krinkov58

My 1952 76R is on eBay...I had it up there in March and had a buyer from New England who seemed interested but ended up backing out last week. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1952-Buick-Roadmaster-Riviera/153449240761?hash=item23ba4998b9:g:uTwAAOSwDYdcVuDg https://youtu.be/OvWHrWY4Z3Y https://youtu.be/bCqXTUPvtv0 https://youtu.be/q5mQCp7VkYI

Thanks man, I wish I could keep her but it just isn't in the cards. I haven't even really had the time to drive it much over the last 4 years I've had her, other than to random car shows and around town. So it's pretty much in the condition I got it, with correct paint according to the data tag (I think this might be the only 76R from 1952 left with this paint combo) and mostly original interior. All I did was replace the blown vibrator in the Sonomatic with a solid state one and hook up a RediRad, and install a NOS Dynalite I got off of eBay.

Looking online at past sales and some current cars offered, I'm kind of getting a sense that $50K is about the limit for one in perfect condition, with about $30K for one in my condition. More for a convertible, a quite a bit less for a 72R, around maybe $20-30K tops for a perfect one. Sound ballpark?

Thank you, it has some warts but it shows pretty well. Not really loving the idea of selling it but divorce is making it seem likely.

I am just curious as I'm thinking of selling my Roadmaster...how much are these going for these days anyways? See pictures for condition. Not showroom but certainly no rat rod either.

Thank you Bill...I wasn't sure. 1950 is different and I've only owned '51's and '52's. Figured the rear guards might be smaller on the '53 just like the front bumper

Sorry Leif, I live in Maine, USA. Should have put that first. Would be nice to find one local but I've shipped bumpers Greyhound several times and it was pretty cost effective, although I'm not sure if you can still do that these days.

Looking to buy a 1951 or 1952 Super or Roadmaster rear bumper...driver quality.

Took a couple of days off just to come back and look at things fresh...tinkered around a bit with the linkage etc. and got it to idle a little better but still not great. Now it has a bog coming off idle that wasn't there before... So I'm going to borrow or buy a different tach and vacuum gauge and see what numbers I can get. I've been using a 1970's Sun setup and I just want to make sure it's not the 40+ year old equipment contributing here. If I'm getting the same results, then it's back to work

Beemon, I did test the throttle shaft for play and there is some, barely perceptible but there is a tiny bit wiggling from front to back. Not 100% sure it's the shaft or what is attached to it. I set the fast idle cam as per the manual, it was slightly off but not by much... Disconnected the choke heat pipe and blocked off the orifice with some rubber...no change Disconnected the linkage and tried to get it to stall by closing the throttle all the way by hand...got it to almost stall but could not get it to get below about 300rpm. So it looks as if it could be a intake manifold leak.

Thank you gentlemen for your replies Bloo, nah it's not an open riser. Just one of those 4-hole phenolic jobs to try and keep the gas from boiling when the car is shut off after a long drive. Yup a Dynaflow...it's been flowing onto my garage floor for years. I mentioned the stove pipe length just to show that it was a little bit of a height raise with the riser+gaskets, couldn't get away with just bending the stock stovepipe length. I'm going to check that throttle shaft tomorrow though, I hadn't thought of that! Secondary throttle plates do close all the way though, and the vacuum advance can is hooked up right...everything is peachy otherwise but it just is really idling high. No vacuum leaks either. Beemon, no I did not disassemble that far. Old-tank, I did and no drop in rpm

Right, the needle valves being backed out one turn from seating is the ballpark you start off with, then in and out until you get the mixture correct. The manual says do this at a 450rpm idle but no matter what I do, I cannot get that low. Even with the throttle stop backed out all the way. Here is something I forgot to mention though...I have a 1/4" phenolic riser (plus the width of 2 gaskets, one under the carb and one under the riser) underneath the carb to stop heat soak...so the carb is sitting slightly higher than it's stock position. I had to make a lengthened choke stovepipe to compensate. Would this affect idle speed? I would think it would affect the top end rpm instead.

I have a 1952 Buick Roadmaster and just rebuilt the Carter WCFB carb, and I'm setting the idle according to the factory manual. The manual says to back out the throttle stop screw and hold the fast idle cam in the "choke open" position, then screw in the throttle stop screw until it just contacts the throttle lever arm, then give it another full turn. This should give it an idle speed of 450rpm. I'm getting more like 700-750rpm at the least. Any thoughts? Both idle needle valve are backed out one full turn off seating.

2carb40 sending you a PM now...we did talk a while back but I had thought the one one you had for sale WAS cracked but "brazed back to usable"...

Thanks Pete, I have the end pieces as well...I've had a few over the years but never with an uncracked/unbrazed center section. It's the only piece that isn't being repro'd and to the best of my knowledge has NEVER been repro'd but I have a foundry not far from me that is willing to have a go at it. Just need a complete one that has never been molested.

I was actually laughing when I typed the title of this thread...long shot but anybody have an unmolested/uncracked one?

Looking for a pair of decent kick panels for a pattern, don't need to be new. As long as I can make a pattern from them. Dirty, old, crusty is fine. Thanks!

Does anybody have a photo of the escutcheon used up until 1953? Still working on this....

Actually John I'm asking about the bolts that secure the water outlet to the radiator to the thermostat housing, not the part that bolts to the block. I've had leakage from those bolts before but also had a shot gasket which I just replaced. Looking at the inner fenders on my Roadmaster, I think what I remembered as copper "guides" are actually supposed to be installed there. There are 2 empty bolt holes on each fender that coincide with the hood location of the guides in Pete's photo (which I'm also missing). I really am convinced I remember these strips on my 72R and I think I picked up a used set from CARS, Inc. back in the days they had used parts on a printout that would come with their catalog.

Negative ground...really unforgiving of bad ground contacts! Looks sweet though and 263 intake manifolds pop up on eBay all the time and I think the 248 ones will fit (might even be the same casting #).

No I did not! I didn't know I was supposed to, is that in the shop manual? Luckily I have yet to refill the coolant. What kind of sealant, John?

Thanks Pete...I didn't know if the bolts had washers (or were supposed to because mine sure didn't) and if so, whether the bolt gaskets should be between the washer and bolt head or at the bottom. I figured since the surface of the water outlet mounting "ears" that the bolts go through aren't completely even, being cast iron. that the bolt gaskets should go underneath a washer contacting the cast iron. I gave 'em a very thin coat of RTV High-temp silicone and installed them that way. I'll fill the coolant system back up tomorrow and see if everything holds. I didn't want to use lock washers in case some coolant did seep upwards because of the split in the washer itself. Yeah I am definitely missing those guides, they look familiar and the bolt spacing seems to jive with the empty bolt holes on my hood (see photo). Thank you kindly for going to the trouble to post that pic!

I figured I'd roll two questions into one instead of creating two topics. First, when you're installing the water outlet gasket on the 320, you also have 2 gaskets that go under the bolt heads that go through the housing and into the thermostat housing. Are there additionally supposed to be washers on top of these or just the bolt head itself? Second, on a 1952 Buick Roadmaster, I seem to remember from the 1952 72R I had a few years back...now I'm not 100% sure on this...but I thought attached to the hood sides towards the front of the hood was a small copper flap held in with 2 hex-head screws on each side. My 76R doesn't have these but it has 2 holes on each side of the hood as well as friction marks in the paint. Am I completely crazy or maybe my 72R had these installed in a shade-tree fashion? Thanks guys!

It's original, beginning in '52 (at least the Roadmasters if not the Supers) with a bracket-mounted light at the brake release knob. In '53 the light was grafted into the left side of the dash.

The front and rear sections of the exhaust manifold are probably fine but it's that center section that is a nightmare to locate and afford. Adapting a 1951 or older center section to the 1952 320 intake manifold is probably your best bet as even if you can get the old one brazed up, it will never last long. Repro center sections are available for about 1/3rd of the price of a NOS one from 1952.