Inventory Listing

389 miles on frame-off restoration, all new wood, one-year-only Kasmier Green, new green leather interior. Everything works and it is equipped with 3.90 gears for better highway cruising.

To answer your first question, most of the wood is new, created by craftsmen who specialize in just this kind of work and duplicating the Ionia workers’ specifications exactly. You’ll note that the fit and finish is easily as good as new, perhaps even better, and all four doors open and close with ease, regardless of the weather. When it was all sanded smooth and fully assembled, it was then treated to multiple coats of varnish to give it a beautiful shine and a honey-colored glow that’s a big part of the woody’s appeal.  The rest of the exterior was likewise restored at the same time using all the original sheetmetal, which was, of course, unique to the wagons. Covered in one-year-only color called Kasmier Green, it has a wonderful period look that’s sophisticated and elegant and lets the wood do all the talking. And yes, as a Buick, chrome and stainless trim plays a big part, and we would estimate that there’s easily $25,000 worth of shiny stuff on this woody.

Green leather covers both front and rear seats and the simple pattern means easy maintenance and great durability, surely considerations for the original buyer. Handsome pleated door panels are accentuated by chrome accents and body-colored garnish moldings that wrap into the dashboard. The Sonomatic AM radio is perched up high and also remains fully functional with a roof-mounted antenna that swivels into position with the turn of a knob. Controls for the lights, heater, and defroster are arrayed on either side of the beautifully chromed speaker grille, as was Buick’s tradition for many years. And yes, this car retains Buick’s traditional pedal-mounted starter system: simply turn the key and press the accelerator to the floor and the purring straight-8 springs to life. The driver’s seat shows some very, very minor signs of use, but the remainder of the interior is in virtually new condition, including the cargo bay that is fully carpeted and features a full-sized spare stashed in a compartment underneath.

A 263 cubic inch straight-8 provides smooth, unobtrusive power and while it’s not a rocket ship, it provides performance on par with the car’s intended mission. The engine is fully rebuilt and the engine bay is beautifully detailed, with proper corporate turquoise engine paint, reproduction decals, and an oil bath air cleaner atop the original 2-barrel carburetor. The wiring harness is new and uses correctly coded cloth wires, it still uses its original 6-volt electrical system with a heavy-duty Optima battery, and the beefy radiator never seems to sweat. It starts easily and idles smoothly, even on the choke, and there’s a pleasant eight-cylinder burble from the reproduction exhaust system. And there’s no need to worry about driving your new Super station wagon, as the Dynaflow transmission, torque tube, and rear end have been restored and serviced and are ready to go. There are slightly lower 3.90 gears out back, which makes this wagon a very good highway car that will loaf along at 60 MPH without working very hard. The chassis is spotless, fully restored using new hardware, a freshly sealed gas tank, rebuilt brakes, and fresh 7.60-15 BFGoodrich wide whitewall tires on original steel wheels and hubcaps.

Woodies are still red hot, and this car would absolutely impossible to duplicate at twice the price. The restoration was conducted by a Buick expert and aside from some very minor signs of use, it could be ready for the show field with a weekend’s worth of detailing.