SpecialEducation

Oh, no. Mechanical vibrators are junk. Watch the video on the page I linked to above. He goes through all the things that would toast an old school vibrator, and the VBx-1 doesn't miss a beat. It's the only thing I'd consider buying.

Did I ever share photos of the last Sonomatic I worked on? Still having upload issues, but here's a few... Don't fret too much, we still have 2 with tubes in them...

Thats your problem. The vibrator should buzz. If it doesn't, you don't have AC, and current has to alternate for transformers to work, so you have no high voltage as a result. Vibrators are touchy. They are the weak points (HA!) in these radios. Starting the car with the radio on can cause them to seize up. There are solid state alternatives. If you really love AM radio that much, at least convert the vibrator to solid state. Then you can troubleshoot from there (although shotguning the caps first probably fixed any other issues downstream). http://www.tech-retro.com/Aurora_Design/Accessories.html

This is a full custom. It will never go back to original. Ok, I guess you could if you had a spare chassis, but nobody's gonna do that. Overall, I like it... until you get to the Bowtie under the hood. I'd probably opt for something with the distributor in the front. Not a big fan of the steering wheel, either, but I could change that, too I bet this car drives great, is easy to maintain, and gets lots of looks. At a glance it looks nicely done, with just a few lapses in judgement. It's a completely different class from a restoration, so it's not really fair to try to compare.

Sounds familiar... This was a brand new speedo cable. Didn't last 100 miles. IMG_5216.MOV

Not mine. http://www.sundgren.com/buick-dynaflow-tractors-equipment-chevrolet-tool-trucks-auction/

Some openings are just there for getting the sand out during manufacturing. If you can't find any gasket with a passage opening, there's probably a reason for it.

Just saw Barbara go by in Blue Streak a few minutes ago. I'll take a that as a good sign...

https://www.aluminumrepair.com/ (I'd drop the tank & fill with water before approaching it with flame.)

Sure looks Oldsmobile to me...

Great color combo. We had debated putting white (or maybe Seminole red) below the sweep-spear on Tux...

Super, Josh! We are glad you are here! Photos?

I'm an hour south of McPherson College, and I happen to know a local '65 Buick expert...

Last time I had gas to get rid of, I put it in a vented container and let it sit in the summer sun. It was gone in a couple weeks. Sta-bil may not let that happen, though...

I know a guy who's put a Tremac TKO-600 5-speed behind a 425 Nailhead. He had to have the adapter custom made, but now that it's been done once, I'm sure it's cheaper. If that sounds like the way you want to go, I can point you to the builder.

If it's your first restoration, you are probably better off handing the engine over to an experienced machine shop and the transmission to a good transmission shop. You might consider internal upgrades that will make it more reliable & last longer, but keeping it essentially stock will save you tons of headaches. Simple upgrades like a pointsless ignition or TBI can be done at any time, but things like forged pistons and roller valvetrain should be considered up front. Which way to go depends on how you plan to drive it...

While there seems to have been common & popular color choices, it seems you could get any combination you wanted in '56. Finding a photo of an odd combination like this will be pretty difficult, but you can plug it in here: http://www.hometownbuick.com/1956-buick/1956-buick-configurator/

And I'm wishing I hadn't.

I have no pedigree for our wheels, so I really have no clue. I think one or two were red with a pinstripe, and I have no indication that pinstriped wheel felloes were a thing in '56. It is nice that Buick used those wheels for so long, because 71-76 Riv front disc rotors are the standard upgrade. We change the balls to rollers on our existing spindle and get to keep our front & rear wheels the same.

Funny. We have the same wheels on our '56. Always figured they were clips for baby moons...

I see we made ink in the February Bugle. Usually I get the electronic first. Dad got his print edition a few days ago, but I still don't see the online version yet...

Runs & drives with no carb or brakes? Sounds like a fun ride!

The last bit of walls to get covered. Last night dad reported the shop to be 70° when it was 20° outside...

Not a Gas Monkey Garage fan, but caught a piece of one once where the pulled an old F*rd out of a field. They said it was amazing how many "dead" cars they get where they just need fresh gas and ignition parts and they run like a top.