Repair-It

Roadmaster for you: http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/5983948612.html

See Bill makes fun of me but honestly, I actually am more interested in this than that $2000 Impala SS. I don't really care about having an actual Impala SS. I'd rather do a Roadmaster SS or Fleetwood SS (FTS) type car at this point. I'd rather have a cream puff Roadmaster than a bottom of market Impala SS. I don't want a beater-grade car where the only real option is a Sloppy Mechanics build that I may not get around to. I want to start with something in this condition - I can always change my mind later. But if you buy a more rough car, you can't magically turn it into something clean.

No landau either. And Limited. Probably no tow pack but still, I like this. About the only flaw I can see is that the trim fell off - I'd imagine I can rectify that with ease. Basically this seems like the ideal candidate for what I am looking for (in theory). Reasonable price, very clean. Great starting point for swapping over Caprice parts.

Putting it on here for posterity:

1996 Buick Roadmaster Limited - $2700 (Between Indian Trail & Monroe)

1996 Buick Roadmaster Limited

condition: excellent
cylinders: 8 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 101000
paint color: blue
size: full-size
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
type: sedan
1996 Buick Roadmaster Limited

101,000 Miles
4-Door
V-8
Leather Seats - No rips or tears
Automatic Transmission
Power Windows
Power Seats
Tilt Steering
Cruise Control
A/C, Heat
AM/FM (Good), Cassette (Not Working)
Power Mirrors
Heated Seats
Lumbar Adjustment
Good Tires
2-Key Fobs
Clear Title
Clear Title
No Warning Lights
$ 2,700.00 OBO

This car is in excellent condition, with low miles for its age. My father was the original owner.
Contact by Phone or Text: Roger @ show contact info

It can be seen at The Golf Center - 5321 West Highway 74 - Monroe, NC 28110

Ad will be deleted when car is sold. If the ad is still up, it is available, so don't ask.

Haha, the Golf Center. Right next to the used Corvette, right?
In all honesty, this will probably sell before I can do anything about it - not ready to buy at the moment. But they still pop up from time to time.

Things I could swap over to a Roadmaster sedan:
- 3.42 axle with disc brakes, stainless hard lines and stainless braided hoses
- Master cylinder, proportioning valve and maybe the whole vacuum booster just because I know they all work together now, and the prop valve is configured for discs
- All wheels/tires are compatible, obviously
- Shocks
- Springs
- Steering box - I would lose speed sensitive I think...or maybe I could kludge something still if it happens at the pump vice the box
- Any other steering components if the RMS is worse (tie rods, center link, idler arm, steering shaft even)
- Could do front control arms if I thought I liked my ball joints and control arm bushings better
- Battery if needed
- Front brakes (rotors, calipers if needed, pads, stainless braided hose)
- Anti-roll bars, front and rear
- Electric fans if needed
- Full exhaust, manifolds to tailpipe is fully compatible

If I use these available parts, and do my old mild tune (maybe a 93 octane tune), I will have a car that runs high 14s @ ~93-94, handles and stops as well as my Caprice does now. In a clean B-body. This is an attractive proposition. The down side is, it won't be my Caprice...

I don't know how much of the audio is compatible which sucks. My head unit won't fit. I think the rear uses 6x9s but I think the front may be different. I might investigate a free air sub on the rear deck to free up trunk space and a little weight. Hopefully performance would still be adequate.

Not much else of the interior is compatible really (or worth swapping).

Other random stuff is compatible but I don't know if I'd need to or want to swap it, like:
- Driveshaft
- Rear control arms (aftermarket lowers and newer stock uppers)
- Certain front upper body bushings which I think are missing from the Roadmaster (as with a real SS), but this might be a rust fest to remove

I would have to invest in tuning software as it is a 96.

I see more trim coming off on the bumpers. Maybe I'd need to add sun damage to the list of concerns (paint, other trim and interior), but that can be pretty easily checked at least.

I don't mind reattaching some gray rubber trim. But interior sun damage or paint sun damage is not really acceptable.

With southern cars, you're going to risk having sun damage in exchange for no risk of rust. If it was parked outside for all those years, it probably has some fading or sun damage.

Did you contact the seller?

I guess I should have qualified that "some" damage is ok. Hell my Caprice had damage the day I bought it in 2001, and it's still there (mostly interior upholstery). However, the clear coat on all upward facing surfaces cannot be destroyed. The interior seemed OK from the pictures anyway. A little bit of fading on the bumpers is something I can reasonably pursue myself.

Did not contact. Still not sure how serious I am about everything that can follow initial contact.

It's parked out by the road so I can always drive by if I end up taking the Elise out for a drive on the weekend.

I'd like that if it works out. If it seems exceptional I might have to take this seriously. Aside from selling the Ranger, the fact that I have even 5 cars I think was supposed to be temporary. Not a transient up to 6 and back down to 5. That could be an issue. This time the sales pitch would be that the plan is to eventually dispose of the Caprice. That's a tall order.

A really clean Roadmaster SS (or I suppose it would be a Roadmaster GS) appeals to me, because I have all the parts already (on another car). It is important to me to get something in very good condition, if I want to relive the magic of my 93 ownership. Starting over with a low mile, clean example, brought up to my ride/handling standards will likely satisfy for years, given how long I've had my Caprice. And this is going to be faster and nicer than my Caprice ever was.

Emotionally, the best I can do is know that the spirit lives on in all the parts swapped over.

I also really like the Fleetwood FTS concept except there is a little less parts compatibility, namely the axle/rear disc brakes. Price wise that option is going to cost more, too. So the Roadmaster GS seems to be the optimal solution if I want to do another B-body. Which is something I thought I concluded a long time ago in this thread, and then backed away from. I also like the RMS, with its cross of Caprice and Fleetwood styling. It is also by far the most likely B/D-body to be both affordable and in great condition.

I agree on the RMS being the most likely to find a clean example of for a reasonable price. The Fleetwoods seem to be going up: http://hickory.craigslist.org/cto/5975142921.html Love those wheels though!

Damn. I like that a lot. Detailed to perfection to fetch top dollar, as I would do. Those are chrome versions of the wheels mine had. That interior color is way better than the blue mine was.