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Canadian Poncho Homepage -> Canadian Poncho -> The Lounge -> Interesting article on Newfoundland Buicks
Post Info TOPIC: Interesting article on Newfoundland Buicks
bigdreams


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Interesting article on Newfoundland Buicks
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http://www.oldcarscanada.com/2014/11/1956-newfoundland-buick-for-townies.html

there was an article in a Hemmings publication on this

It was first published back in 2014 so some of you may have seen it



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MC


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Fascinating story.  It tells a lot as to how GM was at the top of their game in those days.  The fact that they would take an interest in the Newfoundland market, which actually was only 1.6% of their market (by the 1956 figures given in the article), send engineers and test vehicles there, and then redesign the cars to suit the market, is remarkable.



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Canadian Poncho


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I wonder if any of those special Newfoundland 56 Buick's survive? No word if these heavy duty Buick's were built after 1956. Good article.

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Pontiacanada


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Cool.

I wonder if there are any PEI only cars?

These NEWFOUNDLAND BUICKS have heavier than standard frames, specially tempered springs, unusually powerful shock absorbers, all special features planned and road tested by BUICK engineers over hundreds of miles of Newfoundland roads to give us the NEWFOUNDLAND BUICK.



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MC


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I don't think the article addresses this explicitly, but I would imagine the upgrades to be applied to all Canadian market cars, not just Newfoundland. It would make more sense from a mass production standpoint, unless the NL cars were done as a special run or something similar. I'll go back and read it again when I have a chance...

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MC


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Read it again, and it says they were not available on the mainland, but I'm wondering if that's just ad copy. Hmmm... I wonder if more info is out there somewhere...

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DonSSDD


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Nfld only had the road across the province completed in the mid 60s, I imagine the roads were pretty rough in many areas in 56. Never heard of this before, maybe Carl has some Nfld part numbers for the 56 Buick.

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Canadian Poncho


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We could use something like that now! My work 06 HHR has been hammered by the PEI potholes this winter. A couple of weeks ago I had a nasty squeal from the LF wheel. Sounded like the brake squealers. So, I took it into the dealership I used to work at and they put it on the hoist. The pads were fine however the left wheel hub was only attached to the spindle with one bolt (out of three)! One bolt had broken, another was gone! Another good pothole and I would have lost the wheel! The reason for the noise was the hub was so loose a brake pad retainer was rubbing on the rotor. 
Pontiacanada wrote:

Cool.

I wonder if there are any PEI only cars?

These NEWFOUNDLAND BUICKS have heavier than standard frames, specially tempered springs, unusually powerful shock absorbers, all special features planned and road tested by BUICK engineers over hundreds of miles of Newfoundland roads to give us the NEWFOUNDLAND BUICK.

 



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MC


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Yikes!  That was a close call, Todd.

The potholes have been bad here this year.  I hit one this winter - it was huge, and on one of the busiest roadways in my area - typically everybody drives it 100 km/h (90 limit) bumper to bumper.  In traffic, at night, following at about 3 seconds behind the car in front of me - suddenly it appears... do I go left or right to try to straddle it with my wheels?  Didn't matter... it was too big to miss.  Broke a belt in the tire, but at least didn't bend the rim. 

I'm surprised the HHR you were driving only has 3 hub bolts - most other vehicle hubs I've seen have 4.  Also surprised they would break that easily - must have already had some fatigue stress built up in them...

Glad it didn't end up much worse than that!!



-- Edited by MC on Friday 29th of March 2019 11:16:37 AM

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Canadian Poncho


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Me too! I found a Mevotech "Terrain Tough" heavy duty hub on Rock Auto. It was half the price of a local Chinese hub. It has quite the specs:
From top to bottom, Mevotech's Terrain Tough parts have been engineered and designed to handle whatever tough work you can throw at them. Terrain Tough parts are built to provide extended maintenance cycles and keep your vehicle on the road.

Features & Benefits:
Opti-motion bearings are produced with application specific raceway and rolling element designs, providing extended durability under excessive loads and harsh road conditions
Repel-TEK surface treatment eliminates the build up of rust and corrosion between the mating surfaces of the brake rotor and hub for easier, more efficient front-end servicing
Nanomatic Loaded grease is infused with nano-ceramic particles providing superior protection and lubrication throughout all operating conditions
Manufactured with an orbital roll-form closure maintaining the precise pre-load on internal bearing races for extended durability
Quantum Sealing System is a unique design, engineered with an additional seal on the brake side to protect internal rolling elements and Nanomatic Loaded grease from contamination
Mounting hardware and axle nut are included for ease of installation
SecureGuard ABS sensor is a fully enclosed, flexible one-piece cable completely protected from the elements ensuring exact signal quality

I was impressed when I pulled it out of the box. It even came with new mounting bolts

 

Right now it's the nicest part of the car! biggrin

 



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