RUST DOES SLEEP, ACTUALLY (life with a '57 Roadmaster)

Well, that was filthy. I've just hauled down and pawed through about a dozen boxes of random '57 Buick parts, mostly trim and secondary systems like wipers, lights, and heater controls. It's not as chaotic as I thought it'd be. I'd already sorted them by Keepers and Traders, more or less. Even found some NOS trim bits I'd forgotten about and plenty of Notes To Self, reminding me how certain things came apart.

Really, there's not so terribly much left to be reinstalled. I still have to sort through the stuff that's stashed in the car itself but I'm quite certain that's all Keepers.

Eventually, I'll post on "Buick - Buy/Sell" a list of all the spare little doodads that I'll be happy to give away. Living as I do on the frozen tundra, no one's going to pay shipping across the continent to get a "free" bumper or a Dynaflow (I do have a spare one of those but thankfully it's at a friend's barn, not in my attic). Therefore, my freebees will be limited to what Canada Post can handle.

A simple restoration task that I can handle right away is prepping and painting the loose interior metal trim pieces, which I've now gathered all together. They're all slightly scratched or a bit rusted from minor leaks or condensation. They include the wide band that goes over the rear window, as can be seen in the photo of Tom's car. It's a pretty big piece to be painted with a rattle can but I'll give it a try - can always have it done again by a pro if it doesn't turn out.

Baby steps…

With the help of many kind neighbours, I got my Buick back into the garage on Sunday. It was a week later than planned because of a flat tire and 10 inches of snow (excuses, excuses). Yesterday I pulled the seats out and will take them to the upholsterer later this week.

Jeepers, it’s like a dance hall in there without the seats! There’s plenty of working room for me to re-install all the fussy bits of painted and stainless trim. I’m surprised to see how many pieces of vinyl were glued-in to cover exposed body surfaces.

The floor is scruffy but it doesn't need wheeling down to bare metal and painting. The few perforations that existed have been properly repaired and touched-up. I’m installing new window and door seals, so the floor should never get particularly wet again and it'll all be covered with underlay and carpet. I’ll just give it a good cleaning, along with the insides of the doors and inside the dashboard. I thank Buick for providing a removable cover for that.

That will be great to see it together! Have you changed oil, fired up the engine again, and had it moving under its own power?

LANCE, no, I didn’t fire it up. Muscle power brought this big car home again last week. I’m reluctant to run it again before I tackle a major Dynaflow leak. We’ve all read ShadeTree’s and BuickJim’s recent accounts of how much fun that’s going to be!

I don’t think it’s advisable to run an engine without filling the transmission because the front pump spins, whether the car’s in gear or not. Running it may cause overheating, when it’s seriously low on fluid. There’s no point in topping it up with gallons of the red stuff and then having it all ooze out again.

For now, I’m just going to putter around with some easy chores in the bare interior. There are a couple of mouse holes in the headliner, which I’ll try to repair with excess material from behind the mouldings. The mice are long gone but no doubt their abandoned living rooms will need clearing out. I know, I know: “wear a dust mask and spritz with water”.

I’ll be taking the last three weeks of December off work, during which I’ll tackle re-sealing the transmission and torque tube. Not exactly a Cuban beach but it’ll be my winter holiday.

Today I ordered a Dynaflow overhaul kit from Auto Tran near Boston. The parts should be here in 2 or 3 weeks. I had this transmission thoroughly rebuilt in 1973, immediately after buying my Buick. I just found the invoice again. The work included new bands, a new drum, clutches, front pump, and several bushings. Cost me a whopping $325, which is like $1700 today. Actually, that’s not bad and it came with a lifetime warranty. Unfortunately, the lifetime of the transmission shop was short; they closed at least 30 years ago.

Now that I know how much was replaced back then, having driven the car only a couple thousand miles since, I feel very good about doing just gaskets and seals this time.

I received a carefully packed box from Auto Tran today, right on schedule. Oh my, there are a lot of gaskets and seals to find homes for.

It's warmed up here, with highs of around -9C (16F) expected for the next week or so. I have a good heater in the garage but I need to leave wifey's car outside while I tear into the Buick. She goes to work at an ungodly early hour and isn't keen on stepping out into the -20C we've had recently.

Because I'm pulling the engine and transmission as a unit, I don't need to raise the car way up, as is required to pull the Dynaflow out the bottom. I probably won't have time to remove the rear axle this time around but I will change the torque ball seals.

Rob, I don't suppose there are any labels on those gaskets huh? Might be kind of hard to figure out what goes where. Seeing as you are probably going to get yours done before me, do me a favor and take plenty of pictures if it's not too much trouble. I think I've almost completely decided to forget about the rebuild and replace the seals. I'm afraid some unknown mechanic would mess something up on it. It was working fine before the leak developed so I don't want to crack it open if I don't have to. Good luck and keep us updated!

ROBERT, the parts in the overhaul kit are not labelled but Auto Tran's webside has an exploded view of a Dynaflow, showing where each seal and gasket goes. The illustration appears to be derived from the parts manual, so together with the shop manual, there should be enough information that I won't end up with too many leftover parts.

Yes, I'll be taking lots of photos and will probably post them as I go along. At the end of it all, I'll put together a How-To thread, "Dynaflow Seals For [and by] Dummies", in the manner of Buick Man's posts on hydraulic lifter cleaning, oil/vacuum pump assessment, dashboard crash pad restoration, and barn find engine startup.

I spent most of my garage time yesterday reinforcing my wheel skates, which are caster-wheeled steel dollies that allow a car to be rolled around the shop, in any direction. Years ago, I bought these at Costco, to maneuver my MG into winter storage at the front of my former, much bigger, garage. First time I used them to scoot the Buick tight to the wall of my new garage, 3 of the 4 skates collapsed. The manufacturer claims they're capable of supporting 1000 lbs each. Apparently, the extra 114 lbs at each tire of a senior Buick is too much. I straightened the bent platforms and screwed 1 1/2" steel angles onto the weak edges. Today's work will test my alterations.

I got all the easy stuff off the car today. Bought some small parts bins to organize the fasteners for each task, with a Post-it note for each. These will become my screws, nuts, and bolts organizer when I'm done this project. It'll save me hours of searching in the future.

Quickly running out of floor space for the parts that are coming off, so will be taking them up to the attic this evening. Tomorrow I'll set the car a bit higher on jackstands and start the tough work, lying on my back. Must stock up on Motrin (for muscle and joint pain). I may invest in a better creeper - mine is old, cheap, and hard to roll around. Thankfully, the underside of the car is clean, so I won't have a lot of crap falling in my face.

My reinforced wheel skates are holding up fine, although I haven't tried moving the car around on them yet.

Had to run to Sears for more tools yesterday (Chinese-made now? Who cares - they have everything I need, just ten minutes away). Nothing like working under a car all day to focus one's attention on what will make a job go better. Hoping for more progress today.

For a long time, I've puzzled over my car's paint code - C0. C is Dover White but there's no 0 or O listed. I figured maybe 0 meant a single colour, with no 2-tone. Looking again yesterday, I realized there's a blob of paint on the ID plate. It really says Paint CD, which is Dover White over Starlight Blue metallic. That's how it appeared and how I had it repainted. Finally then, it's confirmed - the blue wasn't shot on at the dealership or some time later, it was factory. A little victory on an otherwise difficult day.

Sadly, Craftsman no longer makes the special Working-Under-A-Buick wrench

keep the pics coming rob,working on a 57 super now that my disc brakes are on my 62 invicta.been raining and chilly since yesterday,no heat in garage.hope the sun comes out soon.good luck with your 58,4 bufords from ct

For two days now I've been struggling with two lousy nuts, one on each of the exhaust downpipe studs, where they connect to the manifolds (I'm working with hand tools, not compressed air). They're both very awkward to get at, from under the car. The passenger side has a bit of clearance around it, with the oil filter taken off, but only just enough to use a 3/8" drive swivel wrench. It's not long enough and I'm not strong enough to break this sucker loose.

The other side has room to get a 1/2" drive swivel wrench in there, with a long extension. I thought I was finally getting the nut loose tonight because it was squeaking with each yank on the wrench but I then discovered the nut is deforming, just about ready to round-off. I'm using six-point deep sockets but it's really hard to keep them square, while applying force in this convoluted position.

I fight with these for an hour or two, until I can hardly lift my arms, then go look for something easy to do. The engine and transmission are disconnected from their mounts and the torque tube is free. The shifter and throttle linkages and all the wiring are disconnected. To kill some time, I stripped everything off my spare dashboard, so I can finally toss it out.

I'm halfway through my three week garage vacation and these two stubborn exhaust pipes are preventing me from renting an portable hoist and yanking the engine and transmission. I'm considering two crude work-arounds: 1) Cut the pipes and replace them when I put the engine back in. They're in good shape, though, and it'd be a big delay and expense ordering new ones. 2) I could cut the flanges that clamp the pipes to the manifolds. They're probably cheap and readily available but I dread either hacksawing or chiselling through this heavy steel, buried way up inside the engine compartment.

Tomorrow's another day. I'll try heating the nuts with a butane torch but I doubt that's hot enough to be useful. I don't have an oxy-acetylene rig. Maybe the penetrating oil will have finally done its job. Actually, now that I think of it, penetrating oil has never freed a stuck fastener for me. It's like incense in a church - I keep spraying the stuff around and it smells okay but it doesn't do a danged thing.

That's some tough luck Rob. I know exactly what you mean. Frustrating to say the least. My Dad and I replaced the entire exhaust on his Jeep Grand Cherokee a few months ago. We spent two whole days under that thing trying to get two clamps off. Like you, we didn't have air tools or a high heat torch at the time. We tried every tool we had. We ended up tearing it off with a combination of dremel tool, grinder, and a sawzall. On the penetrating oil, do you have any ATF trans fluid and Acetone lying around? Mix those half and half in a squirt bottle and it's supposed to be the best penetrating oil you can get. I've used it several times. Seems to work quite well. Do try the heat though. I've had some luck using a propane torch to heat stubborn bolts. Keep up the good fight and let us know what happens. Good luck my friend!

I have heard, (BUT NOT TRIED), where you fill a socket, 6-point with J-B WELD, push it onto the bolt, let it sit for a day, or night, then get as STRAIGHT a shot as possible, and with as much LEVERAGE as you can provide to break that baby lose. KISS THE SOCKET GOODBY WITH J-B.

I have had some luck in SMACKING the head a few blows to break the threads away from their grip. Don't round over the bolt though. Also try tightening it a tad, sometimes that will be of aid.

Been there, Done that, AIN'T FUN.

Dale in Indy

" May we be FAITH, full"

Life is too short to struggle with rusted nuts! Get the heat you need: MAPP gas torch. Get a nut splitter. Already mentioned: dremel and sawsall.

Willie

MAPP gas torch is new to me. Some Googling tells me that it burns much hotter than propane and some manufacturers claim you can even weld with it.

There's two types, one with a single bottle about the size of a regular propane torch and the other with two bottles, one MAPP gas and one oxygen. The first type is for general use, with a trigger spark start - very convenient. It has a large flame, again similar to propane. It may be what I need to persuade these nuts off because there's no fear of damaging surrounding materials - these are exhaust pipes, for heaven's sake. The second type provides finer control and a tighter flame, which can be used for cutting, brazing, and maybe welding. I'm tempted to get that, to do the current job and then serve as a low-cost (less than $100) introduction to "real" torch work.

Nut splitters are great but they all have a thick collar that must wrap around the nut. The nuts that are challenging me are within 1/4" of the exhaust pipes, so that sockets barely fit on. Serious heat is my only hope, before butchering either the flanges or pipes. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to cut the flanges with this little torch kit.

I like the sounds of an ATF-acetone mix to penetrate rusty threads; will try that. Smacking an undersized deep socket on the shoulders of the nuts with a hammer was the first thing I tried. It's tough to get much of blow, in these tight quarters. I've had mixed results with J-B Weld and am not keen on complicating this job by adhering a tool to the fasteners. If it was out in the open, I would try this on a nut or bolt that's been rounded-off.

Thanks for your advice, guys. That's really why we're all here.

Daily image. I do have the shop manual-recommended 20" clear under the frame rails, if I decide to leave the engine in and pull the transmission out the bottom. I know better though, I've undone those bellhousing bolts before. The exhaust pipes are a picnic compared to that.

I would try heating the manifold flange itself, then put some of that ATF/ACETONE mix on when it is starting to cool off. I would do this for several days in a row. Then try to remove the entire stud/bolt immediately after heating and putting another dose of the mix on. Mostly I'd be careful to avoid breaking the flange on the manifold. In a worst case scenario, I would disconnect the manifolds from the engine and then go back to them after the engine was out of the car.

I also would not recommend pulling the engine and trans as a unit. I think these are heavy enough to compromise most cherry pickers built today. But I do not know that for a fact. I do think it will be so heavy that when you get it in the air you may be unable to pull it away from the car without tipping the picker.

A good tool rental store will rent you a QUALITY portable hoist. They also have available an angle device that will allow you to tip the unit as you bring it out, and up. They may rent a couple with different lifting limits, so get the HD unit.

I have pulled engines, and transmissions as a unit several times with no issues. Of course it is wise to have help to steer the assembly as it comes out. IMO

Dale in Indy

Rob, is that a three-legged jack stand I spy supporting the front end? If so, you may want to reconsider it's use. I've heard bad things about those 3 legged stands. I even read something where a guy said if he ever saw those at yard sales he would buy them for the sole purpose of throwing them in the trash to save anyone from getting hurt by them. Now I don't know how much truth there is to that but it scared me out of using them. I went out and bought all new 6 ton four legged stands. Here's a little paragraph I ran across explaining their dangers:

[h=3]Don't Bet Your Life on Cheap Jack Stands[/h] For years, the most common type of aftermarket "safety" stands had three legs made of thin gauge steel. The legs had no base but were supported by thin brackets spot welded between the legs. The center portion of the stand was cylindrical, and fitted with a tubular support that could be raised and lowered by removing and inserting a steel pin through the holes in the tube. These stands are no longer made, but can still be found in garage sales and resale shops. What makes them dangerous is their flimsy construction. The spot welds can pull apart without warning, allowing the stand to collapse. The pins can also slip if not properly inserted all the way through the center tube.

Most of the jack stands that are sold today have four sturdy legs, with an adjustable cast iron ratchet bar in the center that can be raised or lowered as needed with a lever. The teeth on the ratchet mechanism lock the support bar in place so it can't drop. These are a good design, but make sure the weight capacity of the jack stands exceeds that of your vehicle.

Again, excellent advice, people.

ROBERT, I did notice how much better made are my new stands, compared to the 3-legged sheet metal ones that I've had for, well, probably since before you were born. I doubt that those spot welds have got any stronger over time. Before progressing any further, I'm going to nip over to Canadian Tire and buy two more of the newer, ratchet type. Thanks for pointing out this hazard. I promise to take a sledge hammer to my old ones before throwing them out.

WILLIE, I have a new best friend and he is HOT! His name is MAP/Pro by Bernzomatic (I couldn't get the 2-bottle type until January). This trigger-start, variable flow torch gets way hotter than propane, so that I could quickly get the exhaust pipe stud and nut cherry red. The nut slipped right off like I'd installed it the day before! WARNING FOR DUMMIES: when the nut in the wrench feels like it's finger-loose, don't just grab it with your fingers - it's still probably 500 degrees F. Good thing I was wearing leather work gloves.

DALE, I've also pulled engine-transmission units before and, JOHN you're right, they are tough to maneuver. I've had the sensation of the lift trying to tip, now that you mention it. Once I've got the whole unit hanging free, I'll set the car down and back it out of the way, rather than trying to move the weighted lift. And yes, I will have a helper or two for this procedure.

be safe rob,4 bufords from ct

The engine/tranny lump is now resting on the unbolted front mounts and just two rear crossmember bolts. The torque tube is disengaged and the Buick is back down on the skates, which worked perfectly in shifting the car diagonally within the garage. This is why I insisted my builder had to provide a glassy smooth, steel trowel finish to the floor slab. The hoist is set up over the engine bay and there's room to roll the car back, when the engine is lifted.

My helper had to leave, so the next stage of the engine-ectomy will not occur until tomorrow morning.

SCREAM real LOUD, maybe we will hear you, when it is UP, UP, & AWAY.......

Be safe,

Dale in Indy

The removal went real well this morning. Engine and transmission slipped out like they wanted to. The garage floor was a bit of a lake for a while but the red tranny fluid and green antifreeze were nicely seasonal. I've got to go out there this evening, to put the engine on a stand and get the Dynaflow up on the bench. The weather's turned seasonal, too, with -30C lows the next few nights, so the BMW is begging to be let back inside.

BMW story: couple of weeks ago, I went to the dealer to pick up a few things, including an electric block heater (I bought the car in Las Vegas last spring). The partsman says, "They don't make one."

"Huh?" says I, to which he answered, "Sir, your car will start, no matter how cold it gets."

Wow. Confidence or arrogance? We'll see.

This hasn't been a great week. I'm kind of overwhelmed by reading up on overhauling a Dynaflow. Yeah, you can just change a few external seals and hope for no leaks. Or, you can get right in there, tear everything apart, and check that the last guy who did this knew what he was doing. I sure don't. I'm afraid I need to seek professional help (a transmission shop) in the New Year.

I pulled all the accessories off my engine, in preparation for giving it a good cleaning, stripping, and fresh coat of paint. The paint stripper I got works okay on the parts I've removed but it doesn't get down to bare metal first pass, like I'd hoped. Although my engine is pretty clean, I thought of using a degreaser, maybe citrus-based, but all degreasers seem to need rinsing with clean water. I won't have a garden hose available until about March or April - it's winter until then 'round here. Although I'm washing the parts with paint thinner after stripping and wire-brushing them, they're not clean enough for paint. I just don't feel I've hit on the right method quite yet.

When I removed the water pump, I found a lot of hard yellowish sludge in the coolant cavities. The impeller was frozen to the pump body with this stuff. It did break free with a few taps and spins easily now. There's always been clean antifreeze in the engine and it came out bright green when I drained it recently. Don't know what to do about this goop, which must be throughout the cooling system. Fortunately, I'll be installing an NOS radiator when it all goes back together.

I'm pleased with the condition of the rest of the engine compartment. I'd detailed it pretty carefully years ago and the coolant leak that made a mess of the engine only effected the main crossmember, which is easy to clean and repaint. There's evidence of some brake fluid spillage around the master cylinder but the paint damage isn't bad.

I'm taking this opportunity to galvanize a bunch of the special fender bolts, with those captive square washers, along with parts of the throttle linkage. Some of the bits I had galvanized long ago haven't held up that great but not much needs re-doing. I've got to find a body shop that's shooting some semi-gloss black on somebody's restoration project - I forgot a few underhood pieces when I had my inner fenders painted.

With only a few days left in my garage vacation, I'm disappointed in my progress. But, hey, I got far more done on the car than I did in the previous 20 years. I found that I don't hate the work, although it's still awfully easy to make up excuses for not getting out there. I keep reminding myself what somebody said here: try to do at least one little job every day and the project will keep moving. That's very solid advice.

....try to do at least one little job every day and the project will keep moving. That's very solid advice.

Indeed it is Rob. That is something I try to live by too. If you go out there and do at least one little thing every day (or almost every day) it makes you feel like you've accomplished something and that makes you want to get back out there and capture that feeling of accomplishment again and again. Even if you're only out there for an hour and you only get one part bolted or un-bolted, you know that you did something. On the "clogged arteries" of your coolant system, you might want to give it a good flush with some clean, high pressure water when you have a water hose available. No sense in running a bunch of junk through your NOS radiator and you sure don't want to have to deal with cooling problems when the weather turns warmer and it's time to drive!

Like ShadeTree, I've let myself get distracted by another car these last few days. My diversion isn't a Buick but it is 50 years old. Will tell more as the weekend progresses and things firm up. (Hint: Toad de la rue.)

I like Rob's comment in this thread http://forums.aaca.org/f117/1957-roadmaster-coupe-sale-ebay-342897.html#post1117595

.......I'm comforted though with my own car's purchase price - $75 in February, 1973. Yes, our 40th anniversary is looming; no gifts, please. We'll mark it on Valentine's Day with a quiet dinner at the A&W, just the two of us. The car and me, that is - wifey will be rolling her eyes at home.

Toad de la rue.

Never mind, that didn't pan out. I've been looking around for a neat old car to use as an occasional daily driver. Please don't ban me from these forums for admitting this, but I've always liked the first-generation Valiants, now known as Road Toads.

A '62 Signet (2-door hardtop with bucket seats) came up sort of nearby but somebody beat me to it. I'm still thinking real hard about that '62 Buick Special in Chicago that's on Buick - Buy/Sell. However, I've got to heed my own recent advice in http://forums.aaca.org/f163/need-help-gettin-me-buick-341658.html, regarding family finances.

The Roadmaster's engine/transmission makeover project is continuing nicely, although I'm finding wire brush bits in my holiday beard.

A face that only a Plymouth owner could love.

I always like the Valiants. Had a 69 with a 6 cylinder, 3 speed stick shift. Drove it for about 1 1/2 years. It was a great car till it didn't start one day in a questionable part of the South Bronx. Had a new car the next week.

HE WHO. As in, good fortune comes to he who waits. That horned toad Valiant is mine, after all. I just need to haul a trailer 8 hours across the prairie winterscape to go get it. "No, honey, it won't distract me from finishing the Buick, this is my NEXT project." Wifey's eyes rolled so hard I thought they'd fall out.

Some serious squinting may be required to see what I'm seeing

The front ends of the Plymouth Valiants always remind me of the Studebaker Larks.

At that time, they were both Chrysler product lines..so it would be in line to assume that thye shared styling details.. Rob..you are one crazy man..that is a given. Must be the 11 months of winter out there in Edmonton..

Jim, Jim, Jim. Go sit in the corner and put on this cap. Studebaker's only "companion makes" were Erskine and Pierce-Arrow, both in the early '30s. Still steadfastly independent, the company met its demise just up the lake from you in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1966.

Yes, my brain is severely frostbitten. Go check it out at http://forums.aaca.org/f154/horned-toad-62-valiant-will-following-343438.html

The front ends of the Plymouth Valiants always remind me of the Studebaker Larks.

JIM, I just realized you jumped a cog. You are remembering that Mercedes-Benz was distributed by Studebaker in the early '60s. It was South Bend's captive import, in a way. Lark styling made the best of that upscale connection. At about the same time, Chrysler design boss Virgil Exner was referencing '30s Classics when he approved, if not penned, the Valiant's upright radiator grille and Imperial's freestanding headlights. The link is that Mercedes-Benz had always been in that mode, with its own big chrome "radiator".

Anyway, I'd better cut this out before the Moderator punts me over to the Plymouth Forum. See y'all over there, if you want to hear more Valiant talk.

Like the way you updated your signature, Mr. Rob!! I have slipped a cog, that is for sure..many can attest to that!

From texasoldcarguy, over on the AACA General Discussion forum. "He's gonna need a big bucket!"

My Buick’s underhood freshening-up has been stalled since just after New Year’s. I was all prepared to take the Dynaflow to a transmission shop for a minor overhaul. Meanwhile, I’d stripped most of the bolt-on accessories off the engine, which is hanging on a rented stand. I cleaned the water pump, starter, brackets, etc. and used chemical stripper to remove paint that was damaged by a long-ago antifreeze leak. Then I got a surprise - I'm moving. (Yes, there is a back story here but I'm not going to get into it.)

I'll be living across town in a house with an oversized double garage. My Buick will stay where it is for the time being and I’ll continue to work on it there. I don’t want to have it transported, again, until it’s roadworthy.

My MGB will come out of winter storage early, as emergency backup until I can get another daily driver. That’s where the ’62 Valiant Signet in my signature comes into play. I was given this poor thing but it’s missing an engine. Supposedly, the rest of the car isn’t bad, although it is said to have the usual rust. Next Saturday, I’ll be driving to Regina, Saskatchewan to get a bill of sale, arrange for trucking to my new home, and to gather up all the extra parts that come with it. I’m not in the habit of naming my cars but this one has become “Mrs. Campbell”, after my grade 1 teacher, who would have looked perfect driving a ’62 Valiant.

There is a possibility that this car is junk. If so, I’ll fill my station wagon with the good bits, including a rebuilt Torqueflite, new radiator and heater core. I might also take the bucket seat interior and whatever exterior trim is easy to remove. I’d then have the rest of it hauled away, although without the motor and transmission, towing may be worth more than the scrap value. That’s okay, it was a gift after all.

I have a line on a 225 cubic inch slant six engine that's said to be rebuilt. That's hard to confirm but, depending on price, I’m prepared to tear it apart to check and do any required remedial work. Meanwhile, I’ll renew the car's steering, suspension, and brakes as needed. What are the chances I’ll be driving this odd little beauty by springtime? Admittedly pretty slim but I hope to have fun trying. It does seem that I’ll have plenty of time on my hands.

Rob,

Nice to see that you are busy to say the least! Hopefully the car is a keeper and all you have to do is install the motor and odd/ends. Hopefully the Buick Gods are looking down on you and the 57 comes back together easily and correctly, without any bloodshed! Matt

I got the Dynaflow back today, all buttoned up tight and with a new hi-lo drum, whatever the heck that is. Will now pick up where I left off in January, stripping, degreasing, and painting some shabby parts and generally spiffing-up the engine room again. I've been paying rent on an engine stand since December and the amount recently surpassed the cost of a brand new one. This is an unusual example of my procrastination on this project costing me real dollars.

Barring any more lifestyle surprises - I'm newly single, am moving soon, and just changed jobs - my beautiful Buick will be rolling under its own considerable power, within a month or so.

btw, the Valiant is not junk. It's much better than I hoped for, although it's in more pieces than I expected. Saves me some teardown.