old-tank

Chris As far as I know the trunk bumpers are not available. I use a split piece of vacuum hose over the remaining metal part of the bumper. When installed it will be securely clamped to the inside of the trunk lid. This is very functional and so far judges have not complained. The hood bumpers should be availble from Steele Rubber or Metro moulded rubber. Willie

On my 55 4dr hardtop I carefully removed the old large bead and fitted it over the available small bead product, Willie

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thank you Willie, you're a gentleman and a scholar. </div></div> I ain't never been accused of that before...

Lamar It ain't gonna come off in one piece. It was originaly a slip fit, but is now welded in place, fragile and full of rust. Best to take off the manifold (after you break it off), drill out the remnants of the old tube, then fabricate a new tube. Or if you are lucky, cut it off an inch or more from the manifold and sometimes it can be spliced using compression fittings. Willie

Kevin I had the same problem a few years ago on my 55 CVT. The cost of duplicating the rivet with the propper shoulder and then find a way to star peen was too much. After removing the old rivets I drilled and tapped the arm that the rivet is seated into to 3/8-24. I had a machine shop produce the required number of the above pictured "rivet" in stainless steel. To install just use the slot to screw it in to the propper depth for smooth operation and use Lok-Tite to secure...the slot (or start peen) cannot be seen when everything is assembled anyhow. The heads of the "rivets" were rough finished as above. To get a the propper finish I chucked it in a drill and with the drill and bench grinder turning, the head was ground to the propper contour; then a fine file was used on the turning head followed by increasingly finer grits of wet/dry sandpaper down to 400 grit followed by turning the head into stainless buffing wheels (Eastwood) resulting in a mirror finish. Hint drill and tap before getting the arms chromed, then all you have to do is 'chase' the threads before assembly. Willie

Kevin CVT top is white vinyl with black cloth liner inside; frame is black; body is Cherokee red/Dover white; interior is red, dash is black. Willie

Folding top front roof rail group 14.050 lists tan as the color that can be painted black to match black trim

Hey Dave Spring is Houston area, so the Lone Star Chapter would be more appropriate <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Mike I live just down the road (by Texas standards) in Seguin and have 3 55 Centurys along with parts cars, parts and literature...any help is yours for the asking. Contact me through my profile (click on "old-tank").

Alternator in a generator case: LINK Interesting item to keep the stock look with increased reliabiliy...I have not tried or seen one close...looks like about $400 a pop/

Brad The parts book lists one torque tube for all models 40-60 and another for all models 50-70. There is an early and late tube for the small and big series, and I have no idea what this means...probably has to do with the rear. Anyhow if you are using your old one it would have no effect on your project. Willie

Bob The main reasons for the reluctance that mechanics have on working on old cars is that they occupy a productive work space for an extended period of time, there is learning time, and there is no 'flat rate' guide. At least he could remove the differential cover and inspect the gears to verify the problem, then you can (with the help of this forum) search for a solution. Willie

$250? Ouch! You need to look past those New Jersey boys Kanter and CARS. Terrill Machine has new for $190 and Egge Machine has reground(?) for $67. I have a reground 56 cam in one of my cars and it works well so far. Willie

Bob I used a 56 distributor gear on a 55 distributor. I would be nice if some roller lifters were available. Willie

Bob This time I will take more time and try to answer your question and the reasons why it is time to replace. A few points to get others up to speed: Two lifters were used in early nailheads 264 and 322 One was used in 53,54,55; the other was used in 56. The earlier lifters had a deeper recess in the top than the 56 and used a different longer pushrod. You can use 56 lifters in the earlier nailheads as long as you used 56 pushrods to maintain the same overall length. The reason we would want to use 56 lifters in earlier nailheads is that they are more plentiful and much cheaper...you can buy a set of 56 lifters and pushrods for less than 55 lifters alone. The earlier nailheads had camshafts made of different material than 56...53-54-55 used steel and 56 used cast iron and the different lifters were made of materials that were compatible with the respective camshafts. When these lifters were originaly installed in their respective engines they lasted a long time. When we substitute 56 lifters in an earlier engine we have incompatible materials that result in rapid wear. I too used 56 lifters in a 55 and after 20.000 miles some failed to the point of wearing a hole in the bottom. Before I put the new 56 lifters in I had the cam checked and it was OK for service according to the machine shop. After finding the worn lifters I tried to put back the 55 lifters and pushrods that I had taken out (same engine, same camshaft) and found definite abnormal wear on some of them too. Looking closer and comparing to some other lifters from 55's and the worn 56 lifters, these 55 lifters looked just like the failed 56 TRW lifters except for the deeper recess in the top. My point is after 52 years aftermarket parts have changed and consolidated and there is no way to know if you have compatible parts. Parts sold as 55 may be made from the same materials as 56. Maybe if you find some NOS 55 Buick lifters it will not be an issue. After 40.000 miles on a new 56 camshaft/lifters/pushrods the engine is quiet (I have not had a reason to look at the lifters to check for wear). Hopefully the rest of your engine is in good enough shape not to need new cam bearings or a complete rebuild. Willie

Bob You probably don't want to hear this, but it is time to replace the cam and lifters and cam bearings....and...and.. Willie

Dave The filter is more of a strainer and can be cleaned. Be sure it fits tightly on the pipe because it may suck air and give the same symptoms. If your Special has the original 264 cu in engine it will run well on 87...the 322 will require mid grade or even premium in the summer. Willie

Dave All good points so far. The Dynaflow does not shift in D-drive but does have a switch pitch in the converter when the pedal is floored; this will increase engine rpm's and feel like a passing gear. YOur service manual will give you details on how this works and is adjusted. For fluid just use the current Dexron/Mercon. If excess slipping occurs due to low pressure (verified with tests as outlined in the service manual) you can add a container or two of STP to increase the viscosity. The increase in rpm when turning can be as mentioned bad engine and transmission mounts or thrust pad. It can also be due to low fluid level or sludge in the pan or filter especially if it happens on a left turn (the fluid sloshes away from the pickup). The dynaflow does have a characteristic low whine at low speeds. All of my (3) 55's have a rear end whine at ~50mph at constant speed, but goes away above and below and when accelerating or deccelerating. For increased performance you can accelerate in L-low and shift to D-drive at 45-60 mph or whenever the valves and/or points float. Before you do anything get a service manual and drain the pan and converter; then pull the pan and clean it and the filter. Willie

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Jake, What do you have against the 4 doors ? As we get older and bigger, the 4 doors make getting in and out of a backseat so much easier.</div></div> An observation and a question: Jake is not as big as you <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> What are doing in the back seat? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

" The user you are contacting is registered on another eBay site and may speak a different language. Your message will be sent exactly as typed below. ...another clue that this may be fraud...

On the Pertronix question go to the Pertronix web page and if the question is not addressed under support call technical help. Willie

After watching and participating in the rebuild of a couple of dynaflows I think I could do one as long as it did not have some weird and obscure problem and if it had not been rebuilt before with some creative substitution of parts. If you do decide to rebuild get the service manual and do the pressure checks to better zero in on the problem. I have a spare rebuilt unit from a 55 Century that you can have for $900 exchange...San Antonio, TX area is still a long way from ND. Willie

After a 10 days of cloudy, cold, rain and some ice it popped up to 66* today (75* in the shop). After a little work we went for a 60 mile drive in one of the 55's. Life is good.... Willie

Any weather involving solid precipitation around here, just shuts everything down...we have no way to deal with it like our more northern friends. We usually have only about 10 real days of winter here and then 10 months of summer. Willie

Thanks Lamar I needed that after a long day of secular aggravation. I will sleep well tonight with "Silent Night" replayed. Merry Christmas! Willie

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Here is a photo of the passenger side floor. Previous owner stuck a red and white metal sign over the huge rust holes. Scary, isn't it? Left side floor is not quite this bad. I'll need all of the encouragement that I can get! </div></div> Pete, that is a painfully familiar site(like this)...at least you might be able to haul watermelons in this one...Willie