A few questions on a 50 Buick

[Dani]

Hello guys, I have had my 1950 Buick for quite a while. I was on the phone ordering parts and I told them I have a 1950 Buick "Special" series 50. They told me that only a "Super" could be a series 50 and not a special. I found this odd because I am the second owner of the car and I know the car hasen't been touched-the emblems say Special-So whats the deal here? Secondly-What do I fill my shocks with (shock fluid or is there something cheaper and easier to obtain?), and where is the fill plug for them? Third-is the ignition key different from the door lock keys (I ask because my ignition doesn't even need a key to turn). And lastly- Does anyone know where to get a good radiator for this car (Harrison 50D)? Mine's shot and I can't afford 500 bucks just yet to get it recored. Thanks for all your help guys! ---

[Fr. Buick]

How long have you had this car? And why do you not have a factory service manual yet?

There is no such thing as a Special series 50. All Specials were series 40, all Supers were series 50, and never the twain shall meet. If you look on your cowl tag mounted on the fire wall, it will tell you what you have, regardless of what the script on the fender says, which may have been changed - who knows after so many years on the road.

As for keys, you should have only one key to work everything: ignition, doors, trunk, even the glove box lock. The ignition switch/lock has three positions: left is locked, center is run, and right is off-but-not-locked. The far right is used to start or kill the car without the key. The left is to allow the car to start only with the key - for Buick owners who lived in the rougher side of town, I suppose. If your key will not turn the switch to the far left, then you need a lock-smith to do some magic.

As for radiators, your best bet is here, Ebay and salvage yards. Get a coppy of Hemmings Motor News and start dialing. Remember that the tanks will be slightly different between a 3-speed and a Dynaflow job. Best bet is to get a used one with good tanks and have it completely recored. The good news is that Buick sold a hell of a lot of cars in 1950, so you will find what you need.

Your qoute of $500 sounds high, but it has been a while since I had my '54 done. The skills to do this are not so readily used anymore now that new cars have much different radiators in them. My 96 Impala has plastic tanks, which scare me to think about, but the factory one lasted 113 thousand miles. When one tank started a slow crack, I replaced it with a new unit for $170 and my labor. Hard to beat that, but it must be difficult for a radiator man to make a living now...

Happy wrenching,

Doug Cook

[chub chub]

fr. buick is right on. regarding recore, $500 does sound too high. i just had the radiator for my 52 special recored. it cost me $380 with tax, and i live in san francisco where you pay too much for everything. shop around some more, and good luck.
scott

hi dinia,

welcome to one of the best looking buick ever!

Below you can find anwsers to all those questions in our 1950 buick group.... free to join.

[imported_JPIndusi]

The BCA folks who responded have given you good advice.
As for the shock absorbers you should use any good brand of hydraulic jack oil. The fill plug on the front shocks is a hex head short bolt. It is easy to see right on top of the shock body visible from under the hood.
The rear shocks are harder to work with. The fill plug on the rears is a square head short bolt on the top of the shock near the front. Don't overfill these, leave a 1/2 inch or more of air space at the top.
You may have to rock the car up and down to get air out and the fluid to fill the cylinders inside the shock.
Joe, BCA 33493

[Dani]

I've owned the car for about a year now. The previous owner is a very good friend of mine, the car has been sitting since 1977 garaged right down the road from my parents house. I know it has been repainted because the paint job is horrible and is pealing away from the original paint. So perhaps when someone did the paint they also changed the scripts. It's only got 25,500 original miles and is in excellent shape aside from the radiator. I have many Chilton manuals but they lack details on the shocks and a few other areas I needed. The key doesn't move to the left so I will get a new cylinder and re-calibrate the disk tumblers to work with my key. I've been working on classics for a few years so I'm not a stranger when it comes to engines and transmissions/etc., but I've never had a car with l/a shocks-hopfully the seals are still good so when I fill them they will be fine. The data plate says 50 so I will purchase the correct emblems. Anyone need "special" scripts? Lol. Thanks you guys, I appreciate the responses! -----

[chub chub]

actually... i may want those scripts. my 52 was "mostly shaved" when i bought it. i'll see if they're the same scripts as the 52 if you don't want them. pics. would help. even if i don't put them on the car, they would be nice to have. let me know if you really want to get rid of them.
thanks,

scott

[Robberbach]

Does the car have a one piece windshield or two piece. One for super, two for special. Also the tag should say series 50-something. The series 50 is for the year, the numbers after the- are the model#s, Hopes this helps. Mine states series50-46d. It's a 1950 2dr sedanette special deluxe. Mark

[Dani]

The windshield is 2 piece, so I must be just reading the data plate wrong. Also I filled up the shocks and the car doesn't bounce as much over bumps but still has a fairly large amount of travel. I'm not sure if this is normal or the shocks are just old and bad but I deal with it. Lastly, the tire size for this car is 7.60X15, anyone know what the closest size this translates to in todays tire sizes? Thanks guys-----

[imported_kenmatthews]

Dani,

I have a 55 Super and the manual states same size (7.6in. x 15in.). For radial tires, that would be a 235/75-15 if you want to stick with the original wheel setup. Check out www.coker.com if you want to stay vintage but expect to pay about $165/ea.