packick

The deed is done. Today we pulled out the steering column and put in the new brass horn contact. Not too bad of a job but we did have a little extra work making the final adjustments, especially to the Neutral Safety Switch. But that is because the switch itself was all crudded inside with old grease; we cleaned that up. But now I have a working horn on the column. The only difference we noticed is that the shift lever is a bit more stiff. Is there any kind of lubricant we can use to loosed it up a bit? And why would be a little stiffer after pulling the column?

NikeAjax: On my other cars I have used layered aluminum foil (us geezers still call it "tin foil") in the ball joint to add more friction. I don't know if that will help you but if the shim is too much then you might try it. Worked for me.

Boy NikeAjax, you are adventurous. I have had the top off of my dash but have not attempted to remove the entire thing. Hope your neck and back get better soon.

Thanks NikeAjax. I read your detailed description on how you made the contact on Old Tank's site. Nice job. Being an old geezer, I will do my stretches as you suggest. Now where did I put that cervical collar?

Thanks guys, I will heed your advice. Any tips for removing the steering column or any special tools required?

TexasJohn: What would cause it to fail and split like that? The slits in the metal look too uniform. Maybe the seller threw that one in as a bonus since the two were bought together.

I have now owned my 1955 Century Model 66R for about 2 years. I have been putting off the repair of the horn wire in the steering column to the point where I can no longer put it off. In the interim, I installed a foot switch so that I would at least be legal. More than just the wire it looks like the brass horn contact is no longer there. My intent is to pull the steering column out of the car and make the repair to the horn wire/contact on the bench. Recently I purchased a pair of horn contacts from eBay. As you can see in the photo below, I received two types of contacts even though they were delivered in two boxes that had the same part number written on them. In looking at the steering column diagram from the Buick Master Chassis Parts Book (which is for a 1956), it looks like the contact on the left in the picture might be for that year Buick? Or is the one on the left for a non-power steering 1955 Buick? Also, can anyone provide me with any tips for removing the steering column. I have read most of the old Threads dealing with this subject, and in one of them I read that you should remove the fuse box. Any other tips? Are there any special tools needed? Any and all help would be appreciated.

No, they were not part of the kit.

TexasJohn55: I was able to find a new rebuild kit for the washer pump. A bit pricey (in my opinion) but if you want the system to work it is the only option I found. CARS sells the kit: http://www.oldbuickparts.com/catalog/up-to-1960-buick-group-10-windshield-wiper-windshield-washer-kit-1951-56-buick-p-26058.html. Also, since this kit covers the 1951 to 1956 Buicks, I was wondering if anyone out there had a Trico parts manual and could tell me if this same kit also fits a 1951 Packard 400 Patrician washer pump? Thanks.

Thanks, TexasJohn. If yours works the same way I think I will leave well enough alone and assume it is working as Buick intended. Thanks.

Greetings: I finally got a chance to rebuild the window washer pump on my '55 Century (thanks to the tips and instructions on this thread). To my surprise it now works. But I am not sure it works as-advertised. With one push of the button on the dash, I get a solid stream of water out of both washer outlets, but the stream of water lasts about 3-4 seconds or so. It seems like a long time to me. Is that the way these work? Or is there an adjustment inside the pump which regulates how long the water squirts for? Thanks.

John, just think . . . in another few months you will have 1/4 million viewers of your blog. Congrats. Maybe you can buy us all a drink when that happens.

Boy. Even being old enough to draw Social Security and in the hobby for over 40 years I still have never seen one of those signals. As the old saying goes, "You learn something new every day." Thanks Ben . . . I think.

I like the color combination. And I am partial to 2-Dr. Hardtops. What are the "Christmas Tree" lights for in your last picture?

Jon: The sending unit is in the gas tank. The first place I would look, however, is in your trunk. You may be lucky in that maybe a previous owner cut an access hole in the trunk right over the sending unit to access it from the trunk. There should be a plate screwed in over the hole (if there is one). If there is no access hole, the only way I know of removing/replacing the sending unit is to drop the tank. The hardest part of this job is getting all of the fuel out of the tank. There is a drain plug but I would be real careful unscrewing it since it may be rusted to the tank and you could do more damage to the tank if you use excessive force on it. Sometimes they unscrew with no problems, sometimes not. The only other way to remove the fuel is to syphon it out from the neck. Once the gas is removed, then it is just a matter of undoing the two strap bolts, removing the rubber grommet around the neck, then dropping the tank out. Depending upon where your exhaust pipe is mounted, you may have to remove its rear clamp to slightly swing it out of the way to allow room for the tank to drop. Be careful when lowering the tank since you don't want to break the sending unit's wire. It should either unplug or unscrew from the sending unit. Once the tank is clear of the car, on top of the tank you will see the screws that hold in the sending unit. Undo these screws and slowly remove the sending unit itself. Good luck.

The assumption here is that you also installed new brake hoses too?

Our local CARQUEST dealer was able to make up an hydraulic hose for my tractor. I would think that if you took your old hoses in to a car parts place that does this service, or to a tractor supply place they could make up hoses for you.

OK, I give up. What is a "road draft tube?"

Mike: There must be two springs then that hold down the jack. As you can see in my first picture there is a spring below this metal loop that holds the jack. Is there another spring above this one at the metal loop too?

Greetings: I was redoing the trunk boards in my '55 Century and noticed a, for lack of a better term, "metal loop" on the side of the right wheel well. See the attached photos. Does this loop have a purpose or is it just sloppy welding from the factory? Just curious.

1956322: I had the exact problem you are having with my 1955 Century. I could not get the turn indicator lights on the dash to work. The turn signal lights at the rear and front of the car worked great, but no dash indicator lights. I first tried another Tung Sol P273D and no luck. Then I purchased a Tridon 910-64046 3-prong electronic flasher, no luck. So I then knew I had a wiring problem. Sure enough, one of the sockets for the flasher prongs had come loose. Must have happened when I pushed one of the Tung Sol flashers back in. So you might want to check the sockets for the flasher itself. I have had no problems with this electronic flasher, works great.

Ah, now I understand the question. No, mine is all Cherokee Red in the door jambs. So maybe the Dover White was added later?

'B': I don't understand your question, "Are your door sides painted one color or does the two-tone carry around?" If you mean the door jambs they are Cherokee Red. Otherwise the picture on my salutation shows the two-tone color. And I have noticed zero overspray under the dash.

"B": Per the color code on my plaque is BSS. (See the Thread 1955 Century Paint Code Mystery). That says the car has a Dover White top and a Cherokee Red middle AND bottom. But my car looks like it has always been Dover White Top, Cherokee Red middle, and Dover White bottom. As the referenced Thread says there was an eBay car for sale with the exact same issue. But who knows. The interior is maroon and gray and is original.

Willie: So if I understand your theory correctly, you are basically saying that it is not likely that the ceramic filter will get hot enough to cause vapor lock with the modern fuels. I have a tough time believing that it will too. Thanks.