PeteO

Those top loading GM transmissions are a breeze to work on, even with little or no experience. Just don't force the gears/shifters into places that they don't want to go into. My money is that there's no oil in the box.

Even though I have AAA, there are many times I just need to jack up the car for servicing, ie: brakes, shocks, etc. For this type to lifting, I doubt AAA would be happy for an agent to do my lifting. I noticed that many of the electric jack "kits" include an impact wrench that can run off of the 12v cigarette lighter socket. That's Ok for me, but I'm not so sure that the 6v drivers will be happy. For the amount of times I'll use one of these kits, I'm leaning toward sticking with my large scissor jack and powering it with an impact wrench and string of 1/2" socket extenders. Being 75 and in very ill health, I'll have to rely on others to handle jacking and servicing. I'll have to give the impact wrench a try on the next cooler day so that I can get underneath the Buick and fill the transmission; I'm curious to see how well it works. Thx all for your inputs. Pete

Nope, no hijack, Joe. I appreciate your input. My current scissor jack has a very long crank handle with a 1/2 x 1/2 male connector. Somehow I just haven't given any thought to powering it with a common impact driver. Can a battery or two put out enough power to lift a Buick? Its worth a try. Tnx.

I know, they aren't original equipment, but my aching joints look for relief whenever possible. Today was the first time I came across electric car jacks. This is the motorized scissor type. One listing claims that their jack can lift 11045 lbs.; did someone forget to put in a decimal? Apart from an old Jeep Wrangler and a Prius, the primary use for me would be to lift my '37 Buick Special 4-dr. I can't seem to find the weight in the shop manual but the light-weight lift where the Buick is normally serviced strains terribly to raise it. What's the general feeling on these toys? Am I nuts expecting one to lift a '37 Buick? Incidentally my Buick has been converted to12v.

Thanks all for the replies. It looks like the jack or motorcycle fluids will work nicely. Off to the store I go.

My shocks are quite weak. Fifty years ago I used hydraulic lift fluid to top off the shocks. What's recommended these days?

You've got to be careful with those Klaxons since they are six volt motors. To make them sound properly a series resistor needs to be added. I wound a simple resistor of nichrome wire insulated inside a thin fiberglass sleeve; the correct value was determined when the voltage measured across the horn was six volts. Once a resistor is in place, adjusting the motor penetration screw can be done. The horn that I added to my '37 Buick came from Midnight Auto in 1961 when I was a teenager. It came out of a 1925 Dodge hearse that had rusted to pieces.

Not long ago I took a Coker Firestone tire to the local Firestone tire center. I was told that they couldn't put the new tire on the wheel because it has a tube. They don't know how to put in a tube; about eight attendants working there and none knew how to install a tube. I volunteered to show them how to do it, having installed tubes a hundred times back in the 1960's.; nope, too dangerous. From there I took my tire and tube to a place that handles truck tires. No problems after that.

I also had bad experiences with Bob's. My first order was for "part A" and that was fine. A second order was placed for "part B" which I received plus an unwanted "part A". It didn't cost much so let it go. A third order for "part C" was received but also included third "part A" and a second 'part B", Everything I ever ordered just got added onto all subsequent orders. I spoke to Bob (five yrs. ago), explained it to him, and h shouted back that he doesn't write the ordering software and can't do anything to resolve the problem. No refunds either. Eventually I shipped back all of the unwanted parts and heard nothing back. On a subsequent order a year later I found that I had a credit that I didn't know anything about. These days I'm very cautious about ordering from Bob.

I've always been a fan of kerosene first and if that wasn't working well, acetone. The primary problem with acetone is volatility; one little splash on an outlet will cause an immediate flash. Been there, done that. These days I put tape over close-by outlets when using acetone.

Years ago New Jersey had very strict rules for driving with antique plates. These days the state only inspects cars less than 25 years old. Even so, I have regular plates on my '37 Buick and drive it frequently every day of the week.

Just an idea- try aligning the headlights without the lenses. I might give you a more sharply defined beam.

Those Buicks have three-beam headlight. I trust that you've found the two positions of your dash pull switch in headlight mode. The shop manual shows the best method for aiming; even so the beams are kind of wide and not sharply defined on a garage. I've always liked the foot switch to change beams; its something I grew up with going back to the early sixties and a previous '37 Buick.

I too have added an electric fuel pump in my 1937 Buick. It is mounted on a metal plate that covers the crank case hole where the original pump mounted. This is a driver class car so I've taken some liberties. I don't recall the circumstance that made my not-so-bright mechanic mount the electric pump high on the engine. Positioning the pump high allowed fuel to drain back to the gas tank and leave the fuel lines empty, forcing the pump to pump air before pumping fuel. Mounting it low on the engine like the original allows gravity to keep the pump filled with gas and ready to operate at any time.

A plexiglass 1940 Pontiac. It sold at the time at auction for $305K.