beerczar1976

I ended up buying some of the AC - Delco Exhaust Manifold Valve lube spray. After a few applications and some mallet caps with a socket extension used on the right end so I wouldn't bend the counter-weight arm, the dang thing loosened up! This was only over the course of 15-20 mins. I can now turn it under hand pressure. Have no idea when last that flapper moved freely. Figuring a few more soaks of this stuff over the weekend and it'll be rotating freely in the bearings. Now, next question is...anyone have an idea of the measurements for the "L" bracket may have been that bolts to the bottom cowl side of the exhaust pipe union? This bracket was what the spring end of the counter-weight arm would have hooked to.

I concur with above. I believe on all small engines, cleaner body sits in cradle built into top of valve cover, and then held in place by a giant band clamp. Smaller band clamp is used on driver's side end to hold cleaner down onto the intake horn of the carb. I've seen a slightly different set-up for the larger engine cars that the air cleaner is a bit shorter and sits more front to back in the engine bay and does not crossing the valve cover.

It's leaking from the cover side. Though I bet there's some weeping from the flange side as well since the whole diff. pumpkin is covered in the typical layer of road crud/oil grime on an un-resto'd car. I have a new cover gasket, but have so far wimped out on doing the full job. Did you put the sealer just on the bolt threads?

Noticed my rear diff. dripping a bit lately. Finally had a chance to crawl under there with a wire brush to clean off the crud. Turns out the bolt at 9 o'clock is weeping. Tried loosening bolt and re-torquing to 15 lbs. but no luck. Obviously the manual prescribed white lead is no longer available. Any suggestions? Guy at O'Reilly suggested Magic black silicone sealant. Haven't tried it yet.

A tip for when you're putting a new brake pedal pad on...they don't just slip on. I heated mine up in the microwave at increments of like 10-15 secs at a time to get it pliable and stretchy enough to get over the metal pedal. I wish I could figure out how they got that brake pedal grommet over the shaft. I got a new one and removed the shaft from the pivot, where the alignment marks are, and there was no way it was sliding up the shaft to where it belongs...could be that repops are wrong size, or perhaps like the pedal pad, they're slid on while warm and stretchy and allowed to cool and shrink back to the right size?

Thanks for the reply JohnD1956. I'm hoping to maybe try it out this weekend. Again, seems simple enough...famous last words. LOL!

Now that brakes are back in working order, and my '50 runs pretty stable, I'd like to get the Parking Gear adjusted so Park actually holds. On a flat surface, I'm good, but on an incline, even slight incline, Park doesn't hold and car begins to roll. The Parking Brake is now adjusted that it actually holds pretty well. Anyone have luck in getting the adjustments done? My Park Pawl gives the Shop Manual described "ratcheting" sound as it rolls backwards off the ramp or incline. Process to adjust doesn't sound too bad, but curious if anyone's actually done it and if it worked without tearing into the Dynaflow itself. Basic process involves detaching clevis pin and adjusting linkage. Thoughts?

I think many are running 30w Rotella for engine oil. As for oil bath, I think it prescribes 50w. As for the Dynaflow, I've been running off the shelf ATF, though there's another topic posted on here within the last week discussing an AC-Delco Dextron Type III-H ATF fluid that's supposedly comparable to the called for Type A. AC-Delco 10-9047 is the part# for 1 qt. bottle.

Ok guys...let's make this easy. The link for the Dexron III-H is: http://www.acdelco.com/auto-parts/vehicle-maintenance/lubricants/transmission-fluid-atf-type-iii-h.html Per website..."ACDelco ATF Type III (H) is a premium quality automatic transmission fluid for use in a variety of passenger cars and light trucks. It is formulated with select base oils and additives to meet the heavy demands placed on automatic transmissions, including the generation of electronically controlled transmissions. ACDelco ATF Type III (H) is recommended for the following uses: when DEXRON-III(H), DEXRON-III(G), DEXRON-II(E), DEXRON-II or Type A Fluids are required in all automatic transmissions built by GM that do not require DEXRON-VI and can used in some hydraulic and compressor systems where excellent low-temperature flow ability is required." •32 oz. Part No. 10-9047 88863083 Price at Wal-Mart.com is $9.99 per 1qt bottle.

I just replaced wheel cylinders on my '50 Special over the weekend...well the rears at least. Didn't get to the fronts yet. Not a hard project per se. One thing I did learn is to check the size of the brake line fittings that lead into the cylinders first...my line fittings were 3/8, but the new cylinders were 7/16 which led to 2 hours of driving around the Tidewater, VA area looking for brake line fitting adapters. Having never adjusted "star wheels" either, I had a tough time with that. The Manual will tell you which direction to move the tool up or down to spin the wheel, but I found that the directions only apply to one side of the car; the other side being an opposite motion...ughh!! LOL. I've learned now though. My cylinders are Raybestos Pro from Rock Auto...sourced from China. My originals may be rebuildable, but looked pretty nasty internally. As others have mentioned, it seems the cost of re-sleeving is probably prohibitive. Rebuild kits however aren't that expensive with the caveat that your cylinders aren't scored or pitted heavily.

I believe this would apply to late 40s thru early 50s. I've reviewed the manuals and would just like to verify the actual location of the rubber brake pedal shaft grommet (same one used on clutch pedal shafts). Does it plug in thru the hole in the floorboard access panel, or does it actually ride up and down on the brake pedal shaft sealing the hole in the floorboard only when the brake is not depressed? Shop manual line drawings appear to have it located on the shaft and flushing up to the bottom side of the floorboard when brake is not depressed. Someone have a photo vs. a drawing they could share? I understand I'll probably have to unbolt the brake pedal shaft in order to slip the grommet in place...I don't think it'd stretch over the actually pedal itself.

Unfortunately, bought Raybestos Pro Grade wheel cylinders for all 4 wheels thru Rock Auto within the last week...now Made in China. :(

Yeah, went with the 2-1/2" sidewall vs. the 3" or 3-3/8". The Special, being shorter wheelbase than the Super or Roadmaster, I thought the wide whites would have been definite overkill.

Thanks for the pics!! I'm seeing the square rubbers, and the raybestos "belting material". Do you mind doing a measurement on those rubber spacers/shims? I'm pretty sure the manuals list the raybestos and metal shims as 1/8" thick. I'll have to get under there and take another look at mine...the rubber pieces might not even be there like there supposed to be. I Figure 1/2" thick or so missing washer/spacer will def. open up the top of door to fender gap as well as pull the hood forward off the cowl bumpers just enough to make that gap too big.

Original rims powdercoated in Stealth Charcoal by Ken Dimitry's Metal Laundry here in Chesapeake, VA. Tires are Coker B.F. Goodrich Silverton bias-ply., 7.60x15. Will get the wheel stripes put back on at some point. Took a TON of measurements.

I think in my case, they are alignment related. The only place that the front end of the fender touches the frame rail is in one location. The rear of the fenders bolt to the outer vertical edge of the cowl and at the bottom at the rocker panel. If I'm looking at the fender alignment correctly, you can see that there's just enough of a nose down that the gap at the top edge of the door is a bit wide, like wise the rear of the hood where it sits on the rubber bumper strip on top of the cowl is about 1/4" forward. The doors themselves seem to be pretty square in the door frame. The hood itself seems to match up pretty well lengthwise with the fenders. Again, I don't need the original specific rubber components, but if someone knows what the thickness was (the manuals I have don't happened to reference it), I could use something else in their place. I've seen the square rubber components thru the parts houses, but they come in a couple different thicknesses. The shop manual does mention the thickness on the raybestos and metal shims as 1/8"...

I think I figured out some of my front fender to door to hood gap issue. I realized the stacked shims that sit on top of the frame horns under the fender are crumbling/missing. Group #8 parts. 1340799-fabric steelbestos shims x4, 1340946-steel shims x2, 1340947-rubber shims x4, and 1340948-tubular spacer x2. Anyone got a vendor? Or at least what the thickness/size of 1340947 should be? I checked some of the typical Buick parts houses, but they only carry the body mounts.

Thanks for the input guys. Ordered the Coker B.F. Goodrich Vintage 7.60x15s w/2-1/2" WW from Summit. Price includes Free Shipping. Should be here in about a week or two.

I know the bias vs. radial discussion has been beat to death. For the sake of discussion, I'm sticking with bias ply. Now for a 1950, what is the better white wall width to go with? I've seen sizes and pricing vary pretty greatly from 1" on up to 3-3/8". Pricing w/shipping from $185 to about $250. Thoughts? The Goodyear Super Cushion Deluxe's look pretty nice with a 2-3/4" wall, but are also the most expensive. Coker Classics with a 3" are the cheapest. Coker B.F. Goodrich seem to land in the middle price-wise but are all about $214. Thoughts?

How 'bout front bumper turn signal housings or teeth?

Depending on how long your speedometer has been stuck, a new cable by itself may not allow the head unit to work...As you noted, either something in the speedometer broke which snapped the cable, or the more likely scenario is that the cable snapped for some reason or another, which, then due to lack of use, caused the speedometer head to gum up and get stuck. You'll probably need to send the speedometer out for servicing. Plan on a couple to a few hundred for repair, or watch eBay for a working unit...

When re-attaching mine, (I didn't realize you don't have to remove those 4 long bolts/screws) I also had a little bit of trouble of the big flathead heads starting to crush/pull thru the black board. Just don't overtighten them. I figured as long as it holds it all together, no one is def. going to see it buried way up behind the dash.

Also forgot to mention...Scott Speedometer Service of Pontiac, MI did my work. Pretty quick turnaround and will call you before doing the service. As a reference, mine was stuck due to lace of actual use in god knows how many years; cable inside cable jacket to transmission had snapped. Service was a couple hundred bucks, however, I also had him clean the gauge face, the glass, and replace the outside chrome bezel. For an additional charge he can also replace the odometer wheels. I left mine original and asked that mileage not be changed in order to not mess with the declared mileage on my Title. Speedo now works very well. Read the Manual closely for the proper length of the cable to use. On my first attempt, I cut the inner cable about 1/8" too long. That 1/8" of an inch causes a "whipping" to take place inside the speedo cable jacket and makes the needle of the speedo pulse or jump, also creates an audible ticking noise.

The thick fibreboard stuff you are talking about does get crumbly around the edges...The insulation (looks like maybe wool or linen-not fiberglass) that's also stuffed into and glued to the bottom side of the dash can also get a little messy too. Look out for the old rust and dust that tends to "poof" into the air when this stuff gets moved around. The four bolts you are referring to actually hold the fibreboard (about a couple inches thick) to the metal firewall access panel. Don't undo those 4 bolts (they're actually pretty long and have a large flathead screwdriver slot in the face of them; the flathead side should be under the dash, and the nuts are on the engine side of the panel) unless you really have to for some reason. You only need to take out the bolts (something like 6 or 8 if memory is correct) that surround the access plate on the engine side of the firewall. The fibreboard part should come out with the panel. If someone along the way has removed those four bolts (freeing the fibreboard from the plate), you'll need to first take off the access plate, and then push the fibreboard out (to the engine bay) from underneath the dash. The black side of the fibreboard is a bit easy to crush or break as well. I think you're right in that the fibreboard, at one time, was also glued to the plate. Mine certainly looked that way...