wex65

With spring hopefully around the corner I have decided to part company with my 55 Special. I took on two more projects over the winter and just don't have the space for it and she sees very few miles. I hope it isn't inappropriate to post this in here but i know from prior threads I participated in that there are several in here that like these beasts. http://www.ebay.com/itm/271408780771 Paul

Thanks but the car was already not running smoothly so I am in search of a rebuild kit. Again, if anyone can point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.

Feel a little foolish. Decided to run the tank low so I could remove it to get the sender unit replaced/fixed. Managed to run it a little TOO low. I am guessing some grit got carried into the carb as the engine now keeps cutting out and the carb is SOAKED in gas. I suspect grit got into the fuel chamber meaning the float won't seat. The previous owner fitted an electric fuel pump and so every time I turn the ignition on I see little spurts of gas shooting out of the carb, not cool... I bought a new vacuum fuel pump which I will get fitted but I am trying to ID the carb so I can get a rebuild kit. Can anyone point me in the right direction? It says Stromberg Aerotype but that's about it. Thanks,

Thanks Doug. Unfortunatley he is still back in Joplin where the car came from . I am in WV so unlikely. Will post any photos I get. Paul

An interesting afternoon. The 55 Special is in having a new interior fitted. Looks good so far. Anyway, got a call from the guys fitting it to pop in and see what they found inside the passenger rear door panel, first image below. I blanked out their family names and phone number. Cool I thought, dialed the number (which by now is 27 years old, from 1986) and what do you know, the guy himself answers, Darrell. He is now 70 but remembers the car like it was yesterday. Spent 30 minutes talking to me about how he was driven in the car from when the second owners, Dave and Rema owned it, in 1959. Says he thinks he has photos of the car back then when it was just 4 years old. He remembers the twister than blew though Joplin in the 70s and pock marked the driver's side windows, that glass is still in the car. Real blast from the past. Funny how after that call the car 'means' more. He sent me a photo this evening of the driveway in to which the car was driven every evening for 30+ years. He was blown away to think the car is still running and looking good. Sending him some photos as he and his wife apparently often wonder how it is doing. He told me the old lady that owned it from 59-86 was infamous in Joplin for never driving above 35. SHe kept the car garaged and wouldn't drive it in rain. It shows! ANywa, I thought this was a nice way to reconnect with what was a very early owner. The guy that sold it to me had owned it 17 years so it is starting to look like I am about the 5th owner. Not bad for 58 years.

Thanks a million, I knew it had to be something simple...it was...me! Paul

OK, slightly embarrassing but how the heck do you remove the steering wheel?! I can raise the chrome ring around the horn button (I think it is the spark retard lever etc) a little but it appears to be spring loaded and only moves maybe 1/4-1/2 inch. When I raise it I do see the hex nut holding the steering wheel to the column, very frustrating... Thanks, Paul

Biting the bullet and getting the interior redone on my '55 Special. The car is heading in to them Friday 29th and apparently will be back with me one week later. A couple of questions. The pull cords on the rear of the front seats, do they still make them? Next, any repros available for the seat lower trim, like these below? Apologies for overly long URL! Seems like they are few and far between judging by the final price on these ones! Buick 1954 1955 1956 Seat Side Trim Panels | eBay Hoping this comes out well. They are highly recommended. I will report back with before and after photos in case it helps with any local'ish to me. Paul

Great, glad it worked out for you. Paul

Paul I was mystified when I saw your post. There is good news and bad news. First, the bad news. I screwed up...I remember shortlisting two companies to do my radio. Wards and one other. I guess my brain froze this past week and I 'remembered' it as being Wards I went with. Your post made me go back and check, I was wrong. Now the good news, this is the company you need - South Texas Antique Electronics - Your source for car radio repair and restoration Sorry for messing you around, old age is arriving prematruely. I wouldn't mind but I haven't even hit 50! As you can see from their website they charge $120 for tube set restorations. This mneans they change all tubes for that price. Vibrator is an additional $35. Pretty good when compared to the others you called. Add $50 for the mp3 input. As good as this looks, I think they upped their prices a little since I dealt with them. Anyway, sorry for sending you on a wild good chase but hopefully this makes up for it. Paul

IF this is just to do a standard repair, $500 WITHOUT mp3 interface is pretty outrageous if you ask me. I called around 3-4 before shipping mine off and most of them come in around $150-$200. My guess, they are quoting you for an FM conversion too which is to be fair a costly endeavor. Hope Ward's come back to you.... Good luck. Paul

Rob Thanks, you are absolutely right, major typo on my part! There are new speakers on the market that replicate the old in terms of resistance, shape, size etc. I think I have a before/after photo. Will look for it this morning and post it. Paul

Paul I had the precise same issue. I sent my '55 Selectronic to these guys (Ward's Classic Car Radio Repair). They got it back to me in about 2 weeks from memory. They added an mp3 input, cleaned the glass and replaced all capacitors and the vibrator. The radio looks amazing when it came back. They sell modern replacement spekas that bolt inside the radio too. I have a new speaker and the sound is great, a little '50s' (well there IS only one speaker) but clear and crackle free. I think it cost about $150 but I could be off a little. Recommend them highly. They also do FM conversions but I just didn't need/want it (it was pretty costly from memory). Best of luck, Paul

Thanks Dave, you are indeed correct. I will update the listing as the serial # indicates it to be a mid August 1928 block.

I just posted my Model A engine/gearbox to eBay and wanted to let people know as I think this is a nice pair (obviously a little biased!)... 1930 Ford Model A Engine and Gearbox Complete and Running | eBay Paul

Thanks guys. Have to say I am somewhat mystified at the 'don't do a valve grind without rings' approach. Not to say I disagree with it, I am just trying to get my head around the connection. From what the machine shop has told me, we will be simply sealing the valves, no grind, but if there had been a grind why would this then require hone/rings or is it a case of simply doing it whilst everything is out? Maybe I am being a little slow today... I know the pistons in the block are already 60 over so I am reticent about playing own there to be honest! :-) Paul

Thanks Rob, will have an eye on it throughout the week. Good prior comment re rear seal too. Will be focusing on the trans likely in late Jan. Paul

Many thanks guys, tool organization not one of my strengths. Anyway, found a dial indicator whilst looking around the old garage this morning so will try to dig into the manual to see how to check valve guide clearances. Pulling the old distributor off tmy 322 I thought the contact gap looked small and I wasn't wrong, 5 thou! Not sure how that would show up but I will be replacing and ensuring a 15-17 thou gap when rebuilding. Paul

So I dont recall exactly where I saw this test for valve sealing but I put my '55 322 heads on a bench this afternoon and filled the chambers with gasoline to see whether the valves were properly seated. Left them for 20-30 mins and sure enough I had 2-3 cylinders that only had 50% of the gas left. The remainder were up around the 90-95% mark. Not sure how scientific this is but assume this does indeed mean the two offending cylinders have a dodgy seal and they need to be lapped in with paste etc? Now, where the hell did I put that valve spring compressor??!! Paul

I was looking around to find some online Dynaflow materials and came across this guys. The videos are amazing and I would highly recommend anyone tinkering with a Dynaflow check them out. The pressure test one (second link) really impressed me. Anyway, enjoy Paul

That's good advice, thanks. Spent the last few days with brushes/cloths and degreaser trying to get the 322 ready for paint. The decision was a wise one, I can actually see hone marks in the bores and the oil pan and head were completely devoid of sludge. SOmeone had worked on thie engine recently. I thought it felt tight. Will probably investigate the valve job and replace the Dynaflow seal you mention before re-assembly. Paul

Thanks a million, been looking through it this morning. Now, back to cleaning crudd off the block. Pulled the oil pan this morning and was amazed to find it almost devoid of sludge. Heads too are near spotless. Paul

So I will be cleaning up the 322 I have to put into my Special. It obviously won't be totally correct but I would like to get a fairly accurate original look ot the engine. Does anyone have a cheat sheet (or detailed photos) showing which components were painted which color/sheen? Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere. I did perform a search but couldn't find anything '55 related. Paul

No, the RM is a decent enough car. A couple of areas of rust but generally solid. The Special is a peach, SUPER clean.... The Roadmaster will be leaving me next week so I will than have room to get the engine into the Special.

54fins, agree with much of what you say. Listed the car, see link below. The interest has been amazing. Seems it will sell so thankfully I don't need to fret over the parting out issue. Buick : Roadmaster Base Sedan 4-Door in Buick | eBay Motors Just looking forward now to getting the engine up and running in its new home. Then, I will sell the 264 once things settle down. Paul