EmTee

In the end, it's all about CFM out vs. CFM in.

If the drum spins, you may have to wiggle and rotate the drum as you pull to get the shoes over the ridge.

Enhanced.

Nice hood!

Refer to @old-tank's method here: http://www.buickrestorer.com/rearseal/rearseal.html

Underside looks good; what did you use? Painting the underside of my cars is on the 'to-do' list. As you already know, that's a dirty and thankless job for something that most people won't bother to notice.

Not sure, but I'd think full-size Electra and Wildcat -- maybe Le Sabre...?

The front drum and hub come off as an assembly. Remove the dust cap and the spindle nut. Catch the washer and outer bearing when they pop loose as the drum starts to come off. Once the brake shoes get past the ridge on the drum surface you should be able to pull the entire drum with the hub, inner bearing and grease seal from the spindle.

Use an ammeter to check for parasitic drain. Note that a Reatta will likely show some small current drain even with ignition off for memory 'keep alive'. Disconnect the negative cable and insert the ammeter temporarily between the negative cable (+) and the negative battery terminal (-). I would not expect to see anything greter than ~0.2 Amps. Wait about a minute after connecting the ammeter, as there can be some programmed shutdown sequences that will cause higher draw for a few seconds as systems turn-off. That said, I would try to drive the car at least once every 7 ~ 10 days to avoid killing the battery due to 'normal' parasitic drain. Otherwise, consider connecting a battery maintainer as Barney suggested.

Calling @MrEarl or @avgwarhawk!

HEI became standard equipment on GM cars in 1975. A few months later I can remember several 'new' Pontiacs being dropped by a tow truck at my friend's father's auto electric shop for a no-start condition. The first couple required the usual diagnosis, which identified a burned-through rotor. Repair of subsequent victims took all of 5 minutes with the majority of that time spent removing the air cleaner to expose the distributor. I don't know why Pontiacs seemed to fail more frequently, but I really don't remember having more than possibly 1 or 2 of any other GM brand. The aftermarket apparently solved the problem, as we never had any 'comebacks' once the OE rotor was replaced. The next weakest link were the OE 8mm wires...

I'm planning to bring my '38 Century to Saratoga (my first AACA meet) and had the same uncertainty about what class to enter. Ultimately I decided to just enter it in the appropriate judging class and see what happens. My car was cosmetically restored by the previous owner, so it looks good but it's not perfect either. I have no expectations (and may still opt-out of judging) but, I figure if I have it judged I'll at least have some idea of areas where to focus future updates to get the biggest bang for the buck...

I have always liked the Datsun 240/260 Z. Interesting that your son likes Miatas; the press originally compared them with the MG-B or TR-3. My friends called them 'secretary cars'. Then again, I can recall that same label applied to the Firebird Esprit... I guess Rockford didn't get that memo!

Might need a thin jam-nut.

Ben, are you using the OE spark plug routing (under the cover) on your car, or are the wires out in the open? 7mm or 8mm wire?

I love stories with a happy ending. The car looks great and I'm glad everything worked out. I'm sure that the PO realized that the car was going to someone who appreciates it as much as he did. Talking to you probably reminded him of how excited he was when he bought the car. Drive on!

Just goes to show that "old" is a relative term!

I thought maybe it was a DUI distributor https://performancedistributors.com/product/buick-nailhead-dui-distributor/ , but the price implies that the Speedway item is a lower-cost 'knock-off'...

The car look good; I like the chrome turn-downs, but I might 'distress' the finish a little to better match the rest of the car. Someone who doesn't know will assume that it's powered by a SBC. Is the muffler internally configured to keep the two sides separate, or is it open; functioning like a crossover pipe?

I found this inside the transmission of my '38 Century. It turned-out to be an 'extra' spring that must have gotten away from whoever opened the transmission previously. Fortunately, it did no damage to the gears and the pieces ultimately settled in locations away from any moving parts.

But this one was a small bus...

I'd carefully check for vacuum leaks before replacing anything else. Along the lines of 2seater's post above, disconnect and plug vacuum lines one at a time and note any change in performance.

So, it looks like putting a Chevrolet in a Buick really is nothing new...

Oooooooh boy -- that's rough...

You will never lose this car in the mall parking lot!