TexasJohn55

Robert, if you have a new line at the master cylinder, it is sucking air just like your bleeder set up with clear tubing did. There is no cup seal in backward. Be sure the pedal retracts enough to allow slack and uncover the compensating/fill port in the MC. Period.EDIT: To test MC, remove outlet line and fitting, hold your finger over the port and let it be the checkvalve. Press against port slightly on pedal depression, tightly on pedal retraction. After 2 or 3 cycles it should become apparent that MC is good or bad. Expect a solid stream after a few cycles,. you can take your finger off after pedal is fully retracted and watch the stream on pedal depression.

Oil advances in the last 40 years has probably extended engine life by at least 3 to 4 fold from the '50's and 60's, maybe more. When I began working on diesel trucks in the early '70's, life expectancy of engines was around 200,000 miles on highway between overhauls. Now they routinely run 6-800,000 miles, some over one million. Trucking Co's now don't expect to overhaul during typical trade off cycles. They buy them with an expected usable life to trade before major expenses,

If they work they will work with normal intake manifold vacuum of at least 17-18 inHg at idle. The vacuum pump is to keep them operating while accelerating with low intake vacuum.

Thank You for the "save" DodgeKCL !! I'm glad you showed up. I should have stayed on my own forum. I sometimes wander when I just read "new threads" instead of Buick Forums. Sorry bout that, I should be asking questions here instead of trying to help. The original poster is in good hands and I bid you goodbye. TexasJohn

An ammeter only shows charge rate in amps relative to the load. If the battery is "hot" and no load, it will show a low charge rate. It simply shows whether current is flowing into or out of the battery. A dead battery will cause a high charge rate but if additional loads such as headlights and heater blower are added, the charge rate remains high but the ammeter will show lower charge rate because less current is flowing into the battery. When the load exceeds the capacity of the generator (ie: 35 amps) the meter will show a discharge even though the generator is at maximum capacity. Keep in mind that the meter displays amps. To effectively diagnose charging system you also need a volt meter to see if regulator is functioning properly. A good hot battery with no accessories on should require a low charging rate but voltage should be around 13.2v or higher. A hot battery with engine off should show appx 12.4-12.7 volts. I don't know the amp rating of your generator, but you can also check the output of the generator with an inline amp meter to see if it meets design rating. READ POST SLOWLY as it may be confusing at first. ...TexasJohn

Ian, try hitting enter twice.

MrEarl, She is a BEAUTY!!! I have finally been able to read this thread (albeit with some annoyance from popups) and I just had to chime in on Morning Glory! John

B, There are 2 holes center bottom of bumper that mounts the standoff bracket. John

Nice Robert! Attention to detail, the mark of a true Craftsman! TJ55 PS: All women should be as good with a needle as your wife!

A factory power steering setup with pump and lines. Simple bolt on,( if you call R&I column simple )

Some drill motor! Is that a two-man drill? What did you chuck it up to?

The GM compressors which I have dealt with had selective shims behind the pulley on the shaft which set the clearance gap and still allowed the nut to be tightened. If the gap is reasonabley correct and the same pulley is used back, you should not have to worry about spacing. The shims are tiny and easily lost if they stick to the pulley when removed, just be aware that it may have one or more shims. John

ptt, I had a similar problem on a '91 Cadillac. It had a fairly fresh GM compressor. I had to hook up an inline Fluke dc ampmeter at the fuse holder port and check the amperage at fuse, it had excessive current draw and low resistance on clutch circuit. You can also check resistance at the clutch by removing the connector. If I recall correctly it had a resistance of less than .5 ohm and should have been around 8-12 ohm. I had to replace the coil behind the clutch pulley, problem solved. If you have a schematic, see what else if anything is driven off that fuse 19 but check the compressor clutch resistance first and find the spec for it, it may be around 4 or 5 ohm, I don't recall. TexasJohn

Yes sir! Followed the Buick Shop Manual for my '55. It is a pain to remove and install because the steering shaft is integral to the steering gear box. You must remove the steering column. I found it easiest to remove the vent air box from the firewall for better access also. The worst problem was not the rebuild of the steering box, it was the column. The horn wire in the column is soldered to the slip ring which is rubber mounted on the steering shaft which has a spring loaded brush mounted to the column with a ground wire for the horn relay. I destroyed my slip ring in the process and it split in several places. It also has to be pressed on the steering shaft at the correct location for it to match up with the window and brush on the column. I managed to make a new one out of some brass tubing and new rubber collar to insulate it from the column. It was a tedious job but it works fine. Follow your book and be very careful not to destroy yours. I found it all but impossible to pull the switch and wiring harness out of the column due to the age and stiffness of the wires, so I didn't go there. The steering box build is fairly straight forward. Mine was leaking the steering fluid into the gear box and overflowing out the vent. The shaft seal on the power rack was leaking and the shaft itself was pitted. Luckily I had a spare donor system to get a good shaft. I also had one of the small reaction/centering springs broken that I had to replace as well. The seals are available individually and the orings can be matched up but you may not have the availability that we do in Dallas Texas. and you will have to make some thin gaskets. Once you get the drag and clearances set up, use anaerobic sealer on your shims, they are metal and don't seal well and will seep gear oil if you don't. If you don't have resources to buy individual parts, maybe you can find a rebuild kit. Just follow your book and be gentle with the column and the fabric bearings. It would be a good idea to mark the location of the column as it has some latitude for moving it up and down. I would also recommend that you do not remove the forward mounting cap for the box, just loosen it sufficiently to wiggle the box out. It is a real bear to remount the box by yourself as well. Match-mark both frame mounts and caps so you can put them back exactly as they were, where they were if you decide to remove them. preferably with a paint pen or stamping. Good luck and take your time.

Ray, I have been pondering your problem. You said that you removed the electric fuel pump and hooked up original vacuum delivery system. Did you have that problem before doing this? You also said one mechanic wanted to hook up the electric to test out problem. In post 31 you conceded that fuel starvation might be a possibility. If the engine is under load at higher rpms that would drop the intake vacuum and possibly compromise fuel delivery, but I must confess I know nothing about that system. Is it too difficult to hook up the electric pump? Have all your parts arrived and been installed for the ignition system? Didn't know if you had anything to update us on. John

You can buy "belt dressing" in a small spray can,try it first. It is likely that the belt has aged and dried out and will need to replace the offending belt. Alignment may be an issue but is doubtful. Old belts? Replace them.

Welcome Pearville, You picked a good forum. Is that what you wished to be addressed as? Good to have another Texan on board. TexasJohn55

Keith, The car looks beautiful, a photographer you ain't! Just kidding, the mottled lighting doesn't let us appreciate the true beauty of the car. TexasJohn

Well now that you put it that way, no frame alignment machine needed, just fab it up and bolt it on. Shucks, you can buy the channel and a welder and do that yourself and have money left over huh?

Considering the special equipment and labor, seems reasonable if it is done properly.

Thank you wildcat465, can you explain how to do that, I tried a couple things, didn't work, John

Search "1955 Buick", I haven't figured out how to post the links. TexasJohn

Willie, My stock of brake linings are NOS Delco and Buick. I have a foot operated hydraulic riveter, I guess I need to restore/rebuild it for use. I am of the opinion that my NOS linings may be better than today's because they may still have asbestos in them. As for aging, I'm not sure that is an issue unless they have been contaminated with fluid or grease. The issue with today's brake shoes vary from one manufacturer and line to another. My son had some that were ineffective and some faded badly. He finally determined which brand and line to use. I think he likes Raybestos Red, but I will have to ask him if that was shoes or disc pads. John

I was waiting for someone to chastise me about "degreasing" my shoes, got a PM on that. Yeah I know, I'm just cheap and I HAVE MORE TIME THAN MONEY. If they don't straighten up after some more driving and braking I will replace the linings but I didn't want to have to go through the procedure of arcing them to the drums and waiting for the new ones to seat in with the same symptoms or poor braking. I don't get to drive it that much, I need a new set of tires. I did find it interesting about the different shoe widths on different models, I need to recheck that.. I did notice that the shoes are color coded but did not make note of what colors at each wheel to see if they match up. I do have a small boat load of new linings of various sizes and part numbers but they must be riveted to the shoes. It might be easier to just buy some at O'Reilly. Thanks, John