Willie the Wonder Whale

So.....

On a Saturday early evening.....  I watched a recorded program of Jay Leno's Garage.
It was the one where a Comedian friend of his brought his Roadmaster Wagon
to race against Jay's 56 Big Block Buick......

Cutting to the chase.....  following the race portion, they showed the factory
promotional commercials of the time. They talked about its towing abilities,
and the mileage, along with the many amenities.  A friend of mine had a Chevy
version of this model, and I had loved the look. Being a dedicated Ford guy,
a Chevy was NOT in my future.....  BUT....!!!!!  A Buick.....  WAS a possibility.
(yeah I know.... it's still GM...!!!)

I went looking on Craigs List a bit after that, curious what the wagons were selling for.
Wow...!!!!  They were damned reasonable.....  and.....  there was one nearby (190 miles)
and it was Cheap......  160,000 miles, Original Owner Car, Tow Package, Leather,
Owner had turned 91, did not renew his drivers license, and handed it over to his nephew
to sell. It had been smogged, and he had paid the next years license fees.

When I called, 8:40 at night I told the nephew that I was interested... would have
a friend drive me there, with a pocket full of cash.  The condition was that I would call
him as early as was acceptable to him....  and further.....  that once we talked the car
WOULD be for sale when I arrived....!!!!

I called, told him we were leaving in an hour, and wanted to be sure we agreed the
car would wait for me to see it....... YES...!!!!!

A pleasant drive to Sacramento, arrived, car was there.....  and pretty nice.
Headliner was separated in a couple of places, rear window gas shocks dead,
tiny dent in right front fender, tow package, brake controller installed,
leather, and on and on.....

Original window sticker, and NO keyless remotes, nephew could not find them. Oh well..!!
Struck the deal, got the title, and away we go.......

Stopped, had lunch, checked fluids, filled tank.....  and headed for home.

Great ride, much firmer than I expected from a 4,500 pound beast.

No issues.....  comfortable, smooth, no rattles, quiet.....  neat....!!!!!

cont. next page.......

The above was Sunday, and I had plans to leave for Portland 699 miles
on Tuesday, for the Swap Meet at Portland International Raceways.

Made lists of what to take, pulled four large storage containers off parts,
1940 Ford rarities, 2 EZ Ups, dogs food, (they're tiny) and a trailer hitch.
I had to pickup a Mullins trailer in Salem, on the way.

Tuesday, dogs loaded, stuff loaded, and away we go.
That Wagon Rocked.....!!!!  19 MPG Loaded.....

Picked up the trailer, and blasted through to Portland.

Sold the Mullins, and more
Had a ball...!!!!!

Left Sunday, visited World of Speed Museum, a great place.
Monday morning met a guy 65 miles away (pre planned)
bought a FORD 72 Ranchero 429 C6 Life is good.
I'll fly back to pick that up in 3 weeks.

As I start to leave the place where I met the Ranchero seller,
Willie's starter commits suicide. O'Reilleys Auto Parts is right
across the street, I go over there, ask for a local reputable
repair shop where I can get the starter replaced, they hook me
up to a Mobile guy, he arrives 40 minutes later, 2 hours,
and $245 later, I'm on my way.

Cruise 40 miles south, to Molalla, rent a U Haul trailer, and load
a freshly finished  air bagged, Mustang front suspension, Quick Change
rear end, rolling chassis to bring back home for a friend.

And....  roll back to Gilroy Ca.  

No excitement, except to learn hauling 4,000 pounds
costs 11.2 MPG.....

Hauls like a trooper, good power on hills, brakes better than
expected, and comfortable.......

Willie IS a Wonder Wagon...

YES... I Love this car.......

Lastly, I get home, find LongRoof Forum....
Spend hours learning from ALL of you.

Find out where to get my gas strut window shocks.
Learn how to fix my AC problems, message Fred,
he is sending Remotes for my keyless entry.

Thank You ALL for your knowledge, you guys
are an amazing knowledge base.

Oh....!!!!! 1993 TBI car, Tan color and interior.

Pictures.......we like pictures!

Welcome to the pod.

Nice write up,welcome to the group.

dmg4 wrote:

Pictures.......we like pictures!

Welcome to the pod.

$245 Starter The Dalles Oregon



Trailer on, Rolling Chassis loaded, quick load check 20 miles from start.



Home 14 Hours later

Not enough room in Trailer..!!! Did not help tongue weight at all...!!!
Although I had enough, it would only be happy at around 63 MPH MAX...!!!!
I would have preferred 75, just for a safety cushion.

63? Im guessing you heard a few horns,and got the look a few times? Lol...

Welcome! Glad that wagon found a good home, and that another whale is being saved. These are GREAT cars! Like the pics, and again, WELCOME!

-Texas Mike

Catching up on the Wagon Trail.

Sometime in June or July of 2018, I saw a really
Pretty White 95 RMW right here in Longroof Forum.

It had SS wheels, which I really liked, and it was a
Tow Pack Car. The Ad had been first listed in December
2017....  Then in May of 2018 (30 days after I had been
an Owner) he reduced the price to a level I simply could
NOT Pass up...!!  I messaged him and it was STILL For Sale.

After several messages, he finally called me and I gave him
EXACTLY the asking price..!!!! (it was so low, I could NOT
make an Offer)

I had it hauled to my house (he didn't think it should be driven)

It ran Perfectly....  

Sold the 93 after making sure the 95 was a Happy car....

Loaded the car, hooked up the Trailer and headed to
Hot August Nights, then, onto Bonneville for Speed Week.

Across Nevada on the straight roads with no Traffic,
opened it up and let it fly...... 108 MPH when it hit the
Limiter, and set it back to 106 MPH GPS

Let it idle several hours during the day with the AC
running full tilt to keep the dogs cool on the Flats.

Wonderful Trip.....  and YES, I AM an RMW Nut now.

(I will put some pics in here when I remember how to do it)
AND post the next chapter of my RMW Story

Great story,love the Bonneville pic!