1970 Buick Electra 225 Custom
Classic Convertible
A Family and a Car
by,
Mark and Patricia Monaghan
I have owned this Buick convertible since August, 1977, and I am the second owner. I traded a 1969 Buick LeSabre convertible
from New
Jersey that had no floorboards (my first car) for the 1970.
Naturally, I had to complete the necessary repairs to the LeSabre before accepting the 1970 Electra.
Our 1970
Electra convertible was built in Flint, Michigan, VIN 48467OH250306,
and was delivered to Wilkie Buick on Broad Street
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Buick was purchased for $4,802.00 by the late-Dr. Rholo Ardizone, a well-known
plastic surgeon, for his wife, carrying Pennsylvania registration
X38848. The car was chauffeured, but little money was spent for major upkeep. Several years before I acquired the car, it was hit in the right quarter panel, and
a large block of “Bondo” was used to fill the damage in; and the car was repainted a dark blue.
I drove
the Buick in my junior and senior years of high school (PA reg. 3E3-354) racing to many fires as a volunteer for Lamott Fire
Company in Cheltenham, PA. During my second semester of my freshman year of college, I brought the car to Florida on the Auto Train; and after that it faithfully shuttled me
to, from, and around college. The car was repainted “Corvette white”
in 1978 and was again made presentable, and in 1980 was registered and approved by the State Police as a Pennsylvania “Classic
Car”, NR: 23602. In Jacksonville,
the engine was overhauled and rebuilt, replacing a cracked piston in 1979. Throughout
my years in Jacksonville, I was a regular at the many “serve
yourself” junkyards, and replaced the right door, and the rear bumper. I
attended my first AACA car show in the Golden Isles with my long-time college friend Bob Bryant in 1981. He and I had spent hours repairing fenders, and repainting the doors.
To my surprise I won third place.
When my
wife Patricia and I were married in May 1982, our Buick became our daily driver as we started our new life as a Navy Ensign
and Navy wife. We patiently waited for the day that we could take the Buick off of the road and restore it, but until then,
we could only afford to replace the aging convertible top, and repair the splitting seats. In Newport, Rhode Island, while I attended Surface Warfare
Officer’s School, my wife would take the car to work. With streets that
were laid in the 19th century, and with cars parked on both sides, my wife would pull as far to the right as she
could, close her eyes, and hope that the other car could get by her.
When we
purchased a 1983 AMC Concord station wagon, the Buick could be repainted again and retired from regular service. Now was the time for some needed restoration. With a bit of
luck, we found two new fenders, a trunk lid, and a right quarter panel in a Detroit
warehouse. We contracted James Gregg of Classic Coachworks in Norfolk
to replace the rusted panels and a rusted-out trunk floor. It was at this point
that we discovered the huge block of “Bondo” in our right quarter panel.
After the panel was cut off, Mr. Gregg hit the panel with a sledgehammer, and the “Bondo”-block fell out,
much to our amazement.
Upon receiving
orders ashore, the Buick received it’s first garage-home in North Brookfield,
Massachusetts. It was a busy time,
teaching NROTC, attending numerous car shows, as well as replacing the carpeting and repairing and sewing the door panels
in our basement. Sea duty found us back in Jacksonville
with our second new house. While I was away escorting U.S.
flag-tankers in the Arabian Gulf, my wife and my uncle brought the car down to move in. As Patricia backed the car in, most of the hood was left sticking out into the driveway,
even though the rear was up against the wall! Aghast, and furious with our builders,
Patricia stormed over to the sales office and demanded that they do something about our under-sized garage. They seemed perplexed, but Patricia told them to make the space up by moving the wall of our walk-in closet. With two men armed with sledges, our walk-in closet became just a big closet, and
the Buick slid back into it’s new home. So much for builder’s plans
and a “21-foot garage”.
There
was little time for car shows, and my transfer to Norfolk kept me away, until shore duty in
Washington, DC. From our new home base in Burtonsville, Maryland, I was able to make up for a lot of inaction over those next 3 years. It was here that our Buick took two second-place trophies at the prestigious Rose Hill Manor Show in Harford, Maryland, and the Francis Scott Key AACA Show in Fredrick, Maryland. Patricia would surprise our neighbors by emerging from the garage covered in oil and grease from the installation
of a new oil pan gasket, and walk over to talk with them while they sun-bathed.
After
being stored in Philadelphia for 2 years while we were “wetted” in Seattle, we returned to find that mothballs, desiccant, and charcoal really does a great
job in preserving a car in storage. Now we have found our way back to Norfolk, where we spent a great deal of time searching for a “garage
with a house attached”, big enough to fit our 20’ 9” cruiser. There
were 3 in Virginia Beach.
The realtors must have thought that we were crazy, as we would skip the house and pace out the garage before looking
any further. Last year, the Buick won 1st
Place at the Tidewater Trans Am Show, and then after 15 years in AACA, we finally joined the Tidewater
AACA. Our last major work before the spring of 1999, was to have the convertible
top replaced, and then to install the hydraulic system ourselves. Our Buick is
a veteran of 34 car shows, and has been awarded 10 place-awards. I have learned
a lot from our many restoration efforts, and from our many new and old friends, giving us the knowledge and fortitude to restore
not only our Buick, but our 1989 Crown Victoria Station Wagon instead of buying a new-miniature car. See you on the weekend road!
