All balsa wood construction scratch built 1959 Cadillac coupe from November of 1975.

 Here is a model that I have not paid any attention to for years and years. To tell you the truth, I kind of forgot that I still have this thing. It is kept in a really dark and secluded spot in my hobby room. It dates all the way back to the same year I got my 5 speed Schwinn Corvette bicycle, only in the fall of that year, right before I turned 18.

Series sixty-two 1959 Cadillac coupe is a scratch built model that I made in November of 1975 entirely out of hand shaped balsa wood, except of course for the window "glass". I was a senior in high school when I made this. I did it because at the time, there were no model kits of this car available, and I wanted one. Plus the fact by that time, 1959 Cadillacs were considered to be just old junk, and not worth anything by the general public. So I drew up plans for it, based on some pictures of a 1959 Cadillac that was sitting in front of the Goodwill building on N. Plum Street in Lancaster, and a coupe picture I found in a magazine. When I was done with it, I took it in to my high school, and showed it to my industrial arts teacher, and he really thought it was neat. It is approximately 1/22 scale, about 10 + inches long.

Jim.

1975 Buick Electra 225 Custom Landau Coupe, coming of age at last: Revisited!

Post Script; I no longer own this car. I sold it today, December 3, 2021. A new owner is taking it to Northern North Carolina as I type this, ending 36 years of ownership. This post will remain as a dedication to this car and my late father who originally bought it in 1982. RIP.

Or let's call this post, "Everything you always wanted to see in a 1975 Buick Electra 225 Custom Landau Coupe, but were afraid to ask!"

I finally was able to pull out my 1975 Buick Electra 225 coupe out a week ago to do a digital picture shoot of the car, finally. I took almost one hundred pictures of the subject at hand.

I have posted less than half of them here, for now. I will probably add more as I get the time to edit the images. Remember, now, this is an all original paint, meaning it is still wearing it's original GM factory applied paint. As such, there are chips, scratches and some small minor dents in the body of this car, but NO rust, or rust out at all. The interior is still all original, complete with about 10 years of wear and tear, until I pulled the car out of circulation in 1985. In other words, you are looking at a preserved 10 year old car, here, even though that vehicle is 38 years old as of this posting, now.

The 1975 Buick Electra's front end design in my opinion is just plain old majestic, and elegant. No plastic was used in the making of that grille at all. It is all metal. Chrome plated "Pot metal", if you will. I made the "1975" licence tag, myself by painting a tag blank black, and attaching brass house numbers to it that I bought from a hardware store in the mid 1980's

1975 was the first year for rectangular sealed beam dual headlights, in the full size Buick series. They were only available in the Electra line that year. LeSabres for 1975 still had the traditional round sealed beam dual headlights, yet. In 1976, the LeSabre received rectangular lights as well. Parking lights are mounted in the ends of the front bumper. In 1976, these would be moved out of the bumper to just below the headlamps, above the bumper.

Big 455 cubic inch V-8 engine was the biggest engine that Buick ever built. The only GM passenger car engine that was bigger was Cadillac's, That V-8 engine was 500 cubic inches. The big A/C system was problematic, to say the least in these cars. They were always springing leaks, losing the R-12 "freon" that they used, the compressors would seize up, and or burn out their clutches, etcetera, addendum. As such, the A/C system in this car is not in working order, right now. It is still complete, and intact, and could be rebuilt with new seals and converted to 21st century R-134 tech to make it work, and to work more efficiently.

Brushed aluminum speedometer face with black numerals lights up very bright at night as opposed to a more traditional black faced white numeral speedometer face. Buick coat of arms shield mounted in the center of the steering wheel, as well. The green, yellow and red gauge on the right side of the speedometer is a "fuel usage" gauge. Basically all it does, is it tells you how far you are pushing the gas pedal down. with me, it was always in the red, saying that I'm wasting gas. The big 455 inch V-8 engine under the hood, even in it's 1975 detuned state was still a gas hog, regardless on how hard or soft you pushed the accelerator pedal to move the 5,000 pound automobile.

 Automatic Climate Control A/C and heater systems was designed to keep you comfy during all times of the year in all climates. Headlight switch and windshield wiper with delay controls are visible here in this picture, below the driver's side outboard A/C dashboard vent.

 Buick coat of arms shield theme carried over to the trunk lock cover, as well.

 Basic dash controls shown here. Notice the HUGE  A/C dash vents.

Early stereo  four speaker AM/FM radio, for the time put out a decent sound. By today's standard, though, the sound is kind of tinny. Not much bass, compared to 21st century automotive sound systems. But it still works great.

"B U I C K" spelled out in individual chrome plated pot metal letters across the front of the grille header panel below the very dignified Buick coat of arms shield header panel ornament. Each letter is individually held in place with stamped sheet metal nuts that are threaded onto the integral molded on studs that are on the back of each letter. No "peal and stick on" letters, here, folks! this is the best you were able get in Buick for 1975.

 Fenderskirts really dress up this car, and give it alot of aristocratic dignity and class.

Side swipe damage from 1982 is evident in this driver's side shot of the whole car, as you can see the screws my dad put through the moldings to keep them from falling off the car after it got hit.

The interior armrests have cracked from 10 years of use, as you can see from the tape at the bottom left of the picture.

Mechanical digital "chronograph" type clock still works above the "Electra 225" script on the genuine fake wood grained plastic dashboard panel.

 Dashboard in this car seems like it is a mile wide compared to the cars that are built, today.

The 1975 Buick Electra 225  was a very elegant and aristocratically styled automobile, in my humble opinion.

 Bright metal trim was still in use profusely on the interiors of these cars, yet in the mid 1970's, as this picture of the passenger side interior door panel and armrest shows.

 1975 Buick Electra meets 1994 and 1992 Buick Park Avenues, respectively.

Period correct PA licence plate, although it is not registered, showing what tag you would have been issued for your new Buick from the dealer in 1975-1976 in Pennsylvania.

Massive 1975 grille is all metal on these cars. No plastic was used in these at all. This grille design was unique to the 1975 model year, only. The 1976 Electra had a smaller chrome plated rectangular plastic grille with the parking lights moved up from the bumper corners to right below the dual rectangular headlamps, above the bumper. This necessitated the shorter grille, for 1976, as the parking lights now occupied the space that the '75 grille end extensions originally occupied, making the 1976 Electra grille less elegant than the '75's.

"Egg crate" theme used on the long taillights was a bring back design from the 1969 Buick Electra, as this year had the same basic design for their taillights, as well. The '69's were three grids high, whereas the '75-'76's were 2 grids high.

The car was very lightly sideswiped while it was parked along the street in 1982 shortly after my dad had bought it. You can still see one of the sheet metal screws used to reattach the bump molding above the driver's side fender skirt, as well as the long parallel scratch in between the skirt and the molding. I tried to buff the scratch out, but it was just too deep, even though it was not the whole way through the paint, there.

Optional Buick crested side corning lights at the front ends of the front fenders. Also optional fender corner top turnsignal headlight indicator lights are visible in this image.  Manually retractable antenna on the right fender (left side of image above the "portholes") was a dealer install for  installing  a CB radio, which as you can remember, those of you who were alive during the 1970's, was a bit of a national craze, back then.

Buick coat of arms shield theme is carried on from the steering wheel to the header panel ornament, to the trunk deck lid lock cover, to the wheelcover centers, shown in this picture.

 They just don't build them this big, anymore!

As you can see, this car is really a wonderfully rust free vehicle, as it does not even have the so typical rustout bubbles at the bottom of the landau top chrome vinyl top divider molding and the top of the quarter panel. 1970's GM cars with vinyl tops were notorious for rusting out in very short order, here when kept outside, continuously. This car was garaged almost from the time it was brand new until now. It was only parked outside in the weather during the time my dad owned it from 1982 to early 1985 when I bought it from him.

 "B U I C K" script on right corner trunk  deck lid edge, above the end of the taillight, inboard of the vertical backup lights in the vertical ends of the bumper. A neat thing about these, is while you are driving at night, these light up red as taillight, "outrigger" lights, if you will. But when you put it in reverse, they turn white, and put out quite a bit of light to let you see where you are backing at night, quite well.

 At 234 inches (19 feet, 6 inches) this car was the longest production Buick passenger car that was built. It was even longer than the Cadillac deVille series that was built during that same time period. And HEAVY! These cars had a curb weight in excess of 5,000 pounds, making it also one of the heaviest regular production GM passenger cars ever built. Not counting wagons, or factory built Cadillac Fleetwood limousines.

 The 1975-1976 full size Buicks were the last of their kind to be built. Starting in 1977, they would start to downsizing these cars. Never again would Buick build a car this big.

 Driver's side view of car.

Full size Buicks still wore rectangular versions of their famous"portholes", '"ventiports", as to what Buick called them in 1975. Electra's always had four on their front fenders. LeSabres had three.

Replacement period correct standard Electra specific wheelcovers that I found at the big Carlisle, PA big spring meet, two weeks ago, are like the wheelcovers that my first 1975 Buick Electra had when I bought it as a three year old car in December of 1978. See my original post about this car about that first Buick on the link I will apply later right here.  Link;

http://jayveejayaresjunk.blogspot.com/2012/08/1975-buick-electra-225-custom-landau_1.html

Jim.

Jo-Han's 1965 Cadillac scale model, A miniature masterpiece of an automotive masterpiece!

I have always admired the styling of the 1965 Cadillac ever since it was introduced in October of 1964 as a seven year old boy. Back then, I asked my dad if he could buy me a toy model of the thing, but money was tight, and he either could not, or he would not. I knew that they made already built up promotional models in 1/25 scale plastic, and that is what I wanted more than anything, but to no avail at that time. I was too young to know how to build model kits at that time, so that was out of the question, too. My dad did get me a Japanese tin litho friction toy of a gold 1966 de Ville the following year, but the detail was not there, and I did not like it. I ended up trashing the toy.

I was finally able to get a Jo-Han annual model kit with my allowance money in the fall of 1966 of the redesigned again 1967 Cadillac Coupe de Ville at my local hobby shop, "Smitty's Hobbies" in the Manor Shopping Center in Lancaster, PA. That shop is long gone, now. I still really wanted the 1965, though.

As I grew into a teenager in the early to mid 1970's I started building and collecting model cars and kits of cars, thereof in earnest. Model kit companies started to re issue models and kits from the 1950's and 1960's of all different kinds of cars. Then Jo-Han Models got into the act in around 1974 with their re-issues of some of their stuff from the early '60's through the early 1970's in their "USA Oldies series line, which included their re-issue of their 1964 Cadillac coupe and convertible kits. A year off, but close.

At the time, I was going 1959 Cadillac crazy, and I had my driver's licence, and I had a chance to buy a REAL 1959 Caddy, but my dad would not let me, so I wrote to Jo-Han Models and asked them if they would re-issue their plastic model they did of their '59 Cadillac. Their response was that they sent me a comprehensive survey, asking me, as a collector, what models that I would be interested in seeing re-issued. That survey list had EVERY car model that they ever  made, going all the way back to 1955, and all the way up to the then new for 1977 model year cars. I was very excited to say the least.

That survey list included the 1965 Cadillac, and of course, I checked that one off, along with about half the cars they had listed there, including a 1956 De Soto Fireflite 4 door sedan, as well as others. The result of that survey was the formation of Ex-el Products, a division of Jo-Han Models. That company proceeded to re-issue their old dealer promotional models in a choice of different colors, in the amount of four different cars at a time in very limited quantities. I was  hoping they would re issue the 1965 Cadillac, but that never happened. So I put it out of my mind....

 That is, until 1983. That was the year I was able to fulfill my dream of buying, owning and driving a 1965 Cadillac. It was a very weather worn Hampton Blue Metallic Calais 2 door hardtop that I bought for $500.00, fixed it up, and had repainted in the original color. I had already started going to car shows and swap meets, looking for nice parts for this car. I  thought, why not look for original promotional models and/or kits of '65 Cadillacs, there. In the spring of 1984, at the big Carlisle meet, I found my first one. an old scratched up blue plastic one with a friction motor, but it was intact. I paid $35.00 for it.

 In the fall of '84, I went to the big Hershey AACA car show, and swap meet. There, I found at a vendor called "Grandpa's Attic", an off white, mint, still boxed 1965 Cadillac Coupe de Ville in absolutely perfect shape. That is the very model you see in these pictures here, right now. When I got it home, I tore it completely apart, spray painted it light metallic blue, and super detail painted the body and interior.

I had my real 1965 Cadillac for almost 25  years, and I enjoyed owning it very much,(We used it in our wedding in 1989) and once I was able to afford to buy my REAL dream car, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air sport sedan, I sold the Cadillac to make room for the Chevy.

I still own this 1/25 scale Jo-Han model that I did up of my car, today, as it is one of my favorite models that I have in my collection.

In my opinion, of all the subsequent models that have been issued of this car by different companies, this Jo-Han model stands out as the most accurate in scale proportions, and the nicest in appearance.

In around 2008, I was finally able to fulfill my childhood dream of finding the original annual 1965 Cadillac model kit issued by Jo-Han models in 1964. It is only missing one stock clear red taillight insert and the custom clear red taillight inserts.But otherwise, it is all there, and in good buildable condition. A not too common kit that I found on eBay . Since these were only issued during the original model year run in 1964-'65, these kits and dealer promo models can command some crazy prices, as they are in high demand, today, where they are found in decent condition.

Jim.