Kosage Chavis Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 (edited) 2 door hard top and in the process of collecting parts while taking it apart. Edited May 7, 2016 by Kosage Chavis (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC-car-guy Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Looks like a great start! I kinda like the color scheme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 Yeah. I can say that much about it...it's different. The plan is to keep the whole car original with the added factory options. The only thing I plan on changing is the color scheme of the body and interior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScarredKnightfan Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Nice! I, too, kinda like that current 2-tone scheme ... can't say I've ever seen that combo. Cort > www.oldcarsstronghearts.com pigValve.paceMaker.cowValve | 1979 Caprice Classic (needs new owner) "I kept my heart hidden" __ Bryan White __ 'So Much For Pretending' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans1965 Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Hi, I agree, I like the color combo very much. Never seen that before and suits the car very well. Hans 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Thanks for sharing, look forward to following. Looks like a good candidate for your planned project, where did you find it and why did you happen to choose a 55 Century. keep us posted and don't hesitate to ask for help in the PostWar forum, there's lot of knowledgeable 55 owners here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 It is a interesting color scheme and I hope you keep it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 So everyone, this is the inspiration behind my car. This was my Dad's (and my Grandad's before that) 55 buick century. I would love to see who has it now. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 (edited) Mr Earl suggested putting the story behind me getting my car, so here it is...I bought the car in Hampton, VA about a little over 3 years ago...about 15 minutes from where I live in Newport News. The reasons for choosing this particular car runs deep. My grandad also owned a 55 buick century. Same body style too. Only thing different was that my grandad's car had all the factory options. He even had the four-way power seats. It was the family car and was my grandad's favorite car. My dad has told me stories about riding around in that car. When my dad became a family man himself, he begged my grandad for years for that car. Finally, my grandad gave it to him, but on one condition...that he never sell the car. I remember sneaking into that car when I was little and loved pretending to drive it. I used to draw pictures of it all the time that my dad loved. I loved that car as much as my dad. Then we came on hard times where we were really behind on the mortgage for our house. The only thing we had worth selling was that car. My dad was going to sell it for 2,000. But I really feel the guy who bought that car took advantage of my dad's desperation and he ended up selling it for 900...under the condition he give my dad the first chance at it if he ever try to sell it. This guy's name is Glenn Danks. Before turning the car over to him, my dad started the car up for one last time and we road it around the neighborhood one last time. I even snuck into it one last time to look at it, smell it, feel it and snap a few pictures of it. I was 8 at the time. When the tow truck finally came, my dad and I stood next to each other in the living room and just watched the car leave our sight. Soon as that car disappeared my dad broke down and cried right in front of me. I didn't know what to do. That moment has always stayed with me. Of course my grandad was upset when my dad explained what happened. Rumor has it that the guy fixed it up and put it in car shows, but we never had any contact with him. My dad is still bothered by selling it to this day. My grandad has also passed away since. So you could imagine how fast I jumped when a co-worker told me they were selling a car exactly like the one pictured up at my work station. I was even more excited to see that it was the same year, type and body style as my dad's. This is how my grandad and dad are involved with this. My dad is so excited and I make sure I keep him posted with this process. But that's why I chose the 55 buick century. Edited May 12, 2016 by Kosage Chavis Fix spelling errors (see edit history) 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Here Here! Great choice for all those reasons and more! Hope to here more details unfold as you work(play), along with it! Like pictures. Lemme know if I can assist. Best Regards, Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted May 13, 2016 Author Share Posted May 13, 2016 (edited) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zI8TXhxIp8w Some video of my car running. You will notice a lot of exterior parts missing...only because they have been removed and stored away. Edited May 13, 2016 by Kosage Chavis (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 (edited) Over the past weekend, I was able to put some work in on the Buick. In the middle of pulling interior parts right now. The tedious part is storing. I start with taking pictures and/or video of the part removal. The part fasteners are zip locked and labeled. Part and part fasteners are boxed. Box is then given a special number that I created. Box info is then recorded in my records book (includes special number, contents of box, date it was stored, where exactly it was stored and and any special comments). It is finally stored away. By the way, I wanted to post some pictures of the process, but I keep getting a message at the bottom of the screen that says that the prior operation was unable to perform due to low memory. Is this my phone or the website. Please help. Thanks. Edited June 6, 2016 by Kosage Chavis (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemb Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 I am normally against ever changing the color a car was born with, but I understand in this case. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Was the yellow & blue the factory paint on your car, or is that a respray? As for numbering removed parts, if you have the Buick documentation (chassis parts book / body parts book), Buick has a detailed code for each part that remains the same across model years (though the part numbers are year-specific or year-range specific). Cars, Inc. in particular organizes their replacement parts catalog using the Buick numbering system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted June 7, 2016 Author Share Posted June 7, 2016 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted June 7, 2016 Author Share Posted June 7, 2016 12 hours ago, Eric W said: Was the yellow & blue the factory paint on your car, or is that a respray? As for numbering removed parts, if you have the Buick documentation (chassis parts book / body parts book), Buick has a detailed code for each part that remains the same across model years (though the part numbers are year-specific or year-range specific). Cars, Inc. in particular organizes their replacement parts catalog using the Buick numbering system. The paint on the car right now is original. At the moment, I do not have a chassis parts book. The numbering system I created theoretically will help make assembly relatively easy when that time comes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 14, 2016 Author Share Posted July 14, 2016 Does anyone on here know how to directly link YouTube videos onto any thread? All I know how to do is provide a link to the actual videos. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 On November 26th, 2012, I first saw this car parked in the front yard of someone's house in Hampton, Virginia. After a few months of the occasional drive around the block I finally began what I plan to be a full restoration. To start off, I wanted to remove as much exterior chrome as possible. At this point, I had nothing to store the car in. Removal of the following items were done in a strategic manner, starting with the simplest thing...the grill ornament. Only 4 bolts holds this on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 Next thing to be removed was the headlight assemblies. Pretty easy task. However, there are many small calibration pieces that are easy to lose if you don't take your time. Keeping all associated pieces together is important. All you need is some zip lock bags and a sharpie. Also, I made sure I took pictures of everything and labeled everything. Take nothing for granted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 The taillights proved to be a little tougher. I took off both lenses to gain access to the bolts to find out that the mounting bolts are accessed at the back. Making this more difficult was the fact that those bolts were almost covered in years of grit and dirt. Wear your safety glasses for this one. There are 4 bolts total. I provided a picture below. Also, there is one more bolt accessed when the top lense is removed. I am pointing to it in the picture below. Finally, a picture to show the bolt pattern for the entire taillight assembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 Hub caps were in very good shape. I made sure I took my sweet time prying these off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 On July 13, 2016 at 8:40 PM, Kosage Chavis said: Does anyone on here know how to directly link YouTube videos onto any thread? All I know how to do is provide a link to the actual videos. Thank you. Just copy and paste the link and it magically turns into the video. Is that what you are asking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 Got it! Thanks Mr. Lamar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 Next up was the rear bumper. Had to use an impact on this. Be sure to detach licence plate lights before removing rear bumper.Simply remove 6 nuts to remove rear bumper. Be sure to support both sides to avoid dropping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 Lights were already detached, so I just snipped the wire some where in the middle, enough room on both sides to reattach at installation.Showing the car's rear with everything removed. Decided to leave the bumper foundations on for now.This was a stopping point for me. I would have to wait till the next opportunity for some free time to get more done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Those bumper brackets are second only to a trailer hitch for causing injury and flying cuss words, I would advise removing them soon.... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 LOL! You are so right. I have already hurt myself on these things by walking by them. As soon as I am done removing the interior, that will be the first thing I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) About a month later, I was able to pick up where I left off. Started with the front bumper. This thing took a while. From looking at it, it seemed best to take the whole bottom off as one assembly. I started with the bumper-to-bracket bolts. I then removed the bolts that directly mounted to the car body. These are found where the ends of the bumper wrap around the body.Here is what it looks like with lower bumper removed. There are 6 bumper-to-bracket bolts in all...one behind each dagmar bumper, one on each side of licence plate bracket and one on both sides of the lower bumper. Remember to support both sides. The upper portion of the bumper is much easier and is removed in 3 pieces...middle and 2 sides which interlock with each other. Bolts are easy to access at this point. Edited November 28, 2020 by Kosage Chavis Grammar (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 When the whole bumper is removed, you will now have easy access to all the grill assembly bolts. All grill bolts are at the periphery. Do not confuse the grill bolts with the drip shield bolts as shown here.Here is a picture of the grill assembly off the car. Notice that there are 3 drip shields still mounted on the grill. I plan on taking things off as an assembly where it makes sense, like this. It allows for parts to track easier and not become misplaced.What the car looks like with the grill assembly off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) Gas door frame was next. Just remove the two screws and move to a safe place. The metal work could easily be bent if stepped on. Edited July 30, 2016 by Kosage Chavis Grammar (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) The BUICK nameplate was next. This task was easy. All you need is a flathead screwdriver and a rubber mallet. Just locate the tabs of the nameplate on the underside of the hood. Place the head of the screwdriver up against a tab and lightly tap the head of screwdriver, applying a little more force each time till the tab pops out. There is a locking sleeve on each tab. Be sure not to lose these.As you can see, each letter has 2 tabs.Entire nameplate removed. Edited July 30, 2016 by Kosage Chavis Grammar (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 Hood ornament is up now. Another easy task. Only 3 bolts hold this assembly on. Took a picture of the assembly underneath. The rod and associated clip are held together with the same bolt that holds the hood ornament. Can anyone please tell me what the purpose of this rod is?Showing the car with hood ornament removed.Showing the removed hood ornament. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Hello, Wishing you all the best with your car. While I'm hooked on 58's due to being my first cars, the 55's would be my next choice simply because of their design. Love the two tone options. Quote (Can anyone please tell me what the purpose of this rod is?) I think the rod is to hold the hood insulation in place. There should be another one at the back of the hood too? Again, being familiar with 58's, mine have rods that go fully across the hood but others that have 55's would be best to chime in here. (most of the active guys are away at the National I think so be patient) What I might be able to help you out with, I have an NOS hood trim piece for the bomb sight you might be interested in. Shoot me a PM if you want some pictures. The bomb sight itself is being re-made so they are not hard to get as they are used on both fenders of the 58's too or you might get lucky to find a good used one at a swap meet. As a friendly suggestion, don't take the car too far apart (especially if she is running) unless you have deep pockets and time. I made that mistake on one of mine and it has been years sitting like that as life sometimes does get in the way....... Having more than one car doesn't help either. Looking forward to following along. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted August 2, 2016 Author Share Posted August 2, 2016 Thank you for that. I figured the rods held the hood insulation in place. I will PM you to see what you are talking about. As far as what I plan for this restoration, I do plan to do a complete tear down. I don't have deep pockets, but I do have time, patience and persistence. Take care and thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted August 3, 2016 Author Share Posted August 3, 2016 Moving to the hood latch assembly.I started with this link. Just remove the 2 bottom bolts.Remove 3 bolts on both sides.The part removed from car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted August 3, 2016 Author Share Posted August 3, 2016 (edited) Next, remove the front cross brace. Remove 5 bolts on both sides.Finally, remove the attached wireway from clips.Showing the cross brace removed. Pretty easy. Edited September 5, 2016 by Kosage Chavis Added YouTube link (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted August 3, 2016 Author Share Posted August 3, 2016 (edited) Both front quarter panels would be next. Pulling these off were a little difficult. I advise pulling the doors off first, which would give easy access to the panel bolts. However, I do not have a garage big enough to fit my car in and I did not want expose my good interior parts to outside elements. So, I just had to tough it out and be patient.Just be sure to look for anything along the edges of the quarter panel when removing all bolts. Do not forget that there is something to unbolt at the most bottom, rear portion of the panel.Showing both quarter panels removed. Decided to leave signal light assemblies and ventports attached. Less parts to keep track of.Finally, what the car looks like at this point. This would be another stopping point for me until the next chance I got at working on it. Edited September 5, 2016 by Kosage Chavis Added YouTube link (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted August 3, 2016 Author Share Posted August 3, 2016 Moved the car to the driveway about a month later. It was around this time my wife and I learned we were going to have another baby. So naturally I wouldn't do much with the car for the next 2 years except to occasionally start it and let run for a few minutes. Other than that, I would also occasionally sit in the car to just touch it, smell it and imagine her being all done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted August 3, 2016 Author Share Posted August 3, 2016 (edited) It drove me crazy seeing the car getting rained on for another 2 years. The minute I was able to save a little money plus a coupon, I purchased a carport. This will have to do till I can build a garage. Progression non-the-less! Edited August 3, 2016 by Kosage Chavis Grammar (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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