1957buickjim

Adam, check out the post on post war years..somebody needs some stainless refinished on a 56 Buick..maybe a lead for you...Jim

Mud..thanks for the offer on the gun..I may take you up on it when I get to that point if you are not using it. I vote with the others on the Island that you should be able to find that 1/4" somewhere on the tube..heck going from a 90 to 91 degree angle on a bend should do it on a 12' piece of tubing...only your hairdresser will know for sure

Alas, to boot or not to boot, that is the question...and it looks like Mike booted the boot. Mike..looking SWEEEET! It must be a good feeling to get the car this far. WOW. That is awesome..keep plugging away and soon it will be time for another project..which I am quite sure you have in the wings already. Rob..I would really appreciate the scanned information from the salesman's book for the interiors and such. Also anything to do with what options were available on what models would be good as well. Thanks and let me know if you want to send it to my email or just post it.

OK..now I'm really confused. I purchased this trim panel off of eBay and it had a switch on it. The wires are the same as posted in TG's PSB on the problem with the noisy rear speaker problem. By all looks, it looks like it is a switch for a rear speaker, but it is in the Accessory slot in the trim panel - original?? I have posted the pictures not only of this switch, but also of an NOS switch plate, which is what Dave has in his vehicle. However, I could not find or figure out how this would be mounted underdash, unless the install was at the dealer, not the factory. No mounting holes for it in the dash, especially where the ignition and cigar lighter would be. So.....what is the theory here? could the speaker switches be mounted in the Accessory location, if the car did not have speedminder (?) Would the dealer drill a hole in the dash (a la TG's) installation, or would they have mounted it per Dave's lower right hand mount with bezel...This is like CSI for Buicks!!! Lets have some fun...

I can see understand, this being the holidays and all and everyone on the forum knows you like pie...apparently of many different types..Thanks for the welcome Mike..Looking forward to chatting with you...Jim

You might also try Classic Chevy Restoration Parts - CARS Inc.. They supply a lot of 55 - 57 chevy restoration parts and I have found that alot of the stuff like that is common among GM vehicles of that era. NOT THE NJ PLACE! Hope that helps. Jim

:DWow...I didn't think that I would scare so many people by posting a response..

Mud..looking great!! Keep us updated with the pix..I love to look at new / refurb stuff as it is getting installed...Do you like the Eastwood gun? I was thinking of buying one, but wanted to get more feedback on it before the investment. Would like to know what your likes / dislikes etc are on it. Thanks..Jim

Rob, your post on the interiors is pretty amazing. Do you know if they have something like that for the 1957 models? That would be pretty helpful as well. Hope your Christmas Lights look good..Jim

I could only wish that they were for a 57 Buick. They look pretty sweet!

Hi. Definitely start with the cables, especially the negative / ground. I had a similar problem on my 1957 with intermittent starting and lo and behold, found that the NOS negative cable (which I thought was good) had corrosion creep under the covering. Replaced it with a new one, and bingo, the car started right up. Also, as Rooster indicated, the battery does need to be worked. If you have a new one, or access to one, you might want to try that as well. If you had coolant in the cylinders / heads, it should show up on the dipstick or in the oil if you change it. Really make sure that all the connections are really, really clean as well. Hope this helps. Keep us posted on the condition. Jim

Mr. Earl, need to get Caballero 57 in on this. You are so right!! Nice period piece and I bet the Coke stayed pretty cold in that there cooler!!! Jim

Nope..just the antenna, switch and that Bee-u-t-ful wonderbar radio!! might need to relist it.

Missed that one Mr. Earl! Not a bad deal if you can get it complete like that. I know TG is / has been looking for a good switch for his Wonderbar for say...20yrs? (so he said in his post), so I thought he might be interested. Thanks for looking out for us neophytes...Saw that you have your 56 / 57 switch on the eBay as well! Good luck. I like the starting price... Jim

PM me..i have some in fairly decent condition. Jim

TG, try searching 1953,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,CAD,OLDS,BUICK,CONTROL - eBay (item 320619245290 end time Nov-25-10 08:40:44 PST). Not sure how to copy it but it is still there. $250 OBO. Good luck. Jim

TG, there's a wonderbar foot switch listed on ebay as of this morning with a buy now price. I think it is kind of pricey..but you are looking for one..Jim

Thanks John. I figured that I would get one when I joined in Sept 2009 with the membership card and decal but I didn't. Looks like I will have to wait. Thanks again. Jim

Hi everybody! I don't know if this is the right forum for this, but is there a BCA directory that is sent to all the members? Or a place where a member can get one? I joined last year and from what I have read on the forums, it looks like there is one for members. I just never received one. Thanks for your time.

Oh yeah, here is a picture of Old Bessie..

OK Mike, you hooked me. So here goes...Howdy Y'all..Greetings from the frozen (not quite yet) north. I'm Jim Pickard, or more commonly known on the site as 57buickjim. I live in my garage or my basement workshop most of the time, when I am not going to kid events, or my REAL job. I just joined BCA last year when I decided that my beloved 57 Buick Special Model 48 (fondly referred to in my household as Old Bessie) needed a much welcomed re-restoration after 20 years. I just also joined the Southeast Michigan Chapter of BCA as well. I am a certifed old car nut, brought up working on cars since I was a kid..I have restored, driven or owned a..1957 Chevy Bel Air 2dr HT (first car in HS), 1946 Willy's CJ2A, 1967 Cadillac Convertible, 1969 Plymouth GTX, helped my dad on his 1931 Pontiac, to name a few. I currently own a 2005 Mustang Convertible and 1969 Plymouth Road Runner 440 / 4spd. I like cars. I am probably a younger member in the BCA, along with Mike, probably bringing down the average age a year or two. I live in the Metro Detriot suburbs..I am looking forward to meeting as many of you as I can at Nationals next summer, which happens to be on my birthday weekend! (Yes, Mike..I like pecan pie as well..hint hint..) My passion is working on the Special and bantering back and forth with all you crazies on the forum.. Well, that's it in a nutshell..I have a great time reading and posting. Looking forward to more...BTW Spam Pie sounds pretty good withh a Michigan Brewing Co. Pale Ale...yummm. Talk to y'all soon!!

Rob, Great photo's! Congrat's on getting them posted. What a beauty!!!Remember when you get started that every great race starts with the first step. I have attached a couple of photos of the same endeavor on the dash. You to will beam when it is done, especially when you look at what your own hands have done to bring it back from chaos (or what seemed like it at the time!) It is awesome that you are restarting an adventure that began decades ago..keep the faith and keep posting and asking questions. The people on this forum are the best living encyclopedia of restoration that has ever been assembled!

At least 20 of them!! Yee Ha!!

Mr. Beck, I couldn't have done it without your fantastic coaching and knowledge base. Thank you very much. Victory over mechanical and electrical demons is always sweet! ....Jim

Update on the sick starter..not so sick now! Decided to make my own negative battery cable with parts and correct gauge wire (all from Rhode Island Wiring - very correct cloth covered cable and lugs)..the NOS one that I had was a little short for the correct mounting, so I tried one more time before I took the darn starter off to send to the starter Doc. Replaced the cable with my new one mounted to the engine mount, and bang...started right up like a new car. Decided that it needed a run / heat cycle to see if it still had the intermittent problem like before and took the car for a hour ride. Parked it back in the driveway, turned it off, waited a couple minutes..and SHAZAMMM! Started right up again like a new car! Well, at least the starter was cleaned, rebuilt to a point and that in itself was good. Thanks to all my friends on this forum for all their help in getting this figured out. Especially after re-reading the posts on the cables. I figured that 1. NOS parts should be like new parts (not necessarily so - they are 35 to + 50 yrs old as well) 2. Mental blocks do happen.. and 3. Always try one more time before really throwing in the towel! Thanks again everybody! On to the next task on the road to restoration!