Fleetwood Meadow

I’m not sure if this helps but it’s a checklist for Hydra-Matics.

The radio works! Well sort of. I wish I could add video so it could be heard. The radio has a Selector bar so it scans for the signal. I can hear random voice and music sounds but it doesn’t stop of any of the stations. The car is in the garage so that might be why but I’m excited; it’s the first time I’ve heard sound come out of it. I’ve had it one several times before but never with any sound.

How do I confirm that?

That’s sort of what I thought had happened. Does ATF do the same thing? I have to replace a window cylinder or two and I was debating just replacing them all. They say that with the new cylinders the rubber seals are more resistant and to use ATF instead of the brake fluid because it won’t have to be flushed and changed.

Hi all, I don’t normally come into the Buick forum because I have yet to buy one. Give me time though and I’ll get there. But I have a ‘52 Cadillac and it seems that Buick and Cadillac had similar features, such as that pesky hydro-lectric window system. I’m battling that right now, if any of you are interested, in the restorations section of this site. But I went to open the driver’s vent window and the know just spun. When I pushed it out further the mechanism caught and it opened. So I took the regulator out and broke it open and found that they used aluminum as the shaft and gears. I can’t find one that actually works and I can’t afford to spend hundreds on the one that I did find. So my question is, did Buick use the same vent window crank as Cadillac? Or does anyone have any suggestions for fixing/repairing what I have? My parts car had a bad driver’s side one but good passenger’s side one. Can I modify that one in some way?

I have finally figured out the shorting issue in the rear of the car. Whenever I would open the rear doors the interior light would turn on but the window switches would no longer work. With the doors closed I would press a switch and nothing would work in regards to the windows but the interior light and light under the door would turn on very dim. I spent the last 3 hours tracing wires and using different lead wires to pinpoint the problem. It turned out to be the hot wire coming from the front of the car. It was broken in half. Somehow it was grabbing power from the dome light, I’m assuming, because when I took wires off and tested them individually they would all turn on the dome light. I am going to replace as much of the wire as I can access because the harness is covered in brake fluid from when the window line broke. With that being figured out, and I found the driver’s side door light wire, the puzzle is complete and I should have a fully functioning electrical system. I do not know if the brake fluid is what ate through the wire or helped corrode it or if it was coincidence. In the pictures I have the broken wires tied together to confirm that I figured out the problem. I also found the tag for the rear seat when I flipped it over. I thought that was pretty cool. The circle says Dennison Mfg Co USA. The numbers say 52 81, which is a commercial chassis isn’t it?

As those of you who follow my thread about my ‘52 Cadillac in another section of this site know I have been battling the windows in it. The Motovator motor did not work, then it did, then I busted a line and brake fluid sprayed everywhere. I fixed that and then one of the cylinders now leaks whenever it is operated. I have also been battling the electrical system in it. I had found a broken wire leading to the back of the car that operated the rear windows. I replaced that. But that was before the window line that is filled with brake fluid broke and sprayed all over the harness that is going to the back windows. I finally traced my shirt because the windows weren’t working and found it in the brake fluid soaked section of the harness. Did the brake fluid, since the cloth covers were holding the fluid, eat away at the insulation and then corrode the wire or is it merely coincidence? The fluid leak happened in October and the car has been parked since then. I plan to replace that whole section but am curious. In the pictures I have tied the broken wires together so I could confirm that that was my shorting issue. As you can see there is no more cloth on that particular wire.

I went out to move the windows up and down to see how they handled. The seat cylinder didn’t leak anymore. The front windows went up and down perfectly. The front passenger cylinder still leaks as it is going up though. The rear windows don’t have the large spring to move them down and the switches don’t work back there so I could only pull the drivers rear down. It worked great but leaks. And then I saw the big puddle under the door. The line in the door has let go. So it is another line to replace. I think I’m going to buy a roll of tubing and make as many new lines as I can access. The. I will know the lines are good.

What causes an engine to crack like that?

I used Evaporust Thermocure. It is used with water and designed for the cooling system. I used it in my 51 Dodge and it worked great. The car used to overheat and I couldn’t fix it. I ran it through 3 flush and drain cycles and it removed all the rust and problems and the car hasn’t overheated again. The inside of the block is the cast iron gray that it is supposed to be. You’ll know when it’s time to drain the fluid because the water will turn black. It says to leave it in for a few hours but I left it in for a two weeks each time and had no problem. I found it at Walmart and it was relatively inexpensive. I have a whole thread on the process on p15-d24.

M-mman is selling a 58 Pacer in the Cars For Sale section.

These are pictures of the parts car heater including the heater core that is shown in the previous post.

I took the firewall heater out of the parts car and took the heater core out of it. It’s a rear hassle to get at, I’m assuming these were an early-days throw away and replace part based on how it is constructed. The whole thing is plug and play. The heater in my green car leaks as soon as the system builds up pressure. So I figured that since I have another one I can explore the options or replacing the core. Every screw had to come out in order to allow clearance of the heater core to come out. I took it to the sink and flushed the pipes. That’s when I noticed this one leaks too. There are 4 holes at the bottom of it opposite the inlets. I am going to send it out and get it repaired then I will attempt to replace it in the green car heater box. In the pictures it is wet from me washing off the dirt and it leaking.

Were windshield washers available in 1951 for Dodge? My Meadowbrook has a windshield wiper switch that pushes in and I am curious if it was a vacuum or electric button to operate washers in cars equipped with them.

I turned on the pump and found a broken line right at the firewall so I replaced that and turned put every window up. They went up very quickly. The driver’s rear window stays open 1/2” though. The underseat cylinder sprays fluid when it’s fully extended. 2 of the other cylinders leak slightly down themselves also. I’m hoping that if I use them a little the rubber will swell inside and they won’t leak.

I took the pump out of the car. With it all apart I didn’t see much of anything jumping out so I cleaned the metal between the windings, the armature, and the metal where the brushes rise (the name of that area escapes me.) I took the brushes off and cleaned them along with the area that they sit. I also retwisted the wire connected to the brushes. I tested the continuity and things seemed different than I had expected so I took the housing from the parts car and tested it and it seemed right. I cleaned that and put it on and tested it and sure enough it worked. So I went to put it in and when loosening the nut on the relay it snapped the stud. Since the original relay worked I started taking off the broken relay only to snap the bolt in the housing. So it all had to come apart. I put the other housing back on and closed it all up. When I tested it the pump ran very quickly and shot fluid out of it. So back in the car it went. 

I turned on the pump and found a broken line right at the firewall so I replaced that and put every window up. They went up very quickly. The driver’s rear window stays open 1/2” though. The underseat cylinder sprays fluid when it’s fully extended. 2 of the other cylinders leak slightly down themselves also. I’m hoping that if I use them a little the rubber will swell inside and they won’t leak.

With it all apart I didn’t see much of anything jumping out so I cleaned the metal between the windings, the armature, and the metal where the brushes rise (the name of that area escapes me.) I took the brushes off and cleaned them along with the area that they sit. I also retwisted the wire connected to the brushes. I tested the continuity and things seemed different than I had expected so I took the housing from the parts car and tested it and it seemed right. I cleaned that and put it on and tested it and sure enough it worked. So I went to put it in and when loosening the nut on the relay it snapped the stud. Since the original relay worked I started taking off the broken relay only to snap the bolt in the housing. So it all had to come apart. I put the other housing back on and closed it all up. When I tested it the pump ran very quickly and shot fluid out of it. So back in the car it went.

I went out and checked the connections again and attempted to spin it. This time I got about a turn and a half and then I could hear a gurgling/bubbling sound and the side of the motor was warm and the ground wire was warm so I think I have to concede and take it out. Because I heard that sound down near the windings I’m thinking it needs to be rebuilt. More than likely it is coincidence that it doesn’t work now. It hadn’t been used since 1976 and I got it to work for 2 days then it sprung a leak in a line so I left it until this week when I fixed the broken pipe under the seat.

The new window pipe is in. I hooked up the battery and pushed the switch. The window motor spun a very small amount and now the relay clicks like a starter with a dead battery. So now I have to determine what the problem is, whether it is a connection issue or inside the motor. It worked in November when I parked the car and the motor spins by hand but it wont spin on its own. Taking it out of the car is a hassle so I'm trying to explore options to fix it without taking it out. If the snow would stop I could take it out of the garage and get the windows operating then fill it with gas and see if the gas tank gasket that I fixed sealed the tank. Then it is on the brakes to adjust them properly so I don't need to pump the pedal twice to get brake pressure.

lol clever bob. But what am I "fixing?" I'm not sure where to start. It worked 4 months ago and hasn't been used since then. Is that relay (I call it a relay but it probably has a better term) working properly if you hear the click or is that irrelevant? Thank you for the pictures Terry. Joseph, when I connected a lead to ground it nothing changed so I'm assuming that grounding isn't an issue. I also jumped that relay to see what it would do and it just clicked.

I can already hear the condescending responses but let me ask a dumb question.. the Motovator motor that turns on when the window switch is pressed is not working. It was working when the car got parked in November. The motor is essentially a starter with an oil pump style gear that pumps the brake fluid into the window cylinders. It spins freely by hand and I can feel the resistance when I am spinning it and it is pumping the fluid through it. But when I pressed the switch it activates the relay and I heard the click and it spun a small amount. I took the battery out and charged it and put it back in the car. I hit the switch and it spun a small amount and now it only clicks like a car would when the starter isn’t getting enough power. I put a jump lead from the body of the motor directly to the negative battery terminal and then a lead from the positive terminal to the relay. It clicks and does nothing but then I see some smoke in the motor. So now the question, what is the problem and how do I fix it? Is it the relay? Is it the brushes? Do I need to fight and take the motor out of the car or can I fix it in the car? Or worst case, do I need to disassemble the plumbing and electrical to it and get it rebuilt?

I’m not sure if this engine was specific for Cadillac or if it was in other cars. I threw this topic out in the Cadillac section but I doubt I’ll get much attention there. Anyways, I have 2 ‘52 Cadillac Series 75s. 1 is a parts car and the other is in pretty decent shape, as it is shown in the restoration projects section of this site. I’m not overly knowledged on the history of GMs engines but 1 thing stood out when looking at both of the engines. Instead of saying 5275XXX like the book says they should, they both say 5360XXX. Based on those numbers that means both engines came from ‘53 Series 60s. Correct me if I’m wrong on that. 1 car came from Washington state and the other from Pennsylvania. Was there something wrong with the ‘52 331s that would cause them to both be replaced with an engine from the next year? Was this a common practice in cars?

I have 2 ‘52 Cadillac Series 75s. 1 is a parts car and the other is in pretty decent shape, as it is shown in the restoration projects section of this site. I’m not overly knowledged on the history of GMs engines but 1 thing stood out when looking at both of the engines. Instead of saying 5275XXX like the book says they should, they both say 5360XXX. Based on those numbers that means both engines came from ‘53 Series 60s. Correct me if I’m wrong on that. 1 car came from Washington state and the other from Pennsylvania. Was there something wrong with the ‘52 331s that would cause them to both be replaced with an engine from the next year? Was this a common practice in cars?

Are you planning to race it?