Friday, May 24, 2013

Way to go Preston, keep up the outstanding work!

"Preston is a good sales rep. He listened to us and worked with others to make the sale happen. Staff were friendly and stayed after hours" -Mitchells1 
 For more great reviews, click here:  http://edmu.in/17nu1h1

Thursday, May 23, 2013

2013 Buick Enclave Safety Features

Click play to learn about the advanced safety features available on your 2013 Buick Enclave like side blind zone alert with rear cross traffic alert.


Tuesday, May 21, 2013

One-of-a-kind Buick built for General Motors styling legend finds new life in Zeeland barn


The atmosphere is relaxed in Don Mayton’s barn every Tuesday morning as nine “car guys,” most of them in their 70s, gather around a table over coffee and doughnuts.

But they are not here to swap stories about old cars. Soon they will get up from the table and resume work on a project that has brought them to Mayton’s barn nearly every Tuesday for the past four years and is likely to keep bringing them back for a couple of more years.

They are resurrecting a one-of-a-kind 1956 Buick convertible that was custom-built for Bill Mitchell, the legendary head of styling for General Motors Corp. for almost 20 years.

During his 42 years with GM, Mitchell was the man behind some of its greatest styling achievements; the 1955-57 Chevrolet Bel-Airs, the 1963-65 and 1966-67 Buick Rivieras, the 1963-67 Corvette Stingray, the 1975-79 Cadillac Seville, and the 1970-81 Chevrolet Camaros.

The “1956x Buick Century” was built to Mitchell’s specifications with custom trim, a two-tone paint job, a souped-up engine, wire wheels and an interior with swivel bucket seats. It bears a special serial plate, "S.O.90022," as testimony to its singular pedigree.

But that’s not how it looked seven years ago, when Mayton, a retired General Motors plant manager with a fondness for Buicks, bought it from a collector who had rescued it from a used car lot in Holland during the 1970s.

“I found the car in a highly deteriorated condition,” says Mayton, drawing appreciative chuckles from the all-volunteer crew that has torn it apart bolt by rusted bolt.

“You could look inside and see through the floor,” says Mayton.

Gone were the custom bucket seats that Mitchell had installed. Gone were the custom side exhausts and power engine. The custom paint job was faded and painted over.

Since Mayton’s crew began working on their “frame-off restoration,” the chassis has been fully restored and painted its original Seminole Red. The engine and drivetrain have been completely rebuilt and are in running condition.

But the body is still a work in progress. Mayton and his crew have restored and primered most of the exterior panels and found matches for the original paint job that will be sprayed on at the end of the project.

The interior remains the biggest question mark. For all of its celebrity, they have not found a detailed photograph of the interior, Mayton says. The swivel bucket seats and console were discarded and the interior was returned to stock condition when Mitchell returned the car to General Motors.

Their lack of success is not due to a lack of resources. GM’s styling studio and retired stylists who worked with Mitchell have given Mayton’s crew full access to their files and collective memories.
“Our goal is to make it exactly like it came from the factory,” says Mayton, who concluded the car had 225 unique parts and features from his study of the original “shop order” they found in manufacturer's files.

For several years, Mayton has searched for a restoration company that can replicate the hard rubber compound used on the steering wheel of Mitchell’s convertible. He thinks he’s found a shop in Phoenix that can do it.

The one-of-kind clear taillights also are a question mark. Although they are intact and uncracked, the group is still debating whether they should be polished out or remolded from scratch.

Mayton also is unsure about the engine compartment. They built a period correct engine with two four-barrel carburetors, but he’s been told that Mitchell may have installed a set of rare side draft carburetors on the engine.

That means finding the carburetors and fabricating a special intake manifold similar to one he’s seen on another restored Buick. He’s found someone who can fabricate it with a modern computerized milling machine, but Mayton wants to make sure it will display the hand-tooling marks found on the original manifold.

Like the engine manifold, steering wheel and taillights, those details do not come cheaply. Neither will the U.S. Royal whitewall tires he’s still trying to find.

While the task may seem daunting, Mayton and his crew gained credibility among restorers in the past decade when he led a similar effort to restore a dilapidated GM “Futurliner” back to its original condition.

The Futurliner, a futuristic bus-like vehicle which toured the U.S. in the 1950s to promote GM’s image, is now trailered to museums and car shows throughout the nation. It currently is on display at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners.

Mayton also owns several other vintage Buicks and a 1936 Bowlus-Teller travel trailer which he tows behind his 1936 Buick Roadmaster sedan. Prior to taking on Mitchell project, he and his group finished restoring a 1929 Buick.

For Mayton and his pals, all of whom have their own project cars back in their garages at home, attention to detail transcends deadlines and dollars.

As a plant manager, Mayton saw enough production schedules and deadlines. Other members of the group have backgrounds in engineering, mechanics and body work. One of them meticulously photographs each step of the restoration for their web site.

Asked how much he has spent on the project, Mayton smiles. “I don’t even want to guess. Then I’d have to tell my wife.”

Mayton, who is 74, pauses and adds, “This is so much fun. As long as the Lord gives me good health, we’re going to finish it.

“It’s more than a car. It’s the adventure of getting there.”

Courtesy of M Live

Monday, May 20, 2013

Kudos to Brooxie for another 5-star review from a happy customer!

"My salesperson was Brooxie and she was great, listened to what I was looking for and helped me find the perfect truck for me. Upon delivery she was very knowledgeable and even helped me link my phone to the truck after setting up the On Star account. Everyone from the receptionist to the receptionist to the manager Ross, to the finance person Blackie were friendly and made me feel at ease. This was the best experience I've encountered when buying a new vehicle. I am very pleased and will recommend Capital GMC to others." -



Follow us on Twitter!

Our Twitter page is a whale of a tale with all of our followers joining in our weekly conversations. Don't miss out! Come follow us at @Capitalbuickgmc!

https://twitter.com/Capitalbuickgmc


Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Before It Built the Enclave, Buick Built Tanks


Tank is a word sometimes used, both affectionately and otherwise, to describe the massive and sturdy Buick vehicles of the mid-1950s. Powered by V-8 engines and built with liberal amounts of steel and cast iron, those Buicks handily earned the name. But just a decade earlier, Buick built a real tank: the M18 Hellcat tank destroyer that helped Allied forces defeat the Axis powers in both Europe and the Pacific.

According to a recent Buick release, the M18 was a product of Harley Earl’s design studio (Mr. Earl was General Motors’ legendary design chief). And while the Hellcat was no lightweight at 20 tons, it was faster and more nimble than comparable German tanks. Capable of going 60 miles an hour over battlefield terrain, it was powered by a 450-horsepower 9-cylinder Wright R-975 radial aircraft engine, backed by G.M.’s stout Hydramatic transmission. Its suspension system was a torsion bar design developed by Buick engineers.

According to Bill Gross, a historian and M18 restorer, that suspension remains a common inspiration for today’s military vehicles. He said the Buick-built tank’s performance capabilities were laudable.
“The Hellcat was considered the hot rod of World War II,” said Mr. Gross. “To give some perspective, most German tanks of the day were capable of just 20 m.p.h.”

The Hellcat’s performance potential was partly the result of having been built with light armor that made it vulnerable to the effects of enemy fire. But its speed and handling helped fill the void. Its combat role was as a tank destroyer, used to take out enemy armored vehicles. Although the M18’s weaponry couldn’t penetrate the forward armor of German Tiger and Panther tanks, its nimbleness enabled it to get to a position where it could attack their flanks, which were much more exposed.
According to Wikipedia, the M18 Hellcat’s unit cost was $57,500 – a little over $900,000 in today’s dollars. The tank’s fuel efficiency is not known, but it was undoubtedly abysmal. It carried three fewer passengers than a modern-day eight-passenger Buick Enclave, and its interior lacked a modern Buick’s sophisticated climate-control system. The combination of the radial engine’s air-cooling system and the tank’s open-cockpit design ensured frigid cabin temperatures during Germany’s harsh winters.

A total of 2,507 M18 Hellcats were built on the Buick production line in Flint, Mich.
“The men and women who developed the Hellcat and assembled them on the Buick line in Flint contributed a great deal to the war effort and to military engineering history,” Mr. Gross said.


Courtesy of The New York Times

Monday, May 13, 2013

Military Appreciation Month

May is Military Appreciation Month! Capital Buick GMC proudly salutes and thanks all branches of the US Military! In honor of your service, we have some special discounts. Check them out here: http://on.fb.me/10T8WUz


Thursday, May 9, 2013

2013 Buick Enclave Driver Information Center

Learn how to use the new capacitive-touch buttons to personalize the vehicles settings shown in your 2013 Buick Enclave's Driver Information Center and see how your steering wheel controls help keep you focused on the road ahead.


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Car Care Tip of the Week: Don’t forget to flush!


Coolant-antifreeze eventually degrades and becomes contaminated. Flush it from your cooling system as recommended in your manual (typically every two years; every five years for newer coolants). Failing to do so can damage your radiator, clog your heater core, and cause the thermostat and water pump to fail.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Military Appreciation Month

May is Military Appreciation Month! Capital Buick GMC proudly salutes and thanks all branches of the US Military! http://mil-com.me/12KGdTB


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Buick Human Highlight Reel | Robby Walsh

Robby Walsh, former Lehigh lacrosse alumni, biked from Washington DC to Delaware beach. Upon returning, he met someone recently diagnosed with Autism and wanted to help. He remembered the live-changing trip he had taken and thus, Bike to the Beach was born.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Used Car Deal of the Day: 2011 Nissan Juke 5-door Wagon!

This black beauty features: leather interior, navigation, backup camera, sunroof and more!  Click here for more details: http://bit.ly/104nnpC

2011 Nissan JUKE Vehicle Photo in Smyrna, GA 30080