sweetpotato

Thanks to both of you for your input. I just ordered one from Auto City Classics. Their price and shipping was the best by far. Buick Convert, did you install it yourself on your Roadmaster? I'm just wondering if today's windshield shops would even have experience with the rubber/reveal molding install.

I bought a windshield from a junkyard for my 53 special model 41D. It had some serious delamination on the bottom but the price was o.k. I bought the rubber gasket from Cars. I installed the gasket on the windshield and using lots of soap/water spray was installing the reveal molding on the gasket all per the detailed instructions in the service manual when the windshield broke cleanly in two pieces near the middle. Does anyone have any suggestions on a good source for a new windshield? I'm thinking I will find a moonlighting glass guy to help next time.

The kit I ordered from CARS for my 53 special included enough of the stainless beaded fuzzy sweeper for both sides of the windows. I used a very small flat headed screw to install, placing them on about 3 inch centers, predrilling and pulling them down tight enough to bury the head below the "gummy" part of the sweep.

I got my resilvered mirror back from Madison Glass in Nashville and couldn't be happier with it. $20 ! Also got my wife of 49 years to break away from quilting long enough to help me re do my door panels. For the upper part I used the same grey material as the headliner which appeared to be what was originally used.

I thought about going to a local wrecking yard which has some older cars (no Buicks) and getting a mirror which could be modified to fit my bracket but for $20 plus $8 shipping I thought it might be worth trying this outfit. I'll post some pictures when I get it back.

This one is a Guide day/night mirror. I just sent the wedge shaped glass which comes out easily by removing the chrome ring on the body. It's a good idea to take pictures or make some good notes on how the u-shaped spring goes in there for reassembly. It is a little tricky.

My '53 Special interior rearview mirror was badly in need of resilvering. A search of the web and 5 or 6 phone calls turned up prices ranging from $150 from a place in NY to $20 at Madison Glass in Nashville. I sent it off to Nashville this morning. We'll see.

I'M READY TO TACKLE THE TRUNK AND WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE HAS PICTURES OR OTHER INFORMATION THAT MIGHT HELP ME. I SAVED A FEW SCRAPS OF MATERIAL THAT WERE IN THE TRUNK BUT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TO USE FOR PATTERNS. NONE OF THE CARDBOARD PANELS ON THE SIDES AND BEHIND THE SEAT WERE THERE. ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS A SOURCE FOR REASONABLY PRICED LINING MATERIAL. CARS HAS IT FOR $69 PER YARD BUT WAS HOPING FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE REASONABLE IF POSSIBLE. I WANT TO DO A DECENT JOB BUT THIS WON'T BE A SHOW CAR SO THE EXACT PATTERN ON THE MATERIAL IS NOT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR HELP. BOB

I had not seen that. Thank you very much.

Leif, Do you happen to have pictures like that of 1953 models? Bob

Thanks Martin. Hadn't heard of them. Since posting this I read somewhere that the front floor on the Special was rubber and the rear was carpet but carpet in front was an option.

I'm about to order carpet for the '53 special. Any recommendations on what original might have been? Color? Loop or cut pile ? Maybe it was rubber? The original is long gone.

I've been doing my doors all week, 3 down one to go. New window channels and sweepers. I gave up on clips, both for the fuzzy channels and the sweepers. I ordered a supply for both and found out that the small tabs which are supposed to go through the channels and be bent over just are not long enough unless you own whatever tool the factory used to do this. So I went with #4 screws. If you use the right drill bit and slightly countersink the hole with a large bit the screws all but disappear. On the vertical part which is hard to drill and screw I got one screw in at the top and bottom and used 100% silicone in the middle.

I am having trouble figuring out the routing of the weatherstrip on the hinge side of the rear doors. I know it would be hard to get a picture of this but any help is appreciated.

Looks like the windshield has a "frit" (black border) painted on it. I am about to reinstall my '53 windshield and am considering doing that to hide some delamination. It pains me to do that because I am trying to keep it as original as possible but I am reaching the limit of my budget and a new windshield is not in the cards. Anybody else done this ?

I'm going to answer my own question on this one. Maybe it will help someone else. After I posted the question I made a tool to remove the recessed nut which holds the switch to the radio grille by grinding a small deep-well socket off, leaving two prongs which fit into the recesses of the nut. I'm sure there is a tool for this and it probably even has a name but this worked good for me. The resistor contact which mates with the moving copper plate inside the switch had burned and pulled completely out of the fiber. I was able to epoxy it back into the fiber, ground the face of the fiber including the contacts flush, cleaned everything up and it now works great on both speeds.

ANYBODY HAVE ANY HELPFUL HINTS ON REMOVING THE HEATER SWITCH? I PUT A MIRROR UP IN THERE AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE RESISTOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ANYWAY, I AM NOT GETTING POWER TO THE UNDERSEAT BLOWER THROUGH THE SWITCH.

That's kinda what I thought. I see that you can buy and inline 6v pump on ebay for about $38 . The ad says it can be used as a primary or supplemental pump. Not sure why you would need to supplement the mechanical pump. Quicker starts?

There is what appears to be an electric fuel pump in the gas line just forward of the gas tank mounted on the RH side to the frame. It is unhooked electrically and the engine mounted pump works fine. When I put 6v to it it sounds like a thrashing machine. Can't find any reference to this pump in the shop manual. Is this original to a 53 special? If so is it rebuildable by a shadetree mechanic?

That's right. I just made the metal base to give the spring a more solid place to sit. The rubber insulates it from the shaft.

O.K. I misspoke. I confused the upper shaft bearing (S) with what I thought goes in the end of the shaft for the wire to come through. I don't think whatever that is ain't shown in the picture. Anyway, I made something by grinding down a small firewall type grommet into a t shape. The ground end slips inside the shaft and the upper remaining flange rests on the end of the shaft with enough clearance for the steering wheel nut to clear. Then I ground a flanged nut so it slips over the wire and inside the grommet with the countersunk flange providing a base for the small spring to rest on. For the end of the wire which sits against the brass plate in the horn ring assembly I used a hollow one inch brass rivet , the upper half of which is solid,which I drilled out for the wire to go through to be soldered. Hopefully all this will provide good insulation from ground and Peggy Sue's horn will soon blow.

Thanks Al. I have to get one of those books. The service manual doesn't always get it. Looks like what I need is q,r,and s. I wish I had a close-up of the bearing. It must be insulated against the shaft with rubber or fiber.

Don't have a Super but on my 53 Special all nine bows are the same thickness.

The horn wire which comes up through the shaft has a flanged brass end on it (round and about 3/8 inch in diameter) which apparently is supposed to make contact with the recessed brass plate of the horn ring assembly. It sticks out of the shaft about 7/8 inch when pulled tight. It has some remains of a spring attached to it . There are obviously parts/including spring missing which insulate it from the shaft and allow it to remain stationary while the shaft turns but I don't know what they looked like. I suspect I will have to improvise here but a picture or words would help. I checked it out electrically and all is well there. The horn blows when the end is grounded. Thanks, Bob

Thanks Al! Once you see a picture it all becomes simple. I have the lugs. Apparently there is a Tinnerman nut that slips over the hole on the fender. These are missing. I was trying to visualize some kind of hook or spring arrangement to go in that hole. Thanks again.