Outbdnut

I did some more searching on mechanical fuel pump kits and found that there are differences. I found kits for 1940-51, 1952-53, and 1953-56 (V8s). The 1952-53 kit has one of the diaphragms with 8 screw holes and a detail off to one side with a bigger hole, while the 1940-51 has both diaphragms with 10 screw holes and no extra hole. I have three pumps that all fit on a 1951 and 1953 263 engine and they all need the 1940-1951 kit, the 1952-53 kit will not work, so it appears the pump that came on my 1953 engine is an older style. I know what to order now! Dave

Thanks for the info. I found two types of Runtz reducers online. It appears to be nothing more than a 6 or 7 volt zener diode to put in series with the gauge to soak up half the voltage. One I can buy for $19 that has a built-in circuit breaker to protect the gauge in case the zener diode or other wiring shorts, and attaches nicely to the gauge with a nut. I found a Runtz without the circuit breaker online for $3.25, that appears to be just a zener diode with connectors on the leads. I'm a retired electronic circuit designer and I have a bunch of the proper voltage zener diodes, but none with the power rating to take the 1/4 amp max that goes through the gauge when the tank is empty, so I think I'll buy the one with the circuit breaker to add a margin of safety rather than spend a lot of time building my own. I calculate 1.75 Watts dissipated by the diode, so would need a 2 watt or higher zener diode. If it doesn't give me a full gauge swing, I may try to design my own circuit....or just live with gauge, once I know how far off it is. Incidentally, I measured the 0 to 26 ohms on the new sender with a Fluke, lab-quality digital meter before putting it in the tank, so not being a full 30 ohms must mean the manufacturer's quality control of resistance tolerance is poor! Thank you very much! Dave Below is what I found: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dash-Gauge-Voltage-Reducer-12-6-Volt-Runtz-Diode-to-resistor-a-/301781706995 and https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Runtz-12-Volt-to-6-Volt-Voltage-Reducer,2374.html

I converted my 1951 Special to 12 volts. I have not hooked up the gas gauge yet. The sending unit is a new one from CARS (oldbuickparts.com) that is correct for the 6 volt system, with a range of 0 to 26 ohms. What should I use for a resistor, or network of resistors to make the gauge read right with 12 volts? Thx, Dave

The fuel pump in my 1951 Special (263 engine) is bad. The engine is out of a 1953 Special and I recently rebuilt it. The 1953 fuel pump started leaking so I put the 1951 pump on and it worked for awhile, but quit pumping. I have no idea if either engine had the correct year fuel pumps but they both worked. Questions: 1. When I look up fuel pumps and fuel pump rebuild kits online, they show different part numbers for 1946-1951 vs 1952-56. Is this right? I'm having a hard time believing the 1954 -56 V8s used the same pump as the 1952-53 straight 8s, but I see them listed this way at more than one online supplier. 2. If 1951 and 1953 263 fuel pumps are different, how can I identify the two pumps I have so I know what kit to order? 3. I'd like your thoughts on electric fuel pump conversion. I'm doing a mild custom on the car and don't care about keeping everything stock, and I have converted the car to 12 Volts. I'm considering installing a "universal" electric fuel pump. I don't care about the vacuum assist for the wipers. The 1951 shop manual says the factory pump puts out 4 - 5 psi between 450-1000 rpm, measured at the carb. Is there an electric pump anyone out there has used and can recommend? Pumps to avoid? I notice some electric pumps are rated at 4 to 7 psi - is 7 too much for the carb float valve to handle? Rockauto.com has this pump intended for marine use that is rated at 2.5 to 4.5 psi that I think will work: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=293422&jsn=2229&jsn=2229&jsn=2229 Rockauto also has this one made for cars rated at 4 to 7 psi: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=5812278&jsn=2227 which I'm thinking should work unless 7 psi is too much. I'd like to avoid adding a pressure regulator, but if I have to, that's not the end of the world. Both the above pumps have 5/16th" hose connections, so line size would not need adapting. What do you think? Thanks, Dave

Thanks for the response. I found on another board that the bearing is a special sandwich of metal-rubber-metal for absorbing engine vibration. Steele rubber makes one with a couple spacers that go on each side of it. Steele gets $53.40 for the parts, but Bob's Automobilia (Bob's Buicks) has the steel parts for $44.00. It is Steele part # 70-2029-24. Dave

I need a clutch equalizer or the bearing that goes in the end (and maybe the spring too) for a 1951 Buick Special. See equalizer drawing and bearing at the left end of it below (shop manual photo). Please contact me at outbdnut@hydrohaven.com Thx, Dave

On my '51 Buick Special, after dropping in a replacement engine and transmission, I noticed when hooking up the clutch to clutch pedal linkage that what the shop manual calls the "clutch equalizer" seems to have parts missing.(see diagram from manual below).The bearing on the end is missing. The spring inside may also be missing. Where can I get parts for this?......or does somebody have dimensions so I can make a bearing? it looks to be just a bushing that gets greased from the fitting on the housing....or I will also consider replacing the whole equalizer if I can find one. It appears that this bearing has been missing for some time and the clutch rod adjusted so it still works.Help!Thanks!Dave

Thanks for the info guys. Today I took a piston to my local NAPA store and they measured it with a precision calipers and determined it was standard. I ordered rings from NAPA while I was there. As for cylinder wear, I borrowed a ridge reamer and took out a very small ridge that I could barely see and feel. I don't plan on putting a lot of miles on this so putting in new rings without re-boring should be fine. I will hone the cylinders. Where I found the ".005 over" piston dimensions was in the 1951 shop manual specs. (page 2-4), where they listed dimensions for pistons at standard, and +.005, +.010, + .020, and + .030 oversizes. The 1953 shop manual refers back to the 1951 manual. Dave

I just finished tearing down a 1953 263 straight 8 to see if it needed anything before I drop it into my '51 Special. I found two broken compression rings. I have the shop manual and all the engine specs, but my calipers is not accurate enough to measure to 3 decimal places and I'm not so sure about the accuracy of the 2nd decimal, so I can't determine if the engine is standard or .005 over. I think it's standard, but it's painted black, so may have been rebuilt and bored in the past. In the next couple days, i hope to buy a better caliper locally. Can anyone please tell me if my pistons are standard or oversize by the markings cast into the side by the wrist pin ends? They have the number 1318467, and the word "Buick". Also says "ALCOA LO-EX". Also would appreciate recommendation of a good place to buy the rings, and a place to get a newer style rubber rear crankshaft seal to replace the old rope seal. Thanks, Dave

I just finished tearing down a 1953 263 straight 8 to see if it needed anything before I drop it into my '51 Special. I found two broken compression rings. I have the shop manual and all the engine specs, but my calipers is not accurate enough to measure to 3 decimal places and I'm not so sure about the accuracy of the 2nd decimal, so I can't determine if the engine is standard or .005 over. I think it's standard, but it's painted black, so may have been rebuilt and bored in the past. In the next couple days, i hope to buy a better caliper locally. Can anyone please tell me if my pistons are standard or oversize by the markings cast into the side by the wrist pin ends? They have the number 1318467, and the word "Buick". Also says "ALCOA LO-EX". Also would appreciate recommendation of a good place to buy the rings, and a place to get a newer style rubber rear crankshaft seal to replace the old rope seal. Thanks, Dave

Hi, My name is Dave, and I joined Buick Club of America back in the 1990s but was not active on forums. The last 8 years, I let my membership lapse because of things going on in my family that took most of my time, but that is now in the past and I'm back as a BCA member again. I have a '51 Buick Special Deluxe 2 dr sedan (46D if I remember right). It's one of the few with the 3-speed tranny. Before I got the car it lived in a barn for 30 years. I replaced/rebuilt most everything mechanical outside the engine block, and after putting about 1500 miles on it, I converted it to 12 Volts. Shortly after that it spun a rod bearing, and hasn't been driven since. I pulled the motor about 2 years ago and found antifreeze had leaked past the headgasket into 4 cylinders, corroding badly. Honing didn't take enough out, so I began searching for another engine, as boring, replacing pistons, turning the crank, etc gets expensive fast. First I found an engine in good shape from a 1950 that has just gotten all new gaskets, seals and paint. i bought that and was going to get the parts made to adapt the dynaflow crank to accept my flywheel and 3 speed, but then, last fall I found a 1953 engine with clutch and 3-speed trans attached that I was told, runs great and has low miles - the guy was rodding the Buick, and didn't want the straight 8. When the snow goes away, I will tear it down to check rings, bearing clearance, etc., and give it what it needs before dropping it in the car. If all that works out well, I will sell the engine from the 1950, which , as a lot of you know, has some internal differences from the '51 to '53 engines. Hoping the '53 engine works out for me so I don't have to adapt the '50 Dynaflow engine. I also have a '68 Pontiac Catalina Convertible, but in the last couple years,my main hobby activity has been old outboard motors from 1 to 40 HP and 1950's aluminum speedboats (that's where my nickname "Outbdnut" comes from). After I get the Buick runnin' again, I plan on doing a mild-custom resto on it. The engine will stay stock, but I plan on newer bucket seats from the boneyard and the body lines and trim are screaming for a cool two-tone metallic paint job. It has minor rust on the rockers and at the bottom of the rear quarters, so I have work to do there. I have done some body work in the past, and have painted a few cars - it's not show-quality, but untrained-eyes think my paint jobs are great. I am just finishing up converting the Buick's radio to 12 volts - yes - I'm a retired electronic circuit guy and had an idea to make circuit changes and transformer swap, rather than drop the voltage to 12 volts externally (I haven't heard of anyone doing this before, but I'm sure it's been done; and I have it working, except I have to design and build a more robust solid state vibrator, because the one I bought couldn't handle driving my cobbled in replacement, adapted, power transformer, so the vibrator self-destructed after a short time. I plan on my Buick being a fun-driver that I won't have to worry about originality or trailering to events. It won't win any races, but the 3 speed is fun to drive, and my days of wanting a zillion HP under the hood are long gone. Dave