The numbers on the speedo are an over speed warning and the speedo was a ribbon that went across instead of a needle and as I remember changed colour at different speeds!
Much like the 1964 thunderbird almost like a thermometer going across or different from that? I love the 50s and 60s era cars because each brand decided to do things differently. And each brand had their own quirks and features.
That’s an awesome car I made a Facebook page which I’m going to eventually link to the CZcams channel for everyone to show me what rides they had to make a community of car people which will be cool I just haven’t figured out how to make it public so I can have other people share on there without going through me.. if that makes any sense =)
I had a 60 Lesabre, very similar. To start the car, turn ignition to on, then press the gas pedal to the floor. The starter switch was under the gas pedal. Also liked the ribbon speedometer, you could set the speed that you wanted to go and it would buzz if you went over the set point. These Buicks floated down the road, at that time that's what the public wanted.👍👍👍👍👍
I actually own a 1960 Electra base 4 dr. hardtop. Absolutely beautiful. I'm in the process of restoring it to a nice driveable and presentable condition. Just to add to the starting process, you do depress the accelarator and there was a linkeage hooked up to the carberator that closed a set of contacts (to mine understanding) that then allowed the flow of electricity to the starter. Very interesting and neat way to start a vehicle. I am replacing the carb with something more modern and will be replacing that system with just a push button start.
The starter switch should be adjusted so that it operates at half throttle, not full throttle, as flooring it opens the choke, which will cause hard cold-starting.
It was called a mirrormatic speedometer, because the actual speedometer is imbedded in the dash and what you are adjusting is a mirror. Also you may notice 2 dots on car radios of this period. Those are the locations of the emergency broadcast system frequencies in the event of a nuclear attack. This was required of all radios throughout the 1950s and 60s. You have a great CZcams channel.
Sort of the way a teleprompter works especially for the teleprompter used by politicians such as president. The speaker is reading the speech off a mirror rather than the teleprompter itself.
Your welcome.. I’ll be doing a tribute episode soon with my dads first car, I wasn’t around and it’s not his car but one close to it same year just not same color. =)
Yo great vid, I'd love to see a vid on the 59 Buick tho, its my fav model ever! By the way, I believe the numbers next to the Speedometer is the speed limiter which makes a noise when you go faster than your set speed limit.
Loved this episode. My mom drove one of these monsters. My dad, the great convertible lovers, purchased a white on blue/black 225 convertible used from Fred A Carlson Buick Pontiac in Salt Lake City, Originally purchased new by a local pediatrician, it became mom's grocery getter and work commute car for 3 years until we transferred to the Twin Cities. Sadly, it was sold. But no before my oldest brother got his drivers license and I can attest to the fact it would move faster than the top speed indicated of 118 mph. At 17, my idiot brother took out on the salt flats west of Salt Lake and with my in the front punched it up a 100 mph but the convertible top began to rip, He pulled over and put the top down and floored it,. At 122 mph the odometer was still creeping up when he finally ran out of highway and backed off. Unfortunately the 401 nailhead engine had an issue with sticky valves as they needed to be driven and fueled with Ethyl. Great car and great memory.
That was a great story thank you so much for sharing it =) When you were hauling down the road the faster you went did it feel like you were hovering? 88 Lincoln was like that over a certain speed it didn’t feel like I was on the road but hovering above it such a smooth ride
One of my uncles had the 4 door hardtop of one of these cars. He was a mechanic for Whitney Buick in Oregon Illinois. I think Buick brought back the Roadmaster for a while in the 1990s . The car looked like a bathtub turned upside down.
It's good to see you picking up on all those little details that you don't usually notice unless you are there and you see the car in person. I think the grille Buick emblem was designed to give the appearance it was 'floating' or something.
great video, thx! glad a young guy like yourself is enjoying these big ol boats...something we'll never see again. An enduring memory i have from back around 1968 was riding in our Park n Rec activity coordinator's '60 Buick flattop 4door hardtop, and that little external monocle that highlighted the gear for the transmission. my dad was cheap so we only had 3 on the tree cars back then, so this little magnifying glass was amazing to my 7 year old mind. never seen anything like it in any other car in all my many years. Just a cool little detail. Buick's of this time were really different than the rest of the GM lineup, even more unique than the Cadillac...full frame vs X frame, variable pitch torque converter, torque tube, starter switch under the gas pedal, the mirrored instrument cluster, that awesome nailhead. and style for days
Thank you so much for watching about adding that information/story I was born way to late I wish I grew up in the 50’s love that time period style and pastel colors
Awesome =) I personally love the survivors because you can actually use those and not worry about a lot of things there is to worry about with the pristine car
These cars were absolutely beautiful. The ‘61 Buicks were also styling masterpieces - especially the Invicta. I never was a huge fan of the Dynaflow, and the nailhead was a gas guzzler, but damn, these cars looked good.
1960 was such a beautiful year for Buick. I love the ribbed side molding that the Electra 225 has. I don't think a regular Electra got that trim. You say it is hard to decide which set of fins you like best, well, it is alright to like many different sets. I do think that 1960 Buicks did the best job with the fins and the side sculpturing. Just a stunning car. Of course I really like the '58 Rambler Ambassador and it's fins. I could go on as I'm sure you could as well. Thanks for bringing us the 1960 Buick Electra 225.
These cars were beautiful ! I actually liked the '59 design better. Both canted headlights and rear fin design. GM was on a roll with their cars. So beautiful in design.
I think the red cover in the trunk might be a cover for the spare tire. Most nicer $$ cars had a cover for the spare. Also the “Dynaflow” transmission was a Buick exclusive. It differed internally but I don’t remember how, only that shifts were supposed to be imperceptible. Isn’t it interesting that the dashboard controls reflect what was on the public mind year by year. The Buick seems to have “flight controls”. As American cars became very heavy bigger drum brakes were necessary and then on top of that they required fins to minimize, not eliminate, fading. It got to point that drum brakes were as costly to manufacture as discs with none of the advantages.
Thank you so much for the added information =) I looked for footage of 1960 Electra driving around I came across a commercial explaining how the turbine drive automatic transmission work and I was going to use it but I couldn’t get the picture edited right.. so I didn’t include it which was a bummer because I was like adding commercials or vintage reviews of those cars back in the day and there just wasn’t hardly any that I could find on the Electra which was really sad... The way I understood it was that transmission doesn’t shift gears per say it shifts fluid. General Motors made a three turbine transmission that was discontinued in 1959 the one in the Buick Electra is the twin turbine version and what I found was I guess that was the more superior option because you could push start that car if you wanted to whereas with the three turbine you couldn’t. Who knew push starting your car was a selling point.
These late 50s GM cars are awesome, beautiful cars. A 59 Electra Convertible was the first 50s GM car I got to see in person (aside from 55-57 Chevrolets). A few months back I got to explore a 59 Olds and a 60 Coupe DeVille. The 59-60 cars are really some of my absolute favorite cars. I'd love to take an Electra like this out on one of the lovely spring days I've enjoyed lately. Thanks for the great review!
Had me a 73 deuce and a quarter for a spell. It was a well kept one owner. One smooth ride for sure. Nice example of a original that you presented. Keep up the great work and you and yours have a great New Year.🇺🇸
Your posts get better and better! One thing never changes: Your genuine love and enthusiasm for these classics. Brings a smile to my face every time. I am 💯% with you on the black and red! Beautiful Buick time capsule. Thanks for sharing.
Reminds me of one rainy night in early 1968. The back of our house was adjacent to the southbound lanes of I-75 at the 5th Street offramp. One of these hit the angled point of the concrete barrier, and waterfilled plastic barrels did not yet exist. Car hauler tow trucks were not a thing yet either. By the hook of a boom winch, a string of the Buick's remains longer than 225" were dragged, emitting sparks, past our back yard. Believe it was a '59, but there was no way to tell for sure.
I owned a 1960 Invicta Custom 2 door hardtop with bucket seats and console, red interior white exterior, A/C, rear seat heater. A great day fuel mileage was 8-9 mpg. I bought it in 1967 from Bill Murphy Buick in Culver City CA for the astounding price of 500 dollars. Why? It neede a cylinder head (cracked) and a valve job. (the lower end on these were basically bulletproof) Did all the work myself (19 then working in a repair shop) I loved this car. I can truly say that "loved" and I've owned 50 cars over the the 58 1/2 years I've been driving. I sold it 3 years later for 1,500 dollars I knew the owner, he kept it 10 years then sold it, lost the trail then. The olny issue in the time I owned it? The reverse band strut in the transmission fractured (fairly common) back then you could buy a repair kit for 18 dollars, worked well and no need to remove transmission. Still miss this car the most of any I've owned. By the by keeping that grille clean and polished was "interesting" Thanks much for this vid.
I was about 5 years old in 1965 and my Grandparents had a 1959 Buick 4dr hrdtp Red with a White shell top w/ red interior. I thought it was a LeSabre. I font remember. They lived on a few acre Ranch in Mission Valley back then Grandpa would let us kids sit on his lap and steer the car up to the road. Good memory.
Fantastic car - as a child I got to ride in the back seat of our neighbors '59 Pontiac, a car I suspect was very similar (& may have shared some parts with '59 & '60 Buicks?) I remember have absolutlely MASSIVE it seemed to this 5 yr old boy! 😂
These beautiful Cars were on the road when I was a kid. We didn’t live in the wealthy neighborhood. I didn’t see many but You never forget this styling when your a car nut like I was. I would study everything from Hubcaps to headlights, tail lights, grills, and Dashboards. My mom said when I was 3 years old I would tell her so and so was in the store because their car was here. She never believed me until she seen them in the store. She would always ask me how I knew? I said because Peggy’s hubcap has a ding in it. I would always find the details. This amazed them lol
Thanks for another great video, you sure know your stuff! I've always been fascinated with dashboard layouts. Love to see you take on a Citroen DS from it's classic era or any early model of Avanti. Peace!
Curves and creases are really for strength, but Buick damned sure knew where to put them on both. The 1959 is visually more dramatic from every angle, while the 1960 has a more conservatively refined and elegant presence. These and the '65 clamshell Rivera are my all-time favorites. Roadmaster and Century of the 90s are the later favorites. Lacrosse isn't bad either.
I really dig the lines of this car but I don’t know which one I like better I think I like the 59 better I just wish they had a better transmission it’s like it’s Achilles’ heel
My old man had a white '60 225 HT just like this. I loved the body creases, it was like rolling sculpture with the wrap around back glass and the thin pillars. I asked Dad about it years later and he was surprised I remembered it, because he didn't have it that long. Yes it was beautiful, but the Nailhead was a gas guzzler and he didn't like the tranny so when the ball joints went, he sold it to the neighbor. I remember the little magnifying glass for the gear selector, and those numbers @7:02 was a speed minder that buzzed if the MPH were exceeded. Dad used to park it at the end of the driveway because the doors wouldn't lock - were the locks broken - or did he not know that it auto locked with the key in the drivers side door?
An uncle (my father's brother) drove a '60 Electra 225. It was a four-door hardtop that I remember being navy blue. Classy was a good way of describing it. The styling was certainly toned down from '59.
That book said that wasn’t a great Buick... to me 59-60 was close to the top from this era with the only one car higher than it, which is the 1963-1965 Buick Rivera which is/was one of the best cars of the 60s that is underrated.. my opinion tho
If I may mention one of the quirks of these Buicks. You will note that there is no "Start" position on the ignition switch. To start the vehicle you move the key to "On" and press the accelerator pedal. Pressing the accelerator pedal engages the starter. I don't know that it really was any more convenient but it was a bit of a novelty. My mother had 1960 Buick Invicta 4dr hardtop (no "B" pillar). The Invicta was the Lesabre smaller body with the big 401 engine. Even at over two tons that thing could really haul.
Thank you so much for sharing that information I didn’t know about that I knew some nashes did that sort of thing but I didn’t know that Buick offered that feature
Although the DynaFlow automatic transmission had 2 forward gears, it did NOT automatically shift them. The variable ratio was accomplished by the multi-stage torque converter. Technically, this transmission could be considered a CVT. The 'Drive' position was a direct through power flow. When in the "Drive' position, it did not automatically shift into a different gear. 'L' was for engine braking or for a faster getaway. In 'D', the forward and direct clutches were always applied. 'R' also used gear reduction, so the direct clutches and 'L' band were applied.
@@What.its.like. Fluid Drive wouldn't be correct either. Fluid Drive was a semi-automatic transmission that Chrysler used into 1953. It consisted of a fluid coupling(like the GM Hydramatic) and either a 3 or 4-speed manual type transmission. In the high range, depending on the model of transmission, you would start in 3rd and when you got up to speed, you would lift your foot off the gas pedal and a shifter motor would shift it into 4th. The 1953 1/2 fully automatic 2-speed Powerflite replaced the Fluid Drive. The first Buick DynaFlows used a fluid coupling but soon switched to a torque converter with twin turbines. The next upgrade was a variable pitch stator in the torque converter(electrically operated). Then, the final one was re-named the "Flight Pitch" DynaFlow, which had 3 turbines inside the torque converter, like the unsuccessful Chevrolet TurboGlide. This is the transmission in the 1960 Electra 225. In 1963, the "Flight Pitch" DynaFlow was phased out and replaced by the ST300 2-speed fully automatic transmission(Buick's first). In 1964, Buick introduced the ST400(which we know today as the TH400(or 3L80). Cadillac used this transmission after they ran out of HydraMatics. From 1965-1984, Cadillac used the TH400 in it's RWD cars(behind traditional cast iron Cadillca V8s). Oh, the ST transmissions used a conventional torque converter but with the variable pitch stator into the late-60's. With the tall first gears of the ST300 and ST400, the variable stator gave it a little bigger push.
The Gogo's rode around in one of these in their "Our lips are sealed" video. I remember riding in a 62 or 63 back in the 80's. It needed some tlc and wasn't considered worth the expense at the time, but it sure was comfortable.
Hi Jay You told me about this video while looking at the recent video on the 1960 LeSabre, so I decided to take a look back. The 1960 Electra which I dreamed about owning was a white 2 door hardtop, with a blue interior. I can't picture it with thick chrome along the entire side but it did have thick chrome at the side rear.
I believe the thumb-roll numbers on the left side of the mirror for the speedometer is the audible speed-exceed indicator. If you set it for, say, 70 MPH - the buzzer will sound when you go over that speed. Most people found this annoying, except the alcoholics who set it for legal reasons. To them, it kept them out of court.
Those accesses to the engine were just fine for car thieves. Thanks for the redesign later when they get remote access to the engine from the inside of car.
I had as my first car a 1970 Chevy and to access the engine you pulled a lever just behind the grill to open the hood. One night a thief took advantage of that and stole the battery. I later found out that he could have stolen the carburetor if he had had the right tools. I am so glad that nowadays you can’t open most car hoods unless you are inside the car. 😌
greetings from venezuela,, i like the way you display the segments.....,first an original brochure of the era,and explanations of the model in concern,....and also your english is very understandable ,being a foreigner.even with a very good command of english ,,sometimes local diferent english accents ,are hard to catch...thanks .i will keep enjoying your reviews
Thank you so much it means the world I honestly don’t think that I have a good voice and I was really putting off doing the whole CZcams thing because I don’t like the way my voice sounds sometime little bit of a subconscious thing but I’m trying to get better at it I have a speech impediment problem, But trying that comment meant a lot to me thank you so much
Doing a CZcams search for your videos by searching “what’s it like” your site doesn’t come up. Had to search for 1960 Buick Electra 225. If you do mostly car reviews maybe a name more car oriented would give you more views. You have good in depth vintage car reviews.
I know, that’s something I have to work on I think because the channel is so new realistically it’s only six months old I started back in September 2021 I think with time I’m gonna start putting that in as a tag I think overtime it will get there because I think it’s a stellar name, and I don’t really want to change it.. Thank you so much for liking the content =)
There us a film on CZcams called The Facts of Life with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball. Every car is a 1960 Buick. He drives an Electra four door hard top and she drives a LeSabre convertible. A neighbor has a 60 Buick wagon.
Have often wondered why they quit putting speed alert on vehicles. It was a neat feature and maybe because cruise control is so standard these days they don't feel it's necessary.
Yeah I noticed that this morning I’ll message him and see if it’s still available he was trying to sell it for the original owner I just linked the main page to it so there would be a phone number hopefully number is a little bit hard to fine but if you go all the way down to the bottom of the screen it’s right there give them a call they’ll tell you how much it was that one didn’t have a price tag on it so I think it just showed up To be sold everything else is on their website
If you have Facebook here is my what it’s like page send me a message on there I’ll give you the guys phone number facebook.com/107924541676287/posts/158066919995382/?d=n
Oh man of it only had AC. Scary where they put reverse. I think it was standardized in 1961 for all cars to have reverse next to park. Imagine not knowing and pulling the lever all the way down and flooring it, not realizing you're in reverse.
GM didn’t ‘standardize’ until 1965. And amazingly, even within their product lines the shift quadrants varied. For instance, the 1964 Olds 98 still had reverse all of the way down: PNDSLR, while the Cutlass had: PRNDL. I personally preferred the PNDSLR, but the government decided to listen to Nader. Starting in the 60’s, Ford had some issues with cars jumping out of Park. “On June 10, 1980, NHTSA made an initial determination of defect in Ford vehicles with C-3, C-4, C-6, FMX, and JATCO automatic transmissions. The alleged problem with the transmissions is that a safety defect permits them to slip accidentally from park to reverse. As of the date of determination, NHTSA had received 23,000 complaints about Ford transmissions, including reports of 6,000 accidents, 1,710 injuries, and 98 fatalities-primarily the young and old, unable to save themselves-directly attributable to transmission slippage. As detailed below, this defect finding eventually resulted in a pseudo-recall wherein Ford agreed to mail warning labels to 23 million owners of Fords with these transmissions rather than recall them for mechanical repair. The Center for Auto Safety first called NHTSA’s attention to the problem in July 1977, and shortly thereafter NHTSA instituted an investigation into 1966-79 Ford vehicles with C-6 or FMX transmissions.” Now ironically, because of the meddling ways of the Government, along with Nader, cars that slipped out of Park would, by law, be slipping into Reverse, and therefore move away under power. Of course, the actions by Nader, Inc. didn’t cause the design flaw which lead to the Ford’s driving off, but their rationale of having R next to Park demonstrates that ole Nader wasn’t nearly as smart as he would have had you believe.
Awesome =) I wish it was hot here.. The weather has been so crazy here for instance he gets up in the 50s and 60s and then it supposed to snow this weekend and then go back to 60 and70 and it’s been like that for about a month or two now.
@@What.its.like. I live in far NE upstate New York, but I found work in S Florida, I've been here most of the winter. Getting paid and few distractions
What they were saying about the hammered up 60's styling was that once a fender or quarter panel was hit, they were about useless; as far as looing good for resale. The creases and folds of the fenders to be replaced instead of allowing more body work to be done for easy fixes. You bash a quarter panel fin on a 58-62 chevy and you have ruined the car.
the "DYNAFLO TRANSMISSION" was renamed as the "POWERGLIDE TRANSMISSION" ,when you had reverse all the way at the bottom of the gearshift lever, it was the 2 speed "CAST IRON" transmission, with the rear output shaft oil pump, so you could "PUSH START" the car!!!!, the aluminum powerglide transmission had reverse between "PARK/ NEUTRAL" this was done for safety reasons.
@@What.its.like., I share the information that I know, having rebuilt those transmissions of the past, most failures were due to the owner running the transmission out of fluid due to seal leaks, and cooking the band/ clutch packs!!!!
The powerglide was a self shifting two speed automatic, and the dynaflow was two speed also, but had to be manually shifted from low to drive, but in normal driving, low range was not used. Dynaflow also had a variable pitch stator in the torque converter which the powerglide did not.
@@craigcardwell4143 , you could manually shift a powerglide from low to drive , you are correct about the variable pitch torque converter on the dynaflow. you could change the characteristics of a transmission by changing/ modifying the "VALVE BODY"
Critiques like - big - heavy - thirsty - slow - bad mpg / etc have the distorted lens of the future -- cars - fashions - music etc are frozen in their era. At that time - it was rockets and fighter jets. And comfortable smooth ride - and room for a whole family. Cruising highways silently like a magic carpet. The muscle car era changed that. The emissions era changed that - and now the E-era. ( minor mistake - not 4 valve )
When Buicks were Buicks instead of being import wannabes or SUVs as they are today. That transmission is related to the dynaflow and it is not a two-speed. It's actually a one speed. When you put the transmission and drive the high clutch applies and all the multiplication is done by the torque converter not by the gears in the torque converter on a more modern transmission. It was very very smooth it was also very power and fuel consumptive. Not one of Buicks better ideas.
The numbers on the speedo are an over speed warning and the speedo was a ribbon that went across instead of a needle and as I remember changed colour at different speeds!
Much like the 1964 thunderbird almost like a thermometer going across or different from that? I love the 50s and 60s era cars because each brand decided to do things differently. And each brand had their own quirks and features.
Oldsmobile of this period was green 0-35mph, orange 35-70mph, and red above 70mph.
I think Buick was red all the way across.
I have a survivor 1965 Electra 225 4 door hardtop. Looks nearly new, loaded
That’s an awesome car I made a Facebook page which I’m going to eventually link to the CZcams channel for everyone to show me what rides they had to make a community of car people which will be cool I just haven’t figured out how to make it public so I can have other people share on there without going through me.. if that makes any sense =)
1965 to 1968 are my favorite years for Electra 225. Particularly the pillared 4 door sedan. My mom had 1966 2 door hardtop.
Entirely different car than a 60.
I had a 60 Lesabre, very similar. To start the car, turn ignition to on, then press the gas pedal to the floor. The starter switch was under the gas pedal. Also liked the ribbon speedometer, you could set the speed that you wanted to go and it would buzz if you went over the set point. These Buicks floated down the road, at that time that's what the public wanted.👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you so much for that added information! =)
The thumb wheel on the left of the speedometer was the adjustment for the speed limit buzzer
Awesome thank you for that information.. I forgot about the speed warning buzzer system. =]
I actually own a 1960 Electra base 4 dr. hardtop. Absolutely beautiful. I'm in the process of restoring it to a nice driveable and presentable condition. Just to add to the starting process, you do depress the accelarator and there was a linkeage hooked up to the carberator that closed a set of contacts (to mine understanding) that then allowed the flow of electricity to the starter. Very interesting and neat way to start a vehicle. I am replacing the carb with something more modern and will be replacing that system with just a push button start.
The starter switch should be adjusted so that it operates at half throttle, not full throttle, as flooring it opens the choke, which will cause hard cold-starting.
It was called a mirrormatic speedometer, because the actual speedometer is imbedded in the dash and what you are adjusting is a mirror. Also you may notice 2 dots on car radios of this period. Those are the locations of the emergency broadcast system frequencies in the event of a nuclear attack. This was required of all radios throughout the 1950s and 60s.
You have a great CZcams channel.
Thank you so much for that added information =) I’m glad you like the channel
Sort of the way a teleprompter works especially for the teleprompter used by politicians such as president. The speaker is reading the speech off a mirror rather than the teleprompter itself.
Brought me back to my grandfather's car. Flashback. Thanks
Your welcome.. I’ll be doing a tribute episode soon with my dads first car, I wasn’t around and it’s not his car but one close to it same year just not same color. =)
Treble not tremble
The step down frame was a main feature of the early 50s Hudson Hornet
Yo great vid, I'd love to see a vid on the 59 Buick tho, its my fav model ever! By the way, I believe the numbers next to the Speedometer is the speed limiter which makes a noise when you go faster than your set speed limit.
Awesome thank you so much for watching I’ll put the 1959 Electra on the list of cars to do =)
Loved this episode. My mom drove one of these monsters. My dad, the great convertible lovers, purchased a white on blue/black 225 convertible used from Fred A Carlson Buick Pontiac in Salt Lake City, Originally purchased new by a local pediatrician, it became mom's grocery getter and work commute car for 3 years until we transferred to the Twin Cities. Sadly, it was sold. But no before my oldest brother got his drivers license and I can attest to the fact it would move faster than the top speed indicated of 118 mph. At 17, my idiot brother took out on the salt flats west of Salt Lake and with my in the front punched it up a 100 mph but the convertible top began to rip, He pulled over and put the top down and floored it,. At 122 mph the odometer was still creeping up when he finally ran out of highway and backed off. Unfortunately the 401 nailhead engine had an issue with sticky valves as they needed to be driven and fueled with Ethyl. Great car and great memory.
That was a great story thank you so much for sharing it =)
When you were hauling down the road the faster you went did it feel like you were hovering? 88 Lincoln was like that over a certain speed it didn’t feel like I was on the road but hovering above it such a smooth ride
The speedometer only goes to 120 mph.
One of my uncles had the 4 door hardtop of one of these cars. He was a mechanic for Whitney Buick in Oregon Illinois. I think Buick brought back the Roadmaster for a while in the 1990s . The car looked like a bathtub turned upside down.
What a beautiful time capsule!!! 👍👍
I thought the same thing this is a really good example, really honest car
It's good to see you picking up on all those little details that you don't usually notice unless you are there and you see the car in person. I think the grille Buick emblem was designed to give the appearance it was 'floating' or something.
Thank you so much for the positive vibes glad you liked the episode
great video, thx! glad a young guy like yourself is enjoying these big ol boats...something we'll never see again. An enduring memory i have from back around 1968 was riding in our Park n Rec activity coordinator's '60 Buick flattop 4door hardtop, and that little external monocle that highlighted the gear for the transmission. my dad was cheap so we only had 3 on the tree cars back then, so this little magnifying glass was amazing to my 7 year old mind. never seen anything like it in any other car in all my many years. Just a cool little detail.
Buick's of this time were really different than the rest of the GM lineup, even more unique than the Cadillac...full frame vs X frame, variable pitch torque converter, torque tube, starter switch under the gas pedal, the mirrored instrument cluster, that awesome nailhead. and style for days
Thank you so much for watching about adding that information/story
I was born way to late I wish I grew up in the 50’s love that time period style and pastel colors
Lol..that little magnifying glass used to amaze me as a kid too- and the mirrormatic speedo
I have 68 electra 225, original survivor also, in super good condition I love driving it around
Awesome =) I personally love the survivors because you can actually use those and not worry about a lot of things there is to worry about with the pristine car
These cars were absolutely beautiful. The ‘61 Buicks were also styling masterpieces - especially the Invicta.
I never was a huge fan of the Dynaflow, and the nailhead was a gas guzzler, but damn, these cars looked good.
Totally agree if it was my car I’d change the Rear and put a different transmission in
1960 was such a beautiful year for Buick. I love the ribbed side molding that the Electra 225 has. I don't think a regular Electra got that trim. You say it is hard to decide which set of fins you like best, well, it is alright to like many different sets. I do think that 1960 Buicks did the best job with the fins and the side sculpturing. Just a stunning car. Of course I really like the '58 Rambler Ambassador and it's fins. I could go on as I'm sure you could as well. Thanks for bringing us the 1960 Buick Electra 225.
=)
These cars were beautiful ! I actually liked the '59 design better. Both canted headlights and rear fin design. GM was on a roll with their cars. So beautiful in design.
I think the red cover in the trunk might be a cover for the spare tire. Most nicer $$ cars had a cover for the spare. Also the “Dynaflow” transmission was a Buick exclusive. It differed internally but I don’t remember how, only that shifts were supposed to be imperceptible. Isn’t it interesting that the dashboard controls reflect what was on the public mind year by year. The Buick seems to have “flight controls”. As American cars became very heavy bigger drum brakes were necessary and then on top of that they required fins to minimize, not eliminate, fading. It got to point that drum brakes were as costly to manufacture as discs with none of the advantages.
Thank you so much for the added information =) I looked for footage of 1960 Electra driving around I came across a commercial explaining how the turbine drive automatic transmission work and I was going to use it but I couldn’t get the picture edited right.. so I didn’t include it which was a bummer because I was like adding commercials or vintage reviews of those cars back in the day and there just wasn’t hardly any that I could find on the Electra which was really sad... The way I understood it was that transmission doesn’t shift gears per say it shifts fluid. General Motors made a three turbine transmission that was discontinued in 1959 the one in the Buick Electra is the twin turbine version and what I found was I guess that was the more superior option because you could push start that car if you wanted to whereas with the three turbine you couldn’t. Who knew push starting your car was a selling point.
@@What.its.like. , 😲Wow ! Good research 👍 I think you’re right about the transmission design.
The cover in the trunk is the top boot. 60 Buicks didn't have a spare tire cover.
These late 50s GM cars are awesome, beautiful cars. A 59 Electra Convertible was the first 50s GM car I got to see in person (aside from 55-57 Chevrolets). A few months back I got to explore a 59 Olds and a 60 Coupe DeVille. The 59-60 cars are really some of my absolute favorite cars. I'd love to take an Electra like this out on one of the lovely spring days I've enjoyed lately. Thanks for the great review!
I wish I could have drove the Electra.. weather has been eh here.. thank you you for watching =)
Had me a 73 deuce and a quarter for a spell. It was a well kept one owner. One smooth ride for sure. Nice example of a original that you presented. Keep up the great work and you and yours have a great New Year.🇺🇸
Your posts get better and better! One thing never changes: Your genuine love and enthusiasm for these classics. Brings a smile to my face every time. I am 💯% with you on the black and red! Beautiful Buick time capsule. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much it really means a lot =)
Reminds me of one rainy night in early 1968. The back of our house was adjacent to the southbound lanes of I-75 at the 5th Street offramp. One of these hit the angled point of the concrete barrier, and waterfilled plastic barrels did not yet exist. Car hauler tow trucks were not a thing yet either. By the hook of a boom winch, a string of the Buick's remains longer than 225" were dragged, emitting sparks, past our back yard. Believe it was a '59, but there was no way to tell for sure.
I owned a 1960 Invicta Custom 2 door hardtop with bucket seats and console, red interior white exterior, A/C, rear seat heater. A great day fuel mileage was 8-9 mpg. I bought it in 1967 from Bill Murphy Buick in Culver City CA for the astounding price of 500 dollars. Why? It neede a cylinder head (cracked) and a valve job. (the lower end on these were basically bulletproof) Did all the work myself (19 then working in a repair shop) I loved this car. I can truly say that "loved" and I've owned 50 cars over the the 58 1/2 years I've been driving. I sold it 3 years later for 1,500 dollars I knew the owner, he kept it 10 years then sold it, lost the trail then. The olny issue in the time I owned it? The reverse band strut in the transmission fractured (fairly common) back then you could buy a repair kit for 18 dollars, worked well and no need to remove transmission. Still miss this car the most of any I've owned. By the by keeping that grille clean and polished was "interesting" Thanks much for this vid.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing =)
I was about 5 years old in 1965 and my Grandparents had a 1959 Buick 4dr hrdtp Red with a White shell top w/ red interior. I thought it was a LeSabre. I font remember. They lived on a few acre Ranch in Mission Valley back then Grandpa would let us kids sit on his lap and steer the car up to the road. Good memory.
Great story and memories that you got sharing =)
Fantastic car - as a child I got to ride in the back seat of our neighbors '59 Pontiac, a car I suspect was very similar (& may have shared some parts with '59 & '60 Buicks?)
I remember have absolutlely MASSIVE it seemed to this 5 yr old boy! 😂
These beautiful Cars were on the road when I was a kid. We didn’t live in the wealthy neighborhood. I didn’t see many but You never forget this styling when your a car nut like I was. I would study everything from Hubcaps to headlights, tail lights, grills, and Dashboards. My mom said when I was 3 years old I would tell her so and so was in the store because their car was here. She never believed me until she seen them in the store. She would always ask me how I knew? I said because Peggy’s hubcap has a ding in it. I would always find the details. This amazed them lol
Great story thank you so much for sharing =)
Very cool, great vid!!!!!!!! 👍👍👍
Thank you =)
Love the engine cross-section shot!
=)
Thanks for another great video, you sure know your stuff! I've always been fascinated with dashboard layouts. Love to see you take on a Citroen DS from it's classic era or any early model of Avanti. Peace!
Thank you so much for the positive vibes I’m glad you like the video more Great wants to come for sure
Curves and creases are really for strength, but Buick damned sure knew where to put them on both. The 1959 is visually more dramatic from every angle, while the 1960 has a more conservatively refined and elegant presence. These and the '65 clamshell Rivera are my all-time favorites. Roadmaster and Century of the 90s are the later favorites. Lacrosse isn't bad either.
I really dig the lines of this car but I don’t know which one I like better I think I like the 59 better I just wish they had a better transmission it’s like it’s Achilles’ heel
Love red interiors. These cars get better looking as time passes.
These look awesome now
My old man had a white '60 225 HT just like this. I loved the body creases, it was like rolling sculpture with the wrap around back glass and the thin pillars. I asked Dad about it years later and he was surprised I remembered it, because he didn't have it that long. Yes it was beautiful, but the Nailhead was a gas guzzler and he didn't like the tranny so when the ball joints went, he sold it to the neighbor. I remember the little magnifying glass for the gear selector, and those numbers @7:02 was a speed minder that buzzed if the MPH were exceeded. Dad used to park it at the end of the driveway because the doors wouldn't lock - were the locks broken - or did he not know that it auto locked with the key in the drivers side door?
Awesome story thank you so much for sharing =)
What a Georges car , the fins are to die for !
I love this design =)
Very good camera work. Thank you for sharing 🐿
Thank you =)
An uncle (my father's brother) drove a '60 Electra 225. It was a four-door hardtop that I remember being navy blue. Classy was a good way of describing it.
The styling was certainly toned down from '59.
That book said that wasn’t a great Buick... to me 59-60 was close to the top from this era with the only one car higher than it, which is the 1963-1965 Buick Rivera which is/was one of the best cars of the 60s that is underrated.. my opinion tho
@@What.its.like. Now there's a car you should do a video on. The '63 Riviera!
If I may mention one of the quirks of these Buicks. You will note that there is no "Start" position on the ignition switch. To start the vehicle you move the key to "On" and press the accelerator pedal. Pressing the accelerator pedal engages the starter. I don't know that it really was any more convenient but it was a bit of a novelty. My mother had 1960 Buick Invicta 4dr hardtop (no "B" pillar). The Invicta was the Lesabre smaller body with the big 401 engine. Even at over two tons that thing could really haul.
Thank you so much for sharing that information I didn’t know about that I knew some nashes did that sort of thing but I didn’t know that Buick offered that feature
Although the DynaFlow automatic transmission had 2 forward gears, it did NOT automatically shift them. The variable ratio was accomplished by the multi-stage torque converter. Technically, this transmission could be considered a CVT. The 'Drive' position was a direct through power flow. When in the "Drive' position, it did not automatically shift into a different gear. 'L' was for engine braking or for a faster getaway. In 'D', the forward and direct clutches were always applied. 'R' also used gear reduction, so the direct clutches and 'L' band were applied.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing =) I should have said fluid drive would have been better =)
@@What.its.like. Fluid Drive wouldn't be correct either. Fluid Drive was a semi-automatic transmission that Chrysler used into 1953. It consisted of a fluid coupling(like the GM Hydramatic) and either a 3 or 4-speed manual type transmission. In the high range, depending on the model of transmission, you would start in 3rd and when you got up to speed, you would lift your foot off the gas pedal and a shifter motor would shift it into 4th. The 1953 1/2 fully automatic 2-speed Powerflite replaced the Fluid Drive.
The first Buick DynaFlows used a fluid coupling but soon switched to a torque converter with twin turbines. The next upgrade was a variable pitch stator in the torque converter(electrically operated). Then, the final one was re-named the "Flight Pitch" DynaFlow, which had 3 turbines inside the torque converter, like the unsuccessful Chevrolet TurboGlide. This is the transmission in the 1960 Electra 225.
In 1963, the "Flight Pitch" DynaFlow was phased out and replaced by the ST300 2-speed fully automatic transmission(Buick's first). In 1964, Buick introduced the ST400(which we know today as the TH400(or 3L80). Cadillac used this transmission after they ran out of HydraMatics. From 1965-1984, Cadillac used the TH400 in it's RWD cars(behind traditional cast iron Cadillca V8s).
Oh, the ST transmissions used a conventional torque converter but with the variable pitch stator into the late-60's. With the tall first gears of the ST300 and ST400, the variable stator gave it a little bigger push.
An interesting video about a cool looking car.
Thank you glad you dig the video I have a friend who has a 59 it’s coming eventually =)
I don't care how big it is. It is elegant and beautiful oh, and I could drive it right now!
Me two I would drive that, because it’s awesome and different and can find it in a Parking lot because it’s different
The Gogo's rode around in one of these in their "Our lips are sealed" video. I remember riding in a 62 or 63 back in the 80's. It needed some tlc and wasn't considered worth the expense at the time, but it sure was comfortable.
I’ll have to watch that video again
what about "FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH", with" BRAD HAMILTON," and his blue" BUICK LESABRE"!!!!!!
it was the "CRUISING VESSEL" !!!!!
Hi Jay You told me about this video while looking at the recent video on the 1960 LeSabre, so I decided to take a look back. The 1960 Electra which I dreamed about owning was a white 2 door hardtop, with a blue interior. I can't picture it with thick chrome along the entire side but it did have thick chrome at the side rear.
=) happy you found this video things have definitely come along way since then definitely have to cover that electric 225 again
Wonderful work of art.
I believe the thumb-roll numbers on the left side of the mirror for the speedometer is the audible speed-exceed indicator. If you set it for, say, 70 MPH - the buzzer will sound when you go over that speed. Most people found this annoying, except the alcoholics who set it for legal reasons. To them, it kept them out of court.
Hahaha awesome =)
The dial on the left of the speedo was the speed alert setting
Thank you so much for that correction
Thanks for sharing this beautiful car!
Thank you for watching =) more awesome cars coming
i dig buick electra. the 225 has great power. even the base model had good power with h.e.i. ignition 50.000 volts.
Those accesses to the engine were just fine for car thieves. Thanks for the redesign later when they get remote access to the engine from the inside of car.
I had as my first car a 1970 Chevy and to access the engine you pulled a lever just behind the grill to open the hood. One night a thief took advantage of that and stole the battery. I later found out that he could have stolen the carburetor if he had had the right tools. I am so glad that nowadays you can’t open most car hoods unless you are inside the car. 😌
greetings from venezuela,, i like the way you display the segments.....,first an original brochure of the era,and explanations of the model in concern,....and also your english is very understandable ,being a foreigner.even with a very good command of english ,,sometimes local diferent english accents ,are hard to catch...thanks .i will keep enjoying your reviews
Thank you so much it means the world I honestly don’t think that I have a good voice and I was really putting off doing the whole CZcams thing because I don’t like the way my voice sounds sometime little bit of a subconscious thing but I’m trying to get better at it I have a speech impediment problem, But trying that comment meant a lot to me thank you so much
Doing a CZcams search for your videos by searching “what’s it like” your site doesn’t come up. Had to search for 1960 Buick Electra 225. If you do mostly car reviews maybe a name more car oriented would give you more views.
You have good in depth vintage car reviews.
I know, that’s something I have to work on I think because the channel is so new realistically it’s only six months old I started back in September 2021 I think with time I’m gonna start putting that in as a tag I think overtime it will get there because I think it’s a stellar name, and I don’t really want to change it..
Thank you so much for liking the content =)
18 foot 9'. nice cars. mine had red interior. carbs not fuel injectors.
Thank you for sharing 🐿
=)
My aunt had a 1960 LeSabre l remember as a kid. Big car. I like the dash in the 59 better.
I have to do a 59 and see what that dash is like
There us a film on CZcams called The Facts of Life with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball. Every car is a 1960 Buick. He drives an Electra four door hard top and she drives a LeSabre convertible. A neighbor has a 60 Buick wagon.
Have often wondered why they quit putting speed alert on vehicles. It was a neat feature and maybe because cruise control is so standard these days they don't feel it's necessary.
Yeah totally agree =)
Fabulous.
Greeat video. Parent's had a 1961. Can you review that?
Yeah for sure just have to find one =)
Thank you for the request
Mom’s cousin had a 1959 Buick, not sure of the model. She said it would pass anything on the road but a gas station!
I believe it
The headlights for '60 Buick were inspired by the engines of a B52.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing =)
Headroom is sky high!
Haha yeah
That is a picture of a Cadillac engine, not a Buick Nailhead.
Electra & Electra 225 were still two separate models for 1961.
Thank you for that correction
62 was the year the Electra was no longer in the model line up.
Thank you for that correction
The car isn't on the web page
Yeah I noticed that this morning I’ll message him and see if it’s still available he was trying to sell it for the original owner I just linked the main page to it so there would be a phone number hopefully number is a little bit hard to fine but if you go all the way down to the bottom of the screen it’s right there give them a call they’ll tell you how much it was that one didn’t have a price tag on it so I think it just showed up To be sold everything else is on their website
@@What.its.like. I'm just curious. I'm saving to buy a '69 Corvair convert, and a 2004 F350 motorhome
If you have Facebook here is my what it’s like page send me a message on there I’ll give you the guys phone number
facebook.com/107924541676287/posts/158066919995382/?d=n
Oh man of it only had AC. Scary where they put reverse. I think it was standardized in 1961 for all cars to have reverse next to park.
Imagine not knowing and pulling the lever all the way down and flooring it, not realizing you're in reverse.
That would be Tragic
GM didn’t ‘standardize’ until 1965. And amazingly, even within their product lines the shift quadrants varied.
For instance, the 1964 Olds 98 still had reverse all of the way down: PNDSLR, while the Cutlass had: PRNDL.
I personally preferred the PNDSLR, but the government decided to listen to Nader.
Starting in the 60’s, Ford had some issues with cars jumping out of Park.
“On June 10, 1980, NHTSA made an initial determination of defect in Ford vehicles with C-3, C-4, C-6, FMX, and JATCO automatic transmissions. The alleged problem with the transmissions is that a safety defect permits them to slip accidentally from park to reverse. As of the date of determination, NHTSA had received 23,000 complaints about Ford transmissions, including reports of 6,000 accidents, 1,710 injuries, and 98 fatalities-primarily the young and old, unable to save themselves-directly attributable to transmission slippage. As detailed below, this defect finding eventually resulted in a pseudo-recall wherein Ford agreed to mail warning labels to 23 million owners of Fords with these transmissions rather than recall them for mechanical repair.
The Center for Auto Safety first called NHTSA’s attention to the problem in July 1977, and shortly thereafter NHTSA instituted an investigation into 1966-79 Ford vehicles with C-6 or FMX transmissions.”
Now ironically, because of the meddling ways of the Government, along with Nader, cars that slipped out of Park would, by law, be slipping into Reverse, and therefore move away under power.
Of course, the actions by Nader, Inc. didn’t cause the design flaw which lead to the Ford’s driving off, but their rationale of having R next to Park demonstrates that ole Nader wasn’t nearly as smart as he would have had you believe.
😍When can I come test drive!?!?!
It’s not mine or would set something up =) I believe it sold this was a survivor car
@@What.its.like. thanks for fast reply
61 was the last year for the base Electra, not 1960.
1st view, from Delray Florida. So hot!!!
Awesome =) I wish it was hot here.. The weather has been so crazy here for instance he gets up in the 50s and 60s and then it supposed to snow this weekend and then go back to 60 and70 and it’s been like that for about a month or two now.
@@What.its.like. I live in far NE upstate New York, but I found work in S Florida, I've been here most of the winter. Getting paid and few distractions
@@What.its.like. how much is the 225? Underneath rusty? Just curious. I didn't watch the video, sorry
What they were saying about the hammered up 60's styling was that once a fender or quarter panel was hit, they were about useless; as far as looing good for resale. The creases and folds of the fenders to be replaced instead of allowing more body work to be done for easy fixes. You bash a quarter panel fin on a 58-62 chevy and you have ruined the car.
the "DYNAFLO TRANSMISSION" was renamed as the "POWERGLIDE TRANSMISSION" ,when you had reverse all the way at the bottom of the gearshift lever, it was the 2 speed "CAST IRON" transmission, with the rear output shaft oil pump, so you could "PUSH START" the car!!!!, the aluminum powerglide transmission had reverse between "PARK/ NEUTRAL" this was done for safety reasons.
Awesome thank you so much for that information =)
@@What.its.like., I share the information that I know, having rebuilt those transmissions of the past, most failures were due to the owner running the transmission out of fluid due to seal leaks, and cooking the band/ clutch packs!!!!
The powerglide was a self shifting two speed automatic, and the dynaflow was two speed also, but had to be manually shifted from low to drive, but in normal driving, low range was not used. Dynaflow also had a variable pitch stator in the torque converter which the powerglide did not.
@@craigcardwell4143 , you could manually shift a powerglide from low to drive , you are correct about the variable pitch torque converter on the dynaflow. you could change the characteristics of a transmission by changing/ modifying the "VALVE BODY"
What setting is tremble.
I have a speech impediment problem I’m sorry
It's treble. Changes the sound of the music from more bass to less.
@@1940limited thank you for telling me something I didn't already know.
Critiques like - big - heavy - thirsty - slow - bad mpg / etc have the distorted lens of the future -- cars - fashions - music etc are frozen in their era.
At that time - it was rockets and fighter jets. And comfortable smooth ride - and room for a whole family. Cruising highways silently like a magic carpet. The muscle car era changed that. The emissions era changed that - and now the E-era. ( minor mistake - not 4 valve )
When Buicks were Buicks instead of being import wannabes or SUVs as they are today. That transmission is related to the dynaflow and it is not a two-speed. It's actually a one speed. When you put the transmission and drive the high clutch applies and all the multiplication is done by the torque converter not by the gears in the torque converter on a more modern transmission. It was very very smooth it was also very power and fuel consumptive. Not one of Buicks better ideas.
Thank you so much for that correction it didn’t use gears it moved fluid nick named fluid drive.
The Dyna-Flow was a torque eating monster, without a doubt
"Tremble"???
Deuce 'n a quarter. Land yacht.