Janousek
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Posts posted by Janousek
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I had Ross bump our 31' to around 6.5:1. They should have my profile in there for a 31'. I remember them being around 2500 bucks about 8 years ago. It's a strong car.
Our 31' has terrible brakes. Really good until speeds exceed 45mpgh. This is a problem since our cars happy speed is 60mph. I've tried three different linings and it easilly outdrives the brakes. I blame it on the steel drums. The shoes just don't bite into the steel. I've set ours up by the book and also with a brake doktor and they just aren't good. Somebody please get a set of cast iron drums made and sell me some.
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Look up Spectra Chrome. A local body shop bought one of these systems after going to SEMA. I believe it just sits now because their wasn't much demand in our area. You spray a base coat from a paint gun, rinse the part with some silver stuff, and spray auto clearcoat over it. It was really hard to tell the difference between it and chrome.
Either way chrome plating on a car that originally had nickel looks terrible. A quick walk through the GM heritage center and you can see all kinds of bad restoration choices like chrome where nickel should be.
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I've driven 5 different ones and never hit my hand on the dash. Would be worth the pain even if every shift hit something. Transmissions are crude but the rest is a delight.
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I have a good powder setup and good spray guns. I end up spraying them because I think it looks better than powder. Flaws will show with either procedure unless they are sanded out during the process.
I don't use acrylic enamel very often. The only change I can think of is shelf life. Centari will no longer sit on the shelf for 10 years and still be able to use it. Local jobber told me they changed something a few years ago and it doesn't last forever now. Really it's a pretty good product for wheels. It flashes really slow compared to urethanes to allow you to keep it wet. Urethanes can be adjusted but it take experimenting to get the feel. Most do it yourself guys don't need more complications. I feel success begins with SPI epoxy primer, sand and ad epoxy primer as needed, seal with same epoxy thinned 20%, and spray with good paint a few hours after seal. I'd use Dupont Chroma premier SS or SPI SS if black with an Iwata LPH80. (small, high quality gun) I never load the wheels up with 2k urethane build primer. Only epoxy.
Powder can be complicated also. With paint you know your gloss. Powder just goes on flat and dry with static pull so you can get thin/thick spots if the guy doesn't have experience. It tends to build up on high spots and not always pull into the cracks. It's not a no brainer.
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Hey, I screwed up the quote. My paragraph is on top of Roger's.
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1 hour ago, Roger Walling said:
I've used Dupont Imron on things since the mid 90's and this stuff I bought isn't the same. All the Imron I've ever used was never as thin as this stuff. Shake the can and it sounds like water sloshing around. I quit using the stuff back in 13' when our local jobber dropped the mix bank. I thought I'd try the industrial stuff on an engine and I'm not comfortable that I'm getting a top quality product anymore so I didn't use it.
I use Axatla (DuPont) industrial Imron and it is NOT thin.
In even it fills in light rust pits in the frame. It is very chip resistant. It is very funny stuff though. The first coat looks brown and is transparent, the second coat covers, and is BLACK!
Put a third coat on a frame and it looks like you spent weeks sanding it. (always use a primer first.)
You may have used Transtar, (a PPG company).
We were given a gal. by the rep. and he had to give us two more to get the job done where one Gal. of Imron would do.
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I hang them from the valve stem hole and move around the wheel when I do it. Keeps my focus where it needs to be and allows me to get around the wheel quicker keeping the gloss consistent. Spinning them slowed down the process for me and I'd have to compensate with slower activators. Pay attention at a car show and you can see a lot wires painted where they didn't get around them quick enough and the start/stop didn't melt together.
I can see spinning them in the future as I loose flexibility.
I bought a gallon of black industrial Imron a few months ago. Not the same stuff anymore. It was piss thin so I'd never use it on a paying job. Went right into the giveaway/trailer paint cabinet.
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You guys are making me chuckle on wanting the old Park Avenues. Yes they were nice cars but a kid with a crayon could design a better looking car. We had a 12' Lacrosse that was a lot more car than the 96' Riviera we had or all the Park Avenues the rest of the family had. Only downfall on our Lacrosse was the 4 cylinder hybrid crap. The rest of the car was spot on and it looked attractive. Younger people have a chance of being drawn to one vs. the old Park Avenue/Lesabre that were pegged blue hair mobiles from the day they rolled off the line.
Grandfather still complains when Buick added a console because 3 couples could no longer go to dinner. He couldn't figure out why my wife and I always drove seperate because we didn't want to cram 6 people into his Park Avenue.
Thanks for the smile as I'm in between spraying coats on a warm day.
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Sure doesn't look rebuilt to me. Maybe rings and gaskets into a dirty block. The block sure wasn't hot tanked and done up right.
I paid $250 for a 70' 455 out of a toronado last spring that had to be rebuilt.
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Thanks Al, I appreciate the compliment. My wife is on the car selection and they needed to fill a spot so we drove it over. Without a car in the show we can't always stay on location so it's a win for us.
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Al, All I'm saying how many Buicks do we see in the stable of the high end collectors? Obviously some guys go against the grain but it's a pretty small ratio. When we show our car at a ccca event it feels like they can't walk past it fast enough. Like maybe the middle class feel with grab their pantlegs. I could be entirely wrong with my view but I suppose it's my experiences that have led me to conclusions.
True car guys know what a Buick has to offer. I was doing a Chrsyler for a guy and we had a 40' Buick Special conv at Meadowbrook 15+ years ago. He wanted to follow us back to our shop and look at the progress. We drove the Buick to the show as we always do. It's a 2 hour drive 3/4 highway and rest back roads. He got out at our place and couldn't believe the car buzzed down the highway no problem. He told me that is why he had Cadillacs because he didn't think much of a Buick. It changed is perception. Your not gonna change the perception of the average big collector that just drives from the rig to the show field.
I'm happy that this car was built. It raises the values of other 90 series and brings attention to the marque.
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NTX, nice write up on some of the new tech.
They can push it all they want but start/stop sucks. It's annoying and that lacrosse had pathetic mileage for a BS feature and pathetic power. Funny part is the wife told me whatever car we replace it with better have a v6 and no start/stop. Granted, this is a car girl but she called it a golf cart and thought it took a higher end car and made it herky jerky.
I had poker in the shop a couple nights ago and we were talking about the 6 speed transmissions and that they are going to 8 speeds and more now. Two of the guys complained about the constant up/down shifting and how annoying they are. I've never noticed it on our XTS but they live on 55mph roads with constant rolling hills.
Unfortunately bean counters and emmission regulations are probably dictating more than we know. I test drove a new SIlverado a few years ago with a 5.3. I've owned a few trucks with a 5.3 back around 00' because I was building wrecks out of them so I know what they are. I got out and asked the salesguy where the motor was. He looked at me like I had lobsters growing out of my ears. It wasn't nearly as peppy as my early 5.3's. I did a little research and basically a lag was programmed in for mileage like you mentioned.
I honestly don't care what the mileage is on my trucks. I get they have to do stuff for emissions but I'm happy with my 12 mpg I've gotten for the past 12 years from the best truck I've ever owned. 04' 2500hd regular cab with a 6.0. A buddy bought a new ford f250 6.2liter and has gotten 11 mpg for the past year. Makes me smile as he had a 03' Silverado 2500 with 250k that got better mileage than his new truck. I'm not always sure they move foreward with every tech gizmo.
I really don't want to be preached too by bunch of guys flying around in private jets about what fuel mileage/emissions I should be allowed.
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Those pilot rays are the only accerssory I don't like. A set of regular Trippe's would be more appropriate/proportioned to the size of the car. I'm glad to see the blackwall tire in vogue right now. That car looks so tough and the chrome spokes would wash away with a set of whites.
I don't know about it sticking out "because it was a Buick". Almost always Buicks are skipped over at these events. Part because they aren't always restored this nice and 2nd its wasn't the finest available. Part of the judging is how impactful the car was during it's release. I feel Buicks to one of the nicest cars available but most weren't as impactful as the big dogs. Grandfather's 53' Skylark used to get ribbons at these events because they were so special/impactful. I've driven a lot of the big iron of the 30's and our 31' Buick always impresses me. Other than it's ability to outrun the mechanical brakes it's a delight.
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Sand your primer with 400 grit if it's a solid color. Buzz over your 400 grit sanding with a 500 or 600 grit da if it's metallic. We used to use 320 with laquer/enamel jobs but you see less sand scratches later by going finer on paper.
What brand/model primer are you using?
All of my hvlp are usually running 36 psi at the gun. HVLP is like a catylitic convertor for your car. Those recommendations are for compliance laws more than performance. At the20psi recommendations my Iwatas suck.
You'll want at least 4 coats of wet clear if you plan on starting with 1000 grit. I don't recommend it for a newbie. You'll just make a mess and have a bunch of sandthroughs. A safe bet for a decent looking job would 1500 da the paint and then polish it. It's not the best and you still have urethane wave but at least the paint will be orange peel free.
SPI has one of the best forums for painting they you will ever find. This is a great forum but a lot of the paint advice is sketchy or very outdated.
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Unfortunately by the "rules" they should probably be overlooked. When we show our 31' 96Cabriolet it's always "filler" we call it. It just wasn't as prestigous as the 12 cylinder Packard and 16 cylinder Caddy sitting next to it. This car looks exceptional and caught the eyes of the judges for a special award and that is great.
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8 hours ago, Frank DuVal said:
Roger, are you storing this car inside (environmental controlled or shed?), stored outside in the east or want to drive it while getting it ready for paint?
Rust free? What western state did you get it from?
I use epoxy primer (PPG DP series) and can drive them while working on them. I hear good things about SPI, Southern Polyurethanes, but have not yet used any of their products. The best part of epoxy primer is no need to remove it before you continue your work, if applied to bare metal to start. Yes, you will need to remove the primer sprayed over existing paint.
Frank, been using SPI epoxy for 10 years now. I wouldn't use PPG DP40 Lf if it was free. Before it went lead free it was good stuff though. Try the SPI, best customer support, quality, and pricing in the business.
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We had a 12' Lacrosse with the 4cylinder. What a dog and the start/stop was annoying. My wife liked the car but hated the drivetrain. I bought that car with 20k and it was a front end total. Just a couple airbags, bumper cover, headlights. Nothing structural. She put 40k on it in a year (sales) and it was in the shop several times for expensive electronic repairs. I've never had a car in the shop before that one. Always something wrong with electronics or hybrid battery. That car costed more at the dealer in one year than the entire maintenance record for the 12 years I've owned my silverdo. Never again will I buy the hybrid thing. Averaged 27 mpg which isn't as good as our 98' Riveria or 99' Aurora v8 that we owned over 15 years ago. I feel it was a very nice driving car with junk powertrain. I told the dealer that hybrid system was junk and he agreed but wouldn't come out and say it. One other thing is the car had to have snowtires. It was helpless without them. Maybe the 4 cylinder was to light but if I didn't plow the drive after 4" of snow the wife couldn't make the drive and it's not steep at all. Once we bought a nice set of snow tires it was ok.
Next car I bought was a 14' XTS awd cadillac with a v6. Another front ender but a clean title and less damage. Parts cost a lot more though. Seems like the headlights were over a grand at dealer cost. I feel it's a much better car than the Buick was. Lots of power, similar mileage, better seats, handles better but doesn't ride as soft. Just feels like more car. Some of that could be the upgrade engine. She ran almost 30k on it and oil changes are the only thing I've had to do. It's still not a 57' Fleetwood in terms of ride but they never will be unless they add some mass and some tire sidewall. I'd like to test drive the new big car. This things eats up the snow also. Everything about it from handling to driving to braking it just works without messing with snow tires. Must be the extra weight.
My wife likes it so much she is keeping it even though she has a company car again. Before she would only have her company car and not have a 2nd car. She said if we take a trip she no longer wants to ride in a fusion or escape type suv.
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Wow, stunning color combo on an early 31' roadster. Nice to see one get an award, they are usually overlooked at these events. The optional chrome spokes look good also.
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Next time I'm on the phone getting parts I'll ask you about the Egge. I put the forged Egge in our car which shouldn't be a problem. Most of these Piston places buy the forged blanks and Egge, Ross, or whoever machines them. I've used Ross in a couple different builds. Normally when I want to up the compression then I go Ross. Our 31' Buick easilly has 10k+ on a set of Ross pistons with a 6.5 to 1 compression ratio. They struggled finding a piston blank that was tall enough to bump the compression where I wanted.
Interesting on using the old pistons this way. The price of a set of pistons and peace of mind isn't worth scraping a block. To each his own I guess.
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If your wires are in good shape/size and a new battery with clean connections thought then I'd be looking into the Soleniod. Time to pull the starter and get both of them rebuilt. Preventative maintenance at the least. Also make sure you sending a good 6 volts to the solenoid when the key switch is in the crank possition. A bad ignition switch might only be sending 4 volts.
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Cadet grey is the factory color. That version looks good also, most attempts are more silver than grey. The correct ones have a slight irredescance to them. This is the first open car I've seen with the color. It really looks good on a sedan with black walls.
Few cars need more inspection than a Cord. Probably the best riding/handling car of the era with that unibody. Also one of the most rusty/cobbled car of the era. I've ran into some real messes with these cars.
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Curt, Most of these coatings are so thin I don't believe it to be a product to tighten worn tolerances. We used to get pistons coated for snowmobiles and when they scuffed off the stuff couldn't have been a half thousandth.
Cerakote has a high temp coating for the crowns. Their exhaust coatings are great but I don't see using piston dome coats on an antique engine.
Whats wrong with the Egge pistons for the Auburn? I put a set of forged in our coupe a couple years ago. It has a few thousand miles without any problems.
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59 minutes ago, trimacar said:
I also know of a guy who restores 50's pickup trucks, he gets beautiful paint jobs in the few thousand dollar range. Unfortunately, at this point he hasn't shared the name of the painter with me!
Hey Trim, how many corners have to be cut in order to do an inexpensive interior? Paint is the same way except all the bad stuff is hidden under a sprayed liquid coating instead of seat cover. Sacked out springs full of rust and rotten old fabric just covered up to speed up the time.
That is what your getting with these inexpensive paint jobs. Most of the old talent/metal finish guys that once were in a body shop are gone. Parts changers and mud slingers is mostly what is left. Not every case but mostly true since collision shops panel replace nowadays instead of repair. A large shop might only have a couple guys you'd want touch your old car.
I've enjoyed the differences in opinion on this thread. Kinda reminds me of when I worked at a UAW shop. The hourly guys hated the salary guys because the union poison of the "us vs. them" mentality. I went salary and the hourly called me a traitor. Funny part is I never heard one Salary guy complain about the union guys or act like they were better. Kinda the whole shop owner vs. car owner thing. The shop is out to screw the little guy and the little guy will screw the shop owner every chance he can get. Fun stuff.
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46 minutes ago, trimacar said:
It can be done, you just have to be good friends with the owner, and as I did, get to know all the paint and body men, and if they like you they'll do a good job. It is an unusual thing to have a happy ending to this, of course....
That sounds like it worked out for you. Most guys today would have a better chance winning the lottery than finding a shop with guys sitting around doing nothing. If they did you probably wouldn't want them working on your car.
Thanks for the clarification on the laquer Frank. I've only seen the factory photos of guys buffing the cars. I've also sprayed enough laquer to know it's impossible to spray and have it look finished but the baking makes sense to give it a gloss. Once again minimal coats and flowed with heat. We as shops can't duplicate this flatness with multiple coats of urethane.
1918 Buick Model E-4-34
in Buick - Pre War
Posted
I wasn't going to say anything but I think it's his strong opinion. I personally prefer to run a quality mineral based oil like Schaffers racing oil in straight 30 or 40 depending the time of year. It's more oil than these cars ever need and have the correct additives for a long life without the seal leakeage that synthetic can cause.
I remember in the mid 90's when GM switched to syn gear lube in the front pigs. They started leaking out of the seals and the service bulletin wanted the tech to lower the oil level to prevent this seal weeping. I also ran axle tests back in that time frame and the synthetics wouldn't take the shear metal to metal contact that the mineral oil would. Additives were developed and we moved forward. Without these additives the oil wasn't that good. So in my experience 20 years ago just because it said synthetic didn't mean it was better.
A good quality mineral oil that is developed with our cars in mind is what I'm happy with.