Hello all, since the pinstripes are falling off, I was thinking of removing them entirely for a clean look. What do your all think? Replace or just remove? It came with all of the pinstripes but not sure if it was an option or did the 1977 Park Avenues all come this way? If I remove them, will the Buick Gods Shame me?

You can see some of the thin pin stops are missing near the rear and the thick one on other places.

 

I like your father's Park Avenue - I like all Park Avenues. However, you do realize this is a Classic Oldsmobile site?

Your question will most likely find a faster and more appropriate response on a Buick website/forum - just saying.

 

Get a drill driven eraser and take them all off.

 

If they are decals then the eraser suggestion will work, if painted then you'll need a different approach.

 

if there just tape many times you can peel them right off after heating them up (not to hot)

I would be tempted to remove the stripes and rub strips too i think it would make a big improvement

 

We don't worry much about them Buick "gods" around these here parts...

The belt line strip looks like it's held on by adhesive. Be careful removing or it may start taking paint with it. Adhesive removers like "Goo Be Gone" will likely clean up the remaining residue, but test it on a hidden surface first to make sure it doesn't adversely affect the paint.

 

I initially had similar thoughts, then remembered some of these cars came with Olds engines, and we also have Pontiac Trans Am folks here due to the Olds under the hood.

 

Fair point. I should have been more specific. I was addressing the question:

My father was a Buick man. He owned Buick automobiles most of his life - at least seven or eight of them from the early Invicta wagons of the 1950s through the Electras in the 1970s. I "think" I recall the Park Avenue was cosmetic option package to the Electra 225 for the 1977 model year; and, I "thought" my Dad's had the 455 engine in his last deuce-and-a-quarter. I can't recall. Darn nice cars though for sure.

 

Agreed, a question that specific is a bit outside of the ClassicOlds arena.

 

I was just reading up on the Park Avenue option package, which my father never had - he owned two of the Buick Electra Limited cars (again, w/o the Park Avenue option). I recall when that Park Avenue came out though with that really wild but awesome velour interior - it was something else. I also noticed reading Wikipedia the 455 engine was discontinued in 1977. So Dad owned his Electras prior to 1977. Actually, I think he owned three of those beasts - 1969, 1972 and 1975 or 1976. And talk about Buicks, his first one was the Invicta wagon (1959?), then two LeSabres, then a Buick Wildcat convertible (I destroyed that car for him - sorry Dad), then came the Electras - all four door sedan Limited models. I think I missed a couple Buicks along the way.

 

Thank you all for your suggestions. I am learning about my fathers car so forgive me if I joined the wrong forum. I figured since it has a Olds 403 that this would be the place to be. Maybe I need to look around more for Buick forums? Anyhow, I really appreciate all the friendly advice!!

 

No worries. You're more than welcome to hang around the shop. If you have questions on the 403 this would be one if not the best forums for 403 questions. Welcome. I like that deep Forest Green color.

 

Thank you, I appreciate the warm welcome.

 

I like your Park Ave, I had a 78 and a 79, they were the best cars I ever had and they both had well over 200,000 miles on them before I parked them. Buick’s were right up there with the Cadillacs. I live in the Chicagoland area also, where are you?

 

aaca.org has an active Buick forum, and v8buick.com is good too.

Your C-body Burick shares a lot with Ninety Eights so you may find answers here. Stick around.

 

Welcome and ignore the Buick haters ( see my signature) If the stripes are decals, which is what they look like they should peel off with some heat. If they were painted on they would not be missing in sections like that. Be very careful with the "eraser" tool. If you are not experienced with it you will damage the paint also.

 

Hello BFG,
thank you, yes, I am in the Chicago land area.

 

Thank you, I am going to look in to this!

 

I was born in the "Chicagoland" area, also. 22 South Pulaski. There's another guy on here from the Chicagoland area. We both speak Zamboni.

 

I grew up a little more south. 63rd and California. I went to Bogan HS. In college before class, some friends and I would go to Aguascalientes for Some good Mexican food.

 

Buick built V8's until 1981 it probably has a Buick 350.

 

If they are held on by adhesive, use spray on decal remover. You can purchase it at many automotive stores.

 

The Olds 403 was also available those years. 77-79

 

thank your for the info!

 

 

How’s your drivers side arm rest? These were always weak spots and tore. I have a nice one if you are interested.

 

Those are vinyl stripes so they should come right off with an eraser wheel. If you're not experienced with one, use a drill and it won't go fast enough to burn the paint. With eraser wheels, slower can actually be more effective at removal. The moldings are held on by double back tape. You can yank them off and use the eraser wheel to remove the adhesive there too. Just use some heat on the moldings before pulling them to soften the tape and lessen the likelihood of pulling the paint off. Also, the heat will make them flexible and allow you to pull the molding back over itself as you remove them, which also reduces the risk of pulling paint off. You can also use plastic razor blades if it needs a little persuasion here and there.

Looks like a piece of molding is already missing, so you should be able to tell, but if the car has ever been repainted, they probably just masked the moldings and painted around them. In that case, you would not want to remove them until you're ready to repaint it.

After removal, whichever method you choose, you'll need to do some buffing and polishing to remove the smudges and blend in the surface shine.

Don't be surprised to see decades of fading become evident once parts are removed. The paint may not look faded, but compared to the parts that have been hidden from the sun, it is almost certain to be at least slightly different.

Don't worry about what anybody else thinks. If you don't like the moldings, pieces are missing, they look worn, etc. take them off. You can always put new ones back on. Also, most of the time the manufacturer had nothing to do with pinstripe application. There was a guy in a van that would come around and pinstripe cars at the dealership. They were all slightly different and not factory original. It was done this way up until recent times when pinstripes went out of style. Some dealers still do them. There were factory applied pinstripes here and there, but few and far between. You can put a nice new pinstripe back on in 5 minutes for $20 if you miss them.