NTX5467

AND . . . It still looks just like that, other than the cars, of course.

Everything lools great, Mr Earl! Complete with the incognito guard dog.

Some GREAT pictures, Mr. Earl! NTX5467

Does "For Sale" indicate an invitation to talk about the car?

Perhaps some "masticated rubber sheet", which is the type of rubber the upper control arm water shields are made from, might work better than neoprene? To me the reason is longer-term durability and possible stiffness. Just some thoughts, NTX5467

Yep, Ford and their 6000 mile oil change intervals and 36K mile chassis lube intervals for 1963 made great TV advertising back then. Only thing in the mix was that their chassis lube was upgraded to include Moly and their FL-1A oil filters became famous (also fit Chrysler engines). Apparently, there was still some skepticism in the OEMs as to how well grease fittings could resist moisture intrusion as Chrysler installed screw-in plugs rather than zerks in their u-joints and ball joints. But after the first oil change or lube job, zerks were installed with no issues. Before the u-joint in our '66 Chrysler started to squeek, it had had a minor higher-frequency vibration at 70mph for a good while. Nothing major, just that something was there. When it started to make noise on starting from a stop, that was when it was determined that that was where the squeek was coming from. When changed, it also took out that vibration on the highway. Maybe it was a driveline harmonic that was motivating the hub caps to leave? NTX5467

Back then, an earlier member of the Dexron family of fluids, which were non-synthetic (i.e., "Dino") atf was all we had OEM. Which means the last version of it would be Dexron III. The later Dexron VI, as pictured, is backward compatible all the way back to the first DynaFlow or Hydra-Matic automatic, according to GM. It is now a full-synthetic fluid. GM does not license any atf prior to the current Dex VI. ACDelco chemicals now terms the prior Dexron III as "Type III", I believe? Other brands now term it "Multi-Make" and mention on the back of the bottle that the main application was GM Dexron III automatic transmission fluids, so have to read to find that. Those Multi-Make and ACD Type III fluids will be less expensive than the Dexron VI fluids, by observation. Personally, I think I'd seek out some of the earlier-spec fluids to be compatible with Dexron III fluids, just for general principles. Then, after things are operating well, change to the Dexron VI atf if desired. I don't recall anything special in the way of drive-axle fluids back then. If you pull the plug and smell of it, if it smells like hypoid gear grease, that's what it is. Commonly-available stuff, 80W-90 should work fine, if that's what it is. In some of the oil company websites (i.e., Valvoline, Castrol, etc.) there should be a utility to find their lubes for various cars. Just input the vehicle data and it spits out the results. Only thing is they might not go back that far for you. In which case a Google search might be operative, unless somebody comes up with an Owner's manual or Buick Service Manual information. To ease the extraction of those fluids, you can buy an electric extraction pump at Home Depot or Amazon. It is a small electric pump with long sections of small diameter clear tubing for the intake and outlet sides of the pump. Powered by a car battery or similar. At Home Depot, look for an extraction pump to do oil changes on riding lawn mowers, but works for cars, too. Used to be about $30.00 USD several years ago. In the transmission fluid capacities, there are TWO capacities. One if a complete refill if the transmission is being assembled after a rebuild and the other, lesser amoiunt, one is for a simple filter change and refill. You'll need the second one. Hope this might help, NTX5467

Look for? Many mount pairs have a steel tube in the middle, plus some indexing offsets where they mate. With time, the rubber can shrink and collapse, leaving the tube as the main supporting item, rather than the centering item of the pair. Which means that tightening the mounting bolt might make any sounds worse. If the mounts have visibly deteriorated, might start looking around for some new ones, for general principles. Then also some Grade 8 body bolts, as most were Grade 5, because they could have deteriorated too, thinning in the middle. Just some thoughts, NTX5467

It has been possible, for quite some time, for "fleet" vehicles to be keyed alike. As a "fleet option" from the factory. While a vehicle could have the same key cut code on both of its keys, the "groove code" on the shank could/would be different. Of course, all of these things could be changed by a knowledgeable operative at the consumer level, if needed. Perhaps the "one key" vehicles were that way for customer convenience? If so, having a Buick being one-key when the shared-platform Chevy was not would play into the "Upscale, I'm better" orientation? Personally, I never did worry about such things, just used what the car had with it and "went on down the road". NTX5467

Can a 1960 401 be dressed-up to look like your 322? Enough to "fool the judges"? Will the '60 401/DF bolt into the same place as your current powertrain? Just curious. If it was not for the torque tube, I might recommend an enhanced THM200-family OD automatic for better fuel economy on the annual trips, as the existing 3.64 rear axle with OD would make for lower cruising rpms. The "question" might be "Why the mains showed no wear but the cam bearings allegedly are "shedding"? Just some thoughts, NTX5467

"Where's the LUBE?" Glad you got home safely! NTX5467

"Turn of the Century" makes things sound so O-L-D! Considering what it used to mean. I always thought the '60s looked neat and refined. NTX5467

In some situations, the glove box cylinder did not have the full set of tumblers in them as the doors did, like only three of so rather than 5. Might be better to remove the back seat and use "an extension" to reach the trunk latch from the inside Sometimes, there is a dedicated slot on the inside of the latch which can be indexed with a medium-wide flat blade screwdriver on a broomstick extension to trip the latch from the inside? The key code should be stamped on the case of the cylinder assy, in many cases. As a note, "modern" keys of the same letter shank code can be used in the earlier cyinders, although they might be a little bit thinner. Door and ignition, just that on the ignition keys, the square corners will need to be ground such that the key will fully insert into the earlier "eared" ign cylinder. Keep us posted on your progress, NTX5467

Thanks for the link to Sterns' podcasts! LOTS of interesting interviews there. Another rabbit hole to traverse! NTX5467

Great looking car! New rubber will make it better. Congrats, NTX5467

And . . . all the years, I've been thinking that a 1050cfm EFI throttle body was too big!

One of our Mopar club guys built a 528cid 440-block motor. Used two ThermoQuads for it. I remember TV Tommy Ivo's multi-engine Buick dragster, but NEVER saw anything about those 5-carb intakes . . . not even in Hot Rod Magazine, back then. Would have had to have used those little chome-top louvered air cleaners. Much less the linkage to run all of them! NTX5467

Good possibility, BUT considering that they are separated from the throttle bores by a gasket, might that gasket also show signs of such seepage, as the fuel would congregate in those hollow areas, over time? Time to get out the J-B Weld and seal them up like the well seals on a QJet? NTX5467

Trying to overpower the fuel pump aroma with the leather aroma?

In watching that video again, a few things stood out. Other than the fuel tank and refueling items, that exhaust did not sound "stock". I suspect the suspension was of the "Export" variety in order to run that fast without feeling as soft as the normal suspension might at those speeds, much less at normal 65mph speeds. In one of the radio transmissions, the "level check" stated that the manifold vacuum was about 4.5" Hg, which would mean the engine was not at WOT, but close and also probably into the power enrichment area of the fuel curve. As atf temp was about 210 degrees F. Neat to see all of that stuff going on! NTX5467

Think "oil mist" in the crankcase, from windage and how much oil is thrown off from the main and rod bearings' "leakage". 3.23 gears with later H78x15 tires is right at 25mph/1000 rpm. With 2.76 gears, it gets to right at 29.0mph/1000rpm, but seems like a 2.93 axle was available, so that might be closer to 27mph/1000rpm. NOT allowing anything for the DynaFlow's torque converter slippage. Somewhere in my archives, I have a VHS copy of that tape, but it's been ages since I looked at it. Quality was not that good, but good for the time. Although I was young at the time, I don't recall hearing of Buicks having issues with high-speed travel. My uncle had a '60 LeSabre 4-dr ht and he and his wife liked to drive fast on the highway. He did have some issues with the Carter fuel pump's internal valves failing until he finally had to buy a new one. The ears holding the valves would straighten-out, rendering it useless and resulting in a trip interruption. He carried a rebuild kit in the trunk and could do the "fix" there. One day, it happened on their way back from a trip and he didn't have a rebuild kit with him. A guy in a late model Oldsmobile took him to the nearest town to get a rebuild kit. After that, he got approval to spend the $20.00 or so for a new fuel pump. End of issues. That was in about 1964 or so. I suspect that driving that Buick must have been exciting and boring at the same time? NTX5467

Perhaps they had an auxiliary oil tank they used, not unlike a dry-sump system? Seems like it was in the Grump Jenkins engine book that they discovered that with a dry-sump system installed on a race motor, that a small block Chevy motor only had about 1/2 quart "in the engine" with the engine running. Measuring the amount of oil in the oil tank. As to oil level checks with the dipstick and the engine running? Probably not accurate considering all of the oil mist slinging around within the crankcase? Have to make sure the dipstick was clear of the spinning counterweights, too. NTX5467

I'm going to suspect the cruising rpm is closer to 4000rpm @ 100mph. I recall that the car came in every so often for an engine oil check, but no mention of how many quarts of motor oil was consumed. Interesting "in flight refueling"! NTX5467

O-rings must be compounded for the liquid they seal. Need one fuel-rated if it's in the fuel system. Same for transmission fluid and power steering fluid. Nothing's "universal" although they might all look the same. Glad you made it to Mr. Earl's "shop warming party"! Enjoy! NTX5467

With the referenced item, which will reverse the air flow through the crankcase, what do you propose to use to filter the air going into the crankcase? Just curious, NTX5467