaka4777 I used to have a 77 K5 Blazer with a a 350 corvette cam, Edelbrock manifold and carb, headman headers and I got about the same mileage.
I just learned so much in this video. You my friend are awesome. I got a 66 Rivera with a 455 sitting in the back yard that hasn't been started in over 10 years. I feel like i have a punchers chance at seeing if she fires up now. EXCITED! You just earned a sub. BTW i got a 65 2 door Wildcat with a numbers matching 401 nailhead as well. Maybe i need to make a video or two. God bless
My dad had a four door 225. That thing was huge. Me and my brother could sleep in the windowsill in the back. I’m trying to find one now. Awesome video.
Absolutely!..1970 was the best year for the Buick 455!...I scored one out of a rotted out 70 Riv...and it's been through 4 cars so far, tearing up the rear tires on each one!
Did you pull the distributor cap and clean and set the points before you started it? If you didn't you were lucky, They like to corrode when the car is sitting for a long time ! Part of my procedure for starting old cars is cleaning the points because I have only had one revival that started without cleaning the points! And it also started in drive while I was hot wiring it and took me for a ride! Those GM tilt columns are all the same for years, In fact Mopar bought tilt columns from GM so they're the same too! Hopefully the brake lines aren't all rotted off of it that's another thing I do to all of my revivals is replace all of the hard lines on the brakes, If one breaks they're usually all about too! plus all of the wheel cylinders usually start leaking right away!
Lol I didn’t know Mopar bought GM columns. Believe it or not the points looked good. I was there three weeks before to check oil, transmission fluid, the points and a few other things trying to figure out things that I might need to try starting her up
A 2 door being a drawback? 🤔 2 doors are 1000X more desirable than 4 door sedans. I've seen ads up forever on marketplace and ebay for many months trying to sell a 4 door 57 chevy. If it were a 2 door it would be gone in a day or less. 4 doors are nice cars but you cant give them away
It definitely depends on the car. The tri-five two-doors will always rule the road and the top of the price list, but many of these big 1960s GM land yachts may actually be more desirable in 4 door hardtop, and are beginning to develop quite a following. To a lot of people, a loaded up Electra 225 in four door hardtop is a way way cooler car than a low-option LeSabre coupe that the kids have to climb in and out of to access the back seat...
My Dad had one of these. He bought it new and Hauled in and out Boston every day for years on the South East Expressway. I remember him bringing it in for a service check before a long trip. They replaced all the rocker arms and the shafts. We then hooked up a Holiday Rambler camper which back then probably weighed 7500lbs to it and took it cross country for at least a month. We went down through the South and then across and then North to Montana. The next leg we went through Canada where I was bit by a Mosquito and ended up with ensepholitus which led to double vision. So trip was cut short to go back to Boston for Children's Hospital . I then remember in 1976 with camper in tow we took it to Florida. Plus alot of other weekly camping trips. MAN THAT CAR WAS A TANK.....I remember when he replaced it he held onto to it for a while ,guessing for sentimental reasons for all the trips. Last time I heard it run it sounded just like that as the exhaust had rotted off. Not sure what he did with it after that. Thanks for the video !
Wow. I did not expect that to be a 2 door. I don’t recall many two door large Buick land yachts floating around in my youth. And you’re right, the sound of door closing is very much "quality". Glad you’re stoked to get it back on the road. Perhaps just a shot alternator+age got it parked. Don’t have to worry about feeling bumps hit the spine!! A 76 Olds Delta 88 Royale 455 is still the best pre-owned car I’ve ever had. Multiple people drove it up to 300k and it never used oil, never leaked, always started, except setting out one morning and actually 30 below zero, but just needed a little boost start. Who can grouse on that. Was an awesome sled!! It was so cold the brake master cylinder was froze stiff, I had to pump them and drive slowly around town and sure they worked normally before hitting the highway. I had several Olds/Pontiac from the 80’s, quality was low by then in comparison. MANY had cold temp power steering problems, basically lock up or very stubborn to turn. Some rack and pinion O-ring issue I heard. I’m forever surprised no class action lawsuit was ever done. Headliners hanging in your hair. Cheap plastic parts breaking. Earliest fuel injection was not very good, had issues. There is no wonder why very reliable Japanese cars moved on in. But the earliest of those were rust buckets, that put them in junkyards, not worn out drivetrains. Quite a few Big Three in 60’s and early 70’s were world class cars. Maybe mid-seventies. 80’s stunk. Enjoy your sled and cleaning it up, getting it able to be a daily driver. Looks like a lot of fun. Hope the mold/mildew can be rid of.
Brian - those cars were affectionately called "duece and a quarter" for 225 (2-25)! Waz there any silverfish in that one's carpet? That was a great episode - I love will it run! I remember all the old folks had those in the day
The 70 Electra was a very strong, comfortable ass-wupper. I had a 70 4 door with a stage I cam...it moved pretty well, it surprised a few. I worked with a guy who had a 70 Electra 2 door post, with a 3.23 posi. He would go up against 383 mopar's (Chargers and Bee's) pretty often, and would take them, not the 440's though..he was just too heavy.
The nice models with desirable trim packages and color combos were all driven to death back in the day. Most of them left are the dowdy four doors with goofy colors .
@@LunarOutlawsGarage I used to go to an adjacent town on cruise night and purposely pick little preppy punk's with look what Mom and dad bought me kinda cars and challenge them to Drag Races that would be a several miles of running flat out, the old girl was registered for 130 and I buried the needle several times, with Hell on Wheels playing from a band called Cinderella. I know you probably don't know who they are Lol 😆🤣🤣🤣
Hey buddy, first time viewer. As soon as I saw the Electra 225, just had to check out your channel. I have a ‘73 deuce and a quarter, for 22 years now. I love this car. I’ll send you a picture if you are interested. Love the old Buicks. Big Al.
First year with the 455 last year with the high compression. Also has something fancy with the pushrods I think they were hollowed out to better lubricate.
Walter P. Chrysler started at Buick then he became V.P at General Motors then he started his own Motor company making Plymouth as the first Chrysler car in the 1920s.
In 1970 my neighbor bought a 4 door version of this exact car WITH what we called the "brown candy paint color because of its very considerable "depth". Believe me THIS was THE car that year in the GM line up. And THIS was THE color this year. The car had the matching tan and med. Brown vinyl interior. The only thing is that my neighbor made it a condition of purchase that the engine come with the iconic "Darth Vader" air cleaner. Hey, folks, it was the real America back then. My neighbor also put on an aftermarket semi high riser manifold and a bigger spread bore carb, Accel ignition and the first true stainless steel tube headers i had seen.. Which added like 20% more power just where the car needed it he also put in a mild bang shifter tranny. It was amazing how a car that size could hit 60+ from like 25. What GREAT memories of one of the real high water marks in Buick history,,,,,,,the early 70's 225's
You're a luck guy, great video. Keep her original, keep the vinyl top. I been a car enthusiast all my life, and I have a soft spot for classic cars, luxury cars more than anything. My dream car is a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood or Sedan Deville. When I see "Saving Classic Car" videos and I hear the engine first start in years, it always put a big smile on my face. 😊
72 was the first year of being rated in NET horsepower and torque output instead of being rated in GROSS power outputs which is why the power ratings dropped so much.
Really cool car, look forward to seeing what you can do with it. Weird that Buick is truck only today isn’t it? I don’t think the 71-72 drop in power is quite so bad since they changed from gross to net, but it’s still lower and worse.
The round key is for the trunk and doors. Make sure the teeth on the keys are always facing down. On the square ignition key, it faces down/slightly forward. 🙃😁 Those cylinders looked great, I cannot believe it fired up that quick n easy! You'll wanna shoot some lubricant in there when the plugs are out, that way you aren't turning over a completely bone dry engine. Great car!
72 is when they went to NET horsepower instead of Gross horsepower. Some of the power loss from 71-72 was from the new testing protocol. Definitely lost a lot from 70-71 with that lower compression ratio
@@LunarOutlawsGarage It was even the same color as yours, just a 4 dr. Passed my test on the first try. I don't remember doing parallel parking. They had a closed test course; curbs, hills. Had to do a 3 point turn and uphill parking. The thing I remember about that car is when you stomp the gas from a roll, the sound of the secondary throttle plates opening.
Just came from AAR and Randy's shout out to you and saw this video, which I am definitely watching as the second car I ever owned was a 1970 Buick Wildcat with the 4455 cu in motor, Unfortunately it was used and rusted out terribly up here in Canada.
i sold craftsman tools at sears here in canada before we closed,...i miss it. i replaced quite a few tools under lifetime warranty. craftsman was sold off to another company, i cant remember now, but yeah some wrenches that were 40 plus years old got warrantied.
My Bro in law had a green on green with white interior duce and a quarter. He bought it new in '70 and it would out run just about everything on the road of that time period.
People always forget horsepower and torque ratings changed… the cars didn’t make that much less power, they just started rated the power in full trim with all the accessories
@@LunarOutlawsGarage yes I’m not saying the numbers aren’t accurate but the motors used to be rated with no accessories, no fan, no a/c then after a certain point in the early 70s they started rated the power in full trim
I had a1968 Electra 225 convertible. Dark brown metallic. With a white top. It had a 430 4 barrel, turbo 400 trans. Paid 200 bucks for it and it was in beautiful shape.
27:45 if you have the nut flush with the ends of the threads, you run less of a chance of boogering the threads. I use that same technique to pull flywheels off mowers. And on the ignition, there's a pot metal rack that turns with the gear on the end of the key shaft, looks like a old time bottle opener. Those are good at breaking
Quoting the HP/Tq numbers, don't forget that they switched from a gross to net power rating. I think the Buick battery trays must all do that, at least in the fullsize cars.
I loved dads 64 225. This particular car just needs a 3.23 or maybe a 3.43 rear end instead of the 2.73 it probably had. In stock form, dads Electra, if you just matted it, would shift about 60 or so out of 1st and about a hundred out of 2ed if you let it do it's own shifting. Yes, the headliners were a real WTF Buick? Otherwise, if you had enough road and the wind wasn't blowing it would put that spedo straight up and down, so past 120. That's like pushing a utility shed with the doors open down the highway. I do remember it would turn 17 - 18 mpg on the highway with a/c and cruise set at 75 or so. Thats the 401 nailhead with 325 hp in 1964. I always thought 360 hp was probably a little light. It certainly had more than 500 ft pounds torque. I know I replaced the engine mount several times after pulling a 20 foot Glsstron in and out of the lake every summer weekend. It was a great tow vehicle after I put decen shocks under it. That is one of the most powerful V8s of the 70s.
Just to add I was 4 years old when we went to the Wilkie Buick dealership downtown to go get the car brand new I believe we had the 4:30 in that which was also a good engine beautiful sound the 455 is nice sounding engine too love to hear them run at idle
Awesome video, fantastic car. Great video man. Wish I had the chance of getting something old like that, my tinker vehicle is a 01 pathfinder lol. These cars are so easy to fix.
You should look at the brake lines the fluid went somewhere. You got very lucky no valves were stuck open I never saw you try to roll the motor over 360 deg that would not have been good if 1or 2 were. Nice find tho bud.
Nice Buick Electra,I had one that was a little older than yours but it was nice,it didn't have electric windows just manual & it had a 400 engine with the 400 transmission but the engine threw a rod & I was going to take the 455 out of my dad's 73 olds 98 but I didn't get the chance to bcause I moved to Kansas city
My Dad bought a 1970 Buick Electra brand new. All the bells and whistles, just gorgeous inside and out. I wish you all could have seen these cars when they were brand new. I was 11 years old when he purchased it. Man, I loved riding in it, and driving it when I got my license in 1975.
I bet you these were incredibly sharp new. I’m hoping to be able to get it pretty close to like new but I know it will not be perfect.
Does my heart good to see you reviving it. In 1960, my parents bought a 1958 cadillac from a Doctor friend of theirs. I was 1 year old. When they bought the 1970 Buick, I protested thier idea of selling it !! Dad still liked the caddy , and relented. Saying well, it would be nice to have 2 cars now that your brother has his license. It never left our family, and my mom signed it over to me in 1982. I still have it, and its still on the road. Lifelong Southern California car. In good shape. Dad did trade the 70 Buick in 1979 on a new Buick Riviera, that was a very nice car also. Mom passed at 89, dad at 97. But I still have their old caddy, which I find comforting. It truly is part of the family.
Oh man I bet that 1958 caddy looks like a stone cold killer. Caddy use to make cars with incredible lines. It is incredible you held onto it for so long and your keeping it in the family. I am sorry for you loss man.
I had the Buick Electra 225 Convertible with the 455 4 brl. Great Car. Lots of power & comfort.
These cars used to be everywhere. Back when I was in grade school in the early 70s, the mother of a friend of mine had this exact car in green. I wasn't a fan of the styling as a kid, but they're growing on me now. Guess I'm getting old. Glad you're bringing it back to life.
Funny how our taste changes throughout our life
I am a Mopar guy but still love 74 and back Ford and GM 😁
In the old days Buick was known as a luxury product
@@LunarOutlawsGarage So true
@@edwardmulder3777 Mafia car. Saw it in movies such as Goodfellas, Donnie Broscoe, Casino, and the Irishman.
It's been said that the torque of the 70 455 Buick was not matched until the Viper V10. I took my first driver test in a 70 Buick Limited with a 455 and it was a constant struggle to not spin the rear wheels!
Looking forward to a follow up on this. What a beautiful start up. If that car had a soul it would probably give you the biggest and warmest hug ever
I think you've got a winner there. Don't worry about the see through floor pan, that's an optional all organic air conditioner. It was a rare factory option. I remember my dad bought a 1975 Buick Electra 225 brand new, got it home and it was to long for the garage. He had the garage lengthened on one side so the garage door could close.
Lol and it needs the fresh air. It is definitely a very long car, but that is quite the undertaking increasing the size of the garage to fit it. It is really neat the older Land yachts drive substantially different than modern ones. To me they are ride a lot nicer then the new ones.
There's no doubt they rode better, they were built for comfort and style. I had my share of muscle cars as a kid and they were fun, but I discovered that the Newports, New Yorkers, cadillacs, Town Cars of the late 60's and early 70's had lots of horses, and plenty of performance in the stock configuration, and comfort too.
What about a bit of lube when the plugs are out
I had a 69 Electra with a 430 in it. It rode great -- as smooth as any Cadillac, got great mileage (25+ hwy) and went like hell.
Automobile catalog (internet car catalogue site) shows 69 Electra 4 door hardtop milage city 9.6 highway 11.6. This is a very trustworthy and accurate site - This matches my personal experience with Buick 1969 Electra 430, 1970 Buick Electra 455, and my current 1974 Century GS 455. Never seen anyone get anything higher than 18 mpg highway out of any Buick 430 or 455.
@@gt-37guy6 there were several people who were with me on a regular basis whenever my car moved who witnessed it and will vouch for it as well as one who had even borrowed it from me because the brand new lemon of a Chevy Beretta was in the shop again for the 9th or 10th time in the shop with computer problems that made it gutless gas hog
@@todddenio3200 Ok, if you say so, not going to argue with you on this, but as a person who has owned and drove these cars for 40 years it defies all experience and observation....guess you had the experimental carb..lol.
@@gt-37guy6 I just know my personal experience with the Buick 430 in my Electra and that it got its best gas mileage of 25 to 26 between 70 and 75 mph
@@todddenio3200 They were (are) phenomenal cars...
This car made me think about my Dad, he had a 4 door 1970 Buick Electra 225 when he passed in 87, he loved that car, this really brought back good memories.
Back in the day, these were called "Deuce and a Quarter", and also pimpmobile and ghetto cruiser. Very wide whitewalls, curb feelers, and both a jet wing tv antenna and car phone antenna, and flying lady hood ornament, and you're pretty fly for a white guy.
Don't forget led sled. Or boat.
Right on diamond in the back
@@michaelroberts7308 led sled land yaght it's a white thing lol
Yes they were.
Oh. the white guy thing again! Race and culture sure got mixed up along the way, but at least it's a cool car!😗😗
Love the Buicks. I have two '69 Wildcats, one I've had since 1983.Keep up the good work!
Small tuning on that qjet and timing on that 70 model 455 you get exactly 400hp and 516lbft of torque. Watch Nick's garage video on the 455 he threw on the dyno.
MAN AT 6:17 WHEN THAT DOOR CLICKED
AND SHUT SO EFFORTLESSLY JUST SENT
ME TO PURE CLASSIC HEAVEN. ( NICE!.)
Wow! Very cool find man! Your a lucky dog! I love those big old luxury rigs. 4 door ones and all! Im hoping someday I get half as lucky. Im excited to watch you get this one on the road
It will be an epic rig.
what a cool Saturday night cruiser. You scored well my friend. I would have the biggest grin on my face cruising around town in that land yacht.
Well I'll be dipped! Surprised she started so easily. I'm pondering on putting a 455 into my 78 electra, lovely car but lacks a bit of oomph.. looking forward to the updates on this lovely car
I know what you mean. I have an 83 Electra Park Avenue with a 307. It's a complete dog.
I'll be dopped ,u must watch vgg, lol.
David Dunbar Buick, born in Arbroath, Scotland, gave his name to over 35,000,000 cars yet died almost penniless.
He was an inventor but sadly not a businessman.
His 'in-head' overhead valve design is still used in nearly every internal combustion engine to this day and his ceramic coating of cast iron process (bath tubs) is also used almost without change to this day too.
We owe a lot to him.
Well said Adam also I didn’t know he came up with the ceramic coating on bath tubs
@@LunarOutlawsGarage He was an extremely clever guy.
New subscriber here! Loved this video..... I love seeing guys resurrect these old tanks. They're so much more interesting and just cooler than new cars. Can't wait to see the next video from you!
They are incredible and they handle incredibly well
Funny you should call it a tank because that's exactly how it sounds, like an old Soviet tank
My dad had a four door, it was green (they offered two greens that year) black vinyl top, with black interior with a 455. Loved that car, I was about 16 years out, use to clean it up on a Saturday and was it a job, a lot of steel on four wheels. Great find.
My old 74 Impala had an ignition cylinder like that. I could pull the key out while the engine was running.
In 1976 we had a 73 Electra park Ave, blue/blue 455, pillowed valor, that car was the best riding car I've ever driven. Thanks for the memory.
I worked on the assembly line at the Buick engine plant in Flint MI in 1970. 50/50 Chance I helped build this engine. I knew exactly how they went together.
That must’ve been pretty epic🤘
While it's true the drop in compression did cause some power loss, it wasn't as much as the numbers imply. By '72 all manufactures switched from gross horsepower ratings to net ratings. This required running an air filter, exhaust, and full accessory drive. That was also the beginning of the fuel crisis so it was to their advantage to advertise numbers that suggested better milage.
You are correct
Lunar Outlaws garage, home of the land yachts :D
Lol I don’t know the Cadillac and the Electra are big enough to be considered battle cruisers
Almost sounded like Christine. Great to see the old classics brought back to life.
Yea chrstine is a plymouth fury
I love these old Buicks too. First car was a 73 Century Luxus w/350 2V. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Heck ya man. Old Buicks are not only fast but they are just about the classiest muscle car you can get.
Wonderful to see your excitement when the old girl came to life . Over here in the UK we hardly ever see cars like that. Fantastic to see you get that running . I hope she gets another shot at life on the roads .
Great video . Subbed already . Best wishes from the UK .
I have a 76' 4 door Buick Electra. I've been wanting to get it running for years. This has made my morning! Thanks for the motivation brother!
They are awesome looking cars. It sounds like it is time for you to get the old girl back out there.
@@LunarOutlawsGarage yes sir she will be up amd running soon! Keep doing great things brother!
Cars like these got parked because of how much gas they used, so maybe you did get a good one.
Mine got 4 miles per gallon 🙁
I've got a '73 Electra Limited. 455 present and accounted for. A/C on, I get about 7-8 mpg city, about 15 hiway mpg. For as much weight as they pull, it's not that bad. My Chevy Traverse gets worse mileage!!!
@@michaelbaka4777 I used to have a 77 K5 Blazer with a a 350 corvette cam, Edelbrock manifold and carb, headman headers and I got about the same mileage.
@@michaelbaka4777 is your limited a 2 door?
@@HotRod-wv4vm Triple-black 2-door! How'd you guess??
I owned one back in the day. Great car. To clarify that’s 370hp, 510 ft-lbs torque.
Damn that's alot of power and torque for such an old car, but than again it has a 455 lol.
I just learned so much in this video. You my friend are awesome. I got a 66 Rivera with a 455 sitting in the back yard that hasn't been started in over 10 years. I feel like i have a punchers chance at seeing if she fires up now. EXCITED!
You just earned a sub.
BTW i got a 65 2 door Wildcat with a numbers matching 401 nailhead as well. Maybe i need to make a video or two. God bless
Heck ya but tag me in those I would be interested in seeing those beasts coming back to life
@@LunarOutlawsGarage done deal
My dad had a four door 225. That thing was huge. Me and my brother could sleep in the windowsill in the back. I’m trying to find one now. Awesome video.
Why didnt u lube up the cylinder walls with oil, ita pretty dry, fogging oil will do the trick..
Also u should've changed the oil
Nice to see you get it running so quick! Love these old cars! Great job!
Absolutely!..1970 was the best year for the Buick 455!...I scored one out of a rotted out 70 Riv...and it's been through 4 cars so far, tearing up the rear tires on each one!
I love those old Buick’s. It would have been a gorgeous car new.
Did you pull the distributor cap and clean and set the points before you started it? If you didn't you were lucky, They like to corrode when the car is sitting for a long time ! Part of my procedure for starting old cars is cleaning the points because I have only had one revival that started without cleaning the points! And it also started in drive while I was hot wiring it and took me for a ride! Those GM tilt columns are all the same for years, In fact Mopar bought tilt columns from GM so they're the same too! Hopefully the brake lines aren't all rotted off of it that's another thing I do to all of my revivals is replace all of the hard lines on the brakes, If one breaks they're usually all about too!
plus all of the wheel cylinders usually start leaking right away!
Lol I didn’t know Mopar bought GM columns. Believe it or not the points looked good. I was there three weeks before to check oil, transmission fluid, the points and a few other things trying to figure out things that I might need to try starting her up
I love cars from this era. I grew up in the 70’s, watching my father and grandfather work on them. The only drawback on this car is, it’s a 2 door.
A 2 door being a drawback? 🤔 2 doors are 1000X more desirable than 4 door sedans. I've seen ads up forever on marketplace and ebay for many months trying to sell a 4 door 57 chevy. If it were a 2 door it would be gone in a day or less. 4 doors are nice cars but you cant give them away
@@maggs131 he must be into practicality, hence 4 doors, lol. I agree 2 door is always sought after
It definitely depends on the car. The tri-five two-doors will always rule the road and the top of the price list, but many of these big 1960s GM land yachts may actually be more desirable in 4 door hardtop, and are beginning to develop quite a following.
To a lot of people, a loaded up Electra 225 in four door hardtop is a way way cooler car than a low-option LeSabre coupe that the kids have to climb in and out of to access the back seat...
My Dad had one of these. He bought it new and Hauled in and out Boston every day for years on the South East Expressway. I remember him bringing it in for a service check before a long trip. They replaced all the rocker arms and the shafts. We then hooked up a Holiday Rambler camper which back then probably weighed 7500lbs to it and took it cross country for at least a month. We went down through the South and then across and then North to Montana. The next leg we went through Canada where I was bit by a Mosquito and ended up with ensepholitus which led to double vision. So trip was cut short to go back to Boston for Children's Hospital . I then remember in 1976 with camper in tow we took it to Florida. Plus alot of other weekly camping trips. MAN THAT CAR WAS A TANK.....I remember when he replaced it he held onto to it for a while ,guessing for sentimental reasons for all the trips. Last time I heard it run it sounded just like that as the exhaust had rotted off. Not sure what he did with it after that. Thanks for the video !
Oh same color brown and everything
Wow. I did not expect that to be a 2 door. I don’t recall many two door large Buick land yachts floating around in my youth. And you’re right, the sound of door closing is very much "quality". Glad you’re stoked to get it back on the road. Perhaps just a shot alternator+age got it parked. Don’t have to worry about feeling bumps hit the spine!! A 76 Olds Delta 88 Royale 455 is still the best pre-owned car I’ve ever had. Multiple people drove it up to 300k and it never used oil, never leaked, always started, except setting out one morning and actually 30 below zero, but just needed a little boost start. Who can grouse on that. Was an awesome sled!! It was so cold the brake master cylinder was froze stiff, I had to pump them and drive slowly around town and sure they worked normally before hitting the highway. I had several Olds/Pontiac from the 80’s, quality was low by then in comparison. MANY had cold temp power steering problems, basically lock up or very stubborn to turn. Some rack and pinion O-ring issue I heard. I’m forever surprised no class action lawsuit was ever done. Headliners hanging in your hair. Cheap plastic parts breaking. Earliest fuel injection was not very good, had issues. There is no wonder why very reliable Japanese cars moved on in. But the earliest of those were rust buckets, that put them in junkyards, not worn out drivetrains. Quite a few Big Three in 60’s and early 70’s were world class cars. Maybe mid-seventies. 80’s stunk. Enjoy your sled and cleaning it up, getting it able to be a daily driver. Looks like a lot of fun. Hope the mold/mildew can be rid of.
I just picked up a 1969 buick wildcat with a 430 in it, it sat for 15+ years.
The engine in the video sounds awesome
Brian - those cars were affectionately called "duece and a quarter" for 225 (2-25)! Waz there any silverfish in that one's carpet?
That was a great episode - I love will it run! I remember all the old folks had those in the day
Lol not that I saw just lots of ants, though we will have to see when I pull the carpet
The 70 Electra was a very strong, comfortable ass-wupper. I had a 70 4 door with a stage I cam...it moved pretty well, it surprised a few. I worked with a guy who had a 70 Electra 2 door post, with a 3.23 posi. He would go up against 383 mopar's (Chargers and Bee's) pretty often, and would take them, not the 440's though..he was just too heavy.
Great find! Your really lucky finding 2 door full size cars up your way! Most of the full size cars around here were mostly 4 doors!
Definitely blessed with these opportunities
The nice models with desirable trim packages and color combos were all driven to death back in the day. Most of them left are the dowdy four doors with goofy colors .
Awesome I can't wait for the next video, I used to have a 76 2 dr Electra what a beast all the emission Crap was taken off and she would fly.
I bet man the emissions absolutely choke those engines
@@LunarOutlawsGarage I used to go to an adjacent town on cruise night and purposely pick little preppy punk's with look what Mom and dad bought me kinda cars and challenge them to Drag Races that would be a several miles of running flat out, the old girl was registered for 130 and I buried the needle several times, with Hell on Wheels playing from a band called Cinderella. I know you probably don't know who they are Lol 😆🤣🤣🤣
Hey buddy, first time viewer. As soon as I saw the Electra 225, just had to check out your channel. I have a ‘73 deuce and a quarter, for 22 years now. I love this car. I’ll send you a picture if you are interested. Love the old Buicks. Big Al.
When I was a punk we had a new '69 225 coupe and then later a '69 convertible with the 430 cu. in. in them. Nice rides.
First year with the 455 last year with the high compression. Also has something fancy with the pushrods I think they were hollowed out to better lubricate.
Awesome land yacht!! My dad had a 68 with the 430.
The 430 was an awesome engine
I’m a big Buick fan too. Worked at a Buick dealer in the early mid 70’s. Great cars in their day. Yes that engine was a torque monster.
Love that Buick 225" long Electra 225 I keep extra motor and transmission for my electric 225 set of stage 1 heads
Walter P. Chrysler started at Buick then he became V.P at General Motors then he started his own Motor company making Plymouth as the first Chrysler car in the 1920s.
W. P. Chrysler wanted quality and the head of GM wanted quantity
In 1970 my neighbor bought a 4 door version of this exact car WITH what we called the "brown candy paint color because of its very considerable "depth". Believe me THIS was THE car that year in the GM line up. And THIS was THE color this year.
The car had the matching tan and med. Brown vinyl interior. The only thing is that my neighbor made it a condition of purchase that the engine come with the iconic "Darth Vader" air cleaner.
Hey, folks, it was the real America back then.
My neighbor also put on an aftermarket semi high riser manifold and a bigger spread bore carb, Accel ignition and the first true stainless steel tube headers i had seen.. Which added like 20% more power just where the car needed it he also put in a mild bang shifter tranny.
It was amazing how a car that size could hit 60+ from like 25. What GREAT memories of one of the real high water marks in Buick history,,,,,,,the early 70's 225's
We had a 1970 Electra very similar to this with the 455. The odometer quit working at 96,000 miles and we drove it for 10 years after that!
This is great.
You do all the work.
And we watch this and enjoy it.
Thanks 👍 for the share
Looking forward to seeing more vids on this ole girl
2:40 OMG it's a dream car. Dude I envy you.
I’m liking all the UA-cam attention the 430 and 455 Buick’s are getting lately. Makes my 67 worth more ;)
Heck ya man i’m happy they’re getting their rightful place in the Engine Hall of Fame
Lunar in the morning!! Great way to start the week!!🤗🤓
Heck ya bud 🤘😁🤘
You're a luck guy, great video. Keep her original, keep the vinyl top. I been a car enthusiast all my life, and I have a soft spot for classic cars, luxury cars more than anything. My dream car is a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood or Sedan Deville. When I see "Saving Classic Car" videos and I hear the engine first start in years, it always put a big smile on my face. 😊
The biggest problem with 455's was oiling- at high RPM they would cavitate and starve the bearings.
72 was the first year of being rated in NET horsepower and torque output instead of being rated in GROSS power outputs which is why the power ratings dropped so much.
How I missed this idk but man this was fun to watch.
These are definitely some of my favorite videos to make
Really cool car, look forward to seeing what you can do with it. Weird that Buick is truck only today isn’t it? I don’t think the 71-72 drop in power is quite so bad since they changed from gross to net, but it’s still lower and worse.
The round key is for the trunk and doors. Make sure the teeth on the keys are always facing down. On the square ignition key, it faces down/slightly forward. 🙃😁 Those cylinders looked great, I cannot believe it fired up that quick n easy! You'll wanna shoot some lubricant in there when the plugs are out, that way you aren't turning over a completely bone dry engine. Great car!
Yea this is real nice. 70 Buick fullsize. Bring it home power wash it and put it on the lift.
72 is when they went to NET horsepower instead of Gross horsepower. Some of the power loss from 71-72 was from the new testing protocol. Definitely lost a lot from 70-71 with that lower compression ratio
Too easy!!! Love the Buick! Keep saving them!
What state did you find it in
When I was a kid, my Dad had a '70 225, 4 dr. I took my license test in that car. I was very disappointed when he sold it.
That is very impressive that you took your driving test in it. Parallel parking must’ve been fun
@@LunarOutlawsGarage It was even the same color as yours, just a 4 dr. Passed my test on the first try. I don't remember doing parallel parking. They had a closed test course; curbs, hills. Had to do a 3 point turn and uphill parking. The thing I remember about that car is when you stomp the gas from a roll, the sound of the secondary throttle plates opening.
Nice find, 100% approval! ;)
🤘
Old Buicks never die.
Just came from AAR and Randy's shout out to you and saw this video, which I am definitely watching as the second car I ever owned was a 1970 Buick Wildcat with the 4455 cu in motor, Unfortunately it was used and rusted out terribly up here in Canada.
Welcome aboard! The rust belt beats up cars. I hope you enjoy the projects and adventures.
You going to leave the points and condenser? or convert it over to HEI those GM swaps are pretty easy.
We had the Estate Wagon version, a real unicorn, one of the 26 that left the factory with the three-on-the-tree behind the 455.
I had a 225 Buick Electra when I was 17 , changed the quaderjet carb and did a quarter mile long one tire burnout
This is my first visit to your channel. I like what I saw, have subbed.
Thanks I hope you enjoy the projects and adventures
i sold craftsman tools at sears here in canada before we closed,...i miss it. i replaced quite a few tools under lifetime warranty. craftsman was sold off to another company, i cant remember now, but yeah some wrenches that were 40 plus years old got warrantied.
Wow, that trunk popped so easily. That car is a great find. I've got a green LeSabre, but it was a cheap repaint many years ago.
The seats in an old 225 were amazingly comfortable.
She's a thing of wonder! Good going.
My Bro in law had a green on green with white interior duce and a quarter. He bought it new in '70 and it would out run just about everything on the road of that time period.
People always forget horsepower and torque ratings changed… the cars didn’t make that much less power, they just started rated the power in full trim with all the accessories
those are off of TA performance website and those are their dyno numbers
@@LunarOutlawsGarage yes I’m not saying the numbers aren’t accurate but the motors used to be rated with no accessories, no fan, no a/c then after a certain point in the early 70s they started rated the power in full trim
Great channel. This is as interesting as Vice Grip Garage channel. Thanks for sharing these.
That is high praise thank you
a two door ?sweet! love those cars
I noticed there’s a bunch of rust near where the voltage regulator. That may be your no charge issue. Check ground there
I also grabs to voltage regulators of the salvage yard today.
I had a1968 Electra 225 convertible. Dark brown metallic. With a white top. It had a 430 4 barrel, turbo 400 trans. Paid 200 bucks for it and it was in beautiful shape.
So much want. I want a 70 2-door Electra or Wildcat to park next to my 70 GS 455 Stage 1, and cruise with it!
Good job getting it running! Great 455 Buick big block!😁👍🛠️
Thank you billy The king of the big blocks 🤘
@@LunarOutlawsGarage Yep! And I like the 455 H. O. and 455 S. D. in the Trans Am, too! Glad you liked the comment!😁🛠️
Man a trans am with a Pontiac 455 would be a freaking awesome car to own!
27:45 if you have the nut flush with the ends of the threads, you run less of a chance of boogering the threads. I use that same technique to pull flywheels off mowers. And on the ignition, there's a pot metal rack that turns with the gear on the end of the key shaft, looks like a old time bottle opener. Those are good at breaking
Quoting the HP/Tq numbers, don't forget that they switched from a gross to net power rating. I think the Buick battery trays must all do that, at least in the fullsize cars.
My Wildcat was a Dark Green, had power windows, which was very cool in the 70's.
I loved dads 64 225. This particular car just needs a 3.23 or maybe a 3.43 rear end instead of the 2.73 it probably had. In stock form, dads Electra, if you just matted it, would shift about 60 or so out of 1st and about a hundred out of 2ed if you let it do it's own shifting. Yes, the headliners were a real WTF Buick? Otherwise, if you had enough road and the wind wasn't blowing it would put that spedo straight up and down, so past 120. That's like pushing a utility shed with the doors open down the highway. I do remember it would turn 17 - 18 mpg on the highway with a/c and cruise set at 75 or so. Thats the 401 nailhead with 325 hp in 1964. I always thought 360 hp was probably a little light. It certainly had more than 500 ft pounds torque. I know I replaced the engine mount several times after pulling a 20 foot Glsstron in and out of the lake every summer weekend. It was a great tow vehicle after I put decen shocks under it. That is one of the most powerful V8s of the 70s.
Looks like you definitely have a go into town rig
Just to add I was 4 years old when we went to the Wilkie Buick dealership downtown to go get the car brand new I believe we had the 4:30 in that which was also a good engine beautiful sound the 455 is nice sounding engine too love to hear them run at idle
Sweet ride! reminds me of my brothers 72 caprice.
Awesome video, fantastic car. Great video man. Wish I had the chance of getting something old like that, my tinker vehicle is a 01 pathfinder lol. These cars are so easy to fix.
You should look at the brake lines the fluid went somewhere. You got very lucky no valves were stuck open I never saw you try to roll the motor over 360 deg that would not have been good if 1or 2 were. Nice find tho bud.
Spent a little time afterwards looking at it and I’m under the impression that I’m gonna have to replace the brake lines as well.
@@LunarOutlawsGarage oh I would replace everything that has rubber.
You need a head mounted camera. How can you do things with one hand? Decent headmounted cameras with image stabilization are not expensive.
Nice Buick Electra,I had one that was a little older than yours but it was nice,it didn't have electric windows just manual & it had a 400 engine with the 400 transmission but the engine threw a rod & I was going to take the 455 out of my dad's 73 olds 98 but I didn't get the chance to bcause I moved to Kansas city