Hi,
My name is Laurynas, I'm from Lithuania (Europe) and I'm new to American cars. But not to the classic cars. I have 1977 Ford Granada MK1 for 6 years. It's European model of course but it was similar to my dream - American muscle car, so I love it <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

A month ago my dream come true - I've bought a 54 Special on Copart <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />Two days ago car arived to Lithuania and now I'm waiting for a call from shiping company to go to the customs for it. So now I'm a bit nervous what I'll find there. At the auction it was marked as "Run&Drive", and damage type "mechanical". No more info given, so I'm hoping for the best <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I'll be grateful for any information about this models' problematic places and other useful stuff every Buick owner must know <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Trying to put some photos:

that's my Granny:


and that's what I'm waiting for: <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Looks very original, hope the deal woks out for you.

Starting: Turn the key to the 12:00 position and press the gas pedal. When the car fires, let off so that it idles normally, and you are off and running. THe starter switch is actually in the carburator, not in the dash. If it is hard to start and you ned to pump the gas, you must turn the key left or right so that the starter does not activate.

If it is a Dynaflow trans (I can't quite tell from the pictures) put it in D (Drive) and leave it there. You only use L (Low) for going up steep drives or maneuvering a parking lot. And do not shift from one to the other unless you have your foot off the gas. Doing so under power is very hard on the trans.

You will have lots of questions. Feel free to post here. A bunch of us have '54s and love to talk about them.

Welcome to Buick!!

Never mind on the Dynaflow. I see from the clutch pedal that you don't have to worry about such things...

Ohhh, I'm so envious. I've been wanting a plain jane Special for some time. Looks like you landed a nice original lil Special with a syncromesh. Hopefully there won't be too much rust but you can just about expect some in the front floorboards due to leaks around the front door. I've heard that the 3 speed is sorta delicate so be easy on it as it is hard to find parts for.
Congratulations on your find!! Please post additional pictures after you pick her up. What are your plans for her. She looks pretty sweet just the way she is. Also, if you haven't already, I'd suggest joining the Buick Club of America and hanging around here a good bit. There's some very knowledgeable folks on here who are always glad to help. (Father Buick being one)
By the way, what is "Copart", I'm not familiar with that.

Congratulations, Laurynas, on your new acquisition! She is definitely a beauty! I hope you have as much fun with her as I have with my bottom end '56 Cadillac sedan. It is a real joy to drive these wonderful beasts reassured that their simplicity and quality has brought you a fine, quality sedan with unique looks and legandary inheritance of engineering! Actually I have both 6219s, one that is basic, the other the top of the line with A/C, power windows and seat, and to be honest, I like the basic one best.
Good luck! And yes, more pictures!! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Wow!!! In case you don't know, a stick shift Buick is somewhat rare. Mr Earl knows the most about these 54's so if he says to lay off the hard shifting, I'd be inclined to listen to him.

Here's some other terms you may hear about your car:

1) it has a torque tube. This is a type of drive shaft. Unlike most newer cars, if you look under there you will not see any universals in the drive shaft. That's because the drive shaft is enclosed in the tube and the entire rear end flexs over bumps as one unit.

2) Your car also had a torque ball. This is the part of the tranny that hooks up to the drive shaft. The one universal is actually in the transmission and connects the tranny to the torque ball.

3) your car has lever action shocks. Unlike todays tube style shocks, there's actually a container at each wheel which has an arm coming off it and that is hooked to the suspension to provide shock absorbing action. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but these are user serviceable to a point.

4) Your car does have coil springs but it also has one control arm only and it is is mounted parallel to the rear axle, that is to say, side to side. It may be called a panhard bar.

now here's the deal...if your clutch goes, the rear axle has to be disconnected from the torque ball, and the lever action shocks, and the panhard bar, then pulled backwards to slide the drive shaft off the spline on the torque ball, before the trans can come out.

It's a job many mechanics do not know about today and will not want to do. But it is not that hard and don't let any of then scare you with all those odd terms. "Buicks were built to be driven" is more than just a slogan. They are very reliable and you'll find easily serviced no matter how difficult they look.

Good luck with the car. I'd love to have one like that myself.


JD

Copart is a salvage auto auction. Usually the cars aren't as nice as the one pictured, though. Here's their link: http://www.copart.com/

Hi again and thanks a lot for the advices! They are very useful to me. Tip with the starter helped me so much! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Last thursday I finally bring her home. Tried to start the engine at the customs, but there was a problem with the fuel filter and the weather. We had about -20C (68F), so my enthusiasm flagged very quickly <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Yesterday I've changed the fuel filter, poured some gas into the carb and it started at first turn! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> I've noticed, that the old fuel tube is disconnected and instead it goes simple rubber hose. I think the old one is plugged with rust. I'm not sure that all the cylinders is working properly (as I succeed to heard until the smoke filled out the garage and both floors of the house <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />). Over all I'm satisfied with the car's set and condition. Of course there are some rust and the chrome has spots and rust. But practically everything's working - lights, turns, wipers (these are vacuum, aren't it? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />), and even radio <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />
For this time I'd like to ask you a few questions:
what kind of fan is under the driver's seat?
how to operate with two tumblers of the heater (fan worked for first time, but then stopped (maybe fuses))
where is the fuses? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
how to operate with the jack?

In a few days I'll post some photos
Best regards from Lithuania <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Laurynas

Be sure there is nothing under the seat gotten into the fan. I have had the wire mesh get bent down and stop the fan. the fuses are under the dash driver side next to the park brake release. It's more than likely in the switch.
Re how to operate with the jack. VERY CAREFULLY. Although the jacks will work, they very often bend the bumper or let the car slide off them. I would use a hydraulic floor or bottle jack or scissors jack. If you are going to be under the car use a hydraulic floor jack and put it on jack stands before getting under it. Sounds like the car is in pretty good shape.

What Mr. Earl said is correct: Be sure to clean out the area of the heater under the seat. The seat stuffing will start falling down with you sitting on it for the first time in years. A vacuum will be very handy here.

The fuse box is located under the dash, near the stearing column. It would be a good idea to purchase some electrical contact cleaner. Give the thing a good cleaning as you remove any fuses to check their condition.

As for operation of the heater controls, you have two electrical switches for the two different fans. The under-seat fan has a high/low switch (Off in the center, high and low on the sides), and the dash heater/defroster fan is only off and high.

The two big leavers (Be careful to move them, as the plastic knobs can break off easily!!) control the hot water valve (Valve is located above and to the right of the passenger floor.) and another controls the defroster function, more or less. Precise operation you will figure out. If these leavers do not want to move, get under the dash and soak the cables with some kind of penetrating lubricant like WD40. They will move in time. Also beware that the heater valve will likely start leaking as soon as you try using it again. You can get a rebuilt one on Ebay or Bob's Automobilie, I believe.

As for jacking, DO NOT USE the bumber jack. That was made of the idiot average driver who did not care much about his bumber and needed to change a flat in a hurry without the proper tools. Use a hydrolic jack to jack the car up at the frame. Place it just behind the front wheels at the flat spot of the frame, or just in front of the rear wheels at the flat spot. Use jack stands, becaue these Buicks are damn heavy. Try to avoide leaving the car lifted from side to side. Lift the front end up, or the rear end up, or both.

You are very lucky to have working radio and wipers. Sounds like a nice survivor!!

Let us know how it goes, and have fun. Whe you get frustrated, walk away for the night.

Doug Cook

Hi to all Buick lovers again <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Sorry for long inactivity and huge thanks for the advices <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Some news from my Special:

parted out
pitted chrome on aluminium parts was sanded out and given to the guy who will polish it. It's impossible to re-chrome aluminium parts in our country, so polished metal will be left instead of chrome. How these problems are solved in your country?
bumper guards' chrome was removed chemically, then polished and soon will be re-chromed
all interior (seats, door panels, roof) completely restored with two-tone leather (light brown and cream)
sanded all metal around the motor under the hood
restored rusted places in the trunk, front and rear corners of the interior, thresholds
new front left door glass was made instead of cracked one
Now car is taken to body master, where it will be prepared for the painting.
I'm still wondering what color to choose. The two-tone paint looks very attractive to me, so maybe it will be as same as the interior colors - cream for the top and brown metallic for the bottom

I'm looking for some parts: front fender vent hole (lost somehow <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> )and front headlight trim (was broken). If someone has one of these please let me know

Some questions:
What to do with the leaking lever rear shock absorber? Is it possible to restore, or maybe it's better to replace them with usual modern shocks?


Some photos:











[img]http://193.219.79.161/files/19_129.jpg[/img]
[img]http://193.219.79.161/files/imgp3595_269.jpg[/img] [img]http://193.219.79.161/files/imgp3594_128.jpg[/img]

Regards,
Laurynas

Yesss!!!

today took my Buicky home. It's finally painted

P.S. sorry for the pics' quality, likely my Nokia is more a cell phone than the camera

Looking good Laurynas.
It looks like whoever did your body work did a good job on the rust.

The Nokia takes better pictures than my Canon takes phone calls .

Mike

Nice job, and great color choices. That's gonna be one beautiful Buick when you're done. Can't wait to see it.

Keep up the great work.

JD

Thanks guys But now goes the funniest part of the game - to put all the pieces together There will be problems with rubber parts, it's all cracked and hard. Alike I still don't know how to fit side moldings, because almost all the fittings are rusted and broken.

Some parts of newly tailored interior:

How did you make out with the trim work and the rubber? The interior parts look great. The color combination will really stand out.

I know you must have pictures of the exterior so, How about them?

Stevo

In regards to chrome on alu you can either get it done in Sweden or UK (they will speak English there) if you speak German there is lots of chrome shops there too. You can do it your self too, safes you to send it. Here is a link to kits http://www.caswelleurope.co.uk/ --

Rubber I would say take it from the States directly, you will just be robbed if you buy it here in Europe .. BTW: May I ask what the port charges was? I.e. how much you paid to get them from the boat and into your hands.. excluding duty and VAT.. The thing is that its a pure ripoff here in the UK...

Ah very nice interior work -- if you are willing I would like to know about where you got it done. It will really look good when you get it on. The very best of luck with your project --- very nice car you got!!

Cheers Dyna....

PS: Sorry for bitching about prices

The headlight trim has been bought on e-bay week ago for 10.50$ It has some pitting, but I hope after polishing it will look well.

Rubber was softened with contact cleaner aerosol Once I was cleaning contacts and noticed, that rubber around become softer. Then I cleaned all the weatherstrips with it ant glued to the doors and trunk with WURTH rubber glue.

Exterior photos are very similar to those that are some posts above I hope I would have a chance to put some new ones tomorow.

Dyna thanks for the address. I will contact them.

The interior was done by one of my partner's friend. He's very scrupulous. Seats and door's upholstery was re-done from the start. Material cost 170$ and work 1200$.

As concerns the shipping and the customs there are some holes in it we are using We collaborate with one firm which delivers cars from USA to our country. E-bay sellers send the goods we bought to their office in the USA and then they simply put them in the trunks of the cars. After arriving to Lithuania, we pay only 20$ per box to the customers (no matter what's inside). Of course it's not very official
I hope I can help you with the parts if you will need. You can contact me by mail: laurynas@capri.lt

Regards,
Laurynas

Laurynas,

Thanks for the reply will mail you a bit later. Will take over a 58 Buick this comming spring so investigating ways to make it a bit more afforable...

Cheers Dyna

Can anybody tell me how to disconnect and remove wiper's and headlight switches? I'm stuck on it Thanks

Remove the headlight: reach behind the dash on the unit. Towards the back you will find a button on a spring.. push the button and pull the knob to remove the handle, Next reach into the handle opening with a screw driver and unscrew the set screw. The unit will drop off.

remove the wiper -- pull hard on the lever to remove it.. it will pop off.. then inside the escutheon reach in with a screwdriver and move the holding screw.. similar to the headlight..don't remember if it is a screw slot or hex head.

Huge thanks to kevinshea. Today I've removed these things in 10 minutes with he's recomendations. Thanks a lot!
All of my inactivity time there was almost no jobs done. Now I have moved my car to the new garage nearby my workplace and I hope things will proceed faster now