Bill Ross's '54 Buick, "Blue on Blue," is one of those cars that'd stop any custom connoisseur dead in his or her tracks. It's combination of totally unmitigated cool and unconditional class captures one's admiration instantly. Anyone who's had the opportunity to view Bill's creation up close and in person agrees that this delicious droptop just plain has "the look." This nearly unanimous admiration is intensified once one realizes just how rough this old Buford was before its transformation.
Though Bill has owned and built a slew of cool hot rods and customs over the years, he's long dreamed of one day building a bitchin' convertible cruiser, and when Bill came across the '54 convertible's rusty hulk, he knew he'd found the foundation that'd make that dream a reality. The car was almost completely junk, but he knew with a little imagination and hard work it could be the droptop stunner you see before you. Having built stock cars in the early '60s and numerous rods and customs in previous years, including an R&C pick in 1999, he knew the task at hand would be great, but not impossible.
Since the lower 4 inches of the car was nearly rusted completely away, Bill decided that the best course of action would be to perform some major sheetmetal surgery and a complete replacement of the car's foundation. He acquired a '70 Caprice chassis whose wheelbase was stretched 4 inches to match the Buick's, as a surrogate. However, fearing the Caprice frame, which was not a convertible, wouldn't provide enough strength to keep the topless Buick body from flexing, he channeled the body 4 inches over the frame, replaced the floorboards and trans tunnel, and designed tunneled lakes pipes to add some strength to the lidless body.
With the main structural portion of the job completed, Bill then proceeded to pay some close attention to the exterior body panels. He cleaned up the car's lines by shaving the handles and nosing and decking it, as well. He chopped the windshield frame a full 2 inches and built a fresh variation of the Carson-style top he'd previously fashioned for his earlier '46 Ford custom. Now, this car isn't a trailer queen and never will be; it was built to drive. So, it had to have the sort of suspension that would make it driveable but still be radically slammed at rest. Bill knew that air ride would give him the look he desired when the car is sitting and a practical and comfortable ride while driving, so with a bit of minor work, an Air Ride Technologies airbags system was installed in place of the chassis' original suspension.
Given the fact that '54 Buicks are a fairly popular custom car fodder, Bill wanted to do something to give his car a distinctive look. He decided to build custom bumpers in front and back, and custom they are. He took a '56 Olds bumper and two top bars from '53 Buick bumpers and welded them together. Then, he fit in a '54 Buick grille and a '39 Studebaker bumper guard bar. Bill says, "I got more work in that bumper than the whole car!" The back bumper is a '55 Olds item matched to a '56 Olds overrider. Chaz Ling sprayed the car in a custom mix of PPG baby blue and violet pearl, with darker accents along the hood, fenders, and trim.
The car has already been driven 10,000 miles and counting and has appeared at numerous indoor and outdoor events, taking home more than its share of trophies at each outing. You just got to admit, Bill's Buick is an awesome custom and, by any account, an absolute stunner.
Drivetrain: Since it was built to drive, Bill opted for the ever-popular 350 Chevy crate motor instead of the stock Buick motor. The crate engine is a relatively stock 350 with the exception of an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold, and a 650-cfm Edelbrock carb topped with a '56 Cadillac air cleaner. Backing the SBC is a turbo 350 Chevy trans and a '70 Caprice 10-bolt rearend. Like most customs it's pretty much a stock engine, but hey, it gets the job done.