Tomb of the unknown Buick (from the local paper)

[Mongo]

There was no secret map. No "X" to mark the spot.

But there was a buried treasure -- albeit a strange one -- that workmen unearthed Thursday afternoon at 187 N. Chicago St. in Kankakee.

After digging down to expose what appeared to be a porch foundation, workmen found a 1958 Buick Special, a chrome-laden, rusty two-door hardtop that was apparently intentionally buried in this unlikely space in 1971.

"The space was real small for a car like this," said Emery Phillips Jr., of Bradley, one of the crew members who pulled the blue and white car back into daylight for the first time in decades.

"There was less than a foot (of space) in front and in back of the car, about a foot on the driver's side and maybe 10 inches on the passenger side.



http://daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id=453829

What do you know?

Do you know anything about the buried car? A legend? A story? A memory? Please send information along to Dennis Yohnka at dyohnka@ daily-journal.com or call him at (815) 937-3384.

[Oss]

how to beat the repo man?

[hubcapsc]

I think our Special was a 56 or a 57...



-Mike

[Big IV]

All we found digging around my house was rock and more rock. I would like to find something fun like a Buick under there.

[Mickey Runie]

Did Jimmy Hoffa own a Buick? 

[Mongo]

Got home and read the paper (not just the web link) and they said it had New Mexico plates on it and Illinois plates in the trunk.

[czuch]

I'll take it.
My first car was a 58 Buick. I mowed the guy's lawn all summer, front and back with edging for it. That amounted to $5.00 a week back in 1973/4.
he thought we were just kids but we allready had a buyer for it. We got it running and sold it for $500.00. I bought my first motorcycle with the cash. $25.00 for a 65(?) honda 160.
There, now its bike related.

[sugerbear]

some guy or woman not wanting the car given to the other in a divorce?
pretty cool though.

[BF]

Sooooo that's where I left it.  Dang memory. 

[alph]

sounds like someone didn't want to pay to dispose of it.

although, i would think that you could get something for scrap.

if you think about it, if you took any car today and did that the EPA would be up your arse in a heart beat!

[Mongo]

I went by the house today. What a dump not a very good part of town. It was sealed up under the porch. to the left in the photo. The house had been made into 6 apartments. I would guess that a 100 different people lived in that place in the past 40 years. and they all walked right over the car. They pushed dirt back up to the porch to keep people out

The paper said it was on blocks

[fudgie]

Thats pretty neat.

[Ratdog]

I went by the house today. What a dump not a very good part of town. It was sealed up under the porch. to the left in the photo. The house had been made into 6 apartments. I would guess that a 100 different people lived in that place in the past 40 years. and they all walked right over the car. They pushed dirt back up to the porch to keep people out

The paper said it was on blocks

That house looks about as bad as the one I did a major remodel on...  that's a PILE of work there.

[R J]

Some of our CHP cars were 55-58 Buick Special Coupes.  Had the engine out of the Roadmaster or Century, don't remember what was the top model those years.  Century runs in my mind.   It had like 45 more ponies than a Special engine, and most of the early Specials were all 3 speed on the tree.....

Couldn't run them too hard and heat it up good, it would burn a piston.  Personally, I thought they run them too lean anyway....