According to the lot owner, famous Jazz singer Billy Eckstein had sold the car to the lot. Rob got to sit in the car, and he remembers it being perfect besides missing a couple of buttons on the seat. The owner wanted $600 for the car, but as Rob only had $400, was going into the Navy in 2 weeks, and already had three other cars, he passed the deal. Radcliffe spotted Sam's old Buick on a used car lot on Sunrise Highway in upstate New York. John had eye-cancer, and this was an expensive operation, so Sam had to let the car go in order to cover the medical bills.
#1950 BUICK GRILL DRIVER#
He used the car as his daily driver for some months, before he in 1954 decided to sell it in order to afford an eye-surgery for his son John Barris. The build was completed in 1953, and Sam admitted that he never would do another car for himself requiring as much job as the Buick did. Sam kept the original straight-eight engine that sat in the car when he bought it from the wrecking yard. Studebaker vent-door diamonds were attached to the hubcap centers. It was dressed up featuring 1953 Cadillac Sombrero hubcaps, hand made fender skirts and dual Appleton spotlights. Sam lowered the car just over 3 inches to give it a proper stance. Upper part of the panels and seats were pleated with white leatherette. The mohair was studded with deeply inset white buttons. The same maroon mohair was also used on the lower portion of the door and quarter panels, on the seat cushions and a portion of the seat backs.
The headliner was done in bright maroon mohair with occasional white beading marking the supporting bows. The car's interior was upholsterd in maroon mohair with inset buttons and pleated white leatherette by Carson Top Shop. The paint job required the use of many gallons of color and necessitated several color-sanding and rubbing operations. Once the bodywork had been completed Sam painted the car in a Golden Maroon Bronze color. The deck lid was pancaked and a release solenoid installed with the actuating button located on the dashboard. The rear fenders were completed with the addition of a strip of metal along their lower edge to give the car the appearance of being lower than it actually was. Taillights from a 1953 Pontiac station wagon were frenched into the rear fenders. įor a longer look, the rear fenders were extended four inches. For a clean look, Sam also nosed the hood and filled the portholes. The front bumper was a reworked 1951 Buick bumper. The grille tips contained air scoops that direct air to the car's interior. The stock grille was replaced by a 1953 Oldsmobile grille bar mounted below the stock Buick grille frame. Up front headlight rims from a 1953 Buick were frenched to the fenders. The Lincoln trim was both reversed and turned over. The original side trim was replaced with chrome from a 1951 Lincoln. Sam shaved the door handles and installed solenoids with the outer actuating buttons being concealed in the lower door trim molding. The seams between the rear fenders and the body were molded smooth. Sam formed a similar rail inside the door opening to prevent water from leaking in the doors. To give the top and body sides a smoother look, Sam removed the drip-rails. The center of the top was dropped straight down, and the rear of the top was moved forward. After the cut, the windshield was slanted back to meet the front edge of the lowered top.
#1950 BUICK GRILL WINDOWS#
The rear of the car and roof were sectioned five inches from a point below the rear quarter windows to the rear body panel, with the better part of this cut being done through the deck lid. Up front, the top was chopped three and a half inches. By doing this, Sam was able to retain the original body lines and use the original rear window. He chopped the flowing roof in the rear by sectioning the body and by reducing the height of the deck lid. Īfter removing the body trim outside and inside, Sam decided to chop the top on the Buick. Sam had to pay $650 US for the burned out remains. Sam found the Buick at the wrecking yard in 1951 and decided to bring it to the Barris shop in Lynwood.
The car was then sold to a wrecking yard so it could be dismantled for parts.
#1950 BUICK GRILL FULL#
After a garage fire, only a shell full of ashes remained of the Buick. Built in his spare time, it took 22 months of hard work for Sam to turn his Buick into a full fledged custom. 1950 Buick Sedanette owned and restyled by Sam Barris.
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