1958 Buick Limited
June 1982
My dad spotted this car on a farm South of Regina, SK, and alerted me. I contacted the owner and purchased the car, including numerous extra body and mechanical parts from 2 other '58 Limiteds.
July, August 1982
I began work on the car at Hegel Auto Body (Clavet, SK). The engine was seized and the transmission was in questionable condition. However, the parts that came with the car included an engine (364 cubic inch "nailhead" V8) and Dynaflow transmission. The engine was in like-new condition, so it got new seals and gaskets, a carburetor rebuild and an ignition tune-up, and a fresh coat of Buick green engine paint. The transmission was rebuilt by All-O-Matic Transmission in Saskatoon, SK. While I had the powertrain out of the car, the engine bay got a thorough cleaning, and a new coat of black paint.
Once I got the car running, I had a new dual exhaust system installed, including mufflers and resonators, just as the car came with from the factory. I also had a new windshield installed by Classic Auto Glass of Saskatoon. Next came disassembly to prep the car for paint. This was a big job. I don't know of any car with more chrome than a 1958 Buick Limited.
I painted the car black, using Dupont acrylic enamel. I chose black because the car body was in excellent condition (very straight with no dents or ripples), and because I thought black would look good with all that chrome. Black was also an original factory colour option. The paint job included the door jambs, inside the trunk, and under the hood.
I wrote to General Motors to inquire about how rare this car was, since there were 5 models of Buick built in 1958, the Limited being the largest and most deluxe. According to the previous owner, a 1958 Limited sold for approximately $9000, whereas a 1958 Special (the most affordable model) sold for about $4500. My dad owned a '58 Special and always said it cost " a dollar a pound."
Since only 282 were sold in Canada in 1958, this car was a rare find, especially when considering the fact that I have the remaining parts from another 2 of these cars.
1983 to 1985
In the fall of 1983, I permanently closed my auto body business in Clavet, and moved to Neilburg, SK. I trailered the car up later, and stored it in a friend's farm shop, where I started reassembly of some of the chrome, and disassembly, lubrication and re-assembly of all 4 power window regulators. I also sent away the bumpers and all the stainless steel pieces to Fairmont Electroplating (in Saskatoon, SK) for rechroming and/or polishing.
My wife and I moved to our own acreage in November of 1985, at which time I was able to store the car indoors on my own property. However, life got busy and money for a restoration project was scarce, so I stored the car indoors under a car cover for the next 33 years. The passage of time can be appreciated from the 2 photos below, showing the size of the trees in the background.
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| December 1985 |
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| July 2018 |
With some fresh gas in the tank, fresh coolant in the radiator, the carburetor disassembled and cleaned, and a new set of points in the distributor, the engine fired right up, and is now running as good as the day it was parked. The transmission works well, and all systems (charging, cooling, etc) are working well. Even the power windows are all still working just like new.
After a few buckets of soapy water and some elbow grease, 30-plus years of dust were washed off the body, windows, and engine compartment.
I also dug out and sorted the mountain of spare parts that I have been storing with the car for all these years. The car's previous owner had another '58 Limited that he was starting to restore, but it was hit by a gravel truck just outside Regina and was written off as a total loss. He salvaged what he could, then found this car, which he was planning to restore with parts from the other two.
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| This electronic eye mounts on the dash and dims the headlights automatically when it detects the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. |
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| This is the seized engine that I pulled out of the car shortly after I bought it in 1982. |
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| This car came with "air poise suspension," an automatic leveling system using airbags instead of springs. Although not on the car at the moment, there are enough airbags for 2 of these cars. This car is riding on conventional coil springs now. |
Some of the chrome mouldings in these photos are from this car, plus there are many duplicate parts.
Work remaining to be completed (as of August 2018):
- Upholstery (interior is complete with all trim, switches, etc, but needs to be re-upholstered)
- Chrome plating of remaining trim (steel chrome is done, white metal cast pieces still need to be done), plus installation of remaining chrome
- Air poise suspension needs to be re-installed (compressor and air reservoir tank are in working order)
- Power front bench seat needs to be repaired (was working, but stopped)
- Brakes work, but need to be cleaned and lubricated after sitting for 30-plus years
- Front wheel bearings were cleaned and greased before car was parked, but should be checked
- Wonder Bar (station seeking) radio may need repair. Power antenna worked before dash pad was removed.
- Tires hold air but are not safe to drive. All 4 sat flat for several years, so sidewalls are cracked. These are bias-ply tires, probably new in the 1970's
October 7, 2018 - SALE DAY
Starting today, a new owner gets to finish and enjoy this rare old car. These are the last photos I have of the car, as the new owner prepares to take it home:
love to talk to you about the car. thanks
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