My first 50´s Buick (58 Limited) ... might need som help

Hi guys

Ive had a short affair with a 65 Riviera but now ive graduated to a 1958 4 door Limited in fairly good cond. exept for the engine that had cracked 2 pistons so ive got the COMPLETE rebuild kit with all new to both top and bottom BUT here comes the part you must have been asked a million times .... The oil pump Vaccum part !

After 50+ years of service it is in really bad condition and i wonder can i take all the Vac. parts out of it and just rebuild the oil part OR do i need to get a rebuild one or change to a 59-61 pump ?

Is it at all possible so get original front bench upholstery covers ?

Btw im living in Denmark so it will not be an option for me to have it rebuild in the states .

Thanks Tommy

Original Auto Interiors in Michigan or SMS Auto Fabrics in Oregon should have the original cloth material for those seats--it was used in 1957 and 1958, and also, I think, 1959 in the upper series Buicks. They sell it by the yard (3 feet = 1 yard). You or your upholsterer will need to sew it together and install it.

I have never rebuilt the vacuum portion of an oil pump in a '58, but I think they would be rebuildable if you can find the parts. Beautiful '58, by the way.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Hi Tommy,

I have a NOS Vacuum rotary pump for 1958, send me a mail; tompett@online.no

Fin bil!

Tom

Hey Tommy. Be aware that Original Auto Interiors tends to have a lot more of the Chrysler & Ford patterns as per our inquiries with them. SMS Fabrics on the other hand reports to be able to re-create your exact pattern and have a reputation for doing just that. However, still there are mixed reviews and experiences bouncing around out there regarding that premise, mostly the part involving turn-around times sometimes reportedly having been measured in years rather than just months. Still others report 100% deposits being payed upfront then various reasons given to them for continuous delays being manufactured even when a stated delivery date has come and gone more than once.

Regarding your vacuum pump. You can certainly take yours apart as it is a simple and efficient part and is easy to do just that. There are a couple of main reasons the pump can go bad. Number one is a sheared vacuum pump key. A squarish shaped key. This is sandwiched between a plate and driven by the oil pump's idler gear which in turn is driven off of the oil pumps main shaft gear which is turned by the distributor shaft which in turn is turned by the cam sprocket gear. So on and so forth. This key turns the vacuum pump's internal vane & drum system in a compressible internal orbit. Another reason are the condition of the the vanes themselves, which are composed of a carbon fiber material that when spinning ride against the inner walls of the pumps drum. This action of the vanes running against the internal drums walls, compresses and creates a vacuum by drawing bleed air out of the unit which is bled out at the top of the pump's housing. An internal vacuum is created whereby the flow is connected to a tube running though the lower crankcase and out and up against the passenger's side rear block to the wiper transmission motor mounted on the center firewall.

These vanes can be worn but of the one's I have taken apart and examined this is due to compromised inner drum surface areas where the vanes ride upon. This is due to foreign matter having gotten inside and chewing up the walls of the inner drum. One can replace the vane material and fill and true up the corrosion inner drum surface if present with a epoxy/metal dust based compound. This takes patience and time requiring polishing of the inner drums surface area to insure a flat and true surface.

So yes yours can be repaired if you want to keep things original and have an infinite adjustment of wiper speed variations to choose from or convert to an outright electrical unit off of a Tri-tummy button chevy or the like.

Another option is to install a later 59 or 60 oil pump. The particulars regarding this feat is something we have not attempted to do. Hope this helps.

I dealt with SMS, on door panels, a few years back. Bottom line is I was satisfied and do recommend them

CAVEATS: Be prepared for a long wait! Keep in constant contact (preferable bi-weekly) to check on progress of order. I checked in often via email. My emails were acknowledged and resulted in replies.

My door panels took 4 months (Oct through January), but the wait was worth it in my opinion.

Reasons they take so long is that they have a lot of customers hounding them, and they do the job right!