Car of the Week: 1958 Buick Special

[dodgechargerfan]

"For guys like Scott Dohnal, who love lots of blazing chrome and razzle-dazzle, the 1958 Buicks were the bomb. Fittingly, the producers of the short-lived TV show "The Playboy Club" were so impressed with the Buick's glitz and glamour — they used Dohnal's Riviera during filming of one of the three episodes that made it onto network TV.

Getting his car on TV certainly wasn't what Dohnal had in mind when he was putting the Buick back together. He had bigger ideas — like making a car that was loads of fun to own and drive, and very hard to ignore.

"This is most definitely not a 100 percent back-to-original-concours restoration," Dohnal said. "It's a father/son 'Lets have fun and build it how WE want it' project.""

Read More.

 

[69.5CUDA]

58 across the board has to be ne of my fav years no mater the brand...my only complaiint about the bucks was that bull nose high hood

 

[68R/T]

That 2-tone paint scheme just doesn't look right. He should have left it all white, as original;



...or even gone with a more subtle scheme, like this;



Just because it's a 56 ford color doesn't mean you have to make it look like a 56 ford. :dgt:

 

[Stretch]

The white in your pic looks damn good. I think the problem with the two tone is his color choice. I would love to see it in the coral and black he said it was in when he got it.

 

[69.5CUDA]

with the sheer amount of chrome on them they ALL look good 2 tone..is a matter of combination

 

[Fishy]

That white one is gorgeous!!

 

[68R/T]

I would love to see it in the coral and black he said it was in when he got it.

The coral/black combo was a lot more popular on the 55-56 bufords;



I couldn't find anything in that combo for a 58. :huh:

 

[68R/T]

He says that he's a woodworker by trade and how proud he is of the console that he made;



If I made that I'm not sure if I would brag about it. :doh:

 

[Fishy]

Looks like something they'd have as a project in Jr. high wood shop!

 

[68R/T]

I would love to see it in the coral and black he said it was in when he got it.

And just like all good "car showers" he has his own little display in the trunk, complete with pillows, pictures, posters and models of how it looks now and what it looked like when he got it; :doh:

 

[69.5CUDA]

nothing wrong with the trunk display imo....i plan to do the same thing on my lloyd with just a single digital display...

as for that umm wood box up front...burn it

 

[68R/T]

Displaying an album or some type of display showing progressive steps of completion is always a treat, but showing off your wifes pillow embroidery or sales posters from the year of build detracts from the original meaning of a car show. I don't know about the rest of the world, but it doesn't impress me at all. :dgt: Keep your memorabilia at home.

It's almost as bad as the drive-in trays with rubber burgers & fries, parking meters or those stupid crying babies. :doh: Or the worst....every trophy that you've ever won. :naughty:

 

[Stretch]

He says that he's a woodworker by trade and how proud he is of the console that he made;

View attachment 13515

If I made that I'm not sure if I would brag about it. :doh:

I saw that too and thought it was aweful. However, he did an awesome job on the trim across the dash.

 

[69.5CUDA]

Displaying an album or some type of display showing progressive steps of completion is always a treat, but showing off your wifes pillow embroidery or sales posters from the year of build detracts from the original meaning of a car show. I don't know about the rest of the world, but it doesn't impress me at all. :dgt: Keep your memorabilia at home.

It's almost as bad as the drive-in trays with rubber burgers & fries, parking meters or those stupid crying babies. :doh: Or the worst....every trophy that you've ever won. :naughty:

theres a time and place for the trays, and the drivin post with speakers...but a parking meter?!?!?!?!...thats the kind of stuff thats cool on a cruise in aka informal street show...not the show field itself..and you damned well better leave the trophys at home..i hate that shit as much as i hate seeing a bunch of plaques scatered across the dash..looks like shit.....as for dealer stuff..that thing better be damned neer concorse....as far as a scale replica....so long as you went full down in every last detail im cool with that

 

[68R/T]

However, he did an awesome job on the trim across the dash.

If you look close at the other interior picture you can see that's not all that nice either.

I would've radiused it more, instead of those sharp edges.



Taking everything into consideration, I don't feel that this weeks feature was really magazine quality. A nice car but I've seen many a lot nicer at local cruises.

Oh well, it's his car and he's proud of it. It's just one of those that when you look at it you start thinking of all the things you would change. :hmmm:

 

[Stretch]

The car on it's own is cool. You just don't ever see them. I agree with 68RT. This one has no place in a magazine. It does prove one thing that Jass and I were talking about last week. Most people just don't see details. I can't count the number of cars that come in the shop that have been wrecked and the owners have absaolutely no idea! Each body panel can be compleatly differant shades of the same color and they just don't see it. Even when it's pointed out to them.

 

[Dr.Jass]

I did better woodwork in 7th grade. Hell, at least the home-made "cover plate" in my '75 Trans Am had the gauges angled upwards, toward the driver. I did that at home with plywood, a borrowed Skil saw, and some black spray paint when I was 16. At least it matched the interior.

 

[69.5CUDA]

ive said it a few times but it bears being said again...wood does NOT belong on/in a car
now there is an exception to that.....woodys and the early stuff that had wood frames......both being BORN with it but if youve ever seen the english and such cars with "decoritive wood" as it ages you know how much it really would have looked better with ANYTHING but wood

 

[68R/T]

..... as it ages you know how much it really would have looked better with ANYTHING but wood

Very true on the aging part. Because of woods' propensity for shrinkage and expansion due to changes in humidity, there is no way to seal and protect it in a 'permanent' manner.

But as far as wood not belonging on a car, over the years I have seen bumpers and wings made from wood that were very tastefully done. In fact the wing looked quite nice. :hmmm:

 

[Dr.Jass]

I think it's OK to use wood, but don't finish it that way. Paint it to match. It ain't your living room!