A 1994-96 Buick Roadmaster with the 9C1 LT1 RWD and full frame with the 4-speed 700R4 which is pretty much is replaced by the a Modern 2wd Chevy Yukon/Tahoe and 1/2 ton Suburban but then again the Suburban is what a old school station wagon was and if you needed to seat 8 or needed the with the optional tow package the mid-size and full-size SUVs that were body on frame truck based platforms were the same as the old wagons and replaced them.
Now CUV have replaced most of the original body of frame SUVs and are FWD/AWD and not able to tow like the old 1/2 ton PU truck based Full-size Bronco, K5 blazer, Dodge Ram Charger and the Yukon/Tahoe/Escalade and the larger Suburban and the Ford Expedition
Buick revived the Roadmaster name for a
B-body station wagon in 1991, replacing the
Estate Wagon in the lineup. Using the 115.9-inch (2,940 mm) wheelbase that was introduced for the 1977 model year, the wagon was called the
Roadmaster Estate Wagon.
although it shared parts with other full-size GM models. The Roadmaster Estate was a
badge engineered Chevrolet Caprice Estate (also sold as the
Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser) the three variants differing mainly in grille design and trim.
Simulated woodgrain side and back panels (made of vinyl) were standard on the Roadmaster Estate, although a delete option (WB4 wood delete) was available for credit. The "Vista Roof", a fixed sunroof over the second-row seats that was not available on the Caprice, was standard as well. The Roadmaster Estate could seat up to eight with an optional third-row seat. All these wagons initially used
Chevrolet's 5.0 L
small-block V8, but both Buicks used the larger 5.7 L version from 1992.
From 1994–1996, the Roadmaster, like all B-Body variants, began utilizing the iron head version of the Gen II LT1 V8, its 350 c.i/5.7 liters producing 260 hp (194 kW) and 335 lb·ft (454 N·m) of torque. The switch from the Gen I TBI 5.7l V8 was due to increasing standards for emissions and fuel economy that the aging Gen I could no longer meet. This motor was shared with the Impala SS of the same era and was related to the 4.3 l/265 c.i. L99 V8 that was the base motor for the Chevrolet Caprice, and varied mainly from the F body and Corvette applications by:
A) using iron heads rather than aluminum (specified by police departments for durability and utilized throughout the B-Body line) B) a milder cam that produced a better torque curve for the heavy B-Bodies. C) various intake silencers used to make the engine more palatable to the luxury market and/or pass drive-by noise standards. D) Two bolt main journal bearing caps (also true with the F-body LT1 engines, but not the Corvette).
The Roadmaster was only delivered with the 5.7 l LT1, however, and such cars can be detected visually by a factory-installed stainless steel dual exhaust. The interior of the LT1 cars is distinguished by utilizing analog gauges rather than digital. However, unlike its stablemates, the 9C1 Caprice and Impala SS the Roadmaster was limited to 108 mph (174 km/h) due to the factory-fitted tires not being rated to run the 140 mph (230 km/h) plus the 9C1 and SS were capable of. The engine returns 17 mpg-US (14 L/100 km; 20 mpg city/25 mpg (9.4 L/100 km; for a 4500lb wagon fuel economy went up 1 mpg-US city from the previous version.
The transmission from 1994–96 was changed from the 'analog' 700R4/4L60 to the electronically controlled version of the same, the 4L60E.
Ordered with the towing package, the 94-96 Roadmaster was advertised to tow up to 5000 pounds, although the Estate Wagon owner's manual extended that to 7,000 lbs when using a weight distributing hitch, dual sway controls, increasing the rear tire pressure to 35 psi and disabling the Electronic Level Control.
The tow package added 2.93 gears and a limited slip differential, heavy duty cooling system including oil and transmission coolers, and a factory installed self leveling rear suspension consisting of air shocks, a height sensor between the rear axle and body and an on-board air compressor. The most distinctive feature was the combination of one conventional fan driven mechanically from the engine alongside of one electric fan, offset to the left (non-towpack cars came with two electric fans).
The caprice wagon that was made into a fake Impala SS was pretty big in the mid-late 90's and they looked pretty good even today and add in the huge amount of aftermarket support for the LT1 based 350 SBC and you can have a totally built LT1 based 383 stoker with a Eaton Supercharger for a sleeper
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