This 1948 Buick has been heavily modified. We believe this build was performed in the early 1980’s. The body on this car is exceptional as far as rust, the frame, body mounts and rockers are rust free. The car is very straight with the exception of the lower front valance, that has several dents, that can be seen in the pictures. The only place on the undercarriage that shows any metal work at all is the trunk pan itself. The whole flat of the trunk area has been replaced with one piece of steel. We believe this was done to accomplish its very low stance and it also appears to have a more modern gas tank. The rest of the body shows several bubbles and light rust, where the custom body work had occurred, such as bumper mounts in the front, the bottom of the headlights and a couple areas on the skirts. The body, fenders, doors, hood, trunk and so on are very rust free. The paint work, which is very dated, has some cracks and adhesion problems. The rear glass is shattered and we’re not sure if this was intentional or not. The shop that did the work was definitely a very capable custom shop with some very talented builders. The top has been chopped between 3 ½” to 5”. The handless, solenoid pop doors add to the smooth sleekness of this custom ride. 102 louvers were added to the already custom appearing hood that, from the factory, opens from both sides. The headlights have been Frenched in, as well as the antenna and both bumpers. The rear taillights were replaced with a custom round 4 taillight design which gives a very sleek and sporty appearance to an already outrageous body style. All four windows have been converted too electric and operate very well. The interior is dated but still respectable with the exception of the Masonite door panels, which need to be covered (see pics).
The car starts up right away and runs excellent. The engine is a Fireball 320 cu. in. straight 8 that has a very unique retro appearance. It currently runs a Dynaflow transmission, which does function but needs to be rebuilt. The car moves once the pressure has been built but the power from the engine is not able to transfer from the transmission to the wheels due to the slushy transmission. It goes down the road smooth, it does have an operating brake system but the brakes need to be gone through before the car is truly roadworthy because it pulls during hard braking. Bear in mind this car had been in dry storage since the late 90's.
This car has basically unlimited potential. Although it’s a much older build, with many of the key elements that have become popular today. The car can definitely be enjoyed the way it is, after rebuilding the dynaflow transmission. Our plan when we purchased this car was to bring the build into today’s technology. Complete with disc-brakes, LS power, vintage air, leather interior and air-ride suspension. This would make a dynamite pro-touring car that would be a stand out, among stand outs, with two-tone paint and modern mechanical upgrades. The stance and attitude of this car already carry a six-figure look... Feel free to give Investment Quality a call at (779) 552-8766 or visit IQCCA.com