P6tu Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Hello, From the beginning... I bought my Buick in 2013 June.I was told that it is in good condition and you can drive with it.The price was cheap so I was prepared it to have some problems and when I got to the car,then it had leaking balljoint (where the torque shaft connects to the gearbox),crack in the middle of the windshield,one missing chrome molding,the right rear stoplight lens was from Special/Century and the chrome housing for it was welded - poorly,the car did not move or function at all with D and to drive it,you had to first put it in L gear,the headliner was...original,but in very poor condition.Anyway,I made the deal and drove a about 300 miles with it to home and things started to sound weird and etc...One thing for sure,was that the rear shocks had to be replaced and I belive it would be wise to replace the rearwheel bearings also.But the engine was told to be in good condition and redone (it was nicely coloured and there were no leaks nor nothing) so I did not have any doubts about that.At the end of the summer I sent the car to service where it was taken apart...The oldest scheme - the engine was only taken apart by the previous owner and then assambled with silicone and had about an 1/4 of an inch thick colour layer on it - no wonder it did not leak...Anyway,since I was prepare to do some works on the car,I started out big - new master engine rebuild kit was ordered and the car was in the service for the winter.When I got the car - well,it worked,but it had some new strange issues.Once again,I was able to drive around 300 miles and the engine started to (I'm not so sure for the correct term) get stuck.It happened once and I took it back to the service where the engine was made and they told me that it was the radiator cap,that did not keep correct pressure and caused the engine to overeheat,the pistons to expanded and bla bla bla...Anyway,got a new cap and then it happened again.Surely I was pissed off and the car was taken to service again and what a wonder,the oil pump had new blades in it,but it was not cleaned and the walls of the pump were not grinded so - that was the last time that service saw the car.It was taken to another service and I had to get the crankshaft grinded again,new camshafts,new seals and etc.The car is still in service,since few months ago the engineers working on the car discovered that everywhere the ,040 crankshaft bearings had depleted. Meanwhile,when I've had the chance to look at the car in my garage,then I've fixed few things:I've reassambled all the door windows and aligned them correctly so I am able to close the doors without having to help the windows to align correctly.I've replaced the felt in the window tunnels so they do not wobble any more.I've replaced the headliner (custom made - white leather) and I also had the sunvisiors done with the same leather,the interior trims above the doors have been recoloured to white to match the headliner (excluding the chrome strips separating the doors and the headliner).I've replaced the rear stoplight lense with the chrome housing.I've also had the gearbox fully rebuilt.The speakers have been replaced and there is new stereo (with the old one intact).I've also purchased new widshield,but I'm waiting the engine to be rebuilt in order to replace the windshield. Few pictures of my ride: I'll post more pictures if I get the ride on the road . If anyone has any questions or hints,what I should do with or what I should check with the car,then feel free to post here =). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 That is a very nice car p6tu. I wish you good luck with the restoration. And I look forward to new pictures when you get it finished 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Welcome to these Forums.Wow! A Super four door hardtop! And in Estonia no less.I'm curious if you know the history of your car? Just how it came to your country?It sure looks nice from your two pictures!Keep posting more and your progress. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhclark Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 The car looks perfect to me! Very Nice! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted June 27, 2015 Author Share Posted June 27, 2015 (edited) Well,I'd be thrilled to get to know more of the history of this car,but I have no contacts nor information on how to do that.All I know,is that the car was brought to Estonia from America in 2011 and originally it looked like that:http://www.usaraud.ee/?id=4_4_27_7712Few more pictures here from the original condition:http://usaautod.blogspot.com/2012/02/buick-super-riviera-1958a.htmlThen it was sold and the body was recoloured (it had rust on the left rear fender) and the engine was said to be rebuilt...But it was all just made for sale,so no actual rebuilt was done...And while the car was repainted,then the right rear chrome housing and lense were damaged and the carpet from the boot was gone...From the link you can see the original licence plate on the pictures - maybe someone can find out something with that licence number?I'd be very interested =) and greatful for that . Welcome to these Forums.Wow! A Super four door hardtop! And in Estonia no less.I'm curious if you know the history of your car? Just how it came to your country?It sure looks nice from your two pictures!Keep posting more and your progress. Edited June 27, 2015 by P6tu (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted June 27, 2015 Author Share Posted June 27, 2015 Unfortunatelly it is far from perfect ...Besides those minor things there is a list of problems:- drivers side mirror is loose and does not stay in place- rearview mirror looks bad (rust behinde the mirror) and also does not stay put- right front turn signal lense has a crack in it- the boot is missing all it's interior moldings- left headlight bezel? has a big crack in the middle - dash clock isn't working- drivers windown handle does not turn freely when closing- washer jar pump has some vacuum line connections broken and the lid is rusty and missing the filling cap- turn signal do not work- back-up lights do not engage as they should (I belive it has something to do with the fact that the needle indicating the gears is misaligned or something)- many chrome strips are literally hammered and look like homemade...- right side kickpanel is in very bad shape and does not stay in it's place...there are probably more things,but those are the first things that came in my mind ... So there is lot to do with the car,but firs I need to get the engine and transmission done. There are good things about the car what made me decide to purchase it.The frame is solid and has basically no rust at all (almost like it has had a frame off restauration about 10 years ago).The body has some rust when looking from the inside,but nothing major.Most of the chrome is in it's place.The interior is in very good shape.Only the door panels need to be redone. The car looks perfect to me! Very Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Interesting that you have what appears to be pictures of the car before it left the US. You might try and post the picture of the front of the car showing that Washington State license plate in the General Section here asking if anyone might know any details of your car. You just never know who might recognize it?I can say that you have what most would consider a great overall original equiped car. It is too bad the engine was described as having been rebuilt but one always has to take that statement with caution even with documentation which can be fabricated. The things you describe like the crack in the trim over the headlights, side mirror loose, rear view mirror clouded are common issues to the 58's but come up on Ebay time to time. You might try putting a Wanted posting in the Buy / Sell section here for those things. I believe CARS used to have reproduction side mirrors for sale (not too sure though). As to the turn signals not working:Depending what you mean, it could be anything from a blown out fuse, the flasher unit (which plugs into the fuse block under the dash) to a broken piece in the steering column attached to the turn signal arm not making proper contact, to bad bulbs (burned out or shorted), to corrosion in the sockets, to bad wiring somewhere or a combination of all the above. You will have to check for power and trace back checking those things with a test light or OHM meter. As to overheating:It could be the radiator is not in good condition which was possibly why your technition tried to replace the rad cap. These nailhead motors need proper water flow (cooling - especially when idling in traffic - ask me how I know) so take it out while you are getting the motor rebuilt, have it cleaned and check for blockage. If it is the original from the car chances are at this age it needs attention too. As to the backup lights:There is a unit on the steering column (safety neutral switch) down by your feet that makes contact when the shifter is in different positions, it might have a bad or dirty contact or again the bulbs and or bases are dirty. Your are on the right track to get the engine in good order first, get her running and then deal with the minor issues that come up but I hope you have the Chassis Service Manual which will help with common problems to check out. Keep posting and asking questions, someone is always willing to offer suggestions.(Progress pictures are always good too ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted June 27, 2015 Author Share Posted June 27, 2015 Hello dei, Overall the car is quite intact,yes.Since it was my first that old car for me (I own a 80' Corvette too),I did not know exactly what I was doing at the time of purchase.What drives me mad,is the fact,that the engineers in the first service did not take care of the oil pump correctly,that caused the engine to overheat.I bought a new radiator to the car too,when the engine was rebuilt for the first time for real.It wasn't original radiator,but it was custom made for the car.Looks like original thou . The long list of issues that I described later,are all mostly just eBay stuff.The mirrors,lenses etc. are all available there.So no big problem.Just need to spend some funds . Regarding the turn signal,I've replaced the fuse below the steering column,I've checked the lines and even tried with the tester and my current conclusion is,that there is something wrong with the small piece on the steering colum.It is somehow misaligned...But I haven't had time to check and the car is being currently rebuilt in another town (the engine) so I do not have 24/7 access to it. Could you take a picture of that safety neutral switch?The fact is,that if I try to pull down the shifting lever past the "R" and apply some force,then the back-up lights turn on.So there is also definetly something wrong with the lever position.Like when I put the lever to the "P" position,then the needel in lever position gauge is not on "P" but in the middle of "P" and "L" . I have the original chassis manual.It came with the car.But I've been wondering,what is the body service manual?What is the difference in them?The chassis manual has a lot of detailed information in it - is the body manual even more detailed? With regards, Interesting that you have what appears to be pictures of the car before it left the US. You might try and post the picture of the front of the car showing that Washington State license plate in the General Section here asking if anyone might know any details of your car. You just never know who might recognize it?I can say that you have what most would consider a great overall original equiped car. It is too bad the engine was described as having been rebuilt but one always has to take that statement with caution even with documentation which can be fabricated. The things you describe like the crack in the trim over the headlights, side mirror loose, rear view mirror clouded are common issues to the 58's but come up on Ebay time to time. You might try putting a Wanted posting in the Buy / Sell section here for those things. I believe CARS used to have reproduction side mirrors for sale (not too sure though). As to the turn signals not working:Depending what you mean, it could be anything from a blown out fuse, the flasher unit (which plugs into the fuse block under the dash) to a broken piece in the steering column attached to the turn signal arm not making proper contact, to bad bulbs (burned out or shorted), to corrosion in the sockets, to bad wiring somewhere or a combination of all the above. You will have to check for power and trace back checking those things with a test light or OHM meter. As to overheating:It could be the radiator is not in good condition which was possibly why your technition tried to replace the rad cap. These nailhead motors need proper water flow (cooling - especially when idling in traffic - ask me how I know) so take it out while you are getting the motor rebuilt, have it cleaned and check for blockage. If it is the original from the car chances are at this age it needs attention too. As to the backup lights:There is a unit on the steering column (safety neutral switch) down by your feet that makes contact when the shifter is in different positions, it might have a bad or dirty contact or again the bulbs and or bases are dirty. Your are on the right track to get the engine in good order first, get her running and then deal with the minor issues that come up but I hope you have the Chassis Service Manual which will help with common problems to check out. Keep posting and asking questions, someone is always willing to offer suggestions.(Progress pictures are always good too ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Little update: After about two months and a week,over 25 different e-mail enquiries,around 15 website enquiries,4 forum topics,phonecalls to five different countries to known enthusiasts,I HAVE FINALLY found the UBER RARE 0,040 crankshaft bearings! I have never even EVER had to search and work so hard just to obtain some spare parts.This means,that after few weeks there is a big chance to get my car running and on the road finally. A little minus side is,that I hadn't picked up my gearbox and contacted the person now and he told me that it would be vise to replace the front pump plate.I did a quick search and it appears that everywhere it is out of stock.Does anyone have any experience of restoring the plate?I have the cast iron one,not the laminated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 Little update: After about two months and a week,over 25 different e-mail enquiries,around 15 website enquiries,4 forum topics,phonecalls to five different countries to known enthusiasts,I HAVE FINALLY found the UBER RARE 0,040 crankshaft bearings! I have never even EVER had to search and work so hard just to obtain some spare parts.This means,that after few weeks there is a big chance to get my car running and on the road finally. A little minus side is,that I hadn't picked up my gearbox and contacted the person now and he told me that it would be vise to replace the front pump plate.I did a quick search and it appears that everywhere it is out of stock.Does anyone have any experience of restoring the plate?I have the cast iron one,not the laminated.A little update: As soon as I got the bearings,I was too happy to check if I got them all and etc. and took them directly to my engineer...At the same evening I got a call from him,that I only have the main bearings and there are no con rod bearings... Back to searching...I got information from TA Performance,that they were able to find 7 bearings oversized to 0,040 and they are missing one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Question: Is it a given that both main bearings and journal bearings have to be the same .40 over? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Question: Is it a given that both main bearings and journal bearings have to be the same .40 over? Unfortunatelly,yes. It happens to be that here in Estonia and Finland we always do replace all the bearings and do full downsizing to the crankshaft.We have learned with many fellow enthusiasts here,that it is possible to order single sets of bearings - we have always known,that it is not possible... I got one lead,who might have a full set of connection rod bearings oversized to 0,040...We'll see,if he has them or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 I finally got the connection rod bearings oversized to 0,040 and the engine is being put together.The crankshaft is in place,the camshaft installed and so far so good =).I'll try to make some pictures and post them =). PS! I must thank TA Performace for helping me to get those bearings =) ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 5, 2015 Author Share Posted August 5, 2015 (edited) So the build is slowly going,but at least forward.I have encountere few problems. I'd like to start with one small piece of metal that is missing,but I'd like to know,if it is important and why it is there at all?Picture of the thing that is missing (marked with red): Unfortunatelly I do not have many pictures,but few random,that I have made at some point: Now something cool too - this is how an oilpan looks like when the car has driven about 250 miles: Obviously it was not cleaned and I was told that the engine was fully redone and cleaned...My a** it was... Will post more questions later =). Edited August 5, 2015 by P6tu (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 I'll go out on a limb here and ask if that is a Buick Manual for 1958? Because in 1956 the nailhead had timing marks that were separated by 12 links of the timing chain. Maybe when they did the 364 engine they aligned the timing gears like that? I f that is a Motors manual ( or equivalent, then maybe the picture reflects some other engine? Do you have threaded holes in your block for the two screws? BTW that piece looks like an oil deflector, and I would guess it's purpose is to catch the drip of oil coming from behind the camshaft sprocket, and deflect it so it lands on the timing chain as opposed to landing on the crankshaft gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 Hello John, Yes,that is the correct manual for 1958.For my 364 engine there are threaded holes for those two screws,like shown on the picture.I also have an 401 engine,and that does not have those holes for that plate.That is why I am wondering,if it is important or not...Otherwise the 401 looks basically the same.I'll go out on a limb here and ask if that is a Buick Manual for 1958? Because in 1956 the nailhead had timing marks that were separated by 12 links of the timing chain. Maybe when they did the 364 engine they aligned the timing gears like that? I f that is a Motors manual ( or equivalent, then maybe the picture reflects some other engine? Do you have threaded holes in your block for the two screws? BTW that piece looks like an oil deflector, and I would guess it's purpose is to catch the drip of oil coming from behind the camshaft sprocket, and deflect it so it lands on the timing chain as opposed to landing on the crankshaft gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 (edited) I made more pictures of the both engines and then I also have few more questions that I had earlier - just needed to take new pictures. First,the differences between 364 and 401.The 364 (with the threaded holes and without the big plate at the end of the crank): The 401 (without the holes for that plate and with big plate at the end of the crank): Now the picture of the timing cover for my 364 (the bearing is different from the 401 - otherwise the same): Do I need the plate that is on the 401 - it looks like it should keep the oil going to the crank end,to the sealing?I had this screw inside that cover (screw that is on the white paper) - I am unable to find a location to it and it was not fixed to anything when I took it apart.Has anyone got any idea,where it should go (PS! it isn't the screw to hold the plate - too small)? Edited August 9, 2015 by P6tu (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 Just some updates - the engine has been assambled and I have placed the dripping plate underneath the camshaft gear and I did not place the shielding at the end of the crankshaft - my justification for leaving it like that is,that I have used a different bearing from the original one - a bearing that is meant to hold back the oil itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 Today was quite fruitful,but I need to replace my left exhaust manifold (the connection to the exhaust pipe is so badly rebuilt that there is nothing to save or rebuild any more): Otherwise - todays results: The valve covers will be aftermarket ones,but those are still drying from the paint - will be silver looking as those exhaust manifolds.The ones that can be seen on the picture,are the original ones,but they are so bent already that it is not efficent to use them any more. To the future...with the past =).I hope to get it done this week . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 In the last picture it looks like the car is grinning with the engine reinstall! Keep up the good work. and Good luck 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 So the car is moving - yay =), and I had to take the infamous picture of the rear of the car with the reverse lights on Looking at the picture...I just now noticed,that I might have one licence plate bulb gone out... Anyways,now I'm starting to hunt the missing piece of chrome molding... If someone has some info,who might have this piece,then let me know. And I'm also working on the other minor (at the moment) problems...Like the turn signals not working,something making metal noise at the rear (like an exhaust pipe connection - but it is not) and there is something wrong with the right passanger window,making somekind of nagging noise...THe drivers window is going down VERY hard,but comes up quite easy.As I remember,then there was no spring and now I need to figure out how the window works and what prevents it from falling open itself - in my case,not allowing to open at all... And the problems list will go on and on and on and on...Will keep you posted =). PS! The tires need to be replaced also...They have cracks already and are little bit out of shape...And they are old...And I wanted full whitewalls anyway . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Congratulations!!!! Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 So I finally got to the bottom of one screeking noise that sounded like the brakepads are loose.I had disassambled them once,put them together to find out that everything is tight and all the springs are OK and etc. but the noise still remained...Then today I wanted to clean my hubcaps and the rims and got in a hurry and did not place the hubcaps on when I had to drive off - and what a suprise,the screeking noise was gone.When I placed the hubcap back,the screeking noise was also back... Now I need to figure out,how that noise is exactly caused with the hubcap - it is exactly in the same rythm as the wheel turns (like the rim would be so soft and cause the hubcap to move a bit in the rim)... I also started to work with my dash clock.It does not function at all and has never done so in my posession...I've heard,that simple cleaning of all the details inside will do the trick.I took the mechanism out and added my custom text to do the trick instead of leaving an empty hole in there (will post a picture of it soon). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Is the hubcap center secure?It can definitely make a sound if loose. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 Hello Mike, That is exactly what is causing it.After playing with them a little,I found the center caps to be cause for the screeking noise.The question is - how to make them silent again...I feel,that silicon would be a bit too ... how to say ... raw aproach,but I can not come up with anything better...Will see what the future will bring =).Is the hubcap center secure?It can definitely make a sound if loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 The promised picture of the temporary clock replacement: During the daytime the background looks like chrome,so it would not stand out so much...For some reason it does not look like that on the picture. Now back to disassambling the clock mechanics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Hello Mike, That is exactly what is causing it.After playing with them a little,I found the center caps to be cause for the screeking noise.The question is - how to make them silent again...I feel,that silicon would be a bit too ... how to say ... raw aproach,but I can not come up with anything better...Will see what the future will bring =).I had a noisy hub cap on my 58 which has a different plastic center piece than the 57's and uses the tabs (part of the cap) to hold that plastic in place. If you can bend it enough without breaking the plastic you might stop the noise. Otherwise, put a little bit of silicone at the tab on the inside and see if that stops the movement /noise. That was what I did and no one will see or notice it.Did you find that wheel trim piece yet? They come up once in awhile on ebay. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Now...Somethings get done and new things emerge... Today I lost the reverse...SO,I know,that everything was done in the gearbox and it was repaired and only thing that I was warned about,was the front pump plate,that it had some wear on it and it had to be repaired or replaced.I have driven around 500 miles on it already this week and the direct drive is working OK.Low has some slipping at low revs - same was with the reverse.Now the Low was getting better over time (do not have to use it lot,only with cold engine),but the reverse was getting worse every day.I have studied the chassis service manual and I'm finding it a bit hard to figure out,how come only reverse is gone,but the low is there...I would understand it,if the reverse would be slipping,but it is totally missing... Another problem,that starts to scream a bit,is the leaking steeringbox...It is getting worse,by the day...Luckily I do not have to pour more steering fluid,but at this rate,I soon must add more... With regards,Roland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 21, 2015 Author Share Posted August 21, 2015 So today was a "good" day...I lost one of my hubcaps and as soon as I stopped - some idiot ran over it...Then later when I was parking my car,suddenly the floor got flooded - probably lost one of those caps that are at the end of the headers that should hold the coolant in...I was told,that those were not replaced... So my car is standing again.I also talked with the guy,who fixed the gearbox and then we played around a bit,at it might be,that the reverse band in the gearbox is badly adjusted.The problem is,to know better,one has to take the gearbox out again... It seems,that the few next weeks (at least few weeks) the car will be in repairs again... With regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Floor flooded....probably the heater valve or heater core if like on a 55.Your service manual should have a troubleshooting section and instructions on checking pressures. You should always check pressures before removing a dynaflow so you can focus on the problem area. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 (edited) Hello, Have had a busy week.Good news is,that the coolant came from the hose that goes to the front seat radiator - so nothing major there.I will replace both of them...soon...as possible .The gearbox was taken to the guy,who supposedly repaired it.What I do know,is that the front pump plate was a bit worn out,but should not have affected anything...I have my doupts about that and it may be the cause,why it isn't working properly.About the pressures - the pressure was a bit lower than the service manual stated.That is why I have my doupts about the front pump plate. One question - how are those things called on the engine (placed on the headers)?They act as plugs if there should be massive overpressure in the coolant system,then they pop out.They are located on the back of the engine (on the fire wall side).There are two of those plugs.I would like those things to be replaced because it was not done previously and it is good to do it,since the transmission is off.Problem is,that I do not know,how to find or where to buy them... And I have managed to get the clock working ... basically ... The cause,why it had stopped,is the winding spring that should hold pressure on the gears to keep moving - it is broken and since it is some type of brass,it is impossible to bend it to make it work again.Now I need to find some other way to make sure the winder would keep the pressure up...Or find a new spring (it is simply replacable,if you could have your hands on another spring). With best regards,Roland Edited August 31, 2015 by P6tu (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Aren't the hoses and connections for the underseat heater under the car? If one of those hoses went bad it would leak underneath, but not inside the car. Chances are the underseat heater core is what's leaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 What I meant,was that the garage floor got flooded .Aren't the hoses and connections for the underseat heater under the car? If one of those hoses went bad it would leak underneath, but not inside the car. Chances are the underseat heater core is what's leaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemb Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 There is an NOS molding exactly as you need on Ebay.com right now. Seller ships worldwide!http://m.ebay.com/itm/1958-Buick-Super-Series-50-NOS-rear-wheel-well-front-molding-LH-4727442-/391245877018?nav=WATCHING_ACTIVE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Just found your thread about the car. Very neat and I'm glad to see that you are making good progress on it. It is so bad when sellers mis represent like that, it's more like out and out fraud. You seem to be undaunted, and you'll have a great car when done. Keith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 Haven't posted for a long time now. What has happened meanwhile... The engine is now fully rebuilt and all bits and pieces have been replaced that can be replaced. I still need to fully color it. At the moment I still have different colors on it... Not a big deal from technical perspective. The transmission had the front pump plate very worn out and I had also damaged the belt like thing. The brass or some other component that should hold the turbine in place, was shifted and damaged. Lucky for me, the turbine itself was not damaged. I got the transmission repaired and it is working perfectly. I was able to drive for about 300 kilometers with it and one morning when I turned on the car, a sh**load of fluids got blasted around the engine compartment and the car had a red pool under it... It was not blood nor coolant - it was the transmission fluid. You are probably wondering, how is that possible, if I had all rebuilt and etc... I even had the transmission fluid pipe connections redone and upgraded that go to the radiator. What I never checked were the rubber hoses that connect the transmission fluid pipes to the radiator pipes - those were "replaced" in the first repairshop where the engine was supposed to be rebuilt. Well, I must say, that they were replaced - problem is that they were some random RENAULT hoses that did not have any threads and they were definetly not pressure hoses... Both of those hoses had multiple breaking points in them... I got them replaced and I was good to go. No damage was done to the gearbox and everyone was happy... Just a lot of transmission fluid got lost (almost half - 6l). Well, I was able to drive few days without any problems, but the all of a sudden, the starter did not turn the engine. I got quite puzzled with the problem. I was able to hear the plate in the solenoid move and touch the ends, but the starter did not turn. When I connected the ends on the solenoid directly, the starter turned perfectly... At first I wanted to take the whole starter unit out, but I gave up, because I would have needed to remove the left exhaust pipe and I was not up to that. Then I just removed the solenoid and disassembled it. Good news, the same transmission oil made it's way into the starter too - it is amazing how the fan will distribute everything into the whole engine compartment. Cleaned the solenoid, cleaned everything else under the hood too and the car was good to go again :). Now I want to deal with my trunk. The trunk lid hinges are quite worn out. The moving parts have never seen any oil or lubricant and therefor they have worn out quite well. The result is that I can not close the trunk without "special" tools and I'm quite out of ideas, how to fix this issue. The most problematic is the right side hinge. When the torsion like spring locks the trunk in the "up" position, then it does not "unlock" due to the worn out parts. I'm not able to ease anything anywhere there and the hinge seems to be welded together as one whole unit without any options to remove it. Does anyone have any hints, how I could fix it? There is also a bad cosmetic effect too due to the worn out hinge - the right side of the trunk does not close properly and has about an inch of a gap between the body and the molding. I could put even small stuff inside the trunk from the gap and that worries me the most... The rear door stoppers had the same issue and did not close easy - the solution was for me to weld some excess metal to the hinges so the doors would not open "so much". The open about 5 degrees less now, but that's barely noticeable. Few more new problems have emerged - the instrument panel top bulbs have stopped illuminating (need to figure out how to replace them) and then the speedometer gets stuck around 50mph. I knew I had to remove the instrument panel some day - seems like this day has arrived. The rear axle started to make a clinking noise suddenly - the bottom axle spring plate that was supposed to hold the spring in place was totally loose. I was not able to figure out, how did that happen and the threads were all good. Just in case I added an extra nut there to keep it tight. Regarding the noisy hubcaps - didn't stand it any more and added silicon to the backside of the center plastic pieces. The noise was gone =). I'm also still missing the left rear wheel arch front molding. I was late with the eBay listing and didn't get it. So if anyone hears or knows something about that molding, then I'm very interested in it =). Unfortunately I do not have any pictures done lately so nothing to show to you... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 (edited) {Now I want to deal with my trunk. The trunk lid hinges are quite worn out. The moving parts have never seen any oil or lubricant and therefor they have worn out quite well. The result is that I can not close the trunk without "special" tools and I'm quite out of ideas, how to fix this issue. The most problematic is the right side hinge. When the torsion like spring locks the trunk in the "up" position, then it does not "unlock" due to the worn out parts. I'm not able to ease anything anywhere there and the hinge seems to be welded together as one whole unit without any options to remove it. Does anyone have any hints, how I could fix it? There is also a bad cosmetic effect too due to the worn out hinge - the right side of the trunk does not close properly and has about an inch of a gap between the body and the molding. I could put even small stuff inside the trunk from the gap and that worries me the most... } Hi, Not really clear about the trunk problem. Pictures might help here. Are you saying the actual hinges are worn out or the areas where the rods hook on the deck area are worn, allowing some binding of some kind? If it is the hinges themselves (specifically the pins), I have my Limited parts car that still has the hinges on it that never gave me any problems. I do know you have to carefully close this huge trunk lid as there is enough twisting in the metal that you can catch the lower tail light area with the edge of the lower trunk trim and scratch the paint. Take some pictures with the trunk in the position giving you the problem and maybe we can figure it out for you. Edited May 31, 2016 by dei (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Hi dei, I'll take the pictures today. I'm going to work on the car today anyway... 28 minutes ago, dei said: Take some pictures with the trunk in the position giving you the problem and maybe we can figure it out for you. I'm did a little doodeling on your sent image: When looking from the rear, then the right side of the boot is up. There is at least 20 mm gap on the right side near the rear bumper and near the right corner of the bootlid as shown with red (direction of the gap also with red) and there is almost no gap on the left side near the bumper. If I apply pressure to the right corner (light blue on picture), then the lid almost levels and looks OK - almost... I'm aware of the trunk lid hitting the sides near the taillight housings and that was one of the first things that I adjusted a year ago... Right now there is an even gap on both sides and the lid does not hit the sides at all as it is supposed to. From my inspection and my opinion, then the hinge pins itself have worn out and are so worn out that when I open the trunk lid fully, then I need to use a tool to pull the torsion spring down to let the lid free. Otherwise I'm not able to close it since it is almost like locked... If this picture makes things even more confusing then don't worry - I'll make the pictures just in case anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Just popped in and saw you post. I think it might be the hinge pins too but see if you can take a picture of them and in the meantime I will compare my Limited with my Special to see if there is any differences because of the size of the hood also. I think it might be made up for the weight by the tension rods but not sure... Give me a day or two as I'm on the go with work and need to take a shot in the daylight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P6tu Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Regarding the trunk lid topic - I've made the pictures of my current situation: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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