My new Roady. Wood is GOOD!!

Wood is GOOD!
 
I really missed having a wagon with WOOD on the sides, it just didn't seem right, and I could not say all my Woody jokes!
 
And....I missed having a wagon with a Corvette-based LT1 engine...which this also has! Ha! Zoommm!  I just could not get over my wife running off and leaving me in the Denali that evening...    
 
The wire wheels and white-walls have to go, but other than that, this sucker is really CLEAN!
 
So here's the rundown on my new baby.  1995 Roadmaster Estate Wagon, white over maroon leather (base non-Limited).   Been in the Dallas area all it's life, and always garaged..no rust ever, and no accidents.   Buying from the second owner, who has had it for 20K miles.  He bought it from the wife of the original owner, who sadly got alzheimer's (sp) and could no longer drive.   They were members of the sellers church.  
 
Car has the original snap-down floor mats, none of the door panels are cracked, and still has plastic on the 3rd row seat...never been sat on!  
 
It's a non-tow-pack car, so I'm going to finally see what all the fuss is about regarding electric engine fans.   Also hope to swap what I'm sure is a TALL non-posi rear axle for something shorter soon to wake it up.   And of course, as mentioned, the car has Impala wheels in it's future.
 
The seller is a really nice guy, and was very up front with the few issues the car does have.   He said the paint on the car is nearly perfect.  There is a small scuff on the lower rear bumper.   The woodgrain is flawless, but the trim around it is peeling some.  
 
I want to polish the woodgrain outline trim.   Folks please send me all the tips you can on this!
 
For other issues, the Pass-Key and Airbag lights are on.  He said the car had an issue with not starting right after he got it, and when he got it back from being fixed, these two lights were on...will have to sort that out....   Also, he said the previous owner never sat in the back so the rear windows were never used..they just used theclimate control.   When he bought the car he put the rear windows down for the first time and they "fell off the tracks" (ha! we know what that is!).  He said they go down fine, but you have to help them go up straight.  He knocked $100 off the price for this issue...and I'll be buying HELP rollers after work tonight...I'm getting good at doing these...haha.
 
It's also missing the chrome sliding rain on the roof-rack...what's up with that?   The seller had no idea anything was missing...it was gone when he bought it.   And he said the black side trim on the driver's quarter panel just came loose.  I may pull it off before the drive home, and then will 3M it back on.
 
It does not have a CD player, and he said the radio works fine, but the tape deck eats tapes (just like my last Roady).   Will hit the salvage yards for a good Buick CD radio this weekend for sure.
 
The only other non-stock change is the seller said he has a steep driveway and the exhaust tips kept scratching, so he took it too a muffler place, had the resonators removed, and the pipes now exit out behind the rear wheels....we'll see what I do regarding that.
 
The seller recently replaced the water pump, but the main reason he's selling it is the transmission went out, and he just had to replace it, and now I think he's worried what's next.   I'm not, as we all the trans life on these is around 100-150K. He said the trans has a warranty on it and only has 100 miles on it since the rebuild.    I'm thrilled to death!   Hahaha!
 
So yeah, it needs some love on the cosmetics here and there, but it sure looks like a nice start for my next project.   I'm going to pick it up after work tomorrow, and will have another long-winded update after the trip I'm sure.
I'm tickled! Got me another woody wagon! Yeah!!
 
-Texas Mike is a Happy Man!
 
We'll call these the "before" pics of my new project!  Man I need some Impala wheels!
 

I'm happy for ya Mike, It sure looks like a nice car.

Mike

I hope it's as good as it seems. Seller seems honest, pics look good. I bought my Custom Cruiser based on pics and the sellers word, and was not dissapointed. Hope that holds true here.

-Mike

"It's also missing the chrome sliding rain on the roof-rack...what's up with that?"

Didn't the later year RMWs have the taller black roof rack rails, no the slim chrome ones?

rh96ss wrote:

"It's also missing the chrome sliding rain on the roof-rack...what's up with that?"

Didn't the later year RMWs have the taller black roof rack rails, no the slim chrome ones?

Doh! I knew that...... I actually have a pair of those in my stash from my last Roady, but I'm going to find a chrome one for the new car.

Congrats, looks like everyone is revolving wagons soon.

If you go back to that yard in Kileen we went to, I know Flash Gumby was wanting some beige interior bits.....

Woo Hoo! Good luck with it, man!

That roady looks real nice . Man I will look to Texas for my next one , Texas has such nice cars there .

You know a roady wgn just doesn't look right with wood on it,.
that'd be such a nice car without the wood,.. 

good for you bud,..glad your happy,.

nick

For the airbag light - check the base of the steering column and see if it's something simple like an unplugged airbag connector. While you're down there, check and see if the passkey connector is unplugged too.

I just repaired the passkey setup in my wagon. Two thin wires come up the column and attach to the outer portion of the lock cylinder. They wear and chafe against the column and one had broken. Very common. I carefully soldered and heat-shrunk it back together and it works fine now. You will need a steering wheel puller, lock plate compressor tool and snap ring pliers to get down to the lock cylinder.

sherlock9c1 wrote:

For the airbag light - check the base of the steering column and see if it's something simple like an unplugged airbag connector.  While you're down there, check and see if the passkey connector is unplugged too.

I just repaired the passkey setup in my wagon.  Two thin wires come up the column and attach to the outer portion of the lock cylinder.  They wear and chafe against the column and one had broken.  Very common.  I carefully soldered and heat-shrunk it back together and it works fine now.  You will need a steering wheel puller, lock plate compressor tool and snap ring pliers to get down to the lock cylinder.

Thanks very much for the info. I hate idiot lights!

Nice, and with the right color interior  

95BRMW wrote:

Nice, and with the right color interior  

Yep I like the maroon a lot on these cars. Seems to be a little less common than the tan or blue. Nice to be different, except when I'm looking for trim in the salvage yards. Ha!

Seller swears the driver's door panel is perfect. I'm looking forward to seeing if that's true, or if it has the usual crack in front of the arm rest pad. We shall see!

Ran the Compnine on it. Nice options, but has the dorky rear axle gearing. Also has the F40 heavy-duty suspension package with wire wheels? Weird!

Vehicle: ROADMASTER ESTATE STA WAG
Year: 1995
Build Date: 1995-03-03



Found 5,675 vehicles matching that year and model in our database.

RPO Description Matches
UH7 CLUSTER,INSTRUMENT(COOLANT TEMPERATURE) COOLANT T/GA(UH7) 5,675
UL0 RADIO AM/FM STEREO, SEEK/SCAN, AUTO REV MUSIC SEARCH CASS, AUTO TONE, CLOCK, ETR. STEREO,AM/FM W/AUTO REV CASSETTE,AUTO TONE(UL0) 5,527
UQ1 RADIO,PROVISIONS FOR STEREO STEREO RDO PR0VISIONS(UQ1) 5,675
UQ3 SPEAKER SYSTEM,PERFORMANCE ENHANCED AUDIO ENHANCED SPKR SYS(UQ3) 5,564
U75 ANTENNA,POWER(CHROME) PWR ANT(EXPORT)(U75) 5,661
VH9 ENVELOPE,OWNER INFORMATION MANUAL OWNER INFO MAN ENV(VH9) 4,986
VK3 LICENSE PLATE,FRONT MOUNTING PACKAGE FRT LIC PLT MTG PKG(VK3) 5,354
VM3 LABEL INFORMATION CONSUMER, CONTAINS BPR IMP STANDARD FOR FRT 5 MPH & RR 5 MPH 5 MPH BUMPER INFO LABEL(VM3) 4,715
V73 VEHICLE STATEMENT - US/CANADA US/CANADA VEHICLE STATEMENT(V73) 5,675
1SE PACKAGE OPTION 05 (1SE) 3,236
1SZ PACKAGE OPTION- (1SZ) 5,669
16U PRIMARY COLOR EXT,PEARL WHITE (16U) 1,933
6TM COMPONENT-COMPUTER SELECTED SUSPENSION SUSP(6TM) 5,673
7TM COMPONET-COMPUTER SELECTED SUSPENSION SUSP(7TM) 5,673
79I INTERIOR TRIM,RUBY RED (79I) 701
792 TRIM COMBINATION LEATHER, RUBY RED (2) (93) (792) 318
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9RN COMPONET-COMPUTER SELECTED SUSPENSION SUSP(9RN) 5,675
AG1 ADJUSTER FRT ST POWER, MULTI-DIRECTIONAL, DRIVER MULTI-DIRECTIONAL PWR D/SEAT ADJR(AG1) 4,719
AG2 ADJUSTER,SEAT,6-WAY POWER,SPLIT BENCH,PASSENGER 6-WAY PWR P/SEAT ADJR(AG2) 5,304
AK5 RESTRAINT SYSTEM,FRONT SEAT,INFLATABLE,DRIVER AND PASSENGER DRIVER & PASS F/SEAT INFL RST SYS(AK5) 5,675
AM6 SEAT,FRONT SPLIT,3 PASSENGER WITH CENTER ARMREST FRT SPLIT ST(AM6) 3,696
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AU0 LOCK CONTROL,REMOTE ENTRY(KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEM) REMOTE ENTRY LK CONT(AU0) 5,387
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B34 COVERING,FLOOR MATS,FRONT,CARPETED INSERT(COLOR COORDINATED) FRT CPT INS FLR MATS(B34) 5,563
B37 COVERING,FLOOR MATS,FRONT AND REAR AUXILIARY FRT/RR AUX FLR MATS(B37) 5,563
C68 AIR CONDITIONER,FRONT,AUTOMATIC,ELECTRONIC CONTROLS A/C AUTO ELEC CONT(C68) 5,563
C90 LAMP,INTERIOR,FRONT AND REAR DOOR COURTESY CTSY & WARN LP(C90) 5,661
DA0 ARM REST,FRONT SEAT,STORAGE F/SEAT STOR A/RST(DA0) 5,563
DE5 MIRROR,OUTSIDE,LH & RH,REMOTE CONTROL,ELECTRIC,DEFOG,FOLDING,PAINTED O/S MIR(DE5) 5,563
DF6 MIRROR I/S R/V TILT, AUTO, DUAL READING LAMPS I/S REAR VIEW TILT(DF6) 5,563
DL5 DECAL ROADSIDE SERVICE INFORMATION ROADSIDE SERVICE INFO DECAL(DL5) 4,003
D64 MIRROR,INSIDE,RH VISOR VANITY,ILLUMINATED ILLUM S/S MIR(D64) 5,051
D74 MIRROR,INSIDE,LH VISOR VANITY,ILLUMINATED ILLUM S/S MIR(D74) 5,051
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G67 LEVEL CONTROL,AUTO AIR AUTO AIR LVL CONT(G67) 4,717
IQ2 TRIM,INTERIOR DESIGN (IQ2) 3,096
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T87 LAMP,CORNERING COR LP(T87)

Congrats on the new roadie looks incredible

Oooh, 2.56 gears. Should allow you to hit about 187 mph.  

Olds Weighty Eight wrote:

Oooh, 2.56 gears. Should allow you to hit about 187 mph.  

Yep that's pretty tall. HAhaha!

Have never driven one with the infamous 2:56s. Is the daily performance really all that bad? The highway mileage should be great in comparison.

Bill

It's pretty crummy. I can live with the less than stellar off the line performance, but the 3-4 hunting is what really makes them aweful. Highway mileage isn't good because it won't hold 4th gear unless the road is perfectly flat and you`re driving like there`s an eggshell under the accelerator.

jasonlachapelle wrote:

It's pretty crummy.  I can live with the less than stellar off the line performance, but the 3-4 hunting is what really makes them aweful.  Highway mileage isn't good because it won't hold 4th gear unless the road is perfectly flat and you`re driving like there`s an eggshell under the accelerator.

Could that not be programmed out of it?

Bill

Mike,
Congratulations on you new Buick. Did you sell your OCC?
Dick

COL wrote:

Mike,
Congratulations on you new Buick.  Did you sell your OCC?
Dick

Yes he did dick,.
it's a bit confusing following all 5 threads,..

Oooooooh! Burnnnnn!

Lol

My next wagon will have wood. I'm hoping to find an MAB woody unlimited cloth in the next year or two.... Once the marshmallow is done.

Mike...just a heads up (if you haven't driven it yet) Know that your WILL feel that 2.56 rear end gear. I had one before and it is sluggish. So I would save up for some gears as a first mod 3.42s baby!

Congrats on the wagon too!! Looks GREAT! Ruby Red interior is my favorite

Chris

Here's how yesterday came out.....

https://gmlongroof.4umer.com/t8922-dissapointed-in-dallas-yesterday-somewhat-sucked-i-m-wagonless-today#94839