Jump to content

Roadmaster75

Members
  • Posts

    343
  • Joined

  • Last visited

About Roadmaster75

  • Birthday 02/28/1948

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

Roadmaster75's Achievements

1,000+ Points

1,000+ Points (3/7)

  • Reacting Well
  • Dedicated
  • Collaborator

Recent Badges

105

Reputation

  1. You’re seeing what I did for years on my Flight Pitch. I used Lucas transmission conditioner and sealer. it was more money than the others ,but just as you have observed…… Flight Pitch’s don’t like sitting around they need to be driven. That, along with a bottle of Lucas once a month or so would reduce the leaks substantially. ive never been an advocate of “repair in a bottle” , but in this case it beats the alternatives! Glad she’s behaving better with each mile……!
  2. i agree…….. Dynaflows still amaze me after almost 60 years of fooling around with Buick’s. I routinely dusted 55-56 265 power glide Chevies with my 55 Special coupe at the drags. I would mildly brake torque it in low to launch……jump out two car lengths, shift to drive and hold the lead till the end……. This is in 1966! How it held up to my abuse I’ll never understand.
  3. Hey Adam As one who has experienced “Flight Pitch Anxiety” on his 58 RoadMaster75………. I get it! But, after finishing my drive shaft repair for an extended period of time on the lift…….. I let the car down, fired it up while rear tires were still in the air, put it in drive to check the repair……..all fixed, but, noticed the dreaded ATF puddle! Trans and drive shaft worked fine but was pushing fluid from around the dipstick tube seal on top of trans case; lots of it! I think the tube may have gotten jostled with all the yanking on the drive train for the repair. check it out…..it could be something easy like that. Do not fear the Flight Pitch! (But, maybe keep a standard 58 Dynaflow on the shelf!) 🤣 M
  4. Kev In my opinion…….. acquiring the skills and abilities to address common old car rust issues will allow you to enjoy this hobby more. Farming out floorboard rust repair in this day and age is costly and ties up the car for weeks…..maybe months, instead of a couple of weekends of home repair. my latest welder is a Miller 180. There are cheaper ones, but this rig allowed me to quickly improve my sheet metal repair capabilities. A little practice on scrap metal and youll quickly become fearless when faced with the need to patch a floor, make a bracket, Repair a rocker panel, etc. Yes, brakes and roadability stuff first……but, keep one eye on a quality mig welder and necessary fabrication tools for your body repair issues. Skills that are learned will allow you a lifetime of enjoyment in fixing up these old cars. Many guys here have acquired great skills doing this, so you’ll have lots of good coaching when the time comes!
  5. I have wired and rewired several cars in pursuit of my car hobby. I have learned much along the way and although a highly optioned 65 Riv is intimidating at first……… it is not impossible to unravel the problem. Based on the limited info given, a good troubleshooting is in order. I’d start by getting the car running! Period! This means that anything beyond the basic starting/generating circuits be disconnected and , or all fuses pulled. NO power to the rest of the cars accessories. Use a remote starter or wire in a temporary ignition switch. If the problem is in the basic start/generating sections it will be immediately evident and easily repaired. However, if the car can be started and run without issue………… then a PLAN to hunt down the shorts can be initiated….. circuit by circuit. An exploded color wiring diagram should be secured, along with a good quality VOM meter as basics. In recent years I’ve found that a product like a “PowerProbe” can be invaluable in doing circuit by circuit installation or troubleshooting. It will find shorts or bad grounds etc on an individual basis….and you can use a stand alone 12volt battery instead of the car’s battery. Hope fastdave comes back with more specific info on what smoked after the restoration. I want this Riv back on the road!
  6. my advice, Buy the car, bring brakes and suspension, steering up to spec as suggested above. Since you’re a mechanic already, the support team here has your back on any trans or engine issues you may encounter along the way. As far as body/paint……. DA the whole car with 220 then 320. Either just prime it or…… head down to your pals at the local tint/vinyl wrap emporium and have them wrap it in exchange for some promotional consideration……. I’d bet they’d love to see their rolling ad on a 53 Buick! Then when ready for paint just peel it off. Throw a mini bike in the trunk for a little insurance and enjoy the whole experience! Welcome!
  7. I ran an AFB on my 58 RoadMaster. it was from a 59 or 60 Electra .used it for 25 years without issues. Is your 2840s fitted with the accelerator start assembly? If not , it may not be a Buick application.
  8. Lance I had a confounding left turn signal problem on my 58 RoadMaster, too. Assuming I had a ground problem I tried grounding the bulb housing elsewhere in the housing…..to no avail. Turns out that they relied on the two long attachment bolts of the tail lamp assembly for grounding. So, over the years the threaded ends of those bolts from the die cast housing ceased to provide grounding through the die cast. I cleaned up the threads and ran a separate wire to the lamp and problem solved.
  9. Bernie I’d really get off cuttin’ up that Lincoln for you while you cut up the Bird.......! we could knock it all out in a day.......
  10. Before this gets moved to the performance modified area.......... You can find used/junkyard stuff and spend a bunch on rebuilding them to be streetsble. But, results will probably disappoint you. You may end up having to cut up the tunnel just to make the front clip selection work...... as an example. One thing always leads to another when doing that level of modification. Getting the front track width just right to look right in the wheel wells will not be a trivial task. Using a “new” after market Mustang ll crossmember may seem good, but consider the size and weight of a Buick on such a suspension. Plus, the after market crossmembers are ALL designed to lower the vehicle substantially. Now you’re looking at wheel well cutting, etc. etc. As for the “Torque tube” issue; To make a junkyard rear end look and fit correctly in the wheel opening will require a great deal of planning, measuring, and pinion angle mock up to match whatever has been done to engine / trans placement up front. All this is lots of time and money with “iffy” results. I’d suggest.....seriously.....to call a chassis builder like Art Morrison and discuss your project of putting a a 9000 mile Buick body onto a rolling chassis. They will study factory measurements from Buick manuals and ask you to provide measurements, too....... based on your engine transmission preferences. Everything will be done and engineered to ride like a new car with discs all around, adjustable ride height, proper pinion angle, suspension travel within the Buick body, etc etc. Some tweaks to body mounts or floor interference are probably inevitable, but would be minor fabrication tasks. cost will probably be in the $20,000 neighborhood. Sounds like a lot, but you’ll be offsetting that number with all that you’d spend on trying to make used stuff work.......AND, a lot of time. Plus, you can sell that 9000 mile chassis with engine and trans in place to a 53 Special restorer to recover more cost. I’m 73 and Been doing this stuff most of my adult life and if I were to embark on such a project today, a new rolling chassis would be sitting in my shop! Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
  11. As I recall , Limited’s were 9” longer from rear glass to bumper, so deck lid, trunk pan, quarters all unique to Limited’s.
  12. Love the car, Adam! Makes me miss my 71 all the more........
  13. You might want to try Midwest Driveshafts here in my hood. Joe is the owner. Does a lot of exotic, antique, obsolete, custom stuff. He’s done all my driveshaft work for years. competent staff, too. Might be worth a call.
  14. FYI The iffy condenser issue has recently been solved over on the “Stovebolt Forum”. After much research a guy there has sourced USA made condensers for GM ignitions. $12 as I recall. Getting good reviews. go there and do a search for the threads....... I’ll do same and post if I find it.
  15. well, Rebuilt or not....... Fitting a 4GC With the correct accelerator pump can get very dicey. The diameter, depth of travel, and material used for the accelerator pump are critical to supplying the initial shot of fuel to allow smooth transition to off idle operation. your problem is well known to 4GC owners. Quick story...... I got pretty good over the years in rebuilding carbs, but met my match when trying to use “rebuild kits” that did not supply correctly spec’d. accelerator pumps for my 4GCs for my 58 RoadMaster. I had the original carb and a nice spare. This was about 1990. Both carbs would do what yours does. Stumble or die on acceleration. So, I found a Carter AFB from a 59 Electra that was close to being correct for my car. Rebuilt it , put it on the car, and it ran flawlessly for almost 30 years! In about 1999, I went to a garage sale that had a nice metal Rochester counter display case that I purchased for my garage art display......But, it was completely stocked with original Rochester replacement parts from late 50s to early 60s. A couple years later I actually researched the part numbers on the new 4GC accelerator pumps inside the display case and it contained not just one but two for my RoadMaster! They were in neat little sealed clear plastic cases because the pump used LEATHER skirts. So, I refitted my two moth balled 4GCs , tested them on the car, and to my amazement they both accelerated perfectly! I’m sure Jon will chime in here soon, but they’re great carbs that with the right (hard to find) parts and correct adjustments will perform great.......... good luck!
×
×
  • Create New...