Gary and Barbara Rhynold of Hamilton, ON love hot rods and they love driving. They’ve been attending shows for years and Gary’s been messing with cars since he was a kid.
     Over the years, the Rhynold garage has housed many cars, including a 1941 Willys — which they drove all the way to California and back — a 1928 Model A Ford they owned for 18 years, a 1955 Chevy — his first car — and a 1930 Model A pickup that Barb called her own.
     While there joy of road trips in hot rods has never waned, the years did have them wishing the cars were a little more long-haul friendly. That’s where this 1948 Buick Super Sedanette comes in.
     They were attending the Muddy River Run in Fort Wayne, IN one year and fell in love with the Rubenesque bodystyle of the ’46-’48 Buick fastbacks. Not only were they unique, they had plenty of room for road gear. It took a year and a half, but in 2005, they finally found a candidate to bring home.
     It was already a turnkey hot rod out of Welland, ON, though it had been imported back in the day from Depot, NY. It was painted Lexus Renaissance Red and powered by a 401 Buick “Nailhead” with a 400 Buick transmission. But Gary likes tinkering, especially chassis tinkering, so the Buick was soon treated to a suspension makeover.
     The front suspension now sports IFS tubular upper and lower control arms, rack and pinion steering and Mustang II spindles. But the big change is a reworked air ride system. It includes a set of Air-Lift bellow bags and Delco outboard shocks. Out back, a triangulated trailing arm/panhard bar combo keep the 9-inch Ford diff (with highway friendly 3.00 gears) in place while a set of Air-Lift sleeve air bags keep ride height just right. It’s all computer controlled so Gary can adjust ride quickly and even remotely if so desired.
     “This is my fifth street rod but the first with air ride and I’d never build another one without air ride,” he said. Wheels are 15x17 steelies rolling on Coker whites dressed up with ’57 Caddy hubcaps.
     While Gary thought the 401 nailhead was cool, he wanted reliability and was leery about looking for Nailhead parts if things went squirrely on a roadtrip. “You lose a rocker arm and you’re in nowhere, New Mexico — you’re in trouble,” said Gary who left it up to Barb to decide what would replace it. She decided on a big block Chevy, a GM 502 Ramjet crate motor. It’s a 4-bolt main, steel crank, forged rod, aluminum pistoned, roller cammed, aluminum headed, Bowtie beast. “You can’t build that motor for what you buy it for,” said Gary, further justifying the engine choice. A MEFI (Marine Electronic Fuel Injection) unit distributes fuel, while Sanderson headers and Flowmaster 40 mufflers take care of spent gases.Gary’s buddy, Ritchie at Mr. Transmission, built a stout 700R-4 tranny to back up the 502 which means smooth and worry-free sailing for the Rhynolds as they cruise to the next show. “You can beat on it all you want and you can’t hurt it,” said Gary.
     This Buick is a mild custom when it comes to body alterations, with hood, doors and trunk shaved but the side and fender mouldings made the cut (so to speak) and were left alone. The front and rear bumpers were modified and smoothed to blend in nicely with the Buick’s curves.
     As a Buick, the stock interior was already a very hospitable place to hang out while long distance motoring. There’s been some updates, but the original bench seats remain, though both have been reshaped and repadded and pleated ’50s style with deep red piping both front and rear thanks to John in Buffalo, NY. The dash is stock with original gauges, speedo and clock. The steering wheel is stock, but VDO gauges monitor oil, water temperature and voltage from the confines of a custom console. The doors and trunk are powered and the AM/FM/CD sound system offers good road tunes. Of course, it also sports an AC unit to make sure those humid summer Southern, ON trips are more pleasant.
     Gary and Barb didn’t baby their new Buick. One trip included the James Dean Run in Fairmont Indiana, the Ducktail Run, in Gas City, Indiana, Pumpkin Run in Ohio, the NSRA Nationals Southeast in Tampa, FL and back home to Hamilton. “This is a keeper for sure,” said Gary of the Buick. “It’s got the looks we like, the power we like and the ride we like — and it’s got lots of room for luggage. It’s all you could ask for.”
     As the insert 1948 ad above proclaims, driving a Buick, even in 2008, is still something of a revelation.