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Everything posted by NTX5467
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Minimum oil pressure at idle? '80 Riviera 3.8L V6
NTX5467 replied to PauliusB's topic in Buick Riviera
Thanks for the update. The crank will probably make a .010/.010 undersize on that one journal. Might probably do the rest of them, too. Used to, many machine shops kept a Buick 3.8L 10-10 crank kit in stock for this situation. When you get things back together, in the new oil, add a "cleaner" additive to thie new oil. It was common for the center main to have issues after about 70K miles, back then. Seems that when they machined the as-cast main oil galley, Buick used two shorter drill bits, one from the front and one from the rear, to finish-size the galleys. They did NOT touch in the middle, so the middle main's part of the galley did not get the same volume of oil as the other mains. In one respect, one main needs less oil that more do, but that's a good theory. The old Buick Performance hand book said the FIRST thing to do to a Buick V-6 block is drill the main galley all the way through, with a LONG drill bit (as other brands use). In any event, modern oils are better than the older ones, generally. It'll be fine when it's all back together. Just some thoughts and observations, NTX5467 -
NO need for a P235/75R-15 tire on that 4000lb car. PERIOD. Even a P225/75R-15 tire can be too large/tall, too. If you want something a little bit wider, aim toward a P225/70R-15, which should be the same revs/mile as a P215/75R-15 tire. Even in whitewalls, in some brands. NTX5467
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Looking to improve my Radio/Sound (64 Riviera)
NTX5467 replied to atencioee's topic in Buick Riviera
Check www.tech-retro.com Aurora Designs. Several options, plus a "Find a Dealer" that might be near you. The original person I heard of was Gary Tayman, who happens to be in the FL area. NTX5467 -
Best Transmission Fluid to Use in a Convertible Top Pump - 1949
NTX5467 replied to Dan O's topic in Buick - Post War
For THIS use, the main issue with either brake fluid or ATF is the light viscosity index for the fluid. In that respect, you can probably use any ATF, just that Dexron-family fluids are probably the most common and easily-available. Ford invented Type F fluid for THEIR automatics, although it was also a hot rod trick to get just a bit firmer shifts. Later on, their Mercon IV fluid is equivalent of Dex III. Of course, they all mix together with no issues. Even the Dex III fluid is friction-modified for use in lock-up torque converter transmissions, which does not really matter in a convertible top pump and cylinders. I might caution against power steering fluid as many of them seem to be a bit waxy when compared to the "clear and transparent", though red-tinted, ATF. IF you wanted to, you could also go all the way to current GM-use synthetic ATF, or even some of the Mobil 1 LV ATFs, FOR A PRICE. This would be very serious over-kill, though. Not unlike paying $100.00 for a fluid kit and two filters to service the hydro-static transmissions in a zero-turn lawn mower (when one website said to use Castrol 20W-50 plain motor oil and the filters look like FL-1A Motorcraft filters, which might cost $35.00 if bought at the auto supply). Just some thoughts, NTX5467 -
@arnulfo de l.a., getting the block line honed and then decked with torque plates should put that part of the situation at "blueprint specs", I suspect, or close to it. Which can serve to raise the compression ratio to more like the stated specification. CC-ing the cyl heads will finish out that situation. By the time the 455 came out, everybody was in full emissions-compliance mode, which meant "lower performance" engines resulted. Did NOT affect durability, but DID affect fuel economy a bunch. With the 455 replacing the higher-CR 430 in the line-up. So I don't know that anybody really understood why the 455 acted as it tended to do, being thirsty and such. According to Vizard's videos on ignition timing and combustion processes AFTER the spark, there is a sweet spot as to piston diameter when considering "burn time" of the mixture. Which can mean a smaller bore and longer stroke can result in more power than a larger bore and shorter stroke, with the same CID? DO pay attention to the oiling system, as Buick V-8 can tend to be a bit persnickity in that area. A high volume pump can be used, but NOT with the higher pressure spring. Paying attention to "details" of the build which are UNIQUE to Buick V-8s, no matter the model year, is important and can enhance ultimate durability. Take care and keep us posted on your progress, NTX5467
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Since the time all of these messages were done, I discovered the "Cam Group" of videos which David Vizard did on cam card specs and lobe center spreads. His "128 formula" is of particular interest. As it turns out, it was independently verified by a YouTuber "Cattledog Garage", all by himself, without knowing about DV's formula before he did his verification. Seems that CDG is a 3rd generation engine machinist and builder, with his grandfather working for a GM division as his main job. CDG does his videos driving around the Washington State area where he lives, in a Chevy flatbed pickup with a Chevy 383 he built, which also runs sub-14 second 1/4 miles. He posts several dyno runs he did, plus those of another builder, to show the affects of lobe centerline on power and torque output. Then talks about them. The Vizard 128 Formula is about "giving the engine what it wants" for best power. The "128" is for small block Chevy engines, with another value for other brands and types of engines. Now, DV is unique in that he could call his contact at a major cam company and get access to this person, which normal customers cannot do. He usually ordered special-ground cams, knowing the engineering behind each one, using the Master Catalog's Lobe Profile List to choose the ones he wanted. In other words, he could look at the numbers for the profile and know if it was what he wanted or did not want. He was more focused on building race motors rather than otherwise, too. I highly recommend y'all watching his "Cam Group" videos and also the two from CattleDog Garage. They all compliment each other! Enjoy! NTX5467
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I fully remember the early "search engine days" with slower processors, so the ORDER of the defining items really mattered as to how quickly the search terminated. As mentioned, putting the model year first, then the brand of car, then the model (etc.) really mattered as to what criteria was looked at first, second, etc. In many cases, still does. Many times, I'll start with Google and then move forward to eBay, staying away from Amazon. There are some really good eBay vendors! With eBay as an expansion of their other online website/store. Finding them can be the trick, though. Whatever works! NTX5467
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61 LeSabre transmission not going into high stall mode after rebuild
NTX5467 replied to 61LeSabre's topic in Buick - Post War
If you sell the car, what will you replace it with? -
Most OEM electric fuel pumps have a different oil pressure sending unit to ground the pump. Pump does not start until oil pressure happens. Same if oil pressure is lost, no fuel to the engine. At least that's how it's supposed to work. With light-viscosity oils, "dry starts" are more prevalent than might be suspected. NOT to forget that many oil pumps are NOT in the oil pans any more, too. Most are on the nose of the crankshaft with the pickup screen in a rear-sump pan. Even on the popular Chevy LS-family motors How many of those motors do you hear about with main bearing wear too soon? Then after getting oil to the oil pump, it still has to go through the oil filter element, and THEN into the oil galleys. NO anti-drainback valves in the "bare element" oil filter mechanisms! Piston skirts are now usually coated with a "wear interface", so no "galling" of past times per se. ALL of this makes modern-design motors "time bombs" ready to start ticking (not from dry hydraulic lifters), compared to the 1950s-1980s designs. There used to be an oil additive, ProLong, that kept all of the oil from draining off of internal engine parts. It worked, but in the 1980s, it was not needed unless the engine lost its oil pressure. It was a clear liquid, not a viscosity improver as STP was. Enjoy! NTX5467
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Have to ALSO remember that many non-city areas of the country did NOT have electric service back then. Or even into the 1930s before the Rural Electrification Act happened. Which relegated electrics to be "city cars". NTX5467
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The first electric motor in a GM automatic transmission was also developed with BMW as one of the developers. In electric mode, the transmissions had a metallic gear whine to them. Not exactly a "luxury" experience, to me. It was a "slice" that could be inserted into the existing multi-piece automatic transmission case. A pretty neat concept. NTX5467
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Might be overkill, but GM/Chevy Perf Parts used to sell an inline electric fuel pump. Was the lift pump for the 6.2L Diesels, repurposed for gasoline. Looks like a GF481 fuel filter with wires coming out of it. Had a mounting strap that can go around it. No noise. About 7psi, as I recall. How noisy are the 3.5psi booster pumps? Might some rubber mounts quiet them. Yes, I remember how much sound the old "block-shaped" electric fuel pumps made, but usually the engine and exhaust over-rode them. Just a part of having a "hot rod". NTX5467
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Thanks for the update. I find the comment about "too heavy" a bit amusing. Considering that a Hummer EV weighs 9000lbs and the Tesla Cybertruck is 7000lbs (with the main difference between their weights being the battery pack and related voltages used), the Riv is a "light-weight" by comparison. BUT as battery tech moves toward the upgraded solid-state batteries, that could decrease the weight markedly. Which would make the EV conversion more viable as to cost and using vintage cars rather than purpose-designed EVs. By that time, too, the charging network infrastructure should be expanded. Which when combined with the newer battery tech, would make EVs a much more viable alternative in the future. At the present time, there is a late 1990s Chevy S-10 EV on YouTube. Chevy built those pickups in limited production runs for municipal fleet customers at the Shreveport, LA plant. Using the normal vehicle with an EV drivetrain, using the pickup truck's bed for battery space. Might check it out and see how much things have progressed from then. Perhaps, as production of the new Dodge Chargers progresses, I suspect there will be some coverage of the differences between the EVs and ICE-powered versions of them. That might provide some guidance of how to move forward with your desires. With 121" wheelbases and being about 206" long, they are not as small as the vehicles they replace. Plus heavier at 5800lbs or so. Seeing how they accomplished these things will be interesting! Take care, NTX5467
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This is nothing new! In looking for specific items in the late 1990s, even with a vehicle model and year in the search engine, it STILL brought up all of the light bulbs and trinkets which did not fit the particular vehicle. Pages and pages of that stuff! THEN, when I did get to what I was searching for, the differences in prices was astounding! Some even more than normal retail, butit was on eBay, so they had the allure of that, I guess. And it's still that way. Have to learn to refine what you put in the search engine as to what appears. Not unlike the earlier days of search engines. Inputting "1958 Buick intake manifold" goes to anything "1958", then to "Buick", and then to "intake manifold" in that order. Putting "Buick" first should pick those items first, then "1958" to further refine the search of Buick items, then "intake manifold" to further refine things . . . hopefully. They have been promoting the "Guranteed to fit your car" issue on their radio ads for the past year or so. I'm sure that if the seller puts "fits all cars", then those items are mixed into ANY search. It can be frustrating! Might use the Google search engine to find items on eBay plus get items for sale everywhere. NTX5467
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Any idea what this Carter AFB Carb part does?
NTX5467 replied to DannyGarcon's topic in Buick Riviera
Hot Idle Compensator. In some situations, in very hot weather, the idle mixture could become too rich, so the item opened to allow more air into the idle circuit to prevent such richness. NTX5467 -
In looking in the Chevy Perf Parts catalog, I was REMINDED that GM has been selling an "eCRATE" EV conversion kit for several years. The electric motor mates with a 4-speed (THM700 style) automatic transmission. ONLY installed at certain conversion centers. Motor, battery, controls, etc. in a kit. 200 horsepower propulsion. No mention of range. All in the catalog! I had known that Holley had a kit, but had forgotten that (what used to be) GM Performance Parts was probably the first kit. Enjoy! NTX5467
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Every frame is designed to have a certain amount of flex in it. Otherwise it could be mounted without rubber isolators between the body and frame. The '70s Corvette frames looked like they could have been from under a 3/4 ton pickup, but they could get damaged in shipping. I know one dealer ordered three before he got an undamaged one. As it turns out, they regularly rusted in the northern climates due to salt on the roads. Which is where that one particular 'Vette came from before it got to TX. The '77 B and C-platform frames were perimeter frames, with only a transmission crossmember in them. Any sizeable side impact to the door area (2-dr or 4-dr) would indicate how much later stiffness was NOT in that frame and body. I saw several instances of that! Those cars' frames were designed to give downward if they got hit in the rear. One of our old-line customers said he straightened one without using his frame machine. I remember Joie Chitwood's "thrill driver" shows. I was amazed how they did jumps with the softly-sprung '61 Chevrolets they used that one year. Which had the X-frame under them. I remember hearing about how strong the X-frame was, but it relied upon the stiffness in the rocker panels for side impact resistance, the way it looked to me. Lots of different ways to do things. How "flexible" GM frames were was a selling point for Fords, starting in about 1957. Look for the wrecking ball '58 Ford ad on YouTube. Plus the sales comparisons of '57 or '58 Fords and Cjevrolets, too. NTX5467
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As one of the responders to the OP's questions, I'll take ownership of my comments and what might have happened. BTAIM, over the past years, I have noticed that as educated as younger people might be on the Internet and such, they apparently are not fully aware of Google. I have seen many posts about "I've looked everywhere and can't find _______." Then a regular poster in the forum give them an address to go to to find their answer. Quick and easy. The OP could have found that information themselves, but couldn't (for whatever reason). In the OP's question, I wondered if he even looked before he asked? Or if he perceived his question to be unique and "not asked before"? I suspect that if he had Googled "Buick EV conversions" or "ICE vehicle EV conversions" he might have discovered a lot of what he was seeking. The OTHER situation is that many people perceive a vehicle frame as strong and stiff. Yet it is also flexible and has a certain amount of weight it will support. The weight of such a piece is not generally known, unless somebody has actually weighed one similar to the one in question. FEW frames ever get separated from their vehicles unless it is in some sort of higher-level restoration activities. The most common "weight" might be defined as how many adult people it takes to lift or move it, not in specific pounds of kilograms. Considering how recent the 1963 or 1964 Buick LeSabre EV conversion was in the media, that would have made an excellent reference point for him. Yet he apparently had not seen it. Looked everywhere? Seems like somebody mentioned that car in their answer? Although we offered suggestions of how to best proceed with his "dream" of an EV Riviera, his original question tended to be unanswered. So his quest for knowledge apparently went elsewhere? There were other signals I saw in his questions that I won't address. I wish him well in his quest and the journeys he might have getting there. NTX5467
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The A.M.A. Specs list it as 300 distributor rpm, which would be 600 engine rpm. With the hot base idle rpm of 450rpm. That's what I based my comments on. Take care, NTX5467
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I looked in the AMA Consolidated Specs document I downloaded a year or so ago. Timing mark on damper, so easy to see, hopefully. Centrifugal advance starts at about 600rpm. Hot base idle speed is 450rpm. Vac advance starts at about 6" Hg, 5 degrees BTDC base timing. ONE distributor part number for all Buick V-8s in 1955. When the ambient daytime temps get up to tine lower 70s, check the operation of the automatic choke BEFORE starting the engine for the first time. It should just easily close, with the throttle set on full fast idle position (not started). Losen the thermostat adjustment and rotate it leaner until it barely closes fully. With time, the choke springs will tighten so using the service manual setting will make them too tight and the choke opens slower than it did when new. Which can aggravate any "carboning-up" issues. Test and re-check for best results. Personally, I would not be concerned with the "350 rpm" situation. If the vac advance has a metal tube going to it, just get a small wrench and unhook and plug it to set the timing at 450rpm. When done, reconnect it. And that should solve your low-rpm issue. As to the base timing, for diagnostics, try a bit more advance and see if you get any part-throttle pinging on hills and such, with the fuel you are using. See how far you can go before pinging happens, as to timing advance. Might go 2 degrees at a time. Perhaps @old-tank can advise of his experiences in what has worked for him? Enjoy! NTX5467
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As I recall, the whole "Scarebird" situation is based on parts available from auto supplies and such. I noticed that as some auto supply parts were used, the listings were modified to use other application parts from the ones first listed. Eventually, all of the "will fit" parts will age out of the vendor network. The other question is what is really different on the Riviera items from other higher-production-level Buicks? Perhaps a Hollander Interchange Manual is needed? Just some thoughts and observations, NTX5467
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With the electronic ignition distributor, you can probably widen the spark plug gap to .040" with the recommended ign coil for the distributor. On a normal ignition, you can do that too. The stock coil should have enough guts to produce that much spark, I suspect. If it does not, head back toward .035" gap. I know we are all used to seeing the normal plugs which are not "extended gap", but the extended gap plugs put the spark out in the chamber for an easier initiation of ignition with its spark. In one Petersen Publications book I bought back in the late 1960s, it likened the effect of being like advancing timing by 2 degrees from using a non-extended gap plug. Using an AC 45TS instead of the spec AC 45 plug, for example. That book also mentioned a "J-gap" plug which Champion had back then for "racing". The difference in this plug was that the ground electrode extended only 1/2 of the way across the center electrode. Exposing more of the spark kernel to the air/fuel mix. After reading that, I got out my point file (remember them?) and filed the ground electrodes of the J-14Y Champions in our car to the J-gap specs. Throttle response off-idle was a bit cleaner and more energetic. Maybe a slight bit better at WOT, too, but I did no timed tests, just how things felt. In the 1990s, when the "quality of the spark" came under scrutiny, the ACDelco Rapidfire plugs had such a J-gap orientation and a few other "tricks" for a more-exposed spark kernel. NGK V-Power plugs took things a bit further with their center electrode having a "V" cut into it, to force the spark to the edges of the ground electrode, plus the J-gap, too. Toyota used them OEM, but with a normal NGK part number. From my experiences, they DO allow the use of leaner mixtures reliably (which is what happens with E10 fuels compared to E0 fuels), so they can be a somewhat inexpensive way to get to what I did with all of my electrode filing decades ago. They also seem to have more affect with a more-open combustion chamber than a wedge chamber, but they work with all of them, from my experiences. I could usually get about 25K miles between re-gappings. As for the Iridium fine-wire electrode spark plugs, what makes them better is that the "fine wire" of their electrodes puts any spark they produce right out into the mixture, no shrouding of the spark kernel at all, for a more substantial POW when the spark happens. There are a few YouTube videos on this on a lawn mower engine. Longer run time on a tank of fuel plus less deposits on the cyl head. Of course, with over 100K change intervals, plus the better combustion, they can be "forever" spark plugs. For a price. For most people, the NGK V-Power plugs can be the best value, though. Considering how many miles the vehicles get driven is a factor too, plus ease of getting to the plugs in the car. Y'all enjoy! NTX5467
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I'll start by admitting I do NOT know all of the intricacies of the earlier Carter 4bbls and how they relate to Buicks. Or know where the timing marks might be, whether on the lower pulley, damper, of viewed through a hole in the bellhousing. BTAIM Also, if you desire to exactly match tuning in the manual to what the car/engine does, you'll need to find some low octane leaded race gas, rather than even non-ethanol fuel. I'm presuming some of the instructions you found on the carburetor service website might have had some alterations for ethanol'd unleaded fuel? For those of us who grew up with engine hot base idle speeds, in gear, of 550rpm, 350rpm seems a bit unusual. The ONLY reason to use that low of an idle speed is to ensure the mechanical advance weights in the distributor are in their "Zero advance" position and/or low enough manifold vacuum such that manifold vacuum level is below when the vac advance mechanism starts to advance things. These specs were configured in a time when gas had lead in it and few people had something like a then-high tech timing light. Vac gauges, yes. So, set the idle speed down to where the engine is barely running to set the timing. Plain and simple. I'm presuming you have a timing light. So if the timing mark is in the bellhousing, when you get it set, you might consider putting a mark on a pulley and the engine block. Basically making an easier-to-access mark for where the timing should be set when all is right. Be aware, too, that dwell can affect ignition timing, degree for degree, as to variance from the desired 30 degrees. As to the electronic ign dwell reading, to me, it is an accurate number, but it is usually considered "not significant" as there is no way to change or adjust it. It's still the same situation as with points, just done with transistors and such. Of course, when you change distributors, you always check/set the timing anyway, so no way to test the two settings against each other with respect to base timing. So, don't worry about it. The observed 41 degrees electronic dwell reading is similar to what the old dual-point distributors ran, for better coil saturation and a hotter spark. So, it should work better than single points ever could in that respect. How much difference it would make? Probably only above 3500rpm or so and when the engine is under full load, as in WOT acceleration. The more stable vac readings with the electronics in control probably could be the result of the longer dwell, I suspect. Remember, too, that when the factory idle speed specs were written, they were using a new carburetor with NO deposits in it. You might have kitted the carb and looked to see that all was clean, but IF there might be any "hard" deposits in hidden passages (air or fuel), the cleaner will not touch them. Such things have to be removed mechanically with twist drill bits, by observation. I doubt the '55-era fuels used any additives which would leave such hard deposits, too. Yet modern fuels seem to, otherwise the fuel injection-rated metal fuel filters would not need to be changed every so often, lest they resist the electric fuel pumps enough to melt the wiring harnesses going to them (observed on '90s Chevy/GMC Suburbans when the fuel filters had not been changed, usually happening after 70K miles). If you want to use the 350rpm level, yet the engine will not do it in "P", if you start at 500 or so rpm and then put the transmission in "D", will it go that low then? With a foot firmly planted on the brake pedal? If it will do that, then with an assistant holding the brake, set the timing that way. When done, it's done. Doesn't matter how you got there, just that you got there. All of the little holes and slots locations near the carb throttle plates are calibrated around the slower idle speeds for "idle speed setting", so getting as close to them as possible is necessary for best results. After getting the idle and dwell set (with the points), then optimize the idle mixture and speed around the factory specs. The idle mixture screws should have sensitivity to turning them in and out at the base idle speed. If not, increase the idle speed 25rpm or so and re-check. In using your points distributor, set the dwell FIRST, then the ignition timing. With the electronic distributor, just set the timing as the dwell is non-adjustable and electronic. Then optimize the hot base idle speed and mixture. Sorry for the length. I hope this might explain why some of the settings were done as they were, in a time when many people had a vac gauge and had to borrow high-tech instruments like timing lights and dwell-tachs from others (who needed them for their work). Enjoy! NTX5467
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There is a specific type of micrometer which measures the internal diameter of the bearings when installed in the caps and torqued to spec. Then that length can be verified with a normal outside diameter micrometer. Some of the old MOTOR manuals and such show them in use. Plastigauge is a relatively new invention, from the middle 1960s or so. Take a calibrated diameter of plastic and place a bit on the crank journal, install the bearing and cap, torque to specs, remove the bearing cap to see how wide the plastic squished out to. Compare it to the scale on the wrapper to see what the clearance is. No math or knowing how to best use the two micrometers. Quick and easy and accurate. For most automotive engines, the "green" PG is what's needed. The "red" is for wider clearances. Enjoy! NTX5467