Here at Barn Finds, a lot of the cars submitted to us have come out of long-term storage.  Most were not hermetically sealed and placed in climate-controlled enclosures at the start of their entombment.  The great majority find themselves slumbering in an old garage, shed, or, you guessed it, a barn.  In these places, moisture, dirt, dust, rodents, and temperature swings take their toll on the exterior finish and the interior materials.  Take this 1955 Buick Special sedan for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Lubbock, Texas as an example of what we are talking about.  While this stately old Buick is complete and has the potential to be a fantastic car to cruise around in, just how well will a car like this polish up?  Can a professional detailer bring this Buick from rough and ready to a fifties version of Cinderella going to the ball?  Would you apply a liberal amount of elbow grease to get this car looking good after shelling out the $4,850 asking price, or leave it as-is?  Thanks to T.J. for this four-door find!

While there is a certain amount of shame in this admission, I will confess something to make a point.  I occasionally watched Fast and Loud.  Now that that is out in the open, I want to reference an episode where Dennis had picked a prewar Aston Martin (I believe).  It was in rough shape from stem to stern.  The leather was dried out and the paint had more chalk in it than the White Cliffs of Dover.  He called in a professional detailer.  When I say professional, I mean someone who specializes in bringing expensive but forlorn cars back to life, not the guy who advertises on the Facebook message boards for your neighborhood.  I remember the job taking him many hours.  The result was incredible.  Almost like a classic car version of the car cleanup scene in the movie “Pulp Fiction.”

Now consider that transformation from dried-out leather and chalky paint to a very presentable automobile.    The time invested was considerable and the cost was surely high financially.  The detailer was also quite knowledgeable and had many methods to save as much of the original material as possible while still improving the looks of the car.  When you consider the prospect of putting the Buick you see in this write-up through a similar process, it makes you wonder just how nice a professional detailer could make this car.

Why go through the expense and time?  The straight-up answer is that this car is never going to be fully restored.  A four-door lower-line Buick from the fifties is not a restoration candidate unless it has sentimental value to the owner.  It is just too expensive, with chroming, refinishing, reupholstering, and the thousand other items and services you would need to bring this Buick back to its glory adding up to a ridiculous sum.  This car is nice enough to fix up and drive as it is anyway.  So, my feeling is that this would be a perfect car to spend the money and time to have a top-level detailer work their magic in this case.

So if you like this idea and are interested in this Buick, the seller did provide a little written information in the ad.  We are told that there is very little rust, and that the car is clean inside and out.  Despite sitting in a barn for 40 years, the engine does run.  The seller says that it is not yet drivable, but the picture of the engine with a valve cover pulled off alludes to the necessary work being done as I type this.  They have hooked it up to a battery and the lights work at least.

A look into the trunk reveals the flotsam and jetsom that one collected and stored in a car back in the day.  When was the last time you were given a paper road map at a gas station?  Have you ever changed a tire with a bumper jack and a combination jack handle and lug wrench?  Or, if you want to have some real fun, go to the service department of your local Buick dealer, hand them the can of oil, and tell them to put a quart of oil in your car.  Do you think anyone there would know how to open it, much less have a spout?

In all, this is an interesting car that would make a good road trip vehicle once the bugs were worked out of it.  It may clean up much better than you would think.  Buicks of this era were fine cars, and hopefully, someone takes it to a proper detailer.  I guess that there is a beauty of a car underneath the grime and surface rust. Do you think a professional detailer could help this car become much more presentable?  Have you ever purchased a car that cleaned up better than your expectations?  Please share your thoughts and reminisce in the comments.