1952 Special Deluxe Project

[avgwarhawk]

Robert, is the axle cover on correctly? The fill plug looks like its closer to the bottom. Mine is up top around the 2 o'clock position.

[shadetree77]

As far as I know Chris. I installed it exactly as it came off. 2 o'clock position? That seems like it would be awfully high being that you're normally supposed to fill the axle to the bottom of the plug hole with fluid. Maybe it was different in '54 but that seems like an awful lot of fluid would be in your axle if you filled it up to that point.

[1957buickjim]

Robert,

Not sure about when, but all research that I have seen shows that the front diff between the torque tube and the rear axle is that crazy red oxide color. Now, just to let you know, everything was painted black at some point, with usually a dip coat or a light spray wash of a thin black paint, either at the factory or at the supplier. The one thing that I like is that the multi-color rear-axle/torque tube assembly looks pretty cool in the colors that they would be if they were not washed with the black paint. From what I gather, either is correct for judging, it is really about keeping it clean. Brake backing plates were most likely in the early 50's Buicks silver cad plated (clear) and the rear axle was the black/red oxide primer configuration. It just adds some detail to an otherwise non-descript set of parts on the greasy side of the car. Just my thoughts on it. Yours looks great, eitherway! Keep up the good work!

[Buicknutty]

Robert;
I can't remember where the filler plug is on my cars, and I'm not near them to go look right now. I had a leaf through the '51 Buick shop manual I have, but could see any illustrations that indicates where the filler plug is, though it does state that the capacity is 3 1/2 pints, so as long as you put close to the correct amount in, you'll be fine.
Also, nice looking work there!
Keith

[old-tank]

Look at the relief in the cover for the ring gear...it can only be installed one (correct) way.

[shadetree77]

Jim, thanks for the info. I guess since everything was coated in black at one point I'll just leave it for now. I think it looks good either way.

Keith, thanks for checking the '51 manual for me. I looked through my '52 manual as well and I couldn't find a picture either. It has to be in the right position though. Like Willie said, it has a relief for the ring gear and it can only go on one way. Perhaps they moved the filler plug position around through the years. Chris said his is way up at the 2 o'clock position. It still seems like that would be pretty high up on the axle for a drain plug but you never know. I didn't measure the oil exactly but I know I put a whole quart and a little over half of another which would be about right as there are 2 pints in a quart. I filled it up til it just touched the bottom threads of the filler plug hole.

Next thing on the list is to get under the car and scrub, scrub, and scrub some more. I'm really not looking forward to this part! It's filthy under there. Giant blobs of grease that have hardened into concrete-like formations, flaking rust, and MUD. Bright red-orange Georgia mud, EVERYWHERE. I received a birthday card in the mail from my Grandmother today. It included a birthday money order as well. Just enough to buy my new brake lines. By the way, I think I have decided to take a chance on the pre-made sets for sale on EBAY. The seller is one I've bought from before and the company has a LOT of positive feedback on these brake line sets. They aren't pre-bent like the ones from Inline Tube but they are under half the price of the Inline Tube sets. Price is definitely a factor in my decision and if I had the money I would be buying the Inline Tube set as recommended by quite a few of you guys. Anyway, the EBAY sets supposedly come in pre-cut lengths (with a little extra for DIY bending) with all correct fasteners attached and everything already flared. I figured up the cost of just going to an auto parts store and buying all of my own tubing and fasteners and believe it or not, the EBAY set is cheaper. Tubing nuts and related fasteners have gone up in price a lot for some reason. I've had good luck with EBAY sellers for many years. Let's just hope I don't strike out on this one.

[1953mack]

. . . . . Perhaps they moved the filler plug position around through the years. Chris said his is way up at the 2 o'clock position. It still seems like that would be pretty high up on the axle for a drain plug but you never know. I didn't measure the oil exactly but I know I put a whole quart and a little over half of another which would be about right as there are 2 pints in a quart. I filled it up til it just touched the bottom threads of the filler plug hole . . . . .

You might have an early 1952 axle housing cover.





I still owe you a response re: my Post #439. I'm working on it.


Al Malachowski
BCA #8965
"500 Miles West of Flint"

[avgwarhawk]

Nice find Al. My plug is up around the 2 o'clock postion. Maybe hedging toward 3 o'clock Certainly not as low as Roberts. Hence my question concerning his photo.

[Buicknutty]

I've bought two sets from the same, or a similar vendor, and the tubes have worked out fine. I prefer the pro-flared ones, rather than doing it myself. One of the few things I'd rather not do myself!
Keith

[shadetree77]

Hmmmm....interesting info. Al. Thanks for digging that up. I guess if I ever see one with the higher plug for sale I'll buy it and put it on there. I don't think it's that big of a deal though. The original has lasted for 64,000 miles now and the gears in there look like they're in perfect shape. Still wouldn't hurt to add the other cover if I ever see one though.

Chris, thanks for catching this difference. I always like learning about the little design changes like this. I find all of the little engineering changes between the years interesting.

Keith, that's good to hear. I know they have a lot of positive feedback on their seller account for these brake line kits. I think the seller was GMOLDTIMEPARTS or some such name. I think he has several seller names on there. I don't really mind flaring lines though. It's mostly a cost issue at this point. Going with the pre-made lines was cheaper than buying all the parts to make my own.

EDIT: Upon further investigation it looks like the EBAY seller also has a website where they do the majority of their business. The name of the business is "Jackson's Old Time Parts" and they've been in business since 1943. Seems they carry all manner of parts for various vehicles from the 1920's-1980's. I'll include a link if anyone would like to check it out. To get to the actual store, click on "Shopping Cart" on the left hand side of the page.

Jackson's Old Time Parts : The Best In Mechanical Wearing parts for all Cars

[shadetree77]

Another long weekend resulting in sore arms and a sore back for me and my Dad! We wire brushed and scraped the entire underside of the car. We sprayed it down with degreaser and rinsed three times. The third time we got under there with scrub brushes to make sure everything was clean. We were soaking wet and tired at the end of it all but it had to be done. The car will have all week to dry out and we are planning to sling some paint next weekend. I really wish I had a way to spray the paint. Doing the entire underside with brushes is going to be a major undertaking.

By the way, after further inspection I have decided that my car was originally painted in a simliar fashion to the other Buicks here on the forum. The frame was black and the underbody of the car was red oxide primer with body color overspray. I could find no evidence on the underbody of ANY black paint. The area under the gas tank (as well as several other spots) is not rusted at all and it is painted red oxide color. I am going to paint EVERYTHING with the black rust paint to stop the rust in its tracks and then go back at some point and mask off the frame and spray some oxide paint on the body. I'll probably just use rattle cans for the oxide coat. The rust paint can be top coated so it should work. Here's a shot of the underside after being wire brushed and degreased and one of my Dad hard at work rinsing.

[oldwood]

Is that haz-mat clothing. LOL When your through come to Arkansas and do mine.

[old-tank]

Along with brushes and spraying, consider using paint rollers: 2-4 inch are my favorite for just about any painting.
Willie

[4 bufords]

do you have a paint store that you can rent a sprayer from?4 bufords from ct

[avgwarhawk]

The undercarriage looks very clean. Your hard efforts have paid off.

[56BuickSuper]

If it were me doing all of this difficult work, I would give everything a good coat of the black rust inhibitor paint and be done with it. Why take the time and expense to mask and add red oxide primer once you have a good coat on everything. If you ever decide at some point to make this a 400 point restoration that would be when to consider leaving the under body in primer since you would have the body off of the frame at that time. Adding primer now is just an additional expense that really serves no real purpose. Is anyone going to look under there and be disappointed because there is no primer, will the addition of primer add to the protection? Save the additional time and expense for the tranny, or the next part that needs attention would be my advice. You have done wonders with your car and "shade tree" approach, keep up the great work. Looks like you may need a few cans of primer when you decide to tackle the body work.

All The Best
Dan

[JohnD1956]

I painted everything black. ... 1957buickjim showed me some pictures of his and his front cover is painted a reddish color. .... After seeing Jim's, now I'm not so sure.

It is tough to keep up with 1957BuickJim. But your's looks pretty good to me. As far as the undercariage, I would definitely paint it red oxide over the rust encapsulator. You have it wide open now, and very clean too. Do it once, and do it right. You won't be kicking yourself after the topside is painted.

[chevy_dude97]

Do it once, and do it right.

I can't agree more.

[shadetree77]

Dorsey, lol, it does look like he's fully prepared to deal with a chemical spill doesn't it? We suited up in some painters coveralls with a face shield to keep that nasty degreaser off of us. Not to mention a failed attempt to keep dry. You should have seen me when we were wire brushing! I had goggles and a respirator on (didn't want to breath in rust or lead dust). I looked like I belonged in a nuclear power plant. As for doing yours, I don't know about all that. This wasn't a fun job and I don't think I'll be doing it again anytime soon. At least not for free. By the way, I don't know if you are in the BCA or not but your oil pan pictures are in this months Buick Bugle. Thanks again for letting me use them with my article.

Willie, I might grab a roller when I go to buy more brushes. Although last time I tried to use a roller on metal it kept putting tiny bubbles in the paint. I don't know if it was the paint or the roller or the painter.

4bufords, not that I know of. Even if I could find one I don't know if I could afford to rent it. I called a rental place a few days ago about renting a simple, small pressure washer and they wanted $77 a day!! I was flabbergasted!

Chris, thanks my man. A lot of elbow grease was required for that job. It was not an easy thing to get to every single nook and cranny under there!

Dan, John, chevy_dude, Thanks for the advice. While I do see your point Dan, I also feel strongly about only having to do everything once. I really don't want to have to remove all of this stuff down the road to finish it up. Everything is out and the underside of the car is easily accessible. While doing the oxide primer coat will add a little expense to the job, I don't think it will be that much. I can buy a case of rattle cans for around $30 or less. I already have masking tape and lots of newspapers. Not only that but it's going to be several months before I can take the transmission to get it rebuilt so doing finishing touches like this will give me something to do while I wait. I don't mind the extra effort and time. I enjoy every minute working on my Buick. Thanks for the kind words and I'll be sure to keep on keepin' on. Hopefully, by the time I'm ready for body work I'll have a better compressor and a paint gun! No rattle cans required.

[buick5563]

The main problem that I see with painting actual red primer overtop of your rust inhibitor paint is that Rustoleum and other primers aren't rustproof and actually absorb moisture. Even though you saw my undercar red, that is epoxy primer (read: highly water resistant). Plus nobody can really see it when judging. My 55 Special got a Senior without any of the details I am putting into my convertible. Everything was black. Backing plates, torque tube, front suspension, etc. It needs to be clean more than anything.

[oldwood]

I'm now a magazine star??? I'll sign autographs for a small fee!!! I know,keep my day job.

[shadetree77]

Mike, I have heard about the moisture problem with that kind of paint. My logic on the matter was that the rattle can paint will be sitting on top of a THICK layer of impenetrable rust encapsulating paint (similar to POR-15). I was thinking that the layer of POR-15-like paint would keep any moisture absorbed by the rattle can stuff from actually doing any damage to the metal. In effect, even if the spray paint absorbed moisture, it couldn't go anywhere near my sheet metal. Does that make sense or is there a flaw in that logic?

Got my brake line set in the mail today. Everything looks good. It should work out just fine. The lines have a copper core just like the seller told me. I can't say I've ever seen a brake line with a copper core but it seems like a good idea to me. With a copper core, even if the steel part rusted away, the copper would not allow your brake line to leak. At least, I guess that's how it works. The kit came with everything I needed. Some lines will have to be coupled as they are a little shorter than the stock lines but the kit came with the necessary couplers and extra lengths of line. The only thing I didn't like was that it was shipped in a plain old box with no supports inside. The box was bent in a few places during shipping. Seems to me they should be shipped in a hard tube. I'll know more about the quality when I actually put them on the car.

Not much else to report. I've been working on getting all of the little parts ready for paint the last few days. Assorted brackets, trans. dip stick tube, etc. As of now the plan is to paint today if the weather holds out. My arms are aching just thinking about it. We got almost all of the small parts wire brushed, sanded (where needed), and degreased yesterday. We also taped off the chrome side trim where it bolts to the bottom and masked off the muffler and exhaust pipes. Everything is layed out and ready to go for this morning.

[buick5563]

No flaw to your logic, my man. I just don't think it is really necessary. Seriously, take a knee and see if you notice that it is black vs. red. We make a bigger deal here on the forum than the judges do about "proper" from-the-factory color of the underside of your car. Trust me. Just call it "over restored". People paint the underside in all manners when restoring their cars. Body color. Black. Red oxide. Etc.

[First Born]

Robert, I agree with Mike. In fact the amount of "overspray" varied. No two the same. So who is to say=======.

Ben

[tenugent]

if you do use a roller when painting try a mini or cigar roller with a nap skin not foam-there about 6 inches x 1 inch-work good in tight areas-you should be able to get same rattle can paint in quart or gallon.for quick coverup wrap non painting odd areas with aluminum foil.good luck.t.nugent roa 12969.