SpecialEducation

There are conversion kits available to replace the vacuum motor with electric, but Rain-X is much cheaper.

Take your time, Speedosabe, parts are cheaper when we pull them ourselves, right?

Well, they ARE rockin' the bow-ties... Just another service I provide. You are welcome.

It's okay, kemosabe, I'm 1/32 Chippewa. Speaking of which... The legend lives on from the Chippewa on downOf the big lake they called 'Gitche Gumee'The lake, it is said, never gives up her deadWhen the skies of November turn gloomyWith a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons moreThan the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed emptyThat good ship and crew was a bone to be chewedWhen the gales of November came early November 10, 1975

OK, whatever - like I said, we've had the car over 20 years and ours came pre-modified. The point is that his starting system has been modified, and the connections on the carburetor have nothing to do with his rich condition. Now, in our case, the relay on the wheel well is completely destroyed. I think the easiest explanation is the relay failed in the '70s or '80s, and the car was being driven by a kid who couldn't find an exact replacement and couldn't figure out what to do. Rather than spend a few hours doing research (no internet back then), it was easier to install piece of wire and a $1 switch. Back to the subject at hand, I'm not an expert on this particular model of carb, so I don't have an easy answer. I'd probably reach out to Carb King and see if he can lend some advice.

OK, so originally these cars were started with the gas pedal. You simply turned the key on and mashed the pedal to the floor. This would be a switch for that system, but if the wires aren't connected to anything, I'd guess that your car has been converted to a push button start? That does look to be a factory correct 4bbl for a Super, with an aftermarket air cleaner. That's a good start.

Especially with your high compression Century motor. Banker's hot rod, indeed.

(Bump) Fortunately, my parade vehicle is a Pontiac - although I've considered converting it to a Buiac...

'36 & '37 are my favorites from that era; would love to see some photos of your car. Welcome to the forum!

D'oh! Over 20 years and we've never had that working. I always forget about that...

HA! Ok... Dynaflows are notorious for leaking, especially at the torque ball at the tailshaft. That's not the easiest thing in the world to fix, but it's not the end of the world. Parts are readily available. Leaks at the accumulators are also not uncommon, and can be serviced without too much heartburn (watch out for the springs inside!). If it's leaking from the front seal, you have to drop the transmission. Fatsco has all the seals you will need. The transmission doesn't actually shift on its own, but it does have a variable stator, which kinda feels like shifting action when you put your foot in it. Pull in down into low at a stop light and tromp on it and the difference will be obvious! Personally, I wouldn't put a vintage condenser or receiver/dryer on the car, and I'd have new hoses fabed. I'd also use an A6 compressor rather than an A5. The A6 should bolt right up to the original bracket, they are MUCH cheaper, and move more refrigerant (even though they are slightly lower pressure).

You've already mentioned premium fuel, but it's worth noting that this car has a higher compression ratio than average (10.0:1), so it's certainly worthwhile to feed it the good stuff. Steer away form ethanol when you can, because it will destroy the soft parts of the fuel system. That's not the place for new-old-stock parts, either. If you have to service the hoses or the pump, be sure to upgrade to modern materials that will resist the alcohol. I'll also throw this in: Look for motor oil marketed for diesel engines; CI-4 or CJ-4. That will help prevent those flat tappets from grinding down your cam lobes. Some guys will add the zinc back in with a ZDDP additive, but too much zinc can be bad, too. Many have good results with Brad Penn (not API rated), but CI-4 diesel oil is easy to find, is relatively cheap (I've been buying it cheaper than "gas engine" oil lately), and gives a good amount of protection.

Great to have you here, let's see some pix! Pix of that carb might be helpful for troubleshooting, but that probably deserves it's own thread in the post-war section. I don't think any factory carb had wires going to it in '57, so if it's electric anything, it's a mod. Worry not about hardened valve seats. Buick engines used superior material for casting, hardened seats are not required. Our chapter prez winters in Sun City. He's not down that way yet, but will be right after Thanksgiving. I'll see if I can get you two connected. EDIT: I take it back. I saw "New Member" and thought we were in the introductions thread. This is probably the right spot to discuss your carburetor woes. Take that air cleaner off and let's see what we are working with...

The folks we've had do our chrome restoration estimate $165 to $185 each on the doors. They didn't indicate that the second pair above was of any concern. They are one of the few shops in the country that chemically strip die cast. Others mechanically remove the chrome, which can change the shape from the original and embed contamination into the base metal and propagate more pitting.

The rechromers I deal with quote each job on a case by case basis. They estimated about $50 extra to fix a crack in our hood scoop, so anything less than $50 for a replacement was money in our pocket.

I think the problem with your Rivs was a bad choice of gearing. My '82 LeSabre was heavier and would run with the cruise set at 85 (or faster?) all day long. The worst thing I ever did to my LeSabre was put a THM 350 in it. I got tired of blowing up 200R4s, but the gears in that 350 were just WRONG! I'm looking to get 325hp+ out of this Olds (not a stretch, it started at 310hp in my grandma's car), with similar mileage characteristics in the bubble body as the LT-1. Built right and given some modern technology, I have no doubt that it will outperform any '90s SBC derivative.

Oh, there you go, dashing hopes & dreams with legality and realism...

I like to give Christmas light tours... I also like the Checker Aerobus for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they are FACTORY designed and built (and therefore nice proportions), with excellent multi-year parts interchangeability . Everybody gets a door & window, and everyone faces forward - a plus for light tours. We used to make parts for Checker until the day they quit building complete cars. I'd probably put an LT5 or an LS in a Checker... or maybe a Duramax!

not.helping. If the Olds I'm building for my wife were done, and a couple parts cars were gone, I might have more flexibility. For today, the count stands at 14. If it's still available the next time I'm in Michigan (probably June), it will come home with me.

A lot of people dog on the 307, but it was still a good engine. Not GREAT like the 350, but still better than the SBCs of the day. Peak HP and torque numbers don't necessarily show it, but the 307s were set up for low end torque, and with any engine, that's a trade-off. There was also a H.O. version of the 307 in the 80's than had a more aggressive cam (that I may or may not have been running in mine...). Now, if I bought this limo, I've got a spare 403 that would probably find its way into it...

Well, I've got 3 kids, so a car with only 2 rows of seats is a bit crowded. I'm not a big SUV fan, thus wagons and limos fit the niche for me. Also, in high school I drove a '82 LeSabre with a 5.0 Olds. It was surprisingly quick with some minor mods. Let's just say I'm glad we didn't have yearly inspections in Kansas. 85 MPH speedos (not Mr. Earls) with an emphasis on the double-nickel were required by the Federales (specifically the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) from '79 to '81. Many cars retained the 85 mph speedo longer because the engineering work was already done and it cost money to change it. My '83 Pontiac has an 85 MPH speedo, and I promise you, it goes much, much faster. The speedo restriction was supposed to save 2.2% in fuel usage, but that was never substantiated or realized. Say what you want about the Oldsmobile Rocket V-8, but I'll remind you of this: The Buick V8 was discontinued in 1981, where the Olds V8 ran until 1990. It was the only V8 in the world that could meet 1990 emissions standards WITH A CARBURETOR. It's an exceptional engine, thus my choice to repower my 1991 Olds wagon with a (fuel injected) Rocket 350.

With a big enough dolly, just pull the drive shaft to protect the transmission. My dolly isn't that wide. If I HAD to haul it cross-country, I'd probably pull the front bumper, bolt up a tow bar, and flat-tow it home. That option doesn't excite me much, though.

I don't have a big enough trailer. "Leaks Gas near the back when it is running" intrigues me, though. I wouldn't expect an electric fuel pump at the tank (although I guess they could have added one when it was stretched). Since it's an Olds motor, it would have a return from the engine driven pump. Cap the return at the pump and it could probably be driven home. Then again, it was probably fed E10 and then left to sit. The entire fuel system is probably a ticking time bomb.

I like it. And because I'm stupid (like I need another b-body), I started asking questions. He sent me a photo of the title, and the VIN says it's an '81 with an Olds 307: http://www.gmforum.com/vindecoder.php?vin=1g4ax69y6bh408689 Michigan title calls it a hearse. He sent me a photo under the hood too. Still an Olds (which is fine in my book), but it's kinda hard to differentiate small/big block in the photo (I'd assume it's a 307 w/o checking the block number).

I have a white car that was Ziebarted. That black stuff under the hood looked terrible. One time when the engine was out I decided to clean it up, what a mess. Still gooey after decades. As I understand it, Ziebart is parafin based. Mineral spirits and a plastic putty knife will do it, but it's still a lot of work (then I repainted everything I cleaned). There's no magic formula that will cut the coating without removing the paint. One of these days I'm going to completely disassemble the car and have it blasted.