What direction to go with my 55 Buick?

This is my 55 a few years back before I let it set covered in the garage and fall into disrepair. It's not running right now but that's a matter of a <nobr>tuneup</nobr> and a fuel tank clean out.

My question is what do I do with it. The engine has a bit of blow by and the torque ball leaks trans fluid. What I want it to be is a up to date reliable drive any where any time ride.

Do I:

Rebuild the 264 Nail and Dynaflow trans, add injection, AC, disc brakes, alt, tunes and all that crap.

OR....

Replace the old stuff with later stuff, Chevy small block, turbo 350, 10 bolt rear all of which I have, and add the injection AC disc brakes and the other crap to the mix.

I'm not looking for it to be a rad custom just a good old car. I'll do some kind of wheel / <nobr>tire</nobr> <nobr>upgrade</nobr> and recover the front seat and replace the carpet.

Tell me what you think.

Nice looking car, wanna sell it before you ruin it? I also own a 55 Special but I am a bit of a purist and want to keep mine all original as possible. You seem to be mechanically inclined so I think that engine overhaul and transmission reseal would be the way to go. Possibly much cheaper in the long run because you keep same driveline and rear end. Engine and trans changes necessitate drive line and differential changes as well, not to mention all you engine accessories, motor mounts etc. The 264 is no hotrod but it gets the job done. As for brakes, I have original power drum brakes and believe me they are up to the job for normal braking and reliability and I don't consider single cylinder master to be a safety issue. All new rubber hoses and wheel cylinders with a master rebuild is as good as it gets. I run my original generator but I don't have a mega sound system, electric cooling fan or such which might exceed 35 amp draw. I vote to refurbish as original, I think you will be more pleased with yourself in the long run and it will be far fewer unforseen problems that you didn't think of than a repower. If you go to that extreme to change out running gear, why not just drop the body on a late model rolling chassis? Just my thoughts, that's what you ask for wasn't it? TexasJohn

Only YOU know what you REALLY want to do with it, ONLY YOU.

Go for YOUR plan, that's my vote.

I have a 41 Limited, put new crate Vette LT-1 in it in 1996, 700r tranny, all Vette independent front and rear, of course computer, and fuel injected. I love it, but that's just ME......

I have always beat to my own drum, and will until I pass on. I respect the purist, but I like it my way. I'm happy they are HAPPY....., we all win, IMO.

I wish you well, I didn't help you much, SORRY....

Dale in Indy

If it were mine, I'd do what I could to fix the leak in the transmission and live with the blow-by. Drive it for a while as it and take some time to research what kind of work you'd have to do to install a complete back half that would support an open drive line and what problems you'd run into with swapping a Chevy into the Buick. The Buick and Chevy have starter motors on opposite sides, radiators are completely different, and you'd have to figure out a way to get it started. The Buick starts with a special carburetor and the accelerator, not a typical keyed ignition switch. I know the diameter of the bellhousing on the 264 is larger than that of the 401/425 but I've heard that the bellhousing will unbolt from the trans and you could bolt a 401/425 from a 59 or 60 with bellhousing to the 55 trans. A disc brake setup is available. Some bling rims and you could have a nice mild custom ride. Check out what Troy Trapanier recently did to a '56 Buick 2 dr. post. Google Nailed by Rad Rides or just open this link for some pictures.

https://www.google.com/search?q=nailed+rad+rides&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0B0HUsXBN6e22AWr_YCoCg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1243&bih=600

If you want to run a SBC, why not sell the Buick to someone who would appreciate it for what it is and buy a Tri-5 Chevy of some kind for you engine and other dreams.

Ed

There's no right or wrong.....it's what you want that matters.

I have the same thoughts as I rebuild my 55.

At this stage I'm going to keep the drive train original (although I am upgrading from the 264 to a 322 simply because I have one).

When it's on the road I will re-assess my options.

I'm thinking along the lines of a '66 425 and switch pitch Turbo 400 (again because I have them stashed away already) and an upgraded rear end (not sure what yet). Jury is out on the front end.....probably leave it as is with a beefed up sway bar.

That would be more than enough performance for me and I believe would be the best of both worlds.........50's classic looks with 60's performance (and no computers)

Ruin it? It's the American way to try to make things better. I've already upgraded the brakes a bit with all new parts, a dual master cylinder mounted in the stock place and a split brake system. As far as the mods go I can do it , do I want to? I guess if I stay with the stock stuff and update it a bit that might be the way to go. I want to be able to pull my dragster and pit scooter on a open trailer to shows and the track from time to time. And I still want it to be a comfy ride for me and the wife on a Sunday drive. After building a few cars over the years I have the know how and tools. If I want to get NUTS I have a 60 over 430 and switch pitch trans, the gas compaines would like that, haha.

I bought the 55 from my father inlaw (he got it from a local guy who used it as a party car) after he had a stroke back in the mid 1980's it being a non power car he wasn't able to brake and steer it anymore. I had it a year sold it to my Dad who knew and worked on the car from the time it was new until we moved 60 miles away from it in 1963. My Dad passed away in 1995 and I bought it back from my Mom. So it's not going anywhere as long as I'm still on this Earth. Here are some examples of my toys.

I am in the same situation,trans was in the boot/trunk? when we got the car but was incorrect for the engine.Do we get a kit for a th350 and find the engine not up to spec? result is a conversion to open drive with original diff ie 4 bar suspension with oe coils, 327 sbc and th350. Original brakes with dual circuit m/c and boosted, a conversion to p/steer would be good too if any one has a spare? steering box, left hand drive in a right hand drive country, cheers

Just think about what you really like and limit the repairs or modifications to what you can do yourself. If you have a close friend with skills complimentary to yours include them in the plan.

Don't be foo;ed by a professional TV actor who plays a car guy. The studios have deep pockets.

A good start is to take a look at what you drive daily. Do you check the fluids weekly? Can you rebuild it's brakes, tune it, or been under it?

If you can't re-ring an engine you might be a little short of talent to re-engineer the whole car. If you are the guy I saw at the convenient store adding 3 quarts of oil you may not the candidate to pull a car from a hedge row and rebuild it.

At 50 years old cars start needing the big expensive jobs. Sometimes it is better to look at a clean sharp colored 15 or 20 year old car and make a head turner of it.

Bernie

If the car was less than complete I'd jump right in on the conversion to Chevy power. I'll give the nailhead and dynaflow a chance to once again prove their worth before I rip them from their happy home.

When you're ready to get the most from your nailhead, contact Russ Martin in Grass Valley, CA; Tom Telesco in Stamford, CT; or Carmen Faso, Towanda, NY for parts and expertise. They're well enough known and respected to find them just by Googling their names. Russ has a website - www.nailheadbuick.com. Tom can be reached via email, the V8Buick.com forum, Team Buick, or by phone. Carmen is phone contact only. If anyone can make your car run, it would be one of these guys; they'll help you get the most our of your nailhead. If your '55 has the 264 in it, I would think one of the first things you'd want to do is find a 322 cid with a four barrel.

Ed