Electra 225

It is truly amazing how many people know about this specific model of Buick. I have been cruising through downtown Seattle at night and people will yell out "nice deuce!" from the sidewalk as I pass... it totally floors me! But I am not surprised as these full-size beasts are very well designed and have a style all their own. They have a nearly cult following and are affectionately known as "Deuce and a Quarters" (225) due to the original model's wheelbase.

This particular 225 has been in my family since it rolled off the lot a Huling Bros in West Seattle. It has been called many things, such as The Green Monster, Land Yacht, The Hate Train (due to the train-whistle-like-noise it makes when the throttle is open) and when things go wrong; Giant Piece of Sh*t. But I like the nickname of Bernice in honor of my late Great Aunt Bernie who bought it brand new. And bless her heart, she got the 2-door with no A/C.  :D

This one is all stock with the only modifications being a new alternator and battery, a plastic center cup holder and Mexican blanket seat cover. The paint is well-worn, the top is peeling off, the body is dinged, dented, smashed and trashed, the front power bench looks like a badger was let loose inside, the carpet is moldy enough to get a biohazard rating, the trunk has holes in it you can see the concrete below, the wipers work sometimes, the heater blower is hooked up through a crappy add-on switch, and it is passed around like a box of peppermint bark at a holiday party... but I LOVE THIS CAR. It is the family car and I will never let it go even if my whole family hates it.

And although it has a myriad of issues it is also a fascinating time capsule. The original grease pencil markings are still prominent on the firewall, it has all the original T-3 headlights and nothing really radical has ever been done to it. I believe there is about 85,000 or so original miles on it.

Even though it sports the 430ci big block with 4bbl carb this Deuce has trouble laying down power. There are several reasons, but the most needed upgrades are the exhaust system, the intake system and most likely the ignition system (For more on this see page 2).

I had to put the one tire in a puddle and mash the go pedal hard to even spin it! Pathetic!!

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