The American Dream

By Max the Warrior

The Buick Eight Super from 1953 by Erik Brederode is an anniversary car. The brand existed 50 for years and that is why the anniversary model has received a V8. Connoisseurs will see this immediately, although the chance that you will encounter exactly the same performance in the Netherlands is not that great. According to Erik, he is the only one - as far as he knows - who drives on Dutch roads with this type. "The 53'ers ​​model 41D or roadmasters drive there, but have not encountered the same one yet."

Model 52. That is the type designation of this Buick Eight Super four-door sedan, which incidentally came with an 10 cm longer wheelbase (319 cm) than the other Super and Special models. The Buick Eight Super has a V8 5,3 liter head valve motor and was delivered in that year with the fully automatic Dynaflow transmission and the easily adjustable installation that combines ventilation, fresh air heating and windshield defroster. For example, the brochure from 1953 proudly mentions the qualities of this American dream car. This model is also equipped with power steering, which at the time could be supplied against payment. The standard package included the installed radio with antenna and bands with white flanks. The model series 52 Super was delivered in contrast to the Series 40 special with an 12 volt electrical installation.

Bullet holes

When Erik saw this car for sale 60 years later, the pride of the brand was already pretty big. A trader had brought it from America and immediately put it up for sale. "The Buick Eight Super had been in the Netherlands for less than three months, and was a very acceptable basis for restoration," Erik remembers. The cornflower blue color at that time was not original and the dream machine had apparently been the target of a few gunmen on a ranch. Not only the typical portholes of the Buick Eight Super adorned the side of the car. “There were also bullet holes in the doors. Yes, there was even a bullet in the door itself, "Erik looks back. “My wife advised me not to buy this car as a restoration project, she saw no good in it. It would be my first project. At the time I was not technically skilled at all. But I fell for the grille of this car and so I bought it. ”After paying euros for this car with the decisive dollar grin, Erik's car was ready to start work. A few weeks later, Erik received the original papers from the previous owner and customs, as they were not yet in his possession because the Buick Eight Super had only been in the Netherlands for such a short time.

Guardian angel

Car apart and label the parts. You don't need technical insight for that right away. Fortunately, Erik's friend - Andre Hulsink - was the rescue angel when that view was necessary. Because his technical knowledge was enough to make this Buick Eight Super something beautiful again. The bike went out and was transported to Andre's house. Pistons, camshaft and rocker arm were replaced. The rotted freeze plugs were also replaced and eventually just like most other parts such as water pump, engine support, barriers, gasket sets, rubbers found in the Netherlands. Erik goes for the original, but admits that he sometimes finds a modern solution. The Bosch dynamo, for example, comes from a modern Golf. “Because old alternators don't have enough power. A bit of good rock & roll music should certainly not be missed. That is why a modern radio / CD player including an amplifier has been built in with two 100 watts at the back and two 80 watts in the front. ” That sounds nice, Erik.

Little welding

So during the project, Erik had to admit that the car was not in a terrible state at all. The body was rock hard except for the easy to weld bullet holes. Photos during the process show that even steel can be seen in the vulnerable areas of the body. Yet there were a few minor imperfections. The passenger's floor has been replaced and a new piece had to be inserted into the trunk. After welding on the outside of the body, it was unavoidable to use filler. A great deal of time has been spent on sanding to get the body nice and clean. A good epoxy primer was then used as the substrate for the paint job. He had the side windows made at Carglass. As it concerns flat windows and it is perfectly possible to make a mold yourself. He has found the convex windshield new and purchased it in the USA. Heaven and further upholstery also needed to be replaced “As far as it was already present at all. The banks were only covered with covers. Floor and headlining was no longer there, "he says. This work is a craftsmanship and has therefore been handed over. Of course, the spraying work would eventually be outsourced, in a color that he himself finds very beautiful. It looks purple in the sun, but is certainly not an original color of Buick Eight Super in those years. However, Erik finds the often seen black - the original color of this car - too gloomy. “But one thing was certain when I made my choice that the color would become dark. This way the chrome comes out nicely. Dependency is also craftsmanship. Especially with cars from the fifties. So I outsourced that too, "Erik knows. Yet you can see that even a professional is not always able to maintain completely straight lines between the doors and the fenders. The left and right sides of the Buick Eight Super differ, although it does not really stand out.

Tentacles

It is likely that the car was towed in America. And that has not been conducive to the automatic gearbox. A complete overhaul of the Dynaflow tank was therefore unavoidable. It didn't stop there. Erik can effortlessly make a list of the activities in his garage. "A completely new stainless steel exhaust with new suspension has been fitted, brake shoes have been replaced, brake cylinders have been fitted with new dust covers and brake hoses have also been renewed immediately." The dashboard - how is it possible - was still completely complete and without damage. That saves a lot of searching. Erik has taken a number of clocks away for repair. However, the important odometer is still a stumbling block even today. The odometer, for example, is not yet connected. “The spring in the cable grinds and rattles. It is an original cable, so it cannot be a fault. I have no idea what causes that sound. With very thin clock oil it is lubricated, but the noise continues to make. So if a reader has one, "Erik says invitingly. Funny are the forerunners of the current parking sensors. These curb feelers protrude like small tentacles from the wheel arches. If, for example, you hit a curb, the wheelhouse immediately functions as a sound box.

Notable features

There are even more striking features of the Buick Eight Super. The swamp cooler on the side of the Buick Eight Super is one of them. The question from passers-by is what this eye-catcher is for. Well, it is a precursor to the air conditioning. Before the ride starts on a summer day, ice cubes are put in the tube. The driving wind ensures that cold air is blown in through the open window. By means of a string on the inside of the car, an internal drum can shake up the ice cubes and drain the leakage water through an overflow. This is of course not hands-free, so be aware that the co-driver does this work en route. Erik found this cooler by stupid coincidence on Marktplaats (really a lucky hit). A beetle had to be cooled at the previous owner. Only the sieve on the front was missing, together with the support. He has sacrificed a kitchen strainer for this, and with a little creativity you can achieve a lot. Furthermore, Marktplaats was also the place where he found the tray, where consumption such as hamburger, ice cream and cherry coke could be served during a drive-in movie. And to stay in the film atmosphere. Erik likes to place the drive-in speakers for the photo shoot next to his Buick Eight Super. In doing so, we could not only see the film but also listen to it at the time.

Off to Västerås

Eventually it took Erik about seven years. When the time finally came, the Buick Eight Super could hit the road. A trip to the Swedish Västerås Power Big meet with his key mate Andre became the real baptism of fire. To improve the driving characteristics, the original diagonal white walls have been replaced by radial tires from BF Goodrich 225 / 75 / R15 ”. Despite this comfort, it became a ride that they will not soon forget. “The engine started to boil en route. The radiator sprayed rust water. There was no other option than tinkering along the highway, dismantling the radiator and soaking it in coke, so that after a few hours we could continue to a car wash to remove the rust water. Not much later it happened again and the whole story was repeated. In total we had to stop three times for this problem, after which we decided to eventually remove the thermostat between them and to make new gaskets from the cardboard from which the coke cans came. Once arrived after 28 hours in Västerås, the Buick Eight Super held its ground. But unfortunately on the way back we had to deal with it again. Back in the Netherlands, the block was removed and the radiator thoroughly cleaned. The cylinders are drilled and hammered, crankshaft sharpened, two cylinder heads flattened, valve seats machined, new valve guides and block cleaned. Apparently a lot of junk from the radiator has entered the block, "he says and admits that it is a shame that he did not address this during the first restoration round. Looking back on the restoration process, Erik must admit that it simply 'shocked a lot of money'. "But yes, restoration has become my hobby and a hobby always costs money," he immediately puts it into perspective.