1992 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon

In October 1999, I picked up a Buick Roadmaster wagon for use as a winter vehicle and all-around hauler?  Why?
- It's a GM B-body, so it has to be good.  Well, part of it, at least.  OK, at least we can all
agree that it's big.
- It's a large rear-wheel-drive vehicle with more interior room than most
sport-utility vehicles; despite being a Buick, it'll outhandle just about any SUV
- It has one of those ancient pushrod V8s under the hood, with an easily-modified
EFI system
- It'll be one hell of a sleeper once I'm done modifying it!
 

Step One: Remove woodgrain



 

Step Two: Upgrade suspension (in progress)

Well, the plan was to put what's essentially the stock Impala SS suspension package in the front end.  It turns out that the wagon already has identical springs to the Impala, but yet the body definitely sits higher (after a bit of investigation, it was clear that the front crossmember is the same height from the ground as the Impala).  While I haven't confirmed it, I think the body bushings might be different.

So, the front springs are stock for now.  The shocks are KYB, which I obtained from The Tire Rack for a whopping $30 each.  So far, they seem very good, but durability will remain a question until I put more miles on them.

I used the stock Impala 30 mm swaybar to replace the wagon's 28 mm piece.  Perfect Circle swaybar bushing and "high performance" swaybar endlinks from Pep Boys were used along with 10x1.5x30 mm socket-head bolts to mount the swaybar.

The next step will be to mount a stock Impala rear bar.  I intend to hog-out some aluminum blocks that sit up in the lower control-arm channel.  These will be tapped for the bar.  I'll be sure to post the results.  I'll also be replacing the stock air shocks with some DeCarbons from my Impala.  Finally, I'd like to swap in a quicker-ratio steering box.
 

Step Three: Fix body (in progress)

Since 1992, this car has battled Michigan winters.  It's starting to loose the fight.

Rust has developed in a few places, most notably in the rear wheelwells (where salty slush gets trapped).  Also, there's quite a few spots where the stock trim has chaffed away the paint, exposing bare metal to the elements.

I plan on trimming out the affected areas on the wheelwells lips, and I'll weld in some new panels if I can ever find them.  The exterior will then be painted in the stock dark blue, and I'm still in the process of determining what I'll use for trim.  I don't want to turn this car into the typical Impala clone - it's a Buick, and needs to retain that identity.
 

Step Four: Increase power output (in planning stages)

It looks right now like I'll be dropping-in the 350 LT1 from my Impala, along with the spare wiring harness and PCM that I've got.  While I'm interested in the challange of increasing the power output of a TBI motor, it's just plain easier to swap-in the LT1 stuff.  Yep, it's going to be a little difficult, but I don't anticipate any major problems that can't be solved by a trip to the junkyards.

Send feedback to eric@bryantperformance.com.