1969 Buick 225 coupe - Phillipsburg, NJ

This is sharp. Looks like some of the pics were taken at Das Awkscht Fest in Macungie PA. These look good in coupe or sedan form to me.

https://allentown.craigslist.org/cto/d/phillipsburg-1969-buick-electra-225/6994052441.html

 

That they were still casting 430s in '69?! Every other division, except Cadillac, was already at between 454 and 455 cubes by then.

 

All cars back then had a handful of engines, so a 430 in this lumbering boat is not unheard of. Likely owned by an elderly driver who was never in any hurry to go anywhere.

 

You can't be in a hurry with a 430? Buick had a habit of carrying over obsolete engines, as other divisions were debuting their modern predecessors. The Nailhead being one of them.
Maybe, the 430 was advanced in design enough to where there was no need for compensating loss of horsepower due to adding emissionsgadgets through increased displacement. In any event, the 430 wasn't offered that long after '69.

 

Except in Cali, emissions gadgets didn't come into use until Federally mandated in the 1974 MY. So I can see this engine, like a Ford 427/428 or a Chrysler 413/440, having enough poop to move that pig boat.

 

Hey....Pig boat? Lumbering boat? I thought we all liked cars here! C'mon STH, I'm a Ferd guy but you don't hear me talking smack about fatass 72-79 Ranchero's do ya?!?!?!?!? I'd hate to see what you guys would say about my 65 Merc....

Either way, I think it's a nice ride and I would be proud to own it.

 

Dimensions are 224.8 in long (almost 19 feet) and 4203 lbs and it carries 2 in comfort. I personally give Mercs and Pontiacs a pass on almost everything.

 

Holy Crap! I was just messing around with STH. I never realized those Ranchero's were that big, but it makes sense, because all of those Torino/Montego based cars were pretty heavy. I've driven a bunch of them of various nameplates, and they did seem ponderous for a mid-sizer.

 

If you were a wise buyer, would you take a 1966 Nailhead Riviera over a 1966 modern-blocked Toronado? Despite the Riviera being attractive, I wonder how many potential customer turndowns were the result of Buick carrying over an outdated engine design two years after Chevrolet and Oldsmobile introduced their next and final generation big blocks. Did Buick even bother casting a Quadrajet-accepting manifold for only one year's production or has this still the old Carter AFB?:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1966-buick-riviera-2/



I still wouldn't mind having it:





What the other division was doing. The only thing I have against this is the engine-over-drivetrain set-up:

 

Holy jeez Louise! I only used the term 'pig boat' in jest; it was what sailors back in the early 20th Century called submarines, as they were lumbering, even with diesel engines. It wasn't until the late '30s that sleek new subs were coming down the ways. The car is big, but even with a 430 CID, it'll do anything but lumber around, unless you want it to.

 

I doubt that it weighs as much as previously stated. I don't see where the etxra weight went. Especially, when a light-cast block got dropped in and no fat bumpers were yet added. There's only a little more surrounding sheetmetal to see.
If still not quick enough for yous, simply add these on:

http://www.taperformance.com/proddetail.asp?prod=TA_STAGE_2TE-A

 

Dimensions are 224.8 in long (almost 19 feet) and 4203 lbs and it carries 2 in comfort. I personally give Mercs and Pontiacs a pass on almost everything.

Did you realize that those Rancheros were that heavy in those years? Heck I didn't. I knew they were big, but not that big....that means your Ranchero is as big/heavy as my Town Car. Go figure.

 

I was referring to the Buick coupe's length and weight.