HoboBuick

If you are not concerned about using an "aftermarket battery", I have used the 6V optima battery with great success. It's much smaller and thus much lighter. It never let me down when I had it my '52 Special.

Sunshinemm73, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I have not been on here in a while. I can give you the part number for the radiator, but be aware that the one I chose is larger than stock (went with a 3 row) so some modification is necessary. I had to widen the radiator support, relocate the horns and the voltage regulator. I did not convert to 12v. I'm actually running a 6V Optima battery. Any other questions, feel free to message me or let me know!

Hey guys, I apologize for not getting back to you until now. I'm on here quite a bit, but for some reason it logged me out and I never saw the notifications. Sorry! I swear I'm not ignoring anyone haha. Feel free to message me at anytime since that will at least send me an email As far as my disc brake conversion, it was rather easy. I did not install a booster. Quite honestly, the pedal is firm, but not stiff like it was before. I took out the residual pressure valve from the master cylinder, flushed the old fluid out and the rest was history. The difficulties honestly only came from fitment. Scarebird does a great job with all of their components. In their instructions, it does say you need to relieve/grind the corners of the brake calipers (if you choose to run factory wheels). It was rather easy for me to do. I simply painted the caliper and spun the wheel. Any place paint was removed was clearly a rub, so I just kept grinding until when I spun the wheel, no paint was removed. And always, I just has to clean up the brake pads too. The paint that comes on them is thick and they won't drop in until you sand/grind it back. Overall it was a really easy swap.

I can't answer as to how reputable that supplier is, but depending on how involved you want to get, if you pick up a cheap bead roller you can make your own. I made my floor pans for the front and rear of my '52.

Hey guys, Figured I would post up a few pictures to share with everyone of some of the stuff I've done to my '52 Special. I know the restoration/show room side of the AACA is pretty strong, so I thought boosting the Modified side wouldn't hurt Just a few things I have done amidst a growing list: Dual Exhaust (using a y pipe near the axle) Holley/Ford 94 2bbl carb swap Aluminum Radiator Lowered rear by 3-4 inches (lowering springs) Front disc brake swap conversion (kit from Scarebird) I'm sure I missing some things and have a host of things to go thru in the future. Hoping to start working on doing up a custom header for it soon. Any questions or comments are always welcomed! I try to visit the site when I can so feel free to message me and I will get back to you when I see it. Thanks! Anthony

Whenever somebody ask's about if a modification will "devalue" a car, I always ask, are you planning on selling it? Personally, I lowered my 52 Special in the rear only with a set of drop coils. My car will never go to an auction like Mecum or Barrett Jackson, nor will it ever be judged at Pebble Beach. If you're concerned, I'd go with drop coils as it still is functional and can easily be reversed (if you ever felt the need to do so).

Thanks for all the responses guys and, keep 'em coming! I'm really enjoying the nature of this dialog and am honestly looking to hear both sides, just as they have been presented. I will have to try and dive under the car tonight and see what I have for gears. I agree, we have been spoiled by overdrive transmissions and how they keep our rpms down. I can only imagine what this car would sound like at 70, since when I'm at 50 it seems like it's already screaming! haha. Once again, I appreciate all off the responses and look forward to hearing more first hand accounts of their experiences!

Hey guys, So I have done a lot of searching on this site and others, and just haven't found a definitive answer. I have a 1952 Buick Special with the Dynaflow as noted in the title. The highest speed I've really hit with the car is around 55-60mph. I've been hesitant to take it much faster than that as I don't have a tach (still 6V) and really don't want to get a rod thru the block or anything, if you catch my drift. So my questions are: Does anyone out there with a similar setup as mine (this generation of the Dyna, not anything later) take theirs on the highway/interstate? What do you usually cruise at and, for how long? Trying to gauge if I need to stick to back roads to hit up car shows and drive to work and such. Thanks!

The one you are looking to buy. After digging on ebay, the one you are looking at is Champion brand. Mine is also champion brand. You can make it fit, but you will have some issues is my guess. One, I'm 99% sure your upper connection is off center as mine was. The both the one I bought and the one you mentioned have center connections on the top. I had to change to a vertical water neck/thermostat housing and very short hose. Also, look at the mounts. If you look closely, the mounts angle the radiator inward at the top, toward the radiator. I had to pick up a low profile fan from Summit so I wouldnt have to run an electric fan. Look at the dimensions on Champion's website. I believe the 3 row is also thicker than stock. These are all things that were hiccups for me. I can give you some pictures if you want. I had to do a bit of fabwork to make mine fit, but it really keeps it cool now.

Can you share more info about the radiator? I am running a 55-59 Chevy truck radiator. Bit of a bear to make it fit, but same deal-$200, not a show car and it was close in fitment.

Not that I want to turn this into a debate, BUT, I based my response on the statement that it would melt, and its relevance to being a thermoplastic... If you are speaking of clarity, that is a whole different situation. You then need to look at the material matter (crystaline vs amorphous for example) and many other aspects. There are companies who specialize in printing clear parts. You really dont need it to be crystal clear, as the glow will still appear even if it is semi opague. It's not like they are going to be headlights! haha And as far as 'casting' one, keep in mind that material choice is key, as is the processing of it. I design production injection molds for thermoplastics, as well as molds for thermosets and silicone. At the end of the day, material choice and processing always wins. Ps, we also have a 3D printer

Personally, 3d printing is a viable option. As noted above, you will be 3d printing in a thermoplastic (not 'thermalplastic' as stated above). The most common material printed is ABS plastic. Its usable working range is up to around 170°F or 180°F. So basically, you would be fine if you dont use a bulb of over 25W. On a side note about thermoplastics: it is a very broad term. It includes such plastics as polycarbonate plastic, which houses headlights for today's modern cars. These do not melt when the lights are turned on... With that said, I have had parts printed for a car, just not my Buick. It was for a racecar I helped build years ago in college. We printed an intake runner/manifold system. It never melted. It leaked because we had to print it in segments due to the size of it vs the size of our printer. Just my .02

You are welcome to pm me if it's easier, but my guess is to start by throwing a multi meter across the gage terminals. They are actually really easy to get to under the dash. One side will read 6 and change, the other around 2.7 volts. Do this with the car off, but key on, and again while running. Watch the meter to see if the voltage is fluctuating like the needle on the gage is. Just good place to start

Awesome! That is very good to know. And I appreciate the heads up on the gauge. I dont want to run this boat of a car out of gas anytime soon...shes not easy to push!

Awesome! The connection Im working with comes into the trunk on the drivers side, and come around towards the back. My car's trunk was a little 'mickey moused' so Im not sure if it's current location is where it's supposed to be. But it does come in on the drivers side. I think it's a white or natural colored with black parallel tracers. And thanks for the idea of using the clamps. I was thinking of running a jumper from one of the screws that holds the sending unit in, but this might just make more sense...thanks!

Without seeing the area, it's hard to tell what the best way to tackle the problem will be. My instinct says a weld would be a good idea for the cracks in the frame. If a new weld cracks, it is likely due to a poor weld. Too much heat, too rapid of a cool, lack of shielding gas, etc. If anything, a weld will not likely be the point you will see fail, if done properly. The heat affected area around the weld is what is most commonly the failure point. In any point that sees opposing forces, what we like to call a 'fish plate' is often used. The shape of the plate creates more surface area for the weld. Again, a weld is only likely to crack if it's done improperly. A bolt or rivet in that area would be great, but it won't solve the problem of the cracks.

Im kinda shocked nobody knows the answer. All it would take is for someone to grab a multimeter and check the connection in their trunk for me

beerczar1976, I appreciate the help with the explanation of the test. I already know my sending unit is faulty as I removed it and bench tested it without being hooked up to the car. Even if it were questionable, but working, it appears it has been repaired by someone soldering/brazing on the pick-up tube to the unit. For $40, a new one was a bit of an easy choice since it's out, and this will likely be by daily driver when it's done. I may have been unclear in my description of my question, but my question is about voltage. Should you be getting voltage at the lead connecting to the sending unit. I'm gettting around 2.7v. Are you supposed to be getting a voltage, or does this mean I have a chaffed or crossed wire? ~Anthony

Hey guys, just a quick, hopefully easy question for tonight. I bench tested my fuel sending unit and it's all over the charts. I mean, way out, as in, in the mega ohm reading. No where near the 0-30 reading. So Im looking at going with the TANKS INC one. My question stems from checking the connection in the trunk. I was always under the impression that there is no voltage going to the sending unit, since its just acting as a rheostat or variable resistor of sorts. With ignition on, and nothing connected to the socket in the trunk, my gauge reads full (as expected since there is basically infinite resistance), but when connecting the multimeter between the socket and the body/ground, Im getting around 2.7v. Is this correct? Just doesnt add up in my mind is all! Any reassurance would be awesome. Thanks!

I figured I should post an update since nobody really did answer my question. I was able to disconnect and pull the torque tube back with a come-along enough to access to the pawl. Only took a couple nights after work to do so. Shockingly enough, the pawl is intact from what I can see of it, and when putting it in park, it falls into place and locks the tranny firmly. While Im excited about that, I am nervous about the noise I had haha. My best guess is since the thrust pad was indeed shot, it was put of alignment just enough for the pawl to skip over any points of lock. .Some how it survived, but I still dont know that noise was unfortunately.

Mr. Earl, My apologies for not giving a proper introduction. Usage of forums is not much of my forte I pulled up this thread as I have the (almost) exact problem as described. When putting in park you get the stereo typical "something in the fanblade" sound of metal on metal. I am most certain the pawl or the pin retaining the ratchet/pawl mechanism has broken, due to the aforementioned noise, and the fact that it has been either worn or out of adjustment before since it would skip out of park. I'm most certain it has broken as of the sound it's making. I too have a '52 Special just as Flintbuick has. Main thing for me is to see if you can in fact remove just the tailhousing without removing the whole tranny to get to the pawl. I do not want to drop the whole tranny (this time). I try not to jump on old threads, but given that my problem is almost identical, I was hoping someone could chime in to make sure I'm on the right track by pulling just the tailhousing. ~Anthony

Hey guys, hate to bring this thread back to life, but hoping someone can help me out with a similar problem. My park pawl is broke, and cant figure put how to replace it. I have heard you do not need to pull the trans. Any merit to this? Thanks!