trp3141592

mttt (move to the top)

Hi, Congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to the Forum. '37 is my personal favorite of all Buick years, so I am particularly happy to see an addition to the stable. The Forum offers a LOT of assistance and advice, so check with it daily. --Tom

Hi, How could a Cord--in ANY condition--get 16 thumbs down?? @Mike in Colordao: I ma dislexic, btu I sltill lveo cwsr! --Tmo (hee hee)

Too bad...

What sad news. I earnestly hope that the drunk shared his fate.

Loaded up the Monster. And the Cord also. --Tom

Hi, Brake Fluid is not only a terrible lubricant, but it is designed to be water-absorbing. This is why brake systems goop-up and cylinders get pits. ATF is a better choice. I expect that you'll need to replace the seals in the cylinders. And please do not go through all the work of making these units functional without replacing the 60-year-old hoses. Hoses are cheap enough that you should be replacing them regardless of how they look on the outside. There is further discussion of 1950's GM hydraulic windows over on the HAMB website. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=5 --Tom

Hi, Your symptoms are exactly what the symptoms were with my '37. I found that the primary cable from the battery was loose at the starter terminal. Tightened the nut, problem was gone. --Tom

Hi, Yes. --Tom

Hi, There's any number of videos on youtube, plus googled articles, about building (cheap, like under $20.00) a water-based de-rusting electrolysis tank. Electrolysis removes the rust but does not attack the iron/steel. --Tom

Hi, The best accessories I ever bought for my old cars were a South Bend Lathe and a milling machine. Don't bring a car home without them! --Tom

Hi, What a SPLENDID Looking car! Looks to me like a good candidate for preservation as opposed to restoration. You'll get more conversation and inquiry from observers with a running preservation than a restoration. Of course, the car is yours as is the decision. Whatever you do with it, have fun and enjoy it! --Tom

Hi Mike, It's those superb aerodynamically-floating headlights that give the CORRECTLY DESIGNED front lights-on-side-of-hood cars our secret 150 miles per gallon fuel ratings. This results from decreased friction of the front tires with the road and overall weight reduction. You would be entitled to know this fact if you had a correctly-designed headlight setup on your unfortunately laid-out sagging headlight model. When you get a proper car you will also be shown the secret handshake. All in fun, of course, Tom

Hi, I do not have a 53, but there has been a LOT of talk in the forums about the power brakes for that year. The Kelsey-Hayes units were dangerous. I suggest that you search the forums and decide how best to deal with your power brake set-up. Do NOT use silicone brake fluid in your hydraulic windows. Silicone fluid offers no lubrication qualities, and you will wreck your cylinders/pump. ATF should work fine. --Tom

Hi, My 37 Roadmonster is a joy to drive, but it is not happy at 70 mph. 55 is its "happy, happy, happy" speed. --Tom

Hi, If you have not cranked the engine with the distributor out, the shaft should line up just fine. Fine tune the timing per specs. If you HAVE cranked the engine, then 1) don't do that next time; 2) get yourself to top dead center, and 3) use a screwdriver as you asked about to align the oil pump to the shaft. --Tom

Hi, Keys are not hardened--for this exact reason. They are supposed to shear before damaging the axle or hub. I am not sure if your hub is a taper-fit to the axle or not. If it is the taper-type axle, do NOT use any oil or never-Seize on the taper when reassembling. De-grease the two parts before reassembling. A lubricant in this location will allow unintended movement between the hub and axle, resulting in a sheared key. --Tom

Hi, Found this image pf a reproduction how-to sticker for the 1940 jack. What GM Genius devised this man-killer? --Tom

Hi, Here's another thought on this problem based on my experience: the RF rubber flex hose may have deteriorated internally and is blocking the return of brake fluid to the master cylinder. If your hoses are more than 20 years old, it's a safe bet that they have collapsed internally. This exact situation plagued both my 40 LaSalle and my 37 Roadmonster until I was advised to replace the rubber hoses. Replace them all. Hmmm--strikes me also that the 37 Buick has a 4th rubber hose: a short rubber hose at the master cylinder as well as the three chassis hoses. Check your car to see if that 4th hose is present on yours. Be careful about buying those el-cheapo hoses from Argentina on EBay. NAPA can supply US DOT-rated hoses for you as can Hoses Unlimited in Holland, MI. You should pay about $20 to $25 each for DOT-rated hoses. As for using Never-Seize, I have found it to be a miracle release agent. I did brakes and hoses on my daily-driver 40 LaSalle in 1982, then again in 2010. All my Never-Seize'd connections, including the flex-hose-to-brake-line connections, opened up easily with no damage. I congratulate myself for using it way back then as it is a great investment in future repair convenience. Drums, brake lines, and rotors, et al on all the service vehicles in my company fleet are re-assembled with Never-Seize as part of their first rebuild. --Tom

Hi, Once you have done your brake work and are re-installing the drum, apply a coating of Never-Seize to the "step" area and the flange area of the axle where they make contact with the drum. When you do brakes again in 25 years, you will admire your own wisdom of having done that. --Tom

Hi, OTC Tools makes a variety of high-tension separators that will work when your car just laughs at a separating fork. You drive them with an impact wrench, or by hand, and they can create incredible pressure, which is what you need. Available at Amazon.com. --Tom

Hi, Of course you have removed the wheel. Be patient. Back off the shoes. Did you remove the sometimes-there bolt through the face of the drum into the hub and the wheel alignment pin?? Clean/wire-brush the joint where the drum meets the axle hub to remove any corrosion that is jamming the drum/hub joint. Lube that drum/hub joint liberally with Kroil or MB Blaster over several days. Bonk (More than a tap, less than a WHAM!) the drum with a heavy hammer (like a 4 to 6 pound maul) around the perimeter. Do not use a light hammer, carpenter's hammer, or the like--a light hammer will bend the metal where a heavy hammer will move it. Bonk it radially toward the center and also in the take-it-off outward direction. You want to break the rust connection of the drum to the hub, especially around that round center. Once the drum breaks free at the center, you're home free. You may need to get a spidery-looking puller (see below) from Amazon or Eastwood--but don't think that this tool is a puller. It's really just a "tensioner," and it only puts some degree of stress on the drum to work in concert with your bonking to break the rust-connection that is holding the drum in place. It lacks the cajones to be a puller. This guy's hammer is too light, but you get the picture. Bonk the tool and bonk the drum. Be patient! --Tom

Hi, The throw-out bearing, although not under the pressure of the clutch pressure plate springs, is still in contact with the pressure plate fingers. So it is turning when the clutch is not depressed. I suspect you have a failing throw-out bearing. The good news is that since you have already decided to replace the clutch this winter, and since a new throw-out bearing is always de rigeur anyway when doing a clutch, you're not out anything you would not have been replacing anyway. Good timing--it's the END of the season, not the start! --Tom

Hi, Pre-WHICH war? LOL! --Tom

Hi, I have had a number of requests for info on replacing the temperature gauge capillary tube and bulb, so I am listing the URL of the instructions. This is NOT my article: full credit goes to the author, Mr Tod Fitch, with thanks. His car happened to be a Plymouth. http://www.ply33.com/repair/tempgauge The article is copyrighted, so don't be publishing it without permission. --Tom